One year after starting the Leniolabs_ bootcamp project, with everything learned along the way, I would like to tell you how the experience was from the inside.
We decided to organize it virtually since beyond the widely known (COVID) situation, we are a 100% remote company, where all the collaborators are distributed around the world.
The Idea
The idea came about when a founder at Leniolabs asked in the Slack Javascript channel what course they would recommend to a person who is not in the IT sector wanting to enter it. Several colleagues recommended links from various platforms where you could learn, and then one React developer suggested in the thread: “Let’s have a Lenio React Bootcamp in 2021”! Exactly one year ago we created a channel called Lenio-bootcamp to organize it.
Getting started
The channel started with 15 collaborators, but thanks to the desire to help inside Leniolabs, lots of people joined up and we have grown a lot in the past year. Today we have 41 team members. They all helped by contributing their effort, from design to creation and translation of content, organization of meetings, division of tasks, and conducting interviews. The most important thing we realised is that it did not matter if someone could not continue with their part within the Bootcamp, because there was always someone willing to pick up the task.
Evolution
Organization and launch
Although there were many of us collaborating, not all of us felt comfortable or had a deep understanding of the topics that were going to be taught. Because of this, a call was put out to those who wanted to give the classes. Of course, I signed up since teaching and helping are synonymous for me. In the end, there were twelve of us who signed up to teach.
We decided to organize ourselves into six groups of two teachers each, and we concluded that the ideal number of students would be five in order to cover as many students as possible without losing the advantage of providing personalized classes.
Interviews were conducted to select thirty students who were only in Argentina and Chile (as well as the teachers and due to the time difference) and who did not yet have their first IT job. It was a huge effort by the HR team!
As part of the organization, we were continually identifying issues that we thought would prevent us from setting a launch date, until at one point we simply decided to set a deadline for the welcome meeting and do everything possible to get everything ready.
From start to finish
On April 19, we had a welcome conference call with the founders, organizers, teachers and students. That same week the Bootcamp classes officially began and they flew by. We were not only giving classes but also recounting work experiences as software professionals and showing what day-to-day life is like in the IT world.
In addition to teaching technologies (Git, CSS, HTML, JavaScript and React) over thirteen classes, the Bootcamp also included a presentation covering soft skills that became two due to the importance it has in our work, and a final project on which we gave feedback, evaluating not only the technical part but the whole performance throughout the course. The final project consisted of making a search engine using the Marvel API.
Leniolabs 2021 Web Bootcamp
- 70% of the students completed the course successfully.
- Some students had the possibility of joining Leniolabs as their first work experience.
- The students who participated were able to create and/or grow their repositories with exercises and projects of what they learned.
- We are currently working on the bootcamp page to add students’ Linkedin profiles and projects to help them get their first IT job and give them more exposure to other companies with vacancies.
Benefits of doing a Bootcamp
- Professionals who teach reinforce basic knowledge and can share their experiences.
- The students who participate, in our case, acquire basic knowledge and experience developing by working on a final project to get their first computer job.
- In addition to acquiring technical knowledge, students learn about soft skills and their importance, project management and frameworks, and what to focus on to be a better professional every day.
- Students are nurtured by the experiences of teachers that are unique and cannot be found in a course that is taken online.
Experiences
My experience…
From the beginning, I got involved to help where I could and even give classes. It was a challenge since in addition to giving classes, I was helping in the organization and working on my normal project commitment I had to organize my time very well to get everything done.
When I found out that Daniel Soto was going to be my teaching partner, I felt two things: fear and joy. The first is because Daniel is the TL of a team and knows a lot. I was afraid I would not be able to match his level and the second because I knew it would be great to work with him.
I think it was a unique experience in which I would not change anything. I really enjoyed helping in the organization, teaching, and explaining. While the learning is mutual in many ways, it is amazing to see how much the students learned and to see the final projects they were able to do with everything they learned during the bootcamp.
Other experiences…
I firmly believe the best way to learn and solidify your knowledge is by teaching; that is why the Lenio Bootcamp has been an enriching experience for the students and the teachers. I’m looking forward to collaborating in the next version and helping more people to develop their skills! - Gustavo Dominguez (Bootcamp teacher).
I’ve always loved to teach, and in my experience, it is hard to reach all of your students but, when you get to do it, it is the most rewarding thing you can imagine.
Being a teacher at Lenio’s Bootcamp was an unforgettable experience because I had incredible students, who always pushed themselves forward, always motivating me to go the extra mile.
My coworkers and I are looking forward to the next Bootcamp experience! - Jose Banega (Bootcamp teacher).
I had always been curious about teaching and sharing my knowledge beyond the scope of work. The closest I’ve come to a formal and real teaching experience was around a decade ago when I taught English to kids between 6 and 12 years old in my home country. At that point in time, I didn’t really do it for the money because at the time it was only enough to buy a few pizzas. I just did it for the experience and to keep practising English. Besides that, there was the benefit of refreshing some skills we don’t practice on a daily basis. I can also add that this was a gratifying opportunity to contribute and help those who want to start their journey in the IT world.
I hope they succeed in their future endeavours and will feel the joy of being part of their learning path - Daniel Soto (Bootcamp teacher).
It was a unique experience for me. I have never been a teacher before, at least not in a classroom environment with a group of students eager to acquire all the knowledge that we can provide.
I am very happy with the results of this bootcamp and I am looking forward to the next one! - Juan Churin (Bootcamp teacher).
The teachers were very empathetic and patient and they gave us small challenges after every class which really helped us to build upon our knowledge and put what we learned into use right away. The final project was also challenging but entertaining - I got a lot of good, authentic practice from it and the teachers gave me some great feedback on how to improve it even more. Overall, a great experience! - Barbara Jandernoa (Bootcamp student).
These months were of great growth, personally and professionally, full of challenges and learning. I was fortunate to be part of a team with extraordinary people, who supported me during this process. I am super grateful for this opportunity and I hope to continue growing. - Gabriel Bruno Piermarini (Bootcamp student).
My experience in the bootcamp was fully positive. When I began it, I only had some knowledge of Web development and, in the end, I finished getting a vast base of data to deal with the developer way. I got used to having meetings which are a daily feature in a programmer’s life. I also discovered the work environment, received feedback from my tasks and finally I learned a lot of methods and work tools that are used nowadays. I acquired great professional and personal experience. Really grateful to be part of this first Lenio Bootcamp. - Joaquín Dovao Medin (Bootcamp student).
My experience in Lenio Bootcamp was fun and great! I’ve learned many new things in a short period of time, from HTML basics to how to develop a web application in ReactJS. Lenio’s team and the professors were warm, very patient and friendly. In fact, the online classes were dynamic and very entertaining. I also met amazing people from different places. I really enjoyed this course and I highly recommend it! - Micaela Roxana Vera (Bootcamp student).
It’s a great experience for those who have started programming and want to improve and learn new skills. We were taught a large variety of content during the course which was enough to develop the final React project. I learnt many new skills during the bootcamp and improved at so many levels that I didn’t want It to end. Besides, the teachers’ dedication encourages you to give your best in every class. - Ricardo Nicolás Ríos Paredes (Bootcamp student).
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the Leniolabs founders for cheering us on and giving us this incredible opportunity to develop and run the bootcamp.
Thanks to the management and organization team for achieving and driving everything forward.
Thanks to the team of teachers who ran the bootcamp flawlessly and knew how to solve any problem along the way.
Thanks to the HR team who admirably handled all the work of interviewing and selecting the students who were going to participate.
Thanks to the design team for helping us beautify everything and design the diplomas.
Thanks to each and every one of the collaborators who played their part in making the bootcamp perfect.
Thanks to all who participated as students in the bootcamp for their patience, dedication and desire to learn.
