Remote coding bootcamps are a great way to learn software development flexibly. Since they’re often fast-paced, it’s important to have the right tools on your computer before you start. These will help you stay productive and organised, so you can make the most of your learning. Here are some essential tools we recommend on our Northcoders bootcamps:

1. Visual Studio Code

A good code editor is crucial for writing, testing, and debugging code. Our code editor of choice is Visual Studio Code. It was developed by Microsoft for Windows, macOS and Linux. You will use it every day on a Northcoders bootcamp. It is highly customisable, free, and features a wide range of extensions due to an active community.

2. Slack

Slack is a communication platform, much like Microsoft Teams or Discord. It will allow you to communicate easily with your tutors and coursemates. Whether you’re getting the link for the lecture, asking for help with a coding problem, or sharing a picture of a cute dog, Slack will help you stay informed and connected with everyone else on your bootcamp. 

3. Zoom

At Northcoders, lectures are taught live over Zoom. Interactive content can make it easier to stay focused and grasp concepts. It also gives you the chance to ask questions as you go. You’ll also use Zoom for seminars in smaller groups, for pair programming with a coursemate, and for checking in with your mentor in one-to-one chats. 

4. A Note-Taking App

Though Northcoders gives our students ready-made notes to go with the course, it can be useful to write your own notes. This can both help you to memorise topics and better understand concepts by putting them in your own words. Evernote and Bear are two good choices for note-taking apps, as they provide support for code snippets.

You can also use a project management tool like Trello, which uses boards, lists, and cards, to lay out your to-do list and plan your coding projects. 

5. GitHub

GitHub helps developers store, share, and collaborate on software projects. During the bootcamp, it will allow you to access resources and collaborate with others. By the time you graduate, your GitHub profile can also work as a portfolio to showcase all the projects you worked on.

6. Don’t Forget the Hardware

So that you can participate in seminars, ask questions, and talk with your coursemates while pair programming, you’ll need a microphone and camera. Your computer might already have them built-in, but it’s best to check that everything works before your first day. 

These tools will be daily essentials on a coding bootcamp. From allowing you to chat with coursemates to helping you debug your code, they will make your learning more efficient and your coding bootcamp more enjoyable.  

Now that you know what you need to set up on your computer, what is your workspace like? Check out our blog on setting up the perfect study space for more tips to improve your remote learning experience.