Bootcamp: The Halfway Point
8 weeks down, 8 more to go…
We’re exactly halfway through the School of Code Bootcamp, where 19 people are well on their way to becoming software developers. With most people starting day 1 knowing next to nothing about coding or the tech industry, cohort #1 have now got an variety of front and back-end skills under their belts. As well as spending their days delving into JavaScript and APIs, the Bootcamp is also focusing on vital soft skills such as teamwork, presenting, project management and networking!
Under the teaching of Dr. Chris Meah, the Bootcamp class comes together Monday to Friday 9–5, aiming to absorb an insane amount of knowledge in just 16 weeks. This is no mean feat, and as you’d expect there are highs and lows. The word ‘rollercoaster’ is thrown around a lot by the bootcampers when discussing the emotions of the cohort on a daily basis, but the joy of concepts clicking into place and making something useful with technology comes eventually. The beauty of having such a diverse cohort is that everyone’s brains are wired differently. People pick concepts up at a range of paces, and can then offer their support to others, making for a really rich collaborative learning environment! The Bootcamp consists of people of all ages, genders, ethnicities and backgrounds; to name a few, we have a baker, a choreographer, a personal trainer, a return to work mum, a school leaver, and an artist among the team. Having this variety at the core of the Bootcamp proves that anyone can get into this exciting industry with the right support and motivation. In the real world, life is all about working with different types of people, so why not instil that from the very beginning of the Bootcamp journey?
I am diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, so I was worried about the team work and social aspect, but I couldn’t have enjoyed it more! No one is judgemental, and everyone works together to make the Bootcamp possible. The diversity is second to none! I don’t know why the teams work, but they do — and this is a unique experience for me.— Christopher Miller
We also try to get as many breaks as possible from our screens, having daily ‘energisers’ around 3pm when everyone has the mid-afternoon energy dip. This could be anything from blindfolded MarioKart races, a game of netball outside, team Pictionary, building houses of cards, or make-shift rounders with a poster tube as a bat — anything to take weary minds off coding for half an hour or so.
Everyone on the course has come such a long way since they started in September, with many of the recruits treating the Bootcamp as the catalyst for a complete career and life change:
I was a probation court officer for 8 years where I dealt with the day to day running of things. Even though I was on a computer everyday, I knew very little about how they worked, and more importantly, why they crashed on me! I applied to the Bootcamp looking to make computers my friend and a new career for myself. In the 8 weeks I have been here, I now know how to use HTML, CSS and Javascript, Node Js, and React. I’m quite confident in creating my own webpages and taking on projects without feeling like ‘what the hell am I doing here?’. I have a wonderful support network at School Of Code, where all participants are more than willing to help. Soft skills are now combined with software skills! — Nazia Chowdhury
The cohort are already writing real-world apps and solving industry-based problems — 8 weeks ago they didn’t know what HTML was. The speed of learning has been remarkable, and thanks to constant pair programming and teamwork, we have established an entirely collaborative environment. Everyone is still here, and we think this collaboration has helped create a strong community where we’re all ‘in it together’. We asked designer-turned-coder Peter Yu how he’s feeling at the half-way point:
So far, the Bootcamp has been a concoction of weird, fun, challenging and stressful emotions but, most importantly of all, extremely enjoyable. School of Code pushes you outside of your comfort zone and I am grateful for this opportunity to kickstart my tech career.
Joe Trodden, from Entrepreneurial Spark and GoDoLife, has been running sessions for the Bootcamp on personality types and how best to work in teams, as well as ‘growth mindset’ and self-reflection. We think it’s crucial to develop strengths such as these alongside learning to code — we want to destroy the stereotype of the coder with no soft-skills. Public speaking is not traditionally in the job remit of a programmer, yet the Bootcampers spoke to a crowd of 150 people at our launch event last month. Four of the cohort were also invited to speak at the quarterly tech meet up Fusion, one of which was our resident choreographer Sharon Kaur:
Speaking at Fusion has been one of the most exhilarating things I have done in a very long time. Not only did it vastly improved my public speaking and presentation skills, this event also gave me the opportunity to network with high-profile professionals from the tech industry, giving amazing insight into different career paths and how to progress throughout my future career. The importance of soft skills is something that was wholly agreed upon, not only by everyone at this event, but also by many other guest speakers who have spoken at the Bootcamp!
In just 8 more weeks, the cohort will once again be standing in front of an audience to showcase how far they’ve come. They’ll be presenting their final projects to the Birmingham tech community and potential employers at our Demo Day in January. If you’d like to attend and witness their progress first hand, email bootcamp@schoolofcode.co.uk to express your interest in a ticket — more details to follow!
We can’t wait to see where they get to, and thank them for all their hard work so far, as well as our main sponsors Packt for making it all happen!
