Le Wagon

I have always wanted to learn how to code but coming from a non-technical background, I never knew where to start, nor where to even look to figure out where to start! I also knew, given coding is such as difficult skill to learn, that I would need some sort of framework or coaching to help get my feet off the ground.    When I heard of Le Wagon, my decision was made.   I signed up, took a few prep courses and a test, and next thing I knew I was coding along! Ruby on Rails, HTML, CSS and more.   The idea for me was not necessarily to become a computer programmer (although it could have been a realistic ambition as it is for many students!) but more to immerse in a 100% pure tech environment over a short but intensive period of time, and see where it would take me. Do I love it and want to change my career? Do I hate it and want to stay away from it? Do I like it and want to continue exploring and learning?   Technology is inescapable. It is transforming all sectors of the economy, of our workplace and of our lives. And it will only continue to grow. If I want to remain relevant and happy in the workplace, I need to keep up with technology; as a start, I need to be able to answer these fundamental questions. Le Wagon helped me to do so.   Being able to develop a web app from scratch in only 2 weeks. Didn't believe I could ever do this. For me, this was a feat!   Learning Rails and seeing how it all fit together. Definitely an aha moment. Felt fantastic.   The intellectual discomfort. This may sound negative, but every day comes with a new challenge and I think the trick lies in embracing these difficult moments. Stretching your brain is central to the learning process and it is precisely this discomfort that will allow you to build new neuronal connections and grow!    The collaborative spirit & personal development. Le Wagon teaches you to collaborate with peers from varied backgrounds, maturity and skills. It teaches you how to help others but also how to receive help. It teaches you humility and how to say "I don't understand" or "thanks for your help".   The teachers/TAs. Talented, knowledgeable, passionate and friendly teachers and TAs have definitely contributed to a positive learning experience. A great representation of female leadership was a big plus, and definitely a driver for female student success. I am grateful for this!

 

Barcelona is a young, vibrant and diverse city. A perfect place in which to "work hard, play hard", ie. do a coding bootcamp. Whether you are a foodie, art or music lover, athlete or party animal, you will never be short of options in Barcelona!

 

Considering? Apply, try to get an interview and make good use of your one-on-one to clear away any doubts or burning questions you may have. Once on-board, do the prep work so you get an appreciation for what coding really is and discover hands on whether it excites you or not. If the answer is yes, then just go for it, sign up! You will never know without trying! 

 

TL, DR:

Le Wagon changed my life completely in a very good way. I became a Fullstack Developer in 9 weeks (which I didn't even think was possible) and feel secure to start working in real software projects. I met amazing people during the bootcamp and I’m now working on my own Software Development Studio.

Before Le Wagon

I was working as a Project Manager in a consultant firm, I had a successful career and was ok with what I was doing, but I felt I was missing out on something. I had product and business ideas but I didn't feel able to do them. Also I was always involved in social service programs specially working with kids in poverty areas.

Le Wagon was amazing for me since I always wanted to study wanted to study something related with technology and science but my family and friends always told me that it was not for me.

What I liked the most was the methodology, it's excellent and it helped me, really, learn how to code in 9 weeks. The topics included in the program are achievable so I think there are also perfect if you are a beginner.

It was an amazing experience, this was something I always wanted to do but was so afraid because people used to told me this was really hard but I think that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams and going after you really want.

I'm so happy with my performance and with everything I learned. I met wonderful people during this weeks and I hope Le Wagon Mexico growth every time more and more to give more people the opportunity to change their lives.

After Le Wagon

My boyfriend (who I met during the bootcamp) and I opened a Software Developer Studio and a School to Teach Children How to Code. I feel blessed for being working in what make me happy and with the person I love.

I'm so grateful for everything I learned and for my amazing batch. I'm really happy with what we are capable to do after the bootcamp. Exceeded all of my expectations. Clement I send you all my good wishes for the next batches, you are awesome!!!

Le Wagon Mexico changed my life and I hope it changes yours too!

After many years in the oil and gas industry I’ve choose to reskill and learn how to code in a modern way. I did many researchs and alumni interviews before fixing my choice on le Wagon. The program and especially the teaching tools are awesome, everything is done to make you learn in a pleasant bootcamp spirit. I basically started with nothing and finished the bootcamp with a project, a goal, new skills of course an entrepreneur spirit.

I’m now willing to join a startup to learn more skills and become a freelance later.

Right after my studies, I decided to join Le Wagon thanks to a training I did in San Francisco that got me interested in learning how to code.
Honestly, I did not expect that I would love it that much !

My goal was simple, I knew that our studies were missing an important thing. We were taught to launch projects, to run a company, to do marketing etc but nothing on the importance of the web and applications. Which company does not have a website, wether it is to introduce its activity or to interact with its users? For me, it was not possible to stop my studies there.

It was 2 months where you learn many complex principles but with a very clear method. I was tough at times but after a while you get used to it and the logic falls into place.

The teaching method is just perfect. A teacher introduces the important concepts, followed by hands-on exercices to practice with teaching assistants to help you out and a livecode at the end of the day. At the end of the 2 months, you have to create a real web app from scratch ! In the end, you get all the tools needed to succeed.

However, it doesn't stop here. And to be honest, the most difficult part is after the training when you can feel lonely when facing problems by yourself without teachers around you. Le Wagon has well understood this and provides a real and strong community, with a lot of mutual help thanks to a super active Slack and coworking spaces. 
Thanks to all of that, I could live my "post-bootcamp" life up to my expectations. Because as developers, we never stop learning.

Today, I am a freelance Fullstack developer and I launched a web agency on the side where work on the Back-end side. And as the web has no boundaries, I have been living abroad in different places across Europe and Asia for more than a year and I keep learning with online tracks such as React and vue.js.

Having read the reviews of former alumnis, I got exactly what I was expecting: my intention was to get enough tools to draft an idea, and then being able to interact efficienltly with developers the day I would launch my own projects. While I spent the first weeks doubting I could ever draft an app, the project week proved me wrong, and with the help of my teammates, class mates, and the community of le Wagon's alumnis, I am now confident I can do it! The methodology is impressively well done and well thought. The rythm (intense, without being overwhelming), the energy, the team, without forgetting the location, made that experience fit my high expectations, and I would definitely recommend anyone to choose le Wagon, and especially Le Wagon Rio, what a blast!

My name is Marcus and I have an economics/finance background. 

After working in the financial market in Rio (my hometown) and in a global consulting firm both in Brazil and Australia, I decided it was time for a change - the idea of starting my own business to help solving one of Brazil’s many problems simply got stuck in my head. I quit my job in Australia and came back to Rio to start putting the plan to motion. 

Several months passed by and I was struggling to decide which idea to pursue. I was also not able to find a friend to be my technical cofounder. Then, a couple of friends suggested me to study at Le Wagon, as it would give me the basic skills to work on my mvp and meet people some amazing people. Sounded good, so I jumped in. 

The bootcamp was really good and I was gladly surprised with the amount of stuff I learned in such a short period of time. I also did meet a lot of interesting and fun people. :)

Now I just started my own project (www.vagazap.com), a web app to help workers connect with companies with available jobs in a practical way. I would strongly recommend Le Wagon! :)

I enrolled at Le Wagon as part of my last year at HEC, in Entrepreneurship Major, where I wanted to acquire key technical skills and develop my product knowledge, two essential topics in order to launch a company and that are not really covered in business School.

Le Wagon curriculum is extremely well constructed and interesting. Each day, you follow a new lesson before practicing with another student through exercices. The day ends with a "debrief" group. The days follow each other quickly, each focusing on a specific technical subject.

It is a real pleasure (and a achievement!) to keep such a learning curve throughout the 9 weeks, in an incredible atmosphere of exchanges and mutual help.

Since the end of the Wagon, I try to continue this learning through MOOCs or freelance work missions and intend to join a startup to become a product manager soon

Le wagon is an impressive experience for people like me who wants to learn to code ; in less than 3 months, we learn all what is necessary to well understand front-end, back-end and database issues. It's a very efficient way of learning with both theory and practise through exercices and usecases. All of them are also available online (for life for the alumni !). Le Wagon has skyhit all my targets and represents an essential asset in my everyday job as a tech entrepreneur and freelance consultant in digital transformation. I highly recommend the journey, it will change your professionnal life !

After graduating from Law School, I joined a Business School because I was more and more interested in entrepreneurship. After graduating from Business School, I wanted to launch two web projects but I did not have enough technical skills. That's why I joined Le Wagon Paris : learning to code was a way to become autonomous, allowing me to create the first versions of the products I had in mind. At the beginning, I just saw Le Wagon as a step to achieve my goals. But it turned out to be much more than that!! I did launch my two projects but I also loved Le Wagon's experience so much that I am now a Teacher Assistant at Le Wagon Paris. Right now, I could not ask for a better job than teaching and working on my personal projects. Thank you so much to Le Wagon's team for this life-changing experience!!

I consider myself a creative person and I am a hard-worker energy engineer who wants a zero carbon future. I have spent the last 6 years applying innovation to sustainable energy and I came to the point where I realised my skills were not enough, they were not future-proof. On the one hand I was talking how the digital world was disrupting energy and I was selling this, however I had not idea how tech was actually achieving this disruption. On the other hand I have always had many ideas and I could not transform them in anything else but boring power points. I knew I needed to learn to code. A friend recommended Le Wagon. I spent weeks reading about Bootcamps, benefits, disadvantages, and I was surprised how many good reviews Le Wagon had, to be honest I was even a bit skeptical. And here I am writing my review… I am truly grateful for how much I learn in these 9 weeks, I was afraid of that black window called the Terminal which I had never used in my life, and today I can use 4 of those at the same time. I lead a team of 3 developers using Agile methodology, and I am really proud to say I am a tech energy engineer, I can speak the language and understand the challenges (APIs, data structures, TDD, etc.). Le Wagon truly changed my life for the better, I can prototype my very own ideas and is such a powerful skill. The bootcamp teaches you all what you need to keep learning. Their methodology, support, environment and good vibes makes it unique. No need to hesitate, just take the jump, it is worth it.