Le Wagon

After short studies (level A in sales and marketing), I worked for a couple of years in call centers (health insurances, Pôle Emploi…) and as an operator-receptionist. But that was not for me. I gave up everything and started thinking about a new life. It's never too late to change your carrier, proof is I just turned 36!

I wanted to become a web developer. Well, I had this in mind for some time but I didn't dare to really do it, and I didn't know how to start… I first took online courses on HTML and CSS, I also tried another bootcamp but I wasn't satisfied and didn't feel strong enough afterwards.

As someone who never gives up and keep trying until I succeed, I applied to Le Wagon and joined the batch #52 in Lyon in January 2017. I got convinced by alumni reviews and already had a glimpse of their great teaching skills with Sébastien and Boris videos on Youtube.

I now believe it was one of the best decisions I made in my life, and it was worth all the sacrifices during the 9 weeks. Kevin (the lead teacher), Etienne & Mathieu (the drivers) and everyone was wonderful, the courses & materiel were very qualitative. Everything was just better than I expected!

During batch #52, our drivers organised us some interesting talks with recruitment agencies, developers, entrepreneurs every week. It was very helpful for my job hunting!

Every batch ends up with 3 weeks dedicated to projets. We work in teams on one Airbnb-like project for a week and on OUR own final projects for two weeks. My mates and I have built 'Easy Trip', a platform to help backpackers create trips together. We had a great experience together thanks to the great good mindset of each team member! And when the batch ended, we all gathered at my place for a week to keep on pushing the project further and learn new skills!

And the intensive work during and after the bootcamp has now paid! I'm about to start my very first job (and permanent contract) as a Ruby on Rails fullstack web-developer at Keycoopt, a startup promoting cooptation as the best way to quickly find the right candidate for a job! I can say truly Le Wagon changed my life, I finally feel confident and would recommend it to anyone.

Before joining Le Wagon, I have been working as a mechanical engineer for more than 5 years and have accumulated abundant experience in the industry. However, I have always harbored great zest for programing and software engineering. So for me, the hardest part about learning to code from scratch is whether I’m willing to give up everything I’ve built up for myself in my previous field to embrace something completely new and challenging.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make. To start with, I was uncertain about my potential performance in coding due to my limited understanding of IT industry. And consulting the internet and reading online answers only made it more confusing for me, as those are all other people’s experience and opinions and each person varies in terms of ability. Age was my other concern since compared to other students I’m considered a late beginner. Extra effort is a must in order to bridge the gap between me and those who started in college. But in the end, I followed my heart to pursue what I’m really interested in- coding, and everything else matters less.

I didn’t hesitate at all to choose Le Wagon because based on my research, it is probably the best coding bootcamp available in China. My later satisfying experience in every aspect proved me right. Mentors here are experts with rich industrial experience, but except for the professional knowledge they delivered, the skill that we gained in learning new things is even more precious. I enjoyed very much the company and help of other fellow students as well. Every day was quite fulfilling when we immerse ourselves in numerous practices for better application of the theoretical knowledge.

We formed a team of 4 during the final 2 weeks to work on projects and I was in charge of the back-end development. Our team delivered an awesome social app in form of mini program since mobile app attracts more traffic nowadays compared to traditional websites. It was a great challenge but being able to overcome difficulties as a team and build up our own app is a fantastic feeling!

I didn't start job searching immediately after the camp but instead continued to strengthen all the skills I learned with the help from our mentors. Most of the camp graduates would choose to learn something new but for me reviewing has greater significance since it enables me to form a more comprehensive and productive knowledge framework. I feel very lucky to have received an offer from ALO7 to become a junior Ruby engineer 3 weeks after leaving Le Wagon. Despite many challenges ahead, It’s a great start!

Looking back at the 2 months spent at Le Wagon, coding apart, the strong bonding I harvested with mentors and students is to cherish for a lifetime. Hope Le Wagon will continue to do a great job in leading more people into the wonderland of coding!

参加Le Wagon之前我是一个有着多年工作经验的机械工程师，我在我工作的领域已经有了较丰富的经验。但是我一直对编程和软件工程怀有很大的兴趣，所以对于我来说学习编程最大的困难在于你是否可以放弃以前其它领域的相关经验，来学习一个完全新的事情。

做出这个决定对我来说其实并没有那么容易. 首先由于对这个领域并不是很了解，我不确定自己是否能够在这一领域做的很出色。 有的时候光看网络上的相关提问反尔会使自己越来越迷惑，因为那些都是别人的想法，而每个人的能力都是不一样的。 其次我最担心的是我的年龄， 因为相较于其它的学习者，我显然已经晚起步了好多年，大部分的编程人员从大学时期就已经开始学习编程， 而我显然需要付出更多的努力来缩小这些差距。 但是最后我选择听从我内心的想法， 做自己感兴趣的东西，其它的都是次要的。

选择Le Wagon对我来说其实并没有那么困难，因为这或许是在中国能选择的最好的编程训练营了。而事实也证明了它并没有辜负我的选择，每一个环节做的都很棒。首先导师们都是有着丰富的行业经验的专家， 这一点很重要，他们不光能教授专业的知识，更重要的是教授如何学习新东西的能力及技巧。 同时我们的每一个学员都很棒，大家都非常擅于学习并且互相帮助。 我们每天都会做大量的练习来帮助我们掌握当天教授的知识，这让我们很容易沉浸其中， 每一天都过得非常的充实。

最后的两周是我们完成最终作品的时间， 我们是一个四人的小组，而我主要负责后端的工作。我们选择制作一个社交应用，并且是以微信小程序的形式来呈现， 这让我们感觉很酷， 因为相比较传统的网站， 如今手机端的应用显然更加的受欢迎， 而我们通过两个月的学习可以亲手制作一个自己的手机应用， 这种成就感真的是太棒了。 虽然制做应用的过程充満了挑战， 但大家都异常的努力，一起克服着每一个困难， 我为我们每一个都感到骄傲！

训练营结束后， 我并没有立即去寻找合适的工作， 而是在导师的指导下继续强化之前所学到的东西。 大部分的人在训练营结束后可能会选择学习一些新的知识，  但对于我来说回过头去复习之前所学到的知识却是非常重要的，这一过程帮助我梳理了之前不太明白的知识， 也强化了整个编程的基础知识， 可以说对于之前的所学有了一个全新的理解。 幸运的是，在训练营结束后的第三周， 我得到爱乐奇(ALO7)的工作offer， 成为了一名初级的Ruby工程师。 虽然还有很多的挑战等待着我， 但这却也是一个不错的开始！

回首我们这两个月的训练营时光， 除了收获到的知识以外， 更重要的是收获到了学员和导师之间的友情， 这对我来说是弥足珍贵的， 希望这份友谊可以永远的保持下去。 真心希望Le Wagon可以越办越好， 可以让更多的人进入编程的世界， 并从中受益！

My name is Arbi Velaj, I am an economics graduate and I did my masters at Bocconi University, in Milan. During my academic path I slowly started to realize that what I was doing was not fitting my intellectual needs, so I began to look for something different.

At first, I was considering the idea of doing a bachelor in computer science, but then I heard about Le Wagon in Barcelona. I worked to save enough for the course fee and then applied for the batch, and I managed to get through the selection process. I had very high expectations, and I am very glad to say that what I got exceeded those expectations. 

In two full-immersion months you can learn not only to code, but also to think as a developer. Le Wagon gives you all the tools and skills necessary to begin learning independently everything related to programming, and its approach prepares you for the challenges of learning in a very dynamic environment.

Eventually, one of the aspects that unexpectedly surprised me the most was the final project: during the last two weeks of the bootcamp you start a group project with which you will make your idea become reality. It is incredible that in two months you become able to create something valuable and to experience the start up environment and journey from the very beginning!

Le Wagon's 9-Week Web Development Bootcamp was the most fun I've ever had learning anything ever. After 9 weeks, I can call myself a fullstack developer with knowledge of Ruby on Rails, HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, jQuery, SQL, ActiveRecord, GitHub, Heroku etc etc. If you don't know what any of these words mean, neither did I when I first started the course! And certainly during the first two weeks, it seemed like I wouldn't ever know what they meant but through super capable teachers and teaching assistants, through trusting the constantly improving syllabus and the exercises and most importantly, through believing in yourself, there will come a day during this course when it all starts to make sense!

And that's when the fun will start! For me, after that point, I couldn't wait for the lectures to finish so I could actually start coding (#nerdalert). I couldn't wait to raise more tickets (equivalent of raising your hand) to just absorb as much as I could from the teachers/TAs. When we got to project week, our group was just chill party vibes and we maked dis - www.frida.studio.

The best part about this whole thing is that even after the bootcamp is over, after you've become fullstack and after you've made permanent friendships, you will have the support of the Le Wagon global community (consisting of teachers and alumni) willing to help you with any issues you run into. I'd say that's a good investment!

Le Wagon, Paris

I already had basic programming skills but wanted to go a step further and learn product-oriented and startup-pragmatic coding !

A few months after my bootcamp's end, I have built my product MVP and am confident in my skills to further develop the product with the junior dev team we are hiring.

I thank Le Wagon for that. Not only for the quality of the academic training but for everything that is around it and really makes the difference:
- The project / startup oriented mindset
- The dedicated and fun team
- The meetups
- The online resources (available even after the bootcamp and very useful)

In addition to that, the community is awesome and supportive. For instance, when I'm struggling on some technical choices, a message on the slack "help channel" always receives expert and constructive answers.

Le Wagon is clearly among the best training experiences I had. I totally recommend this training:
- for entrepreneurs who want to learn to understand and talk to their dev team
- or for freelancers / entrepreneurs who want to develop strong full-stack skills

After almost 3,5 years as a partner in a fast-growing startup, it was time for me to challenge myself again and to start a new entrepreneurial project. 
To make the transition, I wanted to take time to learn new things and code has been an evidence. I choose LeWagon, 9 intense weeks to transform you in a full stack developer, and on my side open my mind to a totally new subject I really took pleasure to learn. 
Online courses are clear and the Parisian staff is just amazing. 
I totally recommend this training for entrepreneurs who want to learn how to understand and talk to their dev team!

I have a strong interest in entrepreneurship and innovation. After 4 years in a business school, I took a gap year and left for NYC, where I interned for a startup, and then for a business angel. But this year couldn't have ended better than with Le Wagon.

The program is really intense; I spent 9 weeks thinking and dreaming of code… and I can say that I am not the only one. Days are well structured, as we start with the lesson of the day, and then we work in pairs (different every day) on exercises related to the lesson.  At the end of the day, we come back to class to do a recap. 
We learnt a few different languages. If you have difficulties to understand something, teachers are here to help. If you are faster than others, this is the same. The program adapts to you, and not the other way around. 

The people I've met have different interests and come from different industries. However, we all share this passion for innovation and desire to build amazing things, which makes Le Wagon's community awesome. 

I would recommend Le Wagon to anybody passionate about entrepreneurship and… willing to work hard and play hard!

I have been part of TheWagon Batch#70. Before that, I was a growth hacker in a parisian accelerator and I wanted to be able to work on side projects on my own. After two months that seemed two days, I am now launching a startup with a friend I met there.

One may judge the quality of this bootcamp as per the complete set of skills the alumni show afterwards. However, there is no words fair enough to qualify the benevolence of the team, the excellence of the platform and the talent of the people you are likely to meet there.

I was a student in batch #48 at Le Wagon in Paris. Before Le Wagon, I had studied finance, international relations and Islamic studies (quite a mix, I know) and worked as a political researcher, and as a news producer in a international news channel.

I joined Le Wagon because I wanted to set up my own news-related website. I attended the bootcamp while studying towards a master's degree on the side, which I don't recommend, because Le Wagon will need your full attention, and missing even one day in an intensive coding bootcamp can set you back quite much (I ended missing a few days, because of family circumstances, because I got sick, and also because I had to study for my exams).

There, in the last three weeks, three of my classmates and I built a service that helps people in need to find soup kitchens and free meals near them using simple text messaging. After the bootcamp, we are still working on the website and have transformed it into an non-profit association.

Le Wagon was an intense experience, one of the best in my life. And it wasn't easy: frustrating at first, but rewarding at the end. And the key is not to give up. Besides learning how to code, I made some really good friends, and I also had the pleasure to meet some great people amongst the teachers, teachers' assistants and staff.

I highly recommend Le Wagon to anyone who wants to learn code.

My name is Mendy and I was part of Le Wagon's batch#67 in Bordeaux which ended in June 2017. For a long time, I have searched what I wanted to do with my life. I did some learning at university in psychology and dramatic arts, but college was not for me. Then one day, I found Le Wagon Bootcamp. 
Being comfortables with computers ever since I was a child and being already proficient in HTML/CSS languages. I tempted my fate after many searches about it.

And I fall in love with coding, Ruby, Rails, Javascript, all ! Now, I know what I want to do with my life, Web Developper. Wagon's pedagogy played a big part in my experience. The staff and my batch were incredible too, humanly rewarding. It was 10h/day during two months and I didn't see it pass. Each lesson was exciting and it's the guy who doesn't like school who write that. That was an amazing oportunity and I'm glad I took it.

Two months later, I've new skills, more than I thought and although I still have a lot to learn, I can create a website, from scratch.

An unforgettable experience.  

I discovered the Wagon early 2016. They were hosting a hackathon at their headquarters and I remember the first impression I had. It can be difficult to find the balance between professionalism and fun in an office but the Wagon managed to do find it and to have this friendly vibe going on.
I come from a background in journalism and the media, with a focus on writing, reporting and digital screenwriting. To go further in that specialisation, I decided to learn how to code, to be able to create myself prototypes of the interactive experiences I offered. It was like the missing piece for my professional profile to be complete.
I had been used, with public bachelors and private education, to a very specific and old school kind of learning and teaching. Furthermore, like most students in the world I had been used to being assessed with grades, which is in my personal opinion a very outdated pedagogical system.
The Wagon is the total opposite. It allows you to develop your autonomy, your critical thinking and to learn in ways never seen before. In many ways, the Wagon is the Montessori of the web.
A typical day at the Wagon goes as follows: 1h30/2h of classes, a few minutes to share your thoughts, some exercises specific to the topic tackled that day until 5.30pm and to conclude, 1h30 of "live coding" to teach you how to solve a problem and to demonstrate your strategy. These days were supervised by the Wagon's staff and made easier thanks to the interactive platform we all worked on. You can see your improvements, watch videos of former and future classes and to practice what you learned thanks to "flash cards", a game that help you memorise new learned theories.
One of the major assets of the Wagon is its collaborative aspect. I was especially impressed by the patience, kindness and empathy of the people I shared these two months with. Indeed, I was quite worried before starting the course: I am not a very logic person, I'm really bad with maths and I hadn't understood the few lines of code during the prep-work, so I feared to be lost. But that's where the name Wagon makes suddenly a lot of sense: we're all in the same boat, the same coach (or wagon!). Despite the different levels of the students, we all moved forward together, feeling supported. Whenever you feel lost in front of the code, it never lasts long, someone will always give you a hand and make sure you really understood before moving to the next step.
Two other major positive points of the Wagon are the T.A. (teacher assistants) and the buddies.
For my batch#67 (my training session), all the teacher assistants were former students, often from only a few months ago. They're available all day to answer your questions and help you with whatever you need. It is very motivating and helps you stay into it and never feel lost or overwhelmed by these long lines of code.
The buddies, another great initiative, is a system of partnership with other alumnis. An algorithm on the online interface matches you with an alumni to team up with for the day. Changing teammates every day is a very enriching experience because it makes you deal with different levels, skills, personalities and perspectives. It makes you improve faster.
Sure, you could learn by yourself online. I thought of doing it to. But the money you'll save will never replace what you'll learn at the Wagon. As a proof, Sylvain the referring professor in Bordeaux has learned in many years what we learn in 2 months, and with a better support, a better understanding and better tools.
I can't recommend the Wagon more. You don't need to be familiar with coding, to be super logical or have a 160 IQ. You only need to be friendly and open-minded!
Attending the Wagon's course was one of the best experiences of my life and without a doubt the best learning one. I didn't only learn new skills but also a new way of thinking, autonomy and I have gained more confidence and patience. The staff is outstanding and the experience life-changing. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in digital jobs.

We all know about the fever of entrepreneurship that’s taking the world by storm.

As a multidisciplinary designer and strategic thinker, I have become an opportunist. I saw in every problem that surround me, an idea for a service, a *platform*, an app or whatever can be made and turned into a money making machine.

In today’s world everything is becoming digital driven. Learning to code is a must for everyone. Even kids are learning to code with legos!

Lacking coding skills, and finding that online courses weren’t sufficent I decided to join le Wagon Paris.

And it was the best decision of my life!

Everyday I learned a tons of things, everyday I got more and more comfortable with code. Everyday I was learning to communicate, build and collaborate with other developers. To sum it up, I acquired avant-garde skills that are on high demand in every sectors.

I can testify that in a two-month period at le Wagon, I learned much more than I did during my two-year master. The program is so well designed from its morning lectures, its all day coding practices with a buddy, its livecoding sessions and finally to its end-of-program projects, that in the end, all the pieces fall together making you are capable of coding your own website right away!

The teachers were amazing, very patient and super friendly! They have an amazing system to help you when you’re stuck with the code that will allow you to learn and reflect on your mistakes and Surprise! A lot of good cold beer to chill out your brain at the end of the day!

In the end, not only it was an amazing experience, but the adventure continues. You will become part of an alumni network where you can find ressources, ask questions or even find work.

If you want to become a developer, a piece of advice, join le Wagon, work hard play hard, build a family with your classmates and enjoy the experience!