7 February 2015
Response to Shereef's Fireside
I just finished watching Shereef's fireside chat video (which you can watch here), and I have to say I found it pretty inspiring. My motivation for doing DBC is that I'm not completely satisfied with the life I'm currently living and believe I can be doing so much more. I'm desperate for change, and I have a strong desire to learn, create, and be surrounded by similarly minded, ambitious people. Listening to Shereef, the founder of DBC, I feel pretty reassured that I made the right decision.
This first week has been a nice introduction to what life will be like at DBC. DBC will be tough but manageable. It will require adequate amounts of effort, focus, and preparation. It will require time management and a willingness to push myself. And it will also require a willingness to admit when I am lost and ask for help. And though it will be difficult at times, DBC is a journey that I will be embarking on with a group of people who I can learn from, depend on, and lend my support to as well. I am not in this alone, and this whole first week and Shereef's video only strengthened that feeling.
Overall, I think I'll fit in well at DBC. I've really enjoyed getting to meet the other people in my program. Everyone seems so friendly and supportive. It really feels like a good group of people, and I hope to build meaningful relationships with everyone. In terms of my expectations for the program, I'm coming in with hardly any expectations at all. I don't expect to get a job by the end of DBC (though it would be nice). And to be honest I don't even know enough about coding just yet to know exactly what hard skills I'll have learned by the program's end. But what I do expect is that whatever happens between now and June, I will be better for it. I will just be a better person, and I think that is a mindset that will serve me well on this journey.
Listening to Shereef's chat though, it was nice to hear him touch on the different fears of students. As someone with really no prior coding experience, I can certainly relate to feeling like I'm starting out at the back of the pack. I don't quite feel like an impostor, but I know that my place in this program is something I'm going to have to fight for. I also know I shouldn't freak out when I compare myself to others, because everyone is on their own journey and entering DBC at their own starting point. With that in mind, I can feel comfort in knowing that if I just focus on the task at hand and concentrate on learning, I will be fine. Sure, I will freak out from time to time, but I belong here and everything will be ok. And it was nice to hear that confirmed by the founder of the whole program.
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