I want this blog to serve as a record of what to expect post bootcamp and how you may overcome the challenges of the tougher parts of it. I recently came across another developer who had a bit of trouble remaining motivated and struggling to move forward with progress. It reminded me of my own turmoil immediately after graduating from Flatiron, so I though it would be useful to talk about it and sort my own thoughts on the topic.
I finished my Flatiron classes back in March 2020 and I was very excited at the many possibilities that lay in front of me. I was looking forward to working in development and being the thick of it with modern tech and services.
Unfortunately, imposter syndrome and regular self doubt proved to be the biggest hurdles to any forward mobility. I struggled with small and mid sized tasks and easily shut down at slightest convenience. For example, I needed to launch my projects on Heroku for easier access to potential employers but because I was now working on Windows computer instead of the Mac environment I was used to. I convinced myself that because I couldn’t develop or work on a Windows environment as easily as I could on a Mac, that I wasn’t a real developer. Of course, this wasn’t true, I simply needed to take a bit of time to learn and get used to this new environment. When I eventually decided to block off some time and seriously dive into the Windows setup, I found that it wasn’t that much different or difficult.
This behavior and line of thinking also slowed my job search through network outreaches and updating my resume. Fortunately, I got over this mental block and moved forward.
Although it certainly would have been better to have overcome these issues on day one, they have served me in shaping my philosophy and preventing me from making the same mistake in the future. Additionally, it made the job search a lot less scary and manageable.
Insights
A resume isn’t ever the finished product and is simply constantly a work in progress, therefore it makes no sense to put off writing and posting a resume until I have something ‘noteworthy’ or ‘good enough’. Simply with this line of thinking, there never will be anything good enough so it doesn’t make sense to let it prevent you from moving forward.
People on LinkedIn are real people but it’s a lot easier being rejected via text on a computer screen than in person! All it takes to reach out to someone is a few clicks, a read of their bio, and a few well written sentences. If they don’t respond back there are hundreds of other people you can reach out to! I was a person with a smaller network which meant that it was very difficult for me to receive any messages or connections back but eventually my network grew one by one. Now it’s a lot easier connecting with others and I’ve found some very interesting individuals that I would love to get to know better!
Failure is a part of life. This has been my lifelong hurdle because I strongly dislike failing and I often consider anything that isn’t 100% ideal to be a failure. It’s been a constant process shaping and realigning my mindset to be much more forgiving of myself and reasonable to what failure really is. Failure is a good thing that has taught me the most valuable lessons. Constantly reminding myself of this fact makes it easier to take risks and believe in my actions.
What are some insights that you’ve had in the job search? Feel free to comment and reach out to me!
Alejandro's blog 