Ironhack

It’s difficult to describe what I’ve lived in the last weeks, perhaps the word is UNIQUE and IRREPLACEABLE.

A few weeks ago I decided to do the web development bootcamp at Ironhack, I had no prior experience in programming as I worked in admin and logistics. Having finished the course, I know programming is what I want to do and I want to keep learning about all types of technologies.

¿What did I do during these 9 weeks? Coding, coding, coding. It could sound boring but it was far from it. When you do something you like, you don’t mind putting in the hard work. Here you learn many technologies from day one, and even though it’s very difficult d and very intense, the result is worth it: my colleagues because friends, the staff is always there to help you even outside their working hours and, most of all, I know have the tools to become a junior programmer.

Ironhack has been a transformative experience, a very good opportunity to shape my professional carreer.

I graduated from Odontology and worked as a dentist for a few years and even though it’s a great career, it got to a point where I wasn’t motivated anymore and I wanted to do something I was truly passionate about.

I’ve always liked technology and I saw the opportunity of learning web development in a very short period of time to see if I would like it. The bootcamp requieres a lot of hard work and if you don’t have prior programming experience each day is a challenge with a big learning curve. You work hard and have daily frustrations, but it is completely worth it. I’m very happy to have done it and I truly believe anyone can learn to program.

Now I want to keep learning and work as a programmer, and it would be great for me to be able to unite Technology and Dentistry in a project that helps improve the oral health of people.

When I finished my Telecomunications Ingeneer carreer in 2006 I started to work in a sector that had nothing to do with what I had studied. I felt comfortable since the beginning on sales world, but somewhere inside I felt a bit disappointed of not having been able to dedicate myself professionally to the sector for which I had been dedicated my studies. I would’ve never thought that 12 years after I could find the way to reinvent myself, come back to the roots I should never have left.

“Ten years of no coding is too much”, “You are too old to begin again”, “You are out of date”, “It’s gonna be too much for you”... All the signs indicated that it was going to be a complicated process and there was a long way from my actual situation to the successful future in where I could work in something that I really love. IronHack was the answer to the question I asked myself all the time: How could I put my feet in this sector?

Everything you have read about IronHack is true. In only 9 weeks they are able to train you for being a junior WEB developer. Probably it will be the most intense 9 weeks of your life, your mind will be reorganized in a new way in order to understand all the information and new concepts. You will be stressed in a new amazing way… and sure… you are going to cry. But take it easy… it’s all part of the learning process. There’s only one thing left to say and it’s  an irrefutable truth: you will make relationships for the rest of your life and you’re going to love it!!!!

By far one of the most richful experiences I've had. 

I didn't know what to expect , everything seemed too "perfect". But now, a month after graduating, I can say without a doubt that enrolling has been the best decision I've made in a long time.

I didn't have any kind of previous experience, and already before graduating, I had an offer. 

Of course there were ups and downs, but I would do it again and again. You don't only come out with the knowledge, but friends for life. 

A million thanks to everyone at Ironhack! 

It has been a really good experience for me, not just professional but personal. I have learned a lot in just 9 weeks, the course is crazy intense and you learn many technologies in a short term, but the methodology encourages you to go beyond your limits and be autonomous to continue learning on your own, to seek and understand the technical documentation. The staff is very close and super mindful :-)

I just finished the Ironhack Full time Web development Bootcamp in Berlin where I learned to code real world applications using the MERN Stack. In those 9 intense weeks we learned everything we need to know in order to get employed as a Junior Developer. The Bootcamp was very intense, especially the first 2 weeks but it was always fun to learn and I became very close with the other students, even though they were decades older than me :) (I am currently 18).  We usually all stayed in class from 9am to 8pm or sometimes even later to catch up on old lessons or exercises. The course material is very good and we have live long access to it. The career services Ironhack offers are also very helpful. A lot of the students got employed from one of Ironhacks Partners. Sometimes there were organizational problems but nothing major. 

Summarized the Bootcamp was one of the greatest decisions of my life. I can start my career as a developer right away, even though I don't have a College degree or an apprenticeship diploma. I also have the feeling I learned much more than just coding. My english and my interview skills for example improved a lot!

I can definitely recommend it to everyone who is willing to put in some effort!! 

I can honestly say that Ironhack is a greart bootcamp experience  not only because of it's capability of turning anyone into a self-taught person in the code world. It is great because it also changes your mentality and your capability to solve problems,  it helos develop your taste and passion for reading, improves discipline and stress management.

It was very inspiring to me to see my classmates working so hard and so fast that i had no option left than doing exactly the same. Ironhack is the kind of envyroment for winners and for hard working people, even if you don't get there with those skills, it will take no more than a couple of months til watching a significative change.

Other great fact about ironhack, is the grat job support they offer to its students. They help you out from the curriculum content to the interviews. Ironhack sets the proper enviroment for a jr full stack developer to get a well remunerated job very fast.

Congratulations to the whole ironhack team for such a great experience full of challenges and learning. now I fell I'm capable of achieving enything if a put the proper effort and passion to it.

I'm recently graduated from Ironhack Miami UX/UI full time and the first thing that I have to say it's that this course changed my life, not just because I changed careers, It's because I have another family now. We are part now of a community of fantastic people.

My instructor, David Fast and our TA's Hector and Hugo, were VERY supportive, they always taught us and helped us with the best disposition possible.

One of the best thing that this course has it is at the end; we had some days to prepare us for interviews, in the hands of Daniel Brito. He will help you to find your dream job, but as he always says, "I'll put you the ball there, but you need to bat it"lol. That means that you need to be constant and put an effort too.

I'm happy that we finished and now we can continue following our dreams, but sad at the same time because its over.

Thank you so much Ironhack, I had good expectations for the first time, but at the end, there is no word or number to measure how amazing it was.

Great coding school! The curriculum introduces you to everything you need to know to become a full stack web developer as quickly as possible. It also lays the foundation for you to explore additional software development concepts that are not covered for the sake of time. 

I recently graduated with an associate's degree in computer programming from my local community college, and after attending Ironhack I can definitely recommend it to anyone trying to start a career in software development, regardless of skill level or experience.

I recently just graduated from the Ironhack full time web-development cohort that started in June 2018. It was an amazing experience. I came to Ironhack with a very minimal understanding and experience in coding. Leaving Ironhack and looking back at what I've known from my first day is mind blowing. 

It was a very difficult experience that demands a lot from the student, However, I would absolutely recommend this to any serious person that is looking for a career change or a way to break into web development and coding.

The Staff was very friendly and helpful, the TA's answered my questions when I had them and at no point did I feel abandoned or on my own. I have no regrets with my time here at Ironhack.

Ironhack was a great experience. I relocated to Spain 2 weeks before the beginning of the bootcamp and I was looking for a change of career (I was a librarian). Ironhack gave me the tools to begin a new career in UX/UI design, a community of people that will always support me and share their experiences with me and new friends :)

I made the UX UI Design Bootcamp at Ironhack in Madrid from September 2017 to April 2018.

This is a nice opportunity for people working who want to learn new things or professions, Ironhack has this good offer, it is not as the usual Bootcamp where you stop everything you do to concentrate on the bootcamp. It lasts for almost six months, so on the one hand to be honest it is hard time if you are working but on the other hand you have more time to assume all the knowledge and to practice it.

The place is very nice as Ironhack Madrid is located on a cultural centre in Madrid, Matadero. There are good installations and you can go to study there whenever you want.

The bootcamp is divided in six units, in all of them you have a practice as the lema of the school is “learning by doing”, you can also study online with a nice platform.

Special mention for the teachers, we had six, all of them specialized in their areas, one for UI, other for Research, other for testing, coding, etc.

Finally, there is a great sense of community at Ironhack, not only for the relationships between pupils, alumni and teachers, but also if you are looking for a job. There is what they call a hiring week at the end of the bootcamp.

What was my situation before entering Ironhack?

1.- An standstill naval engineering career that was leeding me to a self frustration.
2.- The need of a steady job in which I could feel valued and useful at the same time.
3.- A huge passion for web development.

What were my expectations?

1.- To learn the web programming language properly, both in the front, in which I already had some experience (not so much, as I discovered during the first days of the course) and in the back, where I was a complete newbie.

2.- To find a good job to be proud of as a web developer, with opportunities for continuous learning and professional development that would allow me to obtain my desired stability to start building a good vital project.

So...how was it?

Incredible! A week after finishing the course, after metting almost 40 IT companies, all of them convened by Ironhack and most of them of hight standing, with numerous and attractive professional offers, I was signing with one of those companies that I was attracted the most, furthermore, it exceeded my expectations of learning, self development and gave me the possibility of working with cutting-edge technologies. In the end the extended knowledge I got during the Bootcamp allowed me to create three large projects to present to these companies that led them to get a better idea of ​​my new abilities and recently acquired capacities.

What would you highlight?

1.- The training, magnificent, very tuned to what companies require and very refined after the experience of many previous bootcamps' feedbacks.

2.- The teachers, full of knowledge and close to us, they would always be available, either in person or through the chat that we used.

3.- The facilities, forefront and opened 7 days a week in which we passed around 12-14 hours at least 6 of them (7/7 the week of the final project). Comfy, well provided kitchen, WiFi and resting areas.

4.- The great level of camaraderie and union shared among the students. As we spend those many hours together in my Bootcamp the atmosphere was always priceless, I had the opportunity to meet some very interesting people with whom nowadays I continue to maintain contact beyond the mere professional level.

5.- The large number of Meetups and meetings that are offered to help to expand knowledge and to facilitate net-working.

6.- The great work of follow-up and labor orientation that is done during and after the Bootcamp.

7.- The enormous effort that is made to generate community among all the Alumni, encouraging them to maintain contact, arranging open Meetups on the Ironhack campus or simply to share a beer on Fridays.

IMPORTANT: In case it is not clear, the 9 weeks full-time Bootcamp that I did, requires you to be very very focused on your work (as I said, I only rested one day a week and in the week of the final project not even one). There will be many frustrating moments when you face difficulties and hight demanding code problems. Many of the daily exercises you can not do whole. The teachers are there to help but they will not take you by the hand. Actually all that is in fact designed to be that way, it is precisely this challenge that leads you to quickly acquire the knowledge, resources and ease necessary in the 9 weeks of the course.

SUMMARY: Without a doubt, the best decision I ever took. It has allowed me to redirect my career with satisfaction. It has allowed me to acquire great knowledge in a field that I am passionate about. It has helped me to meet great people and to feel part of a community that is always there when you need it. In the end, the reward has been much much greater than the effort invested (also economically speaking). Once an Ironhacker, always an Ironhacker.

My name is Javi Sevilla, I just finished a UX / UI Bootcamp in Ironhack (Madrid) and I'm delighted with the result. My background in design was, to say the least 0 as my background lay in the world of Marketing, sales and business. Thanks to the Ironhack team, especially Fabio, who was our lead teacher and absolute master, I have reached a level of expertise I could have never imagined. In UX, we learned key tools and methodologies which are powerful and crucial in the development of businesses, to say the very least. Our learning went beyond technical knowledge and skills, by the end of it you had acquired everything you need to thrive in the UX world.

I studied computer engineering, once I finished my degree I did not know what to do, because I did not opt ​​for a specific sector, so I decided to direct my professional future towards the sectors where there was more demand, and in my case it was SAP, I was working with this tool for 6 months, enough time to realize that I didn’t  like what I was doing, so I decided to try other technologies, I changed course to another branch in boom, the Big Data sector. I remember this stage with special enthusiasm because I took it with much enthusiasm, I had the opportunity to enter a training in which I learned a lot, and I could make projects for large companies, until the time came when everything starts to seem monotonous, the projects start to be migrations of traditional technologies to Big Data technologies, and all the projects that I was offered were oriented to banking.
Just a couple of years, before I got to consider my future I met Ironhack for the WeCode, and the truth is that I left the bug to be able to do it someday. Thanks to the partial scholarship of ForoCoches I could get to consider changing the direction of my career and focus on what I really liked, web development, I do not regret at all, the Ironhack experience has enchanted me, it has been two months of effort and continuous learning that have been worthwhile, I finally feel fulfilled, I feel that I do what I like and that I enjoy going to my future work.

Previously, I was teaching English overseas and discovered UX design. I decided to join Ironhack (Miami) because of the positive reviews I heard from alumni, on sites like Course Report, who had gone through the program and alumni that I had met locally in South Florida. I also read about graduates in the local paper who had transitioned from careers like bartending to web development or UX Design. I was also presented with a partial Uber scholarship to attend Ironhack. I wasn't familiar with design or technology. One great thing about Ironhack (Miami) is that people come with a diverse background. Entrepreneurs, lawyers, former construction workers and some who weren't tech savvy. It affirmed to me that these skills can be learned no matter your background.

I especially appreciated their instructor’s hands-on learning approach. Like most bootcamps, Ironhack emphasizes a learn by doing approach. I worked on 3 different projects and my instructor and teacher’s assistant were very invested in my work, the process and in honing my skills.

I also got comfortable presenting. We presented to each other and at the end of our cohort were required to present our final project.

I liked the knowledgeable and friendly staff. Although I didn’t work with the staff, I would constantly see their faces and they were invested in our work out throughout the creative process. They’re often checking in our progress and overall satisfaction with the program and instructors. They also dedicated time for pulling industry leaders from the community to come into our class and present to us. This only affirmed my trust in their level of design knowledge, insight and showed how much they are invested in their students’ success.

They dedicated time to job search support. Ironhack (Miami) prepares you well to develop a resume, and offers career support. There is a week devoted to working on interviewing skills (both technical and soft), resume feedback, and a hiring fair. And, at the end of the cohort, they’re constantly checking in on you to make sure you’re working on your career goals even if you didn’t obtain a job through the hiring fair.

Ironhack is 9-5 (in-person) but I found the students typically stayed later and sometimes slept in the building. You should come in prepared to work hard. Collaboration is crucial and spending time in Building Co. in Miami will be a part of the experience.
Ironhack is fast paced. It doesn’t give you as much time to sit and think about ideas. Often it is more about taking action and figuring it out as you go. Failing fast is something you will have to get used to. Time management is key.

Ironhack is highly collaborative. I worked in teams often during hack-a-hons and my cohort.  It is a great opportunity to practice communicating ideas to others, but it can also be challenging. Be prepared to learn to have empathy for your teammates. My cohort became a family at the end.
The expectations for designers going through Ironhack (Miami) are high. They have a positive reputation in the Miami tech ecosystem.
 

Overall, Ironhack (Miami) was a challenging but great experience. I grew immensely as a designer and as a person.