Hola Lorenzo, can you please introduce yourself?
Hi! I’m Lorenzo, a Teacher for the Web Development bootcamp at Le Wagon Barcelona. I’m French-Colombian and have been living in Barcelona for about 3 years. I’ve studied Physics and Linguistics (didn’t finish either), and since doing the bootcamp I’ve worked as a Developer (sometimes in a company, sometimes as a freelance) and teaching.
Why did you decide to do a bootcamp?
When I was studying Physics, one of my classes was a Programming course that got me very interested in code. I eventually started feeling less and less interested in spending my entire life in the academic world, so I took a gap semester and decided to fully commit to learning code. I actually ended up not going back to college after that!
How did the bootcamp help you to reach your goals?
When I started the bootcamp I was at a very uncertain point in my life and was very worried about my future. The bootcamp helped me find something that I’m good at, satisfies my taste for logic and challenges, and has a lot of job opportunities!
Why did you decide to become a Teacher after your bootcamp?
Before becoming a Teacher I got a job as a junior developer in a french startup because I wanted to keep learning and get to work with senior developers. I eventually moved from Lyon to Barcelona, and when I arrived here I contacted the local Wagon, initially just to get in touch with fellow developers. They offered me to TA, and I ended up liking it so much that I decided to become a full-time teacher.
What does being a Teacher mean to you and what do you do exactly?
It’s actually kind of a tradition in my family! Both my parents and my sister also work in Education, so it’s definitely something that has always interested me. I find it very rewarding to help people discover the world of Programming. It’s also a great way of meeting a lot of people from very diverse places and backgrounds, which is always a pleasure.
How does being a Teacher help you in your coding journey?
I’ve often heard this saying, “If you can’t explain it, you don’t understand it well enough”, and I completely agree with it! Searching for clearer, better explanations for students has actually led me to dig deeper into how certain things work and has actually changed the way I think about code.
What is your relationship with Le Wagon and the students/alumni?
I’ve made some great connections through Le Wagon (my roommate is actually a fellow Teacher)! In general, it’s always a pleasure to get to meet new students and alumni, and I make sure to go out for beers with them on Fridays to get to know them better.
Why would you recommend Le Wagon and learning to code with a bootcamp?
It was a life-changing experience for me! Coding can be an extremely fun thing once you get started, and the bootcamp is a perfect opportunity to jump over that initial barrier. I owe my job and a lot of my friends to Le Wagon!