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How to Structure Your Day for an Online Coding Boot Camp

Hack Reactor

How to Structure Your Day for an Online Coding Boot Camp's Image

With great power comes great responsibility. One of the best parts of enrolling in an online coding boot camp is the independence involved in learning remotely. Students work where they want and how they want. However, with that kind of freedom – or power – remote students must also have the discipline necessary to get the required work done. Knowing how to structure your day and manage tasks is crucial to successfully complete an online coding boot camp. Thankfully, we have some tips on how to do just that.

 

Know Yourself: Part-time vs Full-Time

You already made the choice to participate in an online coding boot camp instead of taking classes in-person. That’s a good start. However, have you determined whether you’ll be taking classes in a full-time or a part-time capacity? For full-time classes, you will likely need to be available for a significant amount of time during every weekday. Part-time courses offer more individual freedom but require more weeks to complete. Make sure you consider how you learn best and what your personal schedule looks like when deciding what kind of program to take part in. Remember, the type of program you choose will affect how you manage your online coding boot camp courses on a daily basis!

Having made this decision, here are 4 tips on how to best manage your day for any online coding boot camp.

 

1.      Find Your Space

Whether it’s the library, an office, or the kitchen table, make sure you have a specific space designated as your productivity area. This area should be as free from distractions as possible and outfitted with all the tools you need to do your work. Ideally, your study space should be used only for doing coding work as this helps your brain focus better. Once an area becomes correlated with a certain activity your brain is better able to do that activity in that area. For example, don’t do work in your bedroom. Your brain will confuse whether that space is meant for sleeping or coding and then you won’t be able to do either activity well!  This idea is called “state-dependent recall” and can make a serious difference in the effectiveness of your studying! Also, it's understandable that this workspace will not always be the same. Keep in mind what kind of work you'll need to do for the day when deciding where you want to work and how you're going to structure your day. For example, if you have a video chat with a peer to work on a project, a loud coffee shop with spotty Wi-Fi will not be a good workspace for that day.

 

2.      Be Accessible

For an online coding boot camp, accessibility is of the utmost importance. Whether you're taking courses full-time or part-time, you'll need to be easily reached by professors and peers alike. Make sure you’re in an area with fast internet and be open to working with other people. Though you are working remotely, you certainly won’t be working alone. Good Wi-Fi and a collaborative attitude will go a long way during your online coding experience.

 

3.      Use Your Breaks Wisely

Whether you're doing a full-time or part-time program you should count on working for long stretches of time. Make sure to include mindful breaks during those long hours of work to help reenergize your focus and add structure to your day. Grabbing a healthy snack, going to the gym in the morning, or taking a short nap after lunch are great ways to keep your daily productivity up while attending an online coding boot camp.

 

4.      Remember the Long Term

One of the best ways to stay on top of daily tasks is to consider your work from a longer-term perspective. Check deadlines and due dates daily to keep your tasks scheduled appropriately. As a remote student, you are responsible for being on top of your work and breaking it up into chunks manageable for one day’s work. Thinking long-term also means remembering to see your online coding experience from a larger perspective. Stuck on a group project or getting bogged down de-bugging your code? It happens. Remember the speed bumps you encounter daily while taking a remote coding boot camp will pay off in the long run. 

Being a remote online coding boot camp student is no small task whether you choose to study part-time or full-time. However, with the right plan of attack for how to tackle your daily tasks, you can be productive every day.

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Now you know how to approach an online coding boot camp. Let’s see that knowledge in action. Check out Hack Reactor’s online full-time immersive and part-time programs you can complete remotely from anywhere.

Learn more about Hack Reactor's full-time and part-time programs. We're in SF, Austin, NYC, LA and live online!