From Bar Backing to Ethical Hacking | How Coding Dojo Alumni John C Changed His Career Path

Jun 07, 2023 11:15 PM - 3 years ago 62686

Disclaimer: Coding Dojo cannot guarantee employment, salary, aliases profession advancement. The acquisition of this alumnus/alumna whitethorn not beryllium typical of each students.  

Pre-Dojo:
  • Worked arsenic a barroom backmost astatine a section arcade
  • Was tired of pursuing industries and jobs he wasn’t passionate about
  • Wanted to find a profession wherever he could beryllium the champion type of himself, proceed to learn, and thief others
 After Dojo:
  • Works arsenic a Cybersecurity Technical Coach
  • Developed a master web and made lifelong friends
  • Has a varied and beardown knowledge instauration to build connected and is comfortable facing caller challenges.

Program: Online Part-Time Cybersecurity

Graduation Date: January 2023

Testimonial:

“As graduation approached I felt comfortable pinch the skills I had gained done the program. I knew nevertheless that location was still truthful overmuch to learn, but having specified a varied and beardown instauration to build connected made maine comfortable to look caller challenges.”

Tell america a small astir yourself! Age, hobbies, passions, wherever you grew up, wherever you unrecorded now, and immoderate different nosy facts!

My sanction is John, I’m 25 years old. Hobbies and passions see riding motorcycles, skydiving, photography, animation/vfx, and continuing to study much astir cybersecurity, ethical hacking,  and programming. Also precocious started getting into raspberry pi projects. I grew up successful Chicago, IL and now unrecorded successful Skokie, IL. Other nosy facts see being a feline dad.

What were you doing professionally earlier bootcamp?

Before bootcamp I had spent years moving successful a number of different information fields, the longest being successful precocious liability proscription and ATM servicing. I switched industries a fewer times pinch the astir utmost point being a skydive coach and yet worked astatine a really cool aged schoolhouse arcade barroom successful Chicago while attending the bootcamp.

Tell america why you enrolled successful Coding Dojo? Were you unhappy pinch your existent role? Yearning for a alteration successful profession path?

I enrolled successful the Coding Dojo because I was tired of pursuing industries and jobs I really wasn’t passionate about. The point that motivated maine the astir was the agelong word extremity I had group for myself aft spending truthful galore years emotion for illustration I was wasting time. My extremity was to find a profession I could beryllium the champion type of myself successful arsenic good arsenic a spot I could proceed to learn, beryllium challenged, and thief others too. I’ve ever wanted my activity to make a quality successful the world but ne'er really recovered a way offered anyplace other wherever I could study to do that. Coding Dojo offered the flexibility, tools, and knowledge to thief maine execute my goal.

Why did you take Coding Dojo complete different bootcamps?

The biggest facet successful helping maine determine to be Coding Dojo complete different bootcamp programs was the Career Services and the voucher programme (CompTIA Sec+ & CompTIACySA+ vouchers) offered astatine programme completion. Not galore different bootcamps I looked into offered these services and having that other assistance was a large crippled changer some during and aft completing the course.

What were your thoughts going into bootcamp? Were you nervous? Excited? All of the above?

Nervous and excited are beautiful bully words to sum up the feelings starring up to the commencement of the bootcamp. I ever wondered, did I cognize enough? Will it beryllium excessively hard? Will I person time? Is it worthy it? What if I don’t get a job? There’s a batch of uncertainty that tin beryllium really noisy erstwhile starting thing new, but conscionable knowing that you came present to study and giving it your each decidedly helps trim done it.

Did you look immoderate obstacles successful bootcamp? If so, really did you flooded them?

I judge the biggest obstacle I faced during bootcamp was time. I had to find clip and make time. The bootcamp was a committedness and conscionable for illustration galore different commitments, sometimes you person to sacrifice immoderate things to make judge you enactment connected task. A batch of times vexation pinch definite lessons and assignments would group successful but location was ever personification I could scope retired to if I ever had a problem I perfectly couldn’t solve.

What was it for illustration during your first fewer weeks successful bootcamp? What did you enjoy? What did you struggle with?

The first fewer weeks of bootcamp were really exciting. I bask learning and being challenged truthful being introduced to a ton of caller programs and terminology and figuring retired really it each useful together was a batch of fun. The point I struggled pinch astir would astir apt beryllium conscionable taking quicker notes. There’s truthful overmuch caller accusation and it each seems truthful important, but pinch clip you find the equilibrium of what’s much and what’s little important for notes.

What proposal would you stock pinch others considering bootcamp? What astir those presently successful bootcamp?

Advice I would springiness to personification considering this bootcamp is… if you’re superior astir changing careers and want to get your champion ft guardant for the future, commencement today. I find myself now often saying “I wish I started yesterday” and a batch of different group successful the section I person recovered opportunity the aforesaid thing. It’s a committedness and finance successful yourself and for the sacrifice you make now you tin group yourself up to person a ace awesome profession successful a section you mightiness person ne'er imagined yourself in. The sooner you start, the sooner you will get to wherever you request to go.

For those presently successful bootcamp, I cognize it gets difficult and there’s a ton of disorder and frustration, and it tin beryllium overwhelming astatine times, but don’t springiness up. If you get stuck connected a problem and you perfectly can’t fig it out, inquire for help. You tin study a batch done struggle, but there’s a equilibrium betwixt learning and frustration. Remember you’re truthful overmuch person to reaching your goals coming than you were yesterday. Remember that if you sincerely springiness it your all, you will succeed. You are not spending time, you are spending your life, make it count and do thing amazing!

Do you person immoderate nosy memories to stock astir your clip successful bootcamp?

My champion memories astatine bootcamp decidedly ever happened during the speech sessions. To commencement disconnected with, I ever wore these pinkish cat-ear headphones that decidedly made students and instructors smile, and conscionable the wide closeness you could build by taking the clip to study astir different people. I still support successful interaction pinch a batch of my chap graduates from bootcamp and not only is it a bully opportunity to network, but it’s besides a awesome measurement to make lifelong friends.

What was your favourite stack, project, aliases module to learn? Why?

My each clip favourite module to study was astir buffer overflow and the metasploit modules. I retrieve it being ace breathtaking gaining entree to my first susceptible strategy and reasoning to myself, wow I’m really hacking, aliases exploiting, aliases vulnerability hunting. It was benignant of for illustration the worldly of movies but really learning the skills and doing it reminded maine of why I chose this. Buffer overflow was different bully 1 because it had to beryllium the longest moving task we had but besides the astir rewarding.

As graduation approached, really assured were you successful your caller accomplishment set?

As graduation approached I felt comfortable pinch the skills I had gained done the program. I knew nevertheless that location was still truthful overmuch to learn, but having specified a varied and beardown instauration to build connected made maine comfortable to look caller challenges.

Aside from credentials, what other did you time off bootcamp with? (soft skills, motivation, confidence, etc.)

Aside from credentials, I deliberation much importantly I near pinch a really beardown web of group I knew I would beryllium interacting pinch moreover aft we graduated. I deliberation that this was really important because you get that consciousness of camaraderie and support from group who person gone done the aforesaid things you have. I’m really happy whenever I spot the group I graduated pinch walk caller certifications aliases commencement caller positions.

How did the occupation hunt go? Where did you extremity up working?

After graduation the occupation hunt became very serious, but I americium very thankful I wasn’t unsocial successful it. My Career Services Representative was decidedly a awesome motivator and assets to constituent maine successful the correct guidance and support maine going moreover erstwhile the occupation hunt was becoming frustrating. I had astonishing opportunities to question and reply pinch different authorities agencies, defense contractors, and yet landed astatine FlatIron School arsenic Cybersecurity Technical Coach.

What did it consciousness for illustration to person your first occupation offer? Or to get that first paycheck successful tech?

My first guidance to my first occupation connection was alleviation judge it aliases not. I was conscionable very happy to beryllium successful the section I had studied truthful difficult to go a portion of. My first cheque and swag kit really helped make it consciousness each the much existent knowing I’m really here, making a quality successful my life and successful the lives of others besides wanting to amended their profession opportunities.

What are your goals and dreams for the future? Career aliases otherwise.

My eventual extremity is to activity alongside the astonishing minds astatine the Army’s Military Intelligence Brigade and thief others get their commencement successful their ain cybersecurity careers arsenic well.

If you are willing successful pursuing a caller profession path, Coding Dojo bootcamp offers accelerated learning programs designed to thief you study the skills you want. We connection some part-time and full-time online coding programs, arsenic good arsenic programs training you connected Data Science and Cybersecurity. We besides connection financing options, scholarships, and different tuition assistance programs for those who qualify.

If you want to put successful yourself, location is nary clip for illustration the present! If you’re interested, usage this link to schedule a 15-minute exploratory convention pinch 1 of our Admissions Advisors today.

REQ1942461  6/2023

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