Once you've been accepted into Microverse and have successfully registered as a student, you'll be assigned a start date. If your start date is a few weeks or months away, here are a few things you should work on:
💰 Build up your savings
The most impactful thing you can do while waiting for your start date is to increase your savings. The #1 reason why people need to take a leave of absence from our program is financial difficulties. To start our program, you must have at least 12 months' worth of financial support available (in savings, parent's/spouse's/sponsor's income, passive income, etc.). However, we highly recommend having an emergency fund in place in case unforeseen circumstances occur.
💫 Keep coding
We also recommend that you get used to coding every day as a way to warm up for the program. Coding challenges tend to be a good way to get your daily dose of coding. You can find great, free coding challenges in HackerRank, LeetCode, and FreeCodeCamp.
🌐 Upgrade your Internet connection
An unstable Internet connection is the #1 issue our students tend to run into. If your Internet connection does not perform great in video calls, please contact your ISP to upgrade your connection. We understand that this may be a significant investment for some students, but we promise it is necessary and well worth it. Remember that you will spend 8+ hours/day on a video call for approximately 12 months and any small network issues you experience today will be amplified and lead to many frustrating moments in the future. Here are the bare minimum requirements that your connection should meet.
🧑🏾💻 Upgrade your equipment
Test your microphone and webcam with friends or family and, if you can afford to invest in better equipment, we strongly suggest you do so. We promise this will be worth your money, and you will be grateful to have great equipment once you start our program.
📁 Prep your workspace
Make sure that you have a designated workspace that is isolated, quiet, and conducive to collaborative learning.
👨👩👦👦 Get your friends & family involved
Let your friends and family know of your educational and professional goals. Having a strong network of supportive family and friends helps our students stay motivated and focused throughout our program.
🗣 Work on your English
If you don't have a lot of experience speaking or writing in English, please consider taking a short intensive course to complement your current skills. This will not only help reduce frustration with your partner but also give you a leg up when looking for a global job!
📸 Update your headshot and upgrade your online presence
Become more hirable from Day 1! Nothing makes you look more professional than a great headshot picture in your online profiles (Slack, LinkedIn, GitHub, etc.). Go to any local photography shop and tell them that you need a passport picture. However, unlike some passport pictures, you should smile for this one!
💾 Get started with installations
Start setting up your development environment ahead of time by completing the Installations section from The Odin Project.