Four years ago, Stephan had an idea for a startup. He needed to build it, but didn’t know how. So he enrolled in Le Wagon’s Web Development bootcamp, hoping to learn enough to create a first version.
“It was super challenging intellectually,” Stephan admits. “Especially when you haven’t been in school for years. But after the first week, it’s just fun.”
The Web Development bootcamp ran from 9 to 10:30 each morning for lectures, then switched to hands-on exercises for the rest of the day. Pair programming kept things social, rotating partners daily so everyone got to know the whole batch.
“Working in pairs lets you see how other people think,” Stephan explains. “It changes how you approach problems.”
He found his co-founder during the bootcamp, someone he bonded with quickly. Not a technical co-founder, but a marketing partner. They launched a fantasy sports app for tennis, using the skills Stephan learned at Le Wagon to build the MVP.
“The goal was to speak the same language as CTOs and technical directors,” Stephan says. “Mission accomplished.”
The demo day stands out in his memory. Presenting to 80 or 100 people, showcasing everything the cohort had built over nine weeks. It felt like both an ending and a beginning.
“There’s definitely a before and after Le Wagon,” Stephan reflects. “Little things, like using the terminal to navigate your computer, or being able to talk tech in sales meetings.”
A unique combination
His commercial background combined with his bootcamp training made him attractive to technical companies looking for salespeople who could understand their products. He got multiple job offers specifically because of that combination.
Now Stephan’s come full circle. He’s the campus director for Le Wagon Paris, overseeing operations for the programme that changed his trajectory.
“It’s a family,” Stephan says simply. “I felt that as a student, and I feel it even more now on the staff side.”
The path wasn’t obvious. Earlier this year, Stephan decided he wanted to add operational experience to his commercial background. Le Wagon was the natural choice.
“I knew the vibe,” he explains. “I’d lived it. When the opportunity came up, I jumped.”
The Web Development bootcamp gave him more than coding skills. It gave him a network, a mindset, a way of thinking through problems. And ultimately, a career he never expected.
“If you’d told me seven years ago I’d be running an education campus, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Stephan laughs. “But here we are.”
“On day one, everyone was both excited and nervous. 9 weeks is quite a commitment
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