Why did you decide to join Le Wagon after graduating from university?
I studied Computation Arts at Concordia to pursue a career in 3D modeling for video games. As part of the program, I had graphic design and coding classes. I found that coding at university was very stressful because it was not about learning new skills but more about passing the course and getting good grades.
After graduating, I found a job in marketing, where I was in charge of social media, customer service, and data entry. I couldn’t see myself pursuing this path. So I gave myself another chance to learn to code. I compared different options, including going back to university or Cégep, or joining a bootcamp.
Enrolling in a bootcamp seemed s like a good choice because it’s a short program that focuses on practical skills. I had a chat with Le Wagon Montreal team and got a very good feeling about how helpful the community would be. This gave me the confidence to apply to the Web Development program.
What did you think of the bootcamp?
It was the best career decision I could have made!
I loved the sense of community. Everyone got along very well in my batch and, whenever I needed help, a teacher was available for me. It was very different from studying at university, where I received little help from the teachers.
At university, the end goal was more about completing the coursework than actually learning a new skill.
What I learned during the bootcamp helped me better understand the role of a developer. I found the project weeks especially interesting because we worked in an Agile* environment. Thanks to this approach, I feel confident in my role today.
*Agile is an approach to project management. It advocates adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery, and continual improvement, and it encourages flexible responses to change.
You're a student registered at a Canadian university/school? You're eligible for a student scholarship! Learn more and apply here to get $1000 off our bootcamps.
Now you’re a back-end developer at Petal. Tell us more about it!
Before the bootcamp, I thought I’d be more interested in front-end development but I enjoyed back-end a lot more!
I found out that Petal was hiring Ruby back-end developers in Le Wagon’s career resources. I got an interview with them, and it was a really good fit.
Petal is a suite of administrative products for healthcare facilities. My team works with products used in hospitals - for instance, dashboards for receptionists.
I like the product that I work on, I can see it makes a difference for health workers. I also love my team, they’re super friendly and helpful. We laugh about our mistakes, and I feel comfortable asking questions.
How do you use the skills you learned at Le Wagon?
I’m super happy I’m working with a company using Ruby. But even if I had to work with a different language, having learned the principles of Object-Oriented Programming helped a lot.
Le Wagon’s teaching methodology is really helpful. Now, I know what steps to follow when I’m learning new concepts and how to look for the information I need. This is still relevant to my job now.
During the bootcamp, I also learned how to collaborate in a team and not be afraid of asking questions. I realized how normal it is to ask questions!
What’s your advice to people who are new to coding?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and ask questions! When you do something for the first time, it doesn’t have to be perfect. What matters is to keep an open mind and keep learning new things all the time.
