Advice from SDG Staff

The advice here comes from the staff at SDG. These are things we'd like you to consider at the beginning of this course and to reflect on during the times you find yourself challenged and struggling. (It WILL happen, it happens to every student)

Take this advice to heart and it will serve you well during your cohort.

Ask Questions

This is your time to ask the questions you want. If your question comes up during lecture time, lab time, or an offline discussion is a better place to address your question we'll let you know.

This is a marathon and not a sprint

You can't keep a marathon pace for the entire course. Pace yourself. There are going to be lessons where the knowledge comes to you at a slower pace than others.

Learning has a lag period

You will find that your comfort level with a tool or concept will often lag behind the lesson and assignment. Do not fret. Everything in the course builds on all that comes prior so you will have opportunities to practice.

You aren't going to remember everything

You also aren't going to learn everything. We are giving you an introduction to full-stack development and we are doing it at a quick pace. Your comfort level and knowledge will lag and you will feel like you don't understand anything. Work on learning to be ok with that feeling.

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast

Don't try to rush through the homework assignments. There are no extra points for finishing first or last. The assignments will take you a lot of time to complete. And if you do complete the assignment with time to spare we have bonus modes, adventure, and epic, to keep you busy.

"Measure twice, and cut once"

This is good for woodworking and homework assignments. When an assignment is given, READ THE ENTIRE ASSIGNMENT first, up through explorer mode. Then spend some time planning out the steps for the assignment. Get together with other students and discuss your plans. It often helps to ensure you know what the assignment is asking for and how to approach it before diving in. On a typical day when we end lecture time at noon, and pick up again at 3:00, use the time after lunch and before 3:00 to map out your attack on the homework. If you happen to start the homework before 3:00 consider that a bonus.

Keep your eye on the prize, but not too close

Don't fret right away about your portfolio, resume, capstone project, interviews, etc. as there will be time for those tasks as we proceed. Do keep good time management in mind, but recognize that there is time for all the tasks we ask you to do.

Trust the process

We've done this before so we know of what we speak. You will feel like you are falling behind and you will feel like you aren't understanding as much as you like. Trust us to be the judges of that. Put all your effort in and we will tell you where you need to focus.

Focus on the "now", Work on the current homework before the old

At some point, you will fall behind on homework. Work on todays assignment before trying to catch up on past assignments. If you need to work on old homework first your instructor will let you know which homework is the most critical.

Look backward more than you look forward

Learning software development is a lifelong process. Each new thing you learn will reveal an entire world of learning. There will always be more you don't know than you do know even after years of learning.

So during the program spend more time looking backward to where you started and how far you've come rather than focusing on how much more there is ahead of you. Find excitement in what you have learned so far and how it will power you to take on all the new challenges ahead.

Find time to take breaks

Find time to breathe. Find time to play games. Find time to watch TV. Find time for activities that provide rest and relaxation.

Share your success

Also, find time to share what you have learned with your friends and family. One way to solidify learning anything is to explain it to others. So when you finish an assignment you are proud of show it off. Try to explain how it works and what you did to make it work. Take pride in your work!