Learning React in COVID-19 times: Daniela's story

Table of contents:

• Let’s start with getting to know more about you. Tell us a bit about yourself., go to canonical section
• How did you become a developer? What influenced your decision to pursue coding as a career?, go to canonical section
• Why did you choose React GraphQL Academy as a training provider?, go to canonical section
• Which goals did you pursue when you purchased a training?, go to canonical section
• When you saw that this training would be held remotely because of COVID-19, how did you feel about it?, go to canonical section
• What was your after-training impression? Did the Bootcamp meet your expectations?, go to canonical section
• What advice do you have for our future attendees who are planning to attend the Bootcamp?, go to canonical section
• Join Our Next Remote React Bootcamp Experience, go to canonical section

Changing careers is never easy. It’s a daunting prospect and sometimes it can feel simpler to just not try to change careers. How many times have you heard of somebody who wanted to move into a new field but haven’t? Well, today you’re not going to hear that same old story because a recent React GraphQL Academy student chose to see her plans through.

Meet Daniela, a junior front-end developer who recently attended our remote React Bootcamp. She was happy enough to take part in an interview and pass on any advice she has of learning React from home.

Let’s start with getting to know more about you. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi, I’m Daniela and I am a Junior Frontend Developer. I come from a quite different background, having studied language and literature and worked as a German teacher for many years.

How did you become a developer? What influenced your decision to pursue coding as a career?

I’ve always been fascinated by computer science and development but I was reluctant to try it out, because of the prejudice many of us live with, that our study field should dictate the direction of our career. So a few years ago I started with simple HTML and CSS and moved from there to JavaScript and React. I made a goal out of getting my first job as a developer, a goal that kept me from giving up when faced with the challenges and difficulties every new beginning has. So I created my own opportunities and decided that a QA position would be the entry point.

I thought, if my current company doesn’t offer any internship positions as a QA in their software development department, then I’ll make them create it for me. If I can’t get any developer tasks as a QA, then I’ll keep on learning by myself and ask them to offer me a job as a developer. And that's what I did. I think setting a goal and being highly motivated by your passion for something can only make you succeed. For me it was a combination of luck, ambition, never giving up and some great people along the way.

Why did you choose React GraphQL Academy as a training provider?

After one and a half years working as a developer, I felt that there were a lot of things I wanted to learn and my tasks just did not give me the opportunity to do so. I was looking for a React course -- not too long, not too short -- and came across React GraphQL Academy. It was perfect, just what I needed. It took a bit of convincing with my supervisor because our individual education budget was much lower. But I managed, especially after stalking the React GraphQL Academy page for weeks and finding a great price offer.

Which goals did you pursue when you purchased a training?

My goals for this Bootcamp were: firstly, and funnily enough, checking my own knowledge compared to the others, especially because I was the only junior developer there; and secondly, learning advanced React patterns but also consolidating or better understanding some more basic concepts.

When you saw that this training would be held remotely because of COVID-19, how did you feel about it?

When it was announced that the bootcamp would take place remotely, I was sceptical. I had done many online courses before and I was looking for the human factor, the face to face interaction and the “being-somewhere-8-hours-a-day” kind of thing. But I was surprised to discover that the remote factor was no obstacle to a great and successful bootcamp at all. Of course sitting inside your home for so many hours and having to concentrate on increasingly complicated topics has its own challenges. But the trainer balanced the communication, the tasks and pair programming very well. I think I speak for everyone there when I say that no matter the level of our knowledge, we all got our questions answered. The atmosphere of the bootcamp was comfortable and we were encouraged to speak freely and ask lots of questions.

What was your after-training impression? Did the Bootcamp meet your expectations?

My overall feeling was much more positive than I anticipated. Afterwards I was more ready to jump into more complex tasks at work and felt more confident with what I knew.

What advice do you have for our future attendees who are planning to attend the Bootcamp?

First of all I would like for my own example to give those who wish to work in development, but are not quite sure of themselves, the courage to go for it. Secondly, I think the React GraphQL Academy is great for both junior and more experienced developers, because it discusses basic JavaScript and React topics like ES6 and data fetching and advanced patterns like higher order components and advanced hooks. It has a little bit of everything.

Join Our Next Remote React Bootcamp Experience

Enjoy Daniela’s story? Then it’s your turn to advance your React skills from the comfort of your own home!

At React GraphQL Academy, we’re helping devs all around the world to learn React from home, office or wherever they are at the moment. Daniela attended our recent remote React Bootcamp, but more sessions are on the way.

To learn React from home with experienced coaches, check out our React training page and book your session today. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our friendly team. We’ll be more than happy to answer any questions about our remote training and how they can help devs like you to upskill and go further in your career.