Le Wagon

I did le wagon in order to learn how to build an MVP of a business idea that I was working on for two years. 

My expectations were quite high, and I trusted the bootcamp to deliver thanks to an experienced developper that strongly recommended it. Let me tell you that I was not the kind of person to even have a look at what a program was, it all looked very mystical, and I did not want to deal with it! But experience forced me to demystify it, and even code myself 😱.

I couldn't find any curriculum online that was adapted to my way of learning. To be honest, the challenge seemed incommensurable at the time. Am I really going to be able to build a website from scratch after 9 weeks (I mean it's nothing) ? 🤔 

Well, it was not easy! There is a say which states that 'You learn best once you'r out of your comfort zone', I was out of it every single day! (reading it is different from experiencing it...)

Not comfortable and, most probably, the best decision I have ever made! I have built my MVP 🚀. I even enjoy coding now 🤓. 
It is a life changing experience, indeed. And in so many ways! I learned how to build a first version of the Project, and most importantly I met incredible people! They keep on teaching me every single day 😎. 

That's what le wagon is, a strong technical learning experience that embodies a powerful sense of an international Community ready to help, anytime.

Thank You ! 

The Wagon is a very interesting bootcamp to follow if you want to become a web developer. During the 9 weeks, you will be accompanied by very high level teachers who will help you to understand all aspects to create fast and efficient web applications. Pedagogy is also turned on the methodology and the state of mind to be a good developer. At the end of the 9 weeks, 3 weeks of team project can learn to work together what will be essential for the future. If you want to deepen your skills as a developer or change your life, then do not hesitate a second. After the Wagon, I started freelance and I give classes to Wagon Lille.

Just to start things off, I had no prior coding experience at all before joining this Bootcamp, I was a project coordinator for a local architecture firm before joining an F&B company managing a small group of tenants. My journey started somewhere in 2018, I took part in a nationwide competition for entrepreneurs, I was convinced I had a great business idea, it paid off and I made it to the final round. On the day of the final pitch, I was put down at every possible moment for not having the technical ability to carry my business to the next level because I lacked the necessary programming skills. Needless to say - I lost the competition. A few months later, the incubator I had applied for had created a platform using the same idea I had pitched to them.

What came next was a situation familiar to us all - I went through a period of self-pity and disappointment. I thought I was just not good enough and returned to my old mundane job, got back on the hamster wheel, and started grinding my life out hoping for something to change – which never happened of course. It was a painful lesson but all this time I kept reminding myself that I was going to learn basic programming one day so I would never be in a situation like that again. It was in June of 2019 that I came across Le Wagon online. Most of their Bootcamps are located in Europe and across the world, they were even starting out right here in Singapore which would have been so convenient for me. But one location seemed to call out to me more than anything – Bali. I knew from the first moment I landed on the website that I wanted to learn how to code in the Island of the Gods. I dropped Dirk an email and soon enough we were speaking over the phone and he told me everything I needed to know about the course.

A couple of months later I was on the plane to Bali to start the next chapter of my life. The first two weeks of the Bootcamp I was clueless and lost. I had no idea what was going on and I was afraid to approach anyone for help. I was just so used to studying on my own but the load was really heavy and even staying up late nights burning the midnight oil was not helping. I was struggling to keep up with the pace of the course and I even started to question my intelligence at certain points. I didn't know if it was more comforting or worrying to know other students were going through the same thing but at least we were all in the same boat. As the days went by, we spent hours and hours learning and coding, slowly but surely everything was starting to make more sense. I won't go into so much detail as to how the course was structured but all the small pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together to make this beautiful big piece of art. The teachers were patient with us throughout and never lost their temper even when we bombed them with so many questions every single day.

Looking back now after the Bootcamp, I finally understand how Le Wagon was training us to just keep taking whatever life throws at us and not to give up. It was not something I thought I would have ever learnt at a coding Bootcamp. We were all thrown into the deep end of the pool and we were struggling to stay afloat. They say that's the only way we learn how to swim – when our lives depended on it.

And learn to swim – we all did

During the final weeks of the course, I was fortunate enough to have some students vote for my pitch to work on for the final project. The final two weeks after were some of the toughest but most rewarding weeks of my life. It was not just about coding anymore. It was about learning to code and learning as a team. We could all sit in front of our computers and watch multiple "learn to code online" videos but this part of the Boot camp was something that could not be found anywhere else. It was at times frustrating working within a team especially since everyone comes from diverse backgrounds. Working in a team setting always causes some tension and stress and some mornings, I felt like giving up.

On the other hand, what I did not know was that the teachers have all seen situations like this countless times before. They spent hours sitting with the whole class guiding us through the process. They helped us from a personal and technical level. It seemed as if the teachers cared more about us and our projects than their actual teaching jobs to be honest. I learnt to be a better team leader and to exercise patience. The teachers were key in encouraging us to continue learning and kept pushing us. It was heartwarming watching the teachers help every single student in the class. Some of us understood concepts better, some of us didn't but they gave the same amount of attention to every single one of us and the required help that we needed. They never said no to us it was encouraging knowing how much the team at Le Wagon genuinely wanted us to learn.

I was not the brightest student in class, neither was I the most hardworking. The only attribute I possessed was an honest willingness to learn. Le Wagon kickstarted my coding career and set up the strong foundations to build on my journey into the tech industry. It wasn't just about programming and coding, it was about learning to code in a real time stress environment with a team and finding ourselves in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

I was a lab research assistant before coming to Le Wagon. My Bootcamp experience was quite a roller coaster, as I almost quit the first 2 weeks. However, with the help of the TA's and teachers, I became more confident and more comfortable with the assignments and lectures. I don't regret choosing Le Wagon because I'm so satisfied with the experience I had. The final two weeks were really good because that's where you actually put everything you learn into motion, which is very rewarding and I felt that I made the right decision in choosing Le Wagon. l would definitely recommend Le Wagon to anyone who wants to learn how to code.

I have a degree in computer science and 12 years of experience as a C++ developer. Who would have thought that I could have benefited from a 9 week intensive fullstack coding bootcamp ?

# Exec summary

Do it.

# Why?

Following my first life as a developer, I have progressively drifted to a more managerial position. And years after a years, I began to feel the frustration of knowing exactly what I wanted to code and being unable to.

Off course I had started teaching myself through online courses. But believe me I was not completely satisfied with what I was able to produce.

Don't get me wrong, online platforms are great. But in a few months after deciding to commit to code again, I had only managed to complete a few courses. I was far from my objective of being able to give life to any idea crossing my mind using code.

Nothing will replace the expertise and the vision of a team of talented developers in touch with the tech ecosystem. I happened to know none in my close relations. And where to start?

I was lucky enough to know a couple of friends having attended Le Wagon in Paris and Bordeaux, France. Both of them had had professional experience in more business oriented positions and were completely code agnostic before Le Wagon.

After talking to them, I decided I should enroll in the program and give it a try.

Here is my review after having attended Le Wagon fullstack program, batch #250 in Paris, Q2 2019.

# Prepwork:

I think it is important to take the time to properly go through every aspect of the prepwork if you intend to take on a coding position. Everything that you see will be of use at one time or another.

# Daily life:

The teaching method has proven its value and is quite efficient:
- repetition (prepwork, morning courses, afternoon live code)
- practice (daily challenges + optional exercices)
- collaboration (coding buddies, end of program projects)
- energy (the educational team is ultra cheerful and high spirited)
- and some rest (parties, community events, yoga)

# Students:

I thought that the diversity of the profiles both in terms of background and age was very enriching.

Being in contact with beginners was for me the opportuniy to dive deeper into my understanding of the core concepts through the help of others students.

# Teachers:

The team both of teachers and non teachers is extremely supportive and helpful.

Many thanks to them for always taking the time to respond to my silly questions with no practical application whatsoever - what can I do, I think I came to like Ruby ;)

# You:

The fulltime program is quite intensive, even for someone already familiar with the underlying concepts of development and of the web. You will not get bored, as the daily challenges also include optional challenges with increasing difficulty.

I think you should start the program well rested and committed. The courses progressively jump from one notion to the next and you will not get the time to get overly comfortable in a specific area of expertise.

# Plaftorm:

The teaching platform is a very well crafted jewel and is very convenient. I am looking forward to produce an app of my own with this level of quality.

# Conclusion:

Overall, I think that the program is a perfect blend of energy, collaboration, technical expertise, UX/UI vision, and product approach.

After 9 weeks including 3 weeks of team projects, I found myself able to bootstrap or join any coding adventure.

Of course I will continue to teach myself using the Le Wagon teaching platform, community events, and other online courses.

Le Wagon gave me the kick start I needed to get back on track.

A big thank you to the Paris team!

I had been running my own media company for about a year and a half after deciding that teaching English was not challenging me professionally or personally anymore. I had reached a point where going it ‘on my own’ was my only real attractive option. Being a first mover came with certain advantages within my own market. However, this was short lived as the technology I was deploying became more user friendly, readily available and affordable. This slowly pushed me to want to stand out of the competition and offer something my competitors weren’t.

This is what initially made me consider learning how to code. I also felt that I had an innate knowledge gap that I was intent to fill and fulfill a personal objective. I visited various coding bootcamps in order to get a ‘feel’ for each one and see where I would best fit in. After having my initial contact with LeWagon I was convinced it was the best option. Their no-nonsense, personal, one-to-one approach during the initial communication is what finally made me decide that it was the bootcamp I wanted to attend. I haven’t looked back at that decision since.

From day one I noticed that I was surrounded by an intelligent, driven, passionate and international class. I came to know that it was in fact the most diverse batch even to have come out of Barcelona and it really showed throughout the course. I am naturally a slow learner; I like learning on my own pace and the bootcamp did feel overwhelming at times. The peer and teacher support however were incredible throughout, giving all the necessary support along the way. Every morning, teachers came to class with an unparalleled passion for their areas of expertise. This passion resonated towards me and helped me stay motivated through thick and thin. The most giving element of the bootcamp was definitely the inspiration that the staff gave me to learn and grown and I know many of my peers agree with me on that. During my time at LeWagon I pitched an idea for a mobile app to help airport passengers find interesting things to do during long transits. It was eventually voted on and chosen as a final project. I had the pleasure of leading an amazing team to build the application in the last 10 days of the bootcamp and finally pitching the prototype to an audience at the final demo day!

As for me, I took a long and well-deserved holiday immediately after finishing the bootcamp. I then went back to work in my media company. After two months I landed my first web-development project for company here in Barcelona. Not only am I able to create content for my clients, I am now able to integrate this content into their current websites or build new ones for them out of scratch. I now feel ahead of the curve again. The bootcamp was, for me, just the start. I’m more eager than ever to improve my coding skills, collaborate within different disciplines and stay on the ball!

To all the talented and inspiring staff at LeWagon,

Thank you.

Fahad

When I started thinking about attending LeWagon, quite a few people tried to discourage me by saying that I can learn all of those things online or that the market is already saturated with developers. Some thought that I will find coding boring, even though nothing could have been more boring than my previous jobs.

I have signed up for codecademy a few years ago and found it really appealing but with a full time job and no one to ask for help whenever I encountered a difficulty I abandoned it quite quickly.

It was in the beginning of this year that I have gathered the courage to quit my job and enroll at the bootcamp and my only regret is not doing it sooner!

It is very intensive and if you have not used your brain in a long time it can be quite difficult at first, but the good thing about LeWagon is that there are plenty of teachers and teaching assistants that are there to help and you can also ask other classmates for advice.

The real fun starts halfway where you can put everything you learn to practice and create real projects and be creative, no one tells you what to do - you decide!

During those 9 weeks I acquired skills that I never imagined myself having and now have a kit of valuable tools!

Étudiant et intéressé par le côté entrepreneurial je suis venu au Wagon Bordeaux avec la volonté d’avoir les compétences nécessaires afin de concrétiser mes idées.En plus de compléter mon cursus d’école de commerce, cette formation m’a permi de découvrir toutes les opportunités que pouvaient offrir ces compétences techniques.À présent, je souhaite me diriger vers le métier de Product Manager puisque cette une fonction m’a particulièrement plu lors de notre projet de fin de batch où nous avons choisi de créer une plate-forme permettant d’améliorer le service en pharmacie.Au-delà des compétences, Le Wagon m’a permis de faire des rencontres super et enrichissantes avec des personnes de différents profils!

I was working as a project manager in tech before I decided to learn to code. I find coding an incredibly powerful and creative way to solve problem. I tried to do a couple of online courses, but it never stick to me. So I decided to take the leap, commit all of my energy to doing the in person course. Le Wagon was the perfect choice - not only because of the incredibly curated curriculum but also because of the amazing community and support that continues even after the bootcamp.

My greatest takeaway was that I learnt to absorb great amount of information. At first it all seems daunting but later it all falls into place. My advice for anyone joining is to try to prep as much as you can before the course, commit to it and don't give up, it will all pay off. '

Soon after finishing the bootcamp, I stared working as a full stack developer, using React and Node JS.