Founders and Coders Nazareth. My new journey begins.

Last week I joined what some people describe as a life changing experience. I joined Founders and Coders — a Web Development Bootcamp in Nazareth, Israel. This free coding course has been operating in London for 3 and a half years, and initiated its second round in Nazareth this Sunday.

I started my journey in Web Development 10 months ago, with the goal to become a Web Developer and work with Non-Profit organizations. I studied at home using online sources, almost all of which are free. I was (and still am) a part of what I see as the best two virtual communities for coders today — Free Code Camp and Chingu Cohorts. These wonderful communities provided me not only with the opportunity to develop most of my skills and knowledge as a software engineer but also with the feeling that I belong to something bigger, that I can discuss my progress, ask for help, and get motivated by others with similar goals.

But something was still missing. At some point, maybe 5 or 6 months after starting my career change, I felt that it was becoming more difficult to keep improving. I was stuck in a place where I made a lot of progress in areas I liked and in tools that I had fun using, but found myself procrastinating other topics which I did not find as enjoyable. I was frustrated because I knew that this was not the way to becoming the developer I want to be, but I wasn’t sure how to change it. I kept reading the success stories about all the amazing coders that found a job after studying by themselves for an even shorter period of time, and knew that I need to find a new path on my journey.

At the same time, I received an email from my husband (we often suggest links to interesting articles and websites to each other), with two sentences: “After reading what people say, I was very impressed. I think it’s a great opportunity”, and a link to Founders and Coders website. I immediately fell in love. With the ideas, with the values, with the motivations, with the methodology.

After completing my first week at the program, I can definitely say that I made the right choice. Yes, I know that the most important question is whether I would get a job as a web developer after completing the 16-week program or not. But I feel like this is not the most important question for me at this point. For me the question is still about the journey. Was this the right path to choose? Are my peers and mentors the community I missed? Would I be able to improve my skills, reach new goals, and overcome challenges?

I will try to be honest with myself and keep answering these questions. For now, my answer is yes. This is the right path which is aligned with my values and ideas. These are the people which give me the sense of community I needed as a developer and a human being. This program challenges me as a developer as well as a team player. This place motivates me to set new goals, and to improve my knowledge and technical skills so I can reach them.

I plan to write a new post every week, each time focusing on a different aspect of the program and the life in Nazareth. You are welcome to join my journey!