Kitchen vs. Table

My take on the Dev Bootcamp experience as Phase 0 Week 1 wraps up

I just watched Shereef Bishay in the famous "Fireside Chat" video. I am so pumped up right now, I might code for 8 more hours straight. It's 7:15pm now, so I don't know where that puts me. I'll let you do the math, 'cause I've got more important Rubyish type things to think about.

All kidding aside, I really am excited right now. I'm tired and a bit frazzled from all of the new knowledge that is swimming around in my head. It feels really good. At times this week it has felt a bit overwhelming, and I know it has been even worse for some fellow members of my cohort.

What is my impression of DBC? I see DBC as an institution that thinks the same way I think as an individual. I don't like to do big things. I like to do EPIC things! I think if I embark on something epic, DBC and everyone associated with it will be right there with me, or at least cheering me on.

DBC is not concerned with doing what is expected. Rather it is concerned with doing the best that is possible within the bounds of time and energy.

Who else does this?

I'm serious, because I've been looking for opportunities like this for twenty years. I've never seen anything like it.

How do I see myself engaging with this type of culture? I can't wait. It's almost as if DBC was made for me, or I was made for DBC. I have a high capacity for learning a huge amount of information in a short time, and this is exactly how I prefer to learn things.

It's not just DBC the building, faculty and curriculum. In a very big way, it's the cohort.

I know that I am going to be spending 9 weeks of my life with some of the most engaged, passionate, brilliant, energetic and positive people that I will likely ever meet. Getting to know them all will be awesome and having the opportunity to sit and learn with them is something that I almost cannot fathom at this time. It seems surreal. I know that this will lead to amazing things in the future.

Have my expectations of DBC changed? Not one bit. That is all.

Am I excited to participate in this kind of learning environment? I simply cannot express how incredible I think this opportunity is. Yes, I am ecstatic to be able to be a part of this. I've been searching for something like this for the past 20 years. It feels like an incredible dream is coming true.

Does it make me nervous? In a good way yes. Of the two fears that Shereef spoke of, I've experienced both at one time or another in the past week. Ultimately, I know that I will make it through. I am determined and I won't let anything stop me.

Last Sunday, I wrote a blog post on my portfolio blog site and I said that I felt like when I fell asleep that night I was going to enter an 18 week long dream and that when I woke up, I would have my dogtags. Here I am 5 days later, and it feels like weeks have gone by and at the same time it feels like I just went to sleep on Sunday night. I'm in the DBC time warp and I'm loving it!

Mudpuppies 2014

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Let's Do Epic Things!