A year and a half ago, I first learned about gSchool and the concept of programming bootcamps. At the time, I’d been feeling quite stuck with my job of 11 years but lacked the wherewithal to study for a new career while remaining employed full-time. There’d been enough exposure to coding for me to know that I enjoyed it. And the idea of attending a programming bootcamp to start a new career felt like a dream come true. After one failed attempt at entrance, I studied hard and was accepted into three bootcamps while ultimately deciding on gSchool.
The accelerated pace of gSchool’s classes was tough and took all my fortitude to stay strong with my studies. I hung on the daily pep talks from friends…”I’m so proud of you! You can do this!” Additionally, one friend Fred provided needed financial support by paying my living expenses and credit card bills through four of the six months without employment. Because of his help and support, I was able to finish the program. (I love you, Fred!)
gSchool’s commencement ceremony took place Aug 20th. There were three of us who presented demos and one student read a poem expressing her gratitude for the experiences and knowledge offered by the program and staff. I felt quite tearful leaving classmates that night knowing likely I would not see a lot of them again. With the program’s end, there’s been an adjustment back to civilian life. I’ve continued to study daily, but it’s now interspersed with spending more time outside and visiting with friends. My room is cleaner than it’s been in months and I’ve become overly comfortable to life without an alarm clock by staying up late and waking up leisurely.
That leisurely pace ends tomorrow with my first day at work as a paid programmer. I’ve happily accepted a position with Zayo Group as a Jr. Application Developer. The first few weeks will offer continued training to familiarize with Apex and the Force platform for Salesforce. The platform integrates with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery and JRuby. Once I know the program well enough, fingers crossed, there may be an opportunity to help conduct onboard trainings. Having enjoyed teaching for many years, that option holds a large appeal.
I don’t imagine to continue the blog with any regularity, although I might check in every once in a while. What I’ve enjoyed most about the blog is communicating with prospective students interested in applying to a programming bootcamp. And it’s made me tremendously happy when students have gotten accepted into their bootcamp of choice. (If you’re just starting the journey toward a career in web development and wonder how to decide on a bootcamp, here’s a post that offers considerations.)
In any case, thanks for your time and for reading. Here’s wishing you much success and happiness in life….
justKeepCoding 