From Artist to Front End Developer after Coding Temple

Sean Chamberlain’s journey into software engineering began with a desire to bring their interactive art installations into the digital world. As a self-reliant artist, they began teaching themselves to code and soon discovered a passion for it. Seeking structured learning and career support, Sean chose Coding Temple for its affordability, job guarantee, and flexible schedule. Sean shares what they’re building in Coding Temple’s in-house Tech Residency, and the benefits of freelancing and volunteering as a new developer.  

What inspired you to begin a software engineering career?

I am an artist and I like to do interactive installations. I had an idea to bring my art into the digital realm, so I wanted to create a website that allowed the installation to live there. I didn’t have the skills to make this website or an app, and I'm generally self-reliant, so I decided to teach myself how to code. Once I began teaching myself, I found that I really enjoyed coding. I decided to take this more seriously, so I joined Coding Temple. I now see coding as another art medium for me.

What set Coding Temple apart from other programs?

I did a lot of research and wanted a bootcamp with a job guarantee. Overall, the tuition price at Coding Temple was less expensive, and their Flex program meant I could do it remotely and at my own pace. I also wanted support and one-on-one instruction, and Coding Temple offered that three times a week along with various workshops. 

Did you need to know how to code to get into Coding Temple?

No! When I applied, I had only a very basic knowledge. When you apply, you go through a short interview and an application.

Did you receive any funding to make the bootcamp tuition more affordable?

Coding Temple has zero-interest financing that breaks up the amount into manageable monthly payments. 

I also got a grant from Paths, which was really helpful! Paths is an organization that supports LGBTQ+ people in tech. When you get a Paths grant, you get a mentor in the industry that can guide you. The mentorship lasts for a year, but you are connected to them for as long as you want.

What has a typical day been like in Coding Temple’s Software Engineering Flex Bootcamp?

Since I'm in the Flex program, I get to decide what I'm going to do each day and how I'm going to do it. Most days I try to do a few lessons and the homework assignments after each module, and I will drop into the one-on-one workshops they offer. For example, they have a Code Wars workshop where you go over a problem together. Coding Temple also has behavioral and technical interview workshops. 

How many hours a week do you typically commit to the bootcamp? 

I’m committing 10-20 hours per week to the bootcamp, so it’s like a part-time schedule.

What are some of the main programming languages and tools that you've learned at Coding Temple so far?

For languages, I have learned JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Python, and various frameworks and libraries. I also learned React and Flask. For databases, we learned MySQL. As for tools, we use GitHub for our projects. We also did API integration for projects.

Did you choose a specialization during your time at Coding Temple?

I chose front end development because I felt like it would fit my career as an artist. 

What have your instructors been like at Coding Temple? 

It’s a good mix. Some of our instructors are Coding Temple graduates, some have master's degrees in computer science, have worked in software engineering, and transitioned into teaching. You can schedule appointments with different instructors depending on your specific questions. Overall, I found our instructors to be patient and encouraging. If I have questions after a workshop or module, I can always message them and they will follow up.

Since you're in the Flex program, do you learn alongside a cohort?

It's self-paced. I learned individually, but you can join the Coding Temple student groups in their Discord group or Slack. You can also reach out to other students and alumni just to talk. I have reached out to people to talk about their experiences.

In general, what kinds of projects have you worked on in the Flex bootcamp?

They give you projects to help you learn each skill. We built a couple of apps, like a fitness tracker app, and those worked with databases. I've also built e-commerce apps. Mostly it’s API projects where you grab information from a website or JSON files.

You’re currently in Coding Temple’s eight-week Tech Residency! What are you building for your Tech Residency project?

We started our tech residency month, and we've split into groups. My group has chosen to build a parking management app. We're creating an app that helps users find parking in their area. People can look for parking, make reservations, and weigh different spots for price. We're focusing on New York City and using New York City datasets to find the parking lots. We’re also using a Google API to give people location navigation. 

When building this project, are you using everything you learned at Coding Temple?

In the tech residency, you get to decide if you want the challenge of learning something new or focus on what you learned in the bootcamp. We're using mostly things that we learned in the bootcamp. We learned React at Coding Temple, but I wanted to learn React Native to have it be more applicable to mobile apps and apply it to this real-world problem. It’s also helpful to stick to what I've learned in the bootcamp to demonstrate that knowledge. 

If you get stuck, can you still reach out to your Coding Temple instructor team for support?

They have people you can reach out to for help, and you don’t need to make an appointment. It's a different team from when you're in the bootcamp.

How has Coding Temple prepared you for the tech job hunt?

The career services team went over resume-building and gave us feedback. They help you format your resume correctly to make sure recruiters are going to read it. They also review your LinkedIn profile to make sure it looks professional and optimized. 

You can schedule technical and behavioral interviews with their team. Overall, they give you encouragement and help you set goals, like applying to ten jobs a week. They have a jobs board on their portal, too. 

Which tech roles do you feel qualified to apply for?

I feel qualified to apply for full stack software developer, front end software engineer, and creative technologist roles.

Are you anticipating using this tech residency project as a talking point in your job interviews?

Yes, definitely. It's helpful to have an example of what I can do. 

You are a Digital Core Lead for Out in Tech. What is Out in Tech's mission and what are your responsibilities there?

Out in Tech is an organization that supports LGBTQ+ people who want to get into tech, and they have different projects that support LGBTQ+ organizations. The Digital Corps at Out in Tech provides websites to LGBTQ+ organizations that don't have the means either financially or people capacity to create their website. These organizations are worldwide and all focus on some element of social justice or social services within their community. 

As a project lead, I meet with the partner organizations to gather the information that they want on their website. I develop a plan for the flow and the features, and then I organize the tasks for the build day. Our build days happen about four times a year and we build these websites with a group of volunteers. I split the tasks amongst the group and lead the team. I also contribute to the builds.

What are the benefits of getting involved with a tech group like Out in Tech as a new developer?

The main thing is immediate impact. When you have these new skills, how do you immediately apply them? Being part of Out in Tech helps me gain the confidence and knowledge that I will need in a real-world work setting. Being part of a group like this is great for making connections and building community. It's also resume-building!

You’re a freelancer at the AI company, Outlier, too. What kind of work are you doing there? 

I used to do some work in finance, so at Outlier I help train the AI model with finance questions, making sure that it answers the questions appropriately. At Outlier, you can take different tests to get into different projects. I'm doing their coding tests so I can contribute to the code as well

At this point in your career change, has Coding Temple been worth it for you?

Definitely! It has been extremely impactful in my life. I'm a person who has a lot of ideas and projects. Now I have the power to accomplish my goals because Coding Temple took away the barriers that I had before. I feel confident that I can be impactful in any work setting I enter.

What is your advice to incoming Coding Temple students on how to make the most of the Flex program?

To make the most of the Flex program, you need to do a Code Wars problem every day. Take advantage of the one-on-one conversations with instructors. The practice technical interviews can be intimidating, but go to them and all the other workshops that Coding Temple offers. Volunteer somewhere to get more experience. This will be good for your resume! Do a part-time project or make something for someone at the same time you're in the bootcamp.

Find out more and read Coding Temple reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with Coding Temple.