Le Wagon

In a world with a huge increasing population, in which industrial and digital innovations are raging: international relations are changing, visions and customs are changing, so are our ways of life. The challenges for each of us are every day bigger. After some research and discussions, I decided to follow Le Wagon which allows its students to integrate the essential concepts to become a full-stack developer and meet these new challenges.

My experience at Le Wagon Montreal (https://www.lewagon.com/montreal), in the batch #98, was a real step to new perspectives. This allowed me to discover the front & back end sciences, to master the tools used by the majority of start-ups, to exchange with other students from all over the world… Having done it in Montreal was important as well: it allowed me to discover a different world, with different opportunities and visions that allow ripening our own projects.

I recommend Le Wagon Montreal for all those looking to gain in autonomy and creativity for the rest of their personal and professional lives. Filled with positive vibes, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I return to Paris with the feeling that everything is now easier and easily affordable!

After graduating in business administration and some internships in banks and working in my family’s business, I decided it was time to change the course of my career and devote myself to something I always wanted to learn.

So I tried to learn to code by myself for a few months by watching online courses and reading some introductory books. Soon I realized that at the pace I was in, it would take too long for me to be able to enter the market. Then I decided that the best thing to do to speed up my learning pace would be to enroll myself in a bootcamp program.

After a few weeks researching bootcamps in Brazil and abroad, it became clear to me that Le Wagon’s fullstack program was the best option. I signed up and dived for a nine weeks immersion in this technological learning challenge. During this period I had contact with people from a wide range of fields, all of them with the common focus of learning how to code. Some of them aiming to get hired, like me. Other ones aiming to start a business. Le Wagon’s methodology, with an ideal amount of theory and lots of practice every day makes the experience and the learning pace just excellent. The alumni network is very supportive to answer questions and to find jobs. The Wagon Talks, which weekly puts the students in touch with entrepreneurs and industry professionals are a great way to get advices and inspiration.

The last two weeks are without doubt the most intense. Create, design and code a fully functional product during this period really challenged me. This is the closest you can get to the challenges of an IT career. This is because many of these products end up going to market.

After the the program, my initial goal of being hired by a company has changed a bit and I decided to launch a startup with a friend I met in the bootcamp. We are improving the product we created during the program and soon it will be in the market. Undoubtedly the Le Wagon program has changed my life and my only regret is not having done it before

Background
I’m a detail oriented globetrotter geek... who has always been flirting with tech, innovation and languages. Previously I have been working as pilot on ships and rigs for oil and gas companies. It allowed me to experience multiple cultures and to live abroad back and forth in London, Seoul, Paris.
After 10 years in industry, I decided it was time to move forward, being up for more challenges. Embracing my geekness was imperative, then I did some research on how to dig deeper on coding, then I found Le Wagon.
 
Why Le Wagon?
Focus on hands-on and immersive learning. Basically we develop our own product thinking like an entrepreneur in just 9 weeks. I did not want to attend university-like classes anymore, mostly because it is slow pace and time consuming.
Le Wagon experience was intense, cooperative and fun. This was the perfect match I was looking for.
Having a full stack level (back-end as well as front-end) was the challenge I was up to in order to improve my skills as a self-taught coder. Another thing that influenced my choice was the fact that Le Wagon is present in various cities spread in plenty of countries, which can collaborate for a more multicultural experience. That’s why I chose it.
 
 
The bootcamp
We were part of the first batch in Rio de Janeiro. Awesome! Half of my colleagues were foreigners coming from countries like France, Germany and Morocco, other half locals from different regions of Brazil. Teachers were professional developers from France and Brazil and they knew exactly what they were talking about, being very competent and professional. Assistants were around to help solve things that we could not solve though buddy-system. Our daily immersive journey was 12 hours of coding... and everyday new knowledge was presented and we applied them in multiple layers of exercise, with progressive difficulty levels. It was available also the recording of the classes, so if we missed a detail, we could simply roll-back and check. By the end of the day, we had a live code session, which every peer is invited to collaborate to solve a problem usually through an algorithm. Time flew by in the first 6 weeks, and with all the knowledge built we could move towards 3 weeks of product development. We presented ideas of project, pitched them, networked for completing a group and started developing. Social aspect was key to succeed. We also had lots of fun along the way... Yoga classes to deal with stress and beer every now and then. And Carnival... but for this, I skip the details
 
 
Pros
9 weeks in a fast pace. We learned why, when, where and how to code in structured way. It opened my mind with the showcases of the digital solutions we see everyday, everywhere.

Code Kata. We practice so intensely, that knowledge remains after the bootcamp is over. Also the whole material is available, so if you missed something, it is just few clicks away from catching up.
 
Entrepreneurial view. We experience how a digital product is designed, built and accessed. Projects are similar to real-world production environment, which keeps the urge to see how it will come to life, which problems we will face and how to overcome them.
 
Reinvent yourself. Le Wagon changed me in more ways than I could expect. Basically it allowed me to migrate from an analog life to a fully digital one. I learned new skills, new platforms, new people. Understanding all this took me sometime, but no regrets after all.
 
Socializing. Fun is part of the experience. Don't hold back! Go for beers, burgers and parties. And be ready to code by the first time in the morning aka coffee, coffee, coffee!
 
 
Cons
9 weeks in a fast pace. Sometimes the concepts you just learned appears to vanish away from your mind... it is just a lot in a few time! Take a deep breath, go for some coffee and don't give up! It is very helpful and good practice to review the concepts of the previous class during breakfast, so as by the time you arrive in class, all knowledge is there.

I’ve always wanted to code and Le Wagon impressed me from the start. The experience is totally immersive and with the great people it attracts I found myself loving it instantly.

The structure of the course is so well thought out. We learnt the problem-solving mindset, the logic, the code, and how to go about improving it. We were given new challenges every day to work on with our buddy and readily available teaching assistants to help guide us through the tough parts.

All the teaching assistants are incredible and really take the time to read your code and help you approach the situation from your angle. The buddy system is a real perk as it gives everyone the chance to get to know and learn from each other.

The first few weeks are hard – Le Wagon is not an easy ride. But if you’re motivated to learn and willing to ask questions, you will get so much value out of your time there.

The project weeks essentially teach you how to learn so you can build almost any feature you can dream up. We decided what features we wanted and then worked out how to implement them – which felt amazing. Watch any demo day and you’ll be inspired to see the variety and scope of the projects.

I cannot recommend Le Wagon highly enough. You’ll be amazed at what you can be capable of after 9 weeks!

Before Le Wagon I was an English teacher at an international university. Besides some experience in Educational Technology (for example, collaborative learning through Learning Management Systems like Blackboard or shared document platforms such as Google Drive), I had no IT or programming skills. As coding had been a skill I was interested in learning, I decided to take the dive and after some intensive research, I found that Le Wagon suited my needs perfectly.

Overall Le Wagon was a great and formative experience for me! As expected, the boot camp was intensive and strenuous, particularly as a complete beginner, but the support given by the teachers and the collaborative learning system helped me understand programming concepts and mindsets that I would have otherwise not been able to comprehend easily on my own. The friendly learning environment also made the social aspect of living in a new place much more palatable. 

After the boot camp I took a small break from coding, but I've found it's easy to jump right back into it because all of the materials from the camp are accessible after the program finished, and I've learned from the boot camp how to tackle coding problems by myself (Ruby-docs and Stack Overflow are your friends!). My plan is to become a freelance programmer, and I'm 100% confident I'll be able to sustain myself through the skills I learned through Le Wagon.

I greatly recommend Le Wagon for its effective teaching methods and constant support in and after the camp! As someone who wanted to start fresh in a new career path, it was the best choice for me.

Being in the automotive industry for the past 3 years and half, I wasn’t quite satisfied with the direction of my career. I decided to take a chance and I quit my job. The next few months, I experimented different things: digital marketing, setting up an e-commerce, sales for a small company, but I still felt that none of these were right for me. I remembered that I used to program a bit when I was younger, and that I enjoyed it. As I was getting more work through my digital marketing service company, I wanted to offer more to my clients. I thought it would be interesting to give it a try again. I began doing online course, but very soon I hit a wall. I could not get myself to complete any of them and wasn’t making any progress. Something had to change.        One day, searching through the web, I came across Le Wagon bootcamp in São Paulo. They promised in 9 weeks to teach the skills to build a web app. As I read reviews and watched their Day Demos days presented by former students, I got convinced it was the right choice for me.   On the very same day, I applied for batch #81 of Le Wagon São Paulo. And 45 days later, I was sitting in class for my first day at Le Wagon.       The lectures are fast pace, and take place in the first two hours of the morning. The rest of the days is focused on solving problems with your buddy of the day. The first month is definetely the hardest because you’re being taught core programming concepts. The methodology is amazing, the course is designed around hand-ons development practice. You have to learn, because you have to write code all day long. The teaching assistants and teachers were eager to help me out whenever I got stuck on a bug. They knew the material deeply and were committed to helping me understand the concepts of the day. In the last three weeks, I got to develop two full funcional apps. Le Wagon taught me not just solo programming, they showed me how to contribute in group of developers. My final project, a platform for investors to trade private securities, was developed by 3 students and me. I learned how to collaborate as a team of developers while building out a product. I found this to be most valuable lesson. Additionally, every week, after class they would set meet-ups with start-up leaders and the occasional beer to relax after a long day of coding.       After completing batch #81, I jumped right away to freelancing. A week after completion of my batch, I got my first client for development of a full web app.  Le Wagon gave the stepping stone to learning anything related to web app development. I could not have made a better choice.  I made new friends as well forever changing the direction of my life. By far Le Wagon has been the best learning experience that I had ever had. I recommend it to anyone seeking to learn how to code.

I joined Le Wagon in July 2017 in Paris during my gap year. I am studying in a business school and it was the first time I coded ever.  While initially sceptic about the possibility to become a coder within a few weeks, I acquired thanks to a  9-week intensive program the necessary skills to be on the right track. Le Wagon coding program provides all the tools needed to learn how to code a web application. The strength of Le Wagon bootcamp is in its community for several reasons:

 

-    Staff / Teachers: Thanks to all of them, Le Wagon is not a coding bootcamp but an experience. Learning how to code is not easy and requires discipline but the staff makes sure that you are not left behind and have fun.

-    Class / Events: you are always working with the other students on the exercises so the staff will do its utmost to create a warm and friendly team environment by organising activities, lectures and parties.

-    Job Opportunities: according to the one’s wishes, the staff and the community will help you to find an opportunity (web development, consulting, project/product management) or freelance contracts.

-    Community-Mutual-Aid: The community is very active, events are organised, job offers are shared and whatever the issue with your code, just post a message and you get the answer within a few minutes (!)

 

I accepted a job opportunity as a web developer 15 days before my graduation day. As I underlined, in addition to the quality of the teaching and of the dedication and support of the staff, the experience is by itself amazing and very rich. Thanks to the community, this experience with Le Wagon is still going on!

Baptiste Horn Batch#83 in Paris

Technology is something that I always liked, that's why I decided to major in computer engineering. It was that moment when I started to love coding, as c++ was the first programming language I learned my passion for coding started to grow. I wanted to know more and increase my knowledge in that aspect. While online courses may teach you the syntax, they can't teach you how to solve problems or think in various ways to reach a certain solution.

 

After searching for something different for a while I found Le Wagon Tokyo. At first I was a bit hesitant to take the course as I was short on time and the course took place in Tokyo (Japan) which is very far from my country. I didn't even know if it was worth it , but i must say I'm really glad that i took it.

 

It was well worth it as it doesn't just teach you how to code, it teaches you how to think , to actually be able to solve a problem. Then it goes to teaching you everything you need to know on how to be able to build a colorful website, backend to frontend and how to use that knowledge to start your own projects or even work as developer which was my main goal from this bootcamp.

 

But furthermore, it wasn't only about coding and programming, we also had many activities there such as yoga sessions and group lunches. I personally met many many great people, from teachers to students and many others. I've gained many experiences from each of them, we worked together daily from 9AM to 7PM each day with a different partner, which in a way taught me how to work with different people and bonded the students together as well.

 

After graduation, I was finally able to call myself a full stack developer and I knew i was able to create any website I could think of. I honestly never imagined i could learn all of that in just 9 weeks, it was just GREAT.

 

Before Le Wagon Tokyo, I was teaching English in South Korea. I always had an interest in coding but I could never manage the time or the patience to teach myself after regular work hours. I was a bit reluctant at first to do a bootcamp. But after I read all of the rave reviews online about Le Wagon, I figured it was time to take a chance. I signed up for the first batch in Tokyo.
The course is as intense as everyone says it is. You get out of it how much you want to put in. You might as well push yourself if you're going to join a bootcamp, right? All of the exercises or extra work have a purpose in improving your skills. I still look back to some of my old code or lessons for helpful reminders.
The final project/pitch was a great experience that really challenged me in ways regular code work couldn't: working with peers, managing time, and meeting expectations. All of these are things that I deal with on a regular basis now and I'm grateful for the practice I had.
Afterwards, I found a job fairly easy. I was setup with a lot of contacts from the tech scene in Tokyo through all of the Le Wagon events. I'm currently working for an e-commerce startup that does a lot of work on Shopify. We develop apps, plugins, you name it, to help merchants and consumers in Japan. To this day, I still talk with a lot of people through the program and will be forever grateful for it. 

I always knew that I wanted to code, but I was afraid to try as it seemed to me as something very difficult at that time, so I spent about half a year doing various online courses, but I still couldn't build anything by my own. 

That's where Le Wagon shines, it doesn't simply teach you the syntax of the language, it gives you the mindset you need, it teaches you the way to approach a problem and solve it, because coding is not about the language syntax, it's the easiest part in fact, breaking down the task and finding the ways to build/solve the task is what coding is, syntax comes very easy when you know what you have to do. 

The pace of the course is fast and I can say that it was pretty intensive, but you'd be surprised of what you can build after only 9 weeks of Le Wagon.

Le Wagon far surpasses any of my previous learning experiences! I’d even say that it’s more fun than most vacations I’ve had.

If you’re considering this course, you’re going to go through three stages:

Stage 1: You are skeptical that you can learn to code in 9 weeks.

I live in San Francisco, have had a career in operations in tech companies, and I am surrounded by coding bootcamps. There is literally one 500 feet from my apartment. Given my exposure to tech, and living in San Francisco, I was extremely skeptical that I could adequately learn full-stack development in 9 weeks abroad.

But, I decided to go with Le Wagon London for two reasons: The glowing reviews and the diversity of students (international and non-tech backgrounds). My goal was to learn full-stack development and make new friends from different walks of life.

Stage 2: You realize how hard coding is, and how good Le Wagon is at teaching it.

The first few weeks are spent learning the core fundamentals of programming and Ruby. The second half of the course is spent learning front-end, database, and rails – which includes a lot of real-world examples such as geo-location and payment processing.

The coursework is tough and the pace is grueling (close to 8 hours a day of coding!), but you have ample help with teammates, TAs, and the teachers themselves. I found it difficult even though I understood most of the core concepts before I came to the course as I had worked on the operations side of SaaS tech companies previously.

Luckily, the teachers are BRILLIANT. They are able to explain concepts so that anyone is able to understand them. That takes an extremely special skillset that all the teachers seem to do so easily.

The TAs are from previous batches. These are prior students who are helping you solve problems when some of them literally learned to code 9 weeks ago, which is amazing!! It was really helpful to learn from them, as they understand exactly what you are going through.

Stage 3: You realize that you get so much more than the amount you paid.

When I completed the bootcamp, I left with much more than I expected. I made genuine connections with my classmates, and surprisingly with the teachers and staff as well. All of them are so approachable, caring, and friendly. They want you to succeed, which is definitely something that’s missing from the San Francisco / Silicon Valley scene. These are people that I laughed with, cried with, and partied with during the 9 weeks. There was no forced interaction, it was all very organic, and they are now all friends for life.

You also leave with an extensive and international network of developers via SLACK that no other course can really compare with. It’s a huge network but it also feels very accessible. That is invaluable!

After telling my family and friends about the program. Many of them wanted to do the program! One of my friends already started the batch in Tokyo and she is loving it. My wife (who is a lawyer and has a great career) wants to go do an upcoming batch just to have a great experience and learn more about tech.

As for me, I’ve started working on my own ideas, and have even started learning Python on my own. My advice to anyone reading this is to do Le Wagon even if Ruby isn’t the language you want to learn. You will leave with a completely new mindset that will allow you to learn other languages rapidly!

I had a terrific experience @LeWagon Bordeaux Batch #85, never learn so much in such a short time. The atmosphere is super friendly and yet very professional. The teaching staff is dedicated, passionate and experienced. 
I chose Bordeaux for 2 reasons. First, the entrepreneurial ecosystem is exploding and not saturated yet. Second, I am an outdoor lover. Having the beach, the countryside and Spain within easy reach was just a blast !!
I joined the Bootcamp to gain legitimacy and technicity as a product manager in the tech industry. Also, now that I know how to develop an MVP I am eager to launch my own project! ;)