- Learning plan
In this blog post I'm recording a learning plan to help motivate me through the next few months of studying with Dev academy. My long temr goal from working with Dev academy is to switch careers into the technology sector. I haven't figured out in what exact capacity yet and I think it's impossible to know what my dream role is until I work in the tech sector and figure out what tasks I do and don't enjoy.
I've always excelled in structured learning environments. I was a good student at school where lessons were structured and there was a specific concept to learn and practice each lesson. I stuggled more at university where learning was more on me as an individual. Finding the time to review concepts was difficult and I procrastinated. I don't procrastinate to the same degree anymore but have other priorities in my life which can be distracting and limit the amount of time I have to learn and practice new concepts. For me to succeed in coding I believe I have to practice new concepts to gain a better grasp. Skills that I want to develop whilst studying with Dev academy is commmunication. It's a skill that I feel I'll be trying to improve on for the rest of my life. Concise and effective communication are key to have a successful career as it allows you to work well in a team and have less errors from misunderstandings and oversight. I need to push myself to be more outgoing as I'm a reserved person and tend to sit back and wait for things to play out. Being more proactive is a skill I'd like to develop.
The workload of the program is going to be a challenge. Finding the time to complete the necessary tasks with distractions at home is something I've been worring about for months. I tried to prepare myself as much as possible before enrolling in Dev academy so that I didn't have many new concepts to learn and could simply apply the skills I have on new projects with other students. I will try and manage my workload by being strict about my studying and my non-studying time. Having a clear line on this will hopefully allow me to switch on and off as needed. When I'm struggling with the workload I'll take a break from screens and get outside and do some exercise or spend time with my family depending on the timing. I'll try reach out to others in my homegroup/facilitator for support as needed. I've found when I'm overwhelmed witha problem that taking a break and letting my subconcious do it's thing helps immensely.
When I need to seek help my first message will likely be to my homegroup to see if anyone else is struggling or can offer support. Working in others is great to get different views on how problems can be solved. My facilitator will be in this group so will be looped into these messages. I also have my partner and friends to lean on if its a stress issue and not a coding specific issue. I've also got friends who have careers in technology who I could ask for advice and options to help me.
The facilitation team are available to help me if I need them. I expect that they are there as moral and emotional support and less for coding problem solving. Having someone there to turn to can be important when I'm struggling or feeling lost. It's great to ask them before going down rabbit holes to check whether it's worth it. The facilitators being available for guidance will be fantastic as we move further through the curriculum.
I'll have block-out times in the morning and evening where I'll spend time with my family. Currently I awake before everyone and complete some house chores before spending time with my family. During the day I can focus on studying and can switch back into family mode when everybody gets home. When whanau go to bed I'll have more time to study depending on how my day went and how I'm feeling.
- Bootcamp learning plan
I am still unsure on my long term goal. I enrolled with Dev Academy in the hope that it would assist me in a career shift to become a developer of some sort. I don't know what that looks like long term and what kind of developer I would like to be. I think that it is difficult to understand what I would like to do in the future without having ever worked as a developer or in the technology industry at all.
My biggest strength coming into bootcamp is my preperation. I've been studying coding for almost 2 years. Although it has been slow going I think that I've covered most of the material that will be taught to us during bootcamp. I think that although I'll need to relearn a few of the concepts, the fact that most of it won't be brand new to me will be a big advantage. The limitations will likely be the balance of my life. With a young family my time to study is limited. I am yet to decide what my days will look like during bootcamp and how that will affect everyone in my household. Ensuring I get the basics of eating and sleeping right will be essential
My largest non-technical challenge will probably be working with a diverse group of students who all have different backgrounds. Due to the large amount of pair programming and group projects, clear communication and my ability to explain my thoughts using the correct jargon will be put to the test. I've completed most of my previous coding work alone so working with others is a challenge I'm looking forward to.
My communication is something that I'm aware I can improve on. It has always been this way. As an introvert I prefer to stay silent and listen to others for the majority of the time. Being able to communicate the ideas in my head in a clear and concise way is something I'd love to improve on and this will be a great opportunity to do that.
My expectations from the bootcamp team are that they'll keep the learning that students are doing to a strict scope for the most part. It is easy to fall down a rabbit hole of a specific concept, being able to learn the minimum required and move on is the whole point of the "just in time" teaching that Dev Academy is utilising. I expect that the bootcamp team will not directly answer many questions and will likely point me in the direction of the answer so that I learn how to solve my own problems. I hope that they would give me the first step that I can bounce off and go from there
The expectations I have for myself are that I will try my best to grasp all of the concepts that are taught to us. I want to be able to share any knowledge I can with others and communicate my ideas and feelings effectively with my peers and facilitators. I expect I'll have a strict schedule for when I'm studying and when I'm spending time away from my screens and doing other activities. There are discord channels I can use when I get stuck and need help, along with facilitators that I can reach out to directly. Overall, I'm hoping that I enjoy bootcamp as I know it'll be a stressful environment but I should be able to enjoy myself too.