Going Remote as a Software Engineering Student

During my 15-week program as a software engineering student, I was forced to work remote as the coronavirus pandemic became part of everyday life in the United States. I decided to write a blog post about the disadvantages and advantages of my current experience of going remote for the first month.

Disadvantages:

Reflecting on my experience of remote learning, there are a few disadvantages. The main disadvantage for me was the social disadvantage. Socializing is very much an important driving force in my everyday life. I have recently been a social creature and very much gain my daily energy from social interaction. I guess this is more of a disadvantage of being stuck indoors rather than a reflection on remote learning. I feel like the energy I got from going to an engaging atmosphere, such as the Flatiron School campus and the Hub in the RiNo neighborhood in Denver, really motivated me and energized me. So, having to stay indoors was a detriment for me for sure. A second disadvantage for me was focus. I definitely had an issue focusing especially at my new girlfriend’s house (which is more my fault than hers). It was just to easy to be distracted when I was not surrounded by people who were also working toward a similar goal. When the campus was open, I could lock in for a full days work and then shut off for the night. The days before graduation I did go back to my studio apartment for some much needed focus and this was crucial to my success (thank you to my girlfriend for looking out).

Advantages:

There have been several advantages to working remote. One benefit has been increased independence. I feel a lot more independent as a remote student. There is a feeling of being my own resource a lot more. When being a student on campus, asking colleagues and coaches questions about my project seems a lot more accessible. Remote learning forces you to research a lot more on my own and in many cases I did figure a lot more on my own in my remote learning experience. A major advantage has also been connecting with people in many different places. My showcase and graduation was able to be witnessed by friends and family from California to Colorado to North Carolina to here in Colorado. It has been amazing witnessing how a technology like zoom allowed so many people to connect to my presentation that would have not been able to if the showcase was in person. In fact, this situation has been able to bring my family and friends closer even if we don’t have the option to be close physically. This has been one of the blessing in disguise from this terrible situation we are all sharing. I feel like in a way developing connections across distance will play a major role in my future as a web developer.

Thanks for reading my reflections on my current situation. It isn’t all bad news after all.