The start of spring, the start of a career. At Informal School of IT, every beginning comes with motivation and a desire to learn. In that month of the year when “the beginning” is on everyone's lips, we came together with the graduates and new students of Informal School of IT. March 18 was like any other: about paths opening up and wishes starting to come true through the ambition to believe in a new beginning.
Simple, open, honest – informal – that's how the dialogue between mentors, graduates, new students and the School's founders was this time too.
About how mentors, IT seniors with a wealth of experience in the field, reached that point in their careers where they feel the need to pass on their passion and knowledge. About how new students, people with experience in the job market in fields (almost always) radically different from IT, hold on to a belief they never gave up: turning their passion for technology into a new profession. About how graduates responded with determination and perseverance to new challenges, getting one step closer to the career they want. About how those who set out to give back to society what they were once given at some point in their careers gave rise to Informal School of IT, an environment where IT professionals and people with potential for this dynamic field can sit face to face.
A one-of-a-kind experience, as always: full of story and energy.
Each of the students had around 2 competing candidates
It's really interesting to see these things in all their complexity. To see several groups and categories of people, each with such a different background. We take a step back, we look at the bigger picture, and we notice certain things that have emerged over the last 3 years, since we started this activity. Each of you, sitting in this room, had 2 competing candidates. That's something I don't know if you've realized. The School's admission rate has always been 40%. You are the ones we believed could do it, and I firmly believe we were never wrong about that.
Răzvan Voica – co-founder of Informal School of IT
They are the ones who took the first step
They have experience in fields such as pharma, travel, administration, mechanical or petroleum engineering, construction, transportation, and the list could go on. They've shown they have the right mindset and the motivation that helps them rise to challenges. On the foundation of knowledge they already have, they want to build further and adapt to the most dynamic industry of the moment: IT.
They're part of the latest cohorts to graduate from the Intro in IT educational program:
I successfully graduated from this educational program and chose to go further, learning software testing. I managed to take a step forward. Those of you who are at the School for the first time will get a lot of clarity very quickly after your first few hours. It's great! Good luck! – Graduate, Intro in IT cohort 9
I still recommend this educational program. I've recommended it to friends too. My expectation was that these introductory courses would give me a teaching structure to follow, given that I have no background in the field. And that's what happened. So I reached my goal, and I wish the same for you. – Graduate, Intro in IT cohort 11
First of all, I want to thank the mentors. I came from a completely different field: entertainment. I didn't know anything at all about IT. I thought I wouldn't be able to keep up. But the mentors explained every concept to me extraordinarily well. I liked it so much that I drove both my husband and my kids crazy talking about it. What's more, my husband now wants to become a student at the School too. – Graduate, Intro in IT cohort 12
They learned the top technologies for web programming
They're curious, they like complex challenges and they want a dynamic career. So, over 5 months, they learned the top technologies for web programming. They stepped out of their comfort zone and put in the effort. In the end, here's what their experience was like:
I looked forward to every single class, because I kept learning new things and because it was all hands-on. I never had time to get bored. If traditional school were like this, I think we'd all come away with something from every school we went through. What matters is that you enjoy it and don't give up when things get hard. There will be challenging things, harder ones, but little by little you'll get to the result you want. – PHP Web Development Graduate, cohort 8
Diversity, an asset for future User Experience specialists
From architecture, to knowledge in nutrition, to knowledge in design and more, the students of the second UX Design cohort came from a wide range of industries. They gladly shared their creativity in the classroom, where they showed they had the ability to quickly pick up hands-on concepts, guided step by step by their mentors:
I enrolled in this educational program out of a very clear need: I needed a mentor to help me grow at work. Someone who would give me their time and explain, in a very organized way, what UX is all about. So I chose Informal School of IT, and I don't regret it. Thank you, and I'm glad I got to know you all! – UX Design Graduate, cohort 2, Art Director
I'm glad I got to work with such an interesting and diverse group. In UX, it matters a lot for people coming into the field to have as many different backgrounds as possible. Why do I say that? Let me give you an example: when a User Experience Specialist tries to build a platform or a solution for a hospital, they'd need a medical background. If we're talking about a good solution for the metallurgical industry, that person would need some knowledge from that field, which would give them an advantage. – Iulian Corunga, UX Design mentor with hands-on experience in the field
About paths opening up and wishes starting to come true through the ambition to believe in a new beginning. That was the March 18 celebration, and all the others that continue the tradition of informal, no-frills gatherings at Informal School of IT.
We're rooting for the graduates and new students in the adventure they've set out on!
