What I didn't expect was how it pushed me to (and past) my limits, helped shrink my ego, gave me room to make mistakes in a controlled setting, and gave me authentic stories to take with me.

I would highly recommend Capstone. Completing the final Core assessment feels like the end of an era, and most students probably took upwards of a few years. It's easy to think that you're ready to venture out into the job market and that you deserve responsibility, a title, and most importantly a salary as a reward for your hard work. The reality is that while Core leaves you with an amazing foundation, there's not much that's visible above-ground. Don't get me wrong, Core does an amazing job with teaching the fundamentals, and without this foundation I wouldn't be successful in my current job. The reality is, however, that after Core you need to have some sort of tangible experience that will translate to hiring managers.

I personally had a bit of a panic after Core. Capstone's #1 appeal to me was that it was a "safe" space to transition from mastery to just-in-time execution and get project experience to utilize as a foothold in interviews and networking interactions. What I didn't expect was how it pushed me to (and past) my limits, helped shrink my ego, gave me room to make mistakes in a controlled setting, and gave me authentic stories to take with me. I came away with solid answers to those "what would you have done differently" or "describe a time where you've overcome a personality difference" type interview questions that fresh-out-of-Core me would have otherwise had to dig for. I will parrot other reviews I had read before signing up and say that Capstone was indeed the hardest thing I've done, and it has transformed me not only as an engineer but as a person. I am extremely happy to have gone through it and it is by far the best investment I've ever made in myself.