Meet Le Wagon’s Global Community of Tech Talent

Le Wagon emerged in 2014 as one of the first tech bootcamps in France, offering web development and data science programs. Now, it has grown to a robust global community of tech talents with 43 Le Wagon campuses in Amsterdam, Berlin, Lisbon, London, Melbourne, Mexico, Montreal, Singapore, São Paulo, Paris, Tel Aviv, and other cities worldwide. 

With this expansion, Le Wagon has helped over 13,500 developers, data scientists, designers, and entrepreneurs start their new careers in tech. Eight years on, the school continues to inspire tech aspirants to find their path in the industry. 

How Le Wagon’s Global Community Stays Connected

Le Wagon’s international community creates unique opportunities for its members. What really glues the members together are the numerous events and activities, organized exclusively to help the Le Wagon family foster stronger ties and develop lifelong learning habits.

We spoke with Lamiaa El Fettahi, Event & Community Lead at Le Wagon, to get more insights into these exciting sessions.

Inspirational Talks with Entrepreneurs

Every Wednesday, Le Wagon organizes inspirational talks, during which founders and CEOs of leading local startups would take the stage. Students have the opportunity to network, ask questions about their entrepreneurship journey, and inquire about relevant job openings.

Afterworks

During the bootcamps, Le Wagon students work hard to pursue their chosen tech field. It is equally vital to relax and chill together after a tough week. Every Friday, Le Wagon hosts Afterworks parties where students can unwind and connect over topics and interests outside of tech. 

Ice Breaker

Ice Breaker is held on the first week of the bootcamp to help newcomers get acquainted with their classmates and buddies. There are five rounds where students discuss different topics, changing tables after each round. 

“It’s like a speed meeting or speed dating. It’s funny, and there is free beer, of course,” Lamiaa says. At the end of the rounds, students would have warmed up to their peers and would be ready to enter the classroom in good spirits. 

Midbatch Party

Midbatch Party is held on the fourth week of the bootcamp. A coding tournament typically takes place where students get to compete with their batchmates and others from different batches. At the end of the night, one student winner and one batch winner will be selected. 

What follows after is a celebration, according to Lamiaa. “After the tournament, there is a big party where we go to a bar…and we just dance all night,” she says.

Demo Days

During Demo Days, Le Wagon alumni present the projects and apps they have developed during the last 10 days of the bootcamp. Within three minutes, they would speak about their projects from the user’s perspective. This is also a good opportunity for them to let their soft skills shine. 

The presentations are capped with a big party. All Le Wagon alumni and those interested in tech are welcome to participate in Demo Days.

Batch Party

On the last day of the bootcamp, there is a big Batch Party. As “traditions” go at Le Wagon, Batch Party is open to all Le Wagon alumni, so the parties don’t really end when you graduate from the bootcamp. “We really have a sense of community between people. Even after the batches, they stay friends,” Lamiaa adds. 

Alumni Self-Run Community

A number of Le Wagon students also form self-run communities as a way to stay connected. Members of these communities have done a lot of exciting things together such as ski trips and outings. 

Le Wagon Slack Workspace

Outside of the events, Le Wagon helps students connect through Slack workspace with over 13,500 alumni and teachers worldwide. The workspace includes various channels to help alumni progress in their professional journey—whether it’s looking for a job, forming networks, or asking for freelancing advice. 

One of the channels is dedicated to founders and freelancers. It also has a few job channels where successful Le Wagon alumni entrepreneurs would post about five to 10 open positions daily. In addition, the Le Wagon team maintains city-specific Slack groups where they share relevant job postings from hiring partners and the local market.

Additionally, every batch has its own Slack channel where students have lifetime access. After graduation, Le Wagon alumni can continue sharing information with their teachers. They can also create new Slack channels to discuss different topics with any Le Wagon Slack workspace member. 

How Le Wagon Community Helps Alumni Land Jobs in Tech

Le Wagon has a 93 percent employment rate among its European graduates in 2021. It takes the same graduates an average of 34 days to find a tech job. 

A large community of Le Wagon alumni and hiring partners is vital in making this career success possible. We spoke with Abigail Watts, Talent Manager at Le Wagon, to learn more about how alumni can benefit from the Le Wagon community. 

Le Wagon Career Weeks

Le Wagon graduates are encouraged to participate in a Career Week on Week 10 of the bootcamp. This is when they get help with common job-search prerequisites and receive guidance on how to refine their CVs, cover letters, portfolios, LinkedIn, and Github profiles. “Start working on your LinkedIn profile before the end of the bootcamp,” Abigail recommends. 

Post-Bootcamp 1:1 Sessions

Le Wagon graduates have access to post-grad career support and can have one-on-one sessions with Talent Managers, Careers Advisors, or City Managers. “I check in once a month with anyone who said that they want that, and then we do one-on-ones where we will talk about their specific profile. If they have specific questions related to their situations, we’ll talk about these things,” says Abigail.

Q&A Sessions with Alumni

There are regular Q&A sessions with alumni where fresh graduates have an opportunity to ask alumni how they succeeded in their post-bootcamp transition. “Many of the alumni come back and talk to the newly graduated students. They explain how they changed jobs and give tips,  which are often much more useful than mine,” adds Abigail.

Le Wagon Hiring Partners Network

Le Wagon has over 976 hiring partners, which range from tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon, to small-and-medium-sized businesses. Job openings from the hiring partners are posted regularly in Le Wagon Slack job channels. Additionally, graduates can meet with the hiring partners at Le Wagon’s job fairs, networking events, and coaching sessions.

Getting Hired Events

Le Wagon always welcomes its hiring partners to share more about their companies with students and alumni. These sessions are held either on-campus or online. “If it’s a software developer job, they would share a technical test challenge that we could then share in advance with our students… It would be a way of getting the students to meet the company and then find out more about the company,” remarks Abigail.

Founders and Freelancers Events 

Le Wagon also organizes events particularly for those interested in starting their own business or going the freelance route. According to Abigail, the recent Founders’ Event in Paris received a warm reception among community members.

 “We had about 40 different alumni—a mix of people who have created a company and who are looking to create a company—with a Q&A from four people who have created this [a tech company].”

High-Grown Le Wagon Alumni Startups

Le Wagon produces not only developers and data scientists but also entrepreneurs. Their business ventures have extended job opportunities to others. As of 2022, Le Wagon’s graduates have founded and co-founded 180+ startups that raised over $461 million (€391,858,449) globally. Let’s look at some of the most successful Le Wagon alumni startups:

• Matera (hired 15 Le Wagon alumni, raised around $52M). The startup aims to help co-owners manage their building, connecting them with lawyers, accountants, and web developers.
• Skello (hired 14 Le Wagon alumni, raised around $52M). It allows you to create a schedule with just a few clicks, interact with teams, and process payroll effortlessly.
• Cohabs (raised more than $82M). It is a network of sustainable and community-driven shared homes that offers flexible, fully equipped housing.

Join Le Wagon Global Tech Talent Community

With 43 campuses worldwide, Le Wagon has evolved into a robust global tech talent network. Le Wagon community comprises over 13,500 web developers, data scientists, designers, and entrepreneurs. This creates one-of-a-kind networking and career opportunities for Le Wagon grads worldwide.

Are you ready to become a part of a thriving network of global tech talent? Apply to Le Wagon today.