| | Christina D. | I'm an American who attended the September 2014 Web Development cohort in Barcelona. I came to Ironhack with little-to-no programming background, though I had dabbled in web design/some front-end stuff in the past and had (unsuccessfully) tried to learn some Ruby on my own. I had already applied to a few other bootcamps in the US when I heard of Ironhack, but as soon as I was admitted, I knew it was the best choice for me. Not only had they already had many successful cohorts in two different locations under their belt, they also offered scholarships for women, and a great location (Barcelona!) to boot.
I won't sugarcoat it and claim that Ironhack isn't difficult, challenging, and at times frustrating- but ultimately, these are the things that made me realize I had made the right choice. I always felt challenged, but if there was any doubt in my mind about a certain topic, the staff was always there to help and give me the support I need. While the program offers a certain degree of freedom and autonomy that might be intimidating to some, there were always people watching and making sure I was understanding everything, which was comforting.
Apart from the actual program and teachers, the connections one makes throughout the programs played a vital role in developing our skills as programmers. We connected with the local tech scene, but also learned the necessary soft skills to network in any part of the world.
Overall, it was a truly wonderful experience. I finished my cohort just a few days ago, and have received job offers and requests for interviews from many different companies around the world, which was my goal. I built my own (pretty great) app from scratch, which I would have never assumed I'd ever be able to do at the beginning of the bootcamp. |
