Gerald's Bootcamp 2022 Experience

✍️ In this article, I will share my experience about my recent time with Contra's 2022 Bootcamp Cohort (from Jan-Feb 2022).

I was asked to answer a few questions regarding my recent Bootcamp experience. Here are my responses:

I found Contra on LinkedIn and joined the site + community on a whim with no expectations at all besides learning more about another community. I saw that there was an opportunity to join a Bootcamp and decided that I’ll give it a shot and fill out the responses from words with the heart. Again, I didn’t think anything would come of it as I just felt inspired at the time and wanted to honestly fill out the Bootcamp application with my first instincts and thoughts. I was surprised that Madi would later reach out with an email and meet with me through a call about being accepted to the program! Definitely, the good news that made my day!

I have learned so much about the freelance journey from Contra that I feel like it can’t be captured in more than 500 words. The structure and organization of the Bootcamp are amazing and found the community aspect of the program was useful. It has allowed me to interact with others in the same boat as me. I shared commonalities with my fellow Contrans in the Bootcamp that I hope to keep working with or stay connected with after we are finished. Lots of great resources about freelancing were already shared by the main Contra team. The most useful part of Bootcamp is the community. It's comforting to know that you aren’t alone in this journey and that there are others doing/facing the same things as you are in this space.

Honestly, it's the amazing people I get to work with on a daily basis. Their backgrounds were enough to make me inspired as I continue to learn more about how they work and how they tackle problems. It's like every day is a new learning day with my fellow Contrans in the Bootcamp. Some of the members already know this, but I keep saying something along the lines of “You all inspire”. And this is true. I continue to be inspired and always say to myself: "If so and so can do it, so can I!" There’s a company whose slogan is something I’m trying to be more diligent within my life and especially my journey as an independent, and that is: “Just Do It" ✔️

As a college grad and newbie to the structured freelance approach, the way the Contra Bootcamp is organized with the weekly Notion tasks resonates with me a lot. I gained new knowledge about freelance items I didn’t know about such as “How to write a client proposal”. I also had time to reflect on my career and skills so far with certain Bootcamp tasks. I never thought that auditing my work would truly help me understand my current baseline of my reach with potential reach to clients! I am excited to keep learning about the freelance lifestyle with Contra 🙂

💭 Wisdom Nuggets

Would I go through this Bootcamp again? "Most indubitably" 🥸💯

What would I do differently? Check-in with my peers more! 👋

Do I recommend applying and having fun with Contra? YAS 👏