I’m getting to relive my bootcamp experience 1 year later. I have a friend attending a software bootcamp and I get to hear all about it.
Man I must have sounded dumb to my developer friends back then… Come to think of it, I’m sure I sound dumb now.
It’s not that you run at a faster pace, It’s that you run farther before you have to stop and walk.
It has been easy to reflect on my time going through a bootcamp 1 year ago. My buddy Jonathan is going through one right now! He throws out great thoughts and ideas, while also asking questions that I know I asked. I think he has a better understanding than I did at the time.
I remember asking a tenured developer friend why my instructor looked at me like I was crazy when I asked questions… His response was:
“When you’ve been a developer for so long, sometimes the questions you get asked sound like ‘Should I bang my head on the table for a while?’”
… Why would I bang my head on the table, No idea, why would I take the approach I was asking my instructor about?
It all makes sense now. I see things from a different perspective that I didn’t know existed. I am continuing to grow as a Ruby on Rails developer while integrating new software languages and frameworks. I still have weeks like I did this past one. I labored over the same small thing for 3 days feeling dumb, but then I figured out what I was trying to accomplish and I felt like an absolute genius for an afternoon.
Git PUSH and I’m heading out for a beverage!
I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to go the software development route. If TheIronYard would not have started in Houston, I could still be at a dead end job, hating the direction my life was going. A friend(Spencer Norman) posted something that resonated with me and I had to make sure others read the same thing. — I used to be afraid to answer what I did for a living, but now there is always excitement and freshness when I get to talk about it. I build things and problem solve all day.
Software development isn’t for everyone but I’m glad I’ve made the switch.
Sure I’m forced to enjoy excellent coffee all day but someone has to do it!