What Should You Do After Coding Bootcamp?

I am currently on week 10 of a 15-week coding Bootcamp. As graduation is coming nearer, I have been contemplating and planning on what to do, work on, and learn after I commence from the program.

Here is a list of things I have planned out in order to better position myself as a programmer and as a job applicant:

Almost all software engineering jobs will require that you work on some sort of algorithm problem for their technical interview. Luckily, there is a website that offers many said algorithm problems.

Solving algorithms all day might not sound like the most exciting activity in the world. I suggest you start off slow and try to solve one problem a day. Who knows, maybe you’ll feel good after solving one and continue to solve more!

2. Learn a New Language

On top of refreshing the skills that I learned from Bootcamp, I plan on learning Python, a language that is very popular for its general purpose use including web development, machine learning, and analyzing data. Python also has a backend framework called Django which is similar to Ruby on Rails. This is just one of many languages you can learn. If you have a specific field that you would like to specialize in, take some time to research which language or framework would be best to learn.

3. Master Github

Employers look at potential candidates’ GitHub page and see how active they are. It would be highly beneficial for a candidate to commit often on GitHub to show that they are engaged in their work and learning. Below is a comparison of two GitHub accounts. The more green there is on the screen, the more active you are. Employers notice these things. It is best to stay active. Commit early and often!

4. Network!

I always believed in the mantra, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” In my previous professional career, I leveraged my relationships to get help and answers to problems that I would not have been able to solve by myself. If my network was unable to help me with my problems, my network’s network would be able to find somebody to help me with questions or problems that I had. You never know who in your life might be the person to help you find a job, career, company, or spouse! Get yourself out there and tell the world what you want! Be nice too; buy that person a coffee or something for their troubles.

5. Projects

I will be polishing off the projects that I worked on during my Bootcamp. On top of that, I will be working on projects that have piqued my curiosity. If I run out of projects to do, I will volunteer to make websites for my friends’ companies or personal pages. Doing this will build my skills, add to my GitHub commits, and also potentially help me find a job through my network.

6. Be Consistent

I can foresee that it will be very easy to feel relaxed after completing Bootcamp and get complacent. Don’t be that person! As the saying goes, “Showing up is half the battle.” There will be days where you can’t solve any algorithm problems or you can’t figure out a particular part of a project you’re working on, or you’re not having success during interviews, or you can’t seem to meet good people in your search for a job. The key is to keep trying until it works. I plan on keeping a similar schedule to the one I am keeping now during Bootcamp to keep the momentum going.

Related posts:

This infographic was created to show that oral sex usually happens before actual vaginal intercourse. For many, oral sex doesn’t count as “actual” sex; however, if people thought it did, people would…

Di tengah budaya milenial kekinian, geliat kesusastraan seolah tak berhenti detak dan denyutnya. Komunitas-komunitas penyair, penulis, pegiat teater masih aktif berkreasi. “Ada yang sampai kapanpun…