Failure Is Simply the Opportunity to Begin Again, This Time More Intelligently.
— Henry Ford
I have recently failed both Coding Bootcamps that I am a part of and am here to say, don’t get discouraged if you don’t make it the first time! I’m right now doing App Academy, and I am also re-joining Wallbreakers for the next cohort that picks up.
It is super embarrassing to say this, but I failed both Coding Bootcamps that I am attending. I have failed Wallbreakers twice now, but they have graciously allowed me to re-try… again when this next cohort picks up. I failed an assessment for App Academy and got deferred to the next cohort. It is not the easiest thing to go through, for sure. It’s also not something to beat yourself up about.
Whatever Bootcamp you may be going through, when you fail, I hope that they allow you to try again. In the time you are waiting to re-join with the next cohort, try assessing what went wrong. Maybe it’s burnout. That’s so understandable. Maybe you just needed some time off. Well, that’s perfect, because this gives you time to yourself. Life doesn’t stop because you are going through a Bootcamp, and sometimes it’s hard to find a balance.
Wallbreakers hasn’t picked back up yet, but App Academy has. I had a week off, and it was a long week. I don’t like going all that time without code, but I’m glad I did. I did work on some code every now and then, but I cleaned a lot and the cleaner area helps me stay focused more. I started a daily workout routine, which is giving me more energy (which is honestly surprising to me, because it’s not easy and it’s exhausting, but energizing?? What??). Then again, it’s only been 3 days, so we’ll see how that really goes…
Anyway, I failed, but I took the chance to improve my health and personal space so that I can have a better chance at the next go-round. Another thing that I have found is that I put way too much on my plate at once. I’m trying to find that balance to stop doing that. That is the main reason for failing Wallbreakers, but even with too much on my plate, I’m a software engineer (in training), I should be able to get it all done. That’s what I thought, but sometimes too much is too much. It’s okay if you need to cut back on something. Maybe you don’t need to work on all 20 side projects, maybe 1 or 2 is enough. Maybe writing an article a week is too much, maybe cut back to once a month.
I may be completely wrong, but I know you shouldn’t give up when you fail. Get back up and try again. Sometimes you do need to change a thing or two or move things around to give you a better shot at success. Don’t quit, you got this!
