Tips For Preparing For Coding Bootcamp

Congratulations! You were accepted to a coding bootcamp and now you’re getting ready for your first day. You bought a new laptop, backed up the hard drive, and even brushed up on your coding language a little bit. However, the prep work isn’t done, yet. Coding bootcamps are intensive, immersive programs designed to give you the skills you need to be a junior developer in a matter of weeks. Being fully prepared will take a little bit of work, but we have a few tips that will help you out:

Complete The Prep Work

The number one thing you should do before heading off to coding bootcamp is complete any prep work you receive. This work isn’t designed to bog you down before the program even starts. It’s designed to get you thinking like a coder before you step foot in the classroom. The videos, tutorials, and online courses that make up your code camp prep work are a great reference for later on in the coding program. For now, think of this work as laying the foundation you’ll build on in the program.

Update Your Resume & LinkedIn Profile

After you graduate, you’ll need a resume and a great LinkedIn profile to help you land the job of your dreams, but you should start the process of creating a resume and LinkedIn profile now. By building these things early on, you’ll have something to work on and update throughout the program. At Eleven Fifty Academy, we build Career Readiness workshops into our program, which will help you build your resume and create an optimized LinkedIn profile. We also recommend you take some time to connect with people you know on LinkedIn and even ask for recommendations on the professional networking site.

Involve Your Support Systems

Before you start this journey, it’s important to know you aren’t alone. Your support system will be incredibly important to your success during your SmartStart coding program. Eleven Fifty students are highly encouraged to make a list of all the things they do every week around the house and for the family. Then, discuss that list and see what they can help you with. Make sure your support systems understand that you’ll be in class 40 hours a week, but you’ll also need time in the evening and on the weekends to reinforce concepts, work on coding projects, and finish class challenges.

Get Life In Order

It’s impossible to predict all of the little challenges that surface in everyday life, but do anything and everything you can do before your program starts. Schedule and visit the dentist and doctor beforehand, so you don’t have to miss class time. Finish up house projects, so you can focus on coding projects outside of class. The main goal here is to focus on eliminating possible distractions that will take you away from focusing on your coding program.

Brush Up On Your Time Management Skills

To be successful in a coding bootcamp and as a coder, you’ll need to have time management down to a science. Things like binge watching Netflix and staying up all night playing video games won’t help you. Instead, ask yourself, “how have I learned best in the past?” Make a list of things that distract you and use that list to avoid those distractions. You want to set yourself up for success, so understanding ahead of time what you need to do to stay focused is the best game plan. Have a study plan for the evenings, build a schedule that revolves around time to code, and be sure to share these plans with your support system.

Rest Up

As soon as your code camp starts, you won’t have as much free time to do all of the things you love, so make time before it starts to rest up and recharge. You want to start with a fresh, well rested mind that’s open to learning new ideas and concepts. We recommend you not only get a good night's sleep before the first day, but that you spend some time relaxing before the program. Hit the gym, go for a long hike, spend time with your family, or do whatever it is that helps you relax. If you want to talk to someone about recoding your future, our Admissions Advisor would be happy to talk about attending a coding bootcamp and how learning to code can impact your future.