The School of Code: Where are they now?
The magic of our very first Bootcamp was the diversity of people who came onboard to change their lives and jump into the world of software development and all things tech. We took on a group of 19 people with a massive range of backgrounds, most of whom had never seen a line of code before Bootcamp Day 1. Now we are catching up with them 3 months after Demo Day to see how they are getting on, and what they think of their Bootcamp experience.
Welcome to the School of Code “Where are they now” series. Each week for the next few months, we will be releasing up-to-date interviews with the first cohort to find out what they’ve been up to since the end of the first ever School of Code Bootcamp. Now that the dust has settled from the first Bootcamp, dive in and find out what the world looks like right now for our first cohort.
Ben’s Story
Before Ben came to the Bootcamp, he wasn’t exactly excited about his work options. After dropping out of university five years ago, Ben had been “bouncing around dead-end jobs.” He was apprehensive of the challenge the Bootcamp posed, having no professional or academic background in tech, but was sure this was a chance he was willing to take — so he plucked up the courage to apply.
Ben rated his pre-Bootcamp tech skills (which are not a requirement for the Bootcamp) as a 4 out of 10. “Before starting the Bootcamp, I had watched a couple of YouTube tutorials, but School of Code was my first proper introduction to programming,” said Ben.
Out of the 300 people who applied for the Bootcamp, 19 made it through to our very first cohort — and Ben was one of them. The small group used each other as a support system throughout the Bootcamp, which made the journey easier. “Because everybody on the course would pick things up at different speeds, there was always somebody to turn to if you needed help. It felt less like a classroom and more like we were in the real world learning from each other,” said Ben.
After the 16-week Bootcamp, Ben said, “I’ve finally found my passion in tech and begun my career with a Software Developer internship at Packt Publishing.” Ben is enjoying honing the skills the Bootcamp gave him, and building upon them to grow his internship opportunity into a tech career.
“It sounds kind of cliche, but it’s really changed my life,” said Ben about his Bootcamp experience, which he rated 10 out of 10. He advises any future bootcampers to “go into it with everything you’ve got, don’t give up, and enjoy the experience — it’ll be worth it.”
To see Ben’s and his team’s final project presentation, head over to our YouTube channel where you can binge watch all of the teams. If you want to find out more about the School of Code Bootcamp, get in touch on Twitter or Facebook — or show your support by clicking the “applause” button below as many times as you can :)
