How did you find your time on the bootcamp?

Northcoders was fast paced, friendly and a breath of fresh air to the kind of work I had been doing previously. I felt challenged and pushed myself to achieve what I thought was not possible, each day. The tutors were extremely helpful and most had been through the process before so understood your frustrations and could easily explain how they learned to overcome similar problems.

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

I was investigating formal complaints about the NHS and parliamentary organisations. The company was going through a lot of change and I knew that this was not the company or vocation for me. I was very unhappy and wanted to choose a solid pathway for my future.

What was the support like on the course?

The team are there to support you 24/7. From 8.30am to 6pm, you can request help from tutors via the NC Help portal and also grab anyone who happens to be walking by. Outside of these hours, tutors are available on Slack as well as all the previous Northcoders students, who are willing to help if you have any issues. Tutors will even come in early and stay late sometimes depending on the needs of the business and are more than happy to help you if you have any questions.

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

Northcoders want you to get a job and will not stop putting you forward for roles and giving you advice on how to get them. I felt it would have been impossible for me to remain unemployed for more than two weeks after the course. They also had some positions at Northcoders themselves. There are many hiring partners and they are always onboarding more, so you have a lot of choice of where you want to apply just before you graduate. You also get the chance to meet the companies at your graduation.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about applying?

DO IT! This is the best decision I made. Although it was scary quitting my job, with no guarantee I would succeed, everything has fallen into place and the course just speeds up what could be a very long and frustrating process of teaching yourself how to code. If you're serious about becoming a developer in a short time, this course is for you. If you want to learn by yourself, there are many resources out there to help you too. However, I believe Northcoders is worth every penny. I had more interview and job offers in the last 2 weeks of Northcoders than I have ever had in total previously.

Anything else you would like to add?

Northcoders are constantly striving to improve the course, updating it as we were taking it. We had some sprints where we were the first cohort to complete them, they add and remove relevant information to the syllabus as and when it comes out. We were being taught JavaScript which had only been released within the last few days. They teach relevant material and allow you to do so much practical work on the course, that you are job ready from the moment you finish.