Neus’ career shift from hospitality to web development

We interview one of our recent graduates, Neus, who joined our web development online bootcamp after working for several years in hospitality.

Hello Neus, can you tell me a bit about yourself and your background?

I am from Spain and my background is in hospitality and Human Resources. I studied a Bachelor in Business Administration specialized in luxury hospitality, worked in five star hotels in different departments and then moved to London where I worked for 5 years in Human Resources in a 5 star hotel and an international events company.

Can you tell us why you decided to study on an an online bootcamp?

Around a year and a half ago I was listening to a podcast and the word “coding” came up. I had heard of developers/engineers but had to idea what they did. I started doing some research and decided to start learning with Codecademy (an online platform to learn how to code). The more I learned about it the more I liked it, but at the time I was working on a full time job and could not dedicate as much time to it as I wanted to.

I decided to leave London to move with my partner to the US and while I was waiting for my visa I moved back to Spain temporarily and took it as an opportunity to do the bootcamp with that free time.

I read a lot of reviews about Le Wagon and videos of alumni describing their experiences and all of them were excellent. I did it online because there is no campus where I am currently located (Mallorca)

How was the online learning experience – did you feel alone?

I can confidently say I did not feel alone at any time. I was not expecting such a strong sense of community from an online bootcamp and that’s one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. You are constantly in touch with your classmates, teaching assistants or program managers. I felt like I could ask for help at any time, and ask any questions to anyone really. We also had a lot of social activities and talks which were really fun and made all of us get to know each other more.

What whas the thing that you liked the most about this format?

The buddy system is truly a gem when it comes to learning how to code. It’s not just about having someone to turn to when you are stuck but also about navigating challenges together. Being able to lend a helping hand to your buddy and discussing the intricacies of your code not only solidifies your own understanding but also reinforces what you’re learning in a fun and interactive way. From my own experience, shifting from solo learning to the buddy system accelerated my learning journey so much.

How would you explain our online community to someone who hasn’t studied at Le Wagon before?

The bootcamp itself is incredibly intense, packing a lot of material into a relatively short timeframe. But for me what made it so special and beneficial was the incredible sense of community. Despite the rigorous pace, you’ll never feel alone on your learning journey. Whether you’re trying to understand a tricky concept or celebrating a breakthrough, you’ll have the support of your classmates and instructors every step of the way. It’s honestly like having a dedicated team of cheerleaders rooting for you, even now after the bootcamp.

And what was your main goal studying web development?

I was thinking about the possibility to do a career change and become a software developer. I was not a 100% sure of it before joining Le Wagon, but after this experience, everything I have learnt and the tools I have been provided with, I am sure now this is what I want to do.

Do you have any final advice for someone who’s looking into joining the Le Wagon community?

Spend time on the prep work and understanding the concepts there before starting. I think it helped me a lot to hit the ground running when I started the bootcamp.
Just do it 🙂