Alumni Q&A: Kevin Kang On His Journey From First Step Coding to Flatiron School
After four years of working as an Immigration Paralegal, Kevin decided it was time for a career change. Kevin’s original plan was to go to law school but he always had an interest in technology and wanted to further explore that as a career option before applying to law school. Attending a coding bootcamp was on his mind, but it wasn’t until after taking First Step Coding’s Bootcamp Prep course that Kevin felt 100% confident about quitting his job and enrolling in a bootcamp.
Kevin attended Bootcamp Prep in Boston during the Fall of 2018 and started Flatiron School’s full-time online Software Engineering Bootcamp in January 2019. We sat down with Kevin to learn all about his coding journey.
1. Before joining First Step Coding (FSC), you worked as an Immigration Paralegal. How did you become interested in programming?
I’ve always been interested in technology, but I never really delved into computer programming. It was always something that was in the back of my mind but I never took the time to actually learn it.
I’m an Immigration Paralegal right now and the current immigration climate is a little crazy given the political stuff going on so my job has in turn been crazy for the past year and I thought it was a good time to make a change. I’ve been working for the past four years and when I first started my original path was to go to law school but the longer I stayed and the longer I worked I just thought that law school wasn’t the right trajectory for me. I talked with some people in the past year and I changed my mind about law school.
It took me some time, about a month or two, to figure out what I really wanted to do. I was talking to my girlfriend and we came to the conclusion that learning computer programing and being a software engineer might be the best option for me. Once I made that decision, it was that day that I actually applied to First Step Coding. Now I’m going to Flatiron’s Bootcamp starting next Monday. I’m excited and I think it all worked out in the end.
2. What did your decision-making process look like for learning how to code and what ultimately led you to decide to do First Step Coding?
Actually, my original plan was to go straight into a bootcamp. I didn’t even know this bootcamp prep was a thing, to be honest. I remember I came home from work one day, I was really frustrated and I was just venting and my girlfriend was like, “You should look into doing other stuff.” That day I looked into what types of different bootcamps I might go into just to do some research. Then I think I was on this bootcamp rating website, I think it was Switchup, and I was looking at bootcamps around Boston and I saw First Step Coding. I was reading the description and I didn’t even know that a bootcamp prep course was a thing so I looked into it and I was like “Oh this is perfect!” because I was kind of scared to go into a bootcamp since I do have a couple friends that went through bootcamp and they said it’s a big commitment and it’s a lot of money. I was reading the description and it was literally perfect, everything I wanted. It was a short commitment, it was two months, and I could do it just to see if I like it because it was just this idea of programming that I liked but I didn’t really try it. So the fact that I could just see if I liked it without giving the full six-month commitment to an actual bootcamp was great. It was also nice because I didn’t have to quit my job just to see if I liked to code. Also, I saw that FSC was partnered with bootcamps so if I did eventually decide to make that leap I felt like it was a perfect stepping stone to go to a bootcamp. When I saw that I looked into the class and signed up for the October class. There was a spot left and I think I signed up that day and from there I took the two months and finished it and it was a great experience.
3. Are you happy with your decision to have gone through First Step Coding? If so, what did you take away from the experience?
I like the fact that it was an on-campus class. I took it with four other people in Boston and it was a ten-minute walk from my office job so that was very nice. I would finish work and go there twice a week.
For me, the biggest benefit was that it actually showed me that I do like to code. I think that was the most important thing and the thing I’m most appreciative of First Step Coding for. I saw what it took to be a software engineer and I’ve also learned the basics of what I need to do to become a software engineer. That two months flew by I learned a lot. I learned all the basics I needed to know. We mainly delved into JavaScript. It helped me see that this is the right path for me in the future, that this is something that I could actually get into, and that I actually like and could see myself pursuing it as an actual career. It also showed me that I have to code every day to stay on top of things.
In the end, I’m glad this was my first step into learning to code because I do feel more prepared to go into a bootcamp and I do have a base understanding of everything I need to know. Before I was just learning things online by myself. For me, I needed that discipline and structure of a class. I could try to do it by myself. Obviously there’s a lot of things online, but for me I liked the fact that there was curriculum, there was structure to it, there were instructors that were there to help, and the fact that there were other people learning too so we could do pair-programming and try to figure things out together. Overall it was a great experience.
4. How confident were you that you wanted to pursue a career as a software engineer before FSC?
So like I said, it was always a little thought in the back of my head that software engineering might be what I wanted to get into but I never actually researched or delved into it. Over the past year, I think I was a little too hesitant to go into a bootcamp straight away because I have a good job.
5. How confident were you that you wanted to pursue a career as a software engineer AFTER FSC?
After I did First Step Coding and I actually learned the basics of coding it made me more confident. It actually made me want to go straight into a bootcamp and I think I applied about three weeks after I graduated from FSC. I was looking at the various bootcamps and I was definitely more confident and more prepared. I was prepared for the technical interviews and it was cool because the people at FSC were willing to help me out with any questions that I had. I talked to them about which bootcamps I wanted to go to, which bootcamps they recommend, and what I need to do to prepare for a technical interview. So overall it made me more confident and actually made me want to go into bootcamp more so than before I did FSC.
6. What bootcamps or other options did you consider, and what led you to ultimately decide to go to Flatiron School?
Mainly I was looking at on-campus bootcamps around Boston. I took a look at the reviews, talked to some people and then I kind of broadened my search out. The three I landed on were App Academy, Flatiron, and Hack Reactor because those three I had heard the best things about. I also had two friends that did App Academy, I had one friend that did Flatiron, and my instructor at First Step Coding was actually a Hack Reactor grad so I talked to them to try to figure some stuff out. The only problem with those three is that none of them are in Boston which is a problem.
I was originally going to go to New York City maybe stay at a friend’s place for four months but that kind of fell through. (I don’t think anyone wants someone living in their house for four months.) Then I tried looking into rent and I’m already paying rent in Boston so I didn’t want to pay rent here, then pay rent in NYC, and also NYC is known to be very expensive. So I landed on going into an online program because I think that’s the best match for my situation at the moment, considering the money and everything involved. That’s when I looked into the online programs for each place so App Academy, Flatiron, and Hack Reactor and I saw that as an FSC alum we get money back from the Flatiron online program so that made me side more towards Flatiron. I took a look into Flatiron, I talked to the recruiters at Flatiron and I talked to my one friend that did Flatiron. He did the on-campus program but he said that it was one of the best things that he’s done. He said that the curriculum was solid so I took a look at that and I think I decided that Flatiron was the best option for me in terms of their online Web Development program. I also did their bootcamp prep work and I like the way their whole online program was designed. There are steps, different classes, and people always online to help answer your questions so that made me more confident in my choice of Flatiron.
I remember you also hooked me up with one of the FSC alumni, Samson, which is funny because at first when you introduced us I talked to him and reached out and then I realized that I had actually met him before. It was bizarre. He used to live in Boston and he was my roommate’s girlfriend’s friend and he was over our house a couple of times. I looked him up and I saw him online and I was like, “I know this guy.” Then I talked with him and then it was just bizarre because I didn’t realize he did FSC or Flatiron. So yeah - he did the Flatiron online program and he was telling me all about what he did every day and he helped me decide that Flatiron was the right choice to make.
7. What was the interview process like at these bootcamps you applied to and did FSC help prepare you?
Flatiron was the first bootcamp I applied to so I just sent them an application and it basically outlined what I learned, what my basic understanding of coding is and what my previous experience was, so what I’m coming from. I sent the application out and I was going to do another application for Hack Reactor the next day but then Flatiron reached out already and they had a recruiter contact me and talk to me about some stuff. Then we set up a zoom interview and this basic interview was to figure out what my motivations were for wanting to learn how to code. I also talked about my current job and why I want to switch careers.
I was also expecting a technical interview but from what the interviewer stated, all these things that I had beforehand actually made it easier for me to get accepted so they didn’t need me to do a technical interview. I think this was because I did FSC and I showed that I was doing other things on the side to help learn to code. I think what they wanted more was to figure out my motivations to code just to see that I am motivated to do this more so than having a technical background because I think everyone can learn how to code. I think they just wanted someone that they knew wouldn’t quit half-way through and just have a base motivation to continue doing what you have to do, so I did that. Then they reached out a week later saying I got accepted to the program, I put my deposit down and now I start in a week. It wasn’t too bad. I was expecting a technical interview and I think if I did the technical interview I would have passed considering all the stuff I learned at FSC but there wasn’t one. I got accepted and it worked out.
8. You start at Flatiron next week. How prepared do you feel and how did you spend these past few weeks after FSC and before your start date?
When I graduated FSC, I was looking into different bootcamps to get into so during that time I wasn’t really staying on top of my coding that much. However, once I got into the Flatiron program they mentioned that I would have to have done about 100 hours of pre-work before my class. I think that was giving me like two months before I actually start. I’ve completed about 85% of the 100 hours, I’m still working on it here and there. I also did their bootcamp prep which goes over the fundamentals of Ruby, JavaScript, and HTML. They also have a separate one for Web Development fundamentals which I think I should have done first, but I just wanted to do the bootcamp prep just to go over some stuff, some other fundamentals, so I’ve been working on the Web Development fundamentals for the past month.
The pre-work was mainly focused on Ruby which is something that we don’t really go over in FSC. However, the things I learned in FSC in terms of the JavaScript methods, arrays, and just different jargon carries over to different programming languages as it applied to various portions of the Ruby exercises. I also did the pre-work almost every day. The hours depended on how many hours I spent on my job but I usually try to do about six hours on Saturday and Sunday and then however many hours I could do from Monday to Friday. I feel pretty prepared to go into this Monday class, I just have to see what they give me. I’m not sure what the curriculum is actually going to be. I think they sent out an email today saying “We’ll send you more information.” It’s online and I’m excited.
9. So far, what has been your biggest challenge while learning to code?
My biggest challenge was not getting frustrated trying to figure out how to code some stuff. Inevitably it will happen where you get a problem and you don’t really know how to figure out the code so you search on Google for like three hours and then you get frustrated. I realize that I need to work on it for as long as I can, without getting frustrated, because I’ll eventually find the answer. I sleep on it and wake up the next day and start working on it again. I realize sleeping on it has been helping me a lot. Going back with a fresher mind as opposed to you know after like five hours of working on something going back to it and I eventually get it. So I’ve realized I shouldn’t get frustrated at not knowing how to do a certain thing because there’s obviously a lot of things that I don’t know how to do. It’ll just take some time, you’ll figure it out and that’s what I’ve realized in these past three months of coding. There’s a lot of stuff I don’t know, I’ll figure it out eventually, just don’t get frustrated and don’t get angry with it.
Also another part, and this is another thing that will com with time, I see the answers to other people’s code and how they solved the problem and it’s like two lines and mine is like fifteen lines and I’m thinking “how’d they do that?” Then I just realize my code is longer, it’s more convoluted but that will also come with time, just learning how to write some stuff, and writing smaller, easier code, it all just comes with practice.
The biggest challenge also was staying on top of it every day, doing it every day which sucked most of the time but in the end, it’s worth it. You just have to stay disciplined to do it. Right now the biggest problem I’m having is that I’ve learned all these separate concepts but I have trouble putting it all together into one exercise. So currently I’m doing something with Ruby, I learned all these different methods but I’m having some trouble trying to piece it all together but I think that will also come with time. I think those were the most difficult things and I think that’s going to be the difficulty going into coding but I think I’m prepared.
10. Do you have any other advice for people who are interested in making a career change into tech?
My advice would be to make sure this is something you really want because it is going to take a lot of your time. It’s the same mentality of going to a school - graduate school, law school, it’s like this should be something you really want. The reason I did not go to law school is that I realized it’s not something I want to do so I did not want to put all the time into it and I want to focus that time on learning how to program instead.
Another thing, you have to work at it every day. There was a three-week gap from when I graduated FSC and I started doing Flatiron bootcamp prep and it did take me a little bit longer just to get back into things. I forget some things and I had to look up some things. My biggest advice is to just do it every day. Even if it’s something little, just staying in that mindset of wanting and learning to code. How to write things will help tremendously. It’s also going to be difficult and time-consuming. I’ve talked to a bunch of friends who did bootcamp and they all said it’s one of the hardest things they’ve done but it’s also very rewarding so my advice is just to change your thought process on how to do things because you just have to accept that it’ll suck for like a year, maybe. You probably won’t be able to do all the things you want to. You can’t go out as much, you can’t spend money, you have to be at home studying, but in the end, it’s going to be worth it. And then just realizing not to get frustrated because it will come with time as everything does. Everything comes with time you just need that discipline. That’s my advice for anyone trying to get into tech. You just have to do it a lot, like anything else in life.