So far, my experience with the program has been very positive. Although, that is not to say that it has not been difficult. I went through the majority of the foundational HTML and CSS content relatively quickly. I was hungry to learn, and I had learned a considerable amount of HTML and CSS before I enrolled in the program. Bloc’s Full Stack Web Developer program (at least at the time I was enrolled) is comprised of three main sections:

• Programming Fundamentals
• Front End Development
• Back End Development

Once I cleared the beginning HTML and CSS lessons I begin to dive deep into JavaScipt and jQuery, both of which I had been learning and practicing before enrolling in Bloc. In just a few weeks, Bloc’s curriculum begin to go much deeper into JavaScript than I had been before. I found this journey into programming really exciting, intimidating, concerning, and inspiring all at once. The sheer excitement of learning how to make something out of nothing was so inspiring to me. It felt like I was cultivating some sort of super power.

I’m just going to say it, programming is hard. But it is very rewarding.

Although it was really inspiring to start learning how to actually build stuff, I had to come to terms with the reality of the discipline I was learning. Programming is hard. I don’t mean to say that in a discouraging way. In fact, I mean it to be rather encouraging. That’s just the thing, it IS hard. However, I find the most important thing to keep in mind when I’m banging my head against a programming problem for hours is that it is not too hard. That is, it makes sense. It is logical. Even if it might not seem like it… the logic is buried in there somewhere. You just have to find it. Having a mentor throughout the program has been very encouraging. Although, I find myself constantly demanding that I find the answer myself. Because I know the answer is out there somewhere. The internet is a big place and there are plenty of resoures out there. You just have to find them. Bloc does a great job of promoting the idea of self education. The reality of technology and software is that it changes and updates very quickly. Because of that fact it is really important to get used to teaching yourself new technologies and skill sets as the industry evolves.

I’m currently working through the Front End Development projects and I can’t wait to proceed and expand my knowledge further!

Check out my “How I got into Web Development” post for more info about what led to enroll in a coding bootcamp