According to research from Gartner, South Africa is expected to have the fourth fastest-growing IT market in the world in 2019. The growth of our tech sector has been significant in the last half decade, and is predicted to rocket even higher, especially with the opening of new data centres and professional web development companies, and a considerable government drive toward the 4th Industrial Revolution.
It was this technological career evolution that led 24-year-old Mathew Paul Starr from the Northern Cape to take a HyperionDev Full Stack Web Development bootcamp online.
For the young GAAP Point of Sale technician, a bootcamp wasn’t just a tool to more career freedom and remote work, but an unrivaled opportunity to broaden his understanding of information systems and start a career shift from equipment technician to web development and systems manager.
I worked as an install and support technician with GAAP Point of Sale. Being a technician made me realise that developers are the key players in the IT game. Whenever issues would come up onsite then technicians would have to document those issues and report to the development team, which made me curious to know how software systems are designed and created.
A new set of skills in software or web development were what Mathew needed to empower him to take up new and more demanding jobs, and pursue opportunities that would allow him greater work mobility, pay, and time to focus on his interests in non-profit work.
All organisations need a digital presence in this day and age. As a web developer I could help build a web system internally or for the public that will speed up the day-to-day processes in the workplace.
And the HyperionDev bootcamps’ one-on-one mentorship approach brought these skills in heaps.
The code review system is great, because it showed me alternative ways of solving programming challenges. It’s also very supportive, because I then know I’m on the right or wrong track. Mentors are helpful and very understanding.
The coding course was an eye-opening introduction not just to brand-new skills, but also the iterative and novel approach to figuring out solutions to the many programming problems that appear in the course of web development.
The most important lesson I learnt was patience. There were times during the course when I would be sitting with a problem for days and couldn’t figure out what the issue was. The strangest part is that I would get the answer not while I was in front of my PC writing code, but while I was doing something else.
Whatever you’re looking to get out of a new skills program, HyperionDev’s bootcamps bring skills that go beyond just career relevance.
Coding helps you to think in a logical and critical way, which in my opinion can boost anyone’s ability to see the bigger picture in every situation they find themselves in. It can give people the confidence to pursue a career that is fulfilling and beneficial to a wide variety of people.
You, too, can acquire new professional skills that give you the freedom to work when and where you want. HyperionDev offers online bootcamps in Full Stack Web Development, Data Science or Software Engineering. You can also trial one of these courses for free. If online learning is not your thing, you could join a face-to-face Web Developer or Software Engineering course in Cape Town or Johannesburg. Courses are offered on a part-time or full-time basis.