How Bootcamp Alum Olivia Graham Supercharged Her Coding Skills

Many students choose to enroll in a tech bootcamp following a period of self-learning. At Fullstack Academy, we believe a bootcamp experience provides the structure and accountability that can sometimes be absent from a fully self-led approach. However, self-learning and bootcamp complement each other. The combination of these learning approaches can help expand your knowledge base and refine your career path based on what interests you the most.

Michigan Engineering Pro-Ed Coding Bootcamp graduate Olivia Graham describes her introduction to tech education as a professional experience that then led to a more specialized personal endeavor:

“Before starting the bootcamp, my experience in tech was limited. I completed an internship as an SE Strategic Programs Intern, where I supported sales engineers within the company. More recently, I was teaching myself Python, although I didn’t have a specific direction or end goal at that time.”

In beginning to teach herself a programming language, Graham proved to herself that she was capable of learning coding concepts. This inspired her to pursue more advanced skills at an accelerated pace by enrolling in coding bootcamp:

“My bootcamp experience has been intense, but rewarding. The pace of learning is fast, but Fullstack Academy offered me support throughout the course to succeed. The learning portion flew by but by then, I felt I knew how to make projects on my own. The structured curriculum and supportive environment helped tremendously.”

Now that Graham was learning to code with consistent instructional time on top of well-defined independent and group work, her skills multiplied quickly:

“The U-M Nexus Coding Bootcamp has equipped me with several highly valuable skills. Among them, proficiency in languages and frameworks such as JavaScript, React, and Node.js stands out. Additionally, learning about databases, APIs, and software development best practices has been crucial.”

A bootcamp environment made all the difference in building and expanding Graham’s skill set. And although those skills were hard-won on an individual level, her exceptionally supportive bootcamp community helped to keep her on track amid the rigorous pace:

“The most challenging aspect of bootcamp has been the volume of information and the speed at which it's taught. However, the scheduled breaks and workshops make it easier to retain the material. The support I've received throughout the bootcamp has been excellent; mentors, teachers, and classmates have all been incredibly helpful in clarifying concepts and providing guidance.”

Far from being intimidated by the rigor of bootcamp, Graham saw it as an opportunity to continually build upon her abilities to thrive in tech. Tech training allowed her to hone those abilities, but it was her mindset that saw her through to the end. When asked what advice she would give to aspiring tech professionals, Graham says, “Believe in yourself!”

Want to rapidly supercharge your own tech skills? Explore the Michigan Engineering Pro-Ed Coding Bootcamp.