You Just Finished a 12-Week Coding Bootcamp; What Next?
Software Engineering bootcamp enrolment comes with a lot of optimism
You’re excited about starting your journey in tech, promises of jobs overflowing in the industry, opportunities to work remote and getting hired by a global multinational company.
Earn foreign currency whiles working locally. These are some of the attractions of working in technology and people are buying into it.
There are many bootcamps and avenues making this happen
Just like all the Wannabe tech workers, I desperately also wanted to be a part of the upwardly mobile, economically advantaged bunch working as a software engineer. I signed up for one of the best rated Web Development courses on Udemy (Dr. Angela Yu’s Fullstack Web Development program). A few weeks into the course I quickly realized it wasn’t for me.
I didn’t have the willpower, time and dedication to see it through as I was constantly lost within the course material. I could get frustrated to the verge of tears looking for a coding error. I just didn’t have the patience complete the program.
Then it dawned on me
I didn’t necessarily want to be a software engineer, I just wanted to work within the tech space in a capacity that matched my skills.
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I didn’t want to be a software engineer…. I just wanted to work in tech
If you have completed any of these online programs, Congrats, you’ve made the first commitment in starting your career in tech.
I believe you’ve realized by now that getting your first paying tech job is the biggest hurdle.
Few companies are willing to take a chance on an upstart with limited working experience. Established companies have a complex codebase therefore would not risk a beginner messing it up
After struggling with the coding bootcamp and online lessons, I combined my people skills acquired in working in corporate with my technical knowledge gleaned from joining online bootcamps to become a technical recruiter.
There are avenues for working in tech without necessarily being a technical engineer
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What to do
If you're struggling with finding an entry-level role after completing a coding bootcamp
-Help small businesses/Entrepreneurs
As highlighted in my previous post , helping a small business that cannot afford technology service is a solid way of breaking through. Small businesses typically do not have the finances to hire a full-time tech person. This provides the opportunity for you to experiment and use your tech skills to shape a business
-Volunteer
By volunteer your newly acquired tech services, it opens door for you to make meaningful in a business or a social cause.
-Build Something
Build a website, an application, a blog etc. Just get your hands dirty. This is useful when it comes to applying for roles as showing you're a self-starter is beneficial in the career building process.