During the past six months, they successfully juggled homework, on-campus coding sessions, studying flashcards, demanding careers, personal obligations, and social lives. Not all heroes wear capes!
The 24-week part-time web development course was introduced at Le Wagon Montreal last October. 13 students joined this first batch to learn how to code and build web applications. Now, we’re asking three of them to share their experience.
Who are our part-time students?
Morgane, Belis, Jeff, and their classmates all share the same ambition to learn and keep improving their craft. In an ever-changing world, this is a highly valued skill. “The illiterate of the 21st century,” as Alvin Toffler said, “will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”
Morgane worked as a caregiver in France before joining BRP in Montreal as a Health, Safety, and Security analyst. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Security and Criminology.
“For years I had been interested in learning how to code,” she says. “I took a few classes here and there, but I was missing the intensity and framework of a bootcamp to be more efficient. The full-time program was incompatible with my work, so I jumped on the opportunity when the part-time bootcamp became available in Montreal.”
Belis is a recent UBC Marketing grad. She moved to Montreal in 2019 to take on a new challenge as a Marketing and Communications associate at SAP. She had been teaching herself how to code on and off for a couple of years before deciding to take her interest a step further by attending Le Wagon.
Jeff is a coding enthusiast working as an administrative coordinator at Lufa Farms, the Montreal company behind the world’s first rooftop commercial greenhouse on an industrial building.
“The program provides the understanding necessary to spark curiosity and push us to go further,” he says.
How did you manage work, study — and everything else?
“You get used to this busy and exciting rhythm,” says Belis. “Everyone I met here is very motivated. It’s all about the mindset. We all knew what we were getting ourselves into and we keep our end goal in mind. I don’t even know what I’m going to do with all my free-time after the bootcamp!”
During a typical week, the course work is split between online lessons at home and in person sessions on-campus. Twice a week, students must watch lectures on our online educational platform to grasp core concepts and prepare for the on-campus coding sessions.
“The rhythm is intense, but knowing I’m going to code in the evening at Le Wagon helps me get through the day. I really enjoy coming here to code,” says Jeff. “Part-time is more flexible because you have extra time to go deeper in the concepts between sessions.”
What are your plans for after the bootcamp?
In the six months since starting the course, students have gained valuable skills like learning how to build robust, user-friendly software and working collaboratively in a team with other developers.
“I learned so many different concepts. My plan is to keep working on different projects on the side with some of the people I met here,” says Belis.
“I joined Le Wagon to improve my skills and learn new ones,” shares Morgane. “Now, I am planning on developing better health, safety, and security tracking tools at my current job.”
“I’ve managed to automate a lot of tasks in my daily work life,” adds Jeff. “The program allows me to think differently about my work. I am always asking myself how I can improve and scale. I am already thinking about building new libraries for my co-workers!”
If you want to learn even more about coding with us, you can
book a call with us to chat about your project.
