11.04.2024

How to become a full-stack software developer in six months with Code College

A Code College graduate went from a Bachelor of Science degree with no coding experience, to joining an international software company as a developer in six months due to the excellent courses Code College offers.

This transition is highly impressive, as coding degrees from traditional universities typically take several years to complete but Code College specialises in fast-tracking their students with practical, real-world experience and application.

Below, we detail how the Code College graduate – Hadiyo – achieved this impressive feat.

First steps

Hadiyo initially completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Witwatersrand in 2022 but had no interest in furthering her career in this field.

She then looked for other career paths that she could pivot to, that would future-proof her for the evolving digital landscape and ensure she had a skill set to guarantee her a career path into the future, leading her to Code College.

Hadiyo was immediately interested in completing a coding bootcamp, thanks to its remote and hybrid  learning formats and practical teaching approach.

Code College also offered her an income share agreement (ISA) to cover her studies, which she would only have to pay off once she found a job.

Starting the bootcamp

Since Hadiyo had no previous coding experience, she started with the Intro to Programming module at Code College and was instantly hooked.

She focused all her time on the bootcamp and engaged with its offerings in-depth.

Each module started with full-day classes for the first week of a month, before shifting into projects that involved teamwork and pair programming for the rest.

Hadiyo and her peers also took turns being team leaders and practising team skills such as reporting, peer support, and error logging, giving them real-time hands-on practice of problem-solving and managing people and teams.

Regular check-ups from her mentors supported this entire process to ensure everyone kept pace and collaborated productively and effectively.

She enjoyed the experienced lecturers’ hands-on approach, which ensured students participated in the learning process and encouraged knowledge sharing between peers.

What she learnt

She learnt various skills throughout her bootcamp, including full-stack building blocks like JavaScript, NodeJS, React, and MERN Stack.

She also learnt soft skills, like how to conduct meetings, demonstrate leadership, peer support and do presentations.

All of this knowledge was acquired by working on exciting projects such as:

  • A self-hosted CV Portfolio Website
  • Various JavaScript animation apps
  • Javascript local storage apps
  • A JavaScript chat app
  • Various NodeJS apps
  • Various React Apps
  • Various MERN stack apps

Getting a developer job

Once Hadiyo had completed her courses, Code College guided her on how to add her profile to recruitment sites and mentored her so that she was prepared for job interviews.

Hadiyo was soon scouted by an international software company which interviewed her twice – once with its European HR team, and once with a local team.

Thanks to her interview training from Code College, she aced the meetings and left a positive impression.

The interviewers were also interested in her Code College experience and were impressed with her completed projects.

With Code College’s help, Hadiyo got the job – and is now thriving as a full-stack developer. She wants to continue learning Java in the evenings after she settles in.

For more such success stories, you can visit Code College’s blog and YouTube channel.

Join Code College

You can also pivot into a future-proof career path thanks to Code College – click here to join a Code College Bootcamp.

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