Post Bootcamp Advice

Over the last two years, I’ve seen a number of people graduate from coding bootcamps. For some, the post bootcamp experience is great. They find a job quickly and feel like the intense hours and sleepless nights were worth the effort. For others, the process can be both frustrating and exhausting.

While each situation is unique, I believe the right process can dramatically improve post bootcamp success rates. So let’s get started.

Job Applications

This is the biggest area where bootcamp graduates falter. You see, too many graduates think, “I’ll apply as soon as I feel more prepared.”

That.

Is.

Wrong.

These graduates mistakenly believe they’re not ready. They suffer from the all too common imposter syndrome. Still, I wonder if they misunderstand the reason for which they’re sending out applications. The goal is not to get a job.

Well, at least not the primary goal. Instead, our main goal during the application process is to get feedback.

You see, sending 25-50 application per week gives us a fresh report card on a weekly basis. Using this report card, it’s easier to track progression and know how to change our routine.

Not hearing back from companies after your initial application? Your projects probably need some refinement.

What if the initial phone screen doesn’t lead to a tech interview? Your soft skills might need a little work.

Is the tech interview the end of the line? You might need a better understanding of data structure, algorithms, and the specific technologies you will be working with.

One of my favorite things about this approach is that it can guide your daily routine. With each failed technical interview, you’ll want to consider the questions you struggled with and the concepts you didn’t quite understand. And then you should make these the focus of your studies.

Often times companies are using the same questions for their interviewing process. It’s likely you’ll see the same question twice, especially if you’re diligent in your application efforts. fImage In my experience, job applications should consume the first hour of your day.

As an aside, I wouldn’t worry about adding cover letters unless the company you’re applying to is in your top 10. But even then, you probably shouldn’t be applying to those types of companies as you’re working toward your first offer.

Data Structures and Algorithms

After sending out applications, I would recommend spending two hours focused on data structures and algorithms.

Coming from a bootcamp, you have one major advantage over your computer science counterparts: practical experience. However, you’re also at a large disadvantage when it comes to data structures and algorithms.

Hopefully this was a part of your bootcamp but if not, don’t stress it too much. There’s plenty of great resources to learn space and time complexity, searching and sorting algorithms, and even advanced data structures.

Here’s a couple that I would recommend as part of your post bootcamp curriculum:

If you can become a master at data structures and algorithms, you’re going to nail your technical interviews.

Personal Projects

At this point, we’re three hours into our workday but there’s still a lot to get done. For the next three hours, we’re going to have a little fun and build some software.

A common tactic among recruiters is to view your github, looking for those elusive green squares. While you don’t need commits every day, it should looks something like this:

At the very least, the green squares should date back to the start of your bootcamp with no sizable gaps.

Another recommendation I have is to create clone apps instead of coming up with your own ideas. Why? Developers aren’t traditionally known for exceptional graphic design. And yet, most recruiters (especially those that are less tech savvy) will judge you based on the visual appearance of your apps.

In the post bootcamp world, it would be wise to clone beautiful apps that can also demonstrate technical prowess.

Build Evernote from scratch. Create an Instagram look-alike. Try your hand at a swipe-based application like Tinder or Bumble. Or even implement live chat in an application like Slack.

Regardless of what you choose, make sure that your portfolio pieces look professional.

Deep Expertise with Applicable Technologies

At this point, we’re 6 hours in. If it were me, I would use this time to get familiar with the technologies you will be using on a daily basis. Now, something I should mention here is you shouldn’t use this time as a way to superficially learn new technologies that won’t matter.

For example, if you’ve identified that you want to be a backend developer working with Node, I don’t think it’s worth your time to learn Ruby and Ruby on Rails. I don’t think this moves the needle for recruiters in the way that you hope it would.

The same could be said of React. Sure, it’s good to have an understanding of how the backend works and know enough to create full-stack projects that demonstrate expertise. But by that same token, you shouldn’t be spending your time learning the configuration options for load balancers, learning how to shard your database, or doing an AWS deep dive.

It’s not that these things aren’t valuable but they aren’t the most important thing in my mind.

Instead, I would spend my time deeply learning the technologies you’re going to use. Become an expert, not a generalist.

Assuming you want to be a frontend software engineer working with React, read the entire documentation. Learn how the reconciler works. Study every aspect of the DOM. Master all the ins-and-outs of CSS.

Go all in on the technologies you’ll use on a daily basis. Keep diving deeper and deeper until you’re an expert.

Conclusion

As a recap, and barring any job interviews / onsites, here’s the schedule that I would recommend: