We caught up with Drew Collins once more, as he continues his journey to becoming a web developer. This interview was conducted just after he finished the first phase of his course, the 102 segment of the full stack bootcamp.
So, Drew, it has been two weeks, you’ve just finished the first part of your evening course, how are you feeling?
I feel awesome! Even though it’s been just 2 weeks, I feel a world away from where I was. I feel I have already come along way. It’s amazing to think that you can move on so quickly with your learning. I guess that is the benefit of being here with others who can really drive you forward.
What have you managed to learn in this short time? What's next?
So far we have learnt the basics of HTML and CSS, which I already feel very confident in. I know they are the building blocks, but to learn a new language, which is essentially what it is. That gives you the confidence to move on quickly to the more advanced parts. We have touched on the basics of JavaScript, which I’m looking forward to getting my teeth in to. I know how prevalent that is in the industry, so moving forward with that feels like a big step, that I am excited to take on.
You have come from a background in construction, that is a big change compared to learning to code. How has that been for you?
One of the main things V (Vatsavaye, a Tech Ed course director) taught me at the start was ‘learn how to learn’. Find the way that suits me. I learn best by having the concepts explained to me, a brief demonstration, and then let me crack on myself. I do tend to ask a lot of questions, but that’s how you learn and really, that’s what the team are here for. If you didn’t want to learn this way, you could try and learn online on your own, but that just wasn’t the answer for me.
What is the most enjoyable part of learning to code?
In all honesty, I’m enjoying all of it. It’s a great feeling learning something new, and the feeling of achieving something. Even the parts I don’t understand straight away, when it clicks, it’s awesome. Also, the by-product of becoming a part of the community is having people to learn with and that, really, is amazing.
We will continue to follow Drew and his journey, so do keep checking in with the blog to find out how his journey progresses.
About the Author
James has 8 years with Fortune 200 US firm ITW, experience of managing projects in China, USA, and throughout Europe. James has worked with companies such as Tesco, Vauxhall, ITW, Serco, McDonalds. James has experience in supporting start-up and scale up companies such as Readingmate, Gorilla Juice and Harvest London. James completed his MBA at the University of East Anglia in 2018.
