Full Sail University: How Formal Training Shaped My Approach
Source: Dev.to
Overview
I completed Full Sail University’s Web Development B.S. in October 2025 (GPA ≈ 3.8) and am now seeking my first paid software‑engineering role. This recap is an honest reflection of the program’s structure, the skills I reinforced, and the projects I built.
Program Structure
- Four‑week sprints – each month feels like a mini‑bootcamp with rotating instructors and rubrics.
- Deliverables per sprint – working build, documentation, rubric checklist, and a retro/reflection.
- Grading emphasis – documentation and presentation quality counted almost as much as the code itself.
Typical Sprint Rhythm
| Phase | Description |
|---|---|
| Intake | Rubric and announcements are released; expectations are decoded. |
| Prototype | Early, rough implementation to surface questions quickly. |
| Critique | Peer/instructor feedback is posted, often mid‑week. |
| Iterate | Incorporate feedback, refine code and docs. |
| Deliver | Final packaging, retros, README tweaks, and submission (usually Sunday night). |
Course Areas & Core Skills
| Course Area | Key Deliverable | Skills Reinforced |
|---|---|---|
| Full‑stack project cycles | React + Node app built each month | Iteration, planning, critique handling, confident demo of unfinished work |
| Server‑side development | REST APIs, templating, session‑based auth (Node/PHP) | Routing, state handling, error patterns, readable backend structure |
| Cloud & deployment | AWS Academy labs (Elastic Beanstalk, RDS, CloudWatch) | Cloud mental models, logging, monitoring, cost awareness, rollback habits |
| Systems & configuration | Linux permissions, Nginx basics, automation scripts | Ops hygiene, troubleshooting, repeatable checklists, scripting discipline |
| Human‑Computer Interaction & UX | Usability testing, accessibility checks, persona‑driven design | UX empathy, accessibility awareness, clearer communication with non‑technical stakeholders |
Tech stack used across projects: React, Node.js/Express, MongoDB Atlas, Render (backend), GitHub Pages (frontend).
Highlight Projects
-
Car‑Match (Full‑stack prototype) – End‑to‑end matching app with auth, profiles, uploads, scoring, and real‑time updates. Runs on free‑tier infrastructure.
- Repo & demo: (link omitted in source)
-
Interactive Pokédex – API‑driven search, card UI, error states, responsive layout.
- Demo: (link omitted in source)
-
AnimalSounds – Small UI/UX experiment for sound triggers, mobile‑first interaction.
- Demo: (link omitted in source)
-
Professional Portfolio Website – Hand‑built, no template, showcases my work.
- Demo: (link omitted in source)
-
CheeseMath (Jest Tests) – Tiny math utility used to learn unit testing, mocking, and CI.
- Demo: (link omitted in source)
-
Triangle WebGPU Demo – First graphics experiment; explored the pipeline and GPU‑error debugging.
- Demo: (link omitted in source)
-
Ethics Engine Frontend – Rule‑based decision UI prototype.
- Demo: (link omitted in source)
Server Management Lab
- Covered Linux hardening, Nginx basics, and Bash automation.
- Ops habits (e.g., checklists, documentation) were later solidified through personal projects and an AWS Cloud Support internship.
Internship & Community Involvement
- AWS Cloud Support Internship – Applied classroom concepts to real‑world log hunting, broken‑infrastructure diagnosis, and time‑pressured troubleshooting.
- Community – Contributed to CIRIS docs, participated in Tech Talk Club, alumni Q&A sessions, and made small OSS fixes.
Work Rhythm & Lessons Learned
| Challenge | Insight / Fix |
|---|---|
| Over‑researching before coding | Prototype early; speed doubled once a rough version existed. |
| Light Git usage → lost work | Adopt proper commit/branch workflow; later became natural. |
| Vague rubrics causing stalls | Make reasonable assumptions, document them, and keep moving. |
| Underestimating “simple” tasks (UI, auth, deploy) | Pad time; treat “simple” as “unknown”. |
| Last‑minute deployments failing | Deploy early and often; never wait for the Sunday night crunch. |
| Solo work overload in groups | Delegate rubric items, set clear boundaries. |
| Lack of decision documentation | Write rationale while coding to avoid rework. |
| Perfectionism before “done” | Follow “Done → Working → Better” flow. |
| Avoiding “boring” topics (accessibility, testing) | Coursework forced attention; keep these practices in personal projects. |
| Trying to learn everything at once | Focus on 1–2 skills per month, rotate thereafter. |
These experiences gave me repetition and adaptability, not production‑scale exposure.
Gaps & Closing Strategies
- Deep CS theory (advanced algorithms & data structures) – Bridged with LeetCode practice and ACloudGuru labs.
- Production‑scale DevOps (multi‑account AWS, Terraform, blast radius) – Gained through the AWS internship and personal cloud labs.
- On‑call culture (paging, SLAs, incident triage) – Simulated via mock incidents and post‑mortems in side projects.
- System design beyond small apps – Studied case studies, built runbooks, and practiced design interviews.
Conclusion
Full Sail’s fast‑paced, sprint‑driven curriculum taught me how to:
- Plan, iterate, and deliver under shifting workloads.
- Document rigorously and treat docs as a first‑class deliverable.
- Adapt to ambiguous rubrics and self‑organize when formal stand‑ups are absent.
- Build a portfolio of ~20 shipped projects that demonstrate full‑stack, cloud, and UX competencies.
I continue to reinforce gaps with regular code reviews, personal experiments, and community involvement, positioning myself for a junior software‑engineering role where I can translate these learned habits into production impact.