The University of Illinois Chicago Tech Bootcamps

I joined UIC's Part-Time Coding Bootcamp with very little knowledge of coding. Given my inexperience, I was in search of a bootcamp that offered structure, support, and a curated curriculum so that I could change careers from education to software engineering in a reasonable amount of time.

I found the instructors to be very knowledgeable and helpful throughout the 26-week period. The pacing was manageable, and the projects and exercises were designed to gradually build up your skills, eventually leading to more comprehensive synthesis projects. The cohort environment also provided an opportunity to work on a group capstone project while implementing agile methodology. Having this project on my resume, along with the experience of working in a group setting proved quite valuable while I was on the job market. The career success team not only helped to prepare us for our job search during the bootcamp, but they also continued to support us after graduation by putting on career events, meeting for one-on-one advising, reviewing materials, and sharing relevant job opportunities.

Completing a bootcamp and successfully navigating the job search process on top of a full-time job is a demanding commitment, but, with the support of the instructors, the career staff, and my classmates, I was able to stay motivated and continue pushing myself to grow and eventually land a full-time role as an associate software engineer, using much of the tech stack that we learned in the bootcamp.

This program turned out to be exactly what I needed, and I got out what I put into it. I can't imagine having successfully made this career change without the experience and support that I gained through my participation in the UIC Coding Bootcamp.