I recently graduated from a full-stack software engineering bootcamp. Woohoo! 🎉 However, as someone who had never written a line of code in her life, I definitely felt lost and confused at times. 🥺 And, not just content-wise, emotionally—it can be a roller coaster. Coding bootcamps are for people who are making big changes in their lives, and change can definitely be overwhelming.

Here are 6 things I wish I knew before I began. So, if you're about to start a bootcamp experience, read on, my friend! 💪

#1. 🙅‍♀️ Don't compare, just share!

Do not—I repeat—DO NOT compare yourself to others. If your bootcamp experience is anything like mine, it is going to be a mix of very diverse people. That's awesome! 🙌 But, that also means that there will be individuals who know much, much more than you going into this experience. Just accept that as a fact of the world. 🌍 There are going to be people who catch on to concepts seemingly faster than you. It's okay. You will get there. In fact, seek these people out and learn from them. Ask them questions, see if they can re-explain a concept or two to you, get advice. They are a part of your learning community now! How lucky are you! And, guess what? You also bring a unique skillset, background, or strength to the table, so they're lucky to have you, too!

#2. 👯 Find your people.

In addition to surrounding yourself with people who know more than you, find people who you feel like you can be honest with, who make you laugh, who have similar learning styles as you do—find some buddies! 🤗 The pessimist in me definitely did not think it was possible, but, I really did make some life-long friends during my remote bootcamp experience. Even through the digital screen! 💻 I cannot stress how important it is to have people who can make you feel less alone. You will need them to get you through this experience, and they will need you.

#3. 📝 Get organized, stay organized.

You are about to be exposed to a firehose of information. You need a system for 1. saving resources (links, tutorials, videos, cheatsheets, "stuff for later," etc.) and 2. taking notes (important: notes that can include code blocks). 🧐 You need to implement this system as soon as possible, start building your organizational system from day one! I wish I had figured out a system that worked for me much sooner. In the end, because so much of my communication with other students and instructors was over Slack, I actually just started using the self-chat (where you literally message yourself 😂) as my primary note-taking system. In retrospect, I wish I had created a system of organized ReadMe files, but... I didn't know what a ReadMe file was when I began, so... 🤷‍♀️?

#4. 🙋‍♀️ Ask questions.

❌ Delete this phrase from your your vocabulary: "This might be a stupid question but... " Nope. You're not allowed to say that. I am that person who always asked at least 5 to 10 questions a day (and that's probably a very conservative estimate). 😬 Guess what? I don't regret asking any of my questions. In fact, oftentimes someone else would say: "Thanks so much for asking that question, I was wondering the same exact thing." If your cohort and instructors build a supportive learning community, no one should feel embarrassed to ask any question.

#5. ⛔️ Copy and paste with caution.

There are going to be times when you have some code—from a lecture, or a code-along, or a group activity, or your new best friend named StackOverflow, and you do not totally, 100% understand how it works. 🥴 That's okay. But, do yourself a favor. Write a comment before that code which says:

// I do not totally understand how this code works. 
// What I do understand is _______. 
// What I need to figure out is _______.

Be careful with copy and paste. Type everything out that you possibly can. Build that muscle memory, it will help you actually remember the syntax of the languages you are learning and the common ways problems are solved. 🧠 Your friend might have code that works, but if you don't understand it, don't copy and paste it. There are a million ways to solve a coding problem, find your way! You will actually remember it, learn from it, or at least understand it, if you wrote it. I promise.

#6. ❤️ Treat yourself like you would treat a good friend.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Self-talk matters. 💬 You do not have to understand everything the first time you see it. Or, the second. Or, the third. It's okay to struggle. How would you speak to a friend who was struggling? You would pump them up; you would remind them that they are strong! 👏 How would you speak to a friend who just got their code to work after spending 4 hours on a missing semi-colon? You would celebrate their victories; however small! 👏 This experience will be challenging to different people, for different reasons. Show yourself kindness. We can be our own worst enemies sometimes, try being your own best friend.

Finally, I would like to say: I am proud of you! 🙌 You're taking the first step into the unknown, maybe you're making a big change, or maybe you're finally doing something you've been thinking about for a while now. Those are some brave acts. The good news is: you're about to be surrounded by individuals who are also willing to take a courageous first step. You are going to laugh, you might cry and you'll learn a lot. You got this.