📓 2.2.4.4 Developer Reality: You Are the Project
The Developer Reality Series
Epicodus is a school, but the time we spend here and the ways we invest as students is profoundly different than most traditional learning institutions. Epicodus is structured to emulate the various environments you'll be expected to navigate in the tech industry upon leaving class.
The students who succeed moving from Epicodus into the industry are those who understand you are the project. You, not your code, or your knowledge, or your skill sets are what you're investing in, improving, and presenting to future employers and colleagues. Sure, your technical skills are an important part of your investment, but succeeding after Epicodus also requires developing non-technical skills including:
- Soft-skills and handling yourself well in front of industry professionals
- Understanding the structure of a development team, and what roles you're expected to fill as a junior
- Communicating and contributing to a dev team with confidence
You'll have the opportunity to grow in these points of personal development by interacting with your co-students as your technical understanding grows. But some of it you'll have to learn on your own. The Developer Reality Series Lessons, which you'll encounter in your first weeks of this course, are meant to guide that process.
During your time at Epicodus, use the lessons to prepare for the job search and the first weeks and months of work.
During your first week of internship or job, don't forget that you're the project. Every interaction, like every technical responsibility, is an opportunity to grow as a developer.
Like most opportunities, at Epicodus, as in life, you get what you give! So read carefully, and give your all!