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This alum interview offers insight into what it is really like to participate in an intensive full time bootcamp. This week, we sat down with Xccelerate Full-Time Software Engineering grad Bal Kumar Rai who went from construction worker to full-stack web developer at Nova.

Thanks for coming, Bal! Can you tell us a little about what you were doing before attending Xccelerate?

Before I joined Xccelerate I was working on a construction site as a fabrication worker. Before I came to Xccelerate I had been doing some self study online, I found Xccelerate on Facebook and I tried it and I found it was right for me.

What made you take the leap from construction to programming?

Before working in construction I had some programming knowledge. I was looking for an opportunity to get back into it. So, when I found Xccelerate I knew it was time to change. It has really helped me change my career.

What made you decide that a bootcamp was the best way for you to get that education?

Online I was learning to do the mobile programming so when I learned android programming I felt that I needed to learn IOS programming as well. So I felt that web development was going to be a common skill needed for both Android and IOS. I then tried to learn web development and found that I needed to know full stack to be the best developer so I decided to join the bootcamp.

Did the program live up to your expectations?

When I was doing the online learning and self study, I felt it was quite hard to progress myself so I joined Xccelerate. Due to the help of the instructors and curriculum I feet that in just four months I have learned quite a lot. If I had continued to self study then I wouldn’t have this much knowledge. I was quite confident when trying to find a job. I accepted an offer and am working as a front end developer right now.

It sounds like your programming skills are good to go, what about your career skills?

I feel like I have to do some self study, but the aid Xccelerate provided me helped a lot. Alex is a very good instructor and quite friendly. Alex gave us a lot of tips on how to continue after Xccelerate, so now I am just trying to follow his instruction on that. I feel quite confident in interviews and in two months I have had a job offer already.

How did you ultimately decide which job to pick among different offers?

Working environment and the specific stack that I am working with are the more important than the money I think. I want the environment to be fun and if the stack is right then I will take the job.

What's one piece of advice you’d give anyone considering bootcamp?

If they want to have a career in web development in the tech field, then I think Xccelerate is the perfect place for them. I went from construction to tech, which is a great example that you can change your career. My construction job had nothing to do with tech, but I made it and I have been successful in finding a job. I think anyone can make the leap if they are focused and passionate. I think whatever is covered in Xccelerate are good topics to be learning right now.

I also think before anyone would like to join the they need to do the precourse materials and take it quite seriously. I think that if they can learn some simple JavaScript, it will be very helpful for understanding tough tasks later. If they are not good in programming, they need to take this precourse material seriously. After they join they will have to work hard. My future employers actually said that I was overqualified for the position. There are great opportunities to follow completing a bootcamp.

Wherever you are in your career, you can make a transformation just like Bal. Check out our Full-Time Immersive Software Engineering Bootcamp or schedule a free 1-1 Consultation to see which course path is right for you.