The BootCamper's Journey: The Final Edition

I hope you are doing well my good readers! What was that? Where was the blog post for the last few weeks?

Did you not get the message? That I'm combining the last few weeks as one blog post?

You didn't get the message? Must've been lost in the post, I'd take that up with the Post Office if I were you.

Oh well, welcome back to the final edition of The Bootcamper's Journey!

Thoughts Before the Four-Week Project

I have so many thoughts, so many feelings that I need to sieve through and present on this black and white canvas - and it's proving difficult! But as with anything, the best place to start is at the beginning.

I spent the weekend prior to starting the project contemplating the potential dynamic of my new team. How would we decide on things? How would I deal with a situation where my opinion differs completely from another? How would I, how would I, how would I?

Many questions raced through my mind because I felt the weight of this project; it is where I would implement everything that I had learnt, ultimately presenting to a panel of possible employers, the culmination of the whole Bootcamp. Though I trusted the teaching of the School of Code and I knew that everyone here was at least as committed as I was, if not more, the idea that everything that I had sacrificed was so dependent on my group's dynamic was scary, to say the least.

I counted many Is in that paragraph and that was the essence of the problem. I found that I was just thinking of myself and how I would suffer if I don't gel with my team. And I realised that this was what the Bootcamp was all about, being handed different situations and working with people from various backgrounds, experiences, and cognitive diversity.

Regardless of what situation is presented to me, I need to rise above it. So, I accepted that whatever came, I would do the best I could to make the four weeks fulfilling, and a good learning experience.

Morning of Project Day

Monday morning.

We finished our usual squats and then a cloud of trepidation just sat above us all, as we waited to be put into our breakout rooms to find out who our project members would be.

And then we were put in our rooms.

Five other people? I was under the impression we would be in groups of four like in the previous cohorts, so this is a pretty large team.

We got right to getting to know each other, deciding on a team name (the Bar Coders), and then even putting together a manifesto - the Bar Coders' Code, if you like.

And I quickly realised that everyone in the group was hardworking and had a good attitude - and a reminder that most people are like that.

The Project

We were tasked to make a project that had a front-end and a back-end. That was quite literally the brief. We had to decide what we wanted to do.

We were all recently inspired by an Ed-Tech company and we decided we wanted to develop something similar. We'd recently found (in the UK at least) that teachers still monitor their students' reading through pen and paper(!!). So we thought why not tackle a real-life problem!

So we dived into it headfirst, planning away for the whole first week, not leaving any stone turned (as far as we were concerned!) - we went through it all with a fine-tooth comb.

What should the student see?

What features should the students have?

What about the design of the teacher portal?

What statistics would be useful to present to them?

All were questions we asked to ensure we were all on the same page, and once we knew exactly what we wanted, we split into teams and went to town with coding!

I know some of you would be interested in the whole process, but I plan to write about the actual project, what we decided on, and our whole journey, once we have presented it to potential employers after demo day! In the meantime, you can preview the project here.

The Journey

From a team standpoint, there wasn't a day that I didn't enjoy. The team gelled so well and we were so supportive of one another. Not a day went by except that it was filled with positive vibes, even during days when we didn't have a breakthrough or even when one of us deleted a table from our database by accident (sorry, I had to mention it!).

From a technical standpoint, there were days where things went smoothly, without a single hiccup. Then there were days when heads were in hands and we had no idea what we were doing (authentication). But still, we persevered and pushed until we reached the breakthroughs that we needed.

It is in these moments that you realise how rewarding coding is. You start with an idea, just an idea, not knowing how to bring it to fruition. Then you start reading documentation, watching videos, and scouring the internet to find what you need, and then finally, your idea comes to fruition. And at that moment you look back to where you started, see how far you’ve come and feel a real sense of pride.

And you remember why you are persevering with learning how to code, despite the WILD learning curves that come with it.

Recording the Presentation

As part of the project, we are required to put together a video presentation before the live presentation on demo day. Having some editing skills as a humble YouTuber, I suggested that everyone should say their pieces at their own time and that I would stitch it together for us.

Soon after, our Slack chat started flooding with messages about how difficult people found filming with a script and a wry smile cracked across my face. The first time recording with a script is unfathomably difficult, so much so that you can't help but laugh at how ridiculously long it may take to record, what would be, a 5 minute video.

The End of an Era...

The last day of the Bootcamp invoked so many different emotions.

Joy, at completing this transformative journey.

Excitement, at my prospects and where I will go from here.

A sense of fulfillment, at persevering with this intensive course and building something.

Bittersweet, at now having to move on.

The Bootcamper's Journey

It sounds super cliché, and I apologise for being so cliché, but I couldn't see as far as completing the Bootcamp when I posted week one of the Bootcamper's Journey on the 19th of November. I was confident that I would complete it, but it was difficult seeing myself as a full stack developer at the end of it all.

I mentioned Joseph Trodden’s inspirational speech on The Hero's Journey, and the impact it had on me.

What I wrote in the first edition of the Bootcamper's Journey:

Status quo, which is Latin for "The state in which" (I googled that don't worry), refers to the hero's (you and I) normal life. The hero usually receives a call to do better, and when they've answered the call, the hero goes through many stages, shifting from the ordinary world to the special world. After going through many stages including, meeting the right people and suffering through ordeals, they shift back to the normal world but at a higher plane than before.

Mohamed Mohamud

What? It looked like the perfect time to quote myself! A shameless plug you say? Well, it's a plug nonetheless!

The above image is exactly what I went through. And I came out of the journey a better person and upskilled.

Final Thoughts

For anyone thinking of starting a Bootcamp soon, or is currently learning how to code by themselves, remember that it is only by widening your horizons and being comfortable with being uncomfortable, that you can succeed at learning how to code.

I put together a Twitter thread on trying to learn how to code. You can find it here, but remember, that’s just my opinion.

I'd like to thank everyone at the School of Code for helping me broaden my horizons and teaching me how to think like a developer. Oh and of course, for teaching me how to code too!

I’d also like to give a special thanks to my team mates, Alex Platt, Asma Dage, Anita Percival, Dilyn Corbett and Jenny Taylor for making the whole experience so enjoyable!

I'm going to ensure that I continue to use my spare time to continuously learn and regularly build things because even though this may be the end of the Bootcamper's Journey, I still am still the Hero of my own journey, and the Hero's Journey never ends!

To consistency and beyond!

If you're still reading, I thank you. I hope to use this blog to share my journey and any useful knowledge that I gain throughout my journey! I would love to connect with other developers to see what they're learning and learn from them - you can connect with me on:

Twitter: codewithmohamed

Github: codewithmohamed

Instagram: codewithmohamed

Youtube: Code with Mohamed

LinkedIn: Mohamed Mohamud

Email: Contact Me