Constructor Learning

Given my limited background with programming, I didn’t think it would be possible for such a program to take me to a junior full-stack developer level. I did my due diligence and looked at other options. I finally chose Propulsion because the interaction with the staff had been the most professional (very quick responses to emails, well-structured personal technical interviews to be accepted into the program). Additionally, the curriculum seemed to be the most advanced, focusing on languages and frameworks that are needed for modern software development. And I wasn't disappointed: the journey had been demanding, but the TAs were very supportive and even came in on weekends to make sure we got the most out of the program. Upon completion, I sent out about ten applications and was invited to six interviews within one month. Needless to say, I got what I wanted out of the program and can definitely say that Propulsion has given me a very solid basis to build upon.

After graduating from university, I found myself in a role that was not technical enough to stimulate my intellectual curiosity nor could ensure a long-term future. Software development was definitely the way to go, but how would I get there? Except for the many resources online that taught you the specifics of virtually any tool, but no all-encompassing overview of the whole field of software engineering, I was on my own. The Full-Stack program not only taught you to think like a software engineer, but also gave you career-related resources beyond the education: professional connections, mentoring, CV editing, and ample opportunities to prove yourself to the public. Propulsion Academy's no-nonsense approach to teaching modern technologies was a perfect and it was not long before I found a job as a Software Engineer!

After 2 year-long career break, I finally decided to switch from Process Engineering to Software Development. I did some online courses during this time, but always felt it was not enough to land a job. Propulsion Academy became a place for me to grow into a developer. The well-thought-out roadmap and time efficiency of the program made me confident to pick up any framework or web-technology and make it work. I did not only acquire the most in-demand skills in the industry but also felt very welcome in a warm and inviting culture and had valuable career support after I was done as a student. The program finished with a happy ending as I was hired by one of the instructors as a Full-Stack Developer. Challenging, motivating, just great!

Propulsion Academy has been a great experience and helped me approach the career that I’ve been heading for. In addition to my recent Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zürich, this coding bootcamp made the difference and opened new opportunities. The course focuses on very relevant topics and skills with the goal to make the candidates attractive for employers in the field of software development. With a set curriculum and competent supervision, an environment for fast and high quality learning is provided. On top of all, the Propulsion Academy team puts emphasis on networking opportunities and guide the students in the process of figuring out the next step in their career.

The curriculum was very good but still had room for improvement here and there. The instructors' quality vary but is generally very good. The founder of Propulsion Academy is behind this project with all his heart and puts a lot of individual attention and consultation to each student during the course. Thanks to the bootcamp I landed a software engineering position and I would've never passed the interview without Propulsion Academy. I also feel like I had a kickstart on my new job, thanks to the very relevant curriculum. I also enjoyed the nostalgia from the classroom experience and bonding with very interesting people that do the course too.

From Nov 2022 until Feb 2023, I attended the Full-Stack bootcamp in Constructor Learning (previously SIT Learning). I had previous experience in coding with Python, but I had never before attended a bootcamp. My experience in the bootcamp had positive and negative aspects that I will try to summarise in the following.

1. Learning pace
I understand that the pace of a bootcamp is quick, but I want to say that I don't like it. I found that there was no real time to acquire the concepts properly and to pay attention to details. Everyday we started a new coding project for which there was not enough time to finish. I learnt many basic concepts, for sure, but I have the feeling that I didn't have time to internalise them nor to focus on details.

2. Curriculum
I find the curriculum very good and appropriate for the job market. Moreover, it is structured and contains many resources. Personally I would skip the part of the curriculum about coding interviews and simply give some interesting websites where one can practise. Instead, I would recommend to include some material about developing a mobile app.
An important issue about the curriculum is that it is not inclusive. When reading it, I spotted many times the use of the pronouns "he/his" to refer to a generic user or developer. I find this discriminatory towards users or developers who identify with other pronouns and who also exist (as I am the proof of their existence :D). Fortunately, this problem has a very easy solution, which is simply using the neutral pronoun "they/them", and voilà!
For skeptical people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they

3. Remote bootcamp
Although the bootcamp is sold as remote, I wouldn't call it that. I would rather describe it as bootcamp that is streamed because the interaction that the remote students can have with on-site participants is very poor. In order to improve this, I would recommend buying better equipment for the class.
Another issue for remote students is the teacher assistance. In the afternoon we always had exercises and we could reach a teacher assistant (TA) if we had doubts. However, the TAs were on-site, and thus much more available for on-site students. Online students had to wait in general a lot to obtain help because TAs were attending on-site students.
As a remote student I also had the feeling that communication could have been better. Sometimes, remote students would receive organizational information because on-site students told us what TAs said, instead of receiving it directly from TAs.
Here I want to mention that TAs do a very good job, especially Daniel and Adrien. However, I think they need more support and maybe a solution for the problems mentioned above could be to assign one (remote) TA for remote students. Another suggestion is to explain clearly at the very beginning of the bootcamp how remote students should ask for help such that TAs receive the notification.
A positive aspect of the bootcamp is that all lectures were recorded and we have access to the recording forever. This was very useful for the afternoon exercises and I guess for future projects.

4. Last project
The last three weeks of the bootcamp are dedicated to a single project that is built from scratch. This has been a very enriching and satisfying experience thanks to my team, but I would have appreciated more support from TAs & co. During these weeks it was (even more) difficult to reach TAs and many of the planned feedback sessions didn't happen. From my point of view, we started receiving feedback when it was too late and, moreover, the feedback we received was not so meaningful. I would have appreciated a much better organisation during the last project.

The above wants to be a constructive review in which I tried to point out things that could be improved. To sum up, I learnt a lot during the bootcamp and feel now more prepared to work as a full-stack developer. Maybe I would have liked to learn in a slightly different way.