AIBU to move into Tech by doing one of these government funded bootcamp skills courses

[Cobwebs5]

Good morning,

Could I have some advice from people in the Tech industry please ?

So I want to move into Tech. I think I’ve decided that I’m going to do a bootcamp, probably coding although I’m possibly more suited to business analysis or project management. I have A levels and a Business degree a looooong time ago. Since then I’ve been self employed.
Long term, I would probably like to work from home, contracting. I’m a single mother, so money is very important.
I’ve found a free course, that is for 13 weeks 8.30am to 5pm. This is just about doable, but obviously a big commitment. To put in that amount of effort, I need to be sure that this is absolutely the best course for me.

I’m in the West Midlands

www.gov.uk/guidance/find-a-skills-bootcamp/west-midlands

Skills Bootcamp Location of training Provider
Agile project management Online OpenClassrooms
Applied cyber security Online University of Birmingham
Artificial intelligence Online University of Huddersfield
AWS cloud data engineer Online Firebrand Training
Business analysis Online OpenClassrooms
Cloud Online Learning Curve Group
Cloud computing and data analytics Online Edge Hill University
Coding Birmingham and online Northcoders
Coding Birmingham and online University of Birmingham
Coding and web design Online The Development Manager
Cyber security Online TechTalent Academy
Cyber security Online The Skills Network
Cyber security Online Capita
Cyber security Online Learning Curve Group
Cyber security Online CAPSLOCK
Cyber security operations Birmingham Birmingham City University
Cyber technician Online Firebrand Training
Cyber technologist Online Firebrand Training
Data analysis Online The Skills Network
Data analysis Online The Skills Network
Data analysis Online Local Education and Development (LEAD Training)
Data analysis Online OpenClassrooms
Data analyst Online Babington
Data analyst Online Avado
Data analyst Online Apprentify Ltd
Data analytics Birmingham and online University of Birmingham
Data analytics and visualisation: from advanced Excel to Power BI Online Teesside University
Data and service management Online Northeastern University London
Data citizen Online Cambridge Spark
Data engineering Online Durham University
Data engineering Online QA Ltd
Data engineering Birmingham and online Northcoders
Data literacy Online Avado
Data science Online TechTalent Academy
Data science Online HyperionDev
Data science Online The University of Manchester
Data science Online The University of Nottingham Online
Data science Online The University of Warwick
Data science (with Microsoft certification) Online Northumbria University
Data science and cloud systems Online Birmingham City University
Data skills for creative industries Birmingham University of Birmingham
Data technician Online Firebrand Training
Data technician Online Learning Curve Group
Data utilisation and analysis Online QA Ltd
Desktop support Online Learning Curve Group
DevOps: DevNetSkills by The Open University Online The Open University
Digital Online Manchester Metropolitan University
Digital Online Twin Training
Digital content creation Birmingham and online Creative Alliance
Digital design Online Apprentify Ltd
Digital leadership Online Babington
Digital literacy Online Learning Curve Group
Digital marketer Online Avado
Digital marketing Online LEAD Training
Digital marketing Online We Are Digital
Digital marketing Birmingham BritAsia
Digital marketing Online Creative Alliance
Digital marketing Online Digisheds
Digital marketing Online Learn Play Foundation
Digital marketing Online Studio School
Digital marketing Online The Skills Network
Digital marketing Online Think Employment
Digital marketing Birmingham and online Creative Alliance
Digital marketing Online Local Education and Development (LEAD Training)
Digital marketing Online OpenClassrooms
Digital marketing Online Apprentify Ltd
Digital support and marketing Online The Development Manager
Front-end web development and UX Online University of Birmingham
Full stack web development Online School of Code
Full stack web design Online Creative Alliance
Google cloud data engineer Online Firebrand Training
ICT cloud Online QA Ltd
Infrastructure Online The Skills Network
IT sales associate Online Firebrand Training
IT support Online Lifetime Training Group Limited
IT technician Online Firebrand Training
Junior software developer Online Firebrand Training
Machine learning and AI for business applications Online Teesside University
Microsoft Azure data engineer Online Firebrand Training
Microsoft data analyst Online Firebrand Training
Microsoft data engineer Online Firebrand Training
Microsoft Dynamics 365 engineer Online Firebrand Training
Microsoft finance and operations engineer Online Firebrand Training
Microsoft IT engineer Online Firebrand Training
Microsoft Power platform engineer Online Firebrand Training
Microsoft software developer Online Firebrand Training
Network engineer Online Lifetime Training Group Limited
Real time 3D Online Mastered Studios
Service design and management with ServiceNow Online Northeastern University London
Software developer Online Digisheds

Software development Online TechTalent Academy
Software development Online QA Ltd
Software development Online Durham University
Software development Online Capita
Software development Online Apprentify Ltd
Software development (with Microsoft certification) Online Northumbria University
Software engineer Online Firebrand Training
Software engineering Online HyperionDev
Software engineering Online The University of Manchester
Software engineering Online The University of Nottingham Online
Software engineering Online The University of Warwick
Software engineering and development Online Aston University
Software tester Online QA Ltd
Tech, networking and cyber security Online The Development Manager
Technical sales Online The Skills Network
Technical service desk Online The Skills Network
Technical support Online Firebrand Training
UI/UX design for games Online Teesside University
User experience and user interface design Birmingham and online Creative Alliance
UX and front end web development Birmingham University of Birmingham
UX design Online OpenClassrooms
UX/UI Online University of Birmingham
Web design and development Birmingham and online Creative Alliance
Web development Online HyperionDev
Web development Online The University of Manchester
Web development Online The University of Nottingham Online
Web development Online The University of Warwick
Web development Online OpenClassrooms
Web development skills Online Bath Spa University
3D CAD for backstage theatre Birmingham and online Creative Alliance

northcoders.com/our-courses/coding-bootcamp

Introduction Week

We'll begin by helping you build your confidence with JavaScript, laying the

foundations for you to be able to handle data and create interactivity on websites and apps. We'll also provide you with resources to help you build your HTML and CSS skills.

Fundamentals

First things first. We’ll give you a solid understanding of the fundamentals and best practices of programming. We'll cover test-driven development, pair programming, object-oriented programming and a range of other core tools and workplace practices through the medium of JavaScript.

Back End

JavaScript is the only language that can be run both on the front and back end. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of coding in JavaScript, we show you how we can use use Node.js to run code for the back end, and focus on ways of dealing with asynchronous programming. We'll look at APIs and databases, and cover Express and SQL. We’ll also work with some pretty cool third-party data sets and APIs, and help you deploy applications to the cloud!

Front End

It's front end next - you'll learn all about the DOM (Document Object Model) and how to make accessible websites with semantic HTML and responsive CSS, and we'll introduce you to UX. React is the most in-demand front-end framework. We'll teach you to use it in-depth - but we don't stop there. We'll introduce you to its key peripheral technologies, and teach you all about testing front-end applications.

Project Phase

There's no better way to consolidate and extend your knowledge, and prove what you can do, than to get hands on with a real, green-field team project. With previous groups exploring Virtual Reality, Machine Learning, image recognition and blockchain (to name a few!); what you create is limited by your imagination. Curious as to what our previous graduates have created?

Or this one by the same company, same hours. northcoders.com/our-courses/data-engineering-bootcamp5

Introduction Week

We’ll begin by helping you build your confidence with JavaScript, laying the foundations for you to be able to handle data and functions.

Fundamentals

First things first. We’ll give you a solid understanding of the fundamentals and best practices of programming. We'll cover test-driven development, pair programming, object-oriented programming and a range of other core tools and workplace practices through the medium of JavaScript.

Back End

JavaScript is the only language that can be run both on the front and back end. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of coding in JavaScript, we show you how we can use use Node.js to run code for the back end, and focus on ways of dealing with asynchronous programming. We'll look at APIs and databases, and cover Express and SQL.

Python

Python is a popular a programming language used in machine learning, artificial intelligence, web development and data analysis. Fortunately it is relatively easy to learn when compared to pretty much any other programming language, due to its simple and easy-to-use syntax. After getting to grips with the basics, we’ll learn how to use Python's extensive suite of data libraries to automate complex management tasks.

SQL and Data Modelling

Using SQL we will learn how to turn raw data into easy-to-consume data sets. Data Models ensure consistency in naming conventions, default values, semantics, and security, as well as optimising performance and data quality. We'll start to learn the fundamentals of data warehousing and how to deal with different file data formats like JSON, XML and Parquet.

DevOps

DevOps is a combination of the two words “development” and “operations” - it's an umbrella term that describes how a development team manages the transition from writing software through to deploying a live, working application. Using Amazon Web Services, we will discover how to deploy applications and data infrastructure in the “cloud”.

Practical Infrastructure Tasks

This is where we take everything we have learned to deploy a Python ingestion function on an EC2 instance with database source, deploy a Python transformation function on Lambda and populate a data warehouse from refined data.

Both of these courses seem quite broad. Would I be better to do something more focused like a Python, AI, Data Analysis, Web Design ?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

I saw the CS had some entry-level cyber roles - worth looking at.

Placemarking!

I attended a coding 40min taster and I just could not get to grips with it. I was lost half way in.

I’m a reasonably intelligent woman with a first in English and languages but do struggle with Excel, formulas etc.

Is it just the way my brain is wired? I manage complex projects.

Thanks for this link, really interesting

Every beginner's program has some unspoken prerequisites, often the presenter isn't even aware of how much knowledge they expect. Excel formulas are great example of such expectations.

Getting lost in half of a taster means it wasn't well fit for you. Nothing more, nothing less.

Today I am exactly half way through my 13 week course and what a journey it’s been.
It’s been nothing like I expected. They say you can do the course with no previous programming experience before the pre course. Well yes, you can, because I am. But the course is full of young, mostly in their 20’s, males. 90% male. We do a lot of pair programming and the guy I paired with yesterday was 21 and had been programming since he was 10. In my eyes an extremely competent programmer, on the course purely to get a job at the end. He says he can’t get a job because he needs proof of a more formal, documented approach. I would say he is very typical of the people on the course. I learnt a lot from him but at the end of the day he is on his own journey and not really interested with going at my pace. The disparity is staggering.
I haven’t been partnered with anyone who isn’t light years ahead of me. If they put me with someone of my standard, we literally wouldn’t be able to start the tasks. I’m sure they put the poor ones with the good ones.
It’s very professionally run and there are plenty of lecturers, seminar leads and mentors. There are 130 on the course at £10,000 a pop so £1.3M. Whilst most are funded by the government, there are plenty who are paying albeit on some kind of finance plan.
A typical day would be notes released at 8.30am with 15 minutes to read them before a lecture starts at 8.45. It’s all online although a few people attend the Manchester office but still work online.
Lecture lasts until about 10am at which time there is a 5 minute break. Programming tasks (sprints) are then set either individually or in pairs, the split is about 50/50. Break for lunch 12.30-1.30.
At 1.30pm there might be a seminar to help you with the sprints. There will likely be 3 seminars. Maybe one for people stuck on tasks 1-4, one for those on 5-6 and one for 7-10.
During these you can ask questions and you can be asked questions.
Then back to the sprints. Round up 4.50-5pm where we go through any problems or questions.
There is help that you can call at any time during any of the sprints.
Lecture notes are provided and they are very good.
I already knew basic JavaScript as I had to learn this to pass the entry challenge.
The first week was intro week. We did more advanced JavaScript, HTML and CSS, command line, git, errors and debugging.
Weeks 2, 3 and 4 were fundamentals. We covered node, Test Driven Development, Pair programming, scope, higher order functions, closure, destructuring, recursion, Object Orientated Programming, async, Promises, Closure, Getters and Setters, SOLID Principles, testing Higher Order functions.
Some of these, well most of them actually, are very complex and the pace is very brisk.
Weeks 5 and 6 were Back-end. Http create server, Express, Model View Controller, SQL, node Postgres, seeding, Supertest, Middleware, error handling, routers, async await, API handling.
Week 7 is Data Engineering. We are learning a new language, Python plus Testing. We won’t touch javascript again on this course.
So, am I enjoying it ? Well I don’t get to the end of any day where I’m not pleased to be finished. It’s very intense. It’s not boring and I’m amazed at the amount I’ve learned in 6 and a half week. I’m excited to see how much I’ll know at the end of the course.
Would I do the course if I had my time again ? Definitely.
Would I recommend Northcoders ? Yes, they’re very professional and there’s really not much if anything that they could do any better.
I hope this is useful to some of you and I’ll post again at the end of the course.
I’m off to lie in a darkened room 😂

Interesting that most aren't looking to retrain at all and 90% - that has put me off Northcoders a bit, and makes me more interested in seeing how Code First Girls is!

*90% male

@Agapornis IT roles in general are a heavily male dominated field. I'm in Cybersecurity, in the U.K. women make up 18% of the Cyber workforce. I went to a conference recently, thousands of people attended and it was very clear that women are the minority!

Agree with this.

I'm a history grad who ended up taking over administration of the company CRM, and all because I nailed the requirements analysis and worked to those.

Lots of techies get bogged down in "how" or "can I do this?". As a customer, I've had developers shove ideas at me that excite THEM, but are nothing but expensive dead ends that I don't need.

And those techies aren't paid nearly as well as those who ask "why".

You can Google how. You can't Google why.

Hi @Cobwebs5 ..I just came across your thread while searching about skills bootcamps and I've been reading your replies with a lot of interest. Just wondering how you got on? Did you finish the course and get any job opportunities?
I'm currently halfway through a Data Analysis bootcamp (just evenings though, not as intensive as yours!) and like you said, I'm really surprised at how much I've learnt in such a short space of time!
Would love an update from you!

Hi @SaveThisUsername

Thanks for checking in. Very remiss of me not to update before now.

Weeks 8 to 11 covered the following :-

Node Postgres
integration testing and Supertest
Async / await
Middleware and Error handling with Express
Environment variables
REST api endpoints
Advanced SQL
Complex SQL queries
SQL injection
CI / CD
Secrets
Data normalisation
Warehouse design
Architecture patterns
Cloud and AWS
Lambda functions
AWS CLI
Deploying a Lambda
Shell scripting
Terraform
Alerting and Monitoring
Mocks - Dependency injection and Patching
Python and AWS
Git branching
Syntax and Data types
Functions and Comprehensions
Encoding and File IO
Modules and testing
OOP
Raising and handling errors
Python standards
pg8000
boto3
PEP8
Flake8

The final two weeks were spent on a ETL project.

We extracted data gathered from multiple sources, transformed it into a format able to be loaded into our data warehouse and then loaded that data.
We used Agile methodologies, Kanban, EventBridge scheduler and AWS Quicksight.

So, in answer to your question, I finished the course and passed and immediately went on holiday for a month, not long back !

When I started the course I heard anecdotes of employers presenting to students towards the end of their course and offering jobs to all those who passed. Not sure of the truth in that but it was indicative of the market at the time.

The market is definitely very different now. It is very, very slow. There have been maybe 30 vacancies posted on the Northcoders job board since I finished and over 100 of us completed the course.

However, I have my first interview on Friday 29th September and I’m very excited !

I’ll report back afterwards.

Wish me luck.

@Cobwebs5 Definitely wishing you luck.

I know someone who has done this course with Northcoders. In fact given the time and location he may even have been the same cohort. Funnily enough he needed a holiday afterwards as well.

I don't think he has got as far as interviews yet so well done you!

I’m thinking about doing Data Analysis but I would be a complete beginner. How have you found your boot camp @SaveThisUsername - is it suitable for complete novices? (I’m currently in healthcare)

Hope it went well yesterday OP!

@NothankyouNigel I'm also a complete novice. I have a science degree but completely new to tech. The course I'm doing is very beginner friendly. We started off with 4 weeks of Excel, right from the basics to pivot tables, v/x lookups, data cleaning, data modeling and building dashboards. Then 4 weeks of SQL and currently we're doing Power BI and how to create visualizations on that.
We have assignments every week and when we get to the end of a topic, we have a big project to do. Once a week, they also run employability sessions and help with rewriting CVs and job searching.
Since you said you're in healthcare, there's a physiotherapist enrolled on my course.
I would say definitely give it a go, I'm really enjoying it and I've learnt so much!

@Cobwebs5 I really hope your interview went well yesterday! What role did you apply for if you don't mind me asking?

@SaveThisUsername , can you tell me how to enrol on the course - is it boot camp etc thank you

@Baby89 I went through the government skills bootcamps
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-a-skills-bootcamp
Select your area, go to Digital and see what courses are available in your area. There's a lot to choose from, hope you find something that interests you :)

@Cobwebs5 How did the interview go?