We are now three weeks into our January full stack coding bootcamp, so wanted to catch up with some more of our students, allowing them to share their experiences of working with Tech Educators. We managed to speak with Full Stack student Hayden Kerr on his experience with Tech Educators so far and how he is finding learning to code.
Hi Hayden, so you have completed the first module of the bootcamp. How have you found it so far?
I have ten lessons under my belt and I’m much more comfortable with JavaScript having done the 102 and also basic HTML and CSS. Although I have done some studying with both, there was a time when I struggled with learning javascript by myself. Within one week, however, I have learnt more javascript than I had learnt by self-studying for over 2 months. It is taught really well and I'm starting to understand it much better.
What have you learnt so far and is there anything you found particularly interesting or useful?
As I said, I have learnt HTML, CSS and JavaScript but have found refactoring your code really interesting as it's amazing when you can write ten lines of code but with refactoring it turns into a few lines of code which is really fun.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced so far and have you overcome them?
The hardest thing is learning the syntax for JavaScript as it's my first programming language and just hard to get my head around, but from asking questions and with the instructors help, my understanding has picked up so much faster than I thought was possible.
How do you feel about the pace of the bootcamp & the level of support from the instructors, teaching assistants and your classmates?
The instructor and assistants have been amazing, always answering questions and why we would use a certain thing and why it works is even more useful. If you don't understand the way they have explained it they will explain in a different way until you understand. The other part that has been really useful is having everybody helping. Where someone is just slightly ahead we can chip in and help each other which means we are understanding it enough to explain how it works to the group.
What are you most excited about learning as the bootcamp progresses?
I am very excited to learn React having tried to learn a bit from self study but with how the course is going so far I am sure I will understand it much better and faster at the bootcamp.
You used to work in property maintenance, that’s quite a change for you, how are you finding it?
I have been doing property maintenance for seven years. It is a big change from what I was doing however most of property maintenance is problem solving which makes it very handy for coding.
What has been the most enjoyable part of the bootcamp so far for you?
Having an amazing group of people to learn with is amazing, making learning really fun and I particularly like learning CSS as creating a website that looks good is exciting and the slow progression to the final result is very satisfying.
What would you say to people considering a bootcamp and possibly switching their career?
I would highly recommend it as coding is a skill that will always be needed and there is a lot of job opportunities available making it a great industry to get into and it is really fun. I have already suggested friends and family to try the 101 to see what they think as anyone can do it and there is always something to learn which is perfect for me as I love learning new things.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
If anyone is even remotely interested in coding I would highly recommend trying the introduction to coding taster session as you might really enjoy it and it is one of the best things I have done and I don't regret it.
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We wanted to thank Hayden for giving us the time to speak to us about the first week, we will catch up again as the course progresses. To see if, like Hayden, coding is for you, you can try our introduction to coding bootcamp, sign up today and dive into a new career opportunity.
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.
