Fullstack Academy - Reflections

At the end of the day, I’m really grateful I was able to enjoy everything Fullstack Academy has to offer, from Ladies Lunches, my learning team laughs, eye opening pair programming sessions, and the awesome people. 💭

So during my last few days of Fullstack, I was feeling a little something like this…

Mainly because the whole thing was a little crazy and stressful, but really great, so ergo – I REGRET NOTHING.

My official last day of Fullstack was Wednesday, August 26, 2015, but I’ve been so busy getting ready for school and settling in back home, it’s been hard to focus on writing anything substantial.

Anywho, the last week and 3 days of Fullstack was a bit of a whirlwind, with my uncle’s birthday and relatives coming over along with making sure the Capstone project looked presentable.

As I’ve mentioned before, I worked on the Capstone project with only one other person – Joanna. She was pretty great to work with, and I’m actually pretty happy with what we were able to manage in such a short span of time.

“Together, our brains created Hiredot.”

Hiredot

Specifically, Hiredot is a portal where current students, potential students, alumni, employers, and even guests can explore the various aspects of the Fullstack Academy experience. Students and companies can also be matched together through their preferences using the stable marriage algorithm.

Friends & Family Day

So my last day involved demoing our capstone projects to everybody’s friends and families. My brother, Tío, and Tía were able to attend.

A few of the Summer of Code students saying goodbye to my learning team fellow, Jimmy. If it isn’t obvious already, he went to UT Austin. 😛

Saying goodbye is unpleasant so I just didn’t for the most part with most people. The circumstances were also slightly tricky with everyone’s relatives being around and all.

My folks went back only slightly earlier before me and headed to China Town, so I went home alone on the dreadful subway, got some pizza, and watched what would probably be the last episode I ever watch of the show Dating Naked (why is it so intriguing?!).

Probably not a very ideal way to end an awesome experience, but then again, it was also really relaxing.

Going Back Home

My bus ride home with my brother was early the next morning.

I didn’t really get any rest with the noise so that was kind of dreary, but during the ride, my next interview was scheduled with Apple Retail for Friday so I was happy. Also, the fact that I was greeted by my dog, Nefer, and my mom’s sweet iced tea didn’t hurt either.

On Friday, I’d also be starting my course ‘Design 101’ on Designlab.

Friday comes and the course gets me all excited. I’m able to access the course a few hours before the interview. I’m even starting to write about my experience with the course in a separate post.

It’s Sunday now and the first class of my last undergrad semester starts tomorrow at 10 am.

Should be interesting.

For the rest of this post, I want to cover a few other smaller points.

The Total Cost

I use Mint to track all my costs so it was pretty easy to figure out how much I spent on everything. I simply loathe cash.

Now, it’s pretty easy to figure out that with my $9,500 tuition cost, which is included in the graph above, I spent $14,220.45 in total while in New York for Fullstack Academy from June 8th to August 26th.

Pricey!

HOWEVER, this total amount of spending doesn’t account for impulsive buys, silly mistakes (like buying an extra Metro Card when I couldn’t find my other one and then finding the old one later), and birthday gifts (I try to spoil my family).

So, I’d say realistically I spent more like $3,500 on external expenses.

All I can say is that I’m glad I’m not taking that many credits this semester so I can take on a part-time job. Wooweee..

The Total Time

I missed a few days of Fullstack on account of being sick and also that one day when the Tessle Hackathon was taking place because I had to attend an Apple Hiring Event back home.

Regardless, the experience was exactly how others have described it before… it was like drinking water out of a firehose.

I love water and all, but man oh man…

Fullstack was 9:30 am to 6:30 pm Monday through Friday. Roughly 50 days, 9 hours a day. This totals to ~450 hours, not including time spent outside of class.

If that’s not an immersive experience, I don’t know what is.