I finished the bootcamp. I finished the bootcamp. I finished the bootcamp.
These words contain five months of hard work in them. They contain eagerness, willingness to learn and will power to endure the hardest moments. But they also contain a fair share of self-doubt and even some very painful moments. And, perhaps even more importantly, they contain dozens of helping hands, attentive ears and reassuring arms that hugged me when I needed the most.
A programming bootcamp is an intense experience. I have said it before and now, as I write these lines, right after my final exam, I state it again: this whole experience is not for the faint of heart.
But still, it is an experience that most people can go through. You don’t need to be a super human, you don’t need to be the smartest one in the city, you don’t need to have great math skills or even the sharpest logical thinking to start with. You just need to be willing to put in the time and effort to learn more and more each day. And you need to be ok with the fact that, even after learning an immense number of subjects at incredible speed, you still don’t know anything.
This is the end, but the end is only the beginning. A new chapter starts today and I am aware that I will have to keep the same will power to achieve my goal for this new phase: getting a job in this area.
I don’t have anything lined up yet, but, as per the contract I signed with the school, in the first three months after graduation, I have to rely on the school to hopefully find me a job with one of their partner companies. After that, if nothing comes along, I am free to start looking myself. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, one step at a time.
In the meantime, there are a couple of things I would like to look into, now that I will have more free time. I would like to learn JavaScript and explore front-end, to have a better understanding of the global picture. And I would also like to do something that has absolutely nothing to do with programming but that will, probably, be even more complicated: learn Hungarian! As you might have understood by reading this series, I moved to Budapest for this bootcamp. I love the city and feel great here, so my plan is to stay around. So, some Hungarian knowledge would definitely help me navigate life a bit better here.
If you, who are reading this, have any suggestion on how to proceed after a bootcamp, I would love to hear from you! Ideas of what I should develop my knowledge on, interesting projects I could take part on to expand my portfolio, or any general tips would be greatly appreciated.
A great thank you to everyone who read my articles thus far. It was a pleasure!
Diana Bernardo 