No experience? How to leave your comfort zone and start coding

Even though Kizhan graduated from college this year in Translation Studies, however, she was always curious about programming.

"I saw programmers as magicians who are able to build something from scratch and I always wanted to learn the magic myself, but I have never had the right tools and mentors to take my first step".

After choosing a non-tech related degree in college, she felt she should just give up on her dreams on learning how to code. It was only when one of her friends introduced her to Re:Coded that she realized she didn’t have to leave those dreams behind.

This is her experience from the bootcamp and her reasons for why others with different backgrounds who aspire to be programmers should follow their dreams - even if they had never written a single line of code before.

Don't give up

Kizhan says learning something new can be difficult, but if you have zero background it also starts you on a journey that can feel both exciting and scary.

"Coding was completely different from what I did before and everything was new for me. I was really nervous at the beginning. I didn’t have any experience, I didn’t have a tech background and honestly I didn’t think there was any chance that I would be accepted".

In our front-end bootcamps, motivation and why an applicant wants to become web developer are the key points that we look for. Once accepted into the program, Kizhan says the way to succeed is to never give up and to keep pushing forward - no matter what.

"My advice for anyone who would go through the same journey as I do is to never give up. In my situation, I had everything: I came from a different background with no coding experience, I was an introvert, I was nervous and I had problems socializing. I was actually afraid of the entire process. However, it went by really amazing, and I am grateful that I didn’t stop. And now, I can create projects from scratch that are products of my own imagination".

Bootcamps for beginners

"There was always a voice in the back of my head saying you don’t belong, this is not your place, you will disappoint everyone, ruin everything and you are making everyone’s job harder. Don’t listen to that voice which creates a lot of insecurities, because the bootcamp is meant to include beginners".

Kizhan says the bootcamp helps students learn from the beginning and students receive a lot of support every step of the way.

"You are expected to be a beginner, all you need to do is a small push and take small steps. Trainers provide you with all the necessary resources and tools for you to succeed. Also, the whole bootcamp team is there to support you, help you and explain things even if you don’t know anything. And if you have this mindset and continue towards the end, you will actually create a new trait for yourself and you will get to be a person that you never knew that you were".

Our front end bootcamp is an entry level training program to the digital economy. Irrespective of their coding experience, students can participate in the program and graduate with the necessary skills the tech sector demands.

More than technical skills

Now that Kizhan graduated, she reflects on the whole learning experience and she says she learned more than technical skills in the bootcamp.

"Over the last six months, the bootcamp gave me a lifetime experience. Not only did I learn CSS, HTML, JavaScript and React, but also I learned about team management and time management by working on an actual project in a team."

This gave me enough experience and skills to help me with taking my first step towards building my future.

By going through our soft skills curriculum, students learn about time management, teamwork, business communication and agile product management and gain core skills which help them get their first jobs in tech as well as help them thrive in their careers.

Community

Kizhan says what she found at Re:Coded was not just a coding school, but a family.

"Since I am an introvert, I was always afraid to make a mistake, but the environment in the bootcamp was so safe that you don’t actually need to worry about making mistakes. And thanks to this safe space, I made so many friends in the bootcamp who are more like a family to me right now".

Creating psychological safety in our bootcamps where everyone feels encouraged to share their ideas without worrying about judgement is essential for our student culture. By doing so, students feel motivated to learn more, help each other and continue their coding journey.

"When you work on a project with a team, you never feel alone. The team is always there to help you. I learned a lot from my peers. Whenever I had a question, they were ready to help me out and explained every step. And, you also get a chance to explain what you do and help others to teach the things you learned as well. At the end, you feel like you gave a life to something together and you feel so proud of it."

"Now that I can code as an actual programmer, I am currently working on creating front end websites. My dream is to give back to the community: helping them make their first entry into coding, breaking their comfort zone and providing a chance to be a programmer. If learning coding was possible for me, I believe it would be possible for everyone".