I have just finished week 6 of the Data Engineering Bootcamp in Python at Northcoders. The layout of my day during the bootcamp is very different to what I was used to in my previous role as a Flight Simulator Engineer. It’s great to have a much more structured day.

It starts off as I wake up early at 07:22 ready for my day with Northcoders. Despite studying remotely, I like to have extra time in the morning to get ready and fully wake up. A hot shower helps defrost my bones, and a large breakfast with a vitamin drink keeps my mind sharp.

During breakfast, I’ll look over today's notes or pop on a YouTube video related to today's topics. Often there are additional links in the notes to various documents that I’ll also flick through, trying to memorise parts that look important.

The first lecture starts at 08:45 and lasts between 1 and 2 hours. It covers a specific topic such as object-oriented programming (OOP) in Python, connecting SQL databases or getting Python to interact with another API. There are around 80 students in the lecture, but we do get chances to ask questions. 

The lectures are taught live via Zoom. I have the benefit of a sit-stand desk, so I usually stand during lectures so I can stretch my legs and wiggle a little. I find it helps me focus.

After the lecture and a short break, we split off to do our daily coding sprints. These are a series of tasks (a.k.a. katas) designed to get some practical practice. These will be problems that use your prior knowledge while also encouraging you to look at documentation to solve some of the trickier tasks. Often the best resource here is your Zoom partner while you do pair programming. Having an extra pair of eyes to notice you missed a ‘:’ is a great help! 

The cohort’s Slack group is also a fantastic resource for different points of view. I think I pretty much live on here now. If I get stuck, I’ll post in my seminar group chat of around 30 students plus staff, and we help each other out. We can also private message each other, and I’ll occasionally get a ping when a friend is stuck.

We have an hour-long lunch break at 12:30. I’ll often have something batch cooked, for a great, quick boost in the middle of the day. It’s also good to stretch your legs and get some fresh air, despite it being winter (and with a storm warning this weekend…).

After lunch, we usually have a seminar. These are smaller classes where you can directly interact with the tutor and ask many more questions! Tutors will sometimes feign being stuck to try and push for student suggestions. Other times they do genuinely get stuck, and it’s great to see how we can work through a problem. Sometimes the seminars are split by how far along you got in the sprint earlier, so there’s always something new to pick up!

The remainder of the day is spent continuing with practical coding challenges until 17:00. Sometimes they are a new set of challenges, other times it can be a one- or two-day block to work through. 

At 17:00, we get booted out of the Zoom call and told to go enjoy ourselves. It seems that for me, enjoyment is completing the task I’m on, so I often link back up with my partner to finish a task or refactor my code to be more efficient. Usually I’ll only spend an hour or two extra, but I feel it’s worthwhile.

It is of course good to relax to avoid burnout. Thankfully despite being the dead of winter, I can convert my desk into a virtual helicopter in a few short moments! I’ll also eat, socialise and put my desk back from helicopter mode to bootcamp workspace, ready for tomorrow. Over the weekend, I’ll look over notes or challenges, wish it was warm enough to go paddleboarding or motorbiking, or enjoy the great British winter with a hike!