The Ironhack Blog

According to CNNMoney/PayScale’s top 100 careers with big growth, great pay and satisfying work (i.e. 100 Best Jobs in America), UX design ranked #14 with top pay hitting $138K and a growth rate of 18%.” User Experience (UX) Design is one of the fastest growing fields. If you think about the growth in smartphone and tablet sales, it’s not surprising that the field of UX is experiencing double digit growth. Every interaction you have with your device has in some way been influenced by a UX designer. Smartphone sales alone grew from 122 Million in 2012 to 190.5 million units in 2015 .  On the other hand, from 2012 to 2015, UX climbed up from #43 to #14 as the top 100 best jobs in America. With advances in virtual reality and the internet of things, the demand for UX Designers is only going to increase. There hasn’t been a better time to become a UX Designer. The average starting salary for a UX Designer in the United States is $68K . The career path is quite interesting. In big companies such as Facebook, Google & Amazon etc., the role of a UX Designer breaks down into specific positions such as UX Researcher, Information Architect, Content Strategist etc. Within small to medium sized companies, the roles are more all-inclusive, meaning a UX Designer is responsible for the entire design cycle from User Research to Usability Testing. Typically, new entrants in the field start off with smaller companies to gain experience in all parts of the UX Design process. After a few years of experience, the role becomes more focused based on strengths and likes/dislikes. As mentioned in our previous blog post, there is no formal education required to become a UX Designer. While it is helpful to have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, it is not a requirement. There are tons of free online resources where you can get started. We’ve put together a list of top 5 free resources to help you get started. You can also check out UX Mastery’s list of must-read UX books . If you’re interested in launching your career in UX Design in a fast-paced, structured classroom environment, check out our full-time UX Design course starting in October. At the end of the program, you will have the opportunity to participate in hiring week where we provide career support and connect you with our network of hiring partners.

I’ve always been the type of person who has enjoyed figuring out how things work. This core intuition has drawn me towards many different pursuits in my life, among them are: cooking, bicycles, DIY home repair, foreign languages. The common thread running through all these pursuits has been curiosity. “How can I find out a little bit more about this?”; “why does this work this way?”; “is there a better way to do this?” have been uttered so many times in my head (and under my breath when the pressure is weighing in) that they’ve become my ethos for navigating the world. Without curiosity and the draw to learn more, I’d never find myself in all the pursuits that have become a part of my life and personality. Now, this curiosity has been laser-focused on developing a new skill set and way of thinking. The path to today started while I was working for Target.com’s e-commerce operations, managing merchandise listings for sale on their website. While I was familiar with the world of retail, this spark of curiosity would keep me more interested in what happened under the hood, that makes websites what they are. How does an online store work, exactly? Where does all this information come from? How does online security function? How do you build a customer facing experience? Over time, it became apparent that retail merchandise didn’t give me the same spark as the website itself did. I had also been wanting to spend more time in Mexico after meeting my amazing girlfriend, Fabiola, who is from there. Faced with a tough decision, I left my job to set out on my own doing freelance work in a variety of different areas tied to my interests (translation, home renovation, travel, repairing and selling bikes, things I already understood decently) with the big focus on teaching myself how to program with the rest of the time I had. This was the new career plan. It was always in my mind, it didn’t seem like an interest as much anymore. It was now a goal. I was going to become a web developer. Over the last year, I jumped into as many free online resources as I could find, namely codecademy and freecodecamp . I read about what languages I needed to learn, how to do the basics, and doing online modules for hours. Eventually, I made a rough-looking simple portfolio web page with my info on it; I also could make some javascript functions that did little calculations. I was already an expert on this stuff, right? Not exactly. While doing little modules and problems is an excellent way to build the programmer mindset and learn how various languages work, I felt that there was still something I was missing about how to put all the pieces together. I still didn’t have answers for the questions I had been asking myself that were the impetus for starting on this path! In the middle of last year, the ebb and flow of self-education was starting to make me question my own ability to build something truly impressive. I was getting anxious. I also realized that my freelance jobs (I was at the time investing a lot of time working with a friend’s travel business), even though they were fun and tickled my jack-of-all-trades tendencies, were taking a significant toll on the progress I needed. Over some beers in a Minneapolis taproom, my great friend/mentor/startup veteran, Mark Flannery, recommended programming bootcamps to me as a way to build a foundation that accounted for all my knowledge gaps. Here’s why I found his recommendation appealing: Bootcamps require a major time commitment: I needed to break out of my routines to dedicate myself to 1 solid goal. This was the opportunity to do that; web development was no long one of several goals. It was THE goal. Bootcamps provide more structure than self-education: After swimming in self-education content, I found this to be a huge need of mine as I wasn’t sure what I needed to know to become an effective developer, what I didn’t need, and how all the knowledge comes together. Bootcamps are called bootcamps for a reason: They aren’t easy. There’s so much content, and the days are highly demanding of attention and effort. I wanted a challenge to see if I could handle the pressure, both mentally and emotionally. Bootcamps are people doing lots of cool stuff with other people: Learning alone is tough sometimes. Having common collaborators that are all doing similar projects is immensely refreshing. One of the best ways to learn is to help others with things they’re struggling with, or to get a hint from someone else when you’re deep in the struggle and running out of time. Bootcamps can help get job prospects in motion: Whether working for a giant company or a startup, this is a great way to make connections and build a network if new to an industry. After searching for places in my city, Minneapolis, Minnesota, I broadened my search to look at some different options. Soon after I found Ironhack ; they were starting up a branch school in faraway Mexico City . It clicked. After discussing the prospect with my girlfriend, it was apparent that everything matched up perfectly. I jumped at the opportunity, maybe even lunged (not literally, well maybe a little towards my laptop). It’s been 5 months since I made the decision to come to the bootcamp, and I’m currently in the 4th week of the 9 week bootcamp itself. I love being in a new city, learning so much more than I thought possible, and programming so many things in ways I didn’t know existed. I’ll be writing more about the details of the experience in my next posts. Until then, I’m going to keep typing in Javascript and looking forward! – By Lance Meier

Working in Admissions at a leading global tech school means I often meet people who are ready to change their life and career by learning the most in-demand skills. But a question I hear most often is: Which bootcamp is right for me? The two bootcamps that are the most popular for career-changers and tech enthusiasts are Web Development and UX/UI Design. At Ironhack, we offer both of these courses either full-time or part-time where in a short amount of time, you will become proficient in this field, build your own portfolio and discover great new opportunities during the Hiring week afterwards, Web Development What: In our web development course, you will learn how to design and build full-stack JavaScript web applications and learn how to think like a programmer. Set across 3 modules, you will learn Front-end development, Back-end development and finally the MERN Stack that will enable you to build your own full stack application in our final project week. When: We offer two bootcamps depending on your preference: Full-time : 9 weeks, Mon — Fri, 9.00- 18.00 Part-time : 24 weeks, Tues & Thurs 18.30–21.30 and Saturdays 10.00–17.00 Both bootcamps will go through exactly the same content and curriculum, however our part-time course is especially for those who want to carry on working and/or who have other obligations and cannot do full-time. Who: This bootcamp is perfect for anyone who wants to change their career and gain new skills. We have a range of profiles: some who come from an IT background, some who have zero experience at all and some who just want to learn the most in-demand skill right now. Everyone is welcome! All we ask for is motivation and dedication! UX/UI Design What: Are you a visual mastermind? Do you like to understand people’s behaviour? In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of User Centered Design and learn to validate ideas by going through the design process starting with User Research, Rapid Prototyping and ending with User Testing & Iteration. Still want to learn web development? Great — as you will have 1 week of learning front-end web development skills in HTML, CSS & Bootstrap. When: We offer two bootcamps depending on your preference: Full-time : 9 weeks, Mon — Fri, 9.00- 18.00 Part-time : 24 weeks, Tues & Thurs 18.30–21.30 and Saturdays 10.00–17.00 Both bootcamps will go through exactly the same content and curriculum, however our part-time course is especially for those who want to carry on working and/or who have other obligations and cannot do full-time. Who: This course is again suited to any level however if you’re creative, interested in psychology and human behaviour and of course — visual design — then this will be right up your street! If you want to learn in a fast-paced, challenging environment and leverage your skills to become the next best Junior developer or UX/UI Designer, then following a bootcamp course could just be the thing you need! Still not sure? Then be sure to check our events for beginners workshops, inspirational talks and network opportunities aplenty! Hopefully see you soon!

As we informed you a few days ago , we have migrated all ongoing and upcoming classes to a remote learning environment to ensure the safety of our students and staff and have developed the remote program with the following enhanced focus: Instructor-led classes with live real-time interaction Mentorship and online support services for all students Engaging group projects in Breakout Rooms Convenience and safety of your home Real-world prep for a hybrid or remote work environment Industry-leading remote educational tools Given the changes applied in our classrooms, we have reached out to our students and asked for their opinion on this new learning methodology. Here we share what the students who are studying in a full-time bootcamp program have to say (in another article we will share the opinions of the part-time students): “Despite being at home, I felt like I was at a table with my classmates. I have worked very well with them. We have helped each other a lot, and we have even had to mute ourselves! (…) so, given the unfortunate circumstances, the experience has been good for me.” Victor Ronda, Web Development, Barcelona “I am looking forward to the next few weeks! All the classmates are really cool. I’m glad I chose to continue with the Bootcamp despite the situation with the Coronavirus. In my opinion the remote learning option is great! I don’t feel like I’m missing anything!” Timur Tanurhan, Web Development, Berlin “I am really enjoying remote classes, to be honest! Basically, I don’t have to wait to go to the toilet or to grab a coffee, haha, the living room is now the reserved room for studying and the TV serves as an additional screen that is used for following the classes. It is now possible to see the code more easily, because the TV works like having an extra monitor which is super cool! We are in the virtual class a lot, but it is well handled, our Lead Teacher is awesome!” Maria Muga, Web Development, Berlin “There is also a lot to be said for the ability to be in class in my pajamas while curled up on the sofa, which is definitely a huge plus :)” Web Development Student, Amsterdam “The Lead Teachers are amazing, with the elements they have they are doing an amazing job.” Francisco Ponde, Web Development, Mexico City Thanks to the positive feedback we have received from all our campuses, we have recently launched our new live online course to keep building our global community of Ironhackers. Click on the following link to learn more about Ironhack Remote .

With tech skills becoming increasingly important, the number and variety of course providers to learn those skills is steadily growing and in this vast variety of programs it becomes harder and harder to choose the right format for you. With online courses from unknown providers to courses from prestigious institutions like Stanford or MIT flooding the internet, how shall I find the right course for myself? And why should I enroll in an in-class program instead of relying on the endless resources of the internet? Define your Learning Type In the end, it all depends on you. Before diving into the sheer endless list of courses available out there, ask yourself: Am I well organized? Am I able to motivate myself? Do I need an engaging learning environment? Do I tend to procrastinate and easily despair of problems? Learning a new tech skill demands a lot of energy, time and dedication. Consider it a process and make sure to define your goal. Maybe you just need to update your existing skills, already have a good understanding of the topic, and know exactly which course curriculum fits your need best. In that case, applying to an online course might be suitable and you make sure to avoid redundant content for you. If you consider yourself to be a beginner, tending to lose motivation or focus when you reach a bottleneck, an in-person program will be the better choice. You will be pulled into the group dynamic, and with the direct feedback and support from instructors you can avoid being held back by tiny problems. But why speculating about the why if we can ask our students at  Ironhack: I chose to do the course in person because doing it online only takes you so far. But having the atmosphere of a tech-culture helped me to become an actual developer.” Tormod Flesjø, Web Development Bootcamp (Jul 2018) “I did a few trainings online but I felt in order to learn coding properly I needed to have a teacher and be supported. Learning web dev is not like learning a new language, you need to be able to solve issues, to practice everyday…” Camille Chapleau, Web Development Part Time Course “I wanted the framework of an actual school rather than dictate my own schedule.” Na’aman Hirschfeld, Web Development Bootcamp (Jan 2019) Overview Although it depends mostly on you, your learning type, and the goal you want to achieve with completing the coding course, the following comparison can come in handy when you are struggling or are too indecisive: In-person Courses Pros Close interaction and collaboration with teachers and classmates enhances understanding of the content Clear path, guidance and goal Career Services (optional) Introduction to typical working methods of the industry such as pair programming Immediate feedback: Problems will be solved on the spot and you have the possibility to ask follow-up questions More formal certificate and portfolio Community: Making valuable connections with peers and companies in-class and at extracurricular events and workshops Cons Limited with regards to time and location Generally higher initial cost Intense workload Online Courses Pros Flexibility in terms of pace and location Low-cost options available Can increase your problem-solving skills Cons You’ll need a high level of self-discipline and self-motivation Difficult to choose most suitable course in the wide variety of offerings Lack of interaction: No direct feedback from instructor and no access to classmates Less acknowledged by potential employers Step out of your comfort zone To many people, learning a new skill from scratch seems like a step back in their careers. But in this day and age, change is everything and proves you are highly-dedicated and invest your time in smart personal and professional improvement. So, stop the hesitation and take the risk. Apply today !

“53.6 percent, of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed.” –Hope Yen, Associated Press. Those are a lot of college graduates scraping by in jobs they could have gotten without inheriting an average of $37,172 in student loan debt. 403. But wait, there’s more... “ College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history, and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level; those with nursing, teaching, accounting or computer science degrees were among the most likely. ” – Hope Yen, Associated Press So what do we do now? We need to adapt to the evolution of the job market. Every job is getting a layer of technology From anthropologist to zoologist, every job will slowly require more and more coding knowledge to execute. Whether it’s creating small applications that will help you interpret large data sets to developing new technology-enhanced ideas, the future of all careers will require a working knowledge of computer programming . Here’s where the jobs are going: Network and computer systems administrator: growing by 8% Data Scientist: growing by 16% Software Engineer: growing by 17% Information Security Analyst: growing by 18% Computer Systems Analyst: growing by 21% Web developer: growing by 27% Source: Business Insider So let’s go back to school, rack up another $37,000 in debt and invest another 4 years to get a computer science degree? No. Don’t even think about doing that. Not even for a second! There’s a smart shortcut, and it’s called a coding bootcamp. The real deal on Ironhack’s coding bootcamp Our coding bootcamp is an intensive program intended for the most motivated individuals. We will cram a couple of years worth of learning into nine short weeks. The objective of Ironhack’s coding bootcamp is to get our graduates hired as a junior devs ASAP! And we’re quite proud to say that our hard work in creating a network of companies that actively hire Ironhack graduates is paying off. We employ a high percentage of our graduates within the first 4 months after finishing a bootcamp. Some of them during the first couple of weeks after finishing the coding bootcamp. The reason this is possible is simple: bootcamp students supercharge their education by making learning to code their full-time job. What a coding bootcamp is not It is not easy. You will face self-doubt, uncertainty, exhaustion and more work than you faced during your college degree. The bootcamp will make you sweat, and it’s only for the most motivated recent graduates. You will be challenged every day to learn everything from HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to the “MEAN STACK” which includes MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, and Node.js. There is no hand holding. The name says it all BOOTCAMP. Instead of physical training, you are subject to a daily grind of coding. You will be expected to keep up and ask for more. Once again, a coding bootcamp is only for the most motivated. A bootcamp is not cheap. You can learn online for free or for nearly free. Ironhack’s bootcamp is a 9-week experience that costs $11,000/6,500€. At first, this price may seem high but look at it like this, you’re buying yourself the time to make learning to code your full-time job, you’re buying the acquisition of the most in-demand skill and you’re buying yourself a new career. Those 6,500€ are an investment in leveling up your career, beefing up your resume and differentiating yourself from every other candidate. But wait there’s more. Ironhack tuition also gets you our hiring help and support. When you need a job, you’ll always be able to ask us for help. Not a bad deal. With lots of pains, lots of gains In the end, the reward is learning to code and leveling-up your career. At Ironhack you will “learn how to learn”, that’s the primary skill that will open up tens of thousands of doors for you around the world. You will become so resourceful that there won’t be a problem you can’t solve, and companies like hiring problem solvers. The coding bootcamp will also enhance your resume and increase your earning potential because you’ll be on a different level than the rest of the resumes in the stack. Recent college graduates and coding bootcamps There aren’t too many recent grads that are jumping at the idea of going back for another four years. But when you can’t find a job that puts your degree to good use, or you studied something that never really cared about or even worse yet, the jobs that are available in your industry require more technical knowledge than you have, well it’s time to hack the system by joining a coding bootcamp. Ironhack’s “secret sauce” to getting recent grads hired It’s very simple but far from easy. Only the most motivated students are accepted into an Ironhack coding bootcamp Our course curriculum is designed to deliver the skills that companies need to hire Ironhack works extremely hard to develop strong relationships with local hiring partners Students get continuous career support during and after Ironhack’s coding bootcamp When you mix those three items you get highly motivated junior developers with precisely the right technical skills to be efficient problem solvers. Our students come from different walks of life, but they all share the same passion and enthusiasm to create things and make a difference in the industry. That is the reason why our hiring partners love our graduates, not only because of their craft, but also this ambitious attitude you don’t usually see in other people. -Marc Collado, Ironhack Barcelona Campus Manager That’s the formula that keeps our hiring partners coming back to Ironhack for the most recent batch of graduates.

The right to education, women’s right to vote, parity in the eye of the Law and reproductive rights are all fruit of a movement that today focuses primarily on the pay gap. Over the last few days, the business cluster ClosingGap , which analyses society’s most pressing gender gaps, has published a report that reveals that Spanish women’s salaries are 21.9% lower than those of their male colleagues, which translates into an annual difference of €5,784. Silvia Barroso is the UX Manager for Air Europe . Over the course of her career, she has come up against many obstacles in the job market that women are often confronted with. “The first thing they do is look at your physical appearance, then they look at your age, then what you’re like as a person, whether you’re a mother or if you aspire to be one and whether you prioritise your family over your job ”, she explains. “I have had younger male colleagues with less experience and responsibility than me, that have earned more money simply due to the fact that they are men”, she states. Among the main reasons behind the gender employment gap are maternity leave, the late incorporation of women to the job market and the lack of shared responsibility in family and domestic roles. “I know I earn a lot less that what a man with my experience would get, which is a very sad and unfair truth, as well as being a problem when it comes to being the main breadwinner at home”, adds Barroso , who points out that maternity tends to penalise women, whilst paternity boosts a man’s professional development. Over the last few years, unemployment among men between 25 and 49 years old and with children under 12 has reached 88%, whilst if we talk about the same demographic in women, the percentage drops to 66.6% , and to 72.4% among women without children. Although the number of women able to work is 5.4% higher than that of men , this under-representation remains a fact. The so-called glass ceiling is reflected in the proportion of women on the executive boards of IBEX 35 companies, where a mere 26% of members are female. Actress and comedienne Virginia Riezu , who is currently performing her monologue Para ser mujer eres bastante Graciosa (For a woman you’re quite funny) at the Palacio de la Prensa in Madrid, whilst also participating in radio shows such as A vivir que son dos días (Let’s live, it’s only two days) on Cadena Ser, remembers how “when I first started out, I found it harder to get hired because they didn’t trust I would do a good job. They put us all into one basket: if one woman’s performance  is below par then we must all be bad comedians”, after which she confessed that nowadays, people do seem to be a bit more in touch with reality. We know that progress towards equality has been made in recent decades in the job market, but there are still invisible obstacles that make accessing top positions more difficult. Just 8% of all executive positions, and 9% of managerial positions are held by women . Who still bears the responsibility for juggling work, family commitments and a personal life? On average, women spend two hours more than men on household chores, and 46 minutes extra caring for their children. Riezu encourages women to “ seize power, work hard, believe in ourselves and fight imposter syndrome ”, whilst Senior Service Designer at Sopra Steria , Sara Valero claims that “women need to be represented in management and coordination teams, among master’s degree teachers and students, which is even more crucial when we’re talking about future professions”. Valero forms part of the mere 3% of Spanish women who have a higher education qualification in technology, a statistic that has prompted the tech school Ironhack to make a social commitment . They are offering a 10% discount off their bootcamps in an attempt to close the digital gender gap , an opportunity that more than 1,500 women have taken, 800 of whom are now graduates. The school also strives to give a platform to as many women as they can by holding regular events and talks that take place on their campus. “It’s very exciting working with women who lead with empathy and through collaboration. They teach me that working as part of a team prepares you for facing challenges in the future; that the best way to work is by sharing your ideas; that information belongs to all of us and that’s what helps us support each other when we need it. A project or an organisation’s success is hardly ever down to technology, it’s down to people ”, Sara concludes. Education and awareness: the keys to combating inequality.

Anais walked into Ironhack with a background in international relations, food service and a whole lot of traveling. Her serious case of wanderlust led her to pursue a career that would allow her to work from anywhere in the world, so she decided to become a developer. Anais is a Miami Beach native and an advocate for fashion and sustainability. She told us a few things about her memorable Ironhack experience. When and why did you decide to join Ironhack? I decided to join Ironhack by chance. I knew I wanted to learn to code, but it just always felt like I didn’t have time to commit to a bootcamp. Then one day an opportunity sort of fell through, and I found myself with money saved and an indefinite amount of free time. I realized, if I don’t do it now, I will never do it. So, that was it! What was the best part of your bootcamp experience? The people. The community that Ironhack creates was the best part. Really, there are tons of great things about it – the teaching, the feeling of accomplishment when the final project finally comes together, the patience and support the instructors constantly provide, all the fun activities we did aside from coding, but none of it would have been the same without the rest of the cohort. I made some pretty incredible friendships and met some really cool people. All of us still keep in touch, and we all know that we are part of Ironhack forever. That was by far the best part of my experience. Could you tell us a little bit about your web app? I am a bit obsessed with fashion, but I am also extremely conscious of the power that my choices have. I wanted to create a way for people to find brands that were environmentally and ethically sustainable, and I also wanted to make it easy to figure out where you could shop for these brands near you. I ended up creating a web app that curated ethically and sustainably made clothing, including the brands that manufactured them and the stores that sold them near you. The final project was a lot of fun to work on, it’s the part in the bootcamp where all the elements you’ve learned finally come together and you understand how they interact with each other. It’s also the time where you might have a total breakdown because you think you’ll never get it done, but then “AHA!” there you go, after many sleepless nights and obsessing over tiny details you do something you never thought you could, especially two months earlier. It’s a pretty incredible feeling. Most importantly, one of the biggest reason I chose Ironhack is the fact that we get to do our own projects. The process helps you realize what you’re good at, improve at what you’re not good at and figure out what elements of web development you really love! Now that you’ve graduated from Ironhack, would you recommend it to anyone? I absolutely would recommend it to anyone and everyone who wants a comprehensive way to learn to code. I actually suggested to my brother that he join Ironhack, knowing he would find the same fulfillment that I did. He’s now part of an Ironhack cohort, and that makes me so happy. So yes, I would recommend it, even to family! What kind of professional opportunities did you have after graduating from Ironhack? One of the best parts of Ironhack is the amount of support they provide post-cohort. Ironhack helped me find several different opportunities, guided me with interview and resume suggestions, and helped me find a job that I really love and is aligned with what I want to do in life. At the end of the day, that’s a motive for many of us who join Ironhack. We learn new skills because we want to make a change in our careers and our lives. Ironhack really helps us do this, so long as we put in the work, of course. Half of it is just showing up. Any advice for the new generation of Ironhackers? Every single time you think you don’t get it, and you want to just throw your hands up, walk out, and say “forget all of this…” you’re just about there. It wouldn’t be worth it without some of that frustration, and it makes the learning process more meaningful. Aside from advice, I commend anyone for doing something that is worthwhile and will only help you in your future endeavours. You’ve gone ahead and invested your time in something that can only benefit you. So congrats! And finally, for your final projects, if you aren’t quite sure what to work on, my mentor Muhan said something great to me during my decision making process that stuck with me (and is good advice for anything in life). He said, “Anais, when everything goes to hell and breaks, and you feel like the whole project needs to be scrapped, what are you going to stick with and work through? Because that’s the project you should pick”. Thank you for that Muhan! Words I continue to apply to my life and live by when I have a difficult choice to make! If you're ready to launch your tech career, in Miami or anywhere else in the world, check out our Bootcamps and get the keys you need to unlock your future!

Whether you are working on a small website for a friend or a large application for a company, setting the right boundaries and expectations with regards to both parties involved, is critical to building and maintaining a good relationship with your client. The following is a walkthrough on a non-exhaustive list of processes and practices to keep in mind during each step of the project development life cycle . The emphasis of this guide revolves around the earlier stages, when most of the communication with the client is being done. Part I discusses the first stage of the cycle. It is written from the point of view of a freelance web-developer but most notions also apply to freelance UX/UI designers, working at a company or even working on an internal project Generally speaking there are 5 phases: Analyse Design Development Testing/Quality Assurance Deployment (*The steps above are based on the standard development life cycle methodology (SDLC). Choosing the most suitable project management methodology can be a tricky one and depends on many variables such as the scope and complexity of the project, the client or working in a team. Depending on the context of the project, other project management methodologies such as Agile or Kanban may be required). Outline a clear strategy When you embark on a new project with any client, outlining a clear strategy going forward is paramount to your relation with the client as it establishes the direction and momentum of the entire project. The very first meeting with the client should entail a general overview of the project development cycle, explaining why each step is important and what is to be expected. By doing so you let the client know there is a flow and it makes you look professional . “When you embark on a new project with any client, outlining a clear strategy going forward is paramount to your relation with the client as it establishes the direction and momentum of the entire project.” Get Creative, putting pen to paper The first step when building a website is not to write code but to talk about the discovery process. This means putting pen to paper with the client and writing down every idea and inspiration that comes to mind. It is like a brainstorm session where you throw everything out in the open, the good ideas and bad ones. It can be astonishing sometimes how companies do not know what they want, so make sure you cover this base well with the client. You then relay back the gathered information with the client during a creative brief in a following session, defining the scope of work more in depth. Getting input from all parties involved In this early stage, it is the moment for everybody to speak up and get on board, especially if dealing with a bigger project when multiple parties are involved. It could happen, for example, that the product owner asks the opinion of the head of different departments when the application is in development. Maybe someone from marketing is being showcased the application at the latest stage, and says “Why don’t we build in more social media authentication features?” You then find yourself stuck in a peculiar situation, having to choose between two bad options: letting the client know that the demands cannot be met because of the required deadline, or making the difficult position of going back to the drawing board to add those features, which costs time, money and might also mess up the core code structure. Whatever the reasoning of your decision may be, neither scenario really accomplishes the needs of your client. You do not want to reorganise databases down the road if it can be avoided. Even if you are the only person involved in the project, you still want to get all the ideas on paper along with appropriate timelines so that everyone knows what is on the table. Getting input from all parties involved “When you embark on a new project with any client, outlining a clear strategy going forward is paramount to your relation with the client as it establishes the direction and momentum of the entire project.” The scope of work is the heart of the analyse phase and the place where you put everything in writing and make it official. The right moment to discuss the scope of work is usually at the end of the analyse phase or at the beginning of the design process, when everybody agrees to continue with the project. Its main function serves to clarify what is expected of the deliverables as well as the communication strategy it should be aligned with. And just as important, is to clarify what is not to be expected. Maybe some features that the client wanted are just not plausible within the required timeframe. Let’s say for example that the client wanted to tie in some API (means Application Programming Interface for those among us that are not developers:)) that you did not see coming. Now you can point out the fact that it falls outside the scope of work and so you do not have to exclude yourself from the project. See the scope of work as a collection of facts that preferably is put in to a contract, stating what the amount of work entails, the features to be built, the technology stack you are going to use and the informational architecture of the website. It should also include an instalment plan of timelines with regards to when certain features are going to be released and how to get paid. Be specific but apt in your description on how you are going to accomplish those features. For example, what elements the homepage needs or how you are planning on integrating an external API onto a webpage. This way you are making sure that both parties know what it technically takes to build the project. Knowing what to do ahead of time puts everyone in the right frame of mind and makes a GOOD web developer into a GREAT web developer because you come across as more organised and in the end will get you happier clients and increase your clientele. “Knowing what to do ahead of time puts everyone in the right frame of mind and makes a good web developer into a great web developer because you come across as more organised.” Be clear about your pricing The pricing of the project, be it at a fixed hourly fee or rate based on the project, is the elephant in the room and depends on what features are going to be built. Not all features are created equal and if you do not know this upfront and set the price accordingly, chances are there will be a misunderstanding in the pricing of your work later on. As mentioned earlier, that is why you should put your pricing and an instalment plan in writing and that any additional features beyond what is required are going to cost extra. No payment? Well then good sir, I withhold myself to deploy the server live without payment, Believe me, it is amazing how all of a sudden this can create a cashflow for you get to paid.

If you are thinking about the wonderful world of UX/UI design or you are one of the lucky ones that is already dedicated to this, then you should know that we are in the best moment to be able to transform our ideas into real designs thanks to these top design tools . Good UX/UI design is crucial when it comes to products like apps and webistes. Everybody loves a user-friendly layout and an attractive, smooth-functioning interface. In the digital space, the usability of online media can make or break a website or piece of software. Once the idea for an app or website has been generated, a UX designer needs to ensure that it is intuitive to use, runs smoothly and follows the appropriate style guide in terms of branding, colours, logos, layout and overall style. Functionality and aesthetics both have a part to play for UX/UI designers. Building a Prototype With design app and software development, UX/UI designers plan and design the layout and structure of a product, and an important step in this process is prototyping. Once a developer has gathered all the data, information, needs and goals for a new project, they need to build a prototype, and there are various tools available to do this. In order to perform accurate and useful testing, it is important that the prototype is as close to the real product as possible and reflects its features closely. With this in mind, selecting the best tool for the task is essential. The top 5 prototyping tools Sketch Sketch is a well-known and much-loved UX/UI design tool. It is easy to work with, and it lets you make universal changes at once, for instance, resizing and aligning, layering styles or changing text styles. Implementing changes like these all at once saves designers a lot of time and ensures consistency across the product. There are also plenty of easy-to-integrate plugins available for Sketch that expand on what the tool can do. Plus, it has an in-built option to import, edit and inspect your own code. Sketch offers the option to share prototypes via a browser link or a QR code that lets you test the product on your smartphone or tablet. This is extra beneficial if you need to share the prototype with another team member or co-worker. It is also a great feature for testing a live prototype during the development process First steps with Sketch: Starting with the menu on the left side, we can see its Layer panel with the hierarchy of our layers & groups (the hierarchy is made up of Artboard/Group/ Element). Different pages in the same file (including the symbol page created automatically where all your “master” symbols are organized). The right side menu is reserved for all the properties of both the elements and all the overrides of your symbols . This helps to update your designs in a very simple way. The top bar has tools such as “ Data ” to prototype with random data such as profile pictures, names or cities (very limited). Before this new feature, we needed to use plugins such as Craft . In the upper right corner, we can find the option “Preview” to preview our prototypes . The options we have for these prototypes are too simple (or not so simple if we use the Anima plugin) but good enough to get rid of the old Invisionapp . If you want to know more about the more advanced prototyping tools, pay attention to part 2 of this article. Next to the preview option, we find our Sketch Cloud , one of the most interesting features of this tool, where we can share our designs with customers or create collaborative libraries with all our symbols. This means when we update one of them, we can change all of our designs in a very fast way. On the other hand, in case you are wondering, we can not use this cloud for version control — for that we will need to use external software such as Abstract . As you can see from my previous points, a very good use of Sketch is the possibility of adding plugins , which can give you “superpowers”, but the bad part of this is that they are independent to Sketch, which means that they can be removed, not updated or they can cost extra money. One of the best plugins would be Zeplin (handoff tool). CONCLUSION : Sketch is still the most used design tool because it is a really powerful tool + its plugins (super powers). It will never disappoint you. Figma Figma is a popular, cloud-based design tool. It is similar in layout and functionality to Sketch, but it is highly collaborative and is one of the best prototyping tools for team collaboration. Everyone from UX designers to developers can access and work on a project in Figma. With Slack integration and the option to share projects, pages, frames and files with selected coworkers, Figma is a powerful team-based UX tool. One particularly fun and user-friendly feature is the option to click anybody’s avatar to see their view. Team collaboration aside, Figma is an ideal UX/UI tool for web design and lets you easily adapt the aesthetic of tables, text and grids on a product. There are also some excellent plugins available that expand on the available features and let you build and test very specific prototypes. These include Figmotion for building prototypes of animations and Autoflow for visualising user flows. Fist steps with Figma: On the left side panel, we find something similar to Sketch, where we have our layers with the hierarchy created by us (Frame/Group/Element). We have the option to add different pages in the same file and in the case of creating components , these will appear as a list in the lower tab, something very useful for drag and drop. On the right side we find the property panel , but with an added value since we have different tabs where we can find our prototyping and coding (handoff for developers) options as well. Multiplayer editing is one of the most interesting features in Figma, where a few users are able to work in the same file at the same time. In order to communicate with our clients or co-workers, we have the option of sharing our design file or prototype with just one link or even leaving comments on them to have conversations inside our designs. In the prototype tab, we find simple prototype interactions but with a little more detail than Sketch, so we can create micro interactions such as modals, pop-ups or sidebars, something that together with the Figma mirror app is very useful for our user testing. As long as it is a cloud-based tool, all our designs are going to be not only auto-saved but also uploaded to our unlimited cloud space, so we (or anyone in our team) can access them from any computer just with our internet browser. With Figma, we can also use its integrations: Zeplin , Dribbble , and Avocode . We have no plugins but there is a new functionality to create arrays or replace elements (stack groups) very fast and I am sure you are going to love it. CONCLUSION : Figma is a great tool to work with teams or share your projects with your clients in a fast and in a very effective way but remember that in order to use all its potential, you need to be connected to the internet. Framer X Framer is a powerful UX/UI prototyping tool - note that this tool is best suited to more experienced developers with strong coding skills. Prototypes need to be built with real code in this tool and it goes beyond the requirements of many other design tools. With Framer, you can build interactive, totally functional prototypes very quickly and test factors such as 3D effects, linking pages and button layout. Any product that has a strong visual focus would be well-served by this tool. Framer’s Stacks feature in particular lets you move and replace elements easily and automatically ensures that they are evenly placed on the page. There is a Framer X Store available that has a wide range of extra resources available too, such as media players and live maps, which expands the range of content and features you can test in a prototype. First steps with Framer X: Starting with our layer panel , we can see an automatically created layer hierarchy — something that as soon as we get used to, is going to make our life easier. Although the design structure does not have artboards (canvas) where we can place our designs, we have frames (containers) where we can nest frames with more content and more frames inside. (Inception). We do not have the option to add more pages in our file, something that is not necessarily bad but it is something we will miss if we are used to it. On the right side menu, we find the property panel with a new interesting category — code — where we can inspect, edit or import our own code to create code components for our design system . As special uniques features go, we can design using different interactive tools as “stacks”, “scrolls”, and “pages”. Something else I really like is how easy it is to share my prototypes either with a link on your browser or a QR code so you can mirror it on your device. About prototyping , Framer is probably the most powerful tool right now on the market, but only if you have coding skills or you work with developers so you are going to be able to build your prototypes with real code, not only visuals. Here we have some bad news, in Framer, we don’t have any cloud service (yet). Last but not least, Framer has an in-app store where a lot of designers or design teams upload their work so you can use them in your designs. CONCLUSION : Framer is a really promising design and coding tool in order to create powerful prototypes and react design systems. Great tool to collaborate with developers. Maybe it’s not a tool for beginners especially if you know nothing about coding. Adobe XD Adobe has long been a top player when it comes to design software, and Adobe products are favoured by many people in creative careers. Adobe XD is ideal for anyone who is familiar with other Adobe products and uses them regularly. It provides vector-based tools that let you build and test transitions, interactions and other dynamic features, and it produces high-resolution prototypes. You can also resize and move elements easily with this tool. It is suitable for UI designers as well as graphic designers, and it merges various disciplines in one handy tool. XD tool If you regularly work with other software in the Adobe Suite such as PhotoShop, Lightroom or InDesign, then XD would be one of the best prototyping tools for UX/UI designers to work with. The XD tool also receives regular updates that expand on its range of functions. Marvel The main advantages with Marvel are a strong focus on collaboration and the option for real-time testing with external users. It is an excellent prototyping tool for UX/UI designers who are working as part of a wider team, as it supports communication by allowing any co-worker or employee on a design team to add comments and notes. Teammates can also make changes and all in real-time. This highly collaborative tool lets you build a dynamic, interactive prototype that offers a true impression of the real user experience. Marvel also offers the option to have your prototype tested by real users. It lets you quickly connect with testers and record and analyse their interaction with the prototype. This type of research is invaluable for a lot of products and lets you see how users truly interact with a prototype. Take the first step into UX/UI Design In Ironhack’s UX/UI Designer Bootcamp you will learn how to design user interfaces and understand user experience as well as design implementation, executing an idea and building a prototype. UX/UI design requires both practical skills and creativity. It is an engaging area to study and work in with lots of scope for career development.

More than four billion people around the world still do not have access to the internet, a phenomenon that has become known as the digital gap . Whilst more than 85% of developed regions (Europe and North America) surf the net on a daily basis, less than 40% of Africa can enjoy the same luxury , a continent where gender discrimination affects more women than men: for every 100 men, there are 122 women between 25 and 34 years old living in extreme poverty. Faced by a scarcity of economic resources (many countries are lacking an adequate telecommunications infrastructure, especially in rural areas) and of investment into training qualified individuals to manage this infrastructure and better understand the sector, initiatives such as the one Ironhack launched last September called The Algorithm is Female , are becoming even more necessary for fighting for inclusion and technological development. Nepalese electrical and communications engineer Neha Khachhibhoya was the torch-bearer for an action carried out in collaboration with the Spanish sustainable fashion firm Hemper . The movement was set in motion to try and increase female presence in the technological sector and open the door to opportunities for those women who don’t have daily access to the internet. This is how Neha came to attend the bootcamp at Ironhack ’s campus in Barcelona, having participated in a collaborative event set up in Kathmandu with the NGO Girls in Technology Nepal . Neha Khachhibhoya Nepal is among the five poorest countries in Asia, where 80% of women have never been to school and where only 6% have access to the internet . By helping people like Neha , we help create agents of change who can apply their newly acquired knowledge to resolving problems in society, thus contributing to one of the key SDGs: providing an inclusive, equitable and quality education to all by promoting opportunities for learning. The Chinese-Andalusian illustrator Quan Zhou Wu , best known on social media as @gazpachoagridulce , explains how “not all people are born with the same opportunities. I have more freedom for having been born in Spain: I got a different education and can access dignified work a lot easier than in a developing country. When you’re born in a developed nation, by default you’re going to be better off”. Mundo tech y la mujer – Gazpachoagridulce According to her, “ the internet is an essential lifeline in the fight for equality . It has its pros and cons, given that we’re more susceptible to information intoxication and fake news. But it also allows us to connect with good people, learn from them and even meet them in person. I’ve become very good friends with some people I’ve met online”. In regard to how we can use technology to break down barriers in terms of poverty and discrimination, Quan believes that the creation of platforms can help us raise awareness and empathise with others, to which she adds “our objective should be to enable people that live in poverty and are discriminated against and facilitate their independence, replacing the patriarchal perspective that always refers to helping . It reminds me of the saying, give man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach him how to fish and he will eat forever. The answer lies in education”. Projects such as Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) are working to make broadband a universally accessible resource. That’s their goal, under the premise that that technology is blind to age, gender and borders, making it a fundamental tool for social evolution. Cyberactivism, the collaborative economy and viral campaigns on social media networks are just three examples of catalysts for change that the digital sector plays a vital role in facilitating. But, at the end of the day, inspiring long-term sustainable solutions is a responsibility we must all assume.

We’ve been working on ways to increase access and allow students to take advantage of Ironhack’s education, regardless of location or ability to make it to a physical campus. We’ve adapted best practices from our classroom methodology and developed Remote Live to focus not only on learning but also on creating a community-driven and social experience. You’re probably saying to yourself…”Not another online class” and we agree! Our Remote class couldn’t be more different than your average boring online class. Learning online is a great way to start dabbling in new skills at a low cost… but only 3% of people complete their online learning. That’s what makes Ironhack different. Our courses are designed to give you the support, structure, and community that online courses lack. So Let’s break it down! 1) Class formats In remote live classes, you join the Ironhack Remote campus. Here, you’ll attend live lectures from your instructor with classmates all over the world. Just like any other classroom, you can raise your hand and ask questions, collaborate in breakout rooms and review the classes with our recorded sessions. It’s an excellent way to learn complex subjects, study wherever you want while being held accountable to achieving your career goals However, in traditional online classes, the classes are pre-recorded and self-paced. This allows for more flexibility with no real deadline for completion. The courses usually have a shorter duration and are broken into smaller topics, allowing you to choose what you want to learn. We’ve found this module works well for quick upskilling, however delays the learning objective of career changing. 2) Teacher-student interaction Remote live classes allow direct interaction between teacher and students. You’ll be able to interact with your classmates,guest speakers and Ironhack staff virtually! We hold you accountable with projects, labs and check-ins to make sure you’re keeping up with the pace of the course. This type of communication accelerates the learning process and maintains students’ motivation throughout the bootcamp. Traditional online courses are self-paced learning with little or no interaction with anyone else during this course. Studies have shown that the lack of communication often leads to drop off or faster disengagement. 3) Study routine Remote live courses help you to maintain a constant study routine, as the classes and activities are scheduled in advance.This reduces the temptation for procrastination. If you do miss a class or want to review past content, all lessons will be recorded for you to watch later. In a traditional online course, you choose your study schedule. This way to learn requires a lot of discipline from the student to stay motivated and not to leave studies aside. We’ve found that many students come to Ironhack after completing online courses because they did not have the support or structure to succeed on their own. 4) Career support Especially in Ironhack’s live remote course, you will have the support of our Career Services . Our coaches provide mentoring on how to build a portfolio and sharing techniques to be prepared for the job search. Thanks to this support, 8 out of 10 students find a job after graduating from a bootcamp In a traditional online course, this type of individualized career support service is not usually offered, and students need to seek assistance by other means. 5) Cost investment Let’s be real… Bootcamps can seem expensive. We know that… but they are worth it! Ironhack grads on average make 20% – 40% more after attending our bootcamp. On top of that, in terms of actual course hours, bootcamps offer way more value. Our bootcamps are 400 hours long, which is more than 4 years of typical undergraduate work (at 30 credits a year for 4 years = 360 hours!) Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that the probability of return on this investment is higher, increasing your chances of landing a job in the field in a shorter time. On the other hand, traditional online courses require a lower investment, precisely because their production cost is low and has fewer benefits associated with it. However, it’s a great way to get a basic intro to new languages and frameworks. Which format is best for you? There is no right answer to this question, as it strongly depends on you and your current situation, but if any of these sound like you, it’s time to consider a bootcamp. You think it would be super cool to work at a tech company You’re a bit intimidated of “going back to school” and the cost that is associated with that You’re eager to future proof your career You’ve been mildly or deeply unhappy with your job for at least a year or more You’re looking for careers that allow you to work remote The bottom line, if you want to make a fast and intense career transition, learn the fundamentals of a new technological field, the remote live course is the best option. In contrast, if you want to have a basic contact with a programming language, short online classes may make more sense for you. How to start studying at Ironhack? Live remote courses are the most convenient method to start your career in tech from the comfort and safety of your home. Check out our Remote Web Development bootcamps and join the next generation of digital creators!

Across the European Union, just 24 out of every 1,000 women in higher education are studying programmes related to information and communication technology (ICT). Of those 24, just 6 actually end up working in the digital sector. According to a report carried out by the European Commission entitled Women in the Digital Age , increased female participation in the digital sector would prompt an annual increase in GDP of around 16 billion euros . Aside from being a pressing social concern, the cost of inequality affects both businesses’ and the economy’s productivity. In Spain, we are lucky to have female directors and CEOs in the technological sphere such as Helena Herrero at HP , Marta Martínez at IBM and María Jesús Almanzor at Telefónica España . The same situation can be found in start-ups, such as the one run by Loly Garrido , founder of Gudog, a company that helps dog owners choose from over 14,000 qualified dog-sitters , which is now a huge success in European countries such as France, the United Kingdom and Germany. Loly Garrido – Gudog She believes a good way of stimulating female presence in the digital world would be to “insist that event organisers stop inviting the same four men every year to give talks and presentations. It’s important to recognise the women we know are the best in their field and who have so much to share and teach us”. In Garrdido’s words, “new generations need more female role models who they can learn from and who offer a more egalitarian vision”. Role models such as the first female programmer in history, mathematician Ada Lovelace ; the first person to be awarded two Nobel Prizes in different specialities, Marie Curie , or the North American chemist who conceived the only effective treatment against leprosy until the invention of antibiotics in 1940, Alice Ball . These are just three of the many female scientists who have made life-changing contributions to society, even though it sometimes seems as if history has tried to keep them on the side-lines. At this point, nobody can deny that economic and social advancement is heavily dependent on the transformation of businesses, society and governments to guarantee equal access to degree programmes and jobs. Today, just 12% of cloud computing professionals are women, a figure which rises by only a fraction to 15% of engineers, and 26% of professionals working in data and artificial intelligence. In view of these figures, Loly Garrido explains that “in order to eradicate this imbalance, we need to go back in time and start at the roots; in schools. We should stop assigning certain subjects and professions either to boys or girls, and instead try to facilitate access to technological training for women , something which some platforms are already offering. We need to subsidise women’s entry into technological training until we achieve equality in the classroom”. Under the slogan ‘Tech has no gender’, Ironhack aims to boost female presence through initiatives such as The Algorithm is Female , which helps women gain access to our web development or data analysis bootcamps, thus opening the door to leading national and international tech companies with a positive gender perspective. Vodafone’s Scrum Master and Graphic Facilitator , Susana Sánchez , underlines the importance of working together to achieve a shift in perspective. “It’s necessary and in fact crucial that each and every one of us stand behind this campaign”, she says, highlighting recent proposals such as a call to eliminate names and photographs from CVs , a measure that is becoming increasingly prevalent in an attempt to evaluate nothing else but a candidate’s education and professional experience. Susana Sánchez – Vodafone Susana’s reminder helps us understand the professional reality many women still face today. “When I became a mother, people asked me questions that I now realise I wasn’t obliged to answer. I stared back at many of them when they took an unusual interest in my then only son, asking me questions like was he often unwell, how old was he, how did I cope when he was sick, if I had thought about having another baby, and so on. The interviewers focused more on how I organised my day-to-day life and what my future plans were, than on my CV . My husband, who is the father of the very same children, has never been asked such things in an interview. This is what we should be making a stand against and penalising companies for this kind of malpractice”. If one thing’s for sure, it’s that there’s no more room for excuses. The future of technology has to be female.

Getting out of your comfort zone is no easy thing. It is only after a lot of hesitation and around 50 pros & cons lists that I decided it was time for a career change . Am I Happy? I’m 25 and until earlier this year, my path was pretty straightforward: average student in high school on the scientific path (“science leads to everything,” as most people still believe in France). I chose to study communication and all my high school teachers agreed with that choice: ”you’re always talking in class, so communication seems like a good fit." After an undergraduate degree, a masters degree, internships and my first few jobs, here I am speeding through life in the events industry. Unofficial definition: 5% glamour, 95% burn-out. After 3 years, I started to have some doubts. Do I like this job? Are there more cons than pros? Am I even happy? One thing’s for sure: work is 80% of your week. If you go to work complaining and come back exhausted and insecure, thinking you never want to go to back, then it’s time to leave. And that's exactly what I did. At this point in my life, I really didn’t know what I was going to do. All I knew is I needed something else. So I left everything behind. Learning to code is something I had in the back of my head for a few years. Yet for various reasons, I thought I could never achieve that: I’m a girl and don’t have the “computer science profile” (a common belief which is actually a common mistake), I like tech and innovation but I’m not a geek (a.k.a. I know how to use social media), I suck at math… Anyway, I really didn’t see coding as something I could be successful in. Then I discovered inspiring and powerful communities of women I admire: Girls In Tech , Girls Who Code , Kode with Kloss. I learned that children were being taught how to code because it’s the future and everyone should actually be learning web development. So I thought: "why not me?" I was now convinced I should learn how to code, but wasn’t ready to go back to studying for 5 years at an engineering or computer science school . I had heard about bootcamps: training courses which are intense and short and turn people into web developers. So I went to gather more information. A lot of questions came up: why is it so expensive? What if I don’t like it? What if I suck? What if I don’t get a job afterwards? Regarding the price, it’s actually quite simple: web developers are well-paid. So if you want talented web developers to teach you, you need to pay them a hefty amount. For all the other questions I was asking myself, I couldn't answer them until I actually tried it out. I participated in a workshop organized by Ironhack where they introduced us to HTML and CSS and I knew I loved it immediately! I found it amazing that in 6 hours I was now able to write words and symbols that were incomprehensible by the average person (me 6 hours earlier) and that, once in a browser, these words and symbols became a website. I wanted to learn more. I needed to learn to code. Ironhack Amongst the relatively high number of bootcamps in the Parisian tech ecosystem, my natural choice was to go to Ironhack because they were the ones to taught me to write my first lines of code. Ironhack bootcamps are located 9 cities in Europe and across the globe. The Parisian campus has an amazing and welcoming team, good online reviews (that’s also important), a great space in the center of Paris, a nice vibe and, more importantly, they teach languages and technologies that are up to date with the job market. The importance of choosing the right tech was something I knew nothing about before starting the bootcamp, so it was an amazing surprise for me to see that my post-bootcamp skills matched with 85% of job offers for junior developers. The 9-week bootcamp goes by really, really fast. Classes are in English (Editor’s note: Ironhack now also offers classes in French, but it depends on cohorts) and the teacher was a patient, pedagogical, and resourceful web developer from Miami, the kind of person you meet and you want to listen to for hours. You also get help and support from teaching assistants (TAs) that are often former students of Ironhack (it’s quite nice and reassuring to see that alumni can be good enough to teach what they learned). I was completely lost on my first day. Boom . Maximal difficulty, huge doubts, self-questioning. What am I doing here ? I’ll never make it ! Luckily, I was not alone in that class and peer-support was quickly formed between the Ironhackers, which allowed me to power through these first difficult steps. With perseverance and motivation (my own and my friends’ and family’s), I was able to understand the concepts and get my head above water. Speaking of perseverance, I quickly discovered that 90% of coding is spent solving problems. Boom. Huge Doubts, edition #2 : I hate problems. When it’s too hard, I quit; I have been this way since I was a kid. As far back as I can remember, I never spent too much time trying to solve a math problem or finish a complicated coloring book. That’s where Ironhack and coding taught me many things. I learned to persevere, something I thought I was incapable of until now. I stopped seeing coding as a problem and rather as a game that I am leveling through, bit by bit. At the end of the 9 weeks, 5 of which were spent on concrete projects, no mountain was too high for me to climb. I got out unharmed and grown. Now is the time to leave the not-so-comfortable nest of our classroom and dive into the job market. 15 Companies in 20 Days 15 is the number of companies I met with in the first 20 days after the bootcamp , on the phone, or in their offices. 15 companies, mostly startups, were attracted to my profile and wanted to know more. This was super positive feedback for my first job hunt as a web developer. My search was made easier with platforms like TALENT.IO or YBORDER that connect developers and companies on the job search. Basically, potential employers see your profile on a platform and decide they want to meet with you, which is a simple and easy process. Especially when, like me, you come from an environment with few job offers (aside internships and under-paid, short-term contracts). Web development is not subject to financial and job crises. There are more job offers than there are developers , so you are in a position where you can actually refuse a position which you find isn’t tailored to your needs. Out of these 15 contacts, 7 were followed by a technical test (a must-do step to test your skills) and 3 made me an offer ! For certain technical tests, I was asked to learn new technologies, which was completely doable because the bootcamp taught me how to learn. Being a developer is having a curious mind and using available resources and communities (Google, Stack Overflow, Git, etc.) to keep learning in the long run. The most difficult and systematic question during these interviews was the one where I had to convince the recruiter that yes, after a 9-week bootcamp, I was skilled enough to be hired as a developer. I now feel motivated, thirsty for learning. I want to LIVE code; it’s not “just” a career move anymore, it’s the RIGHT choice, the one that makes me happy and pushes me to improve every day . Exactly 1 month after finishing the bootcamp, I signed my first long-term contract as a Node.js developer , starting in a week. A company is giving me an opportunity and I am motivated and excited like never before. If you choose to remember only one thing from my story, it should be this: you need to believe in yourself and dare to make life-changing decisions. Life is too short to be bored! If you are still doubting that bootcamps and coding are meant for you, I'm the living proof that coding is accessible to anyone and that a short yet intense training is enough if you’re motivated! This blog post was originally posted on Elise’s Medium page. It was translated from French to English by the Ironhack team. If Elise has convinced you that bootcamps could be right for you, feel free to visit our website for more info about the training we offer.

That’s why we chose to make a comparison between JavaScript and Ruby , which are both good languages to start learning how to code. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and it often depends on what your goals are. Let’s dive in! Origins Ruby was invented in 1995 by Yukihiro Matsumoto, who “really wanted a genuine object-oriented with easy-to-use scripting language”. JavaScript was also invented in 1995, but it was built in 10 days by Brendan Eich and was initially thought to be only used in the browser as a front-end language. This had a few consequences… Syntax Ruby’s syntax is easier than JavaScript’s. It is short, easy to visualize, and often has only one way of achieving a result. On the other hand, JavaScript has a lot of curly braces and other “weird” punctuation which might seem a bit off-putting for beginners. It also has multiple ways of achieving a result. It’s true it can sometimes be harder when you have a choice in how to achieve something: just like in cooking where it’s easier to follow a rigorous recipe than to actually cook by choosing the ingredients yourself. Different uses for different people All in all, you might ask yourself: why should I learn JavaScript over Ruby? Seems like a lot of work for similar results, doesn’t it? Well, Ruby is indeed an easy first step to learn how to code. But learning how to code is rarely the end-result you are seeking. There’s probably a reason why you want to learn to code, usually building projects, landing a job in tech, or interacting better with developers. And it turns out that, since its beginnings in 1995, JavaScript has evolved into quite a sophisticated and powerful language . One of the biggest changes in JavaScript’s evolution is the creation of Node.js which has transformed it into a front-end AND back-end language. That means that you can actually build a full-stack Web application using only ONE language . React (released by Facebook in 2011) is another framework that has made JavaScript more powerful on the front-end side of Web applications. Turns out React and Node.js are the top 2 “most wanted” technologies by developers according to Stack Overflow’s 2018 survey, meaning these are the frameworks most current developers want to learn. As far as programming languages go, JavaScript is #2 in the “most wanted” list (at 19%), right behind Python (at 25.1%) which we teach in our Data Analytics course, while Ruby sits at the 16th position at 5.7%. Another huge advantage of JavaScript is its speed. Or rather Ruby is suuuuper slow compared to most programming languages, as you can see in the below table : Source: codeburst.io Speed is crucial to a programming language because it defines how fast your application will be able to perform tasks. For certain tasks, J avaScript can be up to 20x quicker than Ruby , making it a good choice to reduce your costs as your application scales to millions of users . Indeed, performing the same task with JavaScript requires less computing power than with Ruby, meaning that your server infrastructure needs to be a lot more robust if you are using Ruby and want to have the same output as if you were using JavaScript. All in all, the fact that JavaScript can be used to build a full-stack application and that it is a lot faster than Ruby has turned it into the more popular language . Uber, Paypal, LinkedIn are some examples of companies who have switched from Ruby to JavaScript in recent years. A direct consequence is that there are a lot more Web development jobs for JavaScript than there are for Ruby. If you check Indeed.com, you’ll see 8000+ jobs recruiting JavaScript developers in Paris, whereas only 600+ for Ruby.  If your aim is to land a job in tech, there is no question: you should choose JavaScript over Ruby. If you want to launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for your future billion-dollar startup, then maybe Ruby is the way to go because you’ll spend a less time learning and a more time building. Though you should consider the fact that you will probably have to switch to another language if you are indeed successful! So why are most bootcamps teaching Ruby? Most bootcamps are teaching Ruby because most bootcamps were launched in 2012-2013, when Ruby was getting all the hype. Back then, everyone wanted a Ruby developer, and then Node.js and React came along, changing everything. It’s worth mentioning that Ruby can still be a viable option if you are in a “learn fast build fast” mindset (like being able to code a simple website without having to learn too many things). Here at Ironhack we adapt quickly to the market requirements , so we have chosen to teach JavaScript and React in our Web Development Bootcamp . And that’s also why we teach Python in our Data Analytics Bootcamp , as Python is #1 for any data-related jobs. If you want to learn more about our bootcamps, check our courses !

Wi-Fi and a Computer, that’s all a Digital Nomad needs to work from the most beautiful Indonesian beaches or the most hyped cafés in Manhattan. Many of Ironhack alumni, after getting trained in Web Development, UX/UI Design or Data Analytics, have adopted this way of life. We asked them what were their favorite places to work at in the entire world. Here are their 5 favorite destinations that you should consider in 2019: #5 Playa del Carmen | Mexico From Mexico was one of the very first countries to be considered an oasis for Digital Noamds, and for a few valid reasons: their proximity to the U.S., the low cost of living, and last but not least its sublime beaches. Playa del Carmen is just South of Cancun, so if you need to head back to handle an emergency with a client, you’re juste  few minutes away from the airport yet far enough to enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches on Earth. The best place to work at in Playa del Carmen: Nest Coworking. Ideally located downtown on 10th Avenue, Nest Coworking was really built for the needs of Digital Nomads. Oh and it’s 1 minute away from the beach so you can definitely go swimming in between phone calls. IroNomad Score: 7.5/10 #4 Nemi | Italy Nemi is a small village hanging on the edge of a cliff, just South of Rome, and with an amazing view on lake Nemi. Calm and simply gorgeous, this village is less known by Digital Nomads (and maybe that’s a good thing). Rome is only a couple of hours away from most European capitals and tech hubs, and Nemi holds all the advantages a Digital Nomad seeks for when selecting a destination. The best place to work at in Nemi: Specchio di Dana . Grab your computer and just sit outside on the terrace. Their performing Wi-Fi connexion and amazing view should be enough to satisfy your needs. Though if you need more convincing : the Spritz is pretty damn delicious as well. IroNomad Score : 8/10 #3 Canggu, Bali | Indonesia We had to include Bali in our selection, simply because you would not have trusted anything we say if we didn’t. Yet it’s true that Bali has something for every person who lays foot on the mythical Indonesian island. Whether you like surfing, yoga, food, party or simply enjoying the good vibes, Canggu is simply ideal. You can rent a studio for around 300€/month and eat for 2€, and enjoy living by the beach in one of the most beautiful places. Bali, what else? The best place to work at in Canggu: Echo Beach Restaurant. Take your computer out to enjoy this wonderful house on stilts with typical Balinese food while building the next top-trending Product Hunt product. IroNomad Score : 8.5/10 #2 Ljubljana | Slovenia No you did not misread that, we are definitely talking about Slovenia. One might not think of this as a top-tier destination for Digital Nomads, and one would be wrong. Slovenia has amazing and varied scenery. Want to go skiing? Slovenia’s got you covered. Want to go swimming? Slovenia’s got quite a large border with the Adriatic sea. Want to go relax at a spa? Slovenia’s got amazing watersprings. The only hard thing is to find the time to work between all those activities. In Ljubljana, the capital, the cost of living is very reasonable, at about 2,5€/beer and less than 10€ for a complete meal. The best place to work at in Ljubljana: Poligon . For 95€/month, you get unlimited access to this great co-working space (including meeting rooms) where you can engage with facinating people from Slovenia and the rest of the world. IroNomad Score : 9/10 #1 Santa Teresa | Costa Rica The charming ambiance of this little town on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica has no equal. Hundreds of surfers head for the waves every day of the week, join them or just close your eyes and listen to the birds singing. Open them and you’ll see miles of white sand and not too many tourists. Did you know Costa Rica hasn’t had an army since 1945 and invested all that budget into the preservation of their environment? At Ironhack, we believe this is the way to go and Santa Teresa is probably the place to be for all Digital Nomads. The place to work at in Santa Teresa : Zwart Café . Located on the town’s main road, this café, which is also where the owner-artist works, offers delicious fresh meals all day long. Made of white wood and located about 1 minute away from the beach, this is definitely the best place for Digital Nomads looking to escape. IroNomad Score : 9.5/10 Do you know of any other amazing places for Digital Nomads to work in? Let us know! And if you’re dreaming of becoming a Digital Nomad yourself, check out our Web Development , UX/UI , and Data analytics Bootcamps on our website.

Attending a coding bootcamp in another country is like signing up for a triathlon and then requesting to do it blindfolded. It’s intense, it’s exhausting, and you’re probably going to make a fool of yourself. So far, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I decided to attend Ironhack’s intensive full-stack web development bootcamp several months after moving from Washington, DC, to Mexico City. While I didn’t move to Mexico with the intention of joining a bootcamp, I had come with a career change in mind, and after several months of freelancing and interviewing with digital agencies and start-ups, I realized I would need to invest more in my programming skills if I wanted to move to the next level. At any given moment, I understand about eighty percent of what’s going on. It didn’t take me long to stumble upon Ironhack, a top-ranked global tech school and one of the only intensive options for aspiring developers in Mexico. I’d investigated bootcamps in the United States before, but many of them inevitably overlapped with the front-end knowledge I already had. Ironhack’s focus on full-stack app development seemed ideal for me. While I was apprehensive about diving in to a bootcamp experience in my second language, joining a class of twenty people around my age seemed like a unique opportunity to improve my linguistic and cultural fluency. (According to Course Report, the average coding bootcamp student is thirty years old .) I’m now seven weeks in to the nine-week program, which has flown by in a blur of new information and skills. By week 3, we were building video games using pure JavaScript and HTML5 Canvas — mine a Mexico City-themed Frogger, a small homage to my new home. We’re now embarking on our final individual projects, MEAN stack applications that incorporate a REST API, acronyms I was only vaguely familiar with two months ago. But my experience has been so much richer than a crash course in JavaScript frameworks. Attending a bootcamp in Mexico has offered me a glimpse into the country’s budding tech and start-up sector. And it’s highlighted the ways in which English speakers are at an advantage in the tech world at large: programming languages, of course, are written in English. Perhaps not plain English, but at least a kind of robot English. And despite Ironhack having been founded in Spain, all of its course materials are in English. For people around the world who embark on a career in tech, a strong foundation in English is essential; it’s something that native speakers of the language can so easily take for granted. One way this manifests in my program is our tendency to program in Spanglish. We write half of our JavaScript variables in English and the other half in Spanish; our Git commits shift from one language to the other. It feels reflective of the larger tech industry’s multilingualism. As developers, it’s likely that we’ll at some point work on international teams. Why not practice code-switching now?

This whole mess started a long time ago. I was only 12 years old and my father, a quite successful computer science engineer, was making a superhuman effort to try to answer my question: why did a single 3.5-inch floppy disk (known back then as a “micro-disk”) could hold as much information as 18 of the larger, decade older, 8-inch predecessors? (A reasonable question that every 12-year-old kid needs have answered to go on about life.) It did not make sense to me how something a quarter as small in size could be in fact be several times larger in data storage capacity. Needless to say, I’ve had a profound love for technology since I was very young. As my current Ironhack teacher and mentor Hector Bliss puts it, “If you have not accidentally deleted your operating system, you really have not lived”. Oh boy, have I lived! Especially when I couldn’t get the household PC to turn on after installing that upgrade everyone said was not needed; I still couldn’t resist trying it out the new graphics and finding out if it made it faster. I’m quite certain that my brother has not forgiven me yet for deleting that school project he had worked on for weeks and was due the following day or my mother’s accounting books that were lost forever. In all fairness, who could have possibly anticipated that a harmless operating system upgrade could go sour? Backups are for losers! Or so I used to believe. On my mother’s side, it had always been about the family’s chemical business; growing up we were expected to lend a hand to my grandfather, one of the founders. Against all odds, I decided to take the advice and go into chemistry instead of tech and coding in college. I was also very lucky to attend what is arguably the best chemistry program in Mexico. The resulting degree was a shiny diploma but, to my astonishment, no job for me at the family business due to internal grudges amongst partners at the time. There I was, unemployed, without a buck in my pocket and, most importantly, unhappy. After holding a couple of jobs elsewhere, my older brother, a chemical salesman, and I decided to start a company in material science based on recycled goods. It started as a way to make a bit more money to cover for rising school tuitions for both his children and my daughter. Noble as the idea of recycling waste is, I admit we both desperately needed the extra income. We identified an opportunity to use recycled plastics and other wastes to create first grade materials for new plastic products that could compete at a lower price compared to the regular rate. As profitable and awesome as it turned out to be, the process of stabilizing the product quality and with it the overall business took a long time, came at high cost, and met inhumane resistance from both competitors and collaborators alike. But we survived, and that resulted in a change in the way these specific materials are manufactured for good — a small but meaningful improvement to the world, which is more than many start-ups can say. The ride has been rewarding! Yet, for me, not entirely fulfilling since I still feel technology calling. Since I left college, I have tried over and over, quite unsuccessfully, to go into tech. Specifically software development, which I find both thrilling and limited only by imagination. Also, I believe that software is the most important and fastest driver to improve many of the world’s problems. Yet the only entry point to this fascinating industry, at least in my mind, was going back to college to study computer science, which does not really guarantee an entrance to the code development industry in these lightning-fast, ever-changing tech industry days. Also, the time and financial investments are considerable, especially if you have a family to support at the same time. After a somewhat lucky search, I learned about this ultra-fast and efficient program called Ironhack, a coding bootcamp designed as a way to close the gap between the tech industry’s need for qualified developers and the people looking at becoming developers. This program promised some ambitious results, including coding a video game at the end of week 2, going from no coding experience to full-stack web developer in a total of 9 weeks, and helping you land a job in the field afterwards. Ironhack, which was listed amongst the best scored programs in most listings, was practically in my backyard being in the city where I lived. It took me half a minute to get in touch with them and sign myself up for the next session. I’m about to finish my web development program at Ironhack Mexico . It has been a rough ride learning an enormous amount of information in an extremely short amount of time along with really talented and competitive individuals. The result has turned out to be fantastic — a ride that resembles more a roller coaster then a college class. Ironically, this also turns out to be the best explanations of why the 3.5-in floppy disk stores many times more data than its larger size predecessor: “intensity.” Just like the Ironhack program, intensity, ambition and reinvention is what brings Ironhack to the next level in expert coder development. Recently, I was watching a meet-up talk by Hector Bliss where he pleaded with everyone to “not be a hater and not to listen to haters." He defined “haters” as the people that did not share their coding knowledge. He insisted we should also be inviting to others in this wonderful and young web and software tech industry, one that benefits more from group collaboration then any individual talent. “There is room for everyone who really wants in.” I felt those words almost like a divine sign that keeps inviting me forward and asking me not to surrender, reassuring that the ride will be rough but there will be help along the way. I wish I could also say that my transition to this new challenge and industry has been fully realized and that I feel certain about where I am going next in this plan to reinvent myself, or at least that the unknown ahead isn’t scary. But what I can say is that I am an Ironhacker and that I am going forward with the next challenge. So bring it on! - Pablo Turati

Badi, a simple and practical app, connects tenants and their vacant rooms with people searching for just that: rooms for rent in a shared space. Available on the GooglePlay  and  iTunes, Badi offers an intelligent match between supply and demand in which every party wins. Badi now is on TV with a spot and the app was developed by Alberto Betalla, ex-Lead Instructor at Ironhack Barcelona, and two Ironhackers, David Santos and Oriol Bellido. David and Oriol completed Ironhack’s Web Development Bootcamp in Barcelona and won the inaugural HackShow at the Barcelona campus. Realizing the benefits of teamwork, the two collaborated on their final project: Myfridge. Myfridge is an app focused on managing the “entrance and exit” of food into a freezer, digitalizing the dates on the receipts for when the food was purchased. For the development of this app, they relied on the collaboration of Ulabox , which gave them access to their API. We interviewed these awesome Ironhackers to learn more about their new app: What have you liked most about the process of developing Badi? Alberto: The challenge! The startup pace is very quick and is very different from that at larger companies. In the case of Badi, in less than a year, we managed to get an investment of more than 1 million euros and an advertising campaign in the major national TV channels. The TV campaign that began in late August involved a total redesign of the cloud and software architecture to support a growing number of users. For this reason, for the launch on TV, we decided to develop from scratch a new API and a new database in just two months. We slept (very) little, but we did it, and it gives a lot of satisfaction to see that we now have over 100,000 users and our backend is still working very well. Oriol: Fully developing the backend of Badi from scratch has been a great challenge for a novice programmer like me. You learn at a crazy fast pace, just like at Ironhack , and we appreciate that the demanding nature of the course prepared us to deal with the frenzy. As explained our fearless leader, we’ve devoted many hours to Badi… but we’ve enjoyed them all… To be brief: It’s been an intense, exciting and, luckily, tremendously rewarding experience. David: On a purely technical level, the best part was being able to start part of the project from scratch, and making all of the decisions regarding the technology stack, style, development flow, services, etc., together. On the other hand, it was also great to see that that all work had an immediate impact, together with visibility of starting a TV campaign. To find these two points simultaneously isn’t easy, and I feel very fortunate to be experiencing this phase of company growth. What do you like most about working together on Badi? Alberto: The best part of working at Badi is that you’re never bored. It seems ironic to say this, but those of us that work in technology know that the worst enemy is boredom. We’re not scared to face unexpected challenges or constantly bet on new technologies; that’s actually what we’re passionate about and what we search for. At Badi, we have a development roadmap that will give us new opportunities and adventures in the short and long term; and stimulates our curiosity daily. We are going to introduce a lot of new things in our app in the next few months. It’s going to be a lot of fun! Oriol: Comradeship, passion, and guaranteed laughs. And a top-notch tech team! David: When you start at a new company, you always have doubts about what you’ll find, about whether everything they’ve told you about the job is true, about how your coworkers will be. But joining Badi was totally different. I already knew Oriol really well, he was a fellow student in my Ironhack cohort and my project partner, and Alberto was our Lead Instructor, so I knew what I was signing up for, and I knew I was going to like it. What do you like most about Ironhack? Alberto: Talking about technology specifically, Ironhack played a fundamental role in the launching of our API, which coincided with our TV campaign. In fact, the in-house Badi team right now is 100% made up of Ironhackers. Ironhack allowed us to find each other and learn together through modern educational paradigms like “learn by doing.” Second, the fact that we were part of the Ironhack community gave us the huge advantage of getting to know wonderful colleagues that work in local and international companies. The community members are available to offer quick suggestions and advice, and we took took advantage of their connections many times in the last couple of months to get an outside opinion. Many of those connections are also professors or mentors in the Ironhack bootcamps , like Tair of Dockbit who helped us out these past couple of months to build out a cloud infrastructure that will make the competition jealous Oriol: Without any doubt, the people. The community at Ironhack is spectacular. It’s a fantastic group of humans with a lot of drive to learn and never stop. I want to emphasize that Ironhack doesn’t just offer an amazing education experience. In fact, a big part of the value comes from the valuable connections that it makes available to you from day one, which any smart future alumni will take the maximum advantage of. David: It’s cheesy but true: it’s the people. The Ironhack community is incredible. In the end, you realize that a lot of the tech community in Barcelona has passed through here or come to learn more, attend talks, workshops… So, once you’ve done Ironhack, it’s hard to leave it. There’s always more to learn. ————— Through our Alumni Program , we like to keep in touch with our talented coders and follow the development of successful apps like Badi , which show that we really are creating “the next generation of digital builders.” Keep coding David and Oriol!

With the help of a few alumni testimonials and our admissions team, I’ll show you how very normal, non-rich people are paying for coding bootcamps, but most importantly you’ll learn why the investment is worth it. First from your pocket, then from theirs Paying for a coding bootcamp is similar to starting your own business. You will first try to self-fund it with your own cash. So, if you have the money then the problem is solved. Wait, you don’t have the money? Then you’ll ask your friends and family for an investment. What? They can’t help you out? Then it’s time to go to the bank and ask for a loan. Most people don’t have $11,000 just sitting around “About 50% of Ironhack students finance their tuition, some even do it with a financing partner that works closely with bootcamps like Ironhack. For example, Ironhack Miami uses Skills Fund and Climb Credit which allows students to make payments over the course of 3-5 years, to reduce the burden of one lump payment.” -Alia Poonawala, Ironhack admissions team Both Skills Fund and Climb Credit specialize in helping highly motivated students get the financial help they need to attend a coding bootcamp. Financing solutions like these try to make it as easy as possible for bootcamp students to finance their education with flexible payment plans and special interest rates. “Ironhack Madrid and Barcelona work with Banco Sabadell and Quotanda to help students finance the cost of their bootcamp.” -Claudia Losada, Ironhack admissions team Financing options will vary from country to country. So it’s best to speak with us directly to know more about the financing options available to you. A drop in the bucket when compared to other educational options Our students really put it best and while I wish that I could cram in here testimonials from our 600+ graduates, you can go to Course Report and SwitchUp to read more testimonials. Here’s what recent grad Tatjana had to say when asked “are coding bootcamps only for the rich”. “I think that compared to other education, what you have to pay for a Bootcamp is not really expensive. There’s this Stanford I would love to take but it’s $12K and you have to live in the States for a week. And that is really not cheap. And it’s for a week! Then there are masters programs but you have to pay for a semester $25K. Then there’s the education in the States, what you have to pay privately . I think this is worth it and this is not a lot and then you can save this money within one or two years. This is not a really big deal.” – Tatjana Nebel , Ironhack alumni 2016 She brings up a great point. If we simply look at costs, then a coding bootcamp is a much smaller investment when compared to going back to college or a masters program. In the bigger picture, we all want to know what the “ROI” is for a coding bootcamp. What will you get out from the money you invest? $50K/avg. salary for Ironhack Miami students within 3 months of graduating “At a coding bootcamp, your average tuition in the US is around $11K , but most students have very clear goals as to what they want to attain. Most commonly, it’s a job as a developer. For the job-seeking candidate, it’s very easy to calculate ROI- most of our students are making an average of $50K here in Miami within 3 months of graduating, which means they recoup the cost of the bootcamp pretty quickly.” -Alia Poonawala, Ironhack admissions team It’s definitely a great time to change careers into coding. There are tons of jobs and the pay is great. But one of the biggest benefits of investing in a coding bootcamp is the continuous career support offered by Ironhack . Lifelong career support “The final “career” week of the Ironhack bootcamp culminated in a job fair on campus where 7 students interviewed with 10 companies. To me, that alone was worth the bootcamp’s expense!” – Courtney Williams , Ironhack alumni 2017 ( Course Report review ) Since the start, our goal has been to place 100% of our students. We dedicate a lot of our time to establishing great relationships with local hiring partners and we’re always searching for excellent companies that have a tech team where our students can continue to develop. “Ironhack provided great job assistance. Of course, I had to do 99% of the work following their strategic advice, but they set up interviews with companies (I received a job offer from one of them), provided useful resources and followed up with me on the phone almost weekly for practical advice and encouragement. As a result, I received a few job offers and am currently working for a growing tech company (where my colleagues know the Ironhack lead instructor).” -H.M., Ironhack alumni 2015 ( Course Report review ) That’s a fact. We can provide the teaching, job prep and hiring opportunities but it’s up to you to land the job. The good thing is that the vast majority of our graduates to land a job, and they land it fast. “Well for me it paid off big time because it’s already been two years working and I’m supporting my family. So for me it worked out great. Of course it depends if you go in there spend the money and you don’t get a job later, or you get a job and you’re not that good and you decide to switch careers. It’s a total waste of money but of course it depends on the on the outcome after that. But for me it was very good investment.” – Alessandro Martin , Ironhack alumni 2016 There you have it. No, you don’t have to be rich to join a coding bootcamp. You can see that what you pay is an invest which unlocks a new career path.It will Committing to a coding bootcamp will take a leap of faith, not only in us but, in yourself as well. Good luck and never forget that we’re here to help you along the way. You can always speak with us to talk about all of your doubts and worries. We’re here to help.