What job role have you secured?

Associate DevOps Engineer at the DWP.

How did you find your time on the bootcamp?

The course was intensive, but thoroughly enjoyable. Throughout the initial stages, where we were learning the fundamentals of coding, the pace was fast, and there was lots of opportunities to put into practice what we were learning. 

Once we got to the specific Cloud Engineering pet of the course, the pace slowed down, and I often found myself twiddling my thumbs and asking ‘what else is there I can do?’. This was mainly due to the fact that we were the first cohort to go through the cloud engineering bootcamp, so we were very much Guinea pigs. The content, though, was thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, I just wish there was more of it!

What were you doing before the Bootcamp?

I worked as a debt advisor for a charity called Christians Against Poverty. 

What made you interested in moving into tech?

I’ve been interested in tech for as long as I can remember. My dad is a software engineer, so I have always been exposed to the world of tech. However, I really decided that I wanted to work in tech a few years ago, and my plan was to learn as much as I could in my spare time. I used websites like freecodecamp (highly recommended), but found that, alongside full time work, a young children, and needing time off, I had hit a plateau and wasn’t progressing. I also felt dissatisfied and unchallenged in my job, so when the charity had to make some redundancies, I saw it as a sign to jump.

What made you choose Northcoders?

I had a friend who had done the course a few years ago, and they highly recommended it. I was also drawn to Northcoders, being a northerner!

What was the support like on the course?

The support throughout the course was great. I didn’t feel that I needed much handholding, but I appreciated the weekly check ups with my mentor, which I felt helped to consolidate each week, and gave me a good sense of progress. The time in seminars was also really helpful, as it was nice to be able to see the thought processes of others on the course, and get the insight of someone experienced.

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

The things I have really appreciated are the CV/cover letter help, the interview prep help, and the periodic check ins with my job coach. 

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about applying?

I think that if you are passionate about tech, and want to go for it, then do it! Yes, it might be tough doing a 3 month course with no income, and then have a period of unemployment after that, but the reward is that you will end up doing a job that you will absolutely love, and where you will more than likely make up the lost money quite quickly. 

If you have reservations about whether you can do it, then I recommend spending some time trying to learn JavaScript through a service like freecodecamp. I will give you a good test of whether you have the passion, motivation, patience, skills, and mindset for coding, and the only investment would be some of your spare time.