Restarting My Coding Adventure
So, I failed my module 1 coding challenge at Flatiron school. As a second attempt at passing module 1, I was asked to build a Command Line CRUD app but again, I came up short. I was subsequently told that I had to repeat module 1. I had a meeting with my coach who gave me lots of encouragement and advice but understandably, I felt crushed. After education and a successful professional career, I definitely wasn’t expecting to be essentially told that I wasn’t good enough. Below, I’ve broken down in stages how I dealt with my failure and got myself ready to restart my bootcamp.
STAGE 1: WALLOW
I had 3 weeks to prepare for module 1 again. I spent a couple of days trying to work through my code challenge and my project but my brain was muddled, nothing was making sense. I was tired and getting burnt out. Up until this point, for the previous 5 weeks, I’d spent 10hrs+ per day in front of my laptop, mainlining coffee and hope. My partner had told me multiple times to take a break but I relented and continued.
Learning anything new requires a fresh and active mind so breaks are important. After a fruitless couple of days, I was getting nowhere so I acquiesced to my partner’s advice. I shut down my Mac, put it in my bag, out of sight and decided to rethink everything. I was determined to carry on with the course but I felt out of place. For the next two days, I found comfort in depressing films and serious dramas about people in dire situations…oh and lots of uber eats. “Why?”, I wondered, “am I going through heartbreak because Flatiron consciously uncoupled from me?”.
On the morning of the third day, I did something I hadn’t done in a while, I went for a run. Exercising works for me, it helps clear my head. If you find yourself in my position, do something that works for you but it’s important to find a way to clear your head so you can think clearly.
STAGE 2: BUILD A PLAN
Even though I was told this multiple times, I hadn’t fully accepted the gravity of the first module and also the pace of a bootcamp. Your first module is usually incredibly difficult and lots of people drop out or end up repeating. It isn’t hard to work out why. Learning a new language at a pace that requires you to be in front of your laptop for 10hrs+ per day will be a shock to the system. Very few people start a coding bootcamp already accustomed to the pace and some, like me, haven’t fully encompassed what we’ve let ourselves into. The day of my run, I powered up my laptop and decided to go through the learning track on Flatiron’s learn.co site and started writing down all the topics I couldn’t understand so I could focus more on them. Rather than return to the “do as much as I can” method on a daily basis, I decided to work from 9am — 6pm and set myself tasks to achieve each day. I then made a point, every evening, to do something I enjoyed.
STAGE 3: FUNDAMENTALS
Go over fundamentals of the languages you’ll be studying before you start. I had done the Javascript fundamentals as it was required for my technical interview but not the Ruby ones. At my first attempt at the bootcamp, I had a week to prepare. I knew that I was a bit ill prepared but thought that as long as I was focused and worked hard, I’d get through. Don’t do that, you need to have a full grasp of a language’s fundamentals. You will not be taught that at your coding bootcamp. Some people will get through fundamentals in a week or less, some will need a month. Do what’s best for you but do not start without fundamentals. Here are some links for great coding fundamentals courses -
STAGE 4: GET USED TO ASKING QUESTIONS
I cannot stress this enough. Get accustomed to asking questions. I didn’t ask lots of questions cause I felt that they sounded stupid. No matter how stupid you think they are, ask. Ask. ASK. No question is “stupid” because the answer will teach you something you didn’t know. Remind yourself that you’re expanding upon/firming up your knowledge. If you need practice before your bootcamp starts (or restarts) start asking questions online. Use every available resource like your life depends on it. Be bullish with your quest to learn. If you fall into the background, you could likely end up like me. Every cohort will be a mix of people learning at different paces, do not intimidated by your classmates who “get it” quicker than you. Ask them questions, ask your lecturers, no question is stupid or dumb. It’ll help you advance on the course. You know what’s stupid and dumb? Paying a large amount of money for a course and not getting your money’s worth. So, ask.
STAGE 5: CODING PRACTICE
Part of my problem was my lack of confidence when it came to writing code. During my 3 week break, I practised more in vs code. If you’re starting from scratch, you won’t be at the VS Code (Visual Studio Code — code editor used at Flatiron) level yet, you’ll likely learn how to code from a testing environment like a Sandbox tool, Learn IDE (via Flatiron site), your computer terminal or repl.it. Which ever you use, play around with the code you’re writing. If you follow the instructions of a lab and successfully pass the problem, go back, break the code and understand why it’s breaking. This is crucial because you’ll learn more this way. Your coding bootcamp experience will be less stressful when you’re used to seeing errors. Understanding and fixing errors is where the bulk of your learning will come from.
At the end of my 3 week time off, I felt more confident but had considerable trepidation about restarting the course.
“will i fail again?”
“what if i can’t do it?”
My second attempt at module 1 was less harried and quite refreshing. I was able to understand concepts more easily. When it came to the code challenge, even though I was nervous, once it started, I got comfortable. I knew how to navigate pry and was building methods without my heart thumping out of my chest. When I had my review and was told I passed, it was a huge relief to say the least.
I’m excited to move on to Rails and all the other challenges i’ll encounter during my course as I carry on my quest to become a Programmer.
