Why am I applying to the Founders and Coders Bootcamp?

I am applying to the Founders and Coders Web Development bootcamp for a number of reasons.

Firstly, I am at a point in my career where I feel ready to embark on a new challenge and a new career path where I can grow as a person and develop a highly useful skill. During the pandemic I had my first experiences with coding, through the form of Codecademy. Self-learning on the Javascript and C++ courses, I discovered a new skill which opened up a range of possibilities; creating websites, interactive games and apps, but ultimately, a new skill which awarded me the freedom to shape my future and impact the world in a meaningful, tangible way. I developed a passion for coding which I have sought to expand upon since I begun learning about it. The potential for self-development in coding is enormous, and this is what attracts me to Founders and Coders. I know I will be in an environment which encourages and pushes me to be my best self, whilst rewarding me with a skill which I will carry for life.

It is inspiring to know an organisation like Founders and Coders advocates for the inclusion and representation of under-represented groups.

The second reason for my application is due to the values of Founders and Coders. As a non-profit founded in 2014, it is clear that Founders and Coders is an organisation dedicated to the accessible, inclusive development of highly employable coding professionals. It inspires me to know that an organisation like Founders and Coders pushes for the inclusion and representaion of under-represented groups in tech. Being mixed-race myself, I feel these are values intrinsic to who I am as a person. I wholeheartedly subscribe to the mantra of the organisation in focusing on this. Additionally, FAC's commitment to making a positive social impact and changing the tech industry for the better is something which also speaks volumes to me. In my current role, I am a member of the company's BAME guild, and regularly get involved in internal initiatives exploring how we can build a more diverse workforce. I help to organise bi-monthly guild catch ups to discuss BAME news topics, and to facilitate safe spaces for the rest of our members, hence the topics of social impact and inclusion are very familiar to me. The possibility of working as part of a diverse cohort, collaborating with new individuals who, like me, are hard working, curious, unafraid of failing and keen to hone their skills within FAC, is incredibly exciting to me.

Learning and building real world, applicable coding skills through a structured curriculum is exactly what I am looking for at this point of my career.

Thirdly, I feel the opportunities offered to successful applicants of Founders and Coders are excellent. To have the chance to learn and build real-world, applicable coding skills through a structured curriculum with mentors and an active online community is exactly what I am looking for at this point of my career. To be able to do all of this for free through a renowned skills bootcamp is a phenomenal opportunity. Having heard of the organisation whilst working in my current role, I was well aware of its capcacity to develop and nurture candidates to a job-ready level in programming, particularly through the paid apprenticeship scheme. The chance to engage with potential employers to bring further value to their activities with the coding knowledge I build greatly excites me. I am eager to show my competencies and ready to learn new things with the team at FAC.