Elina Nenonen completed the most recent cohort of the Web Development Bootcamp in Barcelona and was one of the first students to be part of the new Campus launch. Now that she’s back home in Finland, we spoke to her about her Ironhack experience and incredible final project.

After studying computer engineering and spending six years as an Account Manager, I decided I wanted to return to the world of programming but I needed some refreshment to do so. I was trying to re-learn some things on my own but it was too slow and I realized I needed some external help that would also speed up the process. That’s when I started looking into bootcamps. The camps I looked at were really basic and short (70 hours max). After a lot of research, I thought maybe this format was my best option. But the options in Europe were pretty limited, and I only really found them in England and Spain. They were pretty much the same, except England’s bootcamps were longer and relatively more expensive, the currency change was also offsetting and London isn’t necessarily the most affordable place to live. In the end I chose Ironhack in Barcelona.

I was an Ironhack student in August 2018. Prior to this I’d done almost no coding  - I tried to learn on my own but would always become stuck/unmotivated. In March 2018, I attended a WeCode workshop where I learnt the very basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. After the event and speaking to Ironhack staff/alumni I applied for the course and was given access to the prework.

Before I tell you why I did the web development bootcamp at Ironhack, I would like to take you back to a very important point in my life when I had to make a decision that would define my future career path. It was so important that I had to think about it very carefully. This decision was going to determine the field & industry I was going to work in for the rest of my life. At least that’s what everybody around me was telling me at that moment. I was 17 years old and I had no idea about what I wanted to be. I think I barely knew anything about myself either and I had no idea what it meant to have a full-time job. Let’s be honest:

I don’t really know how to describe by time at Ironhack, but in these next paragraphs I will attempt to give you an idea of how it felt to participate in a 9 week Web Development bootcamp.

Being introvert or shy has different meanings depending on when and where you ask, in latin-america it is often seen as rude or inconsiderate while other countries welcome keeping your business to yourself. Time has also changed how we see quiet people, in the ascension of neurodiversity, the lack of communication from an individual is seen as a sign of intelligence now more than before.

In May this year, I was at a point in my life that many of you will identify with. I had been studying for the last 8 years of my life, architecture degree for 7 of them (actually 7 years that seemed like 20) and then I did a Master’s in 3D design. Although this helped me to make the leap to become a freelancer where I started earning money and getting clients, I still did not feel truly happy.

When faced with the decision to choose a coding or design focus, Ironhack alumna Sofia Borges opted for a unique solution. Sofia not only attended Ironhack’s Web Development Bootcamp, she later went on to study UX and UI Design at Ironhack as well. In an interview with SwitchUp, Sofia talks more about her journey, and how both her coding and design skills are instrumental in her new role as a Content Producer & UX Strategist at Royal Caribbean Cruises.