Le Wagon

If you are reading this review, it means you are still hesitant about applying to Le Wagon. Don’t, you are in for a treat.

I joined Le Wagon in Barcelona in october 2017 after 3 years as lead product and sales in the company I co-founded in 2014. I had no previous experience with coding and decided to take my chances after a failed attempt with a 100% online course. I won’t tell you about the specifics of the curriculum since you must have done your research.

Know that you embark for very intense nine weeks facing new challenges everyday. if it is not the case already, by the end of the course you will have the very sought after hands-on and doer mindset.

Like many students, I can’t highlight enough what Le Wagon brings beyond coding. You get to work, learn and laugh from and with people from all around the world. My batch involved 35 people (teachers and students) with 18 different nationalities. Ratio is about the same for everyone’s background :).

Regarding what comes next, you will be part of a very active community always ready to help. You might be looking for a job, for help on your side-project or to improve your proficiency. There will always be someone lending a hand.

For the job hunting, let me just say that recruiters started to contact me halfway through the course.

Hope this review will help you reach a decision. Don’t overthink it, apply :).

Before joining Le Wagon's bootcamp I was working as a business administrator in a company which provides telecommunication services. My first experience with programming was in 2013 when I started studing programming logic. Since then I had done many online courses available in Codeacademy and other websites. I had already studied Data Base, PHP, HTML, CSS, etc. The problem was that I didn't know how to link all this knowledge to build a real program. So, at the end of 2017 I read about Le Wagon's bootcamp and it seemed to be the ideal course to me and I decided to join it. The program is 100% hands on - based on exercises, challenges and projects - and each day you work with a different buddy to complete the exercises, the best and only way of learning to code in my opinion!

In the first few weeks we learned the different skills (DB, Back End and Front End) separately, which would be used together to build the projects of the last weeks. In my batch there were people with different backgrounds and experience in programming but they all did very well. All the final projects were great! My final project (Advalori) was a platform where growing companies that need cash flow could find factoring companies to buy their receivables. It was very challenging but it was worth it!!! Concluding, for those who are thinking of joining Le Wagon's bootcamp , I definitely recommend it, you will learn essential skills nowadays that will bring you numerous possibilities.

In the last year of my Business studies, I thought a lot about what I should do once I graduate and which would be the best step for my career/education. Although I learnt a lot during my degree, I more and more got the feeling that my gained knowledge wasn’t profound enough, especially in todays’ competitive and fast-paced world. That’s why I decided to upgrade my CV with a new skill. Through a friend, I learned about Le Wagon, and because of my growing interest in technology, the idea did not seem too bad. I started to do some research and was surprised, almost a bit suspicious actually, as every single review was extremely good. Nevertheless, I decided to apply to the course and I am SO happy I made this decision!!
In the days before the bootcamp started, I got a bit anxious and some panic overcame me as I felt I had made a completely crazy decision. Going to a 9 week programming course without almost any background knowledge. I was really scared that I would not be able to follow the bootcamp’s pace…
Of course, the 9 weeks was very intense and sometimes overwhelming but due to the great support and attitude of all my fellow students and especially the great team behind Le Wagon, it was a very enriching and great experience. The amount we learnt, especially in this short time, was unbelievable. Not only did I gain an incredible amount of technical knowhow but I also improved skills like working and collaborating in a team, presenting and pitching an idea,.… It was truly fascinating and inspiring to see the process and development of a first idea, to creating a prototype, to 5 great apps presented at the final Demo Day. I don’t think this would have been possible without the help and great support of all the teachers, assistants and the driver in Lisbon!!
For me Le Wagon was much more than I have expected and it was definitely a life changing experience as it opened me completely to a new career path and a new passion. The network, friends and memories I have taken away from my time at Le Wagon are things I really don’t want to miss.

Before joining Le Wagon, I had just graduated with a degree in biochemical engineering and was looking for something meaningful to do with my life. With little job experience, and a difficult field to join, it seemed like my situation was hopeless. Then I ran into a friend who recently completed a coding boot camp, and his life had completely changed from the experience. Freshly motivated, I spent countless hours of research looking into coding boot camps, which led me straight to Le Wagon. You could only imagine my thrill when I opened my email inbox and I had been accepted into Le Wagon Amsterdam! After completing the program, a I can summarize my experience as the following:
A) I was regularly challenged, which was extremely refreshing and motivational. 
B) I rediscovered my love for computers and coding. 
C) I got to live in my favorite city in the world, and experience various cultures and traditions which would’ve been impossible for me to do staying at home. 
D) I made new friends worldwide, the type that I’ll be friends with for life. 
E) I received THE best educational experience in my entire life. Filled with the most involved teachers, and motivated students.
F) I joined the Le Wagon family. 
And it truly was just that, a family. 
If you’re looking for a change in your life, for a challenge, and something to inspire you to do something meaningful with your life, Le Wagon is the perfect place for you. My only complaint is that I wish I was still there. Hop on the Wagon, you won’t regret it!

During my Business Administration & Economics studies in Passau I missed the connection to the start up and technology world. I was missing a skill which was not taught in university. Being curious about the internet and online presence of companies, I have always been interested in the development of such things. A friend of mine told me about Le Wagon and there was no better starting point than after my Bachelor’s Degree. We both applied to Le Wagon in Lisbon and were happy to be both accepted for the bootcamp starting in September 2017. I didn´t really know anything about coding and what to expect from the bootcamp. My first steps in that direction took place with the prep work I needed to finish before the start of the bootcamp. I already experienced the feeling of highs and lows during the prep-work. With no background knowledge, I sometimes felt lost and then the exhilaration of being a ‘geek’ when I got what I had to do. When I arrived in Lisbon I got to meet all the other beautiful and very interesting people who decided to take on the same challenge as I did. There were people who already knew some coding and others who didn’t know a bit. The first two weeks of the bootcamp were the hardest for me. Back- end coding without seeing any output did not make sense at all for me but made me feel nerdy at the same time. After those two weeks we did a deeper dive into the different topics and languages of coding and I started to get the hang of all the concepts we learnt before, it was all making sense. The teachers and assistants were extremely helpful and available at all times during the day and even mentioned to be available outside the classes. I had highs and lows again, some days where I didn´t get a bit of what we were doing and others were I was able to help my colleagues. In the end, it was the most challenging and most interesting time I’ve had in the last few years. Everybody was able to create something beautiful and impressive after such a short time. It takes hard work and discipline to be really good, but it is the best school and system to learn how to code or to dive deeper if someone already knows how to code. No one is left behind and the teachers take time for everybody. Le Wagon was the best idea for me and my career. I have learnt a lot and now found something I really can see myself doing professionally and staying motivated with. It is a challenging bootcamp but it helps in professional growth and personal as well. All the important skills are brought to you through different experiences, tasks and events. Thank you very much to the whole team and batch #97 in Lisbon.

I was originally a social scientist without affinity for IT when due to my work as a Project Manager I started to collaborate closely with programmers and IT professionals. That’s when I made up my mind to learn to code to be able to better communicate with my team members. After some research, I decided to join the Le Wagon Bootcamp in São Paulo (Batch 64). My expectations were very high and they even got exceeded! I did not imagine that I will learn in such a short time to build a working web application from scratch. For the final two-week-project we have built a doctors review page with a group of four programming newbies. It was an amazing experience and I recommend the Le Wagon bootcamp to everyone that is motivated to learn to code.

 I always knew that I wanted to code, but I was really afraid to try as it seemed to me as something very difficult at that time, so I spent about a year doing various online courses. 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 course is fast and I can say it was pretty INTENSIVE. PS: I could say that intensivity is their magical formula of teaching any person to start code in so little time. Nowadays I’ve started my own app “Barracalivre.com.br”, and I still have to learn a lot, but Le wagon was the best wake up call.

Before Le Wagon, I was working on the business team of a Portuguese startup where most of my colleagues were developers. Being in that environment, I naturally started to grow an interest in coding.

I tried some online courses but found it difficult to get the most out of them at home by myself. That’s when I first heard Shannon, Lisbon’s driver, in a talk about women in tech. I also had a good reference from a former Lisbon alumni.

That summer I applied and quit my job. Though I was confident that learning to code was a good move, I did question myself about leaving a safe job for a new and unknown future.
You might often read people saying that it was one of the best decisions in their lives. I can now say that that is not an overstatement. The bootcamp is really well planned for people from all different backgrounds. Yes, you will struggle, but that is the whole point. And there is always a teacher or a colleague to discuss the challenges with - that’s one of the most valuable sides of the bootcamp.

Besides coding, there is a really interesting entrepreneurial mindset and you end up practicing really important social skills.

In the end, you might still be a junior developer, but you will feel empowered enough to build you own web apps, apply to jobs or learn other languages.

9 intense and very rewarding weeks that go by so fast. My recommendation: apply to Le wagon and just enjoy the ride.

Fantastic, exciting, rough, tiring ... and in the end an experience that exceeds all expectations!
Before Le Wagon, I was Project Manager in the field of chemistry (nothing to do with IT), and at the same time, I was running a parallel startup project with two other coders. With the experience in the startup project which was complicated by my lack of computer skills, I decided to take accelerated training to understand the difficulties and challenges of software development. With Le Wagon, I not only gained an understanding ,but acquired advanced skills, a high level pedagogy and above all a dedicated team that surrounds you and advises you even after the end of the bootcamp.
After 9 weeks of classes, I was able with classmates to develop a platform with online payments from A to Z (www.tribo.space). I am still impressed to see what Le Wagon has allowed me to learn in such a short time and especially with a business orientation because the goal is to offer entrepreneurs the technological skills to create their own web products!
I recommend this school to anyone, whether entrepreneur or simply curious, as behind these doors opens another world with a fantastic Le Wagon community! THANKS GUYS!

I was looking for a new career path and have always been attracted by logical stuff like web development.

I didn’t want to go back to classes for years, I just wanted to learn quickly and with an intensive rhythm.

I have chosen Le Wagon because of their entrepreneurship spirit, and I have not been disappointed a single time. I have followed Le Wagon classes 3 months ago in Bordeaux (batch 102), it rather changed my life.

It’s been a really great experience, I met incredible people, and learned to code.

Le Wagon is not just a tech school teaching you how to code and then leaving you alone in the dark with your computer. It’s teaching you THE state of mind, making you a real independent web developer. Teachers are really good in letting you understand by yourself and helping you acquire the right state of mind, making you a real independent web developer.

You will be able to think, learn and develop all by yourself afterwards.

Moreover, Le Wagon is a network, a real developer community, which will brings you help whenever you need it in your developer life.

I have always been into sustainable development so I submitted a project idea about carbon footprint transportation compensation, and it has been chosen. So I developed the project with 2 other students for 2 weeks and could apply all what I’ve learned the past 7 weeks.

Creating a complete web app from a simple idea, following every steps of the process and finally presenting it.. wahou!

Hard to go back to the real world after 9 weeks like that. You just want to code again and again, improving yourself everytime, learning a new tech language etc.

And that’s when you realize you’ve become a web developer thanks to Le Wagon Bordeaux.

Before doing Le Wagon I was studying Mathematical Sciences at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. I did enjoy my course but I loved coding even more and so there was only one idea I had in mind. Finding a course where I could code everyday and have fun while doing it.

I studied Java for three years at school. I also experimented with Swift, Xcode and Android studio in my spare time. But there was nothing out there that could make me learn fast enough, studying by myself. I thought that a bootcamp would help me get where I wanted to be and Le Wagon seemed like the perfect fit for me as I wanted to build and launch my own app.

The course is really tough to begin with as you are learning a whole new language, but there are tons of teachers in the room always there to help and make you learn as quickly and as much as possible. I really cannot stress enough how helpful and supportive all the teachers are. Also the big difference that I found help me learn faster through the bootcamp as oppose to self-studying is that the bootcamp was so well structured. This allowed me to get all the basic building blocks right and in place so that I could build my very own web app by the end of the course.

I ended up building my idea called Resort Runner, a SaaS platform for large hotels and beach resorts. I got the invaluable experience working in a team over three weeks and we built two amazing Apps in the last 3 weeks.

I have continued building resort runner and hope to launch the application in the coming months. Le Wagon was an incredible experience.