To learn coding is about not giving up

I am now more than halfway through Technigo’s 6-month frontend Bootcamp! I feel excited, happy, thrilled and a bit worried at the same time.

So far there have been many joyful moments and it is sometimes easy to forget how much I have actually learned in only 4 months! It has nevertheless also been moments of frustration when I try to correct my code 699 times and the same error occurs. Or still, feel like Redux is an endless puzzle, I will never be able to solve…

Here are some of my learnings so far:

1. Life becomes all about the code!

All my plans are only about when what, and how to code in order to finish each week's project. To be 100% involved and dedicated, is both the beauty and the beast. Because it is a great feeling when I am in coding-flow and forget time and space. However, it is easy to forget to take breaks, feel overloaded, and not become too hard on yourself when things do not go as planned.

2. The supporting network is gold.

I notice that sharing these feelings with other people outside and within the Bootcamp helps. It can sometimes be difficult to view the progress objectively when you put 100% energy and effort into the Bootcamp. Being part of a community makes me feel more safe knowing, that someone goes through the same thing.

One of my favorite projects so far “happy thoughts”. Built in react: View it live here The code here

3 In learning to code, you need to talk about code.

This is where teamwork and being part of a community make me feel safer. I can express myself a bit more freely and questions about the code, and take advantage of each other knowledge and experiences.

Technigo encourages us to find ourselves a code coach in the program. At first, I was terrified of contacting someone asking them to voluntarily spend their free time talking to me about code….

I am so glad I did because the payoff is amazing. I ended talking to my code coach for two hours over the Easter holiday. Discussing what a fetch from an API actually does… Now we meet for a two hours digital code session every Sunday to talk code. It really shows how supportive the coding community really is ❤

4. Getting used to being outside the comfort zone.

For me, it is about being able to reach out to people for help. To dare to be vulnerable and not feeling like I am “disturbing” this person. I have many knowledgeable people around me, which I am very grateful for. I am learning more and more how to put these unnecessary thoughts aside and learn not to give up until I solve the coding problem I have been struggling with.

Many of my fellow boot campers inspire me in many ways. I know they are all pushing themselves out of their different “comfort zones”, and mainly, they do not give up. They are okay with showing they don’t understand everything and recognize that it is a journey.

Finally, the most important learning is to laugh when things are a bit rocky. To keep calm and carry on coding.

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