Are You a Bootcamp Graduate? Here’s How GenSpark Can Help You Get a Tech Job

Data from the Career Karma 2021 State of the Bootcamp Report showed that in 2020 alone, over 44,000 learners attended or graduated from tech bootcamps. This highlights a big move from learning tech skills in traditional institutions to a more student-oriented environment like tech bootcamps, where training is short-term, intense, and hands-on.

But while this learning structure has helped many gain in-demand tech skills, the report revealed that 26 percent of bootcamp graduates did not land jobs related to their field of study upon completion of their training. Put another way, there’s a disconnect between the skills that some bootcamp students are learning and the skills that tech employers look for.

Numerous factors may contribute to this. For one, because of the fast-paced nature of bootcamps, some programs may run the risk of trading depth for speed. Others may also fail to provide sufficient job support students need to successfully break into tech.

This is where GenSpark, which is a division of Pyramid Consulting, has changed the path of many bootcamp graduates.

How to Get a Job After a Coding Bootcamp: A GenSpark Guide

GenSpark is a business that brings in tech aspirants from diverse backgrounds and equips them with relevant skills to meet industry needs. It has over 25 years of solid partnership with key players in some of America’s best companies. By working with them, GenSpark provides functional solutions to help employers end the tech talent shortage and hire creative minds.

The solution starts with an industry-aligned curriculum and paid training in more than 20 career tracks. Graduates seeking real-world experience can tap into GenSpark’s tech tracks covering AWS, software engineering, DevOps, Java development, data analytics, and more.

You learn hands-on coding with guidance from seasoned in-house tutors in six to 12 weeks, building upon the skills you’ve already acquired from the bootcamp. That’s not all. GenSpark believes compensation follows passion, which is why the platform pays stipends to all participants so they earn while learning how to build functional solutions for businesses.

Here’s how GenSpark’s talent development program works:

• GenSpark communicates with employer partners to identify the tech skills needed in their organizations
• GenSpark designs its curriculum and training to equip students with industry-relevant skills and knowledge
• Participants get opportunities to connect with employers
• GenSpark keeps track of participants’ performance and provides further training during off-hours

Participants get placed with employers for one to two years and may continue full time afterward.

How Bootcamp Graduates Found a Tech Job Through GenSpark

Now that you know how GenSpark helps tech aspirants, see how two bootcamp grads benefited from this guidance to break into tech:

Yaseen Al-Salamy, Full-stack Engineer

Many bootcamp grads are stranded in the job search, applying for positions in multiple companies continuously but with no response. It is daunting and you may feel like tech is not for you. This was Yaseen’s experience, a bootcamp grad who enjoyed coding but couldn’t find a place in tech.

“After graduation in April 2021, I applied to many different jobs and did not receive a response. Some time [later] I started to lose my self-esteem [and] had low motivation applying for any job,” he says.

He felt that he needed to expand his skills to catch employers’ attention and slowly began learning new technologies amid job applications.

“A few weeks later I decided to focus more on acquiring new skills than applying for jobs and that’s when I found GenSpark. What caught my eye was the Full Stack Java program,” he relates.

Before he discovered GenSpark, he knew that Java was a high-demand programming language, which was incidentally part of his “learning bucket list”. “So, I went through the interview process and learned more about GenSpark. Everything seemed to be aligned with what I wanted—the learning aspect as well as post-training.”

With GenSpark, Yaseen not only mastered the interview process but also picked up new technical skills.

“I enjoyed the learning experience at GenSpark. More specifically, I liked how we are given project concepts and are required to implement them. Games like Hangman and Tic Tac Toe have simple rules but are perfect when starting a new programming language,” he says.

The skills he gained from training impacted his career. Yaseen felt that learning any related skill would add value to any company and raise one’s confidence level. “Acquiring new technologies can change the way you think like a programmer. I sometimes use the technologies I learned in personal projects.”

The training, job search, application, and interview preparation techniques positioned Yaseen for employment opportunities. He notes that the difference between job searches before and after GenSpark was like comparing apples to oranges.

“Before GenSpark, I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle. But after the training, I [experienced] a major confidence boost because I learned various technologies and so much more. I knew the companies I had interviews with would be interested in my skills due to the training and preparation by GenSpark,” he shares.

According to Yaseen, GenSpark puts students through thorough training on interviews. He received multiple mock interviews on both behavioral and technical interviews and gained constructive feedback.

Thanks to the confidence gained from the training, he only had to sit through one job interview before instantly landing an offer. That company was a GenSpark client, which he was impressed by, having read the reviews by the employees.

“I feel a lot more comfortable now after the program since I feel valued as an employee. I am also more financially stable and feel that I am starting a new chapter in my life. I am grateful for GenSpark and the support they have always given me,” he says.

Kai Shu, Full Stack Java Developer

Kai Shu’s story dispels the myth that one can always break into tech with a computer science degree. Kai earned his bachelor’s degree in China before coming to the US where he worked in various industries for over a decade and served in the US military. He opted for an IT career after leaving the service due to its rewarding factors.

“Even though I had a degree in the field, that didn’t mean that I could get an IT job right away. It wasn’t that easy. So I joined a coding bootcamp, hoping to get a job after graduating,” he says.

While the bootcamp provided him with good technical knowledge, it didn’t have networking opportunities or direct referrals. Life turned out not to be linear until he came across GenSpark where the programs were different, particularly the cost of learning coding skills.

“GenSpark found me at that time and made me an offer to join. When they said they would pay me to train, I realized that they must have a network and job opportunities for me.”

“If they can’t find me a job, they would lose money. [If you think about it,] why would a company pay me if they are not able to find me a job? That made me feel comfortable,” Kai says, noting how GenSpark differs from other training companies that require you to pay ahead to get jobs.

Kai found the training at GenSpark to also be unique. “It’s not like teaching in a school. It was more practical, where they show you how technologies are applied on the job and you work on assignments to build up your knowledge,” he says.

Guidance is rendered if help is required, but students know what their tasks are for the week. “This professionalism prepares you for the real world.”

Following his training at GenSpark, Kai landed a job as a full stack Java developer with a GenSpark client. He works with a team of engineers to move their current codebase to AWS.

“My day on the job looks like my days at GenSpark. Every day, I have a daily standup with my team and then I do my work. We recently got the AWS environment successfully set up. It was a big challenge that took a couple of days [to complete]. When it finally ran, I was excited to see my work in action,” Kai says.

The experience showed that the technical skills he gained from GenSpark, like Java and AWS, proved to be essential to completing his work. In addition, the company also taught him how to operate in the real world of technology. “Doing standups, tackling my work, understanding the workflow—these are all professional skills I built during my 10 weeks of training at GenSpark.”

His advice to anyone thinking of joining GenSpark? “You will have to work hard… The company provides technical resources and job resources, but you still have to be prepared to invest in yourself to get the most out of it.”

Boost Your Chances of Getting Hired in Tech

GenSpark helps employers tap from a pipeline of diverse tech talents, helping to connect them with the right talent for the business. The business platform offers a unique paid training program, linking members to job opportunities and helping them land jobs in tech. Apply to GenSpark today.