How to Prepare for Coding Bootcamp
No matter what the endeavor, it helps to be prepared. And this definitely rings true If you are contemplating attending a coding bootcamp. Even if you are attending a bootcamp that doesn’t require attendees to have any prior coding experience, you will be better positioned to get the most out of the experience if you do some kind of preparation beforehand. But what’s the best way to prepare? While much will depend on the relative experience of each individual, we can take a look at some general tips that can help everyone get prepared for their individual coding bootcamp. What is a coding bootcamp?
First, what exactly is a coding bootcamp? Coding bootcamps are very intense and focused training courses where the participant can become fully immersed in a hands-on learning curriculum that are highly relevant to real-world applications in the chosen topic. An example is Centriq’s Full Stack Web Developer training program, which provides training based on Microsoft’s enterprise .NET C# development platform.
Preparing for a coding bootcamp
Here are some tips that can help you get the most of these immersive training sessions:
- Focus your goals. Make sure you understand why you want to attend a bootcamp. Are you trying to improve on current skills, and looking for career enhancement? Are you just starting out in an IT career and needing to acquire the skills necessary for landing that first job? Or are you more of a ‘hobbiest’, curiously seeking knowledge out of personal interest? How you answer these questions will help you choose which programs are right for and help you stay focused on the end goal.
- Take advantage of the online coding community. Sites like Quora, Women who Code, and Meetup.com provide welcoming environments where neophytes can get their questions answered and have discussions with both experienced pros and same level peers going through similar learning experiences.
- Learn some basics on your own. While you don’t have to know a great deal to get a lot out of a coding bootcamp, it would be wise to be familiar with the basics. There is no shortage of very basic single-topic courses online that can get you up to speed before you commit to an intensive multi-week bootcamp. Short of this, a simple search of coding languages will go along way in helping you understand the nomenclature you’re bound to run into during a coding bootcamp.
- Mentally prepare yourself. There’s a reason it’s called a bootcamp — a reference to the grueling military training camp for fresh-faced recruits. OK, it’s not THAT bad. But a coding bootcamp is designed to be a challenging and immersive experience, and it’s this very same intensity that makes it such a valuable educational experience. Just make sure you come ready to work and learn!
Whatever the focus of your coding bootcamp, you will ultimately get out of it just exactly what you put in. Part of maximizing the return on your educational investment is to make sure you are properly prepared for the experience. If you follow these tips, you will be well on your way to getting the most out your coding bootcamp experience.
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