How did you find your time on the bootcamp?

I learnt far more in the 13 weeks of the course than I could’ve possibly expected. Within the first week, I was able to go through material that would have taken me a month by myself while also learning the best way to approach and write my code in general. It was great to see how much I’d improved through the practical projects we built. Topping it off by working with fellow cohort members to create a full-stack working application was a great experience. Throughout I had great support from my mentors. Everyone was incredibly friendly and made a real effort to get any questions answered or problems solved.

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

I had recently graduated from University, at the end of which I had realised I enjoyed the problem solving of programming far more than the challenges I faced in my degree program. After struggling to get a role in the tech sector due to a lack of experience, I decided to apply for Northcoders to get me that first step on the job ladder.

What was the support like on the course?

Mentors were both friendly and experienced. Even from the entry challenge to be selected, the tutors were very supportive. During my interview, the mentor went through my answers, took the time to explain some of the more in-depth aspects of what was happening and even provided additional resources to look at when I showed interest. On the rare occasion that a mentor couldn’t immediately answer a question, they were very open about being unsure and made an extra effort to research the problem and provide an answer within a couple of minutes.

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

The Careers Team were great at helping me feel more prepared and comfortable for the end of the course. We were able to attend some seminars on proper CV/resume/LinkedIn practices, and the 1-on-1 support with our own careers contact was perfect for fine-tuning our applications for individual jobs. During the course, getting to see presentations by hiring partners was also very interesting, both to see what skills were being looked for and the number of opportunities available.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about applying?

Having a good network of experienced mentors and peers going through the same process really does make learning to code much easier. Both in terms of how much technical material you’ll be able to get through and the genuine enjoyment of being able to work closely with others in the same situation and create something from scratch.