[Epilogue] Code States Coding Bootcamp
On March 30, 2020, 12 Simple Steps members embarked on their new skill development journey as a developer with the Code States Coding Bootcamp Scholarship Program. The 16-week long introductory course consisted of structured online lessons, weekly assignments, and pair programming. One thing that made Code States Bootcamp stand out compared to many other coding boot camps was breaking the language barrier since English is a second language for all the participants. Learning the basic programming language in their mother-tongue (Korean) was a big benefit that improved understanding and productivity.
Fig. 1. Wednesday Night presentation in progress.
On the other hand, because of the 16-hour time difference between Seoul and the Bay Area, it was challenging to take full advantage of Code States’ live help-desk hours as it was held at the wee hours in the Bay Area. Hence blossomed the “Wednesday Night” Q&A sessions. This voluntary weekly online meetup became the pillar to keep the students motivated and successfully complete the program. Each week, one presenter would share their notes and review the lessons together, answering any questions the other participants may have. Furthermore, active Slack communication and Slack integrated CoDo App provided constant connection many needed especially during the pandemic.
Fig. 2. The majority of the students are mothers with full caregiving responsibilities, so study hours are often limited to when kids are off to bed.
According to the survey conducted at the end of the program, ten students responded they will continue their journey to become a professional developer and will likely enroll in the immersive course starting in October. The 32-week part-time immersive course will be offered to accommodate the time difference. Partnership with Code States has been a meaningful journey for both organizations. Code States is Korea’s first online coding boot camp that provides software engineering education, data science education, career placement services, and a lifelong network of professional peers with its hands-on tech curriculum combined with career guidance. As of today, 96% of its graduates have made successful career transitions and work as full-stack software engineers and JavaScript programmers. Read more about Simple Steps’ partnership with Code States here.
Fig. 3. Overall satisfaction of the Code States Coding Bootcamp based on the survey.
Student Testimonials
“I loved working together with my boot campers and communicating with them in Korean, making my quarantine both enjoyable and productive.” - H. Seo
“Despite my slow pace, I made it through to the end, thanks to the never-ending support from my boot campers.” - D. Kim
“Juggling the boot camp and family was never easy, but we did it together!” - S. Son
“I received huge support and encouragement from the fellow boot campers, studying and sharing knowledge with them day in and day out.” - G. Yu
“If I’d been alone, it would have been much harder to complete this program. Although it was an online program, I found myself constantly seeking help from my peers. I can’t thank them enough for their support.” - J. Lim
“This boot camp was so challenging I even debated quitting halfway in; but the Wednesday night meetings, the pair programming, and the online Q&As helped me through it all.” - J. Kim
“All the hand-holding support from my boot campers filled my shelter-in-place days with strength and joy.” - S. Chung
“Flustered at first as a complete novice, I found myself getting constantly better at researching, identifying problems, and asking meaningful questions.” - K. Choi
“Working together with other Simple Steps members inspired and motivated me throughout the entire course period.” - K. Park
“Thank you for running this boot camp and making my quarantine days more meaningful. I loved solving problems and sharing knowledge with my coursemates. Without them, I couldn’t have worked so hard; I couldn’t have had those moments of delight when I finally figured out the problems that puzzled me for days.” - H. Lee
“The boot camp brought me back my old dreams and goals. I enjoyed the group study far more than I expected. I also appreciated being part of this community we built together by sharing our goals and knowledge as well as helping each other shine and grow. I’d like to thank all of my coursemates, Simple Steps, and Code States. I’ll miss the pair programming and Wednesday night sessions for a long time ahead.” - Y. Cho
“The Simple Steps coding group members have diverse work experience backgrounds and both beginners and intermediate students. While novices supported each other emotionally, advanced members helped them with concrete examples and explanations. Based on our shared goal of learning a programming language, and our common experiences as immigrant women, wives, or moms, we created strong synergies, boosting the motivation for each and every member. I’m grateful that I had a whole community I could turn to with any questions or concerns throughout the entirety of this program. Thank you so much.” - A. Park