Week 1

I’ve made it through week one!  It has definitely been a challenging week.  The pace is faster than anything I’ve ever been exposed to before.  Luckily I’ve managed to keep my head above water and stay afloat.  The experience is like being on a roller coaster.  At the lows I know absolutely nothing about the material we’re about to cover.  As the coaster gets higher I’m gradually understanding and grasping the concepts.  Then at the top I’m able to apply what I’ve learned and then I plummet back into a state where I know absolutely nothing.  So far we’ve learned how to use GitHub, command line, HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap.

I’m really enjoying this experience so far.  It is challenging enough so it keeps me engaged.  Yet not so challenging that I’m not able to overcome the learning hurdles.  The homework assignments have actually been kinda fun too.  It’s a rewarding experience when you can conceptually visualize how a project should be tackled, apply what you have learned, and then execute and turn the code you’ve written into what you had imagined.  Even when things don’t workout as you had planned, the learning experience in finding a solution or a workaround is just as satisfying.  Here are a few of the assignments that we’ve had so far.

• A wireframe using HTML and CSS: Wireframe
• A basic portfolio using HTML and CSS: Basic Portfolio
• Another portfolio using Bootstrap:   Bootstrap Portfolio

Aside from coding this first week has also given me some things that I’ve never had before.  A new found appreciation for any individual supporting themselves and making the commitment to further their education.  I can’t possibly imagine having to work in addition to attending this boot camp.  The immersive nature of this boot camp probably wouldn’t allow anyone to not fully commit themselves to this full time.  Still I have much respect for anyone that can find the motivation to day in and day out go to work, support themselves, and still find the energy to further their education.  I have also never in my life felt like there wasn’t enough hours in a day until now.  On a daily basis I’m finding myself wishing I had more time to either study, do home work, or catch up on chores around the house.  Most of all I wish I had a few extra hours to sleep at night.  Lastly I have learned how to enjoy the activity of completely vegging out.  Now some of you may be thinking, C’mon Adam you’ve done your fair share of vegging out.  You’d be surprised to find out it’s actually quite the opposite.  I hate doing absolutely nothing.  I hate being in a quiet room, I’m always either watching something, listening to something, or doing something on the computer.   After my second day of class I came home and spent the entire day coding.  Reviewing what we were taught in class, going over supplemental material, and working on homework.  It was about 10:00 PM when I decided I had my fill for the day.  I decided I’d join some friends and play some video games online.  I couldn’t.  My brain was so burnt out that I couldn’t enjoy a few minutes playing a game on the computer.  As unusual as that was I thought maybe I’d just watch some TV before bed.  Again, I couldn’t.  Just the noise and stimulation was discomforting.  So instead I turned off the TV and just sat there on my couch doing absolutely nothing, and it was great.

This week we’ll be diving into JavasScript, another low along the roller coaster where yet again I’ll know absolutely nothing.  I hope to keep up my motivation and stay afloat for another week.  I’ll leave you guys with a quote from one of my favorite shows which reflects how I feel on a daily basis.