How did you find your time on the bootcamp?

My time at Northcoders was challenging and I learned a lot. Despite being challenging, it was a lot of fun and also very rewarding. I found the trainers and mentors to be very knowledgeable and happy to help. Northcoders also fostered a friendly environment and I enjoyed working with the other people on my course. The careers support afterwards was also very good. I'd recommend the bootcamp to anyone interested in coding and software development.

What were you doing before the Bootcamp and what made you apply?

Before Northcoders I'd studied Media Studies to Masters level and had not long since finished my Masters course before applying to Northcoders. Despite enjoying my degrees, I did not feel that I wanted to go and further academically and I'd also developed an interest in learning to code. The jobs I'd worked previously had been mainly customer service focused or warehouse roles and I didn't see a long-term career I desired in either those fields. After finding out about the Northcoders bootcamp, I thought this was a great way to pursue my interest in coding.

What was the support like on the course?

The mentoring team were very helpful and were always on hand during situations where I found myself stuck. When providing help, the mentors often asked me questions or told me to look at certain parts of code to try and guide me towards sorting out my own problems, which is a useful mindset to encourage in someone who'd like to become a software developer.

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

After the bootcamp, I received a great level of support in finding a role including advice on what to write in applications and mock interviews. It definitely wasn't the case where I felt I was on my own in finding a role, Northcoders' careers team genuinely cared about helping me find my first developer role.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about applying?

I would recommend anyone thinking of applying to Northcoders to go for it if they wanted to improve their coding knowledge and skills and pursue a career in software development. I had begun to learn coding alone in my spare time before applying and although it was going well, I found a massive amount of benefit in learning from the Northcoders curriculum, in an environment with other learners and with mentors who were teaching me directly. It definitely helped me commit more to learn to code than when I was learning on my own.

Anything else you would like to add?

Northcoders was a very pleasant experience for me beyond the skills and knowledge I developed and the careers support I received. I had a lot of fun, met a lot of great people and will always look back fondly on the whole experience.