Get in the coding game with Nucamp; it’s a slam dunk

From Data Annotator to Software Developer, ManhattanLife

"It took only 2 weeks into my job training to realized that going through the [Nucamp Full Stack] Bootcamp built a lot of confidence in myself."

This is Rich Kwon, a Nucamp Full Stack Bootcamp graduate and now a Jr. Developer at ManhattanLife.

Rich’s main hobbies are going to the gym to weight train and playing various sports like basketball and golf.

He originally studied exercise science but ended up crossing over into doing data entry and some translations for a localization/ translation company.

Becoming a data annotator taught him how to work on a computer for 8 hours a day, but the work itself became mundane as there was little problem solving with a lot of repetition.

His friend was a programmer and the idea of being a problem solver like him for a living sounded like the pivot his career needed.

After spending some time teaching himself and being mentored by a friend, he felt like he needed more training.

Once COVID hit that feeling intensified as the need to talk to real people grew and his desire to self-teach faded away.

With his full-time job he needed a part-time program to provide the structure he needed and so he started to consider taking a coding bootcamp.

He had thought of bootcamps in the past, but kept the idea on the sidelines until he came across Nucamp.

"The price was so affordable, it was a no brainer and I was willing to take the risk. I was able to keep my job too."

Committing to Nucamp was the assist he had been looking for to set up his future.

Rich describes his whole Nucamp experience as positive as it started off easy and progressed to greater challenges.

While there were 2-3 sections where he had to put in extra effort, those were the times he grew and reached a new level of understanding.

The pacing of the bootcamp was great for him and he enjoyed being able to ask questions during the Saturday workshops when he needed the extra help.

"Because of my self study before the bootcamp, I was actually confident in finding a job. If I got a position somewhere, I could do it. The bootcamp made me look even better to the employers. I started applying when the bootcamp started and listed Student of Nucamp Bootcamp”

Describe your job search process.

He spent a bit of time each day applying to jobs right after the bootcamp started and made sure to list he was a Nucamp Bootcamp student on his resume.

By the middle of the bootcamp he was working on his portfolio project and made sure to add sample projects and tailor his LinkedIn to the positions he was vying for.

Just before he graduated, he received a job offer.

In total, he applied to around 50 jobs, with about 10 of those being fully involved applications vs one-click applications.

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

"“Do it because 6 months later you don't want to be thinking “I should have done it." Stop thinking of doing things and start doing things. You could be a developer in 6 months. You can teach yourself. Do a little of that to see if you like it, or do the Web Development Fundamentals Bootcamp to see if you like coding.”

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

“You might not get it the first go, make sure you go through it. It will go fast, but go back and try to understand every process. You're not going to get the details you need the first time through.”