How Coding Bootcamp Helped Me Survive Lockdown
Shortly after Coronavirus hit the US, I began an intensive 15 week coding bootcamp at Flatiron School. Initially, I was excited, nervous, overwhelmed, and in some ways, dreading bootcamp. I heard it was one of the hardest things people had experienced and I wasn’t sure I was ready to exercise my brain for 12+ hours a day.
Right before bootcamp started, my husband was notified that he had been laid off from his job in oil and gas, and my business had also been significantly affected by lockdown. This was a recipe for anxiety, worry, and despair. However, directing all my attention to bootcamp really kept my mind off all the “what ifs” and the unknown future. All the energy that I would have wasted on these futile thoughts were redirected into my labs, projects, and assignments.
On top of that, “meeting” new people in my cohort on zoom everyday helped me feel connected again to people outside my four walls. I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone, hearing their stories, and dreams for their futures. For an extreme extrovert, I really believe that alone guarded me from isolation during lockdown.
I didn’t realize the effect bootcamp was having on me, though, until around week 11. It was interesting to see how my family was being affected by the lockdown. My children were started to feel very alone and isolated. They had not played with their friends since early March and were bored out of their minds everyday at home. My husband, too, was started to feel very disconnected from the outside world. In fact, we even bought a puppy to help them through this isolating time. Isn’t he the cutest?!
I started wondering why I wasn’t experiencing the same level of isolation or sadness. I realized that bootcamp was giving me a sense of purpose and accomplishment. I was proud of the fact that I was adding new skills to my resume and that I could apply for jobs in a whole new industry than my current one.
I remember searching through LinkedIn at the beginning of bootcamp, not even knowing what half of the programming languages were in the job descriptions. As weeks went on, the job descriptions were becoming more familiar and “comfortable.” Now, in week 12, I’m excited to start applying for these positions and seeing where I will land in the future. I would have never thought 15 weeks could actually change your life.
While this current time of Covid is certainly not what I would have asked for, I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to stretch myself and go through bootcamp with a whole new group of friends. I will miss waking up every morning to be greeted by a zoom screen full of friendly faces. I’ll miss those conversations about what our futures will bring and where we hope to land. I’ll miss bouncing crazy ideas off each other, and getting frustrated with coding together. I’ll even miss that uncomfortable spot of having to do a mound full of labs… actually no I won’t. But, I am grateful for this time and I’m thankful that bootcamp has helped me survive lockdown.