Photo by Mathias Jensen

Today marked the end of being a Team Lead for Lambda School, for 16 weeks I had the opportunity to closely mentor, teach, guide, and observe the progress of the 9 students that were assigned to me.

One year ago I was unemployed, struggling with self-confidence and I had accepted that I wasn’t born to do something impactful, that I wasn’t meant to get a hold of my life and be the helmsman that steers the ship.

However, today I can say with the uttermost confidence that I am in full control of my future, that my actions today will determine my tomorrow, even if the waters are turbulent, and most importantly I can say with tears in my eyes that I have made an impact in people’s lives.

What exactly is Lambda School?

Lambda School is an intensive online coding academy that offers courses on Full Stack Web Development, iOS Development, Android Development and much more…
When enrolling in a Lambda School’s program, you might not have the attitude of a Lion King but if you wish to persevere then prepare yourself because you’ll soon become the King of the Savannah.

Few points of advice for new students:

• You’ll be struggling every day. Don’t falter!
• Comfort? Forget that, seek discomfort!
• You’ll feel burned out! Get some rest!
• Coding with a headache is like trying to run with your knees.
• This is no relaxed walk in the park, it will be the hardest thing you’ll do! Perseverance and determination are key.
• If you’re working hard, then work harder!
• Don’t only aim for MVP, go above and beyond!
• Take regular walks, your back and butt will love you when you get up.
• Don’t compare yourself with others, compare yourself with who you were a week ago
• Bad habits are formed fast, follow best practices from the start!
• Most importantly, have fun and respect others!

What exactly did a Team Lead do?

Our job was there to assist students, to help them become software developers, by mentoring them, reviewing their code, and providing constructive feedback, which to my surprise at the time, was very beneficial to me. Helping others, especially those who struggle or even those who ask the right questions, has taught me a lot.

I had the amazing opportunity to be a Teaching Assistant. My job was to help students who were struggling with the fundamentals of JavaScript, once again I found myself out of my comfort zone, having to prepare lectures about things I never explained to someone, and after each lecture I would tell myself “Oh that absolutely sucked”, because no matter how much you prepare for something and learn about something, there is always going to be one minuscule thing that we don’t know or have never encountered before.

Finally, one unexpected consequence was that I ended up making friends. The people whom I had the luck to work with and those I have assisted during these last 4 months have become part of my life, and I’m very fond of the memories created and I will cherish these moments for years to come.

I want to thank Austen and all of Lambda School for making this possible, I want to thank Gabe for the priceless and cherished mentoring, I want to thank Emily for being the Section Lead we needed, there is no way I could’ve done it without her, I also want to thank Justinas, Anna, Martin, Josemaria, Tobi, Rory, Karim and Isaac for supporting me and each other during these 16 weeks. You guys are the best and I’m deeply grateful to have met and worked alongside all of you.

Suffice to say that the lessons I learned so far are invaluable and while there might have been another way to be where I’m at today, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it so much.

What a crazy ride.