After having completed the first of five phases of my coding bootcamp, undertaken and grasped the rudimentary concepts of Javascript, implemented them into a practical web-application, and now find myself attempting to learn my second language, React, software engineering school has been every bit of the challenge that I anticipated it to be.

When I first made the decision to switch careers after having spent years trying to make use of a college degree that I had no interest in using, software engineering was not even on my radar. But in a random twist of (hopeful) fate, I suddenly found myself applying for the Flatiron School of coding, and I am definitely glad to have done so.

What intrigued me most about the opportunity to become a full-stack software engineer was many of the prototypical characteristics that one might list when searching for a job they think might fulfill their life; robust job market, the usefulness and diversity of a software engineering certificate, flexibility, ability to work from home, money, etc. However, there is one aspect of coding school that I never would have expected to enjoy so much up until this point: the challenge that it has been.

I had my doubts when entering bootcamp. Particularly the idea that, having no prior coding experience, I would not enjoy the material. Yet still, oozing with hubris, I had no doubt I'd be able to grasp the concepts with ease. In reality, my experiences have proven the exact opposite of these sentiments to be true. The program has required my utmost persistence, perseverance, and brainpower to succeed, and still I genuinely enjoy learning new concepts and functionality with each new day.

The first four weeks have been fulfilling yet frustrating, thrilling yet exhausting, fascinating yet mundane at times. The same problems and concepts I find myself banging my head over are the very same problems I get excitedly eager to overcome. I believe the phrase "There is beauty in the struggle" is largely applicable here, and accurately depicts the intensely creative process that is learning software development.

This challenging roller-coaster of emotions is what differentiates my experiences in coding school so far compared to my undergraduate studies; despite all its challenges and frustrations, I only become more insatiable with the desire to learn more and hone my coding skills. While most days do not come easy, every kick of Serotonin when passing a test on a lab, to the constructive relief when debugging an error message on an app is motivation to keep striving for more knowledge.

Most importantly, I have to continually remind myself that this process is not easy by design. When I feel perpetually behind in the program, I have to remember that the languages and concepts we are learning in a matter of weeks take many people years to master, and Flatiron certainly does its best in preparing us for the workplace by throwing so many expectations our way. A wise man once told me "You're doing better than you think." which is a necessary reassurance while enduring the slog of coding bootcamp.