With the first week of our January full stack coding bootcamp completed, we wanted to catch up with some of our students to share their experiences of working with Tech Educators. Our first student is Sam Louloudis, who gives us an update
Hi Sam, so you have completed the first module of the bootcamp. Now you have ten classes under your belt, how do you feel?
The first ten lessons were a whirlwind! I can’t believe how much I learned in one week - there’s no way I’d be able to do this at home alone. Being surrounded by other people, all so driven and from different backgrounds really helps.
What have you learnt so far and is there anything you found particularly interesting or useful?
Finally being pushed into JavaScript - while I was kinda familiar with HTML and CSS, going on the course forced me to finally get a handle on starting to learn a programming language. I think I really needed the shove, and it’s not nearly as bad as I imagined it to be.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced so far and have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I’ve had so far is keeping up with my self-study after classes, and forcing myself to stick with what we’re learning about - it can be tempting to dive into a whole new topic but I’ve found myself humbled by the lab topics often enough that I know I need the extra practice.
How do you feel about the pace of the bootcamp and the level of support from the instructors, teaching assistants and your classmates?
The instructors are amazing - I can’t overstate how useful it is to be able to ask questions about something you don’t understand, or having your knowledge tested. You can’t ask a YouTube video about why something works the way it does. The pace is really good - fast enough that I’m learning something new every day, but slow enough that I get to test the concepts properly for myself to make sure I understand them!
What are you most excited about learning as the bootcamp progresses?
I’m really excited to do a deep dive into CSS and manipulating the DOM in JavaScript - I’m also really interested in Three.JS. Basically, anything that lets me combine coding and art!
I understand that you have come from the design & arts industry, that seems like it might have some crossover, how are you finding it?
Plunging into web development has been a lot of fun and very satisfying - I think there’s a concept out there that it’s very hard, and while it can be frustrating at times I’ve always felt like there’s an answer to my intent. The very first thing that we covered in class was having a Growth Mindset, and really applying that idea to my thinking is really useful. It’s okay to not get everything instantly. Any skill takes work, it’s just a matter of trying again.
What has been the most enjoyable part of the bootcamp so far for you?
I really like the structure of Read, Instruction, and Lab. I gain some of my own familiarity with a topic, and I’m ready to ask questions about anything that confused me with the instructors - and they often explain ideas in a much clearer way than some things online.
What would you say to people considering a bootcamp and possibly switching their career?
If you think coding is something you'd enjoy as your career (or even if you're really intense about your hobbies), go for it, I don't regret anything! It's really an excellent way to make sure you're covering all the topics you'll need to prepare yourself for a web development career, and Tech Educators is great because they have one-day (or two evenings) taster sessions with them to see if you like it. After doing mine I was sure it was something I really wanted to pursue.
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We wanted to thank Sam 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 Sam, 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
Tim is the course director at Tech Educators and brings with him almost a decade of experience working in various tech sectors, as well as the added benefit of being an alumni to a Full Stack Bootcamp.
