What We Have Done | 
This informative session quickly turned into a massive Q&A because of the sheer number of questions attendees had in regards to coding and building their business idea into reality.
As it was impossible to answer all the questions during the session, we’ve collected all the them and compiled the answers to your most burning questions.
What is the formula to getting your business ideas up and running?
Build an MVP (minimum viable product), get a landing page up, driving paid traffic to it to gauge demand, get feedback and pivot if necessary. (note: there’s so much to cover here so I’ll probably do a separate webinar on this topic. If you are interested, sign up here.
What are the career / job prospects after learning to code?
From a quick survey, NEXT Academy’s graduates will usually do the following post-bootcamp:
- Start their own startups/business idea
- Seek employment with startups or MNCs as a software developer or roles where coding could be an added-value (e.g. product manager, growth marketers, data analyst, front-end designer, UI/UX designer)
- Self-employed
Our past records can serve as a good indicator – 95% of our graduates who are pursuing a career as a software developer are employed within 3 months after graduation.Furthermore, due to the technological and economical changes globally, we are seeing more and more news, in USA, Europe and SEA, about the demand of software developers outstripping supply in leaps and bounds for at least the next 5 – 10 years.If you are a good coder/ programmer, you are in it to take advantage of this opportunity today.
Which programming language should I learn?
Beginners are often think that learning a specific language or framework to be the right way to learn technology.
This is however, completely wrong. But no one should be blamed for this because employers often post jobs such as “Java Developers”, “C+ Developers” etc. However, what employers don’t tell people is how they interview their candidates. it’s never about the language but a candidate’s ability to solve problems, learn new things and get the work done.
And if you went to a real Computer Science university, the last thing they will ever tell you is how important a specific language of framework is.
Instead of learning a specific language or framework, learn to think like a programmer and you can always learn any new languages or frameworks easily.
This is important because new languages and frameworks appear from time-to-time.
The first thing you should do it to start coding. It is too early for you to worry about which language or framework to learn first.
What can I build after 10 weeks at NEXT Academy’s coding bootcamp?
Let’s talk about what you will be building DURING the 10 weeks with us.
For our Web Development Bootcamp – you will be building apps like AirBnB.com, Quora.com, Bitly.com. You will also be building Sudoku solver. And you will have a final project with your team mates.
Now, what will YOU be building AFTER you acquired the ability to code? It’s all up your imagination.
What are the pros and cons of self-coding, outsourcing to freelancers and hiring in-house coders?
I’m assuming that you have an idea and you want to build your idea now. So what should you do?
Let’s talk about outsourcing to freelancers:
- I’ve hired freelancers before. Good ones and bad ones. The key is to set clear expectations and also understand the progress they are making.
- As I am a coder myself, I know precisely the progress and quality of work done by the freelancers. I am able to cut lost when things are not working well. We’ve students who joined us after their working relationship with the freelancers fell apart due to mismatch of expectations or bad work ethics from the freelancers.
How about hiring in-house coders?
- If you have the money to hire, why not? The key is timeline and quality.
- The hiring process takes time and are you able to identify good developers? If you idea is time-sensitive, then you may have to reconsider.
How about self-coding?
- You may say that I am bias, it might be true but I still support self-coding. The learning curve may be very steep, however, you know that you are passionate about your idea. Furthermore, it is definitely cash-saving, as you can build your own features yourself and scrap it if it doesn’t work.
- In fact, if a business idea doesn’t work, you have the ability to reiterate your ideas fast instead of waiting on others to deliver the work for you.
Read also: Startups With Technical Founders Have A Higher Chance Of Success: Truth OR Myth?
Do you offer part-time classes for the coding bootcamp?
Yes we do. Please check out some of our part time options: https://www.nextacademy.com/quantum-degrees/coding
The reason why we are taking some time to figure it out is simply because we want to preserve quality. Based on some stats and survey, self-learning completion rate is only around 2%, part time is 30% but full time is a whooping 98%.
We do not want to train half-baked developers because our goal is to build up the tech ecosystem in SEA with good talents.
What’s the difference between learning via bootcamp vs computer science degree vs online learning?
As mentioned, online learning completion rate is only 2%. You need to understand your learning style. Can you learn alone without any guidance? Are you dedicated and committed? The best way to know if online learning suits you is for you to try it out yourself.
How about coding bootcamp vs Computer Science (CS) degree?
It depends on your goals and the university in question. If all you want to learn is how to build apps, a coding bootcamp is the fastest way to help you get that skill as it provides a lot of hands-on experience.
If you want deep understanding of systems and all, CS degree will be great. We suggest aiming for the best CS colleges in the world like Stanford, U.C. Berkeley, MIT or University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
Some of our students prefer the best of both worlds where they join our coding bootcamps to gain practical experience and then move to CS degree to enhance their understanding. Having practical experience gives them an edge when they are doing their degree, thus giving them more opportunity to innovate and explore new technology during studies.
Am I right for the coding bootcamp? Who is it for?
I would love to say that everyone can code, but the fact is that, not everyone is ready to learn it the non-traditional way.
Learning to code is not easy but it is not impossible. If requires a lot of dedication, practice, a never-give-up attitude, a love to problem solve and a willingness to learn.
At our bootcamp, we have minimal lectures and maximum hands-on experience. The key is to learn through trial and error with guidance. That’s the best way to learn as it trains you to think like a programmer. That’s why we have breakout sessions targetted to problems that the students are facing instead of your traditional lectures you see in universities and schools.
If you are serious about learning to code. If you are ready to learn coding in a non-traditional but effective way, join us.
Do you plan to have Android coding bootcamps in the future?
In the future, perhaps.
Are there any pre-requisites for joining the coding bootcamp? (Age, coding background etc.)
No strict pre-requisites. We’ve had students whose age ranged from 16 to 41 years old. You don’t even need any prior programming experience.
What you need is the correct attitude and you MUST complete the prepwork before the bootcamp starts so that you don’t waste your time, your peers’ time and our time.
Read also: Why People Are Quitting High-Paying Jobs To Join Programming Bootcamps?
How can I make money from building a free app?
If you have a business idea building free app, you can charge people for a premium version of your app or run ads on your app and earn money from advertisements.
What is NEXT Academy’s bootcamp teaching methodology?
Hands-on experience where you will need to go through plenty of trial and error to learn coding. We believe in personalised guidance to tackle the roadblocks that you are facing during your coding journey.
Would NEXT Academy help to market any of the apps we build?
Yes, but rarely. We highlight apps our students built by sharing it in our collaterals.
How do I get funding for a new startup business ideas?
First, have a proven idea by building an MVP and testing demand with it. Gain traction and even better if you can make money from it. There are plenty of startup events locally you can attend and network with potential investors. The other option would be to join a startup incubator or go for pitching events.
Me and my friends have a new business idea. Do you think the e-commerce industry is too crowded today?
Competition should not be an excuse not to start something. Ideas are cheap and execution is key.
Remember, Facebook was not the first social networking app. If you can build a good product that people want, you can definitely have a piece of pie in the market, and even dominate it. It’s all about the execution.
I hope these answers help. We will be having more webinar series. Tune in!
