What are three new things you have learnt about yourself and your ego due to the core learning?

Comparing yourself to others is still a big factor, when you see other people asking questions with their complicated looking code they have written that you still don't fully understand or they may be a few challenges ahead of you, it's very easy to still compare yourself to others. I know as bootcamp went on i did fight with those thoughts and i know i got better at it as time went on because at the end of the day it doesn't really matter as long as you keep showing up for yourself. I don't think it's the fact that other people can write the code or solve the problems, it's more i'm comparing myself to myself and i'm disappointed that i can't do a certain thing and think i should be doing better already. But if it was easy, then everyone would be doing it and i know if i keep showing up it'll click.

Not asking as many questions as i should for i guess the 'fear' of putting a question in the chat that may be simple to everyone else or i'm the only one that's not getting it. I will be looking to improve on this when bootcamp starts or i won't get anywhere and that will make me look more ridiculous. Struggling by yourself is no way to live and grow. Although, i find it easier to help myself and other people rather than have people help me..

I have gained much more confidence this year compared to previous years and have realised that this has come from putting myself in uncomfortable situations and trying new things. That being said, for all of the things that i was getting correct through foundations in terms of JavaScript, my confidence still took a hit when i couldn't get it right or had to try and find a solution to implement to make my code work which in turn would make me procrastinate in situations because i wasn't getting it so i didn't at times want to start again. At the same time, i did keep reminding myself to look at what i've achieved this year and throughout this foundations course and in previous challenges. Although i still have a long way to go, in my Tech & Core learnings, i still show up every day and attempt these challenges. My positivity in that sense doesn't waver and if i can find a way to write JavaScript, these learnings and failings will make me better for it. I also could of remained fearful and not attended this course because of what is happening with JavaScript, i could've remained stagnant and attempted something comfortable. But like life, this is a journey and i need to find a way to grow in confidence even more and move forward with one step at a time, because one step is bigger than standing still.

What are the roles of values, empathy, and self-awareness in learning and programming?

I beileve it's like anything else in life, and they all play a vital role in how you learn & interact with yourself and other people. Remembering to remind yourself that learning how to code can be difficult and like anything you will have challenging days. Showing empathy not only towards others but yourself because it's so easy to be critical of yourself if you aren't getting it like you think you should be. I became more aware of how i was feeling in certain instances as time went on throughout foundations which reminded me that i may not be the only one feeling this way, i feel as though we are so quick to feel as though we are the only ones going through those challenges and everyone else isn't. Because of this i would always try and offer any assistance or help in anyway as people may be suffering in silence. It's also right there in the question, 'learning', that's exactly what it is, just because you aren't getting something right doesn't mean you have failed, it means you are learning and to keep evolving in the process.

What has surprised me most about the core learning?

I felt a lot of it came naturally & was nice to reflect on parts of learning & life especially. I think it was easier because i had really started putting in the foundation of this core work at the start of this year. If it was another year, i may not have taken to it or reacted the way i did. But, with that being said it shows i also still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. The more & more i've been learning about different things, they make sense why i was the way i was in previous years. I have brought a different side of positivity not only to myself but to people around me. Although, i would always try and help other people before helping myself. I'm using different words on how i interact with different problems & how i speak to myself still. Like i said, i have a long way to go and a lot to learn & work on, but the core learnings are quite interesting and very benficial.

What were the most challenging aspects of the core learning?

Looking at myself and thinking how far i've come in terms of the way i treat myself etc. and realizing that i still have a long way to go. Although, i have made huge strides in the last year especially to find myself, be a better person, and have a sense of happiness and purpose. It has really shown me that i still have a long way to go especially when learning new things that are pretty foreign to me and that they may be difficult. My self-confidence in this area still needs improvement, not that i was too hard on myself, but i realize that my learning journey regarding myself has really only just begun. There was a week there, where because i felt nervous about the JavaScript side of things, i was infront of the computer more and not taking the time to stick to my routine that i've implemented this year. But maybe the toughest was the listening & looping exercises, really properly listening and trying to understand where the person is coming from and how they are feeling is a huge area that i think everyone needs to work on really.

Why do you think we, a programming school, are spending so much time focusing on core learning in a web development Bootcamp course?

Because core/human skills i believe are more important than anything, it's the way you conduct yourself, communicate, help yourself/others, collaborate in a team setting and generally how you show up on a daily basis. If you can become aware of how you are feeling/react to certain situations then this can only benefit you and make you understand why you do some of the things you do. This awareness also makes you realize that people are different and they cope with certain situations differently and when we can better understand this and communicate properly with each other we would all be better for it. Unforunately life isn't like this and not everyone thinks this way, i believe more education providers or even employers should be looking more closely at this kind of method of teaching/learning. I really enjoy it & before i was enrolled in the course because i had started to dive into this myself, i really felt as though i was meant to be here this year, to learn more about myself and how i can grow as a person, be better not only for myself but around other people.

Does the time you spent studying core learning here feel like a waste of time? Should you have just used that time to practise programming instead? Justify your answer.

I think i pretty much justified it in previous answers, no, not at all, Dev Academy has been built the right way. I think it has to be included and i feel as though it made me more excited for the course because it was included. I feel that i'm already becoming aware of certain things throughout my day to day, more and more. Building up a core, learning & wellbeing plan has been great because you also have to have balance, if you can't even get the fundamentals of yourself right then you are of no use to anyone.

Also i could've done with more practise on the programming side though, but it was my own fault for slowing down at times because JavaScript still has me a bit perplexed and made me procrastinate it a little bit. Some things have still confused me and has made me a little anxious for the bootcamp because of it, i don't like to let people down and in turn that lets myself down. I know i have a lot of work to do to understand it as some things are still going over my head but hopefully if i keep at it i will become more confident.