In this episode we'll talk to Dustin, who is a recent graduate from the Coders Campus Bootcamp and managed to land a job within two months of starting the search.

Dustin and I talk about his prior coding experience that he had before he joined our Bootcamp (spoiler: it wasn't much at all), and we talk about his experience as he went through the curriculum.

Ultimately we know how his story turned out, but in this special interview we'll learn about HOW he was able to accomplish the task of completing the Bootcamp and landing a job while also being a father of a 2 year old, a husband, a full-time employee and part-time college student.

We'll also learn about the important lessons that Dustin learned once he began his job search, and what mistakes he was making early on before he pivoted his approach, which then lead to the job that he was offered.

If you'd like to get in touch with Dustin, feel free to add him via LinkedIn here

Interested in starting your coding career?

I'm now accepting students into an immersive programming Bootcamp where I guarantee you a job offer upon graduation.

It is a 6 month, part-time, online Bootcamp that teaches you everything you need to know to get a job as a Java developer in the real-world.

You can learn more via www.coderscampus.com/bootcamp

Episode Transcript

Intro / Outro 0:09

Welcome to the coders campus podcast, where you'll learn how to code from one of the best teachers in the industry. Whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned pro, the coders campus podcasts will teach you what you need to know to master the art of programming. And now, your host, Trevor page.

Trevor Page 0:28

Alrighty, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to episode number 58 of the coders campus podcast. Thank you so much as always for joining and listening in. Today, we've got a good one, we've got another really impressive story from one of the students deep inside of the coders campus boot camp, I want to talk about his story. Today, I want to talk about some of the tips that we will be covering that Dustin, who is the gentleman that we will be speaking with Dustin talks about his experience in the boot camp, what he did during the boot camp to make sure that he was successful in completing the boot camp. And then what he did to make sure that he was also successful in landing a job. Very shortly after graduating from the boot camp, I believe he got a job offer within two months of graduation, which is quite good. And he shares some tips in terms of what a common mistake is that a lot of aspiring coders make when they're trying to get their first job. The thing he started doing this as well. And it was a big waste of time. He then learned that there was a better way to do the job. You know, landing interviews and getting a job, there's a much better way to do it. He'll talk about that. And then I add my own little spin on it and talk about another tip that I always see, again, aspiring employee to coders. Do they make this mistake. And it's so frustrating, because it's like, you're right there. You're right at the finish line. And then you just stop. And I want to talk more about that in. We will talk more of that in this episode. So it's full of a great inspirational story about Dustin and his current situation where he was a father husband employed full time attending some college courses as well as doing the boot camp. And yet he still managed to get the boot camp done on time and land a job within two months of graduation. So all in eight months later, he was employed. He makes a joke later about how you know, you can't even have a baby that quick. And yet I changed my entire career in that time. So it's a really great story. So I want to invite you to listen to it. So without further ado, let's flip over to the interview with Dustin from Louisiana. Let's go. So today we are doing by Dustin Vidrine past bootcamp students. And he currently is residing in Louisiana. I'm sure I probably talked about this already. And yeah, I just want to dive into who Dustin is what his story has been what the outcome has been inside of this coding boot camp that you guys obviously know, I have spoken about this many times since Yeah, I just want to talk about about depth and get to know a little bit more about him. So Dustin, talk about yourself. Let's let's let's learn more about where where you came from? Where were your roots? What were you doing? Before you ever stumbled upon the boot camp that you did? What was what were you? Did you have a job? What was your job? What was your life? Like? I don't know, anything that you feel comfortable talking about? Let us know what life looks like before the boot camp?

Dustin Vidrine 3:29

Sure. First of all, thanks for having me. It's a pleasure. I feel like I'm going full circle here. So at the time of finding out of the boot camp about the boot camp, I was working at a plant chemical plant, which is about an hour and a half drive from home waking up super early, you know, 233 o'clock in the morning to get ready to go out there work 12 hours, come back home, do it again. So on the commute, I actually started looking at podcasts or anything to listen to, you know, eventually music gets old, or the same songs get old. So it's like I want to have something conversation wise to listen to. And then I stumbled upon your podcast, which is why it feels weird going full circle. Because now I am portant

Trevor Page 4:15

now so you you So you worked at a chemical plant? Would you describe yourself as someone who again, I don't know many of these answers. So I'm gonna find out the same time as people listening to this episode. Would you define yourself as someone who was very tech savvy, not tech savvy at all a little bit tech savvy, like where did you fall on that sort of spectrum.

Dustin Vidrine 4:34

I felt like I was pretty, you know, seven out of 10 roughly in the form of tech savvy because prior to the chemical plant I was actually working in the electronics industry with within a hospital working on electronic equipment and medical equipment. So I still had the tech vibe but it wasn't any, any programmer of any sorts or coder right? But I still wasn't a tech umbrella. So and also at the chemical plant I wasn't an electrical tech So I was still kind of in electronics in the tech field, but I wanted to go deeper and get my feet wet in it without having to go through a full four year university. Because I just, I was ready to get out and do something different, especially after a long commute and drive every single day working the long hours. It was time for a change. And that's when I heard about the bootcamp on the podcast. And I was like, You know what, this is it, I'm going to do

Trevor Page 5:24

it. So it was you said, a one and a half hour one way commute

Dustin Vidrine 5:28

or one way, when we're three hours a day driving, right,

Trevor Page 5:32

three hours of driving, that's expensive, especially now. I mean, we're recording this in late April 2022. Gas prices ridiculous. So I can't imagine how many, you know, how many miles of driving that would be? Oh, my gosh, so and at the job itself? So you're doing some light? Like, what would a normal day be? Like? What what what, what are your normal activities and work that you did at that job.

Dustin Vidrine 5:53

So at the job, we would, you know, I think around 435 o'clock ish, the supervisor would come in and give us our daily task of Whoo, who's requesting what are whatever work needs to be done within the chemical unit that will be stationed in and we'll go out and start doing that, get the permits for you know, you have to get approval from the actual owner of the facility, which would be Dow Chemical at the time, we're still this now. get approval to start working, get your crew together, get your tools together, and head out there and get to it. And once you find maintenance work or maintenance, run wire pull wires to troubleshoot, install, whatever any kind of think of as a glorified electrician, basically, so anything electrician would do, but in the sense of bigger commercial equipment and whatnot. So no, that was it all day long, and you have your lunch break, and then go right back into it.

Unknown Speaker 6:44

And use it for 30 It

Dustin Vidrine 6:46

starts Oh, yeah. 435 o'clock, the meeting starts we've kind of talked, touch base, whatever thing you know, what needs to be done and whatnot, and then head out, head out to the unit and get to work.

Trevor Page 6:57

And 20 to 12 hour days. Yeah, typically go to the floor. Okay. Yeah, your make your I thought I you know, I get up at five o'clock. You know, doing a good job here and being Yeah, being at the job by 430 in the morning. I mean, you gotta get up at like, 230 or something to do that. Exactly. Wow. Okay, cool. So that I see where the where the drive would be to maybe pun intended. Yeah, that's, that's something so podcast. Hey, obviously, if you're if you guys listen to this right now, obviously, you know what a podcast is at this point. So I a very similar thing for me happened when I was doing my job way back when music got tiring, right, you want to start maybe learning something or doing something different? So obviously a great route to go. So I'm glad that you found us through the podcast. So that was your introduction to sort of the boot camp? And how, how much work had you done? I suppose