Seven months after bootcamp, I finally read my rejection emails like a dataset

Every rejection just felt like a door closing. Then I put them in a spreadsheet: company size, role title, whether I'd applied through a referral, and how far I got.

Turns out most of my no's came before a technical screen, all for roles asking for 3+ years of experience. I'd been aiming at the wrong rung the whole time. Rewrote my filter last week, applied to half as many jobs, and got two screens. Still early, but it's the first time the spreadsheet felt useful instead of depressing.