Pairing and Giving Feedback at Dev Bootcamp

I’ve already been at Dev Bootcamp’s phase 0 for 5 weeks, 6 if you add the July 4th break, mostly made up of no-pressure-no-deadline training. At the start of the experience I was reading stories about past students confessing that DBC had been a life-changing experience for them. And I must acknowledge that I was a little skeptical at first, how could a program lasting only a few weeks could really change someone? After all, this is computer stuff! You would have to be a genuine geek to get emotional with a laptop.

The power of pairing

But after 5 weeks I realize the computer is really just one part of the experience. What makes phase 0 so great so far is how the curriculum forces you to interact with your cohort-mates. You have to pair at least 3 times a week, which means the opportunity to connect with nice and like-minded people 3 times a week. Beyond that it’s the opportunity to double the brainpower on a challenge. Pairing will not cut the challenge time in 2, instead it allows you to work smarter and try more things. Pairing is a way to push and be pushed further, while knowing your not by yourself on your coding galley. A couple of times I really felt like I could not have done it without my pair. The most rewarding sessions are the ones you leave feeling you had more than a pair: a partner.

Pairing is especially fun when you and your partner are at the same level, after an hour or two working together you really feel the jump in your understanding of the problem. On another side, it can be a little frustrating when you are not at the same level than your partner, may you be steaming ahead or lagging behind, it’s not fun for anyone. If you are ahead you can spend time explaining things to your pair, instead of trying more things. But it’s even more frustrating when you are the one behind, you are frustrated not being able to contribute as much and you don’t learn as much when you merely catch-up. And don’t get me wrong I’ve been in both situations.

Feedback as a gift

Feedback is also a key part of the experience at Dev Bootcamp, it’s something I was already familiar with from my past job experiences. Prior to DBC I was working with a great manager who understood the power of feedback, we would go for coffee after each big project, discuss what went well, not so well, how to maintain good practices and improve bad ones, then wrap-up with a thorough feedback on my work during the project. Feedback sessions turned out to be my favorite parts of the job! Taken seriously, feedback is mind-blowingly powerful, it can make you a better person each time you receive some, it’s a gift that you must praise. When you are learning something new, be it management consulting, marketing or coding, it's ok to make a thousand mistakes once, the key is to avoid making a thousand mistakes twice, the key is to receive as much feedback as you can and learn from it.

The feedback I received since starting DBC has been tremendously helpful, it helped me understand the importance of pseudocoding and refactoring. Ultimately it helped me be a better pair by clarifying the distinction between driver vs. navigator, and realizing the importance of listening carefully to my pair. Receiving feedback is a gift but providing relevant, actionnable, specific and kind feedback is hard. Being specific on the good aspects is easier, but having the right constructive feedback with the right tone is tough. What is also important is to provide an implicit path to improvement, the actionnable aspect. Providing feedback is especially difficult when the pairing session went like a charm, when you were both on the same page, working at the same pace, respecting one another’s role and getting along well. You still have to leave constructive feedback, nothing is ever perfect and you must help your partner by providing her an opportunity to improve. You truly have to think next level, hard feedback ends up being feedback to yourself as well.

Obviously, constructive feedback can be taken the wrong way, you could be forgiven taking things personally, but you are not perfect, you will never be, deal with it and embrace feedback.