This post originally appeared on Victor's blog which you can find here.

Long story short, they’re both Software Immersion Programs with a mission to fill the world with the best Software Engineers possible.

Long story longer, Hack Reactor is a three-month intensive immersion program for learning and implementing the crux of Computer Science and Software Development. We spend at least 11 hours everyday for 6 days out of the week problem solving, learning the ins and outs of Full-Stack Software Development, and what it means to be an Engineer. It covers everything. And I do mean everything! From understanding the web-development stack, to HTML and CSS and front-end libraries and frameworks, to Node environments and building out the back-end, working with databases like MongoDB, to mobile app development. It even covers the technically non-technical aspects of software development like finding, landing, and succeeding in your first (and future) job(s) as a Software Engineer. You can read more about Hack Reactor here and here!

Operation Spark is a New Orleans, LA based partner school with a two fold mission: 1) A clear focus on establishing spaces, communities, and workforce pipelines directly into industry. 2) Ensuring that high schoolers, college students, and other disengaged-youth have access to opportunities to experience what it means to be a developer while gaining the ability to succeed as such, but whom would otherwise not have the opportunity to such spaces. You can find out more about Operation Spark here and here!

My Hack Reactor cohort at Operation Spark — ‘unofficially’ known as OSO, i.e., { … {_OpSpark : Zero} … } — spends at least 70 hours per week collaborating on code, teaching about code, learning about code, and at times dreaming about code. We’re only one week in and we’re already tearing through advanced data structures, inheritance patterns, complex algorithms, and the nuances in navigating them.

My experience so far…

When I mention that I’m studying JavaScript, Swift and a little bit of Scala in my journey to become a Software Engineer, I get so many different reactions. And so far that’s been one of the best parts.

What my friends think I do:



What my family thinks I do:



What I think I do:



What I actually do:



Spending 11 solid hours every day programming is definitely no laughing matter. It’s tiring, stressful at times, and increasingly tough. Sometimes I think I’m going crazy! (I don’t suggest dreaming in code, haha). But then again, there are the good times. The times of triumph, and kickassery. There’s nothing more satisfying than solving a problem after agonizing over it for hours. Or seeing something you spent 30+ hours — or in some cases, weeks, months, or even years — coding, finally foster in the real world. Or even forming groups with friends and other developers to create something that solves someone else’s problems.

The future is bright!

There’s so much more to come! These next few weeks will be riddled with more challenges that I’ve never seen before. It’s going to be exciting to share those experiences with you all! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to to send them my way! You can follow me and my cohort on Twitter via @VicAYork, Operation Spark @OperationSpark, and Hack Reactor @HackReactor. Stay tuned for more!


“As the day closes on week 01, the solo — yet thoughtful — coder continues his dive into the depths of data structures, class instantiations patterns, and looks ahead to that which awaits in week 02… great job everybody!”

— Mykia Smith, fellow Software Engineer at Operation Spark. Follow her on twitter @myjlilly.