Well, I just finished up my final portfolio project review for Flatiron! Phew, what a relief! I’ve been working through Flatiron’s self-paced program for the past year and a half, and there have certainly been a lot of ups and downs.
In this post, I’m going to briefly go over my experience at Flatiron and how it has shaped my future.
Why I Chose Flatiron
Before COVID hit, I was a full time touring musician. I played banjo professionally for the modern folk band National Park Radio. I discovered a love for coding during our off time, where I built Wordpress websites for people on Fiverr as an extra source of income.
Learning Wordpress certainly sparked my interest in what happens “behind the scenes” on websites. I taught myself HTML and CSS, but I wanted to know how everything worked on the backend.
With a strange touring schedule, I started looking for coding bootcamps that provided a self-paced online program. And just like that, I found Flatiron! After reading many reviews, I decided that Flatiron was the one I wanted to go with, and the rest is history!
The Self-Paced Program
With my touring schedule, the self-paced program was absolutely necessary. I couldn’t commit to online class times because every day is different on the road. Furthermore, I was used to teaching myself and learning new skills, so I definitely had the motivation it took to go through the self-paced without someone to enforce deadlines.
At times, it was hard to keep pushing. I went through a huge lull during last summer (2020) trying to learn Javascript. I just couldn’t do it!! After falling in love with Ruby, I quickly developed a hatred for JS and found it difficult to learn. After a while, I had to completely restart the Javascript section and just keep pushing.
I forced myself to enjoy Javascript, and mentally, it worked. Once I got to the Javascript project, I discovered it wasn’t all that bad. I got used to it and learned as much as I could, especially of ES6. And I’m so glad I kept going, because React/Redux ended up being my favorite sections of the entire curriculum.
I’d recommend to anyone going through the self-paced program or looking into it, BE SURE you will find motivation to work through the hard sections. It’s really difficult not having a cohort to lean on, and sometimes it’s just hard to motivate yourself. Reach out to people on LinkedIn and find a support network! It will keep you going when the going gets tough.
Moving Forward
Looking ahead, I’m jumping into my career search ASAP! I’m excited to get in the industry and start my career. But I know the job search is going to pose some significant challenges.
There is definitely a “gap” between bootcamp grads and junior developer positions working in production. I’m hoping the gap isn’t too large, but I’m fully prepared for it. The hard work truly starts now! On to learning data structures and algorithms and preparing for the dreaded technical interview!
A thanks to Flatiron
Thank you to Flatiron for pushing me past my comfort zone. Thank you for an excellent curriculum and for giving me the tools to learn anything. Thank you for all of the resources you have given me. And finally, thank you for providing coursework and career services after graduation. I’m excited to move forward!
Riley