Why Ironhack? — My Coding Bootcamp Experience, Part 2
This is the second post of my journey through Ironhack’s coding bootcamp. If you haven’t already, check out the first post to get up to speed.
If you haven’t heard, Miami’s tech scene is rapidly expanding, though some things in the city remain consistent: people here don’t smile much, Cuban coffee reigns supreme, and commuting is the stuff of nightmares.
With every day that passes by, the demand for software developers grows at a steady pace, and even at Clutch Prep we’re in need of some help ourselves. At this point, you’re practically shooting yourself in the foot if you’re trying to work for a start-up or tech-based company without some coding experience. Luckily, there are tons of resources online you can use to teach yourself the ways of the web development!
Codeacademy: Super user-friendly interface and enough content to make you say “wow, that’s a lot of content”.
Udacity: Offers a comprehensive list of nanodegree programs with a guarantee of employment within six months.
Treehouse: Something I always wanted but could never have because Miami trees lack the resilience to hold up against much more than puppy breaths. Also a great learning option for those who prefer a video-based curriculum.
The best part about all of these options? They’re all either free or come in at a very low cost. Unless you don’t work well with self-teaching, you’re good to go! As the proud owner of a goldfish’s attention span, I felt burned out after a week of focused effort on Treehouse, with little to show for my efforts apart from a website with a face that no mother or developer could love.
This is where bootcamps come into play. You come in on one end jumping in fear at the things that go ‘404 Error Page Not Found’ in the night, and come out on the other end ready to tippity-type your way to success, all in the matter of 8–12 weeks! They’re a bit more expensive, to be sure, but you’re paying for a carefully crafted curriculum, the support of a team of qualified instructors, an alumni base that can speak to the success of the program, and the comfort of knowing that you won’t be suffering alone.
When it comes to Miami, there are two bootcamps that command the most presence: Wyncode and Ironhack. Coming in at $10,000 each, they’re both highly reviewed and you can’t go wrong with either one. As a member of Building.co (best co-working space eva), I was much more familiar with the latter since that’s where their classes take place. I would walk to the kitchen every day and see the students, separated from society by a transparent glass wall, being bombarded with concepts and code that would make even the bravest little sunflower wilt. Although I never found myself wanting to be in their shoes, I did find myself increasingly curious as to how those eight weeks changed their lives.
Unfortunately, it didn’t look like that would be happening due to the fact that the bootcamp was a full-time program, which would have interfered with this little commitment called a full-time job. Everyone knows you can’t get fuller than full, unless you’ve visited Texas de Brazil, at which point you’re able to transcend to a phase known simply as self-hatred.
A few weeks ago, though, an email from Building hit my inbox that mentioned Ironhack’s offering of a part-time program!!!
!!!
The exclamation points quickly turned into frowny faces upon seeing the price of the program: $12,000 USD. That money could have me rolling up to Miami’s hottest nightclubs in a used Ford Taurus saying “Hey ladies, this bad boy can get up to 29mpg on the highway.” I scoffed before closing the tab and went on about my work until that Friday, when Building purchased pizza for all of the members and took the time to mention the program once again with some more specifics. That’s when I got to thinking about it again.
Tuesday and Thursday nights and half of my Saturday for six months? I could totally swing that. Again, the money wasn’t an insignificant issue, but how many more times would I be telling myself “Maybe next time”? How much longer could I go about seeing the developers at Clutch go about their ways and find myself regretting not having pursued this endeavor years ago? How would I feel seeing the students in the program presenting their projects six months from now and knowing I could have been a part of it?
I submitted my application two minutes after the speech had ended and was contacted by Alia, Ironhack Miami’s awesome Marketing & Community Manager, to schedule an interview. We spoke that same day, where I told her my reasons for applying for the program and how it would help me grow as a professional and as a person. To potential applicants, think of it less as an interview and more as a conversation.
After that, I scheduled my time for the second stage of the application process, the technical interview. Alia sent me an email with links to the material I would have to study, and when I wasn’t at work, I had my head down focusing on absorbing as much of the content as possible. When the day of the interview came, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t incredibly nervous about what task I would be assigned. What if its purpose was to just prove that I wasn’t meant for the world of terminal and Sublime Text? By the time I went upstairs to meet with Nizar, one of the Head Instructors, half of my body composition consisted of tremble.
Nizar quickly proved that all of my fears were for naught. He walked me through the steps required to complete the task and offered to help if at any time I became confused, frustrated, or just hopelessly lost. Luckily, it didn’t come to that due to the thoroughness of the study materials, but it says a lot about the quality of a program when its instructors understand how intimidating this part of the process can be. I won’t describe the nature of the practical interview for the sake of keeping it fair for future applicants, but trust me when I say that the Ironhack team will give you all the preparation you’ll need.
I received my acceptance email the next morning and immediately paid my deposit so I knew it was real. At that point, the question of the remainder of the balance came into play. If you, dear reader, find this to be one of the primary pain points, worry not! There are plenty of financing options to cover the cost of tuition, including Ironhack’s awesome partner, Climb. Personally, I used credit cards as my payment method, because 0% APR is awesome and I like to live life on the edge. Just try not having a credit check run afterward if you follow the same approach.
A few days later, I received access to the platform I’d be using to complete the pre-work and some information on Day 0, the unofficial first day of the program. You might be wondering, how did my first experience with an in-person coding bootcamp go?
You’ll have to find out next time. Until then!
Posts about my Ironhack journey thus far:
Ironhack-ing Away — The Prelude
Ruby Tuesday, Thursday, AND Saturday
