Climb to new heights with Nucamp as your foundation

From Data Analyst to Developer & Data Manager, Equilo.

"It's a lot to quit your job and learn a new field while not being sure if you're even going to like it. I really liked the fact that I would gain skills and knowledge, and even if nothing came of it, it wouldn't be $15k out of my pocket. It was a lower risk, but it's still money, so paying for something helps to follow through."

This is Emily McKinney, a Nucamp Full Stack Bootcamp graduate and now a Developer and Data Manager at Equilo.

She is an avid rock climber who loves exploring local spots around the Twin Cities and traveling to scale the beautiful landscape out West as well.

Emily had an introduction to coding her senior year of college when a friend encouraged her to take an introductory programming course.

This one-semester peak into coding piqued her interest and gave her regrets of not taking it sooner.

After landing a data analysis position after college, her heart remained belayed to coding.

She kept a foothold in coding by completing self-taught courses, but they never delivered the send she needed.

"I was missing the full knowledge to actually build a web page and I was having a really hard time finding out how to do that on my own with just the free materials that are easily found online."

Lacking the robust knowledge she wanted to confidently build her own projects, attending a bootcamp seemed more and more like the right approach.

She also believed her data analytics skills would augment new coding skills.

What held her back was a reluctance to shovel out tens of thousands of dollars and quit her job, which she didn't necessarily dislike, to fully commit to learning something she wasn't 100% sure she would enjoy as a career.

Finding Nucamp coding bootcamps changed everything.

It was reasonably priced, she could keep her job, she would learn popular industry tech, and have the focus and support she needed.

Now having the right equipment for the journey, she started her ascent toward her new career.

Emily was really happy with the structure and flexibility that taking a hybrid coding bootcamp afforded her.

She was able to spread out her weekly coursework according to on what was going on in her daily life while still making sure it all came together for her Saturday workshop.

Her instructors were the spotters on her journey that kept her motivated and engaged.

Emily also liked that Nucamp was a long enough engagement to let the new concepts sink in.

During the bootcamp she liked both the front end and back end components, and wasn't sure which she preferred right away, so she appreciated being able to explore both during the Full Stack Bootcamp.

A big highlight for her was putting her knew skills into action by building on the same personal project throughout each module.

As a highly recommended activity, but a step above bootcamp requirements, her personal project allowed her to apply concepts, see how the pieces fit together, and have a record of her accomplishments and new expertise.

The confidence she gained during her bootcamp gave her the courage to ask her boss to change roles.

"With the right kind of instruction, which I got from Nucamp, applying what I learned to new environments in new situations, I can often figure out the answer. Even if it's scary at first and even if I don't know the answer when I begin. It built the confidence in myself and my ability to used what I learned."

Describe your job search process.

After building up the courage to ask her boss to pivot responsibilities, Emily changed roles about 6 months after completing the Full Stack Bootcamp.

Her boss gave her a small side project to prove her abilities.

She credits the things she learned in the Nucamp module as being fundamentally important to passing this test.

After the tech partner who built her company's app parted ways, she was the obvious choice to ask to fix some of the issues.

She had small successes with the new project right away, solidifying her capability in her superior's eyes.

She worked in MongoDB, was able to learn Vue.js after having learned React, and now she's the main developer.

"Currently, most of my time is spent doing front and back end development. It's been a wonderful experience."

What advice do you have for people who are thinking about attending a bootcamp, but haven't yet registered?

"If you're thinking about it, you will never be satisfied until you try it out. It will always be in the back of your mind. With the price of where Nucamp is, it's an accessible way to try it out in an environment that won't take over your life, but will also keep you motivated and on top of things. It doesn't hurt to try the Web Development Fundamentals. It's affordable and a shorter time commitment. You don't want to have regret or that "what if" in your mind. A month of some free time to try it out is worth it, especially in this attention economy. To find something that captures your attention for so long is very valuable and the satisfaction you feel when you figure it out is tremendous."

What advice do you have for people who have already started the bootcamp and they are just about to finish Bootstrap?

"Be patient with yourself, especially with Redux. The first time Redux was explained to me, it didn't make sense. It was over my head. But the next module it is React and Redux on a mobile app and that's when it clicked for me. Being able to do it twice made all the difference. If things don't make sense, it's okay. Stay engaged, stay committed, especially through the next module. Do the parallel portfolio project. Stick with this even if it's difficult and complicated."