Robert-Jan
Where do you live / where are you from?
Netherlands, The Hague
What is your job title now?
Application Developer
What was your job role / title before the coding bootcamp?
Digital Project Management Specialist
Which CodingNomads course did you take?
The Python Web Development Career Track when it was onsite in Bali.
What was your education level and background before CodingNomads?
Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering, Master’s degree in Construction Management and Engineering.
What sparked your interest in learning to code?
When working as a Digital Project Management Specialist at my previous company, I was limited by the software we used. Looking for more freedom to achieve the goals I was aiming at, I kind of stumbled into visual programming. This really helped me understand some basic coding principles, which never clicked before, despite that I was introduced to coding in college (Matlab). It didn’t take long before I wanted more freedom than the visual programming tool I was using could offer. That’s when I started to explore coding.
It was also then that I realized that software does not magically appear out of thin air, but that it is built by people. I had no knowledge of the tools software engineers used to build all of these amazing programs, and felt I was missing out. In learning how to code I have acquired an amazing toolbox, with which I love to use my creativity and problem solving skills. I really enjoy it.
What (if any) was your coding experience before CodingNomads?
Some Visual Programming and some hobby-ing in my freetime.
Why did you decide to learn coding specifically with CodingNomads?
The course took two months and was in Bali. Although the setting was amazing (great weather, beautiful country), for me it was mostly the fact that you were not at home having your daily distractions. For me, this is what was needed since it allowed me to completely focus on the course.
Also CodingNomads has the best price/value ratio!
What was your favorite aspect of the bootcamp?
Besides being remote, the great teachers and the good vibe with the other participants. The time flew by.
Just one small disclaimer: you are going to get just as much out of this bootcamp as you are willing to put in it. The work will not happen by itself, and they will not come and drag you to class. That, obviously, is your responsibility! 🙂
How did you get your job after the bootcamp?
I was sent by my company to attend the bootcamp for training. However, when I came back I couldn’t apply my skills to the fullest. My learning growth was flattening since there were no other developers around me. This resulted in me looking for my new job where I work today. I’m still very grateful for the opportunity my previous company gave me to get me started on this path. I found my current job through networking and applying online.
What types of skills are you using today that you learned with CodingNomads or since?
I currently work as a Python application developer at VIKTOR. VIKTOR provides a Software Development Kit platform to help clients quickly build and deploy web applications in Python. If our clients need some help getting started, some extra hands or don’t have the Python skills inhouse, our Application Development Team comes in, which I am part of. In other words, I build VIKTOR web apps for our clients using Python and packages like pandas, shapely and plotly.
At VIKTOR I’m using my “basic” Python knowledge most which I learned at the beginning of CodingNomas program. Although my job doesn’t consist of the full range of skills I learned in the bootcamp – like how to deploy and maintain databases, or set up servers – it does come in handy having knowledge and understanding of how our product is developed.
Besides professionally, I still like to build stuff in my free time, mostly using Django, APIs, and bootstrap, which I learned with CodingNomads. For example I built a web-application called www.luckylub.com in which my wife and I track our board game stats. I deploy on Google Cloud. I never really liked HTML, CSS and JS, so I make use of bootstrap for the styling.
How long did it take you to land your job after the bootcamp?
It was about 5 months from the moment I decided to start applying until my first day at my new job. I was still working, so I was not applying full-time. I eventually got two offers, one was through my network and the other was from an online application.
What was the hardest aspect / biggest thing you learned in the job search?
The hardest part was assessing the job requirements and qualifications in comparison with my skills. I knew pretty well what my skills embodied. But it’s hard to translate this to a job title/requirements. Are my skills junior, mid-level, senior? I knew this technology, but is it sufficient? I decided not to focus on it. Instead I focused on looking at the company and the job description. Do they fit me and what I desire in a job? It’s up for them to decide if I’m good enough.
Also, I was aware that white-boarding often happens in programming interviews, but since I had a job when I attended the bootcamp, I did not really make use of CodingNomads’ training regarding that topic. I did practice a lot once I decided to start applying for jobs, and found it to be very important in the interviews. The main site I used for this was Codility.
There are some tricks out there that will help you a lot nailing your interview. The main tactic I used is called “REACTO” for answering interview questions: Repeat – Examples – Approach – Code – Test – Optimization.
If you could do it all over again, would you?
All of it, 100%. If you are looking for a course where you will master all the general Python skills and get a good general understanding of Web development, look no further. After the course you are able to build pretty neat web applications and throw them on the internet, accessible to anyone.
WORDS OF ADVICE FROM ROBERT
Focus on the basics! You’ll sometimes do stuff which may feel boring, repetitive or irrelevant to you. I promise you that it is super important to get the fundamentals down. Later in your work (or hobby project :), when you have to solve a problem that is not as straightforward as the exercises you’ve done in class, you can rely on the basic fundamental principles to figure out a solution.