Tips For Starting A Bootcamp

ABC: Always Be Coding!

Starting a coding bootcamp is like learning a new language: nerve-racking! However, we do not want you to be discouraged by these intimidating things. Take a seat and watch this video as Digital Crafts Instructor, Ron Cagle, shares some helpful tips on how to stay grounded, motivated, and disciplined as you begin your coding bootcamp experience.

Since 2015, DigitalCrafts has operated the most prestigious full-stack web development bootcamps in Atlanta and Houston, graduating hundreds of talented engineers. Through our bootcamps, ambitious developers are transformed into full-stack software engineers with up-to-date skill sets and polished resumes.

In addition to providing elite software staffing services and corporate training solutions, DigitalCrafts, which focuses on reskilling and up-skilling modern technology teams, has education at its heart and a large network of highly experienced engineers and alumni.

Watch More Videos Here:

• How I Changed My Career | Success stories from graduates 

• Learn, Earn, Laugh | More free tips for changing your career 

• Meet The Bootcamps

Below is the transcript of the video: 

0:00 Hey everybody Ron Cagle, i'm an instructor

0:02 Here at digital crafts at the atlanta

0:04 Campus

0:04 So here's some of my tips for first-time

0:06 Students one of the biggest tips i can

0:08 give everybody

0:08 Is don't be shy and ask every question

0:12 you can think of

0:12 chances are that someone else in the

0:14 class is thinking of the same question

0:15 chances are everyone else might be a

0:18 little bit like hey can we

0:19 slow down on this material or can we go

0:21 over this piece again so it's always a

0:23 good time to ask questions

0:24 your questions aren't stupid you're

0:25 there to learn you're literally learning

0:27 a completely new language so

0:29 don't be shy when it comes to asking

0:30 questions there are times you're gonna

0:32 feel stuck

0:32 there are times you're gonna feel

0:34 confused and that's okay but go ahead

0:36 and ask those questions so that you

0:38 don't ever fall behind and are sitting there

0:40 wondering like say at the end of a

0:42 lesson what's going on

0:42 usually you'll be helping out your other

0:44 classmates who might be too shy to ask a

0:46 question but jeff don't be shy ask all the

0:48 questions you could think of my other

0:50 tip for new boot camp students

0:52 is slack you want to make lots of

0:54 friends in class

0:55 that's who's going to help you

0:56 throughout the class so first thing you

0:58 want to do is install the slack app on

1:00 your phone if you haven't and install

1:01 the slack app on your computer if you

1:03 haven't that way you can stay logged in stay up

1:05 to date on what's happening

1:06 the more participation in the slack

1:09 channel for your class the better your

1:10 class will perform together

1:12 so make sure you have slack open when

1:14 you can there's always lots of fun stuff

1:16 happening in the global chat

1:18 and it's a great way to get help with

1:20 questions with job hunt questions and

1:22 just to really stay current on what's

1:23 happening in tech and what's happening

1:24 at digital crafts so

1:25 yeah get on slack and make friends don't

1:28 be shy now this tip gets a little deeper

1:30 but future you will thank you so

1:33 throughout class and throughout the

1:34 beginning of class before you start

1:35 remind yourself the future you will

1:38 thank you

1:39 that means for the times you spend

1:41 coding instead of maybe watching tv

1:43 or the times you get up early to maybe

1:45 make sure you make it to classroom hours

1:46 future you is going to thank you for all

1:48 this hard work that you're putting in

1:50 and again remember you're learning a new

1:52 language so it's not going to be easy

1:53 and you're going to have to put certain

1:55 things aside like maybe atlanta united

1:57 games

1:57 but future you will thank you for taking

2:01 the 90 minutes to watch a soccer game

2:03 and instead spending that 90 minutes on

2:04 say maybe

2:05 working on code challenges it doesn't

2:07 mean sacrifice all your family time

2:09 doesn't mean sacrifice all your social

2:10 time

2:11 but it does mean to make sure you

2:13 structure your time while you're in a

2:14 boot camp to where future you is going to thank

2:17 you for all the hard work that you did

2:19 not be upset with you because you don't

2:21 feel like you understand things enough

2:22 because you didn't really take the time

2:24 outside of class to put in the work

2:26 it takes a lot of work inside and

2:28 outside of class to be successful

2:29 and future you will thank you for it all

2:32 the students i've seen that worked

2:33 really hard

2:33 inside and outside of class have been

2:36 successful so it's very much

2:37 you know um you can learn the language

2:40 but you have to put in the work

2:42 all right so this is a fun tip make sure

2:43 you take lots of breaks if your brain

2:45 feels full

2:46 if you feel like you've had enough code

2:47 feel like you can't take anymore just

2:49 stop take a break

2:50 walk outside play with your dog shut

2:53 your computer down

2:54 you know stare at stuff off in the

2:55 distance to give your eyes a break

2:57 but it's totally okay to take breaks if

3:00 you feel stuck on a problem you feel

3:01 really frustrated just walk away

3:03 you're never going to code good angry so

3:05 you always want to look at it like

3:07 you're problem solving

3:08 or it's a quest or it's like a video

3:10 game challenge there's nothing to get

3:11 angry about it's just something to

3:13 figure out

3:13 so take breaks credit to another

3:15 instructor lachlan for uh

3:17 showing me this it's scientifically

3:19 proven that

3:20 you have to almost forget things in

3:22 order to memorize them

3:23 so that kind of ties back in with taking

3:25 lots of breaks

3:26 when your brain feels full

3:27 take a break

3:28 then come back to it and go

3:30 at it it might seem weird

3:32 like you might want to just put in those

3:33 hours and grind grind grind

3:34 it's not going to help you memorize

3:36 things once your brain hits a certain

3:38 level of

3:38 information so make sure just to walk

3:40 away take a quick 20 minute break

3:42 grab something to eat then come back to

3:44 it and my last tip that i have to give

3:46 full credit to my man Jordan for

3:48 abc always be coding every single day

3:52 you want to code

3:53 something you want to do a code

3:55 challenge you want to read about code

3:57 even if it's 10 minutes even if it's 20

4:00 minutes hopefully it's an hour or more

4:01 but always be coding always be pushing

4:05 code up to github

4:06 write some docs if you don't have time

4:08 to actually code do some flash cards

4:09 don't have time to do some flash cards

4:11 then go read a tutorial always be coding

4:13 future you will thank you for it

4:15 yeah to summarize don't be shy ask any

4:18 question you can think of during your

4:19 time at boot camp

4:19 make lots of friends in class make lots

4:22 of friends on slack future you will

4:24 thank you

4:24 don't forget that hard work pays off so

4:26 put in that hard work and future you

4:28 will thank you