Forem: Brittany Lee-Still

Podcast: A candid chat about the developer market with Don the Developer

Brittany Lee-Still — Thu, 02 May 2024 21:50:15 +0000

It’s no secret that the job market is tough right now for new developers. That’s created challenges for students, of course, but also for bootcamps. Over the past year or so, we’ve seen several bootcamps struggling, laying off staff, closing down, and even being sued.

A common sentiment we hear from prospective students is that bootcamps aren’t being honest with them. Maybe they’re inflating their outcomes numbers, or even denying that they’re being affected by the market at all.

We don’t think there’s any point in hiding it. We take our program seriously, and we want students who do the same. That means that we’re talking with bright, curious people who do their research—people who know when they’re being lied to.

So here we are, cards on the table. Rithm’s CEO/Co-Founder and Lead Instructor, Elie, joined SWE and tech mentor, Don the Developer, to have an honest conversation about the challenges bootcamp grads face in today’s job market, the reckoning that the bootcamp industry as a whole is facing right now, and what Rithm School is doing to support our students and maintain our high standards. Don said the conversation was “refreshingly transparent,” and we hope you’ll feel the same.

Rithm School is a 17 week coding bootcamp focusing on JavaScript, Python, React, TypeScript, Flask, and more. We keep our classes small and curriculum updated so we can prepare career changers for a new life in tech. Find out more about us at rithmschool.com.

On Defining Success: Coaching Career Transitions at Rithm School

Brittany Lee-Still — Thu, 02 May 2024 21:45:56 +0000

A tougher job market means more challenges not just for our students and grads, but also for the staff that support them. Rithm’s Director of Career Services, Sophie, discusses how this evolving landscape has changed her approach to career coaching and delivered surprising insights.

The past year has forced me to redefine what a successful career transition looks like. Amidst a challenging job market, especially in the tech sector which has faced its share of difficulties, and with coding bootcamps receiving increased scrutiny, I’ve been reflecting more on the effectiveness and the value of the coaching support I offer in this space.

When I joined Rithm School in early 2023 I was excited to find purpose and make an impact again in the bootcamp space. I was diving back into a familiar world: working with very smart people, being a witness to fascinating yet baffling conversations (yes, even after all these years I still can’t write a single line of code), having the opportunity to mentor, teach, and navigate the highs and lows of career transitions with others. I knew about the struggles—when things don’t go according to plan, when you get rejected from a role that you were so invested in—but I also knew about the wins and the rewards of finally seeing someone succeed and reach their goals. I knew this was an exhilarating ride. I knew it could get tiring and frustrating, and I knew that sometimes you’d get “too” invested in personal stories.

Little did I know, 2023 and 2024 would push me to my limits. It would test my patience and resilience, challenge my expectations, and leave me feeling like I was navigating a maze blindfolded. It was almost as if someone hit the turbo button on my job and redefined what it meant to be a career coach in the bootcamp space, cranking up the difficulty level to expert mode.

Meanwhile the people I coached were going through the same struggles and the same realizations. The uncertainty, the self-doubt, the crickets from recruiters, the “I’ve-tried-everything-now-what” frustrations, the occasional glimpses of hope—the whole nine yards.

In my corner, there were days where I felt I was doing everything in my power to support them. I had my feet firmly planted in the recruiting world and I was consulting with recruiter friends and previous colleagues. I was making constant adjustments to what I was teaching and how I was teaching it. I was following industry trends very closely and feeding back any and all information I could… But then there were days where I felt like I was clearly missing the mark. What was I not seeing? What did I not know? What was the secret sauce? Why was it that these talented engineers weren’t finding the jobs that they deserved, and when they did, why did it take them so long?

Over time, I realized something interesting: Within these challenges, I found a deeper level of reward and sense of accomplishment. My coaching skills evolved, and I started carrying conversations with people that went beyond the surface, and sometimes even forging stronger connections. Every day became an opportunity to challenge the status quo, re-evaluate my performance, and elevate my coaching.

While my days were often consumed by tactical inquiries—what’s the next step? What have you not tried yet? Have you done enough of this?—I slowly eased into a more introspective approach and into more reflective conversations, because when there is a challenge, people will open up (if you let them, and they let themselves).

In these moments, I realized that maybe I had not coached these people “enough.” I had done all of the tactical coaching I could have done, talking about standing out and fixing issues, but missing the depth of reflection that true coaching demands. As more vulnerability emerged, candid conversations and introspection took center stage. For a while we had focused on DOING, on taking action and finding different strategies to get results. Now we needed to talk about BEING, accepting the situation and being more authentic.

Once I recognized that necessary shift in the process, I invited people to be more reflective. Last month was Stress Awareness Month, and amidst the uncertainty I decided to offer a different type of coaching sessions, where reports on the job search would be left out, and moments of being would be let in. The response was overwhelmingly positive. These sessions became a chance for everyone to pause, reflect, and recharge, and often realize what needed to happen next. Reflection didn’t just alleviate stress, it enhanced strategies and tactics, proving that once again, slowing down is the fastest way forward. Success didn’t necessarily come immediately from actions, but instead it came from important realizations and being intentional about a path forward.

If you are in the business of supporting career changers, I urge you to follow the same practice: Don’t try to hurry the process, and don’t put pressure on your clients to get to their goals. Worst of all, don’t tell your clients that you will only offer limited support should their job search last longer than the “prescribed” amount. Instead, meet them early, and when appropriate, invite them to slow down and accompany them for clearer thoughts and strategies.

So, what’s my definition of a successful career transition now? Don’t get me wrong, it’s still and it will ALWAYS be, finding a new role in your target industry, having the ability to bring your uniqueness to your new career and be a part of teams that share your perspectives and values. Success will always be the well executed pivot. However, it’s not so much how fast you get there, but rather the steps you took to get there, and the amount of thinking that needs to happen, whether it’s on your own or with a coaching partner you can trust.

One year later: Rithm's behavioral interviews

Brittany Lee-Still — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 19:12:12 +0000

It was only one year ago that we added behavioral interviews to our admissions process. Adding a 30 minute interview might seem like a relatively small change, but it's had a huge impact on our ability to tailor our career coaching, assess a candidate’s intentionality, and foster a supportive learning environment.

These interviews give us a preview of how a candidate will perform during job interviews and networking moments, allowing us to identify strengths and areas of improvement to be addressed in future coaching sessions. For example, we might find that a candidate struggles with giving concise answers to interview questions. Knowing this ahead of time allows us to proactively plan the coaching that he or she will receive after graduation.

Behavioral interviews also allow us to assess how much strategic thinking a candidate has done as they plan their career change. This is a major indicator of success, as it shows that the candidate is dedicated, motivated, thoughtful, and well-researched. Enrolling in our program is an investment in their future, so it's critical that they treat it as such.

Lastly, these interviews allow us to set the stage for and continue to provide an excellent student culture. We love working with bright, unique, collaborative students who are excited to learn with their instructors and peers. Behavioral interviews give us great insight into what working with each candidate will be like if they should enroll in our program.

To learn more about why we introduced behavioral interviews and what to expect during the interview process, revisit our post from one year ago: Rithm's updated admissions process.

Alumni Spotlight: Sean Oliver (r30) on content creation for engineers

Brittany Lee-Still — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 18:58:45 +0000

In today’s competitive job market, standing out from the crowd has become more important than ever. Job seekers are exploring new avenues to showcase their unique skills and experiences. One such avenue is content creation, which has emerged as a powerful tool for personal branding and job search success. In this interview with Rithm grad Sean Oliver, we delve into the world of content creation and explore how it can aid aspiring engineers in their job search.

Rithm graduate and Software Engineer, Sean Oliver

Sophie: Why did you start creating content?

I’ve always had an interest in contributing to online conversations, even before my time at Rithm. I admire many individuals who share their passions online, and they’ve always inspired me to do the same.

Community is really important in any industry, but I think it’s particularly important in software development where tools and technologies are changing so rapidly nearly everyone has something to teach everyone else. It’s a great way to learn, meet other like-minded people, and even find out about new opportunities. I’ve been fortunate in that my content creation activities have connected me to several contracting opportunities I most certainly wouldn’t have come across otherwise. But fundamentally, I’m driven by the opportunity to connect with others who share my interests and the invaluable experience of solidifying my own understanding by articulating it to others.

Sophie: Can you share more about the content creators you follow?

Some of my favorite content creators are:

swyx – Fellow career switcher and founder of Smol AI, a company for which I’ve been working since graduating from Rithm.
levelsio – An inspiring indie hacker who basically created the “digital nomad” movement/lifestyle.
housecor – Shares great React and TypeScript tips with examples
DavidKPiano – DevRel influencer who leads/shares great discussions about React conventions and patterns
_georgemoller – Really awesome, high-quality react tips with visualizations
thdxr – Creator of SST and is constantly sharing very insightful thoughts about system design, databases, authentication, and security from a practitioner’s POV.
kiwicopple – Founder of Supabase who really understands Postgres and is bringing it into the future with pgVector!
kentcdodds – DevRel influencer and creator of many great trainings on React and web development Sophie: How did creating content help you get your current contract opportunities?

I’ve been active with a Substack newsletter and sharing its updates on LinkedIn and Twitter/X. This puts me in the direct line of sight for people, without explicitly screaming “Hey, I need a job!” Most of my audience isn’t even from an engineering background, but many of them are connected to people who are hiring or even just have advice they want to share.

Sophie: Where do you write and publish content?

My Substack, “Sean is Coding,” is where I get to share my weekly musings on what I’m learning. It’s pretty relaxed, but the stats show it resonates with people. As for social media, Twitter and LinkedIn are my go-to platforms. LinkedIn’s great for sharing personal experiences, while Twitter is perfect for anything visual or actionable. What I particularly enjoy on Twitter is the engagement—following and responding to thought leaders in the React and TypeScript realms, for instance. These interactions not only keep me in the loop but also attract followers when my content hits the mark.

Sophie: What advice do you have for someone who is thinking about starting to create content?

Don’t get stuck in the planning phase; just start. Anything small is better than nothing. LinkedIn and Twitter are low-hanging fruits—no setup required. Once you start publishing, you’ll get a sense of your voice and what clicks with people. For long-form pieces, I’d recommend Substack; it’s hassle-free and captures emails, making it easier to build an engaged audience. And don’t sweat about saying the wrong thing.

The process itself is enlightening, and chances are, nobody’s going to nitpick your first article. The most likely thing is that no one is going to read your article at all. You may as well write about the thing that’s on your mind, because you’ll almost certainly learn something in the process. You can always find an angle where it makes sense for you to talk about what you’ve worked on. It’s only going to help you understand the material better. Even if you’re not thinking about your audience and the value you are giving to them, the value you are giving to yourself is huge.

Sophie: What’s your cadence?

I use an app called Typefully to manage my social media schedules. During my Rithm days, I aimed for daily Twitter posts and weekly LinkedIn updates. Although my job has made things busier, I’d like to maintain at least a weekly rhythm for LinkedIn and get back to daily Twitter updates.

Rithm School is a 17 week coding bootcamp focusing on JavaScript, Python, React, TypeScript, Flask, and more. We keep our classes small and curriculum updated so we can prepare career changers for a new life in tech. Find out more about us at rithmschool.com.

What kind of jobs do new coding bootcamp grads get?

Brittany Lee-Still — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 19:54:08 +0000

Coding bootcamps have become increasingly popular as a way for people to gain the skills they need to launch new careers in tech. But what kind of jobs can coding bootcamp graduates expect to land once they complete the program? In this post we’ll dig into the various roles and industries bootcamp grads can pursue, and give some tips for navigating the job search to take your first step in your new career.

What’s your endgame?

First, it’s important to consider where you want to find yourself working down the line. While our course prepares grads for a job in web development, there are many different branches that that path can lead to. Some grads may end up working in app development, UX/UI, or a field that combines their particular interests or former work experience like health tech or ed tech. While your first job out of bootcamp might not be exactly tied to this goal, keeping your goal in mind can help you choose jobs that will give you the experience you need to make the jump.

Front end? Back end? Both?

Once you have your end goal in mind, the next thing to consider is what you want your specialty to be: front end, back end, or full stack development. Front end development involves creating the aspects of a website or app that users interact with, while back end development involves building the infrastructure that supports the front end behind the scenes. Full stack development combines these two focuses. Generally speaking, front end development tends to be easier to break into, and a majority of Rithm’s grads go into either front end or full stack development for their first jobs.

Big companies vs. small companies

Software engineers are needed at all kinds of companies, from large, developed organizations to small start ups. There are pros and cons of working at each.

In a large company, it’s more likely that you’ll work on a team with experienced engineers. This can provide an invaluable opportunity for mentorship. It’s also likely that large companies will provide a more structured path for advancement, professional development resources, and exposure to large-scale projects. Since large companies tend to have many teams segmented into specific tasks, working at these organizations may allow for mastery of the specific skill your team works on.

Rithm grad Maurice Baez is a full stack engineer at Dovenmeuhle, Inc., a large mortgage subservicer, where he uses the skills he learned at Rithm to develop, test, and maintain desktop and mobile apps used by millions of people. His team is made up of seven engineers, including four Rithm grads (and even more throughout the company)!

On the other hand, small companies or startups usually have the opposite kind of work environment. You will likely work on a small, close-knit team. You may get less guidance or mentorship, but this also means that you may have a great deal of autonomy. Whereas working at a large organization can allow for a deep understanding of a specific skill or task, at a smaller organization you will likely be responsible for a little bit of everything and will gain a broader range of experience.

Rithm grad Melanie Wong is a full stack engineer at Let’s Get Set, an organization that partners with lots of nonprofits and large scale organizations to provide financial resources to low income Americans. They have six employees total, including Melanie and one other software engineer.

Both sorts of work environments will give you invaluable experience that will help you as you continue through your career. Not only will you improve your engineering skills, but you’ll also learn what sort of environment you prefer working in, and can apply that to future job searches.

💡 Tip: Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good

You’ve probably heard this before: the first job is the hardest to get. This adage is popular for a reason – it’s true. Think again about your end goal that we talked about earlier. It’s likely that you won’t have the experience necessary to make that end goal your first job out of bootcamp, and that’s okay. What’s important is that you’re making the first move into your new career and gaining the experience you need to meet your end goal as your career progresses. Don’t focus on making your first job your dream job. Once you have more experience under your belt, that’s when you’ll have recruiters sliding into your DMs 😉

Rithm graduate Lucas Pagac landed his first job after graduation as a full stack engineer at a health tech start up (they later hired another Rithm grad to join Lucas’s team!). After working there for a year, Lucas got his second job at Google, where he’s worked as a cloud infrastructure engineer for a year now. Read more about his and R16 grad Harry Teplow’s journey to becoming Google engineers here!

But wait–are you saying I won’t get a mid-senior role right away?

Here’s the truth: Most Rithm grads get junior level roles after they graduate. And that’s okay! The point of a bootcamp is to give you a strong grasp of the skills you need to get your foot in the door of a new tech career. While some bootcamps might advertise that their graduates get mid or senior level roles, those are generally grads that came into the program with prior tech experience. For a bootcamp grad making a career change from an unrelated field like teaching or nursing, landing a more senior role without having ever worked in the industry isn’t realistic – and it isn’t even something you’d really want. A position that allows for on the job learning and mentorship will be much more helpful for you overall.

Regardless of what any bootcamp tells you, there’s no program out there that’s the equivalent of having actual work experience in the industry. Our goal is to set you up for success to thrive in your first job and keep the momentum going for the rest of your career.

Putting it all together

The job search process for bootcamp graduates can feel daunting, but it’s important to remember that your first job is just the beginning of a fulfilling career in tech. By keeping your end goal in mind, specializing in a particular area of development, and exploring a range of work environments, you can gain the experience and skills you need to succeed in your new career. And while you may start out in a junior-level role, remember that with hard work and dedication, you’ll work your way up and achieve your career aspirations.

Rithm School is a 17 week coding bootcamp focusing on JavaScript, Python, React, TypeScript, Flask, and more. We keep our classes small and curriculum updated so we can prepare career changers for a new life in tech. Find out more about us at rithmschool.com.

Interview: Post-Bootcamp Success Story

Brittany Lee-Still — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 20:21:01 +0000

Rithm School's Director of Career Services, Sophie, talks with graduate Daniel Zych about his journey from product manager to touring musician to software engineer.

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Sophie: Tell us about your background and why you decided to attend Rithm.

After finishing college at the University of Wisconsin I ended up working as a Product Manager here in Madison for two and a half years. I liked the whole “tech” environment, and I quickly realized I was really interested in engineering work. Whenever I “bumped into it” at work I would start teaching myself after hours, or look for ways to help with more technical tasks as opposed to the marketing related things I was doing. This really clicked for me and I decided I wanted to pursue this more.

But then I got a unique opportunity to go on tour as a musician in Europe and abroad. I left my job at the time and took the music route for a year and a half. It was fun but I also knew I did not want to be involved in the industry for a long time. It wasn’t challenging and stimulating in the ways I was looking for. Ultimately I stepped away from that. I had been looking at bootcamps since I had spent enough time teaching myself. I had a baseline of skills and experience in my previous job. I saw that there were gaps and I looked for the most rigorous and technical program I could find and that’s how I decided to attend Rithm.

Sophie: What gaps had you identified when you started looking for jobs?

Mostly around conceptuals. I had done some courses from Codecademy. You can get an app up and running, but you don’t know why you are using the tools you are using. I needed to learn more about the general software engineering underpinnings and why things make sense.

Here is a list of specific things that I had a hard time learning or was simply unaware of, prior to Rithm, that moved me towards going to a bootcamp:

Asynchronicity, working with APIs—working with the Fetch API was grueling and I had a very hard time understanding it on my own. It involved network requests, and most online resources simply go “okay make a request to an API now.” At Rithm, we had our “how the web works” lectures before talking about AJAX. Two lectures made something I was struggling with for a while crystal clear.
Testing
The value of OOP
Error handling
What good code looks like—functional decomposition, pure functions, etc. These things don’t seem to come up in self-teaching resources, youtube tutorials, etc.
DevTools, working with the command line, the broader development environment. Environment variables, working with third party libraries, config things like secret keys, things like security and hashing, etc.

Sophie: What was your experience at Rithm like?

We were moving at a good clip, and throughout the program you had to stay on your toes. I appreciated that there was a lot of why and broader context added to the work we were doing. It was the right level of stimulating and challenging.

Sophie: What was your overall experience of the job search?

It was interesting. The first position I applied for, I got a take home for within 12 hours of applying. The ball got rolling on that front quicker than I expected. I was able to leverage a connection at the company which definitely helped. While I had that interview process going I still applied for other positions because I did not want to bank on that working out. Through the months of December and January I applied for about 50 positions with a relatively good conversion rate. My tech background and being able to position that as a strength most likely helped. I had a fair amount of success on Y Combinator and Wellfound. I was emailing founders directly or messaging them on LinkedIn. I got 2 take homes from this type of outreach.

Overall, I heard back from a number of companies (I think roughly 10/50?). Aside from one, I only heard back from companies in the Madison area. I didn’t even get rejections from any of the larger, remote companies I applied to. I pretty much stopped bothering applying to any of them. I know that not everyone has a tech community around them they can target, but if they can it seems like there is at least moderate success to be had in looking at local-ish jobs, and hybrid or on-site companies.

Sophie: Do you think there was something different with the materials you sent?

The resume I used was the Rithm prescription. I did not make any formatting tweaks.

One thing I know was crucial was knowing how to describe the work I had done (at Rithm and prior) on the resume.

Sophie: How did you find the position at Fetch?

Through the whole cohort I made sure to start looking at companies in the area and seeing what they had going on. When applying time came I already had a sense of places I wanted to apply and what these places were looking for. Instead of getting to outcomes week and not knowing where to look, I had already done the groundwork and I knew who I wanted to approach. I was aware of Fetch since they are a really big company, and the person I used to work with went to work there. I’d seen they had the apprenticeship positions in the past. Towards the end of Rithm when I saw they had a position open I decided to jump on it.

Sophie: What exact steps did you take to reach out to them?

First thing I did was Slack you to know how to best approach it! I tailored my resume ahead of time to be ready to respond immediately. I messaged my reference on LinkedIn, telling him what I had been up to and asking if he could tell me a bit more about the position. He did not respond to me immediately, so I went ahead and applied and they sent me the technical before he got back to me. Then he invited me to come by the office the next morning and I went.

Sophie: What do you think was the most important behavior in your job search?

Timeliness and getting on with things. Don’t wait until you feel things are perfect. Don’t review or overthink cover letters too much. Be decisive, confident in what you are going to say and fire it off. Being confident in everything you learned and your own qualifications.

Knowing how and what to prepare. Before my interviews, I scoured Glassdoor, Reddit, and other resources for potential interview questions, specific to each company. There were about 5 or so I found online that came up directly in the interview. I was prepared to answer those, some of which I actually would not have had a good answer for otherwise. I’ve helped some people in our cohort do practice interviews, and have done the same thing.

I’m not a fan of ‘fake it until you make it’, but maybe something like ‘fake it and it’ll start to feel natural’. I decided that I was a software engineer, and there was no question, or no other option. When I interviewed, I wasn’t ‘a former musician and tech worker hoping to break into software engineering’, I was a software engineer. I looked at things through that lens, and conducted myself accordingly. I know that this is easier said than done for some.

For example, I made a mistake during my technical interview, and the interviewer pointed it out. Instead of saying, Ah yes I’m sorry I always make that mistake, I make that mistake all the time because I’m still learning Typescript, I’m panicking now, etc…, I said, “Ah, good catch, thanks for pointing that out! That slipped by me while typing and talking at the same time. I like to think that would have been a quick bug fix later when we run our code, but I’m glad you pointed it out now. As I was saying, I’m deciding to implement X this way because…”

I hope that this doesn’t sound unreasonably harsh, but I see some people who are making LinkedIn posts that lean into being a new dev in a way that I personally think projects insecurity and incompetence, which is different from humility and an eagerness to continue learning and growing.

Sophie: Can you walk us through the interview process?

I had a take home which they left open ended. It wasn’t a timed challenge through a portal. It was basically a bunch of requirements for an app. It said: “Build it and take as much time as you need and send it back to us. We built this so it should only take a few hours.” It took me a weekend to do. I made sure to put a lot of effort into making it look good and hitting on some of the things they suggested doing. For example, write some tests. I wrote a test for every feature of every component.

Then I had a 90 minute Zoom technical interview with one of their technical leads. I did a demo of the application itself and gave a high level overview of the code. Questions were pretty simple. They had a few standard questions to follow up on the assessment. It turned into a long discussion on caching and front end design and application design and best practices. They closed for the holidays so I had a few weeks until the onsite interview. I kept applying but also studied like mad to make sure I could answer front end questions or how the web works. I did not spend a ton of time on coding practice. My approach was, if I’m going to forget 40% of what I review, I’m going to practice 150% of what I think they might ask me for a given technology.

I had the onsite interview at the beginning of January. The first hour was with an engineering manager asking me generic non targeted questions. What have you built recently? Why do you want to work here? Then I had a technical interview with two engineers about test driven development. They gave me a whole file of tests that tested a bowling game application that wasn’t built. I had to build a class and Object Oriented Programming structure for making a game of bowling and do the tests. Even though I didn’t finish it I got through most of it. They gave me good feedback, Then I had an hour of technical questions about different concepts. Then I had a 30 minute UX interview, where I had some questions that I hadn’t prepared for in the way I had for more technical questions. What do you think about design? How would you translate a Figma into an actual application if a designer gave you one? That was simultaneously the easiest part from a technical perspective, but slightly more uncomfortable because it wasn’t anything we had explicitly practiced at Rithm.

Sophie: Did you feel prepared?

Yes! At multiple points through it I thought, “Elie said, make sure you can answer this”—and it was true. There was only one question I did not feel I answered to completion. For the rest I feel like I knocked it out of the park. And I got feedback to that effect.

Per your advice at the end of each interview I asked, “Do you have any objections about myself or my background that I can clear up?” and one person said something to the effect of, “Usually when we have interviews for positions like this, it’s either someone who just finished a CS degree who can tell us about algorithms but can’t explain the box model, or people from a bootcamp who can build an application but don’t know how the languages work or how to design programs, and you seem like a unique combination of the two.”

Sophie: Any other feedback they shared with you that stood out?

I can’t think of any specifics, but several people told me that my technical take home was one of the best they had ever received. Another person called me a standout candidate. A fair amount was because I relied on everything we learned at Rithm.

Sophie: Any words of wisdom?

First, don’t feel like you need to do more. Don’t do the extra 90 hour Udemy course before you start applying. Put the pedal to the metal.

Secondly, take advantage of the time to build an extra application or two outside of the coursework. Have 1:1s with your advisor when they are available during the program and after when you have questions or you want to dig deeper.
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Rithm School is a 17 week coding bootcamp focusing on JavaScript, Python, React, TypeScript, Flask, and more. We keep our classes small and curriculum updated so we can prepare career changers for a new life in tech. Find out more about us at rithmschool.com.

Considering a coding bootcamp? Make sure you're ready.

Brittany Lee-Still — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 19:29:41 +0000

Beginning the admissions process for a coding bootcamp can feel overwhelming. You’ll encounter a whirlwind of information: curriculum topics, deadlines, admissions requirements, and more. But with a little bit of strategy and planning, you can make sure you’re starting the admissions process off on the right foot.

Before you start the admissions process, consider doing the following:

Do some self-reflection

First, identify where you’re at in your journey. Everyone enters the admissions process at a different stage. Maybe you’ve been coding as a hobby for a year and are ready to take your learning to the next level, or maybe you just ran your first line of code yesterday. There’s no requirement to be at any given skill level before applying and completing an admissions call, but it’s still a good idea to compare your level of knowledge to the knowledge required to pass the bootcamp’s admissions process. If you’ve been learning JavaScript for less than three months before a cohort begins, consider aiming for the next cohort to give yourself time to build your coding skills.

Next, clarify your motivation. If you are making a career change, what’s motivating you to leave your current career, and why should web development be your first step? Why are you considering joining a coding bootcamp to make this happen?

Once you have your motivation figured out, it’s time to identify your goals. No one expects you to know exactly what you want to do from the get go—there’s a lot you don’t know yet! But doing some research to get a sense for what kinds of jobs you may be looking for after you graduate is very helpful. This will give you a sense of direction, and will help you stay motivated throughout the course.

“I’m just trying to get my foot in the door. I’ll take whatever job I can get!”

We hear this comment a lot. While the sentiment is understandable, we have found that the “throwing things at the wall to see what sticks” strategy is not effective. We want you to narrow down your preferences. Try thinking about your background and/or hobbies and how those might tie into a future career. For example, maybe you’re a nurse who’s making the switch to software engineering. You’ve spent years working with outdated tech in hospitals and clinics. Maybe your experience and existing network could be useful in pivoting into a health tech focus! From there, you can also narrow down further: Do you want to work at a big company, or would a small company or start up be more your style? Do you have a preference for front end, back end, or full stack engineering?

Do your homework

Your homework begins with researching the industry at large. There are plenty of places to get information about what the tech world is like, from the news, to industry sites, to YouTube “day in the life” videos. Learn everything you can about the tech industry, what the day-to-day work is like, and how you might see yourself fitting into the field.

Next, research the bootcamp you’re applying to. Read the bootcamp’s website, check out reviews, talk to grads on LinkedIn, and more. Find out everything you can about the program so you don’t have to waste time in your admissions call learning information that’s readily available, and can instead dive deeper into the program details.

Lastly, come prepared with questions. If you’re doing your research carefully, you should be coming up with questions along the way. Whether you want to clarify details, learn more about an offering, or ask information you weren’t able to learn about yet, your questions are always welcomed!

Make sure this is the right decision for you

Most importantly, make sure you enjoy coding! Take a month or so to study JavaScript every day. Is this something you like? Do you feel satisfied from it? Can you see yourself doing it for the next 10, 20, 30 years of your life?

Beginning your coding bootcamp journey may seem daunting at first, but with strategy and thoughtfulness, you can set yourself up for success. Before you begin the admissions process, be sure to engage in self-reflection to understand where you’re at, what your motivation is, and what goal you’re aiming for. Narrow down your preferences and set a clear direction for your future career. Conduct research on the tech industry and the different bootcamps you’re applying to, and remember to come prepared with the questions you’ve developed from that research. Finally, make sure that this truly is the path you want to take, and that you can see yourself thriving in a career as a software engineer. In the end, choosing the right path and being well-prepared for the admissions process will set you up to start your career off on the right foot.

5 Resources to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

Brittany Lee-Still — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 19:12:56 +0000

Problem-solving is the arguably the most important skill for beginners to learn, but it’s not something that they will often be exposed to during the self-learning stage. While free resources like The Odin Project or Free Code Camp are a great way to broaden your technical knowledge, they don’t usually focus on how to think through problems and come to efficient solutions based in best practices. Fortunately, there are many resources available that can help you develop your skills.

1. Rithm School's problem-solving workshop

Take the time to watch this helpful video on how to solve problems like a software engineer. During this interactive workshop, Elie talks through valuable tips like writing pseudocode, thinking through edge cases, and using debugging strategies.

2. This six-part blog series on the problem-solving process

Take a deep dive into the problem-solving process. In this blog post, we break down the process into six simple steps:

Understand the problem.
Explore concrete examples.
Break it down.
Solve a simpler problem.
Use tools strategically.
Look back and refactor.

By the end of the series, you’ll have a much better understanding of how to tackle the coding challenges in front of you.

3. Our favorite problem-solving platform, Codewars

Codewars is a great free tool for upping your problem-solving skills. Their platform allows users to create and solve problems in just about any language imaginable, at any skill level. Codewars sorts their problems from 8 kyu (easiest) to 1 kyu (hardest). In addition to that, you can also practice:

- Writing pseudocode before you start coding. Going back to step one of our problem-solving process, you can’t solve a problem before you understand it. Make sure you understand the problem like a human before you start thinking through it like a computer.

- “Being your own computer” before you run your code. Manually step through each piece of your code to make sure it behaves the way you expect it to, and that it meets the requirement to solve the problem you’re working on. It helps to talk through this out loud to whoever you have available to you—now’s the perfect time to turn your cat into a colleague!

- Time yourself as you code. Time yourself each time you solve a problem. The next time you solve a problem, try to do it a little faster. This will help you get used to coding under time pressure, and will make you quicker and more confident as you work.

4. Algorithmic Puzzles by Anany & Maria Levitin

Algorithmic Puzzles is a book we often recommend to learners who struggle with problem-solving during their technical interviews. The book begins by walking you through algorithmic design techniques such as backtracking and divide-and-conquer. After learning about these techniques and how to analyze algorithms, you’ll move into three sets of 50 increasingly challenging puzzles where you’ll put your knowledge to the test. This book is a great resource and is very popular with our teaching staff!

5. Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke

This book comes highly recommended by our instructors, and has been used by lots of successful Rithm grads. This book not only serves as a great introduction to JavaScript, but also will guide you through five projects you can build to apply what you’ve learned. The full text of the book, as well as the associate code sandbox and exercise solutions, can be found for free here.

Developing your problem-solving skills is essential for success as a software engineer. By taking advantage of the resources we’ve shared in this blog post, you can learn the techniques, strategies, and tools you need to tackle even the most complex challenges. Remember to approach problem-solving with a growth mindset, be persistent in your practice, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. With practice, you’ll become a confident and effective problem-solver, able to take on any challenge that comes your way.