Full Sail University: How Formal Training Shaped My Approach
Context: Finished Full Sail’s Web Development B.S. in October 2025 (GPA ~3.8). Still looking for my first paid SWE role.
AI assist: ChatGPT reorganized my course notes/interview stories; I cross-checked everything with syllabi and transcripts.
Status: Honest recap, not an attempt to inflate coursework into production experience.
Program snapshot
- Format: 4-week sprints (one course at a time). Each sprint = lectures, labs, critiques, and a final defence.
- Schedule: ~25 hrs/week between live sessions, labs, and group projects.
- Deliverables: Every course demanded a functioning project, code review, and reflection. Documentation usually counted for 20–30% of the grade.
- Tracking: I kept a Notion database of courses, instructors, rubrics, and final artifacts (links included below).
Courses that mattered most (to me)
| Course | Key deliverable | Skills reinforced |
|---|---|---|
| Project & Portfolio I–IV | Progressive full-stack app (React + Node + Mongo/Postgres) | Iterative design reviews, roadmap planning, demoing in front of “clients.” |
| Server-Side Languages | Node/PHP REST APIs with templating + session management | Routing, auth basics, error handling, code reviews. |
| Cloud Application Development | Deploy microservices to AWS (Elastic Beanstalk, RDS, CloudWatch) | Cost modelling, IaC, logging, runbook writing. |
| Server Management & Configuration | Linux hardening lab (bash scripts, Nginx, CIS benchmarks) | Ops hygiene, automation, and documentation. |
| Human-Computer Interaction | Accessibility audits, usability testing, persona-driven design | UX empathy, WCAG basics, communication with non-dev stakeholders. |
Signature projects & evidence
Capstone: Event Ops Platform
- Stack: React, Node.js/Express, PostgreSQL, AWS Elastic Beanstalk.
- My role: Backend lead (JWT auth, analytics dashboards, deployment scripts), plus documentation + presentation.
- Reality: Class-level MVP. CI/CD pipelines and IaC templates exist, but it’s not production. Repo + deck live in
projects/event-ops.
Server Management lab
- Automated EC2 provisioning via CloudFormation, configured blue/green deployments, and wrote a CIS benchmark checklist.
- Labs ran in AWS Academy accounts; every instruction had to be codified in a runbook. I reused that format for my personal projects.
Communication drills
- Weekly stand-ups, peer reviews, and “client” presentations (professors role-play stake-holders). That cadence is why my portfolio updates read like status reports.
Habits I carried forward
- Sprint rhythm: Intake → prototype → critique → iterate → deliver. Matches how I manage personal projects now.
- Docs before code: Diagrams, test evidence, and deployment notes were graded artifacts. I still require them before calling a project “done.”
- Feedback resilience: Professors often pivoted requirements mid-sprint. Learning to absorb that calmly helps when recruiters or mentors redirect my work.
- Honesty logs: My “honesty.md” idea started as a course reflection requirement.
Beyond coursework
- AWS Cloud Support internship: The school projects gave me enough foundation to survive AWS labs, but the internship taught me real troubleshooting cadence.
- Community involvement: Tech Talk Club, CIRIS documentation contributions, and open-source PRs kept me collaborating outside the classroom.
- Personal experiments: Triangle Shader Lab (WebGPU) and OBJ Parser (Zig) filled the gaps that the curriculum couldn’t cover.
What the program didn’t cover (well)
- Deep CS topics (algorithms, data structures beyond the basics). I supplement with LeetCode + freeCodeCamp.
- Production-scale DevOps (multi-account AWS, Terraform at scale). I learn those through personal labs and the internship.
- Real on-call or stakeholder pressure. School simulated it, but the stakes were low. I’m transparent about that with recruiters.
Artifacts & links
- Course archive (syllabi, rubrics, artifacts): https://github.com/BradleyMatera/full-sail-archive
- Capstone repo/deck: https://github.com/BradleyMatera/event-ops-capstone
- Server management runbook: https://github.com/BradleyMatera/server-management-labs
- Notes/retros:
notes/full-sail/*.md(includes honest pros/cons for each course)
Key takeaways
- Formal education gave me structure, accountability, and plenty of reps presenting/defending work.
- Side projects + internships are still required to stress-test those skills.
- I keep iterating on the honesty mindset Full Sail drilled into us: document what’s done, what’s broken, and what’s next—no fluff.