An amazing, whirlwind experience that is unique to itself. The first half of the program was a mixture of pair and solo work and lectures on JavaScript fundamentals, data structures, and then into the 3 main sections of web development, front-end, server, and databases. As an introvert, the idea of pair-programing was distressing at first, but I tried to embrace it once I was in it. I found it was immensely beneficial for building my technical communication skills while in a friendly environment. This was a great way to get to know my cohort mates as well. The program had great structure that guided my focus and energy. Progressing further into the course, it became less "handholding" and more autonomy, such as independently finding and reading through documentation to understand how something works or to do something. It was a bit overwhelming, but it helped me build confidence in my own abilities to figure out a solution. Even though autonomy was encouraged, help was always available. Throughout the course, I felt completely supported by the faculty and my fellow cohort mates. If I was stuck on a particular coding challenge, I was able to request help through "Help Desk" and the response was within 5 minutes through a Zoom call. From my experience, the course is designed to be challenging, but it's not intended for anyone to suffer alone and I believe the program does its best to prevent that from happening. The second half of the program has 4 projects from solo work, to small groups, and then to the entire cohort. Time frees up with less lectures and more self-study and project work. This helped me understand how to build an application as part of a team and how to contribute code in a shared development environment, which is great real world experience. Each project had its own challenges and difficulties, but it was just incredibly rewarding to see everyone's hard work and effort in the final products. Now, I have these projects on my resume to show future employers of my abilities. Don't feel like you have to be "100%" ready to sign up, but you don't want to be unprepared either. Make sure you are comfortable with solving the pre-course material as the pace ramps up significantly once you are in the main program. When you are ready, I hope you choose to attend Hack Reactor. It won't be a decision you regret. | 