What it's like to be in a Tech Bootcamp, Part 2

My Motivation for Becoming a Software Engineer

5 months ago, I wrote the introduction to this series highlighting my experience with YPracticum Web Developer Boot Camp. I was about to broach the intensive JavaScript sprints that spanned across 6 weeks and I could not have been more excited!

Then...

Imposter Syndrome and life got in the way.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I'd like to start fresh and share my motivation on why I am pursuing Software Engineering.

Shortly after I made that post, I became overwhelmed with my school assignments and lower-than-expected grades. This lead to a feeling of deep impostor syndrome.

Then, I had a challenging health issue pop up. All these factors culminated to prompt me to take an extended hiatus from YPracticum.

During my time away from the console, I spent some time introspectively beating myself up and questioning my dedication. I concluded the following:

I have a passionate interest in technology and computer science that has not gone away. Before my career "diversion" (as I call it) in the BPO space, I was enrolled in a computer science degree fresh out of high school and I loved it.

The creative and analytical sides of me converge on the problem-solving challenges that learning to build with code provides. It's been all I've thought of most days, trying to overcome hurdles in online lessons and brainstorming ideas for sites and solutions of my own.

There seems to be inherent security and a certain lifestyle that a job in tech can offer and that is positively appealing to me. It is not possible without hard work and grit, as to be expected.

My Decision to Leave YPracticum

After my hiatus had run its course and I decided to re-enroll in boot camp, I had lost my scholarship status.

Given that I would be expected to pay installments or upfront for my education experience, I considered the opportunity seriously and decided to evaluate other boot camp offerings for comparison.

Before I had won my scholarship to YPracticum I was going through the enrollment process with Flatiron School and a few other options but I backed out when I found out about the scholarship opportunity.

Now that I would need to consider my investment in material terms other than time, I put all options back on the table and eventually went with what I thought would provide the most value: Flatiron School.

The career services offering from Flatiron School coupled with the results I read in their public jobs reports convinced me the value was there for the price point.

Looking Ahead with Flatiron School

I spent the rest of my Spring focused on college and my health and have completed June with a focus on the prerequisite work for the Software Engineering FLEX program with Flatiron starting July 5th.

There are key milestone projects throughout each of the program's 5 phases so I will cultivate a portfolio in my learning process. There will be significant networking opportunities and I plan to learn in public through my blog and Twitter platforms.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article…

You can expect a post from me at a minimum of every two weeks on topics related to my journey and if you have any questions that I'm not answering please don't hesitate to reach out to me (comments, DMs, tweets, etc.)