Alexa's experience report #3

The first corporate partners introduced themselves

Hi! I'm Alexa, 26 years old and I'm taking part in the Web Development Bootcamp at neuefische - School and Pool for Digital Talent. In the next few weeks, I will tell you about my experiences during the course and provide you with information about our web development training at neuefische - School and Pool for Digital Talent.

The third week of our 3-month bootcamp had barely begun when we already received our first visit from potential employers. I was initially surprised that these visits started so early, because we hadn't even started JavaScript at the beginning of the week. The others in our group also didn't feel that we could already be of much interest to companies. From the looks of it, however, we were wrong about that.

Smaato

On Monday afternoon, Harry Kratel, head of marketing at smaato kicked things off. Harry took us into the world of mobile advertising. I myself come from the world of online marketing, but for many others in our group it was the first time they heard about the complex bidding processes behind a simple ad on the web. Harry not only managed to present this very technical topic in an understandable way but also showed us why it can be such an exciting area for developers in particular. This perspective was completely new for me as well.

Polargold

At the end of the week, Polargold visited us on Friday. The digital agency not only introduced itself to us as a potential employer, but had also prepared a design workshop for us. Before managing director Farid Rawas told us something about the way the agency works, we got a two-hour introduction to the art of good web design from his art director Sven Finger. Especially after we had created our first own website the week before, this workshop was very valuable for all of us who were not yet satisfied with their web design skills. After Farid introduced us to the agency, we had the opportunity to ask them our questions in a relaxed atmosphere over a cup of coffee.

The shortage of skilled workers in the IT industry is huge

Overall, it became very clear that both companies were struggling with the same problem: A shortage of skilled workers in Germany. Regardless of whether it's Polargold or Smaato - both find it difficult to fill and refill technically relevant positions. This gives us, as aspiring web developers, the great advantage that even with our current level of knowledge, we already have skills that the companies are looking for. All three companies emphasized how great the shortage of skilled workers is, especially in the STEM fields (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology).

Further education as a web developer - first frustration thanks to JavaScript

During this past week we already started with JavaScript and I have to say: The start was rather bumpy for me and the others. Slowly a pressure builds up (even more so due to the visits of the employer partners), which puts a lot of stress on us in addition to the high learning speed and the huge mountain of content. Founder Dalia and Coach Jerry had already prepared us at the beginning of the bootcamp that there would be moments when we would have to deal with strong doubts and also despair. I think over the course of this week, both of these became apparent and for the first time we really felt what a challenge this bootcamp was going to be for us. I'm excited to see how this pressure will develop over the next few weeks and how it will change our group.