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Reece Crook
Reece Crook

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My Flatiron Experience

Intro

Studying at Flatiron has been an incredibly valuable experience for me. 2024 has been a roller coaster of a year, but it has also been a year of immense learning. Through Flatiron, I have not only gained technical skills but also learned a lot about myself. I have thoroughly enjoyed coding from the day I picked it up, and now that I know how to build more complex projects, my passion has only grown. I always struggled with motivation in traditional school, but Flatiron showed me that studying the right things makes all the difference.

My Future

I am committed to continuously challenging myself by building projects in my free time. I want to keep learning new languages and libraries to expand my capabilities. My goal is to secure a full-stack role where I can gain experience, learn from my peers, and contribute meaningfully. I am forever grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, and I am determined to prove my worth through hard work and dedication. The ever-evolving tech landscape excites me, and I’m eager to stay at the forefront of innovation. In addition, I plan to participate in coding events to further sharpen my skills, network with like-minded professionals, and build some confidence.

My next project

I have a project in mind that I’ve been excited about for a while. Now that I have the time, I am eager to start. I plan to build a website using Beautiful Soup and Selenium to scrape websites with auto parts tags from the Google Places API. My father is a gearhead, and I’ve inherited that passion, particularly for older vehicles. Finding parts can be challenging, so I came up with this idea early in my schooling. I am dedicated to making this my first post-graduation project, and I want to create something I am truly proud of. This project is not only a technical challenge but also a tribute to my father’s influence on my interests. I envision creating a user-friendly platform that helps enthusiasts like myself easily find parts for their projects.

Flaws I'm Working On

I have always been a very nervous person with little confidence in my abilities. I am trying to challenge myself more to overcome this and have high hopes that once I gain more experience in a job, I will find my groove. One challenge I face is my poor memory, but I’ve been improving by keeping notes and structuring my days better to manage it.

Conclusion

Over the past year, I have learned so much about myself, my interests, and my strengths. While I am still nervous about what lies ahead, I am determined to face it with a 'fake it till you make it' mentality to boost my confidence. I am very happy with my experience at Flatiron and grateful to my instructors. I will continue to improve on my coding journey, building fun projects that bring me joy and meaningful projects that make me proud. The supportive community at Flatiron has been instrumental in my growth, and I am excited to carry forward the lessons I’ve learned. My journey is just beginning, and I am ready to embrace every challenge and opportunity that comes my way.

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