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Joining a coding bootcamp during uncertain times.
So you're thinking about joining our coding bootcamp but are unsure because of COVID19? In this article, Mari, one of our admission's manager in Germany, will answer some of the most pressing questions you might have on our bootcamps, career opportunities, and financing options.
Summary
In this article, we will tackle some of the most pressing questions you might have about joining our bootcamp during COVID19. Here are some of the aspects we'll tackle:
1. Why should I join a bootcamp during the pandemic?
This might be the best moment to join a bootcamp. The world is put on hold, meanwhile you've got lots of time to explore the possibilities of coding. Our students join Le Wagon for many different reasons: changing to a career in tech, web development or data, starting a company, or learning to communicate more with their technical teams. Our goal is to teach students the fundamentals of coding and data and enable them to make these exciting career paths reality. Now is the best moment to get focussed!
If you're concerned about our bootcamps being on campus: then don't! All of our courses are flexible enough to operate in remote or hybrid format (see below).
2. What courses are you currently offering at Le Wagon?
Our Full-Time Web Development Bootcamp* is offered both as a 9-week intensive full-time or 24-week part-time course. The Web Development course is a product-driven program, teaching the core concepts of programming and full-stack web development. During the course, our students learn how to build web applications, collaborate within a team of developers and adopt the technical workflow followed by successful startups. You can download our syllabus for Berlin and Munich.
During our full-time 9 weeks Data Science Bootcamp**, students work on the logical steps of how data flows in an organisation, from collection to use case. From the basics of Pandas to advanced Machine Learning models, students will finish the bootcamp knowing how to collect, store, clean, explore, transform and predict Data in production environments, working in teams with the best-in-class tool belt. You can download our syllabus for Berlin.
Besides learning about the core concepts of web development, we organize several events throughout the bootcamp where we invite experts and alumni from local companies and start-ups to share their work experience and tips & tricks to get started in the tech industry. A great time to network and getting to know your Le Wagon community!
**Course offered in Berlin and in Full-Time only (syllabus for Full-Time).
3. Is the bootcamp actually happening on campus?
Our bootcamps are taking place on campus in a hybrid format and we are strictly applying recommendations from local governments and public health authorities ensuring a safe learning environment. We are operating with a "hybrid" format (see below for details), which means that students have the option to remain at home if they feel more comfortable.
If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 among our staff or students, we simply will ask all to go remote for a short period of time until each have received a negative test. When this happens, you are already set up and ready to go as we are operating in a hybrid format (see below)!
Our aim is to keep the campus open as long as possible. Therefore our bootcamps are taking place on campus in a hybrid format and we are strictly applying recommendations from local governments and public health authorities ensuring a safe learning environment.
Keep in mind that in this time of uncertainty due to COVID-19, it can happen that we have to adjust rules and restrictions and adapt to sudden changes in government measurements. During the bootcamp, our staff will ensure that our students can learn in a safe environment and will communicate transparently and update everyone regularly on the up to date safety regulations.
4. Am I free to decide when to stay at home and when to go to campus?
Yes. To ensure that our students are not only able to work in a safe environment but also feel safe, we offer them the option to follow lectures and work on challenges with their buddy's remotely. This means that each week students will be asked if they would like to commit to work remotely for the upcoming week or if they would like to be on campus for the upcoming week (as long as they do not show any symptoms and have not been in contact with someone with COVID).
5. How does the hybrid format of the bootcamp look like?
In this time of uncertainty due to COVID-19, we help our students make the most out of this period and acquire strong technical skills. To ensure the safety of our students and staff we are now running hybrid classes, enabling students to learn in a safe working environment with all the measures in place.
The hybrid format of the bootcamp means that lectures, live code sessions, and presentations will be given via Zoom. You sit at your desk behind your laptop and watch the live lectures from there. You will be in the same room as the teachers, teaching assistants, and the other students, which gives you all of the same networking opportunities as that you would have had before the pandemic.
We are using all the tools and resources to ensure a top-quality and engaging experience for all our students including Slack, Zoom, TeamViewer, and our custom learning platform. These tools enable us to keep personal bootcamp even at a distance.
Career Opportunities
1. What are some of the job opportunities after the bootcamp?
Web Development
After completing our bootcamp, graduates go on to work as Full-Stack Developers, Product Managers, Front End Developers, Back End Developers, UX Designers, or in tech adjacent roles such as Project Management or Tech Consulting. Some join Startups or Venture Capital firms, others join large consulting firms or digital agencies, roles within tech companies, or they launch their own tech startups.
Data Science
Graduates go on to work as Data Analysts, Data Engineers, Junior Data Scientists, or in other roles working in, or closely with, Data Science teams. Some have chosen to work on Freelance projects, join Data for Good initiatives, or move into Tech Consulting. What you do after the bootcamp will depend on your background before the bootcamp.
2. What do you do to help graduates get a job when they finish the bootcamp?
Our aim after the bootcamp is to get our students: (a) confident and ready for the job market; and (b) present interesting job opportunities via our hiring partner network.
The week after the bootcamp finishes, we organise a Career Week for all graduates. During this week, we organise workshops on creating the perfect CV, updating your LinkedIn, searching for jobs, how to master technical interviews and coding challenges.
When our graduates are feeling confident, we offer a combination of individual hiring events and larger career fairs with our hiring partners. These companies can be found on our learning platform, as well as contactable alumni who work at the company already. You will also remain part of our Slack community, where potential job opportunities are posted on a weekly basis.
3. Do you have some concrete examples of where students end up?
You have four different ways of paying for our bootcamps in Munich and Berlin. The bootcamp fee ranges from 6500 - 6900€:
Self-fund: the deposit of 2000€ will secure your spot and needs to be paid within one week after signing the contract, the second instalment will be due during the fifth week of the course;
Bildungsgutschein: please find all information for Berlin and Munich.
ChancenEG: our partner that can give you a credit for the tuition. Find all info here.
2. Am I eligible for public funding if I am on Kurzarbeit?
Did you know that as an employee in Germany you can take advantage of public funding from the Agentur für Arbeit to learn to code while on Kurzarbeit or being unemployed? Make the most of this difficult time by upskilling yourself in your job and become more equipped for work in the future and continue with the bootcamp even after returning back to work!
3. Can I apply for the bootcamp with a Bildungsgutschein?
If you are unemployed (or soon to be) and registered in Germany, you can be eligible to receive a Bildungsgutschein from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (or Job Center) and participate in our Web Developement or Data Science bootcamp entirely for free.
A Bildungsgutschein is an Education Voucher issued by the Agentur für Arbeit (or Job Center). The aim of the Bildungsgutschein is to train people with new skills in order to find a new career path or job.
Even if you are currently working in a company, you can make use of a Bildungsgutschein. Connect with your HR Department and follow these steps to receive a partial Bildungsgutschein without having to leave your job.
