How did you find your time on the bootcamp?

I have had the best of time, and Northcoders fully exceeded my expectations. The curriculum was really well-designed and thorough, and even though we work at a rather fast pace, I never felt overwhelmed or lost at any point. The tutors were lovely and helpful, and always took time to explain concepts in details. Despite being an online boot camp due to the Coronavirus situation, I felt a great sense of community with my peers, and really loved being able to learn alongside others.

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

I used to be an English secondary school teacher, but the over focus on exams and grades put me off the profession. I felt I had little time and opportunity to teach students about literature and English in itself, and why those subjects go way beyond the classroom. I was keen to spend more time simply discussing texts and ideas with them, and teaching them how to find their voice as individual writers, but the current educational climate leaves little space for such exploratory practice.

What was the support like on the course?

I was given excellent support from the mentoring team throughout the course. They helped me get unstuck whenever I encountered a problem, and were always supportive.

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

We had a careers week, and received feedback on our CVs. It was good to get feedback on how to write a technical CV, but I would have appreciated getting feedback on my portfolio as well, since I really wasn’t sure how to lay it out.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about applying?

It’s a very reasonable and achievable goal. Many like to paint programming as something only geniuses with a background in maths can do, but the truth is that the tech industry is far-ranging, and welcoming to a broader range of people than we tend to think. There is space for creative flair as much as logical thinking, and many types of people can find programming and creating softwares/websites /etc. rewarding.