I Can Almost See the Light — Flatiron Experience
I have made it to my 4th Module here at Flatiron school. Learning ReactJs at the moment. I can finally see the light man I really can. It has been a lonnngggg, arduous journey(emphasis on the long). Its almost project week for this module before we transition to our solo-projects and then we graduate!!!! Yaaayyyyyy.
So this will not be a technical post, I just want to share a little bit of my experience attending this intense program . When I first started I wasn’t sure what to expect. I went in here not knowing a lick of coding or a specific language. I mean I didn’t write my first line of code till January/February but here I am, 8 months later, getting ready to graduate and get my first job as a Software Engineer(gotta speak these things into life!).
Here are a few things I’ve learned while in this program aside from learning how to program:
Imposter Syndrome is Real!
Let’s define this terminology first, ok? Imposter Syndrome is the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck and not because of your talent and qualifications. To be frank, I never heard of this terminology until I ventured into the tech world. Coming from a health background, things are a bit different, in the sense that you’ve been through a rigorous curriculum, spent a certain amount of years in school so you deserve the letters behind your name and no one can question you. But here it’s different, I guess because there are so many means to an end, where as in the medical scene there is only one means — School.
So how am I dealing with this? Well, I tell myself I deserve a piece of the pie too. I personally do not believe in luck and I know that I am working hard and if someone feels differently, well then that’s their problem, not for me to internalize and make it my own. I’ve learned it is important how you feel about yourself. If you feel like you’re an imposter well then that is the vibe/energy you are going to radiate. No one has the power to make you feel less than you already feel about your self. So walk confidently with your head held high and exude that confidence.
Never Compare Yourself to Others
“Comparison is the thief of all joy.” Now go ahead and read that one more time but slloowwwllyyy. Good Job!! Whoever processed this thought and put it into words is a gem! Being in a program with people from all different walks of life it is easy to compare yourself with others because you feel or assume you all started from the same slate but that’s not always true and when you start to compare your progress to other people’s progress, it can truly demoralize and cause you to put unnecessary pressure and stress onto yourself. And like my girl said:
It truly takes away from you focusing or comparing yourself to the version of you that started this program. In the beginning of this program that was me comparing myself to my other classmates not knowing their background but forgetting that I didn’t write my first line of code till late January but now I have repos in Github that I actually know what its about. Ive learned to pat myself on the back because I’ve come along way. Not only that but I’ve also learned to be patient with myself. I’m not always gonna get it when the instructor teaches it, knowing me I need timmmee to divulge, process and dissect the information and honestly that is truly ok (don’t let anyone tell you otherwise). Just because I don’t know it now doesn’t mean I’m not gonna know it and master it later. Some people are faster than others but stay in your lane and mind your business.
Take Some Time for yourself
This will be my final point and this one I didn’t do such a great job with, if I’m being honest. Our instructors and coaches always advised us to take time for yourself but a part of me was like, “Y’all really tryna set us up, huh?” But honestly I paid for that man because burnout came QUICK! Like Mod# 3 quick, ok? So if you dont take anything from this, give yourself a break man, you have nothing to prove to anyone so coding for more than 40 hours straight isn’t benefitting anyone not even yourself. I’ve learned to be more intentional with my time so I can make the most of it and allow myself to spend time with family. Do whatever it is that bring you joy, laughter, and take your mind off of school. Trust me you’ll come back feeling refreshed. There is life outside of coding/programming and life after. This isn’t and shouldn’t be your whole life but a part of it.
If you made it this far BRAVO! Thank you for reading and I hope it made you laugh a bit. Don’t worry after this post I’ll go back to the technical lingo, your girl needed a break and just wanted to express myself, sometimes it’s necessary. Don’t get me wrong I still have a long way to go with programming but that is the beauty of this career is that you are a life longer so no rush at all. Welp, you all have a great day and I’m gonna go on ahead and wrap up this program!! It’s about to be a wrap!
