Punchcode Programming Bootcamp, Day 40

The biggest struggle right now is for me to stay focused on doing my work. I'm out from under the constant pressure of doing assignments every day. Now its about taking a few days to work on one project and to do it in a way that is more like an actual working environment. We created our list for an MVP and a bunch of extras that we would like for our instant messaging app and we have until roughly the middle of this week to submit our working MVP.

Weekends are difficult because its the only time when I can tend to errands and other personal life matters. But I still managed to get some of the MVP done. I'd like to have a much better product at this point but so far it is coming along. I even managed to put some additional touches on some old homework assignments that needed some extra love. On top of that I still managed to take some time for myself and my family. And got my appetite back in time to put it to good use for my days off from class.

One good thing about living in Las Vegas is that there are no shortage of good places to eat.

This coming week is the beginning of week 9. I'm not sure what to expect but I feel like things will start shifting away from lecture and more towards how we can continue to grow after class. That means getting a job, maintaining our Githubs, taking on new projects and learning new skills. Those are all things I'm eager to pick up. It would be a shame to lose the momentum of 12 weeks of hard work and hopefully I've picked up enough good habits to stick with my new life.

I had a discussion over lunch today about how the current generation has it lucky being exposed to so much technology from birth that it is easier for them to learn how it works behind the scenes. People from my parents' generation are out of luck and not able to "get it". My generation is somewhere in the middle. I'm not so sure its that cut and dry. I think it comes down to whether you can just think abstractly enough about computers and what they really do. Like I said before, they aren't magic boxes. They just execute commands in the right order that produces something we perceive to be magical. Having been to a few meetups and met people from so many different age brackets who are into programming I think that is the real difference between people who can code and people who cannot. Its got nothing to do with age...it has more to do with curiosity and imagination.

So when you are at a bootcamp and your instructor says that you are going to "learn how to learn", do not roll your eyes. It might sound corny on day one but I promise you that if you've never done coding you will feel the truth in that statement. You will realize that looking online for the correct answer is a bit misleading because there are dozens of correct answers for almost any problem. You have to understand the entire big picture to know how to apply a particular solution to your set of circumstances. Its got less to do with learning the answers and more to do with learning how to get the answers.

I bring it up because I know that my cohort is drawing to a close (still a few more weeks to go) and that means that a new cohort will start in the fall. So there is a chance that one or two of those prospective students will stumble across this blog. Those students would be well served to understand that success in a bootcamp depends on one's willingness to take on that level of curiosity and think about how answers work and why they work. Don't just settle for having the answer; dissect it and really understand it. Its good life advice in general but even better here.