Pre-Dojo:
Line cook in fine dining
He was sick of the horrible work conditions and knew he needed to find a new job.
Although he had learned a little bit of coding by himself, he needed to attend a bootcamp in order to master the subject.
After Dojo:
As a Full Stack Developer in restaurants
Has confidence in his abilities, knows he is doing the right thing, and does not break industry standards
He dreams of creating his own app to empower restaurant workers
Program: Full-Time Online Bootcamp
Testimonial:
Although it was scary, as switching industries is always scary, there are many benefits to taking the risk. The program taught me the skills I needed to be a great developer.
Please tell us a bit about yourself. What were you doing professionally before the bootcamp?
I am 28 years old, and I love cooking, tv/film and video games, as well as coding. Before the bootcamp I was a line chef in fine dining.
Why did you choose to enroll in a bootcamp for coding?
After 10 years in the kitchen, I was tired of the poor pay, conditions, and hours I was receiving from my profession. I was also beginning to feel the effects from spending 60 hours a week on my feet, so I knew I needed to find another job. As a way to escape the kitchen, I got back into programming a bit before COVID hit. I learned a lot by myself, but I decided to enroll in a bootcamp around mid-2020 to get a better education.
What were your fears and doubts that prevented you from enrolling? How did you overcome them?
The field’s competitiveness, cost, and time requirements. Coding Dojo’s ISA program helped pay the cost. The COVID lockdown meant that there wasn’t much money in my previous field, so I had plenty to do. I had to overcome my concerns about being competitive and the urgency of finding a job. I struggled a lot between graduation and finding a job, but I persevered with hard work and dedication.
What was the secret to Coding Dojo’s success? Why did you choose Coding Dojo over other programs?
Coding Dojo received the highest reviews. Many other bootcamps had issues like low ratings, low satisfaction and sketchy recruitment tactics.
How was it to get ready for bootcamp? Were you nervous, excited, etc.? How did you prepare?
Although I wouldn’t say I was prepared for much, I do remember that there was some pre-bootcamp work. However, after spending the past 6+ month coding, I was confident and ready to learn.
What were your strategies for overcoming the difficulties you faced?
You will receive a lot of support and dedication from your instructors and other students.
Do you have any funny stories to share about bootcamp? Make friends! Do you have fond memories?
It’s not exactly, but it was amazing to be able code full-time and not feel lost at sea that comes with being self-taught.
How did you feel about your job prospects and skills as you neared graduation?
It was a little comfortable. I was a little more comfortable than I expected. I didn’t do much job hunting until I graduated. I focused on learning the skills I needed so that I didn’t spread myself too thin. Although it was difficult, as switching industries is always scary, there are no guarantees that you will be successful. The program taught me the skills I needed to be a great developer.
How did your job hunt go? How did you land a job at your current job?
It was difficult to find a job. It took 8 months to find the right job and thousands of resumes were sent. I’d encourage anyone interested in going into software engineering to be conscious of the competitiveness/difficulty of finding an entry level job. I currently work for Cava, but I was hired through Ettain Group (a local recruitment agency), as a contract-to hire position.
Did the bootcamp provide you with anything other than coding skills?
It gave me the confidence to know that I was following industry standards and doing things correctly. This is something I would struggle to learn again. I can say that I had strong soft skills because I worked in very high-end kitchens before the program.
What advice would you give to others interested in coding bootcamps, or just starting one?
Concentrate on the core concepts, particularly OOP (Object Oriented Programming). While you may have a favorite language/framework, you will eventually use many due to the individual preferences of each business and technological advances. You will learn programming at its core and be able learn new technologies in record speed.
What are you looking for?