Attending the Data Engineering Bootcamp at Northcoders has been a mix of excitement and challenge. Everyone talks about how tough it is and I believe the remote option just adds to the toughness. An interesting aspect has been pair programming. While it can feel awkward and tricky at first, I’ve come to see how helpful it is—not just for technical skills but also for the underestimated soft skills.

Remote learning came with a bonus pack full of challenges. I had to figure out how to set up a good workspace at home and get into a routine. Sounds easy, but we can add a breastfed-10-month-old baby and my incredibly short attention span, and we go down the road. Without the structure of a physical classroom, it’s easy to get distracted or lose track of time. But I found that having a designated workspace and sticking to a schedule helped me stay on track. Northcoders has a well-organised system with scheduled lectures, seminars and check-ins, which has really kept me feeling like I’m part of a team, even when we’re all working from different places.

When it comes to pair programming, it’s probably one of the most challenging yet rewarding parts of the bootcamp. If you haven’t tried it, pair programming is when two people work on the same code together. One person is the "driver," doing the typing, while the other is the "navigator," guiding and reviewing the code. I was pretty nervous about it at first, especially since it requires explaining my thought process and listening closely to my partner. The first few times, I felt pretty self-conscious. I was worried about saying the wrong thing, not knowing what to do or say, someone could make fun of my accent or even say something mean when I’d go for 5 minutes to get a coffee (or a baby). But over time, many situations happened. I was paired with a guy and he asked for a 5 minute break because he was overwhelmed after we’ve been stuck in the same code line for 30 minutes. I felt seen! Saying “I don’t know and I will read about it” is normal and necessary. People have been so respectful and supportive, I could not imagine it would go so smoothly.

A huge benefit of pair programming has been building my technical vocabulary. Explaining my thoughts out loud forces me to really think about the right terms and concepts, which makes me more confident when discussing complex ideas. If I’m driving the challenge, my partner is counting on me to explain what’s going on and I can’t just say something vague. Everyone has a different way of approaching problems and explaining ours in understandable terms is necessary. That’s a skill I didn’t value in the beginning, but it’s so important if we consider working environments.

All in all, remote learning and pair programming at Northcoders have really pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way. While learning from home has taught me a lot about staying disciplined and focused, pair programming has been an amazing way to learn from others and sharpen my own skills. Even though it can be challenging, the experience has taught me skills that go beyond just coding—I’m becoming more confident, a better communicator, and more prepared for the real-world teamwork that lies ahead in data engineering.