The Experience so far: From our Scholars in C3
Our C3 Scholars are approaching the end of Phase 2, and now have the knowledge to build full-stack apps. In reality, they've learnt so much more beyond this. Below are some thoughts from members of Cohort 3 about their experience of the programme so far.
- Tagged Alumni Stories, Articles, Interview
- Posted 16th January
Grace Zaborski: Checking in with imposters syndrome
Attending biweekly people skill’s sessions has not only helped to suppress my anxiety relating to imposter syndrome, but it has positively impacted my life outside of work massively!
These sessions aim to teach us predominantly about becoming leaders in our workplaces. We conduct meetings, learn how to coach one another, and how to support ourselves best in a demanding programme (and career path) like this one. It has been a real eye-opener for me! Personally, I’ve seen great success being more mindful of my work-life balance. Collectively, we agree we all feel more comfortable having open and emotional discussions which have definitely brought us closer.
Generally, I feel very lucky to finally be studying somewhere that has an equal commitment to supporting scholars’ health an their technical progression. I’m excited to continue learning and growing alongside the rest of my cohort!
NB: the technical parts of the programme are also exceptional!
David Culemann: Appreciating the social side of the programme
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The programme is more multifaceted than I had anticipated, as I assumed it would follow a ‘learn the material, do an assessment’ style similar to what I knew from University. Instead, I was immediately pushed out of my comfort zone by people skills sessions where it is encouraged to open up and connect with peers; I dreaded this initially but soon came to notice and appreciate the leadership and teamwork skills it builds. In general, the programme has been more social and interactive than I imagined, partly due to sessions run by Academy and also events organised by the scholars which have formed a closely-knit community — this I can say despite being outside of the UK and engaging 100% remotely.
On the technical side, the learning materials put together by faculty are great because they break down topics into mini-lessons instead of simply providing external resources. My favourite exercises have been creating apps following guidelines set by faculty but with ample room for creativity (for example a website for browsing TV show information).
Jenna Ram: Highlighting the autonomy the scholars have
I think the word transformational can sound like a buzzword sometimes but it definitely applies here; with each week my confidence has been growing and I think this is true for other members of the cohort. We’ve been continuously pushed beyond what we find comfortable and have learnt (and are still learning) how to deal with personal barriers. We’re given the space during Leadership Skills to connect and listen to each other judgement-free. During these sessions, I’ve witnessed our cohort communicate with compassion and openness, sometimes totally unprompted by faculty. Ultimately these sessions have helped to improve communication when working together in teams, when leading meetings and when giving feedback.
On a weekly basis, we learn a vast amount of new technical skills and concepts relating to workflows, languages, frameworks etc, but the scrupulous and helpful nature of the teaching has meant we’ve been able to successfully learn things very quickly without any prior knowledge. I’ve started to build my own personal fullstack app which is mad given 3 weeks ago I had no idea what ‘back-end’ meant. Academy has such a unique working environment compared to University and other workplaces I’ve been in before, as they have been really adaptable and receptive to feedback by amending the programme to suit our wants/needs more. It’s less hierarchical, more autonomous and feels more like we’re part of making the decisions that affect our day to day. And it’s so fun!