Northcoders, 2021年数字技能节的赞助商, recently interviewed Tia - a Software Developer at Aire Logic - on her journey from Freelance Artist and Call Centre Advisor to Software Developer via one of their bootcamps.
你在训练营过得怎么样?
Initially I was worried about having to do the bootcamp remotely (due to the pandemic) as I wasn't sure if remote learning would work for me. 然而，这种担心并没有持续太久. In fact, it ended up being good practice for remote working which I'm doing now! I began the course with some basic knowledge of HTML, CSS和JavaScript, but otherwise I was a complete beginner to coding. I found the course very challenging throughout, but that meant that I was learning something new every single day. The most valuable thing about bootcamp for me was learning techniques like pair-programming and how to work on a team project.
What were you doing before the bootcamp and what made you 应用程序ly?
Before Northcoders, I was a part-time freelance artist and full time call center advisor. I did this for around 8 years after university, but eventually I just burnt out and I didn't enjoy what I was doing. I decided to seriously consider a career change and, 经过一番研究, 我意识到我真的很喜欢编程. I found Northcoders online and spontaneously filled out the 应用程序lication form one night. 剩下的就是历史了!
在球场上得到了怎样的支持?
The support on the course was honestly really great. I mentioned before that I was worried about remote learning, but this didn't mean that we were lacking support. The tutors were very thorough in the lectures, and as they were live we could ask questions whenever we needed. Tutors were also just a Zoom call away if we needed help with anything.
How much support did you receive from Northcoders with your job search after the course?
There was a careers week halfway through bootcamp, and we had workshop sessions with the careers team during this time. These sessions included topics like the kind of companies we could work for, 简历写作, 投资组合技巧等. At the end of bootcamp, when we had completed our CVs, we were allowed access to the jobs board. On the jobs board were positions advertised by Northcoders hiring partners. The careers team would also organise live hiring partner talks which we could watch over Zoom, which was a really insightful way to find out more about an employer. I actually accepted a job that I 应用程序lied for externally, after being 应用程序roached on LinkedIn. 然而, it was reassuring to have the careers team there for support, as it can feel very daunting looking for your first tech job!
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about 应用程序lying?
Explore if coding is for you first by trying out some exercises on places like freeCodeCamp and Codecademy. If you enjoy it, you'll feel like you want to keep doing more. 有很多很棒的(而且免费的)!) resources out there to help you learn how to code. Youtube is full of talented people offering tutorials on every technical subject (Traversy Media and The Net Ninja are a couple I would recommend) so definitely check those out if you're starting to learn at home. 然而, bootcamp gave me that extra push I needed to grasp the difficult topics and learn how to collaborate with other people. Just remember that bootcamp is a full time commitment and it's really hard work at times when you're trying to understand new topics. 然而, you really do get out what you put in. 如果你对某事感到兴奋，那就去做! There is no better time to change your life than right now.
你还有什么要补充的吗?
我有艺术和设计背景, coding and creating software feels like the most creative thing I've ever done! There are many different ways you can go in your developer career (frontend, 后端, 网络, 移动, 应用程序, blockchain etc) however Northcoders will give you experience of full stack development, so you can gain some knowledge in all areas and get a feel for you enjoy most.
