Waving Goodbye to Stage 2, Welcoming Stage 3

Whew! Our go-getters just crushed the exacting but worthwhile stage 2 of the 11-month bootcamp, and we can tell they’re all beaming with pride. It is also a happy dance moment for the mentors and instructors who put in a lot of work motivating and inspiring participants.   

Backtracking to Stage 1: Building from the Ground Up

When we promised to create career possibilities in tech for everyone, we knew exactly what we were talking about. However, the overwhelming response, from a diverse range of applicants that we grouped into these 3 groups left us wondering how to truly connect with everyone.

  • Tech novices
  • Those with basic tech knowledge
  • Professionals transitioning between tech specialisations

With thinking caps on, we decided the only way was to lay a solid foundation for everyone. Building from ground up was the strategy, so we:

  • Crafted an inclusive curriculum
  • Avoided assumptions about prior knowledge
  • Established a robust support structure
  • Implemented peer-to-peer mentoring
  • Offered self-paced learning options
  • Provided recorded sessions and curated study materials

What Was Stage 2 About?

After carefully laying the foundation for the programme in stage 1, our advancing students were introduced to programming in stage 2.  They spent this time learning essential programming languages for both front-end and back-end software development through four selected courses: Python, Java, C#, and front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

480 hours of assignments and 280 hours of live lectures latter, we are proud to announce that 90% of the 220 students crossed the pass mark. Yes, 198 of our amazing students are now ready to take on stage 3. Hurray!

Summer with Bite-Sized Projects

After 4 months in the programme— 2 months in stage 1 and 2 more months in stage 2—the students completed real-world projects and, at the end of the period made presentations of their work. This was in August 2024. The project phase was an opportunity for students to apply the skills they’ve acquired, demonstrate their ability to solve real-world problems, and potentially create something that could evolve into a marketable product

The students completed 18 projects, allowing them to show back-end development of real-world solutions in 1 of 3 languages: Python, Java, or C#. The criteria for rating the projects are:

  • Innovation & Uniqueness (20%)
  • Technical Implementation (30%)
  • Functionality & Usability (20%)
  • Market Potential (20%)
  • Presentation & Documentation (10%)

The summer projects were also to help students develop soft skills like communication and effective collaboration, it was particularly rewarding to see coding newbies go from “Hello World” to building skills that allowed them to collaborate and code alongside seasoned developers.

I overcame my initial fear that “Java is hard” by proactively using online resources like Hyperskill before the training began, which made Stage 1 smoother. In Stage 2, I struggled with serialisation but took advantage of the August break to master the concept through self-study. The supportive environment at Tecvinson Academy has been instrumental in my progress, and I’m now well on my way to becoming an expert backend developer. This experience has shown me that with determination and the right resources, any learning obstacle can be overcome.

– Adebayo Obafemi, Backend Student (Java Track)

Unpacking Stage 3

As the trainees step into this increasingly collaborative and pivotal phase, they are sure getting set to: 

  • Engage actively with peers
  • Share innovative ideas freely
  • Offer support to one another
  • Draw inspiration from the collective wisdom of their new team members

It’s time for the students to flex those coding muscles they built in stage 2 and align their talents with industry standards. In this crucial phase, we will focus on helping the students with deep specialisation. Our tech stars will dive into advanced topics, work on more complex projects, and gain the specialised knowledge that sets them apart in the industry. Stage 3 is where skill and potential transforms into expertise. Overall, it isn’t just the next level—it’s their launchpad into the tech stratosphere.

–Arnold Popo- Ola, Instructor

Again, we are high fiving our advancing students as we welcome them to the boot camp’s turbo phase. Looking forward to your big energies in stage 3.

Author Bio

Ola is a seasoned Senior Communications Manager actively expanding her expertise into the tech world. With a passion for bridging human connection and technological innovation, she aims to evolve into a tech-savvy leader who intuitively understands and addresses the communication needs of a digitally connected world. Ola collaborates closely with the Tecvinson team to produce content that reflects the Academy’s commitment to fostering lifelong learning, career development, and professional advancement.

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