26 October 2012

Hackbright Mind Dump


I have to admit, this is me most of the time at Hackbright:

Dwight Confused About Asian Jim (The Office) 

(So thoroughly confused that my face can't hide it--thanks to Dwight from The Office for demonstrating.)

While my inbox is getting backed up and friends think that I'm ignoring them and my wrists are protesting, I'm working on a computer that's being run by another person and me (but it's not quite like Google's "Multitask Mode"). Concentrating so hard on brand-new information while interacting constantly with individuals every day is hard work. I end up eating all day long, dazed by 1, foggy by 2:30, and thoroughly wiped out by 6. And yet, I drag myself to events/meetups/meetings/conferences/panels that never take a break on weekdays or weekends, and find myself feeling interested, though tired. Then I still have to make it home and somehow do other normal-life things like dressing, showering, eating. Somewhere in there I'd like to study.

I think each of us feels like we're getting more and more behind every day (or at least I hope that I'm not the only one). I know that most of us feel like we're the worst student, but Christian assures us  by telling us that we're all working at higher levels than his expectations. Maybe I'm the only one who feels like there's no time to solidify information; we just keep cramming in more. In fact, there's so much in my head, that the other day when we were each going to bring food, I sacrificed my morning to making gluten-free eclairs and didn't realize that I didn't have them with me until I got two blocks away on the bus.

However, I'm one of those people who loves to focus really hard on one thing for hours and hours instead of taking a bit of time here and there, so this program is perfect for that (though it's hours and hours and hours). Also, there are very rewarding "a-ha" moments when you realize that something has actually sunk in or when you figure out a way you can apply what you've learned in a new situation. And knowing that I will be boosting the number of women in technology and making things that I think are cool motivates me.

I can't wait to start on our final projects! I have several ideas for web apps I want to make,  but I've decided on one and I'm looking forward to figuring out what needs to be done and doing it.

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