What are three new things you have learned about yourself and your ego as a result of the core learning?
1) My ego can be quite high at times and I am becoming more self aware of this.
2) I enjoy researching the psychology of how we learn and grow.
3) Putting your thoughts on paper can be a great way to relieve stress.
What are the role of values, empathy and self awareness in learning and programming?
Having empathy for others is very important because it allows you to step into someone else's shoes and understand how
they are feeling. You can sense when something is wrong and try to work with them to push through the problem
whether it be coding related or not.
Being self-aware in learning and programming is a vital skill to have because it lets you recognize your own pitfalls and weaknesses
and is a great first step to seeking help. Self awareness lets you manage your emotions and helps you to question why you are feeling
a certain way.
What has surprised you the most about the core learning?
What surprised me is how much I actually enjoyed it. There was something quite freeing about putting my thoughts and feelings down on
paper. Setting goals and revisiting those goals forced myself to take in what I was learning and solidify the material in my brain.
What were the most challenging aspects of the core learning?
Like the answer above, the most challenging thing was figuring out how to articulate the thoughts inside my head.
Why do you think we, a programming school, are spending so much time focusing on core learning in a web development bootcamp course?
Because understanding yourself is a vital skill to have when working with people. Being present in the moment and being aware of what's
going on around you will help you succeed much further than just having good coding skills.
Does the time you spent studying core learning here feel like a waste of time? Should you have just used that time to practice programming
instead? Justify your answer.
It does not feel like a waste of time at all. Programming can be very mentally draining, especially as a beginner. We are humans,
not robots. We need to take a break from the technical side of things every now and then and actually talk to people. Communication
forms relationships.
What is your long term goal and/or career pathway?
I hope to use the skills that I gain during this course to become a Web Developer. I want to contribute to open
source projects and bring awesome ideas to life. As for a destination, I would like to work in an inclusive and
progressive company. Somewhere that can mentor me as I work and actively push me. I want to be amongst people
that are wiser than me.
What do you think your biggest strengths and limitations will be in Bootcamp?
In bootcamp I think my biggest strength will be my creativity. I come from a design background so I hope I can use
this to push my projects to the next level. In terms of limitations I still think my competitive edge can be a drawback,
especially with group work. I need to make sure I show empathy towards my peers.
I like that I now feel more comfortable talking about my strengths and weaknesses. I want to be more transparent
throughout bootcamp with how I am feeling.
What do you think your biggest non-technical challenge at Bootcamp will be?
My biggest non-technical challenge will be keeping focused. I now live out of town and knowing that I have to be at
EDA for the whole working day will definitely be a challenge. Long days and nights will make it hard to stay
focused, but I am determined to give it my all.
What non-technical skills - human skills - would you like to see developed in yourself while at EDA?
I really would like to be more empathetic and transparent to people. I want to be more comfortable talking about my
feelings to others.
Another thing I would love to work on is my leadership. I want to inspire and give more motivation among my peers.
A good leader needs to be transparent with how they are feeling. This is an area for me that can definitely be developed.
What are your expectations of yourself on Bootcamp?
Based on my knowledge of bootcamp, If I need to seek help I will do so by sitting down and talking with my facilitator
about my problem/s. I see that we will have check-ins with our Human Skills facilitators every two weeks. This will
be a good chance for me to open up with how I’m feeling emotionally and mentally.
To manage my workload throughout bootcamp I will try to maintain a schedule in my daily life. I will continue to
write down daily goals, and then reflect on those goals at the end of the day. To keep working productively I will
make sure I take breaks away from the computer screen, and keep up with a healthy diet along with exercise.
Getting a decent sleep is another vital factor for me to perform well. It’s one of the pillars of health and
therefore, productivity.