DEV Community

Tanya Brown
Tanya Brown

Posted on

Bootcamp blogging

I'm going to start by apologizing since it seems like all I'm doing is complaining or ranting. Consider yourself warned. Here goes....

So I'm in a bootcamp that requires the students(?) to make a blog post once per phase. The blog is supposed to be technical in nature and stick to programming related topics. "Pick a small topic that you're interested in exploring more, or a concept/technique/technology that you recently learned about that you'd like to cement for yourself." The only thing is that I'm not sure how much I'm understanding in this bootcamp. We've gone over so much and over so many concepts that I having trouble keeping them all straight.

So far we've covered JavaScript, HTML and CSS. It feels like we spent 4 weeks covering a lot of ground on JavaScript and maybe that on HTML and CSS. This phase has a mock code challenge where we made a webpage using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. I've googled and YouTube-d everything trying to gain a better understanding but it's not the way I learn things well. When I do get something it's a kick to actually get whatever it is. It really excites me.

It's like this - programming is a foreign language. Bouncing all over a foreign language doesn't help you understand it. Starting with the basics does. At no time has it felt like the basics have been taught. I think this is supposed to be "immersive" but it feels like I'm failing all around. It feels like I don't know how to use the alphabet or put together a simple sentence.

The thing that is getting to me is that we have a project due and then we have modules and blogs that need to be done as well. I get that bootcamps are a fast pace way to learn. I get that there will always be deadlines that have to be met. However, we just finished week 11 of this bootcamp and some of us are still trying to cement in what we have learned and it doesn't feel like that's happening or being allowed to happen.

I'm not dumb by any stretch of the imagination. I believe that I can learn this but not while drinking from a firehose. I need that simple garden hose as silly as that sounds. I'm tired of trying to drink from the firehouse and almost drowning. It's a lot of money for a company to spend to have so many washout.

Again, my apology for the complaining/rant. I'll get off the soapbox since someone probably needs the wood.

Top comments (0)