“Having retrained as a Software Developer, I feel I’ve future-proofed my career with skills that will always be in demand.”

Carl Mcintosh, Junior Software Engineer at Wise, shares his coding journey through the School of Code — a free 16-week, software development Bootcamp that aims to break down barriers and get new and different people learning to code and into brand new tech careers. No prior coding experience or knowledge is required before the course! (Their next intake is in Spring 2023, and applications close on 14th November 2022).

“Having been made redundant after being on furlough I was at a loose end. I had been in my previous job as a Print Production Manager for 15 years and while I had a lot of transferable skills, no one was really hiring and if they were, they were for tangible skills that I could not compete with.

I had an increasing interest in tech and after I was made redundant, I immersed myself in the world of Web Development. I’d spend my time looking at different YouTube tutorials and was always on the lookout for deals on Udemy.

When the opportunity arose to join the School of Code Bootcamp, I took the leap, and I’m so glad I did! I was already aware of the great reputation the course had so it was a no-brainer!

School of Code has changed my life. That’s not an exaggeration, it’s just true. I was in a job, not a career and certainly not doing something I enjoyed. I can now say I’m in a job I love, in an industry that is ever-changing and evolving, and in a career that will always see me learning something new.”

“The course is intense, but it is even more rewarding with each passing week. I always thought problem-solving was a strength of mine and this course just added multiple layers on top of that. There are many areas of the course that I loved. Taking part in the daily energizers, listening to guest lectures and working in teams with different people, I’ve learned a lot about myself through this.

Randomly one week during an energiser, one of the coaches taught us how to Juggle, as it was loosely linked to a workshop we were doing that week and I’ve continued to try and master this. You could say I’ve gained more than programming skills. The team are fantastic and they really care about your journey through the process.”

Energisers are a daily ritual at the School of Code as they’re a great way to have fun, team build, stay productive and help keep the body and mind refreshed and ready to learn. The bootcampers on the course have fun and make life-long friends all whilst they are upskilling and learning to code.

The School of Code takes people from absolute scratch all the way through to professional software developers in just 16 weeks.
Their cohorts are representative of the communities they come from, with a 50:50 gender split, an age range of 19–60 and demographics proportional to the local area. The course is 100% free to applicants, 4 months intensive, teaching a wide-ranging curriculum covering the fundamentals of Modern Web Development and javascript.

So far, School of Code has helped over 500 people including former teachers, musicians, stay-at-home parents, carers, artists, bakers, lawyers, retail staff, school leavers, personal trainers, beauticians, delivery drivers, security guards, fast food workers, refugees, unemployed, homeless and many more, all learn to code and change their career paths.

“The Bootcamp is life-changing. I’ve already told anyone I can tell through social media; how good this course is. It helps you not only build up new programming skills, but it helps you think in a different way which will help in all areas of life. Whether you have limited experience or no experience, I highly recommend applying if you’re interested.”

Carl took part in the School of Code’s very first fully-remote Covid-19 recovery Bootcamp. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the School of Code has since launched their award-winning Bootcamps online and across the country. The classes are live, every weekday, from 9 am — 5 pm over zoom.

Learn like Carl..

Applications are closing on November 14th for the next School of Code online Bootcamp starting in Spring 2023.
If you fancy a career change and want to learn the skills to become a job-ready software developer then apply here to kick-start your tech career!