Updated March 2022 - with details of the company interview questions!

I recently participated in the first Code First Girls (CFG) Nanodegree cohort over the summer of 2021. With the second cohort soon to start, I hope this series documenting my experience is beneficial to those, not only on the Nanodegree but on other Bootcamps too!

Below I am going to introduce the CFG Nanodegree, outline my relationship with CFG, explain why I decided to apply for the Nanodegree and what the application process was like. Finally, I will reveal the topics this series will cover and which one is coming next!

What is the CFG Nanodegree?

If you haven't heard of the CFG Nanodegree, it is an intensive 12-week Bootcamp where you can specialise in either the data stream or the software stream. It is particularly popular for many reasons including:

1. Its main eligibility requirement is that you have completed one of their 8-week short courses or have evidence you have a similar level of programming knowledge.
2. It is also during the evenings so can be done alongside work or study commitments.
3. CFG is appealing to students due to their high level of employer engagement, including British Telecoms, Rolls-Royce and security giant, Avast.
4. Most importantly for novice coders - it is fully funded by sponsoring companies so doesn't cost you a penny!

You can find out more about the current Nanodegree here.

My Relationship With CFG

Whilst completing my Masters in International Management in 2019, I had the opportunity to take CFG short courses. I was clearly a bit masochistic as I chose to do 2 courses at once - Intro to Web Development and Python for Web Development, both with Bank of America Merrill Lynch employees. I really enjoyed both, but Python particularly sparked my interest because of its versatility. I wasn't very interested in becoming a Web Developer, but the skills it taught me began my curiosity for back-end development and wanting to understand how everything works behind the scenes.

After completing both courses and winning a prize for one of the final projects I completed, I was proudly stepping back from coding to focus on doing well in my degree. I knew I would go back to it, but was focused on graduate job applications and assignments with the atmosphere around me growing more competitive as the final assessments loomed. I was content to keep it as a hobby and interest for now.

Why I Applied For The Nanodegree

The panoramic hit and changed the lives of many.

Opportunities I had lined up for the summer of 2020 fell through and a lot of my fellow graduates were scrambling. I didn't really feel like I had the luxury of trying new things or avenues, so fell back on core skills and my network. I found myself in a project management role, focusing on cloud technology and tasked with increasing the adoption of Microsoft 365. I discovered the power of technical certificates and started researching the world of tech a bit more.

Early 2021 I came across tech Twitter and technical blogs - aka lifesavers! I spent a lot of time reading and consuming content passively.

I was interested in everything and eventually felt I needed more structured learning to progress. Between work and social life slowly returning back to normal I was definitely lacking in some self-discipline so when CFG released information about their upcoming Nanodegree, I was front in line to sign up!

As I had a particular fascination with Python and its ability to essentially build anything from front- to back-end, I chose to specialise in software instead of data for the Nanodegree.

What Was The Application Process?

PLEASE NOTE: the application process has since changed where you apply directly for a job role via a company, but I know from current students and applicants that the components and steps are otherwise all exactly the same.

In order to apply, I had to complete a general form, which was the same for everyone. In it, I had to indicate my preferences for industries, my general interests in the field of technology, and rank the available sponsors for this cohort from most to least likely to work for. I also had to write out my reasons for applying and wanting to do the Nanodegree.

About a month later I was informed I passed to the next stage and had to complete a technical Python assessment within a few days. I never got the mark for this quiz, as the quiz was just to provide a benchmark for the CFG team of the coding level and ensure all students would be capable of keeping up with the pace of the classes.

Following this, I was asked to answer 5 short video questions. I was able to practice a couple of times before I had to submit and move on to the next question. They were very basic such as asking for an introduction and why have you applied to the Nanodegree.

After a few days, I was informed I had passed on to the next stage with Bank of America as a potential sponsor. The idea was that the candidates would be interviewed by the company before this was confirmed as they were investing ~£10k in each student - fair enough! We were all invited to a CFG seminar on interview skills to help us prepare. Honestly, this session wasn't really helpful and only about 10 minutes long.

However, Bank of America decided to skip doing the interviews. I am not sure if other companies did as well. We then had to sign an agreement and send it back to CFG. Each sponsor held an intro meeting for the students they sponsored to introduce the company, wish you luck and answer any questions. These were mainly about jobs and Bank of America didn't have much to say at this stage other than the fact they are actively recruiting a diverse workforce and anticipate applications from Nanodegree graduates. I believe some other companies had earmarked roles for the graduates they were sponsoring, but some sponsors did not have this arranged, such as Bank of America.

UPDATE: a current student let me know that you can expect behavioural questions in the company interview portion of the application. These include questions like...

1. Your experiences working as a team

2. A time you have learned something new

3. When you have achieved something despite obstacles

4. What skills you think are important for a software engineer to have. You can replace "software engineer" with your pathway and job role you applied for - I believe all company interviews would follow the same structure.

5. How and why did you choose the tech industry?

The Bank of America team made it clear they were investing in us long-term so many students had high hopes! We were asked to submit a brief overview of our interests to Bank of America so we could each be assigned a mentor. I think this was one of the most exciting prospects as it is really difficult to know what you are studying for and how it applies to the workplace when you first start learning how to code. We were told we would be contacted by our mentors within a couple of weeks of the course start.

This Series

That is my overview right up until the Nanodegree started! Now onto what topics this series will aim to cover.

• Soft skills learned
• Class Schedule
• Key resources I wish I knew of earlier
• Hard skills learned
• How to make the most of a mentor
• What I wish the Nanodegree could improve for next time

If there is anything not listed here you would like covered. Please let me know!

The next post will be about key soft skills I learned from the Nanodegree.