From A Student’s Perspective – Week 11
We’re in the home stretch, people!
Bittersweet but very exciting, we have nearly arrived to the light at the end of this 10 week tunnel. We have completed our group projects (check it out – internmatchday.herokuapp.com!) and are preparing for the next steps. LEARN hosted a night just for us to showcase our projects to local developers and employers, which I felt was a great opportunity for us to not only network but also to get a sense of what companies are looking for. The opportunity to speak freely with these industry professionals acted almost like a mock-interview (without the pressure) and instilled an extra layer of excitement to be in this moment. As I explained my app to senior developers, they asked me so many thought-provoking question, as well as provided feedback on how to improve the model. It was crazy validating to hear myself speak code fluently to these professionals and hold my own in a conversation with them. There was beer, wine, appetizers and a ton of people. The night was an overall success
At the conclusion of this week we begin our internships, which will present new challenges. From what I understand, the program I am interning with utilizes different languages and frameworks which I have yet to learn, so I’m mentally prepping myself for a tough but rewarding practicum.
I am overcome with a sense of pride and joy as I approach the conclusion of this course, with a new skill set under my belt and a new wave of confidence in myself. I am immensely grateful to Kaitlin for being truly one of the most helpful teachers a student could ask for – thank you for being an understanding and patient co-pilot to us all, enabling us to understand WHY we took the route we were taking without interrupting the process of arriving there. Thank you to all of my teammates for staying the course with me. Even in those moments that felt riddled with defeat, it was a pleasure to squash them as a unit and enjoy the gratification (and Fat Boys sandwiches) that followed!