My name is Carmen. I’m Spanish and Italian but I grew up in Brussels. I studied at the LSM (Louvain School of Management) and then joined Le Wagon in 2017. I’m currently working as a Product Manager at AppTweak.
You joined Le Wagon’s bootcamp just after getting your master’s degree. Why did you decide to keep on learning new skills - especially learning how to code?
The education I got at university was very theoretical and the school mostly promoted jobs in consultancy (big four) or in FMCGs. These careers didn’t attract me much, so I thought « Why not learn something completely different? ». I wanted to learn something related to tech, something more practical and that would enlarge my set of skills. During the summer, a friend told me about Le Wagon, and after reading a bit more about it online, it was exactly what I was looking for.
Why Le Wagon?
At first, my mind was not set on Le Wagon but I liked the idea of a coding bootcamp. Plus, it could also be an opportunity for me to study abroad for a couple of months. So I looked online for trainings and bootcamps, but Le Wagon always ranked at the top of all websites. In the end, the choice was simple: I decided to stay in Brussels and take up this new challenge!
How was the bootcamp? What did you like best?
I really enjoyed my time at Le Wagon. At first, you touch a little bit of everything but then you have the opportunity to learn more about the things that you like most.
I was also very happy about the teaching format: you start with some theory and then quickly jump on exercises in pairs and then at the end of the day we all work together to solve some problems. The whole thing feels like a game where you need to find the best way to solve a puzzle!
I also had the chance to meet incredible people from all horizons. Being surrounded by so many nationalities felt like being an expat in my own city.
You’ve graduated from Le Wagon a few years ago, can you tell us more about your journey from then till now?
Even though I loved coding for 9 weeks, I never really considered a career as a developer. Not long after I graduated from Le Wagon, I joined AppTweak as a Customer Success/ASO Consultant.
AppTweak is a fast-growing SaaS for App Store Optimization (ASO). When I joined, the team was about 10 people, and my role was mostly to help AppTweak’s customers with their ASO strategies. But as the company became bigger, I had the chance to move away from the business side and join the product team.
What is your role now?
Today, I am still a Product Manager at AppTweak. Even if I have not coded in a long time, Le Wagon helped me get a good general culture of software development, which helps me in my day-to-day. Indeed, I am constantly working with designers, data scientists, front and back-end developers, so it is essential to understand what they do if I want to succeed as a product manager.
Your advice for anyone thinking of learning to code?
- Coding is not only for developers! What you learn during the bootcamp is useful for anyone who wants to work in tech, no matter your job title.
- Every lesson is super important! The program covers a bit of everything, and I have to admit that it’s hard to be at 100% all the time. But honestly, there is not one concept that I learned that hasn’t been useful afterward. So, stay focus, it’s only 9-weeks!
- Take advantage of the community! Le Wagon is an international school with a huuuge alumni network. By simply browsing the Slack channels you will get valuable tips, readings, events, job opportunities, and much more…
