Matěj Polák worked in real estate in Brno before joining the programme. He decided to change his path, joined batch #4 of the Coding Bootcamp Praha and successfully graduated in November 2017. What was his experience at the bootcamp like? What did he like and dislike? Matěj's path to finding a job was really smooth and took him only 9 days from the Demo Day into entering his office as a software developer. He works now as a JavaScript Software Developer for 24i. Read more about his experience:
Thanks for talking to us! First, what did you do before the bootcamp?
I was a real estate agent for an agency called RE/MAX.
Why did you decide to learn programming?
I have always been interested in the tech world, startups, business. I have always wanted to create something on my own, but those ideas always crashed due to a lack of technological knowledge. With the support of my friends and closest family members, I decided to take part in Coding Bootcamp Praha. It changed my life really fast.
What made you choose the Coding Bootcamp Praha?
Well, it's hard to choose only one point, but probably the combination of location, price, reviews, wide range of skills to gain, and definitely the fact that the instructors are some of the best in their fields.
What was your experience at the bootcamp like - instructors, other students, team projects, hackathons, Demo Day etc?
I can imagine myself writing hundreds of lines about this. But in general, the whole experience was just amazing, and I didn't expect that at all. The instructors were incredibly helpful, friendly, and open-minded. They were always there for us and ready to help. Other students were just amazing, we had such a good time together. We had a lot of fun, did a lot of coding, had the same opportunities, goals, etc.. I am in touch with the majority of them even though the bootcamp ended more than 3 months ago. The biggest plus of the bootcamp is the fact that everyone gained skills which were immediately used in the projects we had. We also tried a lot of scrum/agile ways of working. I use this technique daily in my current job as well as all other skills we gained. Hackathons and Demo Day were just the cherries on top.
What was your favourite part of the Coding Bootcamp Praha experience?
I am really happy that we got so much practice, and that we actually tried out all the gained knowledge in real projects, hackathons, and finally, that the main project finished with Demo Day.
What do you think about the job support - the HR workshops, the CV/LinkedIn help, meeting the company partners etc?
Again, great and really helpful part of Coding Bootcamp Praha. Actually, I got my current job just because of my LinkedIn profile. It was something all of us consulted with instructors and HR during individual meetings and HR workshops. Big thanks to you guys!
How long did it take you to find a job? Where do you work now and what is your position?
Well, this is funny, I guess. Bootcamp ended up on November 24th, which was a Friday, and I signed my contract the next Thursday. The following Monday, I was sitting in my brand new office, with a new MacBook and 3 monitors :D. So, in total, it took me 9 days from bootcamp to the office.
I have been working for a Dutch company called 24i as a JavaScript software developer. We are building streaming apps for almost all devices such as web, iOS, tvOS, Android, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, and SmartTVs, for the biggest client in this field. I started out bug fixing on basic AppleTV. Currently, I am creating new features for SmartTV app.
What would you advise anyone considering signing up for a coding bootcamp?
It's simple. If you want to change your life situation, don't be scared and book your place as soon as possible. I highly recommend this opportunity.