The Ironhack Web Development Bootcamp Experience
A few months back I decided to take a big twist in my life and try something different. I am a civil engineer that had no experience in anything related to programming but wanted to learn.
HOW I DECIDED TO TAKE THE COURSE
While I was checking my Instagram feed Ironhack advertising appeared. My options at that time were; either take the course or keep working where I was working.
I was miserable, so I decided to take the Bootcamp.
In order to be accepted for the course, you have to complete a www.codecademy.com javascript basic course and after that take a test. I did that and was successfully accepted.
While I was being accepted I decided to look more about this concept of education for programming. Ironhack appeared as one of the best Bootcamps in the world. (If you’re interested you should definitely check out www.switchup.org)
The following week before the course I had to complete the pre-work which is a practice course so you won’t enter the Bootcamp without any basic knowledge. It’s hard but achievable if you take the time.
THE COURSE
SET AND SETTING:
The course right now is taken at WeWork in a new building in Mexico City Located at Insurgentes Street. I had never been to WeWork which is very cozy and has an amazing design and a great vibe.
The Ironhack area is great, big desks and very comfortable chairs. If you are going to be seated for more than 12 hours a day chairs must be comfortable!!!
Something I loved about my course was the number of people taking it. We were 13 students all from different ages and backgrounds. I think more than 15 people wouldn’t be good. Programming is hard to learn.
THE TEACHER:
I had the luck to have an amazing teacher. His name is Hector BliSs.(https://github.com/HectorBlisS) Even dough this guy hasn’t been a programmer for a long time (two years). This guy is the kind of guy who dedicates fully to what he does. I’m surprised how much you can learn if you put the time into it.
BliSs, as we call him, is such a great and patient teacher. He pushes you hard for you to push yourself into learning.
He stays long and is always available. And one of my favorite things is that he is a humble teacher. You don’t have to maintain a formal communication with him. He is your friend.
HOW IT’S TAUGHT:
Programming isn’t easy and it is definitely not for everybody. I consider myself a smart person but this is hard. Its hard to be able to understand the concepts.
For me, it was hard to understand functions and parameters in the first day. It’s hard to learn how to speak to the machine.
The course is definitely for fast and dedicated learners. Be prepared to dedicate 80% of your time to the Bootcamp.
The day starts at 9:30; You take your first lessons of the day. Then you take a pair programming challenge and after that, you go to lunch. You go back to take another lesson and close your day with a daily challenge.
Daily challenges are not homework… They are one day projects. Class finishes at 5:30 in the afternoon. I had days when I left WeWork at midnight. (12 is your time limit to send the daily challenge.)
The program is divided into three parts, each part consisting of three weeks; two weeks learning and one week project. While learning, most of the things won’t be understood fully. The project will help you internalize the knowledge correctly.
TIPS
Don’t ask stupid questions and don’t push yourself too hard. Use google if you tried enough times. Google is your best friend.
Be careful about time. You don’t know how fast time goes by while programming.
Eat and sleep correctly. Don’t push your body to the limit; While studying nothing is better than sleeping correctly. Sometimes you’ll be able to solve some problems while sleeping. (This is true, during the Bootcamp your mind will be obsessed with programming)
CONCLUSION
Right now I’m about to start my first week of the third part of the course. I’m loving it.
I love learning and definitely think that someone in our time should at least know the basics of programming.
The course is very fast and you won’t have time to learn 100% about everything. Ironhack Bootcamp is not created for you to become a pro in 2 months but it will give a great foundation for you to keep learning in your own path.
It won’t give you all the programming tools but it will give you the tools for you to be able to learn by yourself.
For me, it has been an amazing experience. Learning that amount of information in such a small period of time is great!
I would definitely recommend the course to everyone who wants to learn programming and will put the time and effort into it.
