Le Wagon

I recently completed Le Wagon Amsterdam batch #126. It was, in short, the best learning experience of my life.

Throughout and after high school, which I graduated the summer just before the bootcamp, I completed other coding courses before, but none of them had the same impact on me or taught me as much as Le Wagon. Even with very high expectations for the programme, they managed to exceed each and every one. The curriculum and structure side of the programme is amazing. The teachers and teacher assistants do a great job at explaining every concept just enough so you really understand what you’re doing. Additionally, they teach other soft and hard skills a developer needs to succeed in the industry, such as version control and collaboration with other developers.

What surprised and pleased me the most was the sense of community that is created since day one, and persists even after the bootcamp is over. The buddy system is a great way to learn to code with other developers, get to know the other bootcamp participants and even make new friends.

All in all, I would absolutely recommend LeWagon to anyone, regardless of previous experience with code.

Just before writing this review, I was programming away on an application for a freelance client; feeling the adrenaline of jumping back and forth between back and front-end as I freed the code of bugs. I feel in-control, powerful, and like I can accomplish anything if I really set my mind to it. A few months ago, this would not have been possible.

Before Le Wagon Shanghai, I always felt pretty stuck. I had that dreaded feeling of waking up every morning, anxious and complacent about going to work; doing everything for the paycheck. I always felt like my job controlled me and I was running on autopilot, doing what I needed to get done to go home and let life begin everyday.

In comes Le Wagon. What a crazy, incredible ride. I don’t even know where to begin.

• The course material was engaging and challenging. The lectures and instruction were typically short and sweet; giving us the fundamentals to go on with the day and code until we couldn’t code anymore.
• The instructors were inspiring and reminded me of how much I love to learn; especially as a more focused adult. I consider them to be lifelong friends and mentors. Not having strong role models previously, I gained several while on this camp.
• My peers may have been the best part about it. We were all going through the same crazy coursework together. I’ve come out of the course with freelance buddies, business partners and close friends.

I think the greatest takeaways I had from Le Wagon was that it gave me the skills and the confidence to get out there and start obtaining some freelance jobs to gain more experience. Furthermore, when I go to start my own business in the future, I will feel technically ready to make it happen. Finally, I love that I have an invigorated drive to learn again, and I no longer have the limiting beliefs that have stopped me from reaching my full potential in the past.

One thing to keep in mind is that you have to work your ass off to get the most out of the experience. This includes after the experience. Don’t let your skills go to waste after the camp by not putting them into action in one way or another.

Either way, you will enjoy it, you won’t have regrets. Make the investment, because it is so worth it.

My name is François, I took the batch#64 in São Paulo, Brazil. I used to work in investment banking in France and I wanted to take advantage of a life transition where I decided to live in Brazil to learn new skills. I was attracted by the tech world and wanted to get to know web-development with the idea to develop my own project or join a start-up (I joined a peer-to-peer lending platform in Brazil few months after Le Wagon). Getting out of Le Wagon you can easily get a role as junior developer, however it is also a strong asset if you are looking for product manager role or any business role in a tech company.

The key barriers to entry to web-development is the fact that a web application mixes a lot of pieces that you have to put together to have it up and running: you need a backend language (Ruby @ Le Wagon), HTML & CSS to build your frontend, javascript to make it bite reactive, a data-base, etc… which makes it extremely hard to learn on your own. Le Wagon pedagogy is great and quickly guides you step by step through the basics of web-development to build strong foundations (no blind application of something you would be told to do, you actually know what you are doing !).

The 2 last weeks are dedicated to building an application, it is amazing what you can achieve in 2 weeks when you had no previous knowledge few weeks earlier! My project was an application that helps friends getting together calculating the best neighborhood to hangout (based on where people will leave and taking commuting time into account) and generating a selection of bars and restaurants so that the group can democratically decides where it will hangout, ain’t that cool  ?

I quit my job as COO of a small software company at the age of 53 because it was becoming more of a sales position and that initiated me to make a career change and go all in on my dream of becoming a web developer. Three weeks later I was in Barcelona on a very intense web developer boot-camp to learn the full stack based on Ruby on Rails.

I had no prior experience to coding in any language so for me basically everything was new which meant focusing and working long hours every day - even outside of the 9-10 hour days on the boot-camp - in order to 'get' as much as possible. The instructors were great and especially their patience was admirable when we asked what must have been the same questions over and over.

Le Wagon lead us through everything from the database to the front-end step by step and through the entire process we were working hands on with bigger and bigger projects. We finished the camp in teams of 3 or 4 where we in two intense weeks built a fully functional and relatively complex web application. Our projects were constantly pushed through social media and getting attention from potential future employers which combined with all the extra events like job fairs and networking arranged by Le Wagon was a great inspiration and opportunity for us as new developers.

This camp far exceeded my expectations and at the time of writing this just a few days after finishing in Barcelona I already have two job offers in Denmark and Germany. I'm definitely going all in on this exciting field where the market is screaming for qualified people - I hope to be able to combine my future job with my interest in and knowledge of the Blockchain but that only time will tell...

Before joining Le Wagon, I was working at Google as an Account Manager in Digital Marketing for Google’s largest automotive and mobility clients. 

I did not have any prior knowledge of coding but noticed that more and more of my discussions with partners were about their web applications. This increased a lot with the emergence of new mobility start-ups.

The business need together with a personality of always wanting to learn new skills made me very excited about applying to Le Wagon. The alumni reviews speak for themselves and even before going I was sure I had made the right choice. 

The people I met there and the skills I learned however completely exceeded my expectations. After going to Business School and learning for the sake of passing exams it felt extremely refreshing learning a skill for life. The teachers did an amazing job guiding the students along their line of thinking instead of imposing one single way to solve the many challenges. 

The absolute highlight were the three last weeks in which we built two MVPs. Before the bootcamp I would never have thought it was possible to build a working and fully designed MVP in only two weeks. 

Back in my job I am looking forward to apply not only the technical expertise I learnt but also use some of the Agile and Scrum techniques we learnt for my daily business.

This was an absolutely amazing experience and I would recommend it to anybody in doubt.

After working in the banking industry and in IT banking industry, i was tired of the slowness and the antiqueness of the processes and way of working there.

I was also frustrated about not to be technical enough to fully understand the IT processes.

That’s why, in the first hand I decided to learn by myself coding with the help of internet resources. But after a while, I was kind of blocked in my learning progress.

At this time, when surfing on the web, I found Le wagon bootcamp.

The quality of the website, the transparency about the program, the good reviews and the alumni careers convinced me and long story short I enrolled for it ( and I can tell you, i do not regret it J).

https://www.lewagon.com/

The bootcamp was far beyond my expectations.

The pedagogy, the learning pace, the resources are extremely well designed and you feel that you are immediately able to use it IRL.

The second major key point is the people. Teachers, TAs, Drivers, are very nice, competent and always willing to help you, for the bootcamp itself but also for your personal project(s). They are very encouraging and they make you grow by putting you in the right direction, with the correct mindset.

Last but not least Le wagon provide you with a huge active tech community.

Le wagon Slack will be your best friend (you can go home facebook J) with tons a job offers, resources, tutorials, tech news…

 And of course, a help section if you are struggling with an issue, the 2K + members are here to help you out.

I was part of wagon Batch #127 in Bordeaux (jan-march 2018). I’m now beginning my career as a freelance web developer and digital nomad, as will be living in the Caribbean.

After only a couple of weeks after le wagon I have projects in the pipe, a tons of stuff to read, to learn, to do and the brain full of ideas in order to contribute to open source community and projects.

La Wagon will open you the door of the gigantic tech universe.

I have a brand new world to explore (bye bye boring office work and hours)…and coding under the sun with the feet on the sand…what else? J

To conclude, a tech enthusiastic, tech curious who is always willing to learn & grow and who is dreaming to be part of the tech world, enroll, you’ll not regret it!

It's definitely not easy (as there is a lot to learn in 9 weeks), but it’s totally worth it without any doubt.

Change your life: learn to code with Le Wagon…and see you soon on Slack J

Before Le Wagon I was working at a hospital in New York City as a central sterile technician which not surprisingly did not involve any coding at all. Although I enjoyed my job I realized I had the ideas and desire to create things but I was not sure how to bring my ideas to life. I created my first Wordpress website but I quickly realized how limited I was with it. I then hired a developer and as I read through his code I thought to myself anyone who could read and write this stuff was a wizard! And could do anything!
Months later I decided to make a change by traveling abroad to Asia and to gain some perspective. I thought after travelling I would come back to New York and really dedicate my time to learning how to code. But while traveling in Asia I met someone who told me about Le Wagon and how it changed her life. It allowed her to become a digital nomad and work from wherever her heart desired, which in my eyes was exactly what I wanted. So shortly after this encounter I applied to join the first batch of Le Wagon in Bali.
During the bootcamp it became very clear that it would by no means be easy. I often struggled to wrap my head around complex logic but the instructors were so amazing and helpful that I never felt stranded or alone. Help was always available and resources were always provided to assist anyone who was in need and this is something I felt was the magic that makes Le Wagon so successful.
During the last few weeks we built our own Web apps and if pressure makes diamonds, that was exactly what every person in our camp became. The amount of hard work, dedication and understanding Le Wagon fosters in each student was beyond my own expectations. I was able to finish the camp strong, confident and proud. If you are a creative person and are looking to change your life, Le Wagon is the perfect environment to help you become a “wizard” and really grant you the power to take control of your future.
 

Before attending Le Wagon Bali, I was working in the Building Industry in Singapore for 10 years, an industry which is not related to coding at all and an industry which is unfortunately left behind when it comes to digitalisation.

I have always been a creative person, curious about new technologies, and several ideas of web products came to my mind during the last few years. But I felt a bit frustrated because I felt completely disconnected from the “tech industry”, and I had no idea of the right approach to adopt in order to develop my ideas.

Then a friend recommended Le Wagon to me and as the first batch in Bali was about to be launched, I decided to enroll. I am very happy with my decision, and luckily my friend has told me about Le Wagon.

To be clear, the 2 months in the bootcamp were very intense, and the Le Wagon program requires a lot of commitment and hard work. But the program is amazingly well structured, and step by step, day by day, you are progressively getting the full picture of fullstack development.

When we started on the first day of the bootcamp, we discovered the hidden part of the Le Wagon iceberg: a powerful web platform, gathering in one place all tools needed by the students: lectures, videos, resources, assignments, tutorials, etc.. I have been really amazed by this platform, available to all students, and for life. After Le Wagon, this platform is priceless, as I can retrieve all the lectures videos and resources, helping me to go further about any specific subject.

The 3 last weeks of the bootcamp were the richest weeks because we had the opportunity to develop two real web apps, working as a team all day long, and putting into practice all the skills learnt during the first 5 weeks. It is such a good feeling to actually build stuff, to be focused on it, and to realise what we were actually able to do!

Doing the bootcamp in Bali is the cherry on the cake, learning to code in this kind of environment is just amazing. With classmates coming from all around the world it was an amazing experience, and I had the chance to develop true friendship with some of the students.

I am overall very satisfied with this bootcamp. Not only have I learnt and practiced many technical skills in a condensed period of time, now I also feel very confident in building my own product. I have a very clear picture of all the steps to follow to do so and a clear insight of the available technologies. Last but not least, the support of the alumni community and the support of the Le Wagon web platform is absolutely worth every cent!

To conclude, I will definitively recommend Le Wagon to anyone as it is an asset that you will keep with you for life, no matter what you do after the bootcamp. Even if I go back to my previous role in the Building Industry, I will certainly have an enriched approach on my future challenges, will hopefully be a better version of myself, and I will look at coming opportunities with a different perspective!

I am Mo from Thailand and am now a WeChat mini-program developer in Chengdu, China. Many years before Le Wagon I worked at a virtual tour company (but this was even before Google Street View so you could imagine things were very different in tech!). Last year, I worked as an IT Manager for managing IT outsourcing, web development and team building at Saraff Infotech (Thailand).

Now, I am staying with my wife in Chengdu, China. I like the city as it is developing very fast. Because I missed a lot of new web technologies while I was an IT outsourcing manager, I wanted to get back into the industry. Therefore, I wanted to learn the most recent tech practices as well as make friends in Chengdu, which is why I joined Le Wagon :)

My experience at Le Wagon Chengdu

First of all, I registered last minute for Le Wagon, so I was considering whether it was a good idea or not. Yet after the bootcamp, I can say it was the best decision to guide me to become a good developer and innovator.

Prior to Le Wagon, I tried to learn many things by myself but that was a waste of time because I didn’t know which was the correct direction to learn and practice. Nowadays, new web technologies are too various, yet they are all connected. If you want to study by yourself, maybe it will take 1-2 years to know where are the best practices. In Le Wagon, lecturers and mentors are very experienced and experts, usually for more than 10 years. Also the Le Wagon method teaches students how to learn and apply other technologies by yourself. Now I can accelerate my learning and skills after Le Wagon.

Impression of the program

I got something beyond my expectation. I learned WeChat Mini-Programs - the new technology launched by Tencent in 2017, which I really like. It enables me to enter the China market with presence on a powerful APP like WeChat.

Moreover, I like my Le Wagon friends, lecturers and mentors. They are kind people and very optimistic to build a strong developer community in Chengdu. We all come from very different backgrounds, lifestyles and careers.

Biggest Takeaways

Best practices for web development skills and learning.

Methods and planning to build APPs in a short time.

These are very useful to continue learning and make projects in my IT career path.

Life after Le Wagon

Now, I am focusing on WeChat Mini Program development and working with one of mentors, who is continuing to help us understand how to organize as team developers and how to be successful entrepreneurs.

Suggestions for you

I highly recommend Le Wagon’s bootcamp in China. Both team Le Wagon Chengdu and Shanghai are very strong and passionate to build a very good developer and entrepreneur community.

For those who do not have any IT skills before, this course can reduce time to learn by yourself from 1-2 years in 2 months. Moreover, we can keep learning and share experiences in the Le Wagon community after you graduate!

Before I heard of Le Wagon in Barcelona I was doing a monotonous job with no excitement at all and for a long time felt that I did not want to carry on with that line of work for the rest of my life; I had been interested in computer science, attending many different courses in MOOC platforms over the past years but I had the feeling that I was missing the best part of CS.

Then all Barcelona Bootcamps offered an open doors day and after visiting all of them it is when I met Le Wagon and its driver, Gus de Vita; immediately I felt they were for me because of its different approach to classic computer science where endless lectures are given with little or none practical exercises while LW heavily focuses on practical extremely challenging exercises where we are required to give our best to grasp a solid knowledge of the lecture given earlier in the morning.

They were teaching the whole full stack web development in a way that while I was participating in the course all my expectations were completely fulfilled and the course itself, mind-blowing: the educational methods, teachers assistants, daily class structure, exercise challenges and much more gave me the knowledge, confidence and  tools to develop a career of my own in computer science.

Don’t get me wrong, it is not a doddle! A lot of hard work, effort, time investment and commitment are expected from the student side to be successful! Good things don’t come easy, but once is achieved the reward feels twice bigger than expected.

I absolutely endorse this course to take not only your cs skills to top level but to change your mindset and convince yourself that you are capable of, by hard effort, achieve anything that you aim. Le Wagon is absolutely worth every cent!

I was originally a Data Analyst, but after working with developing teams for a couple of years, I developed a curiosity and desire to learn how to code web apps myself!
What thrilled me the most, was the idea to be able to create something on my own in order then to convince people to join in my quest to conquer the web!

That is what brought me to take LeWagon’s Full Stack Web Dev. Bootcamp.
The course was incredibly well structured, each day planned to add a brick in what would become an intricate but solid castle of awesomeness.
Mind you, it was tough! You better be willing to get you hands dirty (metaphorically speaking of course!) but the teachers at Le Wagon provide you with all the necessary tools in order to surpass all the challenges ahead.

It was an incredible experience that climaxed with the final project of having succeeded to be able to have created a real-life, live, functioning web application..and in just 2 months!
I’m still mindblown if you ask me!

But if Web Developer is the path you are willing to choose, the end of the bootcamp is only but the beginning!

I myself am constantly learning and coding in my free time starting to develop personal projects which I can finally be able to bring to life thanks to the Bootcamp :slightly_smiling_face:

My background is in oceanography, focused on physical oceanography, ocean modeling, data analysis and research. Before Le Wagon, I had just finished my masters in oceanography where I learned so much about scientific Python, data, plotting and how to write science in a friendly way. Together with being an oceanographer, I was always interested in new technologies, startups, how the entire process to come up with an idea worked and what was the best way to show that idea to the world. That's where LeWagon comes in. I've always wanted to shorten the gap between academia and the public, so I thought the source of all the knowledge (internet) could help me with that. 

I started LeWagon after hearing from another friend that took the course and, after the first weeks, I knew the investment was worth it. For me, the structure of the course really helped me through the learning process and, as I saw myself getting better over time, I could see the order things were taught was really making a difference and was helping me not to get confused. By learning ruby first, I saw the potential the language had in making clean and very understandable programs. After that, we saw database, internet protocols, OOP, front-end, APIs (we actually had much more than that) and, after 7 weeks, we had the final project.  For me, the final project was a good summary of what we learned in 9 weeks and I was so proud of what me and my group did in such a short time (if you're curious - http://www.doctorwho.reviews/) . Just the idea of learning how to use google maps in your page, how to make it responsive, how to use a "Facebook Login", was such a big thing for me. Before the classes I didn't pay much attention to all the processes involved in making a website function in a fast, responsive way. 

Besides the material, the teachers and TAs were also very good. What really amazed me was that, because Le Wagon is an international school, the same classes I had in Brazil, were also being taught somewhere in Tokyo, so I now have access to this large community with different ideas and backgrounds from all over the world.

After finishing the course, I didn't start working right away because of other reasons, but I'm still practicing, developing and learning new frameworks, technologies and programming languages. I know some of the things I learned might become obsolete in the near future, but I'm way more qualified to learn new things now than I was before.