Le Wagon

Hello i’m Michael and i’d like to share with you my experience with the 9 weeks training course at LeWagon Bordeaux in April and May 2017. (batch #67)

Before, I used to be the CEO of a startup for 4 years with a web platform in education. During these 4 years , I have been struggling to find a good CTO for my startup. I could not find partners so i had 2-3 employees or i had to deal with web agencies and freelance developers. It cost me so much money. After this experience i thought it would be better for me to enhance my skills in development to be able to manage technical development in a better way. I needed a short time intensive training. I was in Bordeaux and i googled that and found Le Wagon Bordeaux training. I chose Le Wagon because i wanted to develop complex website, true apps ! And 2 amazing months started !

While i was managing developers during 4 years, there was so many languages, technologies, systems (front, back, database, servers…) that i thought it would take me several years to be an average app developer.
I wish i would have done Le Wagon training 4 years earlier, i would have saved more than a hundred thousand of euros in development, and so much time !
The training at LeWagon is intense but pedagogy is fun : you do not spend 7 hours a day in a seat watching and listening to a teacher showing you how to code. Hopefully not !!! 
Each day, the morning start with 1 hour of lesson, then at LeWagon they have their own learning managing platform where you can access a video of the lesson if you missed something or you need to check the course at home or later (available all your life) and you access to all progressive challenges of each day. And that’s how you day is so nice and goes so fast : it’s all about personal challenges, games, and the system have automatic feedback. You work with another student different each day. It’s your buddy :) And if you’re lost, or need help, a teacher is available to help you so you will not be stuck. At the end of the day a collective session of 1h30 will show an answer to a challenge or to a technical exercise.
You will also test what you know with flashcard quizzes everyday. So it’s an intense immersive process, fun, collaborative and active.
I love it ! Moreover, the team is nice, so you make good friends also and sometimes barbecue, wakeboard or party with your new mates or teachers.

After 7 weeks you are able to code a small app like a simple air bnb app, front and back with database ! That’s amazing ! The last 2 weeks you code your own minimal viable product app in team and you make it available for all the world on a server !

So many skills in such a short time : that’s LeWagon. Because i had managed developers before and because i faced organizational, product conception or technical problems before, i really noticed and appreciated that our lead teacher (so fun and skilled !) gave us the best convenient practices even when designing a simple but smart UX interface. So you’re even given good practices if you want to build a startup.

What i can do now ? Code my own app alone from scratch in a short time, put it on a cloud server, and i can also improve my skills alone because i have the right basis. I decided to be a freelance after that. So the training gave me more than just learning to code i can now code my own projects or find a job.

For me Le Wagon training is a great experience, a great learning. If you’re motivated and you want to be able to develop by yourself or get a job, if you like challenges, it will bring you to a next level and you’ll get rewarded !

Michael

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After working for the government for a few years, I realized it really wasn't what I wanted for a career. After plenty of thought I knew I wanted to join the tech world, more specifically I wanted to become a developer. 

After countless hours of research, the answer seemed obvious: a coding bootcamp. But which one? I read so many reviews, contacted the coordinators, wrote many pros and cons lists and the solution became quite clear: Le Wagon in Montreal. 

The second that I contacted MG (the co-founder of Le Wagon Montreal), I knew it was the right fit for me. Throughout the 9 intense weeks, we were continuously supported and encouraged by MG and the rest of the Le Wagon team (even people from far away!). The bootcamp exceeded every expectation I had. The structure of the days was perfect, the pace of learning was great and the teachers/TAs were exceptional. My favorite part was definitely the final project- where we were encouraged to push ourselves to learn and grow both individually and as a team. 

And it didn't stop after the 9 weeks. I am now a part of a community the spreads worldwide. I have developed friendships and networks that will last a lifetime. I highly recommend Le Wagon to anyone looking for a positive career change. It's definitely not easy, but if you are ready to put in some work I'm sure you will surprise yourself with how much you can learn in 9 weeks!

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I followed the bootcamp at Le Wagon Bordeaux, Batch #102 in autumn 2017.

My work experiences always turned around business development and marketing. Over the years I was more and more interested in the digital. My curiosity urged to me to learn a little the front end: HTML and CSS. I decided to be a freelancer as digital consultant at the beginning of 2017. I accompany startups and small and medium company in their digital strategy and the design of small website with Wordpress.

I knew the Wagon Bordeaux for 2 years but I didn't know if this Bootcamp could suits me. It was thanks to an interesting opportunity that I realized that the Bootcamp Fullstack Developer was the key to answer to a customer need.The objective being to develop a collaborative platform from scratch.

The Bootcamp simply changed my life and my way of thinking.

The team of Bordeaux is very professional and especially in the listening. The first days I thought of having made a mistake about my choice. But the support of the professors allows us to keep heading because the training is intensive and the personal investment is very important.

I had a click at the end of 3 weeks when I really fell in love with the code. A day without coding becomes frustrating.

The more weeks passed and the more I felt at ease. I felt that I very fast developed skills. No training or experience in my life gave me the opportunity to learn a new job so fast.

It's clear that the quality of the knowledge, the exercises and especially the team allows who wishes it to change job, life.

The world of developers is very open. We find a mutual aid as there anywhere else.

At the end of 6 weeks we were capable of making a copycat of Airbnb. And during the weeks project we developed a platform, named Bootcampers, allowing freelances to find development missions without caring about administrative procedures or about the negotiation with a customer thanks to the implementation of a project manager within Bootcampers. This one has a major role of intermediation. What returned the project more complex and very interesting to develop.

Today I am always a freelancer, as Fullstack Developer Junior and Digital Consultant, I work with my customers and soon again thanks to these new skills. I am now capable to develop a landing page in a few days from scratch and I am working on the development of the future platform. Shall have never been all this possible without the Wagon Bordeaux.

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I recently graduated from LeWagon Chengdu (batch#114) and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the level I reached in these short 9 weeks. Being familiar with Python (for Data Science), I was not completely new to programming but I was far away from being able to code a full-fledged web-app.

I actually enjoyed the first few weeks which are supposed to be for ruby “basics” but ended up being extra challenging with optional/teacher challenges and helping my classmates with their exercise. I really like the fact that there was something to learn in the first few weeks for both total beginners (ie: I never wrote a line of code) and more experienced beginners (ie: I can write simple scripts).

Also, the localization of the curriculum was awesome and we learnt how to make WeChat (think Facebook, PayPal and the App Store mixed in one app with a penetration rate over 80% of smartphone users in China) Mini-Programs and allowed us to create and present mini-programs as our final project.

I learned a LOT during these 9 weeks and I made awesome and like-minded friends. If you are not ready to give 110% to the bootcamp to learn, do not waste your time and money. On the other hand, if you are ultra-motivated, want to be challenged every day and make a difference, I would recommend Le Wagon (Chengdu)!

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I recently completed Le Wagon's batch 98 in Montreal.  This is the second bootcamp that I have attended.  I attended my first bootcamp with a different company in 2015.  When I left the first bootcamp, I was told by the owners/instructors to "just learn Word Press, maybe focus on front end."  To them, my inability to grasp the material without assistance was proof that I wasn't capable of learning backend programming.  It took me two years to work up the courage and desire to try again afraid all bootcamps would be like the first. 

Le Wagon was the complete opposite.  They cultivate an extremely supportive learning environment.  The teachers and administration genuinely care about the happiness and success of their students.  The program is very logically organized and the online tools to support learning outcomes are terrific.  Despite the many personal obstacles I faced during the program, I was able to learn the material and develop marked confidence in my skill level.  I can't say enough good things about the program. If you are considering Le Wagon, commit.  You will not regret it.

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Le Wagon was an amazing experience, first a human one but also because we left it with so many useful skills for our future. Montreal is a wonderful city where we have rapidly become familiar and comfortable in a very tech neighborhood filled with so many startups and entrepreneurs. It was easier to adapt ourselves to this new language because we were surrounded from day one with incredible teachers, patient and passionate about coding. I recommend this bootcamp for anyone who would like to change their lives because it did change mine, and especially in Montreal.

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I just finished the training of batch 109 of Lyon.
The courses were of an incomparable quality and accessible to all, for beginners as well as for the most experienced.

The Driver is cool and makes you feel good.
By offering yoga classes at the same time and bringing us sweets and fruits.

The teachers are attentive and present, they give us the necessary tools for our autonomy. They are both serious and welcoming.

Honeslty, It is a very good experience. 

I highly recommend Le wagon because they also organize talks, to insert us into the professional world.
Being a beginner is not a problem we work every day with a different buddy, the work platform is clear and intuitive, accessible for life.
They help us if we want it.
In 2 months I am impressed by the deepening of skills.
I've learn many languages (Ruby, Rails,Html, javascript, Css ...) so why hesitate?
So take time to jump into Le Wagon ;)

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Before Le Wagon I was working in investment funds where I had the opportunity to meet amazing entrepreneurs and after some time I felt that I wanted to be more than a finance guy. I started to think about creating a company but I was clearly lacking the development skills. That’s why I decided to join Le Wagon’s bootcamp and it’s one of the best decisions I ever made.
The organization of the entire bootcamp is optimized to learn as much as possible in only 9 weeks. It was really intense but every day you know why you study because you directly apply it during the exercises. Alsol, the pair working is an incredible way to learn faster and better because your buddy can find the proper way to explain things to you and when you are the one explaining you will learn even more by teaching. The teachers were also the main pillar of this bootcamp, both during lectures of the morning and to help during the challenges of the day. These six weeks are perfectly designed to constantly increase in skills to be ready for the 3 weeks of project.
The first week project on the Airbnb clone was an incredible way to observe how much we learned since the beginning of this experience and looking back it’s quite impressive. Our project for the last two weeks was in the hospitality sector. With other 3 students we built a complete tool for hotel managers to manage their employee’s shifts in the simplest possible way. These two last weeks were the most impressive part of the bootcamp because in this short period our team has been able to build a professional tool, something that I thought impossible before starting the bootcamp. Apart the pure technical part, working as a team is a real challenge and I learned so much through that experience.

Therefore, Le Wagon has given me all the tools that I ever dreamed of to be able to work as a developer and start building my own startup.

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I entered Le Wagon with a single goal, changed my career after more than 11 years working with marketing.

I was already playing with html and css and had done some codeacademy tracks, but the frustration always came when I tried to create something from scratch, outside the tutorials ... I just could not do it.

After much research, I understood that the best way to change career fast was through a Bootcamp. I needed a course that would teach me why and how things worked and especially how to think like a programmer, work like a programmer and attack problems with a different mindset from a marketing planner. I need practical, day to day knowledge to be able to succeed as a web developer. 

Le Wagon gave me all this and more! I finally understood how to connect one thing with another and everything started to make sense. I developed skills in 9 weeks that alone might never have been possible, or would have only after a long time.

The methodology is very well built, the experience is mind-blowing, rewarding and challenging but the great triumph is the people. Friends who struggle with you every afternoon to solve the challenges, the fantastic teachers who are always willing to ensure that we learn the concepts and THE community that generates a very important networking for those who want to enter this career or launch a new project.

It was this networking that gave me two internships (France and Holland) after only 3 months of graduation. Today I work as a Full Stack Ruby on Rails Developer freelancer for these two startups.

If I had known that I would have changed my life so much in such a short time, I would have done it sooner!

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Prior to Le Wagon, I would often get frustrated with my total dependency on developers even for quick fixes on the website as an e-commerce manager. Now, after only 9 weeks of coding at Le Wagon, I feel empowered. Not only I managed to acquire technical skills, but I also gained self-confidence. It was a life-changing course.

Le Wagon is an amazing organization full of friendly and helpful staff. The teaching assistant to student ratio is great, so you get full support throughout the course. The program is set in a very entrepreneurial environment with many bright and interesting students. Through Le Wagon, you also get an access to an ever-growing network of like-minded alumni. I seriously did not want the bootcamp to end.

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Before Le Wagon, I had no experience in coding and I had no idea how websites functioned or even my own local desktop. I had just finished school at 18, and wanted to go on a bootcamp before going to university. 

Le Wagon to me was more than a bootcamp. It provided a quality of teaching I couldn't ever have wished for, an amazing work environment (which was always very fun) but above all it provided me with the skills to independently code after the course. Le Wagon teaches you a well revised 6 weeks of different languages and then put them all together with 3 weeks of project coding at the end. You are always surrounded by experts in their individual fields and everyone is so friendly.

What I am also impressed by is Le Wagon's alumni network. As an alumni you have access to all the lectures you attended at the course and more. You can also message the people of every single other batch that has gone through Le Wagon. You always have a helping hand in a city and there are always people offering coding help if you get stuck after the course.

After Le Wagon my group are going to continue working on our project which is designed to help hotel management easier. I have also felt confident enough to take up a little bit of free lancing work. Le Wagon gives you by far the most enjoyable, interesting and knowledge packed 9 weeks of code and was truly a great experience.

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I left my job in June 2017 to persue a career as a web developer. At first I tried teaching myself through platfoms such as codeacademy, but realised more in depth knowledge and self discipline would be required to become a well respected developer. After weeks of searching, I found Le Wagon, a coding bootcamp that promised to teach you how to code and become a web developer in 9 weeks. 
    I joined Le Wagon in October 2017 and I can safely say this bootcamp has completed changed my life for the better!
    Le Wagon is a 2 month long course which focuses on both front end and back end development and has a group final project in the last 2 weeks of the course. However, as well as it being a great course to learn all the tools needed to become a web developer, it offers so much more. Once you join Le Wagon, you enter a 2000+ community of developers all over the world, they share lots of exciting opportunites such as jobs or project offers, and offer their help whenever it’s needed. 
    The course itself taught me so much more in 9 weeks than I could have ever imagined. This was down to the well structured, well though-out syllabus and most importantly the teachers and TA’s who are always there to help you with any problem you have and make you feel comfortable. In addition, the atmosphere is so friendly and positive, allowing you to work hard while enjoying every second of it.
    In conclusion, I would highly recommend Le Wagon to anyone who’s thinking of delving into coding and promise it will be the best decision you’ve made in your life.

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I discovered programming a few months before applying to Le Wagon. I didn’t have much experience (except for html and css, where I was pretty comfortable). I needed an intensive course that would teach me how to have a structured workflow, how to use real world tools and how to code and communicate in a team of developers.

After a few weeks of research and, as I was in Lisbon at the time, Le Wagon was the perfect candidate for me ! A two months course focusing on both front end and back end with a group final project. But this bootcamp is so much more than that ! You enter a huge community of developers around the world, sharing experiences, offering their help, sharing lots of opportunities (jobs, projecst, etc).

My experience at Le Wagon Lisbon was amazing and taught me so much in only nine weeks! The Driver, the teachers and the TA’s are always there to help you if your are stuck and really make you comfortable. My classmates were awesome and highly motivated people, from all ages and from all over the world.

The last two weeks of the bootcamp are for your final projects. Working in teams of three or four people, we had to designand code a full web app with only 6 weeks of course done, this sounded pretty difficult ! It is where you really apply everything you learned and create something from scratch. And I am really surprised about the quality of all the projects from my batch. All the apps are great and functional! (Demoday: https://www.lewagon.com/demoday/97)

In conclusion, I would say that I am really happy I chose to do Le Wagon and developed a new skill that quickly became a passion! I have continued programming a lot to build my knowledge and work on some personal projects. Also, I know that many alumni have found a job just after the bootcamp.

So I am confident that when I will go to look for a job, it won’t be that difficult to find something great ! Finally, I would say that I highly recommend doing Le Wagon if you are interested in web development and if you want to quickly build this amazing skill.

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Before joining Le Wagon I was a VFX Artist with no coding skills.

As programming had been a skill I was interested in learning, I did some research and  I came across the Le Wagon bootcamp course in London and after meeting with Ed, London City Manager, I got convinced it was the right choice for me.  
Le Wagon is an all around awesome course that helped me fast tracked my programming knowledge in just 9 weeks. It doesn't just teach you how to code, it teaches you how to think , to actually be able to solve a problem. 
The guidance I have received from the teachers has been amazing and I would suggest it to anyone who is willing to commit to such a profound change in their life: I was taught industry best practices, alongside the skills of learning how to learn effectively in an industry that is constantly changing. 
The first few weeks are hard, the course is intensive but if you’re motivated to learn and willing to ask questions, you will get so much value out of it.

We carried out pair programming every day and during the last two weeks I created, designed and coded a fully functional web app:  Fast Gardener,  an online marketplace that allows home owners and gardeners to connect.

I honestly never imagined i could do that in just 2 weeks: it's great! It 100% worth it so don’t wait any longer and just apply!

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My experience at Le Wagon was unbelievable, probably the best decision of my career! As an entrepreneur, I’m confident I reached the level of autonomy that I was so desperately missing in my previous ventures to launch my next digital businesses faster or tackle new professional challenges as a product manager with the right skillset.

I used to think programming was boring and something for nerds only, but the methodology of Le Wagon made me completely change my mind. I learned fast, very concrete stuff and it was even fun. I’m now one of the biggest fan of Le Wagon’s teaching platform.

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I graduated from Mechanical Engineering and over the last few years have worked for big corporations where things moved slow and innovation was hard to implement. I was sick of jobs I didn't like and working for companies I didn't believe in. Once that realization came about, I started to look at the young and vibrant tech industry as the next logical step. But how do you make that move? How about learning a new technical skill that would help kickstart my career in the tech startup world? That's when I decided to do Le Wagon.     What a great decision. I joined batch #98 in Montreal. Le Wagon's program offers you the resource, the structure, the support and the motivation to truly learn a new technical skill in 9 weeks. The last 10 days of the bootcamp is when the magic happens and you get to put it all together to build a prototype of a web-app in small groups. My group and I were proud of what we built and had a blast while building it. But it's not just about the learning experience, you also get to meet amazing new people, from your classmates and teachers to the people you meet along the way at the different events recommended or organized by Le Wagon. This means that you leave the bootcamp with a highly in-demand skill, a great network to lean on and a web-app to showcase to the rest of the world as a proof of your awesome new skill.    Le Wagon allowed me to reorient my career in a little over two months, something I wouldn't have been able to do on my own or at least not in such a quick turnaround. If you are reading this review, you are already on the right path... All you have to do is apply and get ready for a 9-week roller coaster like no other. Read less

When I found out about Le Wagon through a good friend of mine who had previously attended the course I was sold immediately and decided to join the program. So I enrolled myself into batch #95 in one of my favorite cities, Barcelona!

I was so impressed with the entire set-up of Le Wagon. The expertise and teaching style of the teachers are fantastic, the course material such as the slides and exercises are top-notch and constantly updated to reflect the latest industry trends and the location (warehouse style) in the trendy neighborhood of Gracia is super cool and relaxed.  The platform we used on a daily basis to work on exercises, communicate with teachers, play flashcards or watch a lecture replay to deepen our knowledge after class is truly powerful. 

Expect a real challenge! Le Wagon is tough and fast-paced. How else do you get from zero to Junior Developer level in only 9 weeks!? I knew that before I started but I am still stunned by how much I was able to learn in such a short amount of time. Surrounded by like-minded people you soon get into the zone and the motivation you get when your code is doing what you want it to is awesome. During the project weeks when we were working on our prototypes some of us got so excited that teachers literally had to tell us to go home and rest rather than keep on coding through the night. I met great people I am still connected with and we are all part of the large alumni that we are given free access to for tips and help on whichever product we might be working on after the bootcamp which will be the priceless and lifetime benefit to joining Le Wagon.

I wish I learnt how to code earlier. Not for a different career but to be better in what I did. Over the past 12 years of working in online companies I had developers in my teams most of time. I now see how frustrating it must have been for them when I said things like "JUST move this from here to there". If you want to be part of the tech industry, learning how to code will help you no matter which role you will be working in. For me personally Le Wagon changed my life in a way I want to help more people learn how to code and I am proud that I became part of Le Wagon family expanding our campus around the world.   

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After finishing my communication degree I had absolutely no idea what to do so I took some time for myself trying to figure it out. Having done some coding before I felt attract to that path and I told myself that a 2-months bootcamp will be great to have some basic knowledge and to add to my resume. 

I had a bit of experience with some basic programming such as html / css but I was a bit scared not to be able to follow, or, to end up with more advanced student. The first week took away every doubt I had. Because at the end, no matters what was your experience before, at le wagon we all learn everything steps by step. The pairing system that we used was one of the things I like the most since it allows us to help each other.

Even if it is an intense 2-month bootcamp I never felt more motivate to learn something and the spirit at le wagon help me feel confident and comfortable.

Le wagon teaches you not only how to write code but how to make a complete project from scratch, skills we can actually use in real life. During the last two weeks, I had so much fun working with my teammate on developing a word game and I was so amazed at what we could accomplish after a few weeks!

Thanks to this bootcamp I finally realize that I want to start my career as a web developer, and I am not longer scared about my future.

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I started coding as a hobby, to do something while work was slow or I was stocked on level 235 on candy crush. Never really thought it could take me anywhere but I´ve always enjoyed learning something new, and programming seemed interesting. Slowly, I began to realize coding was actually not only cool, but very useful. “All those genius making apps” were not smarter or different than me, they just knew more. I wanted to dive completely into that world.

For me, learning on my own was not enough, the technical skills –although vital- were just a part of it, the environment, the people, the mindset, were just as important. Plus, I didn’t want to spend two years learning the basics.

Among many alternatives, Le Wagon just clicked with me, “bring tools to creative people” was a promise I could relate to, and according to many reviews, it delivered. On top of that, it was in Barcelona, a city I’ve been in love with my whole life. It’s funny how sometimes the best decisions are done in the shortest time. It was simple, a month later I was flying from Mexico to Barcelona.

Suddenly, I was a part of this multicultural community, with apparently nothing in common. All of our backgrounds were different, our goals, our way of targeting problems, I couldn’t see any cohesive force that could pull this eclectic group together for two intense months. There was one quality we all shared, hunger. We were all there with the same mindset, learn more, be better, experience this magniffic opportunity to the fullest.

 

It wasn’t always that easy. More than once I got out of the classroom in utter frustration, I actually got sick one week from not sleeping enough for having to pull all-nighters to keep up (I didn’t even do it on college). The phrase “it will all sink in, eventually” bothered me too much, until it was true. A teacher is always one click away to point you in the right direction, they won’t tell you the answer but the path to it. After a while the logic becomes apparent, maybe you don’t understand but at least you understand what you don’t understand and where to look for answers. They give you all the pieces, its up to you to solve the puzzle.

 

It’s not easy to find people with whom you can be sited quietly 8 hours focused on a problem, just to close your laptop and get to a club when you found the solution, wake up next morning to a volleyball match or go to admire Sagrada Familia. There is a certain magic when you find people so different from you and yet so similar. LeWagon introduced me to a world I no longer want to be apart from.

After a month and a half from that, I’m no longer playing with apps but building them, I have my own plan derived from my personal project, my hobby is now my job and I have friends I can relate with all over the world. I learned a lot in the shortest time, it was challenging, hard and required my attention to the fullest, and yet, somehow, I still think of it as the most awesome two months vacation I’ve ever taken.

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