“Northcoders prepared us with real-world practices like working with tickets, using Kanban boards, and participating in code reviews. Our project work mimicked real production environments.”
1. When did you graduate from Northcoders?
January 2023.
2. What’s your role and which company do you work for?
I’m the founder of CodeM Labs – a software agency that works with clients while also building our own in-house Micro-SaaS products.
3. Are you enjoying your role?
Yes, I’m really enjoying it. It of course comes with its challenges but it’s a place where I am happy to be right now in my career.
4. How did you find your time on the bootcamp?
It was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my recent career. Northcoders offered a truly transformative foundation in software development – especially for someone like me who had no prior coding experience. It was an intense deep dive into core principles, and it completely reshaped how I think and solve problems.
5. What were you doing before the bootcamp?
I was working in higher education administration.
6. What made you interested in moving into tech?
My interest sparked when I started helping my father with his e-commerce business. I found myself naturally drawn to troubleshooting and gradually began picking up basic HTML and CSS. That exposure planted a seed – I realised there was significant opportunity in tech and became curious about how I could build things myself. I always had the ambition of eventually starting my own business, and learning to code felt like the right step. After leaving my last job, the timing felt right to take the leap, and I enrolled at Northcoders.
7. What made you choose Northcoders?
Firstly, the location was convenient. Secondly, the admissions team was incredibly helpful and responsive – they answered all my questions with clarity. I also looked into graduate outcomes and reviews at the time, which were very positive. The availability of a scholarship sealed the deal for me – I felt confident I was making the right decision.
8. What was the support like on the course?
This was one of the most defining features of Northcoders. The support was phenomenal – from the lead tutors to the teaching assistants, everyone was genuinely invested in our learning. I still remember some of the analogies used to explain complex concepts – one tutor (Jim Stevenson) used pumpkins to explain array mutability to me, it was around Halloween time and so there were a fair few pumpkins in the Leeds office and during lunch I went to Jim to get some further help on mutable vs immutable types, he used the pumpkins to help me build a visual model of the differences – and that visual still sticks with me to this day! The team always gave you their time.
What also stood out was the camaraderie among the students. The friendships I formed during the bootcamp have been one of the most rewarding aspects of the experience. I’m still in touch with the team I worked with on my final project – they’ve become close friends, and we continue to support each other’s journeys in tech.
Pair programming played a huge role in this. It encouraged collaboration, mutual learning, and peer-to-peer support. Working closely with others helped me see how different people approach problems and build mental models – often, if I was stuck on a concept, a peer could explain it in a way that finally made it click. That collaborative environment was invaluable and really fostered a sense of community throughout the course.
Here is a name check of the amazing tutors that I’d like to thank, Jim Stevenson, Liam Duncan, Rayhaan Ugharadar, Simon Jackson and the phenomenal Kev Morel (biased as he was my tutor).
9. How much support did you receive from Northcoders with your job search after the course?
There were several support mechanisms in place. Toward the end of the course, our CVs were reviewed by the in-house careers team. We also attended a careers event where we met employers that Northcoders had relationships with, and we had access to a dedicated job portal featuring roles exclusive to Northcoders graduates. On top of that, there were mock interviews and interview prep sessions. While I didn’t get my first role directly through the job portal, the CV support definitely played a big part in helping me land my first opportunity.
10. Do you think that Northcoders prepared you well for your role?
Absolutely. Northcoders prepared us with real-world practices like working with tickets, using Kanban boards, and participating in code reviews. Our project work mimicked real production environments, where we submitted code for review and received feedback before it was approved – just like in industry. We were taught to build our knowledge progressively – for example, with JavaScript, we started with callbacks before learning promises and async/await. React was introduced after we had a solid grounding in vanilla JavaScript, HTML and CSS.
We also tackled legacy code principles, which was useful since many real-world jobs involve maintaining existing codebases. For our final project, we deliberately chose to use a new language (Python) to challenge ourselves, which gave us further perspective on different paradigms.
11. What advice would you give to anyone thinking about applying?
Firstly, be serious about it. If you’re considering this path just because tech offers good salaries, but you’re not prepared to put in the effort, it might not be for you. Coding requires dedication and consistent learning.
Secondly, do your research – speak to graduates, attend Northcoders’ open days, and reach out to staff. My experience was excellent, but it’s important that you make an informed decision based on your own circumstances.
Thirdly, get involved in the local tech community. Attend meetups to understand the types of roles available and what companies are looking for. Cities like Leeds, Manchester and others have vibrant tech ecosystems, and many local employers are familiar with Northcoders graduates – which speaks volumes about the bootcamp’s reputation.
Lastly, make use of free resources – YouTube, blogs, AI tools – to explore the coding landscape before or during the course. Northcoders will give you a solid start, but the more you engage with the wider ecosystem, the better your outcomes will be.