Bootcamp Starts Tomorrow!

After over a decade of working with software and technology in a number of (non-coding) capacities including: IT/application support, IT infrastructure rollouts, software implementation/project management, data analysis, and IT compliance…I have decided that I want to become a software developer!

Steve Aksamit
Jul 24, 2017 · 2 min read

A number of factors contributed to my decision, but most notably, there is a booming tech scene in Chicago where I live and the new skills I will be learning will hopefully allow me to be a part of it. I am very impressed with the innovation and talent that is driving many successful tech companies in the city, which would be very motivating for me to be immersed in. I am about 6 months in to my new coding journey (and had also taken coding courses in college a ways back) and couldn’t be more happy with my decision so far! The resources available to learn are plentiful and efficient and those in the coding community I have gotten to speak to about my new path have been incredibly supportive and helpful.

Tomorrow I start the 13-week full-time in-person portion of Fullstack Academy in Chicago. It is a web development bootcamp hosted in a start-up incubator called 1871. The entire curriculum is Javascript, which allows your to touch on the entire development stack without changing languages/syntax; which is advantageous for learning a lot in a short period of time. Other reasons I was attracted to the program include their stringent hiring process, difficult checkpoints along the way to ensure the entire cohort is on track, and most importantly; talented, engaged instructors and leadership.

I feel it is a bit too soon to share any insights to others who may be considering a similar path since I’ve not yet proven out my path. But one word of wisdom I would pass along to anyone considering a career change to coding via a bootcamp: first do your research and a determine the bootcamp that is best for you. And then make sure you take an introductory course in the language that your bootcamp primarily uses before making a final decision on your career change. This will give you a glimpse of what it is like to learn to code in a classroom setting and give you a chance to feel out if it is right for you. The course could be something online or in-person, or going through a learn-to-code book in detail via self-study. I took a M-Th 3-hour Javascript introductory course for 4 weeks that my bootcamp offered. This allowed me prove out my hypothesis that coding was something I really enjoyed doing and gave me confidence that I was capable of learning a lot of technical material in a short period of time.

I will share updates from Bootcamp soon! Cheers!

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade