Aspiring Front End Developer Finds Success

Explore Preston Hagen's career shift securing a Front End Developer role.

Think about hiking up a hill in the pouring rain with soaked socks and water dripping off your hat into your eyes.

Each step gets increasingly difficult as more and more mud hugs your boots.

You lose traction and slide back every few steps, having to grab a nearby branch to keep yourself from falling.

Not great, right?

Well, imagine feeling that same way while trying to teach yourself something new.

Yikes!

I wouldn’t want to feel that way, and neither did Preston Hagen.

Preston’s first career was accounting, and Preston quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit for him.

For 2 years Preston taught himself coding on the side, but he wasn’t getting far on his own.

With each project he completed, he fell more in love with coding–he knew he was on the right path.

But as time slipped by, he realized he wasn’t much closer to the summit.

Preston then searched for help.

He was looking for a sense of direction, a paved trail with an accompanying map, and the right tools to lead him to his goal of becoming a developer.

Of the options, taking a bootcamp or going back to college, a coding bootcamp made the most sense for his budget and schedule.

Preston eventually chose Nucamp as his guide because of the affordable cost, self-paced schedule with weekly live workshops, and positive reviews.

First Preston completed the Web Development Fundamentals Bootcamp.

Even though he understood the basics, it was a great reinforcement course before he jumped into the Front End Bootcamp.

During the Front End Bootcamp Preston learned new concepts and was challenged to learn in ways that self-teaching hadn’t.

The advantage of meeting with his classmates and instructors each week was incredibly valuable.

Preston started applying for jobs while he was still attending the Front End Bootcamp.

Two months after graduating, he applied to Bass Pro Shop.

After a few rounds of interviews, Preston started his new job as a Front End Developer 4 months after graduation.

Preston advises those considering joining a bootcamp to pick a daily study schedule before registering and stick to it.

And remember, while learning something new can be difficult, you don’t have to go it alone.

“It was great having the timeline for when things need to be finished. It helps you become consistent and stay on track. That doesn’t happen with self-led courses.” -Preston Hagen, Full Stack Bootcamp Graduate