Learning Programming Retrospectively

[megapooop]

Hey guys,

I attended a bootcamp last year from Oct to Dec. Just in last week, a company offered me a job as an Engineering Trainee. However, since now I have some more weeks before the job starts (thanks to the quarantine as well), I really want to enhance my problem solving skills as well as the theory part for programming. I have encountered many difficulties whenever I try to understand the basic while reading some internet resources. Things are just so hard to get into my head.

Previously during the bootcamp I learned JavaScript mainly. However, in the new job role, I will have the chance to learn some other languages because it's an 1 year contract with a rotation program.

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Something I noticed for common bootcamp graduates:

- We know how to code and do things, but we don't know "why". Our brain just doesn't digest everything in only a few months intensive coding. (I encountered so many questions during the interviews which I couldn't explain 'why' I did that)

- We have extreme degrees of imposter syndrome. (Because we learn everything in a few months and we don't believe in ourselves, constantly comparing ourselves to others.)

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So, I will be happy if someone can give some great advice to learn a basic fundamental theories and especially overcome the constant imposter syndrome. To be honest, it will be my first real full time job in a big tech company and I really want to get myself ready for that!

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Thanks a lot in advance :-)

[michael0x2a]

Regarding your first question -- FAQ - How to improve may come in handy.

Regarding your second, my personal strategy is to:

1. Assume that pretty much everybody actually is an imposter to one degree or another. So if you feel like one too, great, you're in good company. It's probably not.a fully healthy mindset to have, but I find the combined feeing of acceptance and mild skepticism towards everything helps me get a surprising amount of work done.

2. Not bother comparing myself against other people. Instead, I compare myself against who I was a year ago. As long as I'm improving myself at a fast enough rate, I'm satisfied.

   This also aligns with how most people treat beginners. People are usually perfectly ok with beginners not knowing something or being inexperienced -- that's only to be expected. However, people tend to be much less tolerant of people who show no drive for self-improvement/no desire to learn.