It was between a master’s degree and a software development bootcamp, and I chose coming here because it would allow me to exercise a more creative option.”
For Alex, the reputation of NSS was an important factor in choosing the software development bootcamp.
I had heard numerous times how well (NSS) prepares its Junior Developers to go out into the community and take on new and challenging roles.”
As he immersed himself in coursework, Alex found that the process of becoming a developer requires resilience in the face of roadblocks. In persevering through the challenges of complex material, he said the key to was to maintain an open mind and an attitude of “I want to win today.”
Looking back on his time in Cohort 33, what stood out most to Alex was the problem-solving aspect of programming; with each day a chance to learn something new and tackle the unknown. He recalled group projects with his fellow students as the most rewarding part of his experience. Given the rapid pace of coursework, working in teams provided the opportunity to apply concepts from class, and to learn from fellow classmates.
Alex advises new students to reach beyond themselves when feeling stuck: “Don't be afraid to ask for help! Go to your classmates, go to your junior instructors, and go to your instructors. All of them are very knowledgeable and can show you how to find the answer. Don't close yourself off and let yourself get into a downward spiral.”
Alex’s created his front-end capstone, Movie Hero, with fellow movie fanatics in mind. Poking fun at the frequently recycled plot lines of the movie industry, the app allows users to “create custom heroes to go on similar adventures to popular movie plots and see if they could also succeed on the adventure with the correct gear and items.” Movie Hero was built with JavaScript, React, JSON, and Firebase.
Drawing from his experience as a technical recruiter, Alex built his back-end capstone, Open.HIRE, to connect job seekers with hiring managers without the need for a third-party recruiter. “Candidates on Open.HIRE would provide links to their LinkedIn, GitHub, portfolio, etc. so hiring managers would have access to all of that information at their fingertips. Job postings would have direct links to the application for that job, so potential candidates would be able to go straight to that job and apply for it.” Alex used JavaScript, React, Python, the Django REST Framework, and Semantic UI React to build this application.
Since graduation, Alex has kept up with his programming skills by doing coding challenges and building a website for his friend’s band. He is interested in learning new technologies and utilizing his knowledge in JavaScript, React, Python and Django via a full stack role, but is open to all development opportunities.
Learn more about Alex and his capstone projects by listening to his podcast. You can also learn more about him on his website and GitHub.
Check out all the recent grads on Cohort 33’s class website and hear the graduates share their journey into development and their experience at NSS in their podcasts below.