Meet Michael, an alumni of Dev Bootcamp Chicago. Michael describes himself as “a developer trapped in a salesman’s body.” Before Dev Bootcamp, he was working as a car salesman, and then on the logistics side of the refrigerated foods industry.
Michael’s curiosity around coding started with the movie Hackers, but he felt discouraged that he wouldn’t be able to break into the software development industry. He’d been told by his peers that his skills didn’t line up with coding, and that because he didn’t have a computer science degree, he should just let of this goal. But, according to Michael, “I wanted nothing more than to prove them wrong, and to follow my curiosity.”
And yet, for three years, Michael made excuses about why not to attend Dev Bootcamp. Finally, last fall after visiting campus, he pulled the trigger and enrolled at Dev Bootcamp Chicago. “The excuses needed to end… I was not afraid of taking on a challenge, working the long hours, and failing in the process.” Michael graduated in February, and started the job hunt.
At Dev Bootcamp, our full-time career services team teaches our students about the technical interview process, introduces them to the local tech industry, and shares best practices for the job hunt–from networking to cover letters, resume review to code challenges. But, even with all of the support we provide at Dev Bootcamp, each student’s job search is there own. From Michael, “One thing I would like people to know about the job search after Dev Bootcamp is that it is exactly what you want to make it. For me the search was very personal process.”
Job hunting isn’t easy, and rejection can be part of the process. For Michael, it was a tough road at first, “After numerous rejections and being told I wasn’t good enough, I was extremely close to giving up. But if there is one thing I learned through this entire process it is – Everything will work out!” Michael got hired as an iOS developer at Detroit Labs. He joined fiveother Dev Bootcamp alums who are developers there. It’s common for companies to hire one Dev Bootcamp graduate, and then when that hire is successful, to come back for more. Many other Chicago companies like Braintree, Trunk Club, and Jellyvision, have five or more alumni.
Here’s a funny thing about Dev Bootcamp; you won’t see the words “iOS” on our curriculum, but our students are capable of getting developer jobs in a variety of coding languages. We teach programming fundamentals that prepare our students to go after, and succeed in, jobs across the tech landscape. It’s never enough to memorize a certain little pocket of code; it’s about getting comfortable facing the unfamiliar and learning as you go. That’s what Michael did at Detroit Labs; he’s learning Objective-C and Swift on the job.
So how does he like the Motor City? “The architecture is beautiful, the farm-to-table food scene is one of the best, and the people truly want Detroit to be successful. It’s exciting to be a part of a city’s rebirth.” About his journey, Michael says, “I have yearned for a position that would satisfy my desire to solve increasingly difficult problems. I am ready to collaborate, grow, and build.” And so he will.
If you’re ready to get started at Dev Bootcamp, stop by for a visit at one of our campuses, or start your application now.
