Le Wagon

I’m a Greek-American living in Paris for the past 12 years and I love solar power, biking, and music… and now coding!   I’ve been working for the past six years as VP Marketing at DualSun, a French solar startup that developed an innovative solar panel.  As part of my job, I frequently work with developers to build our web presence and I decided to do Le Wagon to work more efficiently with the developers — to be able to challenge and validate their work which is really hard to do when you don’t have the technical experience. I also wanted to do Le Wagon for personal reasons -- to learn something new, to work my brain differently, and simply to go back to school! And so I did Le Wagon Paris batch #220 (Jan-Feb 2019) and I LOVED it.  It exceeded my expectations not only on a technical level, but on human and social levels as well. On a technical level, I now not only feel competent to challenge developers, I discovered I love coding and that there’s a lot of stuff (not everything) that I can do by myself! The program is really well-designed with a (superbly-coded!) online platform with lectures, videos, exercises, and more.  The teachers and the TAs are great and helpful and make learning such a pleasure.  And we had such a great time with the other students — every day, you work with a different “buddy” which is a great way to meet new people and discover new learning styles. Beyond the course, the staff at Le Wagon is amazing and organized many incredible side events - CEO talks, happy hours, coding competitions, and of course, the final Demo Day.  And the network and post-bootcamp support is incredible too!  I could go on and on…. What’s next?  I plan to go back to my job at DualSun with a more tech-focused role, and hopefully continue dev projects on the side, and who knows, maybe at some point, become a full-time developer. In short, Le Wagon is an incredible experience to learn how to code… and so much more! 

Soon to be graduated from a business school, I joined Le Wagon in January 2019. After a digital marketing master, that provided me academic knowledge, I felt like I needed some technical skills. Learning to code seemed to be the most relevant thing to do. I won’t tell you that I was passionate about coding before joining Le Wagon, I won’t tell you neither that I dreamed about becoming a developer since my first day at kindergarten. That is not who I was and besides this, this is not really the type of people Le Wagon is targeting. But I can tell you one thing: I wanted to learn something that will help me to stand out from the crowd of “business-students-willing-to-work-in-digital-marketing”. And thanks to Le Wagon, I have been served! Honestly, I can say that it was one of the most enlightening experience of my life. I learned so much. I learned about API, parsing, scraping, AJAX… Did I lose you? That’s ok, I can’t even realize that I am actually using these words, me, Jeanne, that used to be a French Literature student! And this is what I liked the most about Le Wagon: people coming from different backgrounds, but no one knew how to code. Working alongside curious people challenged me every day to do my best. Now, I can say I like to code, but what I like the most about coding is that it is a world of possibilities, and the knowledge never stops! It has truly changed my vision of the digital world and I feel ready now to join a tech start-up or a digital agency/consulting firm.

We all know that time flies, even more when you are having a good time. This defines exactly the bootcamp Le Wagon in Paris I just attended (batch #220). Before giving you more details on my awesome adventure at Le Wagon, let me tell you first how I came up with the decision to enroll in this bootcamp.

Initially graduated in Finance degree, I worked in an asset management company as an accountant for 6 (long) years. Classic, steady and comfy executive job you would guess. Bored of seeing the same figures and Excel spreadsheets over and over again, I seized the opportunity during my company restructuration to change path. I was kind of a nerd during my childhood and was always interested in the web and tech fields. Having heard good things about Le Wagon from some friends working in this environment, I decided to give a look and a try after reading useful reviews (I hope this one will help too!)

You could imagine that 9 weeks is too short for being a web developer … Indeed, this is brief but so efficient as those 9 weeks are perfectly optimized to learn! The courses are perfectly balanced between lectures in the morning and practical exercises for the rest of the day to assimilate on your own pace. You see and live every day differently as you learn to team up with people. The staff in Paris are warm and care about their students by paying attention to them until the end and after the bootcamp.

I was starting from scratch on web languages, and I learned so much during the 9 weeks that I am now more confident to pursue my career in the web industry. My adventure in Le Wagon brought me a convivial social network and good friends with whom you could tell lame nerd joke! Don’t be afraid of going to the yoga that the bootcamp offers, first it will relax you from your laptop (and take some ninja naps) and you will make your body and mind more flexible (I was as flexible as a tree before and I can easily touch my feet now!)

After Le Wagon, I plan to land a first job as a FullStack web dev job, and during the bootcamp, I had some friends that had ideas of project but didn’t know where to start the app, and I could tell them the feasibility with my Le Wagon experience. So, I have also several projects, including a bot that will automatize business flows and a personal finance planning analysis tool.

Thank you for reading me and hope you will enjoy Le Wagon if you decide to step in!

I got my Master II in Digital Business & e-Commerce in September 2018. I did a work/study training program in Saint-Gobain for the last 2 years, in the e-Commerce department.

Interviews after interviews, one thing kept coming back: I did not have enough tech abilities.

That’s why I decided to join Le Wagon in January 2019 in Paris.

At first, I thought that I would be overwhelmed by all the new things I was going to learn, but the program is extremely well studied, and everything then seems obvious.

9 weeks can seem short to learn to code an app from scratch, but you would be amazed how fast you’ll learn.

The atmosphere at Le Wagon is very family-like. Everyone is here to help each other, no one is better than anyone. We all share the same ambitions and the same will to learn something new. There are lots of different types of profiles, and that’s what amazing about it.

Le Wagon was kind of life changing experience for me. Now that I found what I really enjoy doing, I’m looking for a position as a Developer Web Junior, I decided to get away from the business side. I’m much happier in the tech environment.

I applied to the Wagon bootcamp to strengthen my technical skills. I began my career as a Consultant, then as a Marketing Project Manager in a pure player travel company. I liked the digital ecosystem very much. I could rapidly evolve as a Software Product Manager, which I enjoyed very much. However, this new job required to develop new skills, to be able to translate the Product vision into something that could be understood and used by the developers in my team. I felt uncomfortable, because I had a too approximative idea of how a website is built. Le Wagon gave me a solid technical basis that helps me everyday to understand precisely the technical implications of the features I imagine. Also, it gave me the keys to dig deeper into technical subjects that interest me. For instance, I was able to develop my first chatbot, and I recently began a training on data science!

At the time when I started Le Wagon bootcamp, I already had experience with IT. My initial plan was to enroll at the university, but 2-3 years of study were too long for me, and I realized that a 9-week bootcamp was the best choice.

Every day, coding was not difficult for me. In the same time, we had additional exercises for experienced programmers. The atmosphere was very good and the teachers really tried to help you. I made some very good connections with teachers and students. Also, we had every week offline meetups with interesting subjects.

As a result, I found my job at the end of the bootcamp.

Highly recommend.

I started my career in the shipping industry (oceangoing tankers) and got quite frustrated by its conservative working methods, especially the lack and quality of software I had to work with. Coming from a background of economics, I understood linear programming problems but had no knowledge about coding. After playing around with excel macros I learned that I enjoyed these kind of problems but did not know how I could get into coding as I hadn't studied computer science (and I certainly did not intend to spend years in school again). Also the false idea that you have to love math left me somewhat reluctant. I decided to take a break and travel for some time. 

Close to the end of my trip I ran into the concept of coding bootcamps. I don't remember what the lead was that made me look in this direction but as soon as it caught my attention I got very excited. I specifically liked LeWagon since they are hosting a program that is oriented towards building a product (I am entrepreneurial by nature so this suited my personal interest). Also they were priced most competitively. 

During the bootcamp I was amazed by the learning curve. I had zero knowledge of coding; I initially did not know what frontend or backend meant, what Github was or what happens with an http request. Actually, even html and css were new concepts to me. A new world opened up to me! During the bootcamp you have a morning lecture, followed by working on problems with a buddy (pair programming) in the end of the morning and afternoon to discuss the problems and live-coding at night. This mix of learn-by-watching, learn by doing and learning-by-teaching method is extremely effective.

Apart from the super fast learning that I enjoyed I became very excited about how there is no end to the innovation and creativity in tech. Halfway the bootcamp we got to pitch our own ideas in order to choose a final project. From my time in shipping, I had an idea to automate a complex process of contract assessment in order to determine what charterers have to pay shipowners for incurred delays in port. Three other students chose to join the project and we worked on it for the last two weeks of the bootcamp. Many times we thought we got in way over our heads but there was a lot of support from teachers to help us crawl through the challenges we faced. Eventually we got to present a well working and good-looking MVP at the grand finale: demo day. In those last weeks basically everything that we previously learned came together and fell into place perfectly. We did not only learn how to solve coding problems but also how to collaborate in teams and align the many different tasks that the project required. 

Since the bootcamp many new ideas came to mind. You start looking at problems in a different way and it so much easier to evaluate what the scope of a project is and whether it is worth to get started on it. And to get started has become very accessible now. 

I strongly feel that learning to code for my generation is equally important as being able to speak English. Even if you don't end up becoming a developer, knowing how the digital world fits together is essential. I have already recommended this bootcamp to many of my friends. In my opinion this is the most effective way to learn the essential range of concepts and skills in a very very short time. 

Le Wagon was one of the experiences in my life that I could call "unforgettable". Despite having a stable job and great benefits as a multinational executive, I have decided to leave my job and retake my career in the IT world. The main reasons for that are, firstly, I love technology, secondly I was tired of the bureacratict environment and, lastly, I love new challenges. It's important to highlight that I started my career as a developer in the mid-1990s, graduated in Computer Science in 1996, and finished my first MBA in 2002. So, it is easy to say the world has changed a lot since then both in terms of quantity and in terms of technology. After developing VBA code to help with my financial work, I have identified coding was what I would like to do again. I had started writing code on my own, but I was missing interacting with other people and creating vices of those who learn alone. Thus, I searched for in-house courses, but I was not willing to spend 2 years studying in an outdaded learning model. So, I was searching for short code labs with lots of practice. I found Le Wagon after reading many reviews and I can say it was one of the best decisions I've ever made since I knew it would be hard for 9 weeks coding full time. My life after Le Wagon has completely changed, even for someone who already had some experience. Even so, I have updated existing knowledge and learned new things that will help me a lot in the current job market, as we did exactly what is done in practice, both in planning and in the organization of the work. I feel extremely proud of having become a LeWagoner !!! Thank you Pedro, Fernando and the teachers for the amazing experience !!!!

I started looking into making the change in career direction to software development after 5 years in the insurance industry. It had been something that I'd always wanted to do, but if I'm honest never had been brave enough to make that jump thinking it would require me to go back studying full time for god knows how long and even then I'd find myself right back down the bottom of the ladder - most importantly, would I even be able to find a job?

Anyway, fast forward 6 months and I am now working full time as a junior software developer in Lisbon and I could not be happier. And that is down to making the choice to go with Le Wagon.

When researching the various bootcamps, it became clear that Le Wagon was pretty much always the most preferred when it came to alumni reviews, and after studying there, I can understand why. The curriculum has had the benefit of years of fine tuning and as a result, they really know how to maximise the short time period over which the course runs (9 weeks).

One of the biggest plusses of the course is that while it is primarily a Rails focused bootcamp, the teachers and TAs first of all look to teach you the most important skill which is learning how to learn and the fundamentals of computer programming itself. This helped me a great deal as my current job is a backend dev position using Python.

I would truly recommend anyone who is deliberating over whether to make the same career change that I did to go with Le Wagon. You won't ever look back!

I am very satisfied with my experience at Le Wagon Bali. During my time at the bootcamp I reached all the learning objectives I set myself. Prior to Le Wagon, I was a business student with an entrepreneurial mind-set and I was frustrated with the fact that I could not turn my business ideas into reality. I thus came to Bali with the will to learn how to code credible MVPs and that’s what happened. Le Wagon allowed me to learn how to build web applications with a clean front-end and relatively complex back-end incorporating APIs, external ruby libraries and “gems”. Thus, following the Le Wagon curriculum one is able to build a multitude of different web applications ranging from simple websites to dynamic platforms with multiple users, payments, geo-location etc. Knowing this in the digital age is an incredibly powerful and valuable skill. In fact, now that I am back at business school, I am part of the small group of students that knows how to code. This clearly “sets me apart from the rest of the crowd” and has attracted the attention of many of my peers which are in the same position as me prior to Le Wagon and who are now considering doing Le Wagon too. Every time one asks me for advice about Le Wagon I always encourage them to do the bootcamp as long as they plan to code after the bootcamp as coding is like language, if you don’t practice it, you loose it.

Furthermore, the Le Wagon team in Bali was super competent and friendly. I always had the feeling to be in very good hands. The lead teachers had in-depth knowledge about all the topics covered and the teaching assistants very always very helpful and friendly when helping us with the coding exercises. Learning to code on a rooftop in Bali with a view on the sea is a unique experience and very difficult to beat in my opinion. Additionally to learning how to code I also took several surf lessons before the coding classes. The morning surf sessions with the rising sun in the background are unforgettable memories. Moreover, the people I met at Le Wagon in Bali were all very open-minded and friendly and the entire batch quickly became a good group of friends with which we organised very nice week-end trips to Nusa Penida and Ubud. Overall Le Wagon Bali was an incredible and very rewarding experience and if I had to do it again, I would not hesitate for a second!

Le Wagon makes you think as a developer starting from day one.
The learning method is extraordinary since it makes you get so much knowledge in a short period of time. When I started, I didn’t have any previous coding experience, and in just two months I learned how to build full web applications and much more.
The way the course has been created makes you improve day after day and also teaches you how to struggle without giving up, allowing you to create amazing stuff in no time.
In Le Wagon, you don’t only learn to code, but also to work in a team.
Coding the daily exercises with a different classmate every day, and spend more than two weeks building real projects in a small team clearly enhances the bootcamp experience.
When you decide to join Le Wagon, you don’t only join a bootcamp. You also enter a community for life, full of amazing people from different horizons ready to help you and share.
Two months seems like to be very long when you register, but when you start the course you soon realise that time flies, and in a while you find yourself coding a full replica of Airbnb.
Doing it in Bali was even more sastisfying and fun. The bootcamp is in the center of Canggu fulfilled with nice and cool cafés, restaurants and bars. There are many activities to do during the weekend with your batch. Going to the bootcamp in your scooter and sun everyday is for sure something that only Le Wagon Bali can offer you.  
Thanks to Le Wagon, I now feel confident in coding and in my capacity to learn quickly.
I am very satisfied with the course, deciding to participate was one of the best decision I have ever made. 

In 2016, I voluntarily joined a 2-hour coding workshop by Le Wagon at the University of Mannheim in Germany. It was an optional workshop which was offered as part of a congress I participated in. This was the first time, I actually noticed how much I enjoyed coding. One year later, I joined a young e-commerce business where I was exposed to SQL and again I figured, that I really enjoyed it. After finishing my bachelor’s degree, I did not feel like moving on the way I did for my future job. So I remembered the coding workshop I did in 2016 and started researching about coding schools all around the world. In the end, Le Wagon convinced me the most, as I had some minor experiences with their teachers during my workshop in university and at the same time it was the shortest and least expensive coding bootcamp I could find on the Net.

 

My experience at Le Wagon Barcelona came in with so many highlights. Not only did I enjoy learning a new professional skill, but I met loads of amazing people who inspired me every day. I loved going to class and buddying with a new partner daily to solve our coding challenges. Learning to code was fun and challenging at the same time. Looking back, I can say, that this coding bootcamp has changed my life for the good and that I have made friends for life.

 

I loved living in Barcelona because it is a lively city, but still relaxed at the same time. It seems hard to get tired of all the things Barcelona has to offer – be it pubs, clubs, sporting activities, hikes etc. I myself love to do sports and to be in nature. Living in Gracía, the Tibidabo mountain was not far and it always allowed me to enjoy beautiful sunrises with a view on Barcelona in the mornings before class. I was also able to join some cool boxing classes, bootcamps in the park, yoga sessions on rooftops and so on for almost no money, as the first class was always free while the choice of different sport studios was huge!

 

For future students, I would advise to live in the area of Gracía as you will mainly be busy with class during the week and it seems painful to have to take the metro every single day to get to class. Moreover, you will notice that most of the times, you will hang out around Gracía for drinks in the evening as this is the area where students and teachers will know where to go because you always pass some cool places on the way from or to class.

 

In terms of preparation for class, I can only advise future students to actually watch the lecture each night before class, so you will be able to quickly grabs the logic of coding. I also found that every time I watched the video the night before class, I was able to understand things, which I had not noticed by only watching the video or solely visiting the lecture. Hearing things twice really helps to get a deeper understanding of things!

                                                                                              

Learning to code at Le Wagon is a life-changing experience!