there are so many things i could say about batch that this post has been intimidating to approach. those mere 12 weeks in batch felt momentous… how do i capture that in a blog post? how do i whittle it down into a written narrative? i want so bad to write something so good about this restorative experience.
but anyway, this might just devolve into part-stream-of-consciousness, part-listicle.
rc is a retreat. yes. a programming retreat (more specific). and my time genuinely feels surreal looking back. i feel like i could gush about the experience, which is out of my nature.
i have a lot of takeaways that i keep jotting down as they come to me and as i reflect. so maybe i’ll just order them slightly and hit post on this.
we’ll see what this looks like by the end. just know that my heart is with this community, this wonderland.
i read another return statement that described the environment as artificial, and yes i get why exactly, and i have been trying to articulate this. artificial sounds bad but is not bad here, not in the way i mean it. like, i’ve often wondered about the rc facilitators’ professional existence. because they have this rhythm, in and out: every 6 weeks new recursers come in, fresh-eyed and bushy-tailed, and faculty is tasked with providing the guideposts. and the guideposts are often in the form of rehearsed speeches and recurrent workshops that they have surely given tens of times (…every 6 weeks).
and yet, they work? and everyone, literally everyone here, is so lovely and open and kind and intrinsically-motivated … where else is tech like this? it’s a delirious bubble. but i’m telling you, it works. maybe because one can relax and feel safe and let go of one’s own personal artifice. one can believe in community and the inherent good in the hearts of man, idk.
call it magic, call it true
it wasn’t all vibes and emotion - no, i explored and encountered some really impressive and concrete technical work. one batch-mate built an interactive ecosystem simulation with a custom gpu-based physics engine
. then the guy building a drone from scratch (hard!) took a detour to build a voice-activated light switch for his grandma’s bathroom (think “the clapper”). the demo video featured his delighted grandma. i still think about it, the most heartening thing. depth and breadth and diversity.
so here is the part where i roughly order my unordered takeaways and hit post:
what i did
- built a visualization of batch-mates’ interests and wrote an ml explainer to go with it
- wrote weekly reflections on this blog
- joined interest groups (shout outs to The Nature of Code, Chart Chat, game dev, etc.)
- contributed to community discussions and workshops
- pair programmed in various languages and frameworks
- helped a batch-mate get started with ml and excited about exploring it during batch
- learned some game development (Phaser, Tiled)
- visited the Brooklyn hub
- participated in december-adventure
- switched from notion and committed to obsidian
- created a days left at rc visualization
- joined a game jam and got an introduction to data-oriented programming
- explored coding with llms for the first time
- built a pixel town with NPCs and interactive elements
- presented at half-baked demos
- tried live-coding the powerpuff girls theme in strudel
- paired on a conversation between llm agents with different goals and knowledge
i came in with my project (this website) in mind, and i mostly kept that thread alive throughout batch. but there was room for all of this too: connections, coffee chats, study groups, one-off workshops. i wrote both p5.js and rust! i also stayed social, wow.
what i learned
- how to work at the edge of my abilities
- the value of starting small and shipping often
- balancing deep work with social connection
- navigating remote participation with family life
- embracing being a beginner again
- the joy of creative coding
- the power of collaborative learning
- time management in a self-directed environment
- the importance of community in tech
- how to maintain curiosity and generosity in learning
- being more ok with what i don’t know, and letting people know i don’t know
github pages is awesome, static websites are awesome. i spent most of my career building servers, ml-based or otherwise, but here i avoided servers entirely, which was fun.
self-direction was an exercise in how to take on a flood of inspiration and find what speaks the most to you each day for 6-12 weeks. i had my struggles, self-inflicted and usually around making the most of my time in batch, but i haven’t felt so motivated to be at my computer, building, in a long while.
“impossible stuff day” helped me work at my edge more than any single other thing.
what surprised me
- how much i enjoyed game development
- the depth of connection possible in remote settings
- the range of projects and interests in the community
- how quickly 12 weeks can fly by
- the impact of small daily experiments
- the value of unstructured social time
- how much i learned from teaching others
- the power of the “container” concept
- the balance of structure and freedom
- how RC changed my relationship with coding
check-ins! so great. the blogging channel: such rarefied air. batch even made zoom calls feel less intimidating/corporate.
i’m only starting to appreciate this now, as an alum looking for a job, but… i totally underestimated the type of network one leaves rc having forged… not just in a community-while-here sense, which is what i thought of, but in a professional “linkedin” networking (bleh) sort of way. but with less “bleh”.
in a way, it was funny (sad) that i finally found the time to do rc immediately after leaving brooklyn, where i had lived for the past 5 years. all i can say is, it’s hard to find time to be without income!
what i’m taking with me
- a renewed sense of joy in coding
- a network of brilliant peers
- a foundation for continued learning
- confidence to explore new technical directions
- understanding that tech can be both creative and kind
- tools for balancing work and life
- a more generous approach to learning
- appreciation for community in tech
- the courage to be a beginner
- the value of shipping over perfection
i can be creative. i am creative.
recurse was the joy, the spark i needed to reinvest in this industry, rather than to just hold on until something better or more fulfilling comes along (i am thinking less about a hard pivot into a career in construction now!). i remembered to get curious again. afterwards i’ve found that even practicing leetcode can be seen less as a waste of time and more as an opportunity to find the joy in fundamentals.
my career interests shifted too: govtech gave way to home-cooked software. and i can stomach ai/ml, i can find a lane to contribute here, i don’t have to run away because so much can feel so ick-y and concerning.
back in week 6, i wrote:
my intention is to see RC less as a finite retreat and more as a catalyst for lasting change in how I approach both code and community. While our time here may be limited, the patterns we’re building - of curiosity, of generosity, of balancing deep work with genuine connection - these I want to extend far beyond my batch dates
this is still very much what i want. now with the community to keep doing it with.
advice for future recursers
- embrace the container - RC provides the space, you provide the direction
- find your balance between deep work and social connection
- start small and ship often
- join interest groups - they’re for community as much as learning
- be generous with your knowledge and time
- trust the process - embrace the detours
- don’t be afraid to be a beginner
- present and demo before you feel finished
- make time for coffee chats
- remember that progress > perfection
never graduate! 🎓
i could have paired more, always. i could have presented more, of course. i can still do these things as an alum and intend to. alumni check-ins, v2 of this website… and i would love, love to be able to do another batch in the future.