DrEaMiNg In CoDeS…

I aspire to be at this level of confidence and learn these various coding languages. Image Credit: Coding Dojo

Did you know that coding works like a language? I realized this fact after having, what appeared to be, my first “coding” dream.

I started to learn how to code not too long when I took the Java Mini Bootcamp at MC back in August. The course was one of the tuition-free job training programs designed to strengthen the workforce in the Information Technology (IT) and Cybersecurity industries.

I came into the program having no prior coding experience. I only had my background in international studies and my wish to develop more digestible and engaging ways for people to exchange knowledge, connect with one another and understand the complex global connections that shape our world. I also understood that technology plays a key role in facilitating information sharing and breaking down complex issues and ideas in the simplest of ways. Hence, I thought that the Bootcamp would enable me to unlock insights and connections between IT and my previous fields of interests.

After almost 2 months into the Workforce Development and Continuing Education (WDCE) program at MC, I have not been disappointed. I am surrounded by a diverse group of people, hailing from various educational, training and professional backgrounds with whom I network, build relationships and gain mentorship. In addition, the Bootcamps feature career development professionals with whom I work on resume building, interviewing skills and job searches – including the upcoming 2019 Federal Jobs Career Fair. Although coding is challenging for me, I am learning to think like a developer, while complementing and enhancing my competences in language learning and communication.

So, it didn’t come as a surprise when I was “sleep-talking in pseudocode” to my mother while in my REM-sleep. She had asked me, in French:

où t’as mis ton sac? (where did you put your bag?).

In my dream, I was hardcore in a middle of a coding drill – we call it “whiteboarding” since we are challenged to write out the codes by memory on a whiteboard – And I was tasked to “set a variable to the Scanner class,” allowing the user’s input to be stored, recognized and interpreted by the computer. At that moment, both my French and English-speaking consciousness, and they decided to “MeetUp” and conflicted with my newly acquired Java coding lingo.

As a response to my mother’s inquiry, I mumbled in my sleep, saying :

System.out.println(“I sEt It To THe ScAnNeR cLaSs…”); 

Meanwhile, in my mind, the following had occurred: I substituted “mis” (to put) for “poser” (to put down) and translated it as the English verb “to set.” Ultimately, the Java language joined the party and concluded that I had somehow “sat” my bag to the Scanner (coding Class) instead of the living room where the bag ACTUALLY was.

In summary, if you’re out there dreaming or thinking of learning a new language, you can enjoy the Java Web Developer Bootcamps at Montgomery College.