Glass Half Full

You will succeed.

Because you're awesome.

And so are the people around you.

I'm halfway done with Hack Reactor. Time flies when you're at school Monday through Saturday having fun.

"Where did the time go? We were just worrying about Underscore last week!"

We all knew we were in for wind-sprints instead of a marathon. Many of us are ready to sleep, read to weep, or some combination of the two.

Beyond learning how to code, Hack Reactor has done an impressive job enforcing that we learn about ourselves as well. Shout-out to my peers and class lead Pira for making it so!

Now, here's the thing. Pira sent out a survey a couple of days ago that many of us have yet to complete, because we're all too damn busy. He requested that we give insight and advice to incoming Juniors.

Pira is an amazing human being and should never be for want. So, for him...

For Junior Hacker's-to-be, here are my two cents:

1) Take it easy on yourself. Don't stay until 3a because your entire cohort is. They're coffee-addicted robots. Very nice coffee-addicted robots. Very knowledgable coffee-addicted robots. They are who they are, but you do not have to be them. Be awesome in your own ways that include getting 8 hours of sleep.

"Do you Boo Boo. Do you." -Kevin Hart, stand-up comedian

2) Know that you will succumb to imposter syndrome and that it will feel very similar to the end of the world, fire and brimstone included. At this point, tell every person who will listen that you feel like this.

Most people will tell you that you're really smart or good looking. If you're lucky, maybe both.

Your singular hope for surviving the doubt-pocalypse is that someone will strike a chord in you. If it doesn't happen, you likely haven't told enough people the whole truth about how you're feeling.

"It's easy to fall into imposter syndrome. The beauty of Hack Reactor is the supportive environment where you are able to share your doubts. You'll be embraced with a tremendous amount of support that will tell you otherwise, giving you the confidence you've always had but never fully realized." -Justin P, HR18