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Building ShelterSync: My Experience in the Dallas Software Developers Cohort

Authors
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    Name
    Ryan Griego
    Twitter

What I learned building a full-stack web application with a team of developers from completely different backgrounds

How I Found the Cohort

I discovered the Dallas Software Developers Community through Danny Thompson's Software Engineering YouTube channel. He was actively promoting their cohort program and mentioned that early invitations would be available to interested developers. I signed up and got accepted into the March 2026 cohort.

The program is exactly what Danny described: developers are matched with real projects, guided by senior software engineers who work in the industry, and given 6 weeks to build a complete full-stack application. There are multiple teams of 4 to 6 people, each tackling a different problem.

Choosing Our Project

At the start of the cohort, we were presented with three different project ideas to choose from. After discussing the options, my team decided to build ShelterSync: an animal shelter loan and inventory management system designed to help shelters prevent product loss and accurately track animals as they move in and out of the facility.

This wasn't a hypothetical problem. It was based on real pain points that shelters were actually experiencing. That made it feel meaningful from day one.

Planning and Choosing Our Tech Stack

Before writing a single line of code, we spent time planning everything out. This is where the mentorship really shined. Our senior developers guided us through:

  • Requirements gathering: Understanding exactly what the shelter needed
  • User stories: Breaking down the system into features from the shelter staff's perspective
  • Database design: Creating an Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) to map out how animals, inventory, transactions, foster assignments, and medication would all relate

We used Miro boards to sketch out our ideas and workflows:

Miro Board Planning

Here's the ERD we designed to represent the system's data structure:

ShelterSync ERD

For our tech stack, we chose:

  • Frontend: React with modern component patterns
  • Backend: Node.js/Express for our API
  • Database: PostgreSQL for reliable data management
  • Project Management: Jira for organizing tasks and sprints

Building as a Team

One of the biggest differences between this cohort and building solo is the sheer amount of communication and coordination required. We had to:

  • Assign tasks based on people's strengths and learning goals
  • Use version control properly (git branches, pull requests, code reviews)
  • Pair program on complex features
  • Write tests and documentation so others could understand our code
  • Handle merge conflicts and integration challenges

It was messier than building alone, and more educational.

The Final Result

After 6 weeks of work, we shipped a functioning animal shelter management system. You can see it live here:

Live Demo: https://animal-shelter-foster-management-1.onrender.com/

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/dsd-cohort-2026/animal-shelter-foster-management

What I Took Away

1. Senior Developers Make a Huge Difference

Having experienced developers guide us through decisions wasn't just helpful it was transformative. They didn't just hand us solutions. They asked the right questions, helped us think through trade-offs, and caught architecture decisions that would have caused pain later.

2. Building for a Real Problem is Motivating

Even though we were in a learning context, knowing that our system was solving an actual problem for animal shelters gave the work weight. When you're building something that matters, 6 weeks of focused work doesn't feel like a grind.

3. You Learn Way More in a Team

I wrote better code, thought more carefully about design decisions, and learned technologies faster because I had to explain my work to others. The act of code review and discussion forced me to think more deeply.

4. Planning Saves Time Later

We spent a solid week on design before coding. It would've been tempting to skip that and start building immediately. But having a clear plan meant fewer false starts and less refactoring later. The time we spent planning got paid back ten times over.

The Program Itself

If you're considering joining a cohort like this, I'd recommend it. The Dallas Software Developers Community is intentional about this program:

  • Duration: 6 weeks is long enough to build something real, short enough to stay focused
  • Mentorship: Real industry developers who care about your growth
  • Peer learning: Working with people at different skill levels teaches you a lot
  • Real projects: Not a toy app you're solving problems that matter

You can learn more at https://www.dallassoftwaredevelopers.org/cohorts

What's Next?

The cohort officially wrapped, but the connections and skills remain. If you're early in your development journey, I'd strongly encourage you to look for programs like this in your area. There's no substitute for the learning that happens when you work alongside experienced developers on something that matters.

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