Roger is a true creative. After graduating from a Grand Circus bootcamp in Grand Rapids, he continued to learn, network and work on side projects until he was hired as a full-stack web and mobile app developer at Kyros Digital. He’s also a talented musician who loves rock and roll and playing the guitar. So in other words, Roger understands the power of coding and his power chords!
From Customer Service Agent to Developer, Meet Roger
What attracted you to Grand Circus and working in technology?
I wanted to get back into the tech field. Since I was young, I was always curious about technology. My dad was a mechanical engineer and was always working on something he or someone else could use. I always enjoyed the idea of being a creator in some form or another but decided that software would be the best place for me.
How would you describe your bootcamp experience?
Overall, it was a great experience! I learned a lot, got my first taste of applying myself in a professional field, and made lifelong friends as a result!
What advice would you give new bootcamp students?
Find out what you’re learning before you join the bootcamp! Ask what’s on the curriculum, then maybe take a few tutorials on how to do some of those things or at least acquaint yourself with what each topic is. You’ll have a considerably better time and understand the material much more.
How do you feel you combatted Imposter Syndrome? Did you have doubts before or during bootcamp?
I did have my doubts that I would never understand some of the material that was given to me, then I found out that the more I just DID the things, the more I understood it.
You should never expect to know everything as well as people who have been working in the field for a long time. You’ll only gain experience and knowledge by committing yourself to do the work. Never let Imposter Syndrome keep you from trying!
How has your transition into your career been? How did GC help you?
It was quite comfortable! I landed my job with the help of another fellow bootcamper! Grand Circus gave me the advice: “just talk to everyone you can in your space” and it really stuck.
What was the most unexpected part of bootcamp?
Finding out how much I didn’t know! I mostly joined because I wanted to apply my knowledge to things I had been studying for almost a year prior to joining the bootcamp.
Given a more formal education, I learned so much more than what I would have on my own.
What resources are the most helpful / were the most helpful in your coding journey?
Udemy, by far Udemy was the most important and helpful resource that I’ve used.
Medium.com has great articles on how to solve particular problems all the way up to new tech trends and where frameworks are heading toward.
Github.com – Aside from being the dedicated repository for your projects – it’s also a treasure trove of open source technology that you can use, chop apart, and read! Sometimes there’s nothing better than reading source code to figure out complex problems.
Is there anything you wish you could go back and tell yourself to do either before or during bootcamp?
Get more sleep.
Can you share advice for students approaching their final projects?
Be sure to be well rested, come prepared for your presentation, don’t get too far into the technical side of the app, just what it does and if it solves a problem: explain the problem it solves.
Also, be ready to talk to a whole bunch of people who will ask for the greater details on how the app works on the tech side of things.