5 Practical Advice on How to Survive in IT-Bootcamp

Since Barack Obama has established IT bootcamps in 2015, the number of its graduate students in 2018 increased to nearly 20 thousand qualified specialists all over the U.S.

IT boot camp is a technical training program. It teaches the most relevant aspects of programming according to the market's needs. Students study on real projects. Learn from people who work in the industry and have a wide range of practical skills. This gives an opportunity to rise above and focus on the most important aspects of coding. What is important, you can immediately apply your skills to solve actual problems.

Studying at Bootcamp gives you great practical experience and opens good job opportunities. Yet, it is an exhausting process that may cause burnouts. These practices should help you to withstand the Bootcamp and absorb as much information as you need.

5 Tips for Coding Bootcamp Students

1. Get prepared

It is much easier to understand information if you have some previous experience. It doesn't mean you should know the basics of programming languages. Even a small experience in creating code will be a plus. If you came to study coding from zero, try to get as much info as you can before start. Ask what development tools you will need for the study and try to install necessary on your computer. For E.g. for PHP you will definitely need PHP Storm. Knowing of Bootstrap (or even a PhotoShop) will be a great plus if you want to become a Front-end specialist. Besides, try to get into the IT-slang and terminology.

2. Be organized

Treat your study as a job. Schedule your day so that you have time to study. Give yourself at least two hours a week for homework - you will definitely need it! Inform your friends and family about your schedule'. This way they won't bother you while you are studying.

3. Ask questions

Use a 15-minute rule. It is often used by specialists in IT companies to speed up the problem-solving process. If you can't find a solution within 15 minutes you should consult with colleagues (coaches, groupmates, etc.). Practice shows - such a brainstorming helps to find the right solution and do the work much faster.

4. Give yourself a break

Michelle Gibbings, the career expert, recommends taking a break when you can't solve a task for a long time. In Gibbings's experience, a short break will help you to refresh your mind. It means you will be able to look at the task from a different angle. Thus, when returning to work, you'll be more likely to find the correct solution. Following the rule, you may give yourself a break if you can't solve the task for a long time. Try to set breaks in your schedule in advance.

5. Stay concentrated

John Sonmez, the author of «Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual», has noticed - he is distracted by checking email, social networking, and other different things while working. But if to force yourself to concentrate on a task without distraction for at least 15 minutes, you will not quit it until the issue is finished. Try to apply the rule when doing your homework, if you can't concentrate.

One more common issue among many people is a distraction on social media. Some specialists even turn the Internet off while working, to boost their productivity. But what if you need the search engine to complete your homework? In this case, you may install program-blockers. For example, the Self-Control app provides the possibility to block access to specific sites - you can put sites on the «blacklist» or set time limits on visiting it (E.g. an hour a day on Facebook - after the time the social network will be blocked for you).

Hope you find these few peaces of advice relevant and useful. "Surviving" in IT Bootcamp is a hard thing so if you have your own methods don't hesitate to share them in comments! Maybe you'll "save" somebody's future IT career ;)