Month 1 Recap: Develop Carolina fellowship

The first five weeks of this new fellowship program for software developers has flown by. Last year, Develop Carolina was just an idea. Today, it is a cohort of 11 students from across South Carolina, embedded within six companies, supported by additional mentors (shout out to DCA advisors from SC Codes!), learning and growing together. The end result will be a group of developers who are better prepared for a strong career start in technology.

The fellows are learning quickly - both together as a virtual cohort, and separately as fellowship participants within their companies. As a cohort, they are focusing their learning on two areas - what it takes to be a great software engineer, and what it takes to be a great addition to a company. On Mondays and Fridays they are going through material using EngineerKit, which was developed by learning partner Enok Collective. Topics so far have included software craftsmanship, human experience, accessibility, the product lifecycle, the internet and computing fundamentals.

They are also working through areas of personal and professional development. On Fridays, we gather and talk through the week. We’ve covered topics like Imposter Syndrome, had a great Q&A with guest speaker/software developer Reid Mewborne, talked about best practices for working from home, and spent some time pitching ideas for “umbrella projects” - projects that each fellowship participant will develop as part of the program to showcase their skills and interests.

Fellows have been tasked with keeping a blog as they process the Develop Carolina journey. Below are a few excerpts from some of the students. We hope you’ll follow along!

I know this is where I'm supposed to be. I know the risk is worth the reward. I know I am capable of learning the skills I will need to be successful. I know that failure and setbacks are where growth happens. Most importantly, I know I'm not in this alone! - Janie (click for full blog)

My journey as a software apprentice is just beginning and Develop Carolina is provided me with the knowledge, support, and mentorship to become a better software engineer. This journey is just beginning. - Antonio (click for full blog)

As developers we have an exciting opportunity to use this amoral platform to advocate for good and bring about positive outcomes from the applications we choose to write. Let's do our best to steer this techonology that is still in its infancy towards edifying the greater public and prevent it from being gatekept like so many other advancements before. - Matt (click for full blog)

Now that I…have entered the Develop Carolina Fellowship program, I believe I am now in the ‘Ha’ stage of my software development journey because I am investigating the underlying theory that lies an abstraction or two below my current working knowledge, while also learning alternative methodologies to tackle similar problems. - Garth (click for full blog)

I can’t imagine how I would live without the internet! God has blessed me by allowing me to live at a time and in a place where I have the technology for the visually impaired to access massive amounts of information. - Miriam (click for full blog)

I have always prided myself on being a curious and creative person, which is what drove me to programming in the first place. I would like to nurture that curiosity and have a few projects that I am proud of by the end of this 6 month program. - Jeremy (click for full blog)

You worked for it and are exactly where you're meant to be. Stop doubting yourself. You've got this. - Ariana (click for full blog)

We have to remember that great people with great ideas are what makes great companies. Maybe this is the way to say it, ask not what your company can do for you but what you can do for your company. - Billy (click for full blog)

Film productions on the surface seem to use the "waterfall" method primarily because they are budgeted and planned out for in preproduction. Typically, they are greenlit for a certain amount of money and that is it. However, scripts get rewritten EVERY, SINGLE, DAY. So that goes more in line with the "Agile" method. - Aaron (click for full blog)

Sometimes it’s a good idea to visualize ourselves in other people’s shoes in order to see what they experience. - Eric (click for full blog)

“How are you now better able to empathize with the goals of your company and it’s founders? How are you now better able to see where you fit in the larger picture of the business?” - Noelle (click for full blog)