Why I'm Doing Another Bootcamp

Today I'm starting a 12-week software development course with TechNative Digital in Brighton.

If you know me, you might be wondering, "Didn't you already do a bootcamp?" And yes, back in 2023, I completed the Northcoders software development course in Manchester. I absolutely loved my time at Northcoders. The teaching was brilliant, I learned so much, and I have nothing but good things to say about the experience.

However, not for lack of trying, the bit where I walked straight into a Junior Dev role just didn't happen.

It wasn't because I stopped coding. Since graduating, I’ve been building non-stop. I love turning ideas into working digital products more now than I ever did. But somewhere along the way, I became stuck. Every job application left me convinced I needed to brush up on some library or technology, and I retreated even more into the code, perhaps hoping to find the solution to my imposter syndrome buried within it.

To be honest, I was becoming very stuck. Attempts at serious freelancing -hours painstakingly curating profiles and gigs - mostly came to nothing, lost among the 20,000 other developer profiles making the same promises. Job applications were just disappearing into the void. It felt like every path had a brick wall and a massive NO ENTRY sign hanging over it.

My turning point came late last year when I was lucky enough to qualify for one-to-one work coaching on a platform called Stay Nimble. My coach, Beth, has been brilliant. She listened patiently while I untangled the mess in my head and helped me realise the things holding me back (my age, work history, my confidence) weren't really monsters at all. They were just stories I was telling myself. She helped me stop looking for reasons why I couldn't succeed and start looking for the opportunities waiting to be found.

That is when I found the TechNative programme. It’s pitched as a "Tech Finishing School" for developers who know the basics but can't quite break into the industry. Reading the outline, I couldn't believe how much I ticked the boxes. I’ve never felt more qualified for a course! I've become good at coding on my own, but I've been missing the human element, such as the collaboration and the community.

I’ll admit I arrived today feeling a bit apprehensive. I wasn't fully convinced the course could live up to its promises. But after the introductory presentations, I knew I was in exactly the place I needed to be. What really resonated was how accurately they described the problem I’ve been struggling with for the last couple of years - the gap between being able to build things and being able to position myself as someone who belongs in the industry. They hit the nail on the head when they said the problem isn't "not knowing enough JavaScript." It is the missing pieces such as confidence, industry context, networking, and the ability to translate skills into employability.

I'm really excited for what the next 12 weeks (and beyond) holds.