Amanda

1.What were your plans when you joined the Junior Full-Stack course? Did you have any expectations about the course, teacher and students that you were about to meet? And how has that changed over the 3-month course period?I was in a dilemma of focusing on my career between designer or developer. I decided to give it a try and try software development. I took a distance course in Web Development and I tried to learn coding through some online classes. Then I came across SmartCoding and I had gotten this great opportunity to participate in this course. I really wanted to deepen my understanding of coding and got a chance to know more about the modern technologies. The teacher is experienced and seriously guides you in finding solutions.

2. How much time, on a daily basis, have you been investing in education so far, and what do you do to stay motivated? What have you discovered about that dedication and can you describe the progress of the learning process?
I had spent all my time on coding until I hit a wall. Then I realized I have to make a balance and enjoy the process of learning instead of pushing myself too hard. Nothing can be accomplished in a short time, none of a seed bear fruit in one day. I learned how to manage my emotions and chill out, which leads to an effective way of learning when you are in a pleasure-mode instead of a stress-mode. I reminded myself why I wanted to be here, so to keep my passion and enjoy it. The satisfaction of solving each problem provide great motivation. I learned also how to share experiences, discuss ideas and support each other in the group.

3. Based on the fact that you have been working on two projects during this course, what are you most interested in and why? Has that interest changed in any way in comparison with the beginning of the course?
In these two projects, I had practised my skills in both frontend and backend. I was always interested in frontend and I overjoyed to learning React JS. In the beginning, I barely wrote anything in the terminal and I was completely new in the backend. Now I’ve acquired knowledge, I’ve learned many commands and even GitHub as well as creating an app in backend and frontend. I really feel so proud of myself that I have accomplished so much in only three months.

4. Do you find having IT mentors’ support online and in class as needed? Can you evaluate their tech support? Is it an added value to this course, besides having the main teacher?
During the course, we met a few mentors. They are professionals in their field and each person has different ways of coding. It was really nice to get to know a variety of ways of thinking and different knowledge approach all of which given me an idea of how to think outside of the box and how to approach a problem from a different perspective.

5. How do you like the atmosphere in the group? Have you made any female dev friendships in the group?
It is a precious moment of coding with all the female developers. We inspire each other and keep up the motivation of learning. I made a few friends in the group and we have many interests in common. Diversity is a strength and we are coming from different countries as well. You can imagine how much fun and what a powerful group we have had here! 🙂

6. If you could meet and talk face to face to other women, who are thinking about learning programming, what would be your 3 main tips for them?
Since this is an intensive course. It is good to learn the foundation of coding and SmartCoding definitely is a stepping stone to further career. Persistence wholeheartedly of pursuing your dream. If you are energetic in what you do, you will get a lot of enthusiasm and determination. Amanda