From Tennis Coach to Junior Software Developer: Olle’s Story

After working as a tennis coach, Olle joined Le Wagon's web development bootcamp in Amsterdam in search for a more stable and meaningful career. Shortly after graduating, he landed a job as a Junior Software Developer. Discover his story!

"I wouldn’t be where I am today without Le Wagon. I have this new found confidence. I now know that I’m able to take on the new challenges of working as a developer."

Hi Olle, can you please introduce yourself?

Hi, I’m Olle Thestrup and I’m originally from Sweden. I completed the web development bootcamp batch #744 in December 2021. Only a few weeks after graduating, I landed a job as a Junior Software Developer.

Can you tell us about your background before Le Wagon?

Before Le Wagon I was actually working as a tennis coach. Once Covid hit, this profession became more complicated, so I began to sort of bounce around between different jobs including carpentry, logistics and coaching tennis. I was lacking this sense of stability and knew that I wanted to upskill to achieve it. On the search for a more stable and meaningful career, I decided to move to Amsterdam and do the bootcamp.

What made you choose the web development bootcamp?

To be completely transparent, I was at a point in my life where I didn’t really know what to do, but I knew that I needed a change when it came to my career. After thinking back and forth about my next step, I decided to jump onboard and learn to code.

The web development bootcamp was much more appealing to me than that of data science. It’s more beginner friendly, and having little to no coding background, it was a better fit. I actually took my first step into the world of coding while still working as a carpenter. During this time, I downloaded a coding app and started learning bit by bit on a regular basis. I didn’t fully comprehend what I was learning when I was doing it on my own, which is what pushed me towards the bootcamp.

Can you tell us about your journey at the bootcamp?

I was definitely super excited, but at the same time a little bit scared. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the idea of moving to a new city as well as the learning experience itself. Overall, I had an amazing time. Of course I had a couple of breakdown moments, but I pushed through and made it out on the other end with a new skillset and this amazing global network!

My favourite part about the bootcamp was definitely the community. You’re part of this group of people struggling together, but also learning together. Day in and day out, your classmates and teachers are the best support system and we’re all helping each other. It was a very rewarding experience.

Do you believe that the bootcamp opened any doors for you?

Absolutely. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Le Wagon. I have this new found confidence. I now know that I’m able to take on the new challenges of working as a developer. I put in the work and consequently, I’m now reaping the benefits.

Now that you’ve graduated, what have you been up to?

As I mentioned, I’m now working as a Junior Software Developer. It didn’t take me that long to find a job after graduating which was really great! I actually didn’t even apply to the role directly, they reached out to me via LinkedIn. Within this new role, I’m working with Ruby on Rails with is really cool as it directly applies to what I learned in the bootcamp. I’m quite lucky to say the least!

Do you have any advice for someone thinking of transitioning into the world of tech?

It can be kind of scary, but you shortly realize that it’s such a friendly community. Everyone is sort of an imposter in some way or another, and once you realize that, everything seems a little less scary. No one knows everything.

Just believe in the process. I know that everyone says this, but it’s really true. It’s also really important to be patient and not be too hard on yourself. Learning how to code is not an easy task. It takes time, but anyone can do it if they put their mind to it.