Ironhack

Once upon a time I saw a message on Kleiderkreisel. Kleiderkreisel wants to support women in tech and there is an opportunity to get a scholarship. To apply was my best decision, I got the full scholarship.

Ironhack is the best place to learn clean coding. I enjoyed every second there. Much practice, interesting tasks and relevant content: that's what you get. But Ironhack is more than just coding. You become part of Iron-family there and get huge network of tech-interested people. We had many tech events and free time activities: you never get bored at Ironhack. Ironhack staff is very friendly, always reacts to feedback and helps wherever they can to make you experience there unforgettable and useful.

Some advices for new ironhackers: use the opportunities of networking, it's very valuable. Don't panic if you feel lost first, it will get better! And of course, you get what you put into it, so come with motivation and passion!

You can read more about my Ironhack experience in German https://www.she-works.de/sheworks/aktuelles/ironhack-foerdern-frauen-in-deutscher-it-ein-erfahrungsbericht/2018/10/25/

With Ironhack I've been given the tools to make a radical career change and in less than 30 days after my graduation, I'm on the verge of securing a job as a Full Stack web developer in a great company.

It is intense, and it demands everything you've got, so be prepared for hard working days and nights.

Like everything in life, Ironhack will give you results corresponding to the effort you put in. if you really dedicate yourself and come as previously prepared as possible, you will be able to come out with enough technical and working methodologies to land a job in the sector. Yes, everything they teach is available online, but what I learned here in 9 weeks would have easily taken me more than 1 year by myself, and probably would have left important chunks of information out.

The campus is great, the people are very accommodating and dedicated to helping you reach your goals. The hiring support is awesome, they not only teach you to code, but they teach you about the industry, negotiation skills, LinkedIn profiles, CV, interviews and you get to meet a lot of companies looking for developers in the hiring week.

If you are interested in pursuing a career change and if you are truly passionate about learning and programming, I would advise you a 100% to do this bootcamp.

And come prepared to learn some high-level ping pong !!

I was a solid skeptic coming into the course and, of course, wanted that "bang for my buck", but I could not have been happier with my experience. In short, I achieved every goal I had coming into the course and I got an even richer experience coming out of it. The bootcamp helped me solidify my UX/UI skills & interests while giving me the platform (and confidence) to pursue UX/UI design in a more than successful manner. Most importantly, the culture that they provided (from admin to instructors to TA) was an invaluable asset to the entire experience. I thought some reviews were corny when they mentioned a "family-like vibe" before I entered the course, but no joke, it organically came about that way and was the magic to the whole thing. I've met some truly special people and developed meaningful connections.

I felt a little lost in what I wanted to do before I came in to the course (having exhausted all kind of jobs in all kinds of industries) and always felt stuck in my potential, but the bootcamp changed my life and gave me back my confidence in my personal & professional skills while giving me the networks & resources needed to really pursue a career and not just a job. It was intense, but so worth every penny & minute spent. Also keep in mind that the course is here to help you, NOT do it all for you. This is an important read: bit.ly/ironhackuxui

Pros: 

• Instructor (X1000): Nevan made the entire difference because of his experience & character. The material was so digestible and interesting. His direction & guidance was priceless. 
• Teacher assistants: telling of the course & instructor to have these individuals as the TA. They were relatable, but still way more knowledgeable to help us along the way 
• constant events: Ironhack constantly holds professional events, grabbing the industry and its networks in through the doors. The topics are always relevant & networking it great 
• material & projects: what can I say? I'm super proud to have the projects on my portfolio and have received delightful feedback from industry professionals on the scope of the project 
• tuition well spent (investing back in the students): You're always going to feel like you're spending a lot on whichever bootcamp you sign up for, but I always felt like I got more than what I expected. They often will have events that have free snacks & beverages (free filtered water!!!) for the students and you can tell that part of the tuition is really kept for the students 
• friendly atmosphere: any staff member is always helpful & cheery. It was never stiff walking into the office or talking to at admin staff 
• location: you're in the center of the tech neighborhoods (10 min walk away from the tech hub in BCN) and in the middle of really great coffee shops

Cons: 

• some students got lazy towards the end which was a bit distracting but not really Ironhack's fault 
• can't think of anything else

My experience at Ironhack was great as at the end I believe I reached my objective: landed a job on UX Design, (yay!) while also enjoying the process. How? 

This is a 9 week intensive course. And when it says 'intensive', it literally is. You have to work hard to learn the theories. Then do exercises to practice your newly acquired skills. And complete your projects to practice. Finally present them to an audience, as well as on your portfolio. 

What you will learn; 

Design Thinking Methodology; most of the tools you would use when you start working as a UX or UI Designer. Since you had already practiced them during your school projects you will not feel strange when your manager asks you prepare a User Journey for example. And this will help you to be operational from the first day of your job. 

Sketch App, Prototyping and Animation tools; if you don't have a graphic background you will struggle a little but you will definitely learn to create UIs and test them via these tools. The more time you put in, the better you will become.

Presentation skills; for each project, you will learn to present it to your audience. It's very important to sell your work, and you will not always have too much time to tell about your design process. So it's important to synthesize information, prepare it in a best way and capture the attention of your audience.

How to prepare your portfolio; presenting your work is also important on paper (or digital). You will learn to put every project you did on your portfolio, get feedback from your peers, teachers and TAs at the bootcamp. Ironhack has a culture based on constructive feedback, sharing information and growing together. 

Work hard & enjoy at the same time; although the bootcamp is difficult and exhausting at some times, i bet you will enjoy your time at Ironhack. Each time you accomplish a difficult task (eg. design the UX of a mobile app, from scratch, by yourself in 4 days!) you will feel the wonderful feeling of achievement and relief.

And last but not the least, if your aim is to get a new job, you will be accompanied even after the courses to reorganize your resume, write efficient motivation letters etc. as a junior UX desiigner candidate.