🎓🤖💻🚀😎
At the start of 2022, I was a freshly-minted PhD graduate in polymer synthesis and applications for water treatment from the University of Liverpool. Despite my interest in automation, my lack of coding experience left me feeling stuck. But my passion for automation, data science, and AI convinced me that I needed to learn to code no matter what.
Fortunately, fate smiled on me when I discovered the Department for Education’s funding for boot camps. I applied to Northcoders in Manchester, UK, and was thrilled when I got accepted into the program in October 2022.
Now, I had some experience with Python, matplotlib, pandas, seaborn, and other niche libraries for laboratory instrumentation, but I was still daunted by the vast amount of information we were expected to learn over the intense 13-week course. However, I quickly realized that the Northcoders team had a knack for making complex concepts easy to understand. From the fundamentals of Git version control to project planning and maintenance, they had our backs.
My favorite part of the boot camp was the back-end section. I had always been curious about servers, backends, and development, but I was blown away by how much technology had advanced since I was a kid. Gone were the days of Apache, PHP, and a smattering of JavaScript and HTML. Instead, we were introduced to Node.js, Express, RESTful APIs, MVC model, SuperTest, and more. My mind was blown! 💻🤯
But we didn’t stop there. We dove into the front-end section, learning DOM manipulation and basic JavaScript for front-end development, which we applied to basic form validation. Then, we tackled React and learned about state management, component creation and control, data fetching using fetch or Axios, and hooks such as useEffect. We even tackled issues like accessibility, routing, and optimistic rendering. Finally, we capped off the course with a front-end project for a news website based on the back-end we created in the previous section.
Overall, my Northcoders experience was fantastic. The program broadened my horizons and deepened my understanding of web technologies. I’m excited to combine my chemistry and software development knowledge to create something unique and innovative. I’m not sure what my career path will be, but as long as I get to use my new skills, I’ll be happy. Plus, the Northcoders team was amazing, friendly, approachable, and helpful. 🎓😊
Now, attending the boot camp while working full-time wasn’t easy. There were times when I panicked, but I always managed to find a balance that worked for me. It didn’t disrupt my daily workflow or work plans, and I consider it a success. 😁