Back in the day (insert Dane Cook joke here), the best way to get information about something was to go straight to the source. But today's digital society has done away with that notion. Most people don't trust the information coming from brands because they perceive everything as a sales pitch.
That's why it was so refreshing to be able to watch Shereef's video for this reflection. To be clear, this is not the first DBC-related video I've seen with Shereef explaining culture and curriculum. That's part of the reason why I applied for DBC. But this video was different; he was taking questions from perspective or current students from all around the globe and answering honestly, passionately and in the most non-pretentious setting possible. Seriously, was he in my old college apartment?? I guess I'll never know.
Below are my thoughts and reactions to the video. The questions are from the reflection prompt, but I pretended it was an interview with Pando Daily.
Based on the video, what's your take on the DBC experience?
Um...intense? Transformative? Not for egomaniacs, that's for sure. The main thing I picked up on from the perspective of a student is that, no matter how much you think you know coming in, you don't know much. Shereef used the metaphor that everyone is walking from San Francisco to Seattle, and while some people have yet to take a step and others have taken one hundred steps, in the grand scheme of things, you're not that far apart.
Which is to say, everyone will get their ass kicked by something at some point and no one excels at everything. Expose your ignorance. Empty your cup. Humbly attack every challenge with every fiber of your being.
What is your impression of DBC?
My impression of DBC has definitely changed since starting Phase 0 and watching Shereef explain the how and why of what DBC does. I was excited but still a bit skeptical of exactly how much DBC would really care about me. It's very common for businesses scaling up to lose sight of their original mission and start to think of their customers as dollar signs.
However, after interacting with the staff and seeing Shereef's responses to all kinds of questions, I just don't see that happening. My impression now is that we, the students, are truly the most important thing to DBC. They seem to be passionate about creating developers that they would want to work with.
How do you see yourself engaging with this type of culture?
I see myself engaging very well with the culture at DBC. Someone asked Shereef about competition between students and he made it clear that cutthroat competitors are not welcome at DBC. Friendly competition during Phase 3 is bound to happen and I look forward to experiencing that. But I've never been overly competitive and love to surround myself with people who are all trying to get better.
This question also allows me to explain the title of the video: Kitchen vs Table (although I believe the metaphor was Kitchen vs Restaurant). I love this type of thinking. Sitting at a table at a restaurant, you look at the menu, see what is in a particular dish, see how much it costs and expect a certain result.
In the context of DBC, that means you're coming in, having paid $12,000 in tuition and seeing 85-90% of grads getting high-paying jobs and expecting the same for yourself if you can just do what they tell you to. In other words, I give you this money and time, you give me skills and a job.
Wrong.
In the kitchen, you have all the resources and ingredients to create amazing dishes. It's up to you to put in the work to get out of it what you want.
Have your expectations of DBC changed?
Only slightly. I originally thought everyone was there every night until midnight hacking away. However, Shereef said that as soon as you've maxed out your learning capacity for the day, then it's time to go home.
As a musician, I've had this same experience with music. Once you can no longer learn any notes or get the same passage wrong more than three times in a row, it's time to pack up and go home.
Are you excited to participate in this kind of learning environment?
Of course! I love the fact that is so immersive. This is the biggest risk I've ever taken and I can't wait to completely immerse myself in this experience. It's become very clear to me that if you work your ass off and trust the system, good things will happen. This is not unnlike when I was taking voice lessons; you're good enough to be here, so put in the work and trust that what you're going through will help you get to where you want to be.