“I think that I’m learning a valuable life skill about being comfortable being uncomfortable. Because … I feel like I’m in way over my head, and that’s just how it’s going to be for the entirety of this course.”
These are the words of Sam, a New Yorker with cerebral palsy, at the beginning of his three-month intensive web development bootcamp.
A self-proclaimed one-handed typist, Sam says this requires him to “push even harder at keeping up” in the bootcamp. Besides making the leap into learning web development, Sam blogs about the ups and downs of his journey as a person living with a disability who is learning to code. He hand writes his entries, posts photos of his writings, then transcribes them into type.
“Part of the challenge is just doing the things that make you uncomfortable for the sake of having the experience because the next time you do them, they’ll be done easier. And they’ll be easier to do.”
Sam admits that the bootcamp has been intense. “But overall it’s been a great experience.” Sam collaborated with other students on a musical influence family tree project. His group even won a free domain name for a year. Sam also completed a solo project called Food Roulette, which in the end he says he was happy with and hopes to expand in order to improve upon his newly acquired skills.
“I’m constantly thinking. I’m constantly doing things I’m not ready to do,” says Sam about his time in the bootcamp. “And that’s part of the experience. Part of the challenge.” It turns out that Sam is also applying the lessons he learned in bootcamp to his life. “No one can find their path without the unknown, and without not knowing where things are going. … Don’t get caught up in it, and don’t dwell on it,” Sam advises. “Because it’s part of the process. And if you just accept it as part of the process, then it’s not so scary.”
https://vimeo.com/174850807
Sam chronicles his journey on his blog Cerebral Posi. What has your experience been with stepping out of your comfort zone to learn or try something new? Send us your thoughts, and you could be featured on AbleThrive!