So you want to do a bootcamp...

5 years ago, in 2015, I embarked on a journey. I was determined to make a career change into tech. At the time, I had just graduated with my Master's Degree in Athletic Training and was a Healthcare Professional working with sports-related injuries in different settings.

When I was done with work, I would play around with code, be on Codecademy doing a class or watching YouTube videos. My girlfriend, at the time, suggested that if I really wanted to do this, I should attend a bootcamp. Three of my cousins attended them and were all working as Software Engineers.

Fast forward to 2019. My job was the same thing every day. There was no change and to be honest, the only time I got excited at work was when I was either coding or when I had a challenging injury. Spoiler Alert, my girlfriend turned into my wife (YAY!). Any ways, one day, I was complaining to my wife about how much I didn't enjoy my job any more. I had been in athletics for almost 12 years and nothing really changed. Once again, she suggested I look into bootcamps. So my 2019 New Years Resolution was to learn how to code and make a career out of it.

I didn't just wake up one morning saying, "Hey, I think I want to apply to this bootcamp!" No, I took my time. I did my research. I looked at the option of enrolling in a 4 year program, and the cost of bootcamps. I attended so many Meetups and info sessions, I had a list of pros and cons of all the schools I looked at in NYC. Finally, I decided to apply to a few but ended up choosing The Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy. Best decision ever.

The reason why I did was because 1) you did not have to pay tuition until you had a job, and 2) I did not really know how to work with women. I was in a male dominated industry for the past 12 years. All my mentors were men.

During my time at this bootcamp, I've learned a lot and met some amazing people. Don't get me wrong, bootcamps have a bad rep sometimes because of the things they promise. "You'll be making 100K!", "You'll write amazing code!", "You won't be a junior when you graduate this program!" While this all sounds GREAT, no one can really say they can do high level coding in 4 months. It takes time, it takes practice, and you have to build different applications using different frameworks, libraries, etc. Even self taught developers take longer than 4 months to really get good at their craft.

So really, what did I learn at my bootcamp and how does one succeed in changing your career in tech...

1) You have to be determined. Yes, you're changing your career, it's scary AF. You want to succeed but you have to take the risks you never thought you could. It took me 5 years to make my jump, but I am so happy I did not rush into it.

2) Know that you're going to fail. You're not going to know everything and that's okay. Ask for help, get to know people who are in your class/cohort. Talk to your instructors and fellows.

3) Understand that bootcamps will give you some foundation and help you learn how to build applications BUT you need to put in the time to do research, read documentation, and MAKE MISTAKES. Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.

4) NETWORK!!! This is the biggest thing I've learned while on the job search. I attended every event I could to grow my network. My classmates asked me how I secured a job so fast, and only a month after graduating. I met someone at an event who referred me to the company!

5) Get involved in the tech community. It's scary and intimidating but I've met some amazing people via Twitter and all the different tech organization Slack channels I'm in. I read a bunch of articles on dev.to and that helped me a ton.

Bootcamps aren't for everyone. There is a stigma but without it, I would not have been able to get interviews when I applied, or even be able to accept my first job at a tech software company.

As 2020 begins, I'm happy to say I'm finally in tech.

If any one wants advice, feel free to reach out!