DevLeague Alumnae: Why I Chose Hawaii For A Coding Bootcamp

Estefania Morton is a Full Stack Web Developer from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. After attending college for Sociology, Estefania decided to pursue a path as a Software Engineer at DevLeague. Today, Estefania works at Accenture as a Software Engineer. We wanted to hear more about why Estefania chose Hawaii for her coding bootcamp experience. Take a look at her guest post below:

Why learn to code in Hawaii? I get that question every time I tell someone I went to DevLeague. I admit that going all the way from Mexico to a remote island in the Pacific to learn how to code does seem a bit odd, but for me this bootcamp made perfect sense. For people that don't know much about Mexico, I must start by saying that things are special here. Our culture is warm, unique and colorful, and, for me, everywhere in Mexico feels like home. I knew that an immersive full-time coding bootcamp was not going to be easy, and feeling homesick was something I could not afford. Because of this, I was completely sold to DevLeague.

When the time came for me to interview with DevLeague, I had already been accepted to some JavaScript and Node.js bootcamps in San Francisco, New York, and Austin, Texas. However, my interview with DevLeague really stood out to me. Russel and Jason, the co-founders, were really authentic, and they immediately made me feel welcomed. The interview also gave me a small taste of the warmth in the Hawaiian culture, which made me think that maybe in Hawaii, feeling homesick would not be that big of an issue. A couple of days after submitting the technical part of the admission process, I received an email saying I had been accepted into the program, and after reviewing all of my available options, I accepted!

As soon as I got to Hawaii, I felt that warmth again. The scenery just outside the airport reminded me a lot of Mexico. You are greeted by beaches and mountains, and a lot of colorful flowers and clothing.

I arrived at what would be my new home for the next 3 months, a rental two blocks from DevLeague. Living this close to the school was a huge benefit; I did not lose any time throughout the day since to the school was just a five-minute walk away.

My home in Hawaii is something I really miss. I really enjoyed taking walks around the incredibly green neighborhood, petting the dogs being walked and watching the amazing variety of colorful birds everywhere. Besides the scenery, I miss the incredible hospitality of the woman that hosted me. I was barely ever at the house and she still managed to make it feel like a home.

I could call MIC (Manoa Innovation Center -where DevLeague is) my second home in Hawaii. I spent most of my time on the island there, and I definitely think of everyone at the Center like family. It seems hard to believe that any other bootcamp could offer something so special.

For me, Hawaii was the perfect choice for a coding bootcamp, largely because it gave me the perfect balance of calm and intense. In DevLeague you are surrounded by such a calm and beautiful environment, together with amazing, incredibly nice people. People at this bootcamp really care about helping you feel comfortable, and they are there whenever you need anything. This is incredibly important at a bootcamp. You are putting your life on hold for 3 months to learn something new and very challenging. The result is that I was able to learn coding in a supportive, beautiful environment that reminded me of home. And even more importantly- I transformed my career in the process!

I am incredibly grateful that I got a chance to go to Hawaii to attend DevLeague. I did not just have the best time (and sushi) ever, I came out prepared for life as a professional developer.

Thanks to DevLeague, I was able to land my current job at Accenture just a few months after graduation. I felt really nervous my first week on the job, as I was the only person on the team that did not have a CS degree. However, that feeling did not last long. When I started applying everything that was covered at DevLeague, I realized how much I had actually learned, from technical stuff to strategies for learning more on my own. It is hard to believe how far I got in just three months.

Overall, my experience at DevLeague in Hawaii taught me many things besides coding. So when people ask, "why go to Hawaii for a coding boot camp?" my only answer is: DevLeague was much more than a boot camp. It was a wonderful experience and gave me the tools I needed to transform my career!

To learn more about Dev League, visit www.devleague.com