Mindera Code Academy is a part of the Mindera family. We aim to rock the world of wannabe programmers by teaching them the skills they need to be part of the fantastic and ever-evolving IT world. By taking the intensive courses, graduates can kick start their career as software developers - it’s excellent for people looking to change careers or even just learn something new!

But how can you just take our word for it? How do you know the course is worth it in the end?

Well, we have the answer right here - we caught up with some Bootcamp graduates to find out exactly what they thought of their time in the Mindera Code Academy.

“First, I took the WarmUp course that started in February 2022. The classes were remote, twice a week, after work. There I had a grasp of what programming was, and I did my first “Hello world” program, written in JavaScript. As I got more and more into learning how to code, I understood that this is something I would like to do in the future, so I enrolled in the Mindera Code Academy.

Before participating in the academy, I was a Minder already: for two years, I was working in Mindera, managing facilities of the Aveiro and Coimbra offices. At the beginning of 2022, I was looking for something more ambitious that suited me, which made me join the WarmUp course just to check if, by any chance, I would like programming. Until then, learning how to code was never an option I’d consider, as I thought I wasn’t “geek” enough... But after the first classes, I understood that I have the capacity to embrace the challenge.

As I had no previous experience, I was expecting to get the basics of programming and get to know the tools used in the area. The content of the course was similar to the ones from the higher education level but taught in a much shorter time. That means that the course was very intensive and focused on providing the most important skill set and tools.

My favourite part was backend development: I’ve found that I enjoy analysing, digging deep into the code and finding solutions to problems. The course met my expectations completely: I’ve learned the basics and got to know where to search for more information.

Personally, I think the biggest challenge was to be patient with myself and with the learning process, as I sometimes felt that some more complex topics would take more time to internalise.

Most of the classes I took were in person, but sometimes I would join remotely. I preferred attending the classes in person, as that would strengthen my connection with colleagues and facilitate communication during group activities. The teachers were very dedicated and skilled and definitely knew how to motivate us to show up every day with a drive to learn more!

I think the course prepared me for real-world situations: I felt challenged every day, had to look for solutions by myself, deal with frustration and, last but not least, do teamwork. Technically, I’ve got the basics that allowed me to join a development team and follow the learning path. I feel I still have a lot to master, but I’ve also learned that this feeling will always be present when working as a software developer.

I would recommend Mindera Code Academy courses to anyone that’s looking for a career change. WarmUp is a perfect one to start: it allows you to check whether programming is “the thing” for you and prepares you to enter the rhythm of MindSwap!”

“I’ve recently finished the MindSwap course from Mindera Code Academy, Aveiro’s edition, from April until September 2022. I started with remote lessons since the course was in Aveiro, and I’m from Porto, but luckily I managed to attend classes in person for the rest of the course. Although it is better to be present, the learning curve was the same when I was studying remotely.

I’ve always liked technology and working around computers, and I feel that this new career I’ve conquered combines perfectly with my former area. I now work as a front-end developer.

I entered the course with zero previous experience in the area and with only two months of studying JavaScript.

The course is very intensive, with 8 hours of lessons every day, and the rhythm is nonstop, but we’ve had amazingly supportive and dedicated teachers that didn’t rest until our doubts were cleared. I owe the success of my progress to them and also to my class. With no exceptions, everyone in my class was always ready to help, the spirit of cooperation was high and we hoped for each other’s success. When people go through the same difficult thing, they become closer! That was my favourite part of the course.

I did both the backend and frontend modules (the complete course). I chose to work as a frontend developer, but throughout the course, I always felt indecisive regarding my choice. I enjoyed both modules, so the decision was hard. As time went by, I became more and more sure that frontend was the right path for me.

I’m not going to lie; the course was challenging. It requires dedication, time, passion and commitment. The beginning was harder, I feel I was struggling a bit, but then comes a time when you feel the click, and everything flows. Keep in mind that dealing with frustration is a daily-base requirement: new content is lectured every day and I often felt that I hadn’t yet grasped the content from the day before, and then the next day, we were learning something new, with an increased level of difficulty.

Another thing I’ve learnt from the course is that we’re going to work professionally as a team; therefore, the need I had to always want to solve everything on my own was dissolved. Of course, it’s incredible solving problems on your own, but remember that you can and should ask for help: there’s always someone around with a different perspective and different knowledge that can guide you in the right direction.

With that said, I later understood that it was part of the course strategy: when you’re learning new and harder stuff every day, a month later, you look back, and that difficult stuff is no longer complicated. And so the course flows!

The course has prepared me to enter the area, with minimum required knowledge, to start exploring the project and working on some easier tasks.

I only joined Mindera two months ago, and as time went by and I explored the project’s code, I started to feel a little more comfortable, and I can now pick up tasks that require more knowledge.

I would definitely recommend the Mindera Code Academy course to anyone who wishes to find a happier career path!”

“Hello, I'm Carol Ferraz, I'm 18 years old, and will tell you a little bit about my story at Mindera.

I got to know Mindera through my sister, who works at the company.

I took a professional technical course in the management and programming of computer systems during high school and did an internship in the last two years at Mindera.

Soon after that, I had the opportunity to join Mindera Code Academy, which focused only on Frontend (which I took) because I wanted to enter the job market quicker, without having to go to college.

I joined to improve my knowledge within Frontend in the JavaScript and React languages. I believe that I managed to evolve a lot thanks to all the classes, explanations, exercises and projects, as well as the support and dedication of the teachers and other colleagues.

Due to the course taking place in Aveiro and my living in Porto, I ended up participating in only a few face-to-face classes and taking most of the classes online.

The teachers were undoubtedly one of the biggest supporters we had and a large factor for Mindswap to run so well, as they managed to motivate us in all classes, arrange different learning methods and create innovative challenges.

In general, the course did not have a high degree of difficulty because, even though the time was a little short, it was possible to dedicate the right amount of time to each subject, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Without a doubt, being part of Code Academy, having gained a lot of knowledge and having done an internship within a software development team was super important for me to feel more prepared for real-world situations.

My favourite part of the course was doing the big group projects, as I learned how to work with other colleagues, know how to organise ourselves as a team and learn more from each other.

I have already recommended this course to some of my friends who want to enter the programming area, as it is very rewarding and a unique opportunity that must be taken on.”

Some Final Thoughts:

So, you’ve heard from some of our Code Academy graduates; maybe you’re still considering becoming a developer or learning more about Frontend and Backend Development? Well, that’s fantastic - congratulations in advance on your journey!

Check out these resources from Mindera Education to get you started on your programming journey:

1. Code Academy Portugal
2. Code Academy UK
3. Code Academy US
4. Mindera School
5. Mindera Education - Tech Teaching at Your Fingertips