Trang’s journey
Hi everyone, please meet Trang Do who went through our Web / Mobile Development Bootcamp and decided to share her journey with you. This is the final article with Trang's insights as they are, raw and uncut so that you will be able to see what it’s like to be a student at Barcelona Code School.
Cheers!
Day 1: "Nobody said it was easy.." After months of learning coding by myself, finally I decide to join the bootcamp and courageously follow my passion.
Hey guys I’m Trang - a new student of Barcelona Code School. I am a Master’s student of Digital Business in Barcelona. I had worked in Sales industry for 5 years to realize my true passion is Technology.
Changing career is such a complex process, especially in programming for non-background people like me.
Today is my first day at school, getting to know the course, feeling so excited but a little bit nervous, but I will do my best 💪🏽 Let’s join me and see how I change from "zero to hero" programmer in 9 weeks. Hope for all the best ❤️🔥 Cheers!
Day 2: Well it’s more complicated than I thought but I was super amazed by the amount of knowledge I can absorb in 1 day at school.
Thankfully there are my teachers and friends so I don’t feel left out and discouraged. Couldn’t believe that now I can fix some code problems in a blink of an eye while it took me hours when I was studying alone. Definitely should have joined the bootcamp earlier.
Shout out to my class, especially George and Pawel! You have inspired me a lot 💪🏽
Day 4: Hooray today I created the very first screen of the Weather App and also the structure of a Trello dashboard and it was really fun. Yesterday I found it too hard and stressful but today George explained everything and I found the solution. Nice move, I am very glad and excited.
Day 5: TGIF! Wow 1 week has already passed. Time seems to pass so fast when we are busy 😆
Today I was able to create the layout of Trello Dashboard and a part of Whatsapp screen. George said we would move to JavaScript next week. It means we will be able to learn a new language next week. I’m so excited! Hope it won’t be too difficult.. Have a nice weekend everyone!
Ps: for all book lovers, just right next to our school, there is an old book store in which there are tons of books at very affordable prices. Today I spent 1 hour of the lunch break here, it’s too difficult to not bring the whole store home 😋
Day 7: There is a saying "Practice makes perfect" and I believe so. Trying to code everywhere and everyday 💪🏽 15 mins a day for my brain to workout on weekends 🧠
Day 8: Hello Monday! Today we get to know Javascript. It was really complex and I had tons of questions for our teachers. We also did Kahoot game today which was really fun, the best thing is we were able to learn and remember a lot after making mistakes.
Now I can create some basic functions for my computer to solve problems and I feel so happy. Our instructors encouraged us a lot, that’s why I think it’s much easier and more comfortable for me comparing to study alone before. If I could meet the younger me, I would definitely suggest her to join the bootcamp earlier 😆
Day 9: Guys the exercises today are so complex, my head is about to explode 🤯 I need some boost... so here is our Wall of Fame with all the most intelligent faces. Can’t wait until one day I will complete the course and my photo will be here too. Go Trang! 💪🏽
Day 10: Yeah it’s getting harder day by day... But the good thing is our instructors are always here to help. The feeling of solving a problem is so cool, worth trying 😆 We also have chances to explain our code - which is necessary when applying for jobs. That’s super great because when I study alone nobody tells me this 🤣 Btw, guys look what I found near our school. This garden is so coooooool, my new place for lunch and reading now 🥰
Day 11: Today we continue with JavaScript, get to know more things and we have opportunities to debug codes of each other. That’s so cool when you can look at 1 thing from different points of view. So grateful for being here 🙏🏼
Day 12: wow it’s already Friday again and 2 weeks have passed yayy 🥳 today we have solved more exercises and reached a new level in programming 😆 the amount of knowledge I gain in 2 weeks of bootcamp is more than 3 months of studying alone, I feel very happy and excited at the same time. Although it’s hard, but "Nothing worth having comes easy". Happy weekends everyone!
Day 15: Heyyy it’s me again. It’s the start of a new week so let’s hope for the best!
Today we have learned more about Javascript. Tbh, I don't know if it's because the 8-hours-class seem to go by so fast or because it's already winter, when we finish today, the sky is already dark. It makes me feel like I should work harder because now the day is getting shorter 😭 😭
Btw look what I got after the lunch today. I’m really into this neighborhood guys 🥰 it surprises me everyday!
Day 16: Today is the holiday so we don’t have class. However, our instructors never stop working. Although not meeting, George and Pawel send me texts to help me improve my answers. Thank you very much. See you in class tomorrow!
Day 17: Heyyy today I have lunch with my classmates, we talk a lot about digital and technology. It broaden my knowledge and I feel very glad. Our instructors are like our friends too. We share information about many Tech opportunities. I’m grateful for knowing many talented and passionate people from this bootcamp 🙏🏼
Day 18: Wow at first I didn’t know one word could make me excited this much - the green "passing" word 😆😆 I think the exercises today are super complex for me. As we get to know more concept, it becomes more complicated day by day.
Tbh I feel a little exhausted due to lack of sleep recently. George asks me if I feel ok and reminds me to rest enough 👍 ty George. Our instructors always encourage us and I think that’s one of the best things for me. I’ll sleep early today.
See you tomorrow!
Day 19: Wow it’s Friday again, which means we have completed 3 weeks. Today is our last day with Javascript. It’s super fast guys and we have learnt sooooo much. Couldn’t believe I spent nearly a year with only Python because I felt lack of motivation and procrastinated multiple times and now within 3 weeks, we have learnt and practiced a lot with HTML, CSS, and also Javascript, that’s 3 languages in total 🥳
We have done 7 blocks of exercises (about 7-18 each block). I’m super amazed by the amount of knowledge I absorbed here. However, I think I’m slower these days, maybe because I’ve stayed up late. So everybody, please take care and rest well to get enough energy and we can move faster and learn so much with the bootcamp 😎 or you can rest and have a coffee during lunch break in this cute room at our school!
Next week we will move to React 🔥 I’ve heard about it a lot and very looking forward to meeting a new "friend". Happy weekends everyone! See you on Monday.
Day 22: Hello guys lets’ meet my classmates - the future developers 😎 btw, today we start with React. I think it’s difficult but very convenient. It’s like summing up of what we have learnt and also adding features to help the code cleaner but more efficient.
Tbh, today I messed up my codes and as far as I adjust something, I made it worse. It was overwhelming and I felt like being dumb and even wanted to quit. But at the end of the class before I left, George asked me if I felt ok, and he helped me to review and modify my program. Everything seemed to be much more understandable. He also recommended me the ways of approaching and debugging for each language.
Our instructors always encourage us to ask questions and if we do have but don’t want to ask, somehow they still know and ask us first. They also ask why did we do this to understand our approach to find the best solutions and I think it’s really nice and kind.
Now I don’t want to quit anymore. Thank you very much for always being patient although it was already 1 hour late after the class. Thank you very much, to George & Pawel - our instructors and also Leo & Jordan - my classmates. You guys really encourage me to follow this path 🙏🏼
Day 23: We continue with React and learn more interesting things today. In my opinion, it’s super hard at first but thanks to the help of my instructors and my friend, everything makes sense and today I finish the exercises 1 hour earlier - I’m so happy. Btw, I tried working with a second screen today 😱 thanks to this, we don’t have to go back and forth between windows to see the result - which is awesome for me 🥰
Day 25: Yayyy thanks to the help of my instructors and my friend, I successfully create dynamic components for my website. Step by step and I will be able to build beautiful creative things soon. I’m really excited and extremely happy. Although it’s hard, it’s very worth trying 🥰 one of the best experiences I think ☺️
Day 29: We are already at week 5, it means we have completed 50% of the course. We all agree that time has passed so fast since the bootcamp and we have learnt so much.
Today we move to Back-end part with Express, which I found very interesting. I think this part is less complex as it doesn’t require styling at all 🤣
I’ve absorbed a huge amount of knowledge in programming. Last week we learnt React and it was still confusing me at some point. However, by practicing the exercises that BCS provides, I can get more insights into this framework and understand it better.
It’s super handy to get to know both Front-end and Back-end. Everything seems to be more logical and I have to say Javascript is magical 💓
Day 30: Continuing with Back-end, we are learning to debug with Postman and I think it’s a very convenient tool. Today we tried to combine Front-end and Back-end and it was a challenge for me.
Tomorrow we will get to know more about database. Thanks to this bootcamp, I have a chance to expand my knowledge and understand more about what’s behind the screen. I’m very grateful for that and want to learn more but at the same time, I’m afraid it’ll be much more complicated. Hopefully, it will not be too difficult 😭
Btw, today we have had opportunity to participate in a tech event. We also met BCS’s alumni – Vlad. For me, it is an awesome experience, we can learn much about this industry, meet talented people and broaden knowledge. Thanks our instructors for introducing us this brilliant event.
Day 31: wow I didn’t notice that 1 month already passed. I have learnt a lot, much more than I thought and I’m very happy. Today we learn how to deal with database. Thankfully, with the help of my instructors and classmate, I can finish the exercises and get to know many interesting things.
It’s hard to say what I like most about this bootcamp. But if I have to, I think it’s the way of teaching of our instructors. I am the type of impatient student who tends to quit when things get stuck. But they encourage me a lot. Tbh I can’t go this far without them. Thank ya!
Day 33: Hello it’s Friday again and 1 more week has passed. That’s so fast I couldn’t believe. Today we continue learning how to combine Front-end and Back-end and start our project.
We learn about JWT, validation, and I’ve known many helpful tips from George. We also talk about the security of data and connection and it’s really interesting. I’d love to know more about this.
Today we are invited to help the students of UX/UI Design course test their prototypes and provide feedback. It is a very compelling experience for me and they did very well just within 1 week. If I didn’t like programming that much, I would have join this course, it seems so fun and creative 🤩
Day 38: We are working on our own projects right now. When dealing with the front-end part, we were offered to talk with the students of the UX/UI Design course to ask for their opinions on the colors, typography, logo, icons, and UI elements. It is extremely interesting and helpful.
Yesterday, my friend Leo had a presentation about his idea and project and I had a chance to join the UX/UI class for awhile. The class was super creative and energetic. Today the students talk about their ideas which can help us a lot in programming our project to provide seamless experiences for users.
This is amazing when 2 classes can talk and work together. We can learn and expand knowledge and at the same time, we gain experiences in working with people from another position - which I find very useful especially when we’ll work in a company. Plus, thanks to their recommendations, we can code and create beautiful things meeting users’ expectations. Thank you very much!
Day 40: Hi guys this is a part of my project. I aim to create an e-commerce site for Vietnamese tropical fruits. My idea is to build a website where users can be taken to Mekong Delta, Vietnam to "meet" the farmers, participate in a "virtual" factory tour as well as directly trace the origins and observe the life of the fruit before it is the final product in their palms.
I’m working on it now and thanks to the help of my class I have done part of it. Now it looks very simple but hopefully, at the end of the course, I can build something pretty and efficiently.
I’ve seen the projects of our alumni and they are amazing. It’s very inspiring and I hope that I can do such good work like them. After completing each function, I feel so excited and joyful. I will try my best and make my parents proud soon 🤣
It’s Friday again and we have finished 6 weeks. I couldn’t believe that it was only 6 weeks since I learnt a lot from zero. Feeling so happy.. Have nice weekends everyone!
Day 44: Look at our classroom!
Today we continue working on our project and learn about sending automatic email for the site. Now we have learnt a lot since day 1. It’s getting harder but I believe day by day and we can achieve it. Wish us luck 🍀
Day 45: Heyyy this is an update from my very first project 😁 we will try to finish it at the end of this week. I’m very excited that next week we gonna move to the part of creating a mobile app.
Today we learn about automatically upload and remove photos using API or the local drive. It is very helpful when programming a social media where user are allowed to share their photos or delete them.
There are a lot of things to learn and the amount of knowledge we gain is huge. The instructors are always willing to help so I can be free to ask everything I’m confused. That’s amazing for me. Otherwise, I couldn’t know how to solve the problems and might be stressed out and quit.
Day 48: We’ve deployed our site for the very 1st time. Although at the 1st try, there still existed some mistakes but George and Pawel helped me with them and finally, I successfully published it. My instructors are so good at finding mistakes and fixing them. I can learn a lot from them.
I feel very glad that finally it can work. Although it’s might take a little amount of time and patience for the site to be fully loaded, it’s very worth trying 🤣 finally I can create something to put in my portfolio. Woohoo!
Today I told George about my idea of building an app, he said it is cool as we haven’t built anything like this. But it seems to have some hindrances for us to overcome. Let’s try and hopefully we can successfully create it meeting our expectations.
Day 50: I add some payment features to my site and now it can work like a real e-commerce site. Amazing! I was confused with the code but my instructors help me solve all the problems. Now after a successful payment, my site can automatically send its users a confirmation email. On the other hand, users can receive a message notifying the payment failure. Pretty nice and efficient for the shopping sites, right? ☺️
Day 51: Today it’s the public holiday so we don’t have class. However, I’m planning some ideas for the mobile app as tomorrow we will start learning about it. Now it’s just my simple drawings, but hopefully, in the future it will become one of my proudest achievements 😆
Day 52: Hi, this is my Todo app. Today we learn more ways to deploy our web and also get to know React Native. We practice by building a To-do app, from creating the interface, functions to keep data to mobile’s memory storage. It’s super interesting when working with them.
I really enjoyed the part of "shaking" the phone 🤣🤣 we’ve learned tons of things. The lesson today is amazing!
Day 53: Heyy today we continue with React Native. I added some new features to my app. Now I can scroll through it, cross words and also swipe to delete! My To-do app is ready now 😄
Day 56: Can't believe this is our last week at the school already 😭 time passes so fast.
Today due to some personal issues, I couldn't come to the school. Although I work remotely from home, I and my instructors connect via Slack & Git and Pawel helps me debug the errors smoothly.
Additionally, George sends me the instructions to utilize APIs and ask for permissions to access users’ cameras. We also talk about ideas of building the portfolio page and he gives me some useful supportive suggestions. Although I’m not in the class physically today, we are efficiently connected and I don’t feel left out. Thank you!
Day 57: Wow we are at the last week of the bootcamp! That’s so fast and we could learn a lot during this course. I’m so glad that I’ve joined this program and follow my passion in coding.
Now as we almost finish the course, I’ve asked our instructors about job hunting and they’ve gave me advice. Pawel also shared his tips in finding job offers which I found really useful.
Tbh, sometimes I feel worried about finding a job as I’m a newbie in this field, but looking at our alumni’s projects and portfolios really motivates me. I’ve decided to listen to my heart and follow this path, I’ve learnt a lot and I never regret. I believe that "practice makes perfect" and I can do it! 💪🏽💪🏽
Day 58: Christmas is coming to Barcelona Code School!
We continue with our App Project. I have a chance to work with several APIs such as Cloudinary and Google Cloud Vision. When a function can work, I feel so happy and energetic. Hopefully, day by day and step by step, I can build my dream projects and put them in my portfolio.
Today our instructor Pawel also sends us a lot of job opportunities. I can’t wait to apply as they are golden chances for me to study from real-life cases, gain more knowledge and sharpen my skills.
I much hope I soon find a suitable position where I can contribute to the organization’s growth by following my passion in programming and also learning from experienced colleagues. But first, I have to build my portfolio page!
I’m very excited when thinking of my portfolio site. I have some ideas in my head. It may not be the easiest one to create but I will try my best. Wish us luck!
Day 59: Today I created more functions for my app and debugged. I feel so happy that it can work. Although there are a lot of things to do and I have to read tons of documentation and ask for our instructors’ help multiple times, it finally works and that might be one of the best feelings ever.
I know that programming is not easy, but the satisfaction when you finish solving a problem is extremely special, and it gives me real comfort. As dealing with challenges, we can dig deeper into the issues and expand our knowledge. I learn that dividing the work into smaller pieces makes them much easier to deal with. Technology is amazing and enormous, I’m curious to learn more and face more challenges!
Day 60: Today is our last day at the Bootcamp and we received our certifications. 9 weeks is not long time and I’m glad that I spent it at BCS. After this course, we not only have the knowledge in programming but also improve our skills by practicing a lot.
Today, Alex - our alumni came to our class to talk with us and share his stories when working as a developer. He answered all the questions and gave us a lot of helpful advice. He also encouraged us and shared his tips in dealing with real-life situations. Thanks to this, I feel more motivated and confident. It’s really nice that during the bootcamp, we have the opportunity to talk with our alumnus who are experienced developers. Their shares are brilliant for newcomers like us.
After this course, we can build websites, apps and it provides us the solid knowledge to continue in the career path as developers. By building personal projects, we can have a broader perspective about programming.
One of the best things I’ve improved significantly after the course is analytical thinking skill which is extremely helpful for me in dealing with both work and life issues. Plus, to make a function work properly, we have to think in logical ways, research and try to find the best solutions.
This makes me see things in more comprehensive points of view as well as gain personalized lessons and experiences. Communicating with skillful experts like our instructors can crucially support and shorten this process.
I wish the length of the course could be longer because I’ve enjoyed it a lot. Sometimes, it can be hard and we feel tired, but that’s how progress is. I think the saying "Trust the process" is really wise. I’m happy that I’ve joined and completed this course and created my own projects - which previously I never thought I could do.
Thank you so much, BCS. Time well spent! A new phase is coming and good luck to all of us!