17/07/2023
After 5 weeks of foundations, I still consider a long-term plan to be giving my wife the opportunity to study something she wants, while I secure a programming job by early 2024. I hope that by the end of the course, I will have learned how to learn because that skill is essential when working with technology. There will always be new technologies and programming languages emerging, and in order to stay competitive in the job market, we need to be ready to learn new things. I also hope to make a good impression within my cohort and build meaningful friendships because genuine relationships can lead to great future possibilities. However, I haven't decided yet what my destination will be after the course. I would like to delve deeper into understanding how programming languages work because I enjoy understanding the why behind things.
I enjoy working collaboratively and listening to what others have to say about a particular problem, so I believe my strength in the bootcamp will be teamwork. On the other hand, my biggest challenge during the bootcamp may be maintaining energy levels to work on projects and problems. During the foundations, I noticed that my engagement with the course started off high but decreased over the weeks, and by the end of Sprint 5, I didn't give as much attention to the community as I would have liked. I hope this doesn't happen during the bootcamp because I believe the activities will be more team-oriented, and I don't want to let my team down at any point.
Perhaps my biggest non-technical difficulty during the bootcamp will be managing my workload and finding time to take care of my mental and physical health. Sometimes, I feel that not working means not being productive, but I understand that this is not a healthy mindset and I need to change it. I definitely want to maintain focus and motivation for longer periods of time. During the first four sprints, I started reflecting more on my learning, but I also need to improve this skill. As I mentioned during Sprint 2, I would like to see my leadership skills become stronger.
Jul 2023
I hope the bootcamp team will be as fun and helpful as the foundations team, and that they enjoy guiding and teaching us. Being present is already an excellent way of providing support, and so far, the DevAcademy team has been great.
I'm not sure about the workflow of the bootcamp, but I commit to helping the team whenever and however necessary. As I mentioned before, being present is already an excellent form of support, and I hope to be available to assist the team whenever needed. I like to start early to have time to absorb things at my own pace and to discuss and analyze what's going wrong and possible solutions. This also includes taking breaks from the computer to clear my mind and engage in physical activities to organize my thoughts. Coordinating schedules for discussing assignments is also important and makes everyone's life easier, especially for those who have families and busy routines. Therefore, I hope to provide support in the most professional way possible, taking the well-being of the group into consideration.
06/08/2023 - Wellbeing plan
To achieve better results, I'll try to manage the stress levels I'm dealing with at the moment by taking more frequent breaks. Ideally, I'll limit the time spent trying to figure something out to 30 minutes and seek help within that time.
During the first week of the bootcamp, I experienced moments of high stress, but they have decreased in the second week because I've taken more breaks and sought help more often.
Doing exercises has been quite challenging after a long day at DevAcademy, but yoga sessions have been essential to relax my mind and shift the focus away from programming challenges. Nevertheless, I try to go to the gym at least once a week.
Another positive habit I intend to maintain is meditation, which has helped me clear my mind to start a new day.
Spending more time with bootcamp colleagues has been very rewarding. Even though I'm tired and have a lot of tasks to complete, having someone's company is essential to alleviate the workload and stress.
May 2023
My long term goal is to have a job that can help me achieve things in life. I’d like to give back to my wife the opportunity to study something as she is doing with me right now. With that said, I hope I can land a job early 2024, learn enough to get a better position in 2 or 3 years and then see where life takes me.
I would describe myself as a “trained student” because I can follow instructions and meet deadlines with some ease, but I find it hard to try to learn something on my own when there is no clear goal or deadline. And I need a learning routine, like, waking up, having breakfast, going to “school”, learning, going back home, and resting. Repeat.
I’d like to see how my leadership skills will develop. It is easy to be a leader when you are teaching because you are the obvious choice, but as a team of equals in a work environment is something entirely different. Also, I was told I have good leadership skills, I just didn’t believe that much in that statement.
The way I would like to manage my workload is by starting early every week to get as much time learning as possible. If I get stuck, there will be plenty of time to ask for help and work on solutions to the problem. Everyday, the first thing I do when I turn my laptop on is to check for messages and replies. If there is something I can do to help, I will answer and follow up later in the day. Using the Toggl app, I am able to track the amount of time I spend on each task and I don’t normally spend more than 1 hour on each task. I normally use break times to check on messages and ask for help when needed. If things start to get to me, I’ll have to stop everything and reorganize things in my head and my schedule. A good break away from the screen is a starting point.
First, I’ll double-check my work to see if I can identify the issue and correct it. Then, I’ll check online to see if there is an easy solution to my problem. If I can’t find or can’t understand what the solution is, I’ll ask for help in the community. As I mentioned before, I like to get things done as early as possible to avoid stress later in life.
I expect the Facilitators to have a good time helping us! And I don’t expect them to be ninjas in all subjects, but knowledgeable enough to help us, and to be good listeners because we all get frustrated at some point in this journey.
I plan to have early starts so I can have early finishes because I need to get my physical and mental health sorted at the gym, or running. So, I commit to working and actively helping others during “normal” working hours.