Am I ready for a coding bootcamp? If you are reading this article, you are most likely thinking of attending a coding bootcamp. You might be wondering if you are ready and what actually makes anyone to be ready to sign up for this intensive learning experience. After teaching a number of batches of students at the Coding Bootcamp Praha, we realised that the attitude to learning is the most crucial ingredient. So here are few tips of what to expect before and during a coding bootcamp.
Do you enjoy problem solving? How do you imagine programming looks like? It might sound like an obvious question but often people do not realise that programming is about breaking down problems into smaller pieces and solving these step by step & re-doing this process, if necessary. Make sure you test whether you enjoy this process by studying at any of the free online platforms, which allow you to learn the coding basics.
The time at the bootcamp is super intense, full of new concepts and ways of thinking. If in three months you want to become a software engineer, then now is the time to give it your best. The coding bootcamps focus on the practical experience - applying any new concepts right away in exercises and projects. You spend majority of your days thinking about how to program and actually program.
Do you have any coding experience? Make sure you are ready for it by studying as much as you can already in advance. At the Coding Bootcamp Praha we provide students with guidance on what to study on their own already before their batch, so that they can absorb concepts and learn at their own pace. Despite the bootcamp is suitable for beginners, the pre-bootcamp studies are a necessary part of the bootcamp, so that the students can maximise their time with practice once they arrive.
At the bootcamp the time flies really fast. During the bootcamp you spend 8 hours per day at the classes but afterwards the students spend extra hours improving their programming skills. Typically students study on average 2-3 hours in the evenings and 6-8 hours on the weekend days. You should go for a coding bootcamp because you want to get the max out of it and the more you put in, the more you get out. Do not plan any travels or extra activities during the bootcamp - you will not have time for these or your studies will suffer. It is called a bootcamp for a reason. But if you honestly enjoy programming, then you will find this a fun meaningful way of spending time with other like-minded cool students!
Finally, have a clear goal of why you are attending a coding bootcamp. The goal will help you focus and study. Most of the students wish to change their career and become web developers. The syllabus features the top technologies, which are the most popular on the market, so make sure you get a good grasp. However, the popularity of specific technologies change over time, thus our mission at the Coding Bootcamp Praha is to teach students to think like a software engineer. In your future, you will then see that learning a new language becomes much easier.
Our advice in general? Think of your motivation and your goals. If you really enjoy programming, you are good to proceed with your application.