Le Wagon

The beginning of 2017 marked a big change in my professional life. Community management, SEO, ads wasn’t the thing I was looking for anymore and I needed something more creative and meaningful. A job where I could find more excitement every day.

Coding seemed to be the best way as I always found this incredibly interesting. During months I learnt alone with online tutorials, side projects and a big part of exploration. But it wasn’t enough because I was lacking something more concrete and structured.

So I took another step, I register for Lewagon #102 in October 2018 in Bordeaux. Along with 11 other students, I learnt web development in the best possible way. From Ruby to front-end languages and databases, the whole adventure is nicely supervised by our teachers.

During 2 project weeks, we built a product with two teammates that allowed us to not only learn web development but also design, product management and teamwork. Without mentioning that this is one more project in our portfolio!

Lewagon brought me additional coding skills I needed to be able to apply for technical jobs as well as the access to a big developers community. According to me, investing in Lewagon bootcamp is completely worth it if you need to learn or upgrade your technical expertise.

Hello i’m Michael and i’d like to share with you my experience with the 9 weeks training course at LeWagon Bordeaux in April and May 2017. (batch #67)

Before, I used to be the CEO of a startup for 4 years with a web platform in education. During these 4 years , I have been struggling to find a good CTO for my startup. I could not find partners so i had 2-3 employees or i had to deal with web agencies and freelance developers. It cost me so much money. After this experience i thought it would be better for me to enhance my skills in development to be able to manage technical development in a better way. I needed a short time intensive training. I was in Bordeaux and i googled that and found Le Wagon Bordeaux training. I chose Le Wagon because i wanted to develop complex website, true apps ! And 2 amazing months started !

While i was managing developers during 4 years, there was so many languages, technologies, systems (front, back, database, servers…) that i thought it would take me several years to be an average app developer.
I wish i would have done Le Wagon training 4 years earlier, i would have saved more than a hundred thousand of euros in development, and so much time !
The training at LeWagon is intense but pedagogy is fun : you do not spend 7 hours a day in a seat watching and listening to a teacher showing you how to code. Hopefully not !!! 
Each day, the morning start with 1 hour of lesson, then at LeWagon they have their own learning managing platform where you can access a video of the lesson if you missed something or you need to check the course at home or later (available all your life) and you access to all progressive challenges of each day. And that’s how you day is so nice and goes so fast : it’s all about personal challenges, games, and the system have automatic feedback. You work with another student different each day. It’s your buddy :) And if you’re lost, or need help, a teacher is available to help you so you will not be stuck. At the end of the day a collective session of 1h30 will show an answer to a challenge or to a technical exercise.
You will also test what you know with flashcard quizzes everyday. So it’s an intense immersive process, fun, collaborative and active.
I love it ! Moreover, the team is nice, so you make good friends also and sometimes barbecue, wakeboard or party with your new mates or teachers.

After 7 weeks you are able to code a small app like a simple air bnb app, front and back with database ! That’s amazing ! The last 2 weeks you code your own minimal viable product app in team and you make it available for all the world on a server !

So many skills in such a short time : that’s LeWagon. Because i had managed developers before and because i faced organizational, product conception or technical problems before, i really noticed and appreciated that our lead teacher (so fun and skilled !) gave us the best convenient practices even when designing a simple but smart UX interface. So you’re even given good practices if you want to build a startup.

What i can do now ? Code my own app alone from scratch in a short time, put it on a cloud server, and i can also improve my skills alone because i have the right basis. I decided to be a freelance after that. So the training gave me more than just learning to code i can now code my own projects or find a job.

For me Le Wagon training is a great experience, a great learning. If you’re motivated and you want to be able to develop by yourself or get a job, if you like challenges, it will bring you to a next level and you’ll get rewarded !

Michael

After working for the government for a few years, I realized it really wasn't what I wanted for a career. After plenty of thought I knew I wanted to join the tech world, more specifically I wanted to become a developer. 

After countless hours of research, the answer seemed obvious: a coding bootcamp. But which one? I read so many reviews, contacted the coordinators, wrote many pros and cons lists and the solution became quite clear: Le Wagon in Montreal. 

The second that I contacted MG (the co-founder of Le Wagon Montreal), I knew it was the right fit for me. Throughout the 9 intense weeks, we were continuously supported and encouraged by MG and the rest of the Le Wagon team (even people from far away!). The bootcamp exceeded every expectation I had. The structure of the days was perfect, the pace of learning was great and the teachers/TAs were exceptional. My favorite part was definitely the final project- where we were encouraged to push ourselves to learn and grow both individually and as a team. 

And it didn't stop after the 9 weeks. I am now a part of a community the spreads worldwide. I have developed friendships and networks that will last a lifetime. I highly recommend Le Wagon to anyone looking for a positive career change. It's definitely not easy, but if you are ready to put in some work I'm sure you will surprise yourself with how much you can learn in 9 weeks!

I followed the bootcamp at Le Wagon Bordeaux, Batch #102 in autumn 2017.

My work experiences always turned around business development and marketing. Over the years I was more and more interested in the digital. My curiosity urged to me to learn a little the front end: HTML and CSS. I decided to be a freelancer as digital consultant at the beginning of 2017. I accompany startups and small and medium company in their digital strategy and the design of small website with Wordpress.

I knew the Wagon Bordeaux for 2 years but I didn't know if this Bootcamp could suits me. It was thanks to an interesting opportunity that I realized that the Bootcamp Fullstack Developer was the key to answer to a customer need.The objective being to develop a collaborative platform from scratch.

The Bootcamp simply changed my life and my way of thinking.

The team of Bordeaux is very professional and especially in the listening. The first days I thought of having made a mistake about my choice. But the support of the professors allows us to keep heading because the training is intensive and the personal investment is very important.

I had a click at the end of 3 weeks when I really fell in love with the code. A day without coding becomes frustrating.

The more weeks passed and the more I felt at ease. I felt that I very fast developed skills. No training or experience in my life gave me the opportunity to learn a new job so fast.

It's clear that the quality of the knowledge, the exercises and especially the team allows who wishes it to change job, life.

The world of developers is very open. We find a mutual aid as there anywhere else.

At the end of 6 weeks we were capable of making a copycat of Airbnb. And during the weeks project we developed a platform, named Bootcampers, allowing freelances to find development missions without caring about administrative procedures or about the negotiation with a customer thanks to the implementation of a project manager within Bootcampers. This one has a major role of intermediation. What returned the project more complex and very interesting to develop.

Today I am always a freelancer, as Fullstack Developer Junior and Digital Consultant, I work with my customers and soon again thanks to these new skills. I am now capable to develop a landing page in a few days from scratch and I am working on the development of the future platform. Shall have never been all this possible without the Wagon Bordeaux.

I recently graduated from LeWagon Chengdu (batch#114) and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the level I reached in these short 9 weeks. Being familiar with Python (for Data Science), I was not completely new to programming but I was far away from being able to code a full-fledged web-app.

I actually enjoyed the first few weeks which are supposed to be for ruby “basics” but ended up being extra challenging with optional/teacher challenges and helping my classmates with their exercise. I really like the fact that there was something to learn in the first few weeks for both total beginners (ie: I never wrote a line of code) and more experienced beginners (ie: I can write simple scripts).

Also, the localization of the curriculum was awesome and we learnt how to make WeChat (think Facebook, PayPal and the App Store mixed in one app with a penetration rate over 80% of smartphone users in China) Mini-Programs and allowed us to create and present mini-programs as our final project.

I learned a LOT during these 9 weeks and I made awesome and like-minded friends. If you are not ready to give 110% to the bootcamp to learn, do not waste your time and money. On the other hand, if you are ultra-motivated, want to be challenged every day and make a difference, I would recommend Le Wagon (Chengdu)!

I recently completed Le Wagon's batch 98 in Montreal.  This is the second bootcamp that I have attended.  I attended my first bootcamp with a different company in 2015.  When I left the first bootcamp, I was told by the owners/instructors to "just learn Word Press, maybe focus on front end."  To them, my inability to grasp the material without assistance was proof that I wasn't capable of learning backend programming.  It took me two years to work up the courage and desire to try again afraid all bootcamps would be like the first. 

Le Wagon was the complete opposite.  They cultivate an extremely supportive learning environment.  The teachers and administration genuinely care about the happiness and success of their students.  The program is very logically organized and the online tools to support learning outcomes are terrific.  Despite the many personal obstacles I faced during the program, I was able to learn the material and develop marked confidence in my skill level.  I can't say enough good things about the program. If you are considering Le Wagon, commit.  You will not regret it.

Le Wagon was an amazing experience, first a human one but also because we left it with so many useful skills for our future. Montreal is a wonderful city where we have rapidly become familiar and comfortable in a very tech neighborhood filled with so many startups and entrepreneurs. It was easier to adapt ourselves to this new language because we were surrounded from day one with incredible teachers, patient and passionate about coding. I recommend this bootcamp for anyone who would like to change their lives because it did change mine, and especially in Montreal.

I just finished the training of batch 109 of Lyon.
The courses were of an incomparable quality and accessible to all, for beginners as well as for the most experienced.

The Driver is cool and makes you feel good.
By offering yoga classes at the same time and bringing us sweets and fruits.

The teachers are attentive and present, they give us the necessary tools for our autonomy. They are both serious and welcoming.

Honeslty, It is a very good experience. 

I highly recommend Le wagon because they also organize talks, to insert us into the professional world.
Being a beginner is not a problem we work every day with a different buddy, the work platform is clear and intuitive, accessible for life.
They help us if we want it.
In 2 months I am impressed by the deepening of skills.
I've learn many languages (Ruby, Rails,Html, javascript, Css ...) so why hesitate?
So take time to jump into Le Wagon ;)

Before Le Wagon I was working in investment funds where I had the opportunity to meet amazing entrepreneurs and after some time I felt that I wanted to be more than a finance guy. I started to think about creating a company but I was clearly lacking the development skills. That’s why I decided to join Le Wagon’s bootcamp and it’s one of the best decisions I ever made.
The organization of the entire bootcamp is optimized to learn as much as possible in only 9 weeks. It was really intense but every day you know why you study because you directly apply it during the exercises. Alsol, the pair working is an incredible way to learn faster and better because your buddy can find the proper way to explain things to you and when you are the one explaining you will learn even more by teaching. The teachers were also the main pillar of this bootcamp, both during lectures of the morning and to help during the challenges of the day. These six weeks are perfectly designed to constantly increase in skills to be ready for the 3 weeks of project.
The first week project on the Airbnb clone was an incredible way to observe how much we learned since the beginning of this experience and looking back it’s quite impressive. Our project for the last two weeks was in the hospitality sector. With other 3 students we built a complete tool for hotel managers to manage their employee’s shifts in the simplest possible way. These two last weeks were the most impressive part of the bootcamp because in this short period our team has been able to build a professional tool, something that I thought impossible before starting the bootcamp. Apart the pure technical part, working as a team is a real challenge and I learned so much through that experience.

Therefore, Le Wagon has given me all the tools that I ever dreamed of to be able to work as a developer and start building my own startup.

I entered Le Wagon with a single goal, changed my career after more than 11 years working with marketing.

I was already playing with html and css and had done some codeacademy tracks, but the frustration always came when I tried to create something from scratch, outside the tutorials ... I just could not do it.

After much research, I understood that the best way to change career fast was through a Bootcamp. I needed a course that would teach me why and how things worked and especially how to think like a programmer, work like a programmer and attack problems with a different mindset from a marketing planner. I need practical, day to day knowledge to be able to succeed as a web developer. 

Le Wagon gave me all this and more! I finally understood how to connect one thing with another and everything started to make sense. I developed skills in 9 weeks that alone might never have been possible, or would have only after a long time.

The methodology is very well built, the experience is mind-blowing, rewarding and challenging but the great triumph is the people. Friends who struggle with you every afternoon to solve the challenges, the fantastic teachers who are always willing to ensure that we learn the concepts and THE community that generates a very important networking for those who want to enter this career or launch a new project.

It was this networking that gave me two internships (France and Holland) after only 3 months of graduation. Today I work as a Full Stack Ruby on Rails Developer freelancer for these two startups.

If I had known that I would have changed my life so much in such a short time, I would have done it sooner!

Prior to Le Wagon, I would often get frustrated with my total dependency on developers even for quick fixes on the website as an e-commerce manager. Now, after only 9 weeks of coding at Le Wagon, I feel empowered. Not only I managed to acquire technical skills, but I also gained self-confidence. It was a life-changing course.

Le Wagon is an amazing organization full of friendly and helpful staff. The teaching assistant to student ratio is great, so you get full support throughout the course. The program is set in a very entrepreneurial environment with many bright and interesting students. Through Le Wagon, you also get an access to an ever-growing network of like-minded alumni. I seriously did not want the bootcamp to end.