Q: Tell us about yourself

My name is April. I am currently in Sydney, Australia and have worked in the finance industry for around 7 years now. I want to learn how to code so I can build my ideas and see them come to life.

Q: What ideas do you have?

I am thinking of a platform to help distribute and sell leftover food to those in need. For example, food courts usually have leftover food at the end of the day. Currently, there isn’t an easy way to locate the amount or location of these in real-time on a daily basis. After studying for 2 months part-time, I am quite confident in building the front-end of this website already!

Q: Why did you choose Altcademy?

Before deciding to study at Altcademy, I did a few free online courses to test the waters. Once I was confident that this was something I wanted to pursue, I started researching online coding bootcamps as I couldn’t commit to full-time study. A lot of other coding bootcamps charged an excessive amount of money ($10k+ USD) and looked very commercialized.

I liked how Altcademy focuses on each individual and since starting here, I can see my progress with every lesson. So, naturally, you are motivated to continue. There are the Q&A platform and Slack channel with very quick responses. I am surprised (and often feeling guilty) about getting quick responses on Sundays. The answers from mentors are great. They will tell you “what you need to do” without actually revealing the answers so you are still able to gather your thoughts and learn. The overall experience has been very personalized.

Q: How do you actually learn online? What do you do with frustrations?

Work can be unpredictable, so I usually set Sunday as my study day. When I am stuck, I try to resolve the issues myself. Sometimes, I read the curriculum again or use Google. If I still can’t figure it out, then I will ask on the Q&A platform. Sometimes, the problem might be just misspelling! It’s great that you can always fall back on the mentors at Altcademy.

Q: What’s the plan moving forward?

I am approaching coding as a hobby right now. But, I am also inclined to try it out as a full-time career. I don’t know anyone in my network who codes. So, I am the first one! I am very motivated to build and execute my ideas and can’t wait to see them come to life! Hence, I am keen to continue my studies at Altcademy.