Software Development Mastery: A new chapter begins

Overview

I had the unique opportunity to find my mentor, Andy Sterokwitz, which has led me to embark on the next chapter of my journey - entering the Software Development Mastery program. As an introverted and conservative person, every experience has been a significant change in my life, requiring me to step out of my comfort zone. Despite feeling uncomfortable every step of the way, I have pushed through my initial hesitations with plenty of strength. Let me walk you through my experience in the first week of Andy's program.

Software Development Mastery

The Software Development Mastery (SWDM) program is a comprehensive mastermind program that equips you with the necessary tools to succeed. With a strong focus on community, accountability, and time management, SWDM sets you up for success. However, success ultimately relies on your ability to communicate effectively, drive for excellence, and maintain a sense of curiosity. While there is a supportive community for SWDM, it's crucial to acknowledge that this is a self-taught program, and the bulk of the research and workload rests on your shoulders. This structure mimics a real-life job setting, making SWDM an ideal choice for individuals seeking a challenging and authentic learning experience.

The first day

On the night before beginning SWDM, I was filled with anxiety and uncertainty about what to expect. However, my determination to learn everything I could and to become well-prepared for employment in just four short months kept me focused on my goals.

The first day of the program went smoothly, with a streamlined orientation process to help me get started. The most challenging part of the day was introducing myself to the community. It was uncomfortable and even a bit embarrassing to discuss my past experiences, which was essentially a summary of my past blog posts. To my surprise, the SWDM community was extremely positive and welcoming, which was a refreshing change from the skeptical responses I had received when discussing my career change with others. Initially, I thought there would only be a handful of students in the program, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a significant number of individuals eager to learn.

I quickly got to work on setting up essential technologies like Git for source control, which was crucial for the program. Throughout the day, I familiarized myself with the program structure and my roadmap.

The roadmap

Each SWDM student has a custom-made roadmap tailored to their individual goals, skills, and interests. Andy created a roadmap for me to become a full-stack developer with the ability to transfer my skills to game development in the future, like using C# for back-end development. I did not realize then that C# could be used for Unity game engine, I'm grateful for the foresight that went into it.

I was overwhelmed when I first saw my roadmap. Each project had a tight deadline and specific deliverables, and some of the technologies used in later projects were unfamiliar to me. It felt like reading software development job postings without understanding the jargon. Doubts crept in, and I felt pressured to learn everything in time.

Feeling like I had a lot on my plate, I rushed through the first few items on my roadmap, completing three projects in just a few days. I am thankful for the challenges laid before me in order to get into this program, the first three projects were done quite smoothly. However, I soon hit a wall when I had to leave fundamentals and had to start learning new frameworks and libraries. Despite this, being able to finish a few projects quickly gave me a bit of confidence that the roadmap was achievable.

Community of mentors

As I completed my first week in SWDM, I found myself feeling uneasy about the daunting roadmap designed for me. The tight deadlines and specific deliverables for each project seemed insurmountable. My code was sloppy, and I found it a bit demoralizing to receive feedback on my errors during code reviews.

Fortunately, I shared my feelings with the community and found that many others had felt the same way. It was reassuring to know that I was not alone and that everyone had struggled to finish the roadmap in time. While it was a stressful week, I realized that I was fortunate to be learning full-time, whereas others had to juggle their studies with work and family commitments.

I took a step back from my problems and realized how lucky I was. I had something that I had not had before which was a community of mentors. Instead of feeling alone and lost, I had the support of people who were at different levels in their journey but were all working towards the same goal of getting their first job. I found that I was learning from their experiences, relating to their struggles, and seeing that we were all in the same boat. The SWDM program opened up new doors for me and offered me opportunities that I never would have had if I were doing this alone.

Lesson

One opportunity can lead to others, and it's important to focus not just on the problems but also on the positive benefits that come with them. When we take a step back, we can see that everyone is going through or has gone through similar issues. By learning from others' experiences and helping others along the way, we can continue a chain of positivity. And so, I hope to contribute to that chain with you.

Thank you for reading. If you believe my story will benefit someone who's attempting to make a change please share this post. Feel free to contact me, I would love to hear from you. Please subscribe if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content is published.