Nucamp was the opening gambit for his career change

From Warehouse Associate to Software Developer, Best Buy Contractor

"If you do the work, you will learn. I know people who took an expensive bootcamp and they ended up in the same job as me, but I did it at a fraction of the price.“

This is Johan Preus, a Nucamp Full Stack Bootcamp graduate and now a Software Developer contracting for Best Buy.

Johan likes to spend his free time playing video games and chess.

His physical health wasn’t just another pawn to sacrifice at his old job for a paycheck.

Working as a warehouse associate was decent pay, but the tradeoff was taking a toll on him.

The warehouse was always loud, and Johan was concerned about the onset of tinnitus he was starting to experience.

To top it off, in the long-term there were not a lot of opportunities for advancement in his position.

He wanted something more but felt cornered without other career options.

Then a radio commercial caught his interest, talking about changing careers by taking a coding bootcamp.

This made Johan think back to his first exposure to HTML 15 years prior while playing the online game Neo Pets.

This made Johan think back to his first exposure to HTML 15 years prior while playing the online game Neo Pets.

9 months later he was still enduring his manufacturing job, all the while his tinnitus becoming worse.

Johan was concerned about the cost of taking a bootcamp and started teaching himself by taking a Udemy course.

Eventually Johan’s circumstances became unbearable, and he made the move to register for a coding bootcamp.

Johan looked into the options, and quickly landed on Nucamp as it was an affordable price and provided an instructor and classroom environment.

He went all in and resigned from his manufacturing job to solely focus on his career change.

Johan’s tactics included spending an average of 4 hours a day, including weekends, to study and work on his projects.

His strategy paid off, securing himself a contract Software Developer position without having to forfeit his health at his previous job any longer.

“My favorite module was React, even though it was the most difficult. I’m still using it now as a software developer.”

Describe your job search process.

Johan used LinkedIn and AngelList (a startup focused recruitment platform) in his job search.

During his search he completed a Mint Beam Hackathon and also completed a month-long unpaid internship where he worked mainly with React Native.

Johan’s hackathon participation and internship experience were the main factors that helped him stand out to his employer.

This was about a 5-month process from graduation until when Johan started his paid training.

Tell us about a moment of doubt or difficulty and how did you overcome it?

When it came to getting through the challenges of learning a new skill, Johan made sure to remind himself that if he had the time, he could do it.

He proved himself right as he did have the time.

Putting in the effort even when he may not have felt like it, made all the difference.

What advice do you have for people who are thinking about attending a bootcamp, but haven't yet registered?

“Make connections with people. I didn’t really and I regret that a lot. If you do the work, you will learn.“

What advice do you have for people who have already started the bootcamp and they are just about to finish Bootstrap?

“Stick with it. Commit as much time as they can. You just have to work through it. “