The Starting Point: NTU Information System Training Program
Due to COVID-19, my life took a dramatic turn in unexpected ways, accelerating many events and creating various real-world pushes and pulls. What truly made me determined to embark on the path of becoming a software engineer was using Midjourney and ChatGPT, which showed me the infinite possibilities and future of programming languages.
As the pandemic ended, I planned to return to campus this year to complete relevant courses. The first course I chose was 'HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, Bootstrap Advanced Web Design,' which perfectly connected with the introductory courses I had taken before.
In the advanced class, I created many small projects and asked additional questions about the field. As I became more interested in programming languages, it was during this time that I saw Teacher Peng Peng share the WeHelp Bootcamp recruitment announcement on the Facebook group 'JavaScript Web Front-End Engineering.'
Preparation Before WeHelp Application & Application Mindset
This webpage header image was created by Midjourney during the application process. The entire scene embodies my imagination and expectations for the unknown territory. Even when moving forward in the dark, there will always be unexpected glimmers of light illuminating the path ahead.
The biggest difference between a software engineering bootcamp and self-learning programming is the ability to learn alongside a group of peers who share common goals, plus receiving appropriate guidance to learn skills currently being used in the industry. This helps beginners narrow down their learning roadmap and spend time on the most important parts. It was precisely these advantages that ignited my fighting spirit and motivated me to apply.
From the beginning of the application, every step was designed to be interesting. For example, WeHelp's application form required using a self-written website for presentation, which needed to include the following questions, then go live using GitHub Pages service.
Most importantly, it required explaining what actions were taken. The process of answering was also a process of re-examining oneself. If you haven't truly made up your mind to apply with the goal of becoming a software engineer, you won't be able to express strong application intent or provide concrete content when answering these questions.
Because I wasn't sure if I would be accepted, I also arranged three other intensive summer courses: 'JavaScript (ES6) Web Front-End Engineering Introduction,' 'Python Programming,' and 'JavaScript and React Web Front-End Engineering Practice.' Even if I wasn't accepted, I could still continue progressing on the path to becoming a software engineer.
Preparation After WeHelp Acceptance Before Official Start
I submitted my application on June 13, 2023, and was very happy to receive the acceptance notification on the evening of June 19, 2023. I immediately shared this news with my family.
The notification email included two recommended learning courses: 'HTML, CSS, JavaScript Introductory Course' and 'Python Introductory Course,' both personally recorded by Teacher Peng Peng.
Although I had written a website for a club in high school, I felt that was far from truly learning HTML and CSS, and I was very unfamiliar with JavaScript and had never touched Python. So I started a 'video-watching life' based on the recommended courses, watching tutorial videos while walking, taking the MRT, taking the high-speed rail, and eating.
Teacher Peng Peng later shared YouTube member-exclusive tutorial videos with all fourth cohort students for free through the Udemy platform. These videos were very helpful for future training tasks. I'm grateful that I worked hard to watch the videos and increase my domain knowledge at that time, and I'm still continuing to learn.
WeHelp Bootcamp Official Start
Facing unknown weekly tasks and unknown operating modes, the first two weeks are usually the most nerve-wracking. Honestly, most of the task content was very unfamiliar to a beginner like me, but as long as you maintain the right mindset, any big problem can be broken down into smaller problems and solved one by one.
I remember when I was first required to use Python to complete the weekly task, I could almost be called a complete Python beginner. Fortunately, I desperately watched videos and took intensive Python courses at NTU at that time. Unexpectedly, I really learned it in a short time and actually created some things.
After completing weekly tasks, names would appear in WeHelp's task record column. Excluding life factors and time occupied by attending in-person courses at NTU, I almost always completed tasks near the weekend, when the record column already displayed many peers' names.
'Since everyone has finished, I can too.' I always encouraged myself this way, and I never tried to cram all the content into one day. I learned and debugged at my own pace, adjusted my mental pressure well, and that gave me the courage to start a study group in the eighth week.
'Career changers' need a bit of luck, but more importantly, courage. The in-person courses I had enrolled in almost overlapped with WeHelp tasks, each occupying part of my energy. By the seventh week, that fearless mindset seemed to gradually fade because 'backend' was truly a world full of resistance for me, aspiring to be a front-end engineer. But as long as you have a goal you want to achieve, none of this matters.
Looking back, from the moment I applied to WeHelp, every step allowed me to learn many new things and acquire new skills in the process.
Fourth Cohort First In-Person Discussion Gathering
Perhaps because this was the first in-person activity in two months, plus there was designated discussion content arranged, the activity lasted from 3 PM until around 9 PM. You hardly noticed the passage of time and even felt the discussion time wasn't enough!
About 40-something people attended the eighth week's in-person activity, which was said to be the highest attendance among all future in-person activities (Note: Actually it wasn't!). After the discussion activity, there were experience sharing sessions by seniors. Every time I heard different seniors' career transition stories, I felt recharged with spiritual nourishment and could continue working hard on this path!
Senior Jia-Zhen: 'Don't Compromise on the Skills You Want to Learn'
Senior Jia-Zhen is currently a front-end engineer and shared many experiences from WeHelp, including difficulties encountered in the second and third stages, as well as the solutions chosen at that time.
For the third stage personal project, Senior Jia-Zhen created a 'Map Coordinate-Linked Text Editor' website called OUTDOORMAN. She encountered many difficulties in the process, but believed: 'After combining personal interests, just do it!' and 'Don't compromise on the skills you want to learn!'
I believe this project was a topic the senior was very passionate about, so these two sentences were exactly the encouragement I needed. Previously, I had been hesitant due to timing, but because I have a problem I want to solve and want to implement certain skills, I now have a clearer sense of which direction to work towards!
Senior Wei-Chen: 'Let the Interviewer Know You're Thinking and Giving Feedback'
Senior Wei-Chen's third stage personal project created a system that could solve real-life problems, and also reminded everyone not to rely on a single authority or single course content.
The senior shared that when facing questions you don't know during job interviews, you should still express your personal thoughts in a timely manner, letting the interviewer know you're thinking and giving feedback. He also emphasized the importance of personal projects, finding time to work on small projects even after work to enrich his skills.
Compared to the rich visual interface of front-end, the world of backend was something I could never imagine. I was very happy to have the opportunity to hear Senior Wei-Chen, a backend engineer, share his experiences.
Peng Peng: 'You're No Longer Just Beginners Now'
As the first stage came to an end, I was surprised to realize that the expected goals listed on the registration page seemed to have all been learned, just as Teacher Peng Peng said: 'You're no longer just beginners now.' This is all truly incredible!
Among this cohort's students, there are several veterans with rich programming experience, some even graduated from information-related departments, but more are like me, without relevant backgrounds or from related majors. We're all working hard together on this path!
I feel very fortunate to have joined WeHelp. Every alumnus's sharing brings a lot of inspiration. More importantly, because everyone shares common goals, WeHelp is full of passion, and this atmosphere has greatly helped my learning.
This place is both rigorous and free. Every weekly task proceeds very happily, and there's no irritation when writing code. Even if the task topic is completely unfamiliar, I believe I can learn it quickly. This place is really great!
JavaScript Online Study Group
In addition to successfully completing WeHelp's internal tasks in the second stage, I also organized a JavaScript online study group. The book we're reading together is 'Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja,' recommended by Teacher Peng Peng. Currently, 16 people have joined, everyone participated in the first online meeting, and operations have started running normally internally. I hope everyone can successfully graduate and transition careers together~