I chose to attend the bootcamp because I was looking for a change and was seeking something that would be creative and also allow me entry into a new career. When I got a taste of web development, I was immediately inspired and driven to succeed. My instructors were amazing and the experience is something I would definitely recommend for those looking to make a change.

I chose to attend after self teaching myself for a bit and had a great time challenging myself to figure out these complex problems. This program impacted my life greatly by giving me the tools I need to succeed at my career and even in life. So it was a great experience that I would definitely recommend to anyone who has the passion to learn this awesome skill.

I wanted to return to web development after being away from it for 15 years. This was a great program to not only update my skills but also to prepare for applying for jobs and interviewing. I felt well prepared for entry level positions.

I loved the bootcamp. I chose to do it because there were so many things I wanted to learn and I knew the bootcamp would touch on every topic. It’s been one of the greatest experiences in my life. From the amazing learning environment, due to the great Instructor and TA’s I had along with a great group of people I worked with, it made learning fun and it was something I looked forward to every week. The bootcamp changed my life in so many ways and I’m extremely thankful for it. In the span of 6 months, I met some amazing people, some who I hope to know for many more years. I grew as a person because of them and the environment I was in every week. It showed me how much you can actually achieve in 6 months if you set your mind to something and put in the work. I’m now able to work as a developer and teaching assistant, an opportunity that I don’t think would’ve come up if I hadn’t done this bootcamp and I’m forever grateful for that.

The bootcamp has taught me the skills I need in order to build web applications.

I am very pleased with the end result, as I have successfully landed a job in my new role.

I chose to enroll in the bootcamp as a way to get back into the workforce after spending years at home with my kids. I went into the program with the mindset that I would get out of it what I put into it, so for the 6 months that I was enrolled, I put everything I possibly could into it. Balancing everyday life, time with my kids, and trying to put the time necessary into the program was a challenge, and there were definitely moments of frustration and doubt. However, the instructional staff was very supportive, knowledgeable, and awesome through the whole thing and my classmates made me look forward to every class.

The program built my confidence as a developer with every challenge that I overcame, and gave me a network of people to work with and bounce ideas off of. After graduating, I went through a fairly painless interviewing process, landing the first job I interviewed with. I believe I got lucky with the process, and not everyone’s experience would look the same. Still, with a lot of hard work, this bootcamp provided a path to a career, freedom, and a network of support beyond what I could have hoped for. I would definitely recommend the program to anyone willing to put in the time to gain these skills and would like the support and structure to get there.

The Boot-camp was a great experience. Scott was an excellent professor. I choose to attend because I wanted to build my fundamental knowledge of programming for the web. It gave me this and more. It took lots of time outside of the classroom to get the most out of the system. I average 20-30 hours outside of [the] classroom doing extra learning, assignments and extra projects. I developed a watering system for my house plants using knowledge I gathered in the class. The professor and TA’s [were] always encouraging and helpful. They were always willing to answer a quick question through slack.

What was your situation before attending [UNH Coding Boot Camp] and what inspired you to learn to code?

I graduated with a Bachelors in Marketing and have been in sales for nearly ten years, starting right out of school. I went in the business direction, and had a good career for a while, as a self-employed independent sales rep. Then I sold real estate for a few years. But, then I decided what I was doing wasn’t a long-term situation because it wasn’t steady and I was looking for a change. I got frustrated because it was very daunting to think of going back to school full-time. I wondered what I could add to my resume that would put me on a new track quickly.

About a year and a half ago, my wife came across coding as something to consider. I knew it was a desirable skill, and a good direction because it’s a direction a lot of the world is going in with children learning to code in elementary school. I realized I would add a new skill set and put it together with the skills I already had to distinguish myself and that employers would like seeing these skills on my resume.

Then when I hit the point where I thought this was the way to go, I did a quick Google search and being in New Hampshire the UNH Boot Camp came up and it was only 20 minutes from where I live. This fit in great with classes being on evenings and weekends so I could still take care of my day job. When I saw that I could change my career path in six months, with support from my wife, I filled out the app and did the interviews and started the boot camp in June.

What will you be doing post-grad?

I’ve actually already met all of my goals before even graduating. I accepted an offer for a job and started as a support engineer with a software company two weeks ago; that’s four weeks before even graduating.

What did you find most challenging about the program and what were your key takeaways?

I knew it was a lot and it takes a lot of time and it didn’t come easy for me. I had to be committed to learning something new for it to work.

I was in the classroom for ten hours a week; Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The repetition has been key. You’d be introduced and exposed to new technology, then do some beginner exercise work through to something more complex. I’d feel a little overwhelmed by the end of the class and then keep up with it the rest of the week.

Some people think there’s enough available online to learn to code that way alone. But, it’s different than trying to learn on your own in your house. The classroom setting was the best for me. The staff and TAs are awesome. And yes, there are endless online resources on YouTube and such on coding. Supplementing with outside sources helped it to really click for me. But, I also needed the structure and the curriculum to follow and the human support—having someone to bring my questions to.

Aside from just learning how to code, what was the best thing about attending the coding boot camp and how did it impact your life?

The biggest impact of the boot camp was the life change it created for me. I’m on a whole new path because of the hard work I put in for six months. This was the first time I didn’t dread going to school. It was a very different experience, looking forward to going to class.

I made friends in class who I hope to stay in touch with. A lot of the people are in a similar position, so there’s a lot of different people to be exposed to. And, our TAs and instructors all have good connections and hearing about their real-world experience was intriguing.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is considering attending the coding boot camp?

I would push the fact that your time in the classroom isn’t enough to have these abstract ideas click. You need to be prepared for a lot of at homework, as well. There are still topics we covered that are a little fuzzy for me. Don’t get discouraged because it will happen.

Some people picked it up really quickly but for me it was a little slower and took more repetition and practice, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come as easily to you as it does to some others. It boils down to how bad do you want it. If you’re not someone who has a photographic memory, you’ll just have to work a little harder, and it will be worth it.

It was a great choice for me and it all worked out really well for me.

What inspired you to learn to code at the coding boot camp?

What I was doing wasn’t my calling, and I was searching for something else. My brother-in-law is a data scientist and he suggested I look into coding and suggested I try some Python coding. I did some online tutorials to get my feet wet and really liked it, so, then I decided to look for more of a focus and direction and decided to do some HTML, Javascript, and CSS to learn more basics and really liked it. So, then I looked for a program that offered a more focused curriculum that would get me into the field faster, so I decided to try the boot camp.

What will you be doing, post-grad?

Still up in the air, but, as I’m still getting a grasp on the finishing of the back end and how things connect full stack, I like both but, I’m still torn between which side to focus on, but I enjoy both aspects of it. Ideally, I’d like to work in a sports company that deals with front-end or back-end, but really anything that seems interesting I’m open to.

What did you find most challenging about the program and what were your key takeaways?

What I find most challenging is the pace of information since a lot is cemented over usage. You really have to work at it to keep up with the vigorous pace. Once you start to pile on the different elements, it gets a little complicated.

There’s a lot of great takeaways from the boot camp. The whole curriculum is built around creating a presence for yourself and is designed to build a portfolio of apps, which is rewarding in and of itself. Also, just the exposure to different technologies and to what’s out there.

Aside from just learning how to code, what was the best thing about attending the coding boot camp and how did it impact your life?

Being in the boot camp is getting me excited to get started on my career. I spend all my time coding now and it’s what I want to do. I’m sure it’s different for everyone but, I wasn’t 100% sure about it. I was interested, but not 100% sure. What I’ve found is that the better you get and the more applications you build, the more confidence you get and the more fun it is and the more rewarding it is. And that’s one of the things you get from being in the boot camp.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is considering attending the coding boot camp?

I wouldn’t enter it lightly. You have to really have a dedication to it. You have to spend time doing it. You can’t just go to class and think you will just get through it. Basically, it gives back what you put into it. You have to really try and also don’t be afraid to fail because that’s part of the learning experience.

I choose to attend this program, as I had a career break of three years, so I lost my confidence and also I was searching for my first job in the United States. So, I wanted some add-on along with exposure. I was so very satisfied with the [course], as it was a fast-paced intensive coding program, which made me more confident with all the practical knowledge. I had done some online courses previously but this program curriculum had so much of live coding practices that made us more confident in what we learned. I would definitely recommend this [boot camp] to someone looking for a career change or someone new to web development.

I have always been interested in tech and building software. I had tried the self-taught route, but you get so much more when you go to a class like this. 

I picked this program because of the curriculum. A majority of the new technologies we were implementing at my work were using JavaScript and Python for their processing. The course was VERY concentrated in JavaScript and through learning JavaScript very well, Python became much easier. 

The other major factors were: 

1. Budget: the class is really well priced for the amount of class time that there is 
2. Time: I could still go to work full-time and also take this program which is a huge plus for people who are employed and are also looking to make a career change. 

Impact: 

1. As cliche as it sounds, it has opened my eyes to a whole new world. So many things that we use now are somehow tied to the internet. How they communicate and how they work may be a challenge, but the things that you learn as you build software applications is that building small pieces and becoming nearly autonomous when it comes to learning things about these things is a skillset that carries over to so many other realms of tech and life. 
2. Analytical thinking is not a give in, it is taught. 
3. Being in the program, you learn how to not only design the ideas but learn how to clearly communicate them. I have met so many people that now know that skill and that you know can develop anything you want to work with.

I took the boot camp to learn the latest technologies as I had pivoted from front-end to full-stack and wanted to have a good grounding before looking for a job in a different role from what I was doing previously. I thought it would give me better chance at a more senior role. Also, I was learning by myself and felt lack of support. I thought it would introduce me to people in the same area.

I gained a great network of supportive people and friends. I learned a massive amount of technical skills in real-world skills not just coding but project management, agile, and troubleshooting skills — all invaluable. Having a deadline helped push me way more than I could ever have by self-teaching, and therefore I learned at a much faster pace. I also learned how to deal with conflicts in a team project; I learned about my weaknesses and strengths, which I did not expect. I am more humble but also stronger and more enthusiastic to get out there in the real world.

The course was unexpectedly an all-round education. One of the best things was the teaching teams lessons on how to figure out problems, ask the right problem questions and solve it ourselves. I have ended up getting a part-time flexible job of my dreams, that fits around my life and family, and I really do credit this to the course. The company I chose to go after are using the latest technologies, perfect for my next step. I am turning down positions as I have marketable skills, and feel I have options I did not have before the course.

The career services team and Aubrey, in particular, were absolutely instrumental in helping me land my dream job with such a wonderful company. With her coaching and guidance, I was able to nail everything from the interviews to communicating with HR post-meetings. The entire team helped by reviewing and providing critical feedback on my resume as well as my social media accounts (such as my GitHub, LinkedIn, etc). I could not have done this without Aubrey and the rest of the team. Thank you all so much for your help!

The [UNH Coding Bootcamp] has changed my life in the best possible way, and I cannot be more grateful. It was not easy, but all the hard work paid off! I am profoundly indebted to my instructional team – Scott Byes, George and Art, and to my SSM, Joanna McKay – they were all impeccably professional and supportive throughout the six months.

Although I considered myself competent in HTML/CSS, the career services element of the program was what really attracted me — having spent about two years out of school unsuccessfully looking for gainful employment. Thanks to both the program and career services, I was connected with people who could eventually help me get a full-time job that allows me and my partner to live comfortably and that provides me with growth opportunities.