Success Stories: Find Out What Life Is like after Nucamp

If you’re looking for a quick way to become a full-fledged web or mobile developer, Nucamp may be the solution for you. 

Taking that first step toward a brand new future doesn’t have to be scary and it doesn’t have to come with a huge financial commitment. With courses starting from as low as $8/month until graduation, Nucamp is here to help eliminate major barriers that can deter you from accessing better opportunities.

To gather more insight into the overall Nucamp experience, let’s take a look at what graduates have to say as they aim to answer, “What life is like after Nucamp?”

Emily Okie: From a Yoga Studio Manager to a Multimedia Specialist

Emily Okie is not completely new to tech, with some experience in Action Script coding and graphic design. She then found a day job that aligned with her interest well; managing a yoga studio. However, she realized that she needed a more solid career to support her family. 

Emily fell in love again with coding when she did some graphic design work for the Yoga studio, which motivated her to pursue the technical route. The costs of coding bootcamps in general almost discouraged her from enrolling until she stumbled upon Nucamp.

All it took was Nucamp’s Bootstrap module to help her gauge her existing skill set and what she can do to make her new dream come true. She admitted to facing some challenges when tackling the learning materials but added that the more she pushed, the more attainable her goals became. 

“As you work with code, it slowly becomes more attainable and you might not even recognize you are getting it. Keep going, don’t give up, and know that every minute you spend focusing, devoting, and paying attention will be worth it down the line.”

It didn’t take long for Emily to find employment that checks all her boxes. A former colleague approached her about an open role that requires someone with a wide range of technical skills. 

Using the technical insights and knowledge she learned from Nucamp, she was able to solve a real problem the company was facing during the interview, which then led to an offer for a  Multimedia Specialist, which she accepted. 

“Just because you’re not the absolute expert on any particular technology, the field is so widespread, it is absolutely attainable to get into a field that is in demand. You can do it, don’t give up. Take the time, do the work,” she said.

Jason Weyland: From a High-Rise Window Washer to a Junior Front-End React Developer

Jason Weyland was earning measurable pay as a high-rise window washer but the working conditions weren’t ideal and there was no room for career growth. He wanted a more stable and secure job and he knew he had to try to break into tech.

All it took was a year for his life to undergo a massive transformation. In early 2020, Jason decided to enroll in Nucamp’s Web Development Fundamentals because of how affordable it is. The $359 investment that he made turned into something larger and immediately after, he signed up for the Full Stack Web and Mobile Development Bootcamp.

A few weeks into the advanced program, it started to grow challenging but Jason persevered and he was able to graduate several months later in August. 

“Nucamp definitely helped with the motivation to continue learning,” he said.

After graduation, Jason kept on working on his coding ability and continued to prepare himself for the next stage; job application. According to Nucamp, he stayed on top of his job tracker, brushed up on his interview skills, and his efforts proved fruitful. 

In December, he successfully broke into tech when he landed a job as a Junior Front-End React Developer for Stellar Software. 

Megan McDevitt: From Music Teacher to Software Engineer Apprentice

Megan McDevitt has always had a strong interest in music, music performance, and music education. With a doctorate in double bass performance, she channeled her passion into teaching. While she enjoyed working with kids, she struggled to find elevated opportunities that can further shape her music career.

She decided to dabble into the programming side of music and started to learn Max/MSP Software on her own. As a teacher herself, she realized that the lack of structure that comes with self-studying makes it hard for her to stay focused. 

That’s when she started to look into coding bootcamps, only to find that they were either financially or geographically inaccessible. Although she was initially skeptical about Nucamp’s affordability, the research she did and the reviews she read convinced her that it is the right choice.

“The puzzle-solving, learning, and the new ways to create things felt familiar but frustrating, yet it was so satisfying when something worked. I thought: people do this all day as a job and make good money doing it, I think this is what I want to do.”

True enough, she soon discovered that Nucamp fits her idea of a good school. She said she loved that there is a strong community at Nucamp and that she gets to keep her day job, thanks to the flexible schedule. 

“With any class you take, you get out of it what you put into it. The instructors were really helpful and responsive and the break-out discussions with my classmates enabled me to learn from my peers,” she said, adding that she personally enjoyed the JavaScript challenges. 

Megan was actively improving her coding abilities by joining coding communities online like Code for America on Twitter and Buffalo Code Group on Slack. She was also active on Nucamp’s LinkedIn group and participated in hack-a-thons to further refine her skills. 

That’s not all—she also joined the #100DaysOfCode challenge on Twitter where tech enthusiasts code and post their lines of code online for 100 days straight. Not only her efforts gave her the practice she needed but she was also able to boost her portfolio and gain some recognition in the community.

Her own initiatives, coupled with Nucamp-taught skills, led her to gain employment as a Software Engineer Apprentice for Blend Labs Inc. after just seven months.

“Learn whether you like coding before you take the Full Stack bootcamp. Put in the hours. There are no short cuts.”

Aaron Goodrum: From a Commercial Driver to a Software QA Engineer

Aaron Goodrum has always had a passion for programming but he never thought he would be able to make a career out of it. As a commercial driver, his work involved long hours on the road and he was looking for a new job that would allow him to spend more time with his family.

“I spent a lot of time commercial driving, spent a lot of nights over the road. Having a daughter, I want to be able to be home and watch her grow up. I had to make a decision to move into coding,” he said.

Although he has found a new potential career path, quitting his job and focusing entirely on learning was not an option because he still needed to support his family. That’s when he found Nucamp. The school’s flexibility allowed him to pursue new skills while juggling a job.

“Nucamp was the option for me. It was flexible. I got to learn and work at the same time while building new skills in a field that I’m passionate about.”

After graduating from Nucamp’s Full Stack program, Aaron succeeded in breaking into tech and has been working as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer at a Seattle-based company for the past two years.

Isaiah Thomas: From a Project Manager to a Full Stack Software Engineer 

For Isaiah Thomas, the lightbulb moment happened when he was looking for outlets to let his creativity flow. His work as a project manager at a company selling lighting fixtures was starting to become repetitive and that’s when it hit him—he needed to learn to code so he can make any kind of app he wishes. 

Just like most students, Isaiah chose Nucamp mainly because of the flexibility that it offers. The part-time model was just what he was looking for and he signed up for the Full Stack Web and Mobile Development Bootcamp.

According to him, the course presented unique challenges and he particularly enjoyed tackling React Native. Once he started to gain some confidence in his skills, he decided to send out multiple job applications—even when he had zero coding background and was still in the midst of Nucamp lessons.

Although the answers were mostly “no”, Isaiah was able to identify and work on his weaknesses. Most importantly, he did not give up. Right before he graduated, he was able to score his first job as a Full Stack Software Engineer for Scout Financial. 

White-Glove Career Services

In efforts to ease the transition between learning and job-finding, Nucamp offers Career Services to all students who enrolled in its advanced courses. The latest figure reports that 78% of Nucamp graduates are employed within three months after the bootcamps.

Upon graduation, Nucamp will connect graduates with a Career Coach who can help them better prepare for interviews. These one-on-one sessions will see graduates working with a Career Coach, who a to improve their resumes and GitHub profiles. Graduates will learn how to present their best portfolio projects while highlighting their top skills.

Graduates will also get access to an exclusive job board where companies, from large to small-to-medium sized, will share information about any open junior developer roles in their organizations. It is interesting to note that Nucamp strives to reach out to over 1,000 companies every month to ensure its graduates do not miss out on job opportunities.

Additionally, graduates enjoy a free month of LinkedIn Premium service to help them build their professional networks and boost their chances of finding a job. Graduates will be invited to a LinkedIn Alumni group, a supportive community dedicated to helping each other find success in the industry. 

Nucamp is also big on life-long learning. As such, the school organizes online hackathons to ensure graduates can continue to hone their crafts even after they graduate. This is achieved through collaboration with Mintbean, a software developer talent incubator. Aside from that, students have free lifetime access to Nucamp’s course content so they can always revisit a topic if they wish to.

Take The First Step Toward A New Career Today

Nucamp is here to help more tech aspirants find a rewarding career in tech, offering a top-tier curriculum at one of the most affordable rates in the market. 

The school also offers a unique financing plan dubbed the Fair Student Agreement and several scholarships for those who require additional support. 

Join the likes of Emily, Jason, Megan, Aaron, and Isaiah, and start a career in tech with Nucamp today.