How did you find your time on the bootcamp?

Northcoders have been fantastic from my first interactions with them. Loads of support at every step of the journey, right from booking the entry challenge up until graduation. I was apprehensive about the course before I started, usual new thing nerves I guess, but having a dedicated mentor meant I always had someone to talk to, and even better, someone who had done the course and knew exactly what I was going through. The tutors were interesting and engaging, even in our huge 120 person cohort, I felt they knew me well and always put in the extra effort to make sure I understood difficult concepts. Wholeheartedly recommend Northcoders, so glad I took the plunge and completed the course.

What were you doing before the Bootcamp?

I'd been working for about ten years in the family business which was day care for adults with disabilities. I enjoyed the work but it was never really what I wanted to do with my life, I just happened to fall into it. I eventually was made redundant and took the opportunity to pursue coding as it's a topic which always interested me and I'd dabbled with coding in different forms over the years.

What was the support like on the course?

Mentoring was absolutely fantastic. From day 1 I was assigned a mentor who was a really great and approachable guy. Every time I felt a bit overwhelmed or like I was getting stuck with something he was on hand to reassure me - often relating to my own feelings after having completed the bootcamp himself. It was incredibly reassuring to know I had someone to talk to, even when I didn't utilise it.

How much support did you receive from Northcoders with your job search after the course?

The careers team were great, very approachable and a pleasure to talk to. I was given support writing a CV and cover letter which was really helpful since I hadn't wrote one in 15+ years!

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about applying?

Definitely give coding a go and see if it's for you. Its a really interesting area to work in, but also as a hobby. If you like solving problems and building things your more than half way there. If you want to learn in your spare time go for it - it may take a bit longer but it's achievable. Northcoders will supercharge your learning and are doing it day in and day out for hundreds of people like me. Having a structured approach to learning is much better than trying to figure it out youself.

So glad I contacted Northcoders, it's been a tough but rewarding few months but I have absolutely no regrets and have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the course. My best advice is to get comfortable being a bit uncomfortable and pushing yourself to do new things - it pays dividends in the end.