So, You Want to Join a Coding Bootcamp? Here’s What to Expect.

Our coding bootcamp students come from all sorts of backgrounds but often their primary motivation is the same – they are looking to change jobs to something more interesting and lucrative, fast.

Starting out on a journey to gaining a new, exciting, high earning career in such a short period of time can be super rewarding but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. Enrolling in a coding bootcamp is a big commitment but definitely one that will pay off. So what can you expect when you join a coding bootcamp?

You’ll start coding right away!

Within the first few hours of the bootcamp you will be coding. Some people in your cohort may have dabbled in code before, but if you are a complete newbie the learning curve will be steep but is all achievable. Before you start you can try your hand at some of the free coding challenges on sites like CodeAcademy then, once you begin, prepare yourself by doing any pre-course work, arrive on time and don’t be afraid to ask questions. You should be prepared to work harder than you have ever done before. Your school day may be 9-5, but it’s highly recommended you keep on coding outside of the classroom. Within a few weeks you will be building basic websites and dreaming of bug fixes (which unfortunately only work in your dreams).

You’ll join a thriving tech community

It will be fun! There is nothing like experiencing this intense, emotional experience together to build friendships. And as your brain is moulded into that of a developer, your cohort buddies will be the only ones who find your tech humour amusing, so it is lucky you will be spending so much time with them. They will also be the start of your growing tech community as you attend meetups together and network your way into a job.

You’ll want to give up – don’t!

There will be days when you want to quit, when you think you were insane to believe that you could go from your current job to creating with code as a developer – but if you have the passion, the drive and the motivation you will code through these days and remember how far you have come. Your new friends and educators will support you because they know that your self-doubt is just fear. You will learn to cope with these emotions as well as other soft-skills like written and verbal communication, team-work, and time management.

You’ll connect to industry

Some coding bootcamps (like ours!) offer the opportunity to take part in an industry placement. These are a great way to get your foot in the door and to experience life as a coder in a real job. You’ll join the team and work on real projects and the best part is, around half of the students who complete a placement end up working for that same company!

You’ll never stop learning

Finally you will realise that nobody can become an expert in such a short time. Trends in technology change frequently, new frameworks are developed, major upgrades happen – but what you will learn in a coding bootcamp is how to learn so you can keep on learning new languages or frameworks. You’ll learn how to think like a developer; as you embark on the most rewarding career of your life.

So, if you’re still on the fence about joining a coding bootcamp – why not attend one of our virtual info sessions – these interactive sessions are a great way to learn all about our bootcamps, learn about the curriculum and ask our course advisors any questions you might have.

Written by Catherine Callcott-Stevens.