I only looked for Product Manager positions and intensively prepared myself in addition to Le Wagon training. In less than 3 weeks of research I got a job.
What brought you to study at Le Wagon?
Before Le Wagon, I used to work as a business manager in the heavy equipment service industry. I’ll spare you the technical details, but let’s just say that it was a lot of responsibilities and a very intense job. Eventually I had this feeling that I wasn’t creating anything.
I was looking for fresh ideas to make a career move .I met with a lot of different people from my network in order to know where to go next (UX designers, PM, devs, business dev, consultants, entrepreneurs…). I quickly decided to focus on Product Management. I read a lot about it and quickly realised that PM is all about execution and I knew I didn’t have the coding skills needed.
I asked questions around me and heard about Le Wagon, a very intense program teaching how to develop fully functional web app prototypes. I learnt it was all about getting my hands dirty with code. Perfect for me.
Did you have any concerns before joining the bootcamp? How were you reassured?
So much to learn, and so little time. Only 9 weeks! Like 99% of my fellow students I was starting from scratch. I was concerned about the amount of knowledge on such technical issues I could process and really wanted to know if Le Wagon truly had this “get shit done” mindset.
The teaching method is based on stacks that are built on top of each other. You learn by doing and searching by yourself. The teachers are operational developers who perfectly know what your concerns are. So yes, I definitely found what I was looking for at Le Wagon.
What was the best part of your bootcamp experience?
The whole experience was career -(life?)- changing for me. The community is very active, helping and fun. I met amazing people there, with great and inspiring stories. This is what Le Wagon is about. The people. I loved their passion and commitment. And beers are always fresh!
What was the transition out of Le Wagon like? And what are you doing now?
The transition was fast because I was focused. I only looked for Product Manager positions and intensively prepared myself in addition to Le Wagon training. In less than 3 weeks of research I got a job. I currently am the first Product Manager at
Fitle.
How did attending Le Wagon help you advance your career in product management?
Le Wagon taught me the technical knowledge I needed to bring a tangible value to a startup. Besides, the mindset they teach really helped me to get even more focused on what I have to do and what I should do first. Also, Le Wagon’s alumni network provides useful advice to successfully start your new life!
What do you think, besides the coding skills, were your main takeaways that differentiate you from the pack now?
The execution mindset, precious career advice and autonomy. Since I started as a junior PM at Fitle, who never had a PM before, I had to prove my value. And I had to do it quickly. Thanks to Le Wagon I got confident that I would be able to start something totally new and be efficient in doing so.
Why would you recommend Le Wagon over other coding bootcamps?
I don’t know about other bootcamps, but Le Wagon helped me achieve my personal goals. And they did it well. Remember: Le Wagon is all about commitment and effort. You will learn the hard way but it’s the best investment I have made in a long time.
