My Life as a Coding Bootcamp Student (Remote)

A summary of my daily schedule in Hack Reactor

Before I started Hack Reactor’s 13-week Remote Immersive program, I prepared, studied, and practiced coding material for about 6–7 hours a day. At the end of each prep day, my brain was tired and throbbing from thinking so hard, and absorbing so much new material. I am currently in week four of the boot camp, and now realize that those prep days are nothing

Monday-Friday Schedule

Every morning I wake up between 5:00 and 6:00am. Waking up early has been one of the best decisions that I’ve made while adjusting to this boot camp. The early morning hours are the best times for me to do what I want. I am able to go to the gym, play video games, catch up on social media, or just relax and watch TV with my fiance. All of these activities are even better in the early morning, because the majority of people in my area are still asleep. I can fully enjoy whatever you’re doing, without the interruptions of other people.

At 8:15am, I hop on my computer and get ready for the long day coding! Although class doesn’t start until 9:00am, I utilize these 45 minutes to review any material from the day before, or the material scheduled for that day. From 9:00am to 8:00pm I follow the class schedule. The day consists of live lectures, solo readings, group Q&A’s, quizzes and assessments, and pair programming. Throw in a couple of hours here and there for breaks, and you have a complete scheduled day at the Hack Reactor boot camp, but it doesn’t end there.

After hours studying and reviewing is almost mandatory in order to be successful in this course. From 8:15 to 10:15pm, I can be found at my desk finishing up any tests, or problems, reading or watching videos about the current topic, or collaborating with a group of classmates about any struggles or accomplishments we’ve come across. At 10:00pm, I put my computer to sleep (I haven’t fully powered down my system in over eight weeks) and get ready for bed.

At the end of the day, not counting the time for lunch, dinner, and other breaks, I commit between 11 to 12 hours per weekday in order to be the best coding bootcamp student that I can be.

Saturday/ Sunday Schedule

The only difference between my Saturday schedule and daily weekday schedule takes place during evening. Class ends at 5:30pm with an optional social hack night from 6:30 to 8:30pm. After 5:30pm, I am usually so exhausted and tired that I just want to relax and/or sleep. I have yet to attend a social hack night event, but I’ve heard they are extremely fun and are a great way to end a tough week.

I’ve never appreciated my Sundays more than I do now. This is the day where I look at my computer for less than 10–20 minutes. I only hop onto my system to check my emails and announcements (if any) from Hack Reactor or my peers. Besides that, I use my Sundays to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. Going outside and connecting with the outdoors is crucial for my well-being. Taking a 5 mile hike by the river, walking my dog around the block, going on a run, chilling at the beach, or any other outdoor activity has helped improve my state of mind extremely well. Being able to disconnect from my computer screen, and coding (though javascript thoughts still randomly pop into my head) gives my mind, my eyes and my body a chance to recover from the previous six days. At the end of the day Sunday, I feel refreshed and ready to tackle the next week’s challenges!

Summary

In order to be as successful as possible in this course, I have had to make MANY adjustments to my lifestyle. I cut my weekly video gaming time in half, I rarely go out for drinks, my Saturdays are committed to class-time, and I almost never watch TV during the week. My sleep schedule changed in order to have my free time in the morning, and I make sure to be productive during every free minute that I get. As far as sacrifices go, I haven’t had to completely remove an aspect of my “pre-bootcamp life” in order to be a productive student so far. My ability to manage time and adjust my schedule has allowed me to keep up in the bootcamp, as well as continuing to do the things that I enjoy.