Coding bootcamp in Melbourne

I have just completed the first Le Wagon bootcamp (batch 135) in Melbourne and it was a one of the best learning experiences of my life. Prior to the bootcamp I was struggling to figure out what my next career move was going to be. I had worked as a copywriter and consultant but never really loved what I was doing and was kind of just going through the motions to get my next pay check.

Why do the bootcamp? Well, when I was explaining what the role of HTML, CSS and JavaScript was to a friend of mine I kind of had an epiphany - I really enjoy talking about this stuff, why not take it further! I'd done some really basic web development tutorials before starting the bootcamp and had really enjoyed that. Little did I know how much more deeper you can go into the world Ruby and Rails and what you can actually build with a bit of help.

A mix of great teaching and interesting challenges you do in the first 6 weeks at Le Wagon allows you to have a strong grasp on what's possible. You split into teams and work on a real web app which is just an incredibly exiting thing to be involved in. After the bootcamp you have many options and routes to go down in finding employment or continuing to learn.

To sum up, if you're an inquisitive person who is interested in learning how web apps are built really consider doing the bootcamp. It opens so many doors and leaves you with a network of talented creative people.

My story starts out different than most. I came to Le Wagon as a Microbiologist working in the pharmaceutical industry. I was really disillusioned and disengaged from that job; the day-to-day now would be the same day-to-day 10 years from now because there was no prospect of career progression unless people retire. I’m an incredibly creative person, so I need to be building things everyday and solving problems regularly to be fulfilled. It’s here that I found Le Wagon and left my job to undertake the 9 week bootcamp.

Fast forward 9 weeks later, I’ve completed the first Le Wagon bootcamp (batch 135) in Melbourne and am now a fully certified Full Stack Developer. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing the experience has been. It’s completely turned my life around both personally and professionally. Not only do you learn how to program, but you learn all the fundamentals of web development, software architecture, database development and migration management, the real world application of Ruby in both a front and a back end context, the paradigms of MVC and CRUD, and key entrepreneurial strategies. The best part of it all though is that you, with a team of your peers, design and build a fully functional web application in just 10 days. Your teachers are so supportive and create such a positive environment, that I felt like I could completely push myself out of my comfort zone. Everyone there, including your peers, builds you up and you’re all working towards the same common goal as a team.

Your experience with Le Wagon doesn’t end with the bootcamp - you become part of a growing community. I was given a lot of support with building my resume for the tech industry after my career change, and there’s always someone to go to for programming advice if you get stuck on a problem. I’ve now found work as a Full Stack Developer. I’m incredibly passionate about what I do and I’m thankful to be able to get up every morning to build something beautiful.

Le Wagon has been a life changing experience for me.

Graduating fresh out of uni with a commerce degree sounded exciting. It was only after a few months of searching for a consulting gig, a terrible realization dawned upon me - I didn't like what I was doing.

It was a year of doom and gloom until I decided that I had to do something with my life. I was always drawn to tech and the startup space, so I knew I wanted to learn how to code. I found Le Wagon, saw that it was rated very highly online, took a leap of faith and never looked back.

I'm grateful everyday that I had the opportunity to learn from some of the most patient, highly skilled and overall great human beings. I now have the freedom to build my own products and to reach out to people in a different medium- a space I was always afraid to venture into.

Paal, the driver for the bootcamp, was excellent in organizing the whole course. He is a dear friend and very well known in the dev community. He connected me with so many people, and I'm eternally grateful his passion to bring out the best in every student. I hope that anyone that read this far will seriously consider this bootcamp - it will change your life.