Bootcamp Learning Plan
What is my long-term goal and career pathway?
I am hoping to gain enough of a base in my programming skill-set to secure employment at a company in a tech role that requires daily coding. I don’t have too much preference for what that kind of programming or company would look like (beggars can’t be choosers right!), and I would be grateful to find an opportunity where I can continue on my expertise in whatever field I am given an opportunity in.
Further to the employment, on the side, I would like to be building a platform to offer the Handshake Blockchain (TLD) domain names I have been accumulating over the last 3 years on the. This would involve exploring DNS/Root programming know-how. I have also seen that there are Handshake modules in NPM so I would like to understand more about what these are and if they can be used in developing my (loose) product vision.
My long-term goal would be to have enough skills in a specific area so I can consult, and/or be in an entrepreneurial space working on my own project (with others).
What are my biggest strengths and limitations will be in Bootcamp?
I do still think that my tendency to fall into self-doubt when I encounter confusion is a big limitation of mine. I also think my general skill-set is going to be an inhibitor for some time to come. I have struggled to easily grasp a seamless flow in being able to write the code, and am still confused about the general structure of code (in JS) in many instances. I feel it will take more time than we are being given for the basics to solidify in me and this makes me nervous for getting through bootcamp.
My biggest strength would be my resilience. I feel in my heart that this learning journey is right for me, and I am going to show up and stay commited to my learning and development no matter how tough things may get. Tomorrow will always be a new day, and I will be there no matter how the previous day was for me (other than some healthy time off)!!
What do I think my biggest non-technical challenge at Bootcamp will be?
I think it will be working constructively in the pair programming. As mentioned I still feel I am lacking a basic understanding and skill-set and have fear about these facts being exhibited (starkly) to a peer. I am fearful that I won’t be able to code on my own accord in the paired situation without the extensive, external support, I have had to solve problems in foundations.
What non-technical skills (human skills) would I like to see developed within myself while at Dev Academy?
The main thing that will serve my journey is to really shift the negative talk that can arise in me. It’s easy for me to say “just stay positive” and I get how important it is, but the reality is that I am not good at staying up-beat when things get tough. I have been working at it hard over the last 5 years, but there is a deep-rooted sadness within me that was cultivated in my teenage years and this has led my system-default to be set to one pessimism with a lack of self-love. Changing this system-default to one of compassion and understanding (both inwardly and outwardly) will be the number one human skill I can develop to aid my programming journey.
What are my expectations from the Bootcamp team?
I would say just an understanding that the basics may take longer for me to become second-nature than many of my peers (as I judge it). More specifically this would be how quickly I can gather confidence in the actual writing of the code. I feel I am OK at grasping the higher-level concepts of what the problems are, how to solve them, and what a written code says - but, for me to have the code flow out of me in a seamless fashion myself is something I am not good at presently.
What are the expectations of myself on Bootcamp
I will seek help from either facilitators or peers if I am stuck on something for more than 20 minutes. I also commit to work as much as needed outside of the hours of 7:00 - 8:30 am and 5:00 - 7:30 pm, which is always going to be my designated family time. Other than family-time my full focus and commitment is to give myself and my peers the best opportunity to make the most out of the time that we have at Dev Academy. I would like to be held accountable to always consider others in my interactions with them. Whether it is working with a peer on a project, or seeking support from a facilitator, I commit to acting and communicating from a place of understanding and compassion. This will require me to stay conscious of the fact that we are all unique so we will also work and communicate differently, and I need to curb my expectations in how I think something “should be”.
Foundations Learning Plan
Ultimately, I would like to be somewhat independent. I would either like
to be working as a consultant or within my own business. More
specifically, the fields of software development I feel I would like to
get to working in closely would be with email (DNS), and/or being able
to build tools that can connect into AI.
Limitations to my learning would see me getting into a bit of a tiz when
I don’t understand things. I can get lost in my own world of frustration
and self-doubt and it is important for me to be conscious when I am
entering this zone to decompress accordingly. Another limitation would
me going slow, taking too much time to understand everything
holistically, and getting behind on where I should be which can add to
my levels of frustration and “tizzyness”.
My capacity to operate with compassion when working in a team. I believe
I am quick to judge and can easily hold others to the same degrees of
standard and expectation that I impress onto myself. I need to do better
at remembering that we are all different, so we will all work
differently and have different degrees of standards. A big part of my
development would be around developing skills of congeniality when it
comes to experiencing the different communication styles that we all
have. I am quick to judge if people don’t reply to emails in the same
(prompt) manner I do, and get frustrated if I experience avoidance in
confrontational discussions because I am generally comfortable to work
through confrontation openly and constructively.
What you will do when things are building up and starting to get to you
I commit to work with diligence and focus throughout the course. I will
treat this (in the least) like a job with the hours I put in and will be
working from 8am to 5pm each weekday. I will also be available to put in
extra work over weekends and after 8pm in the evenings as required. 5pm
- 8pm will not be available to work as this will be my designated family
time every day. When things are starting to build up and get to me, I
will take a break. I will decompress by removing myself from the
computer and take 15 minutes to either meditate, play guitar, hang-out
with my son, or just get outside. If workload is building up and I am
struggling to keep up, and/or am getting close to a position where I may
be putting my team in jeopardy with my completion of work - I will let
them know before the fact, and reach out to our Dev Academy tutor to be
transparent with them also.
If workload is building up and I am struggling to keep up, and/or am
getting close to a position where I may be putting my team in jeopardy
with my completion of work - I will let them know before the fact, and
reach out to our Dev Academy tutor to be transparent with them also.
I would expect timely and “supportive” support. By this I mean that it
is reaffirmed that it is Ok and no-problem to be asking for help with
things. I would also expect them to be transparent on their boundaries
with support (i.e., when they would be unavailable, and to be clear if
they feel the support being asked for is steps too far and the answers
to that particular problem are best to be worked with more self-directed
focus on the path forward.
5pm - 8pm everyday will be blocked off for the family. Also, every
second Monday evening is completely unavailable as I help facilitate a
men’s self-improvement group called AoteaBROa.