Coding Bootcamp Praha

As a former sales specialist working in the automotive industry, I left my previous job to expand my skillset. There has been a talk of crisis in this industry for several years, so Im glad I made my choice to change career already before the COVID-19... Read More situation. I have always been interested in tech and coding, so I decided to first do online studies and then look for more intense study way. The instructors and mentors were outstanding - all very approachable, knowledgeable, and experienced in interacting with students at different skill levels. I suppose it is natural that I little bit preferred a teaching style of some instructors little more that the others but I also know that some of the other students had the opposite preference :) it comes down to how “guided” you prefer to be, whether you enjoy being often checked upon or prefer to study more independently and seeing for help yourself, when needed. However, all of them are really great people, friendly and fun and Im so glad I could spend this time together with them. I found it great that I could meet various alumni at networking events, it helped me build my confidence and I got a better idea of the market. I applied for jobs fairly early on during the programme (earlier than we were recommended :-) and it paid off. I wanted to explore a bit so I attended around 12 interviews before finding the right match but Im happy I did this despite it was draining at times. If I have any recommendation for someone who is thinking about this path, then it definitely is making sure that you like figuring stuff out. It might sound like cliche but it simply is true. So if you, enjoy the studies, have fun, and go for it!

Initially I chose this course based on the reputation and the topics covered in the course (in addition to the tuition fee and the location, of course!). After finishing the whole program, I am happy to discover that I made a good decision. Here are my... Read More thoughts about the program of Coding Bootcamp Praha:
Overall, I like how the bootcamp program is structured and being quite intensive. I have (limited but some) previous experiences in programming and I generally enjoy the challenges. Although the program also targets the beginners without a previous experiences in programming, I felt that they provided us with plenty of the learning topics , materials, and practices. The program also teaches some design concepts and assisting tools frequently involved in the process of web development along with the coding, and I definitely gained more practical knowledge than the time I taught myself coding. In addition to the teaching, the bootcamp offered guidances regarding job hunting, instructions of a personal portfolio development, and other practical assistance for us to land a web developer job. All these teaching and assistance helped me to start a new career as a web developer. For those who wish to switch their career, Coding Bootcamp Praha is the best choice. 

I’d love to share my experience for any people interested in coding bootcamp, so that it can help them make a choice. So what did I wish I knew before signing up for Coding Bootcamp Praha?
1 - the real meaning of “intense experience”. I thought I was ready... Read More for doing my best but I still didn’t expect that I could study so intensely each day for three months! So be ready to give it your 100% if you want to get the most out of it.
2 - that being well self-organised is super important if you want to be good at coding. You need to manage your time well, have priorities set, and be able follow the study plan.
3 - that its all about people. I couldn’t make it successfully through the programme if it wasn’t for all the great help I got from all the mentors as well as the other students. It’s very important knowing that the mentors have seen all sorts of study problems before and can actually guide you when you are stuck now just with an exercise but when you might be falling behind.
4 - that learning to code can be much more about motivation than math. I was worried that my lack of any science / math background will be a big disadvantage for me during the course. While logical reasoning skills are definitely a plus for programming, I’d actually say that your passion for the field is even more important.
5 - that 3 months can totally change your life. Three months sounded like a too short time for me at first, so I wasn’t sure if that’s enough. And it wasn’t - Im still learning tons of new stuff each day but Im already learning it while having a job :-) I work as a front-end developer in a fintech startup and let me say that its often even more intense than the bootcamp itself. But this is what I wanted and Im real happy that it worked out.

- Highly knowledgable instructors who are truly dedicated to their students.
- Very friendly environment, great classmates and patient mentors
- Great structure of the teachings, great to see how your knowledge ads up and ads up in a logical manner.
- Very... Read More practical so each student gets tons of practice. Further exercises always available when you need more practice for specific topics or even if you are more advanced and ahead of the class.
- The experience of developing the final project is valuable. Helped me learn and also helped me get a job. It is really useful to be able to talk about your code and show your progress.
- Staff always there to cheer you up or answer any questions you might have. Also super caring - free food for hackathons, free drinks from time to time - all really helped to create a nice atmosphere.
- Had two job offers already in the last week of the bootcamp from smaller companies but decided in the end to wait one more week to interview little more. Within two weeks of the bootcamp I started working in an awesome office with great colleagues, awesome equipment and trainings - couldn’t be happier!
- Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in learning web development

I graduated from the Coding Bootcamp Praha last year. I came into the program with a basic experience in coding as I took several data analysis course before and played with HTML and CSS in CRMs such as Wordpress. Despite this I wasn’t sure if I was ready... Read More because I felt somewhat intimidated by taking such a big step - leaving my job and starting something new without a certain result! I learnt so much during these 12 weeks at the bootcamp and making the transition successfully wouldn’t have been possible without the friendly and supportive staff at Coding Bootcamp Praha. It’s also amazing to share this intense study and life experience with other students at the bootcamp, study together after hours and on weekends… I greatly appreciated that I could come to the bootcamp also on Saturdays and Sundays because it simply pushed me to do more that I would manage at home. Not mentioning that I really loved the free coffee at the office :)

I found the career advice very helpful. At the end of the day applying for web dev jobs is not really so different that prepping for any other interview but it was really good to learn what are the character traits most companies appreciate, how to make a good impression and what to expect during the technical interviews. I left the job hunting for after the bootcamp and it took be about a month to find the job that I liked the most. I work as a backend developer for a web development agency. I still hangout with people from my batch and its really encouraging and motivating to see them growing as developers!

I had a great time at the bootcamp during the entire 12 weeks. It was well-organised and the teachers were very helpful and friendly. Its also an amazing value for money and now after completing it I’d say its worth several times more! It helped me change... Read More career into what I have wanted to do for long, so I’m really grateful. Also, I loved the small things - how the staff organised welcome parties and drinks for us, how they helped us even well past the bootcamp hours, how we hanged out and had informal conversations… already missing it!

I studied at the Coding Bootcamp Praha right after my undergraduate degree where I studied math. I was looking for an intense way of learning programming because we have covered a lot of algorithmic thinking at my university but not enough really any... Read More practically-oriented knowledge to actually start developing. Towards the end of my degree I realised my interest is more towards practical implementations, rather than theory and wanted to switch into computer science but it wasn’t an option.

I got accepted to the bootcamp about four months before my batch started and was glad I had time to study all the provided resources without any time pressure. In general, I recommend having at least a month before the bootcamp to do the pre-studies unless you are already more advanced. The technologies taught at the bootcamp are amongst the most popular on the market and I felt that the main programming languages were quite complimentary - once we learnt JavaScript it was quite easy to learn PHP.

I believe my background helped with the studies at the bootcamp but I still put a maximum effort into it - I stayed many evenings at the bootcamp studying and also came during the weekend. We created a small study group with several other students and it made all this much more enjoyable - don’t think I would otherwise be able to push myself so much on my own :-)

I found the environment at the bootcamp really great, the instructors very helpful and the majority of the students really amazing people. We stay in touch even now several months after we finished and its nice to have friends who really get what you are talking about when sharing your daily stories at work :) it took me about two weeks after the bootcamp to find a job I liked. What I found during the interviews most important is that you know how to present yourself, which normally comes down to you actually believing that this is the right career path for you. Apart from that its not much of a magic, most interviews were pretty much exactly as we were told during the careers prep at the bootcamp. But I would advise against acting like the entire world is waiting for you - be a bit humble, do your best and its gonna work out for the best!

I joined the coding bootcamp in Prague around Autumn 2018. I started learning the basics of programming, as a hobby, in python from online tutorials but mostly I was not sure how to move beyond the basics of coding. Thereafter, I started looking for full-time... Read More courses. My main aim was to get guidance from professionals as the programming field is vast and chances of getting lost are high.
I enrolled myself in Coding Bootcamp Praha. It was a three months long, full-stack web development course. They introduced me to various front end technologies like Html, CSS, Bootstrap, Javascript and React whereas in back end technologies we covered Php, Laravel, and SQL. During the boot camp, in a group of 4, we were also required to put together a comprehensive site/app as a final project. This project was built in the Laravel framework using the different technologies learnt (PHP, MySQL and react).
The bootcamp itself is quite intensive but really good if you are a beginner looking to get into the web development industry. This course requires full time dedication, five days a week of classes along with plenty of assignments outside of class hours. The instructors are senior developers in the industry and are quite knowledgeable as well as helpful. They were also approachable over online chat outside class hours. There were also plenty of events to connect with the alumni and other people from the professional scene which is useful for job hunting if you intend to continue staying in Prague after the bootcamp.
I learned a lot of new skills and made some really good friends. Overall, the bootcamp fulfilled my goal of advancing me from a complete beginner to having a more focused path towards getting a job in web development. I would strongly recommend the bootcamp to those interested in web development however make sure you have the time and attention to dedicate yourself fully to this for the whole three month duration as it is quite intensive.

I just finished Coding Bootcamp Praha (CBP) yesterday and would like to share my overall experience. Please note that everything below are just my opinions and many people feel differently, especially concerning the tech stack taught at CBP.

First, some... Read More information that I consider important:
- My previous background: lawyer.
- I will be working as a full-stack JavaScript developer, mainly focusing on the frontend (React) with a little bit of backend (Node.js).
- Why did I choose to enroll in CBP: I live in Prague, it seemed to have a good price/quality ratio. I also reached out to some of the graduates before enrolling and they had mostly good experience.
- Was I able to find a job after the Bootcamp? Yes, I was even able to be a little picky. It is however important to note that I was interested in programming for some time before actually enrolling in the Bootcamp and had at least basic understanding of the core programming concepts before I even started at the Bootcamp. I also think it is easier for Czech speakers to find a job as most of my interviews were in Czech, but there’s a lot of jobs available at the Czech market. Not sure how hard it is to find a job abroad after graduating.
- I have found my job completely on my own. It will be mainly up to you to find a job. CBP does not seem to have many contacts with jobs available. They provide you with some HR sessions but if you already have some professional experience (regardless of your field), the odds are that you will already know most of what is said in the sessions.
- I think 4 out of 20 people have found their jobs during the Bootcamp, but most of the people are just starting to look for a job now or they won’t be looking for a job in the tech field at all.
- The age of the participants varies largely, most of the participants (including myself) were in mid to late 20s. 8 Czechs, 12 people from abroad (mainly from English-speaking countries).
- The motivation of the participants also varied, some of them were enthusiastic about programming and very well prepared from the beginning, some of them just wanted to try something new and see where it goes.

Pros:
- The community is one of the greatest assets of CBP. Most of the people will be going through the same struggle as you and will be as motivated to learn to code as you.
- During the program, there is a hackathon every other week, focusing on one particular field (HTML/CSS, vanilla JS, PHP/Laravel, React, small full-stack application). I found the hackathons to be the most helpful days during which I’ve learned the most.
- CBP teaches React which is in huge demand right now. I would appreciate to learn even more React during the 12 weeks as those classes were the most useful ones.

Cons:
- We were taught very little logic during the program. Although I understand it is difficult, I think it is important to know a little bit more than just a simple if/else statement or a for loop to actually become a developer. If you go through FreeCodeCamp JS certification, you will actually know more logic than what is taught at CBP.
- Let’s face it, PHP is in decline. If you will be creating a new project right now, the backend will most probably not be in PHP. Unfortunately, both of the backend instructors code mainly PHP/Laravel so that’s what they decided to teach. I would really like to see Node.js/Express instead. On the other hand, the only thing you need is to understand how MVC backend frameworks work and you will be able to understand that after learning Laravel. It would just be better to learn it using a more relevant technology.
- We spent too much time learning the specifics of Laravel (e.g. sending email notifications). In my opinion, there will be 0 or 1 person that will be coding in Laravel after finishing the Bootcamp, there are more important things we could’ve learned (e.g. more React, Docker).
- The classes sometimes got really theoretical without coding anything ourselves for the whole day. Learning by doing is in my opinion very important and CBP should focus more on that.
- CBP should really start teaching Docker since it’s everywhere and it will be the first thing everybody will have to learn after they start their jobs.
- There are currently 20 people in the class and the instructors get sometimes really busy during hackathons/final project mentoring so it might be difficult to actually get their help.

Conslusion
- CBP gave me structure and allowed me to escape the “tutorial hell”. I would go again.
- Parts of the curriculum should be improved and PHP should be abandoned. Some instructors should focus more on learning by doing.
- I highly recommend preparing yourself well and see if you actually like programming. Go through some basic JavaScript courses at least.

If you have any specific questions, get in touch with me and I will be happy to answer them.

Hi everyone, I will try to sum up my experience at the Coding Bootcamp Praha, how I chose it, and how it went for me during and after the programme. I did a lot of research before choosing this particular bootcamp and chose it based on the great reviews... Read More and because no other bootcamp was so friendly and helpful when asking them tons of questions about their programme. They even gave me a personal tour through the campus because unfortunately I was not able to attend any scheduled info session. The staff is really nice and took the time to thoroughly go through what I was signing up for.

Before enrolling I tried to learn on my own a lot of the front end aspects of coding and while I made some progress I definitely struggled to put it properly into anything project-wise. I realised I needed more structure and guidance if I wanted to succeed at a career change. Before the bootcamp I worked in back office job in a bank and despite it was decently paid and a stable job I knew I could not do this for the rest of my life – I was missing the opportunity to create and to be intellectually challenged.

Coding Bootcamp Praha was truly one of the best decisions I have made for myself and my career. The programme emphasizes community, collaboration and persistence over competition and natural-born talent and that’s exactly the type of environment I feel good at – doing my best, pushing myself as much as I can but not feeling bad when others are faster.

Each day at the bootcamp starts with a programming exercise to warm up your brain and I loved doing something practical right from the morning. It follows with the demo of the new materials and after lunch you have time to do exercises, sometimes individually and mostly in pairs or teams.

In terms of the level of challenge, I suppose that this is really individual, so I can only speak for myself - for me, it was challenging, but manageable. All of the instructors are knowledgeable and are helpful throughout the 12 weeks. Considering that they know so much, it is pretty awesome that they are all really humble and down to earth.

The final piece of puzzle was finding a job and I found one after meeting an HR person from my current employer at the Demo Day, which is the final event of the bootcamp. From my batch it was bit more than half students going into frontend (mostly JavaScript / React), and the rest into fullstack / backend (mostly PHP/Laravel or other PHP frameworks such as Symfony or different other backend languages, eg. Python). I didn’t keep track of everyone after the bootcamp, so this is just a rough number. Cause it;s definitely true what they tell you during the bootcamp – the bootcamp is intense but the first few months in your new job even more so!

Overall, my experience at the Coding Bootcamp Praha was awesome, I highly recommend this bootcamp to all the people who want to learn web development!