At 8 a.m., Awesome Inc bootcampers prepare to have a day filled with algorithm warmups, lectures, free time to work on projects, all while fueling themselves with endless amounts of Doublestuf Oreos. The seemingly fast-paced lectures and projects are jam-packed with rich lessons each student will hold close as they prepare to market themselves to the vast world of software development. This bootcamp is not simply a course that gives brief, vague lessons in coding, it is a course that will pave the future of participants, whose career backgrounds might come as a surprise to most.

Josh Stewart was a college lacrosse coach and received an M.A. in Higher Education at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. College athletics caused him to move frequently and he realized that in order to support his family better, he needed to shift careers. At 28, he decided to check out Awesome Inc’s Web Developer Bootcamp.

“How can I have a better work/life balance, how can I make more money, and how can I stay put? I solved all three of those problems at once,” said Stewart.

Typically, Stewart is quick to picking new things up, so it came as a surprise to realize that coding language would be more challenging than he anticipated. But with hard work and the right attitude, his finished projects made it all worth it. He is now equipped with the knowledge that is guaranteed to guide him into his new career path. It’s the last week of classes and he has already had three job interviews. Simply put and in his own words, Awesome Inc has surpassed his expectations.

Brandon Spencer spent over a decade in restaurant management. With some high school coding experience and a B.A. in History under his belt, his interest in web development came at the forefront after learning of Awesome Inc’s bootcamp one year ago. His itch for wanting to learn more led him to the three month course that has been met with a rewarding and life-enhancing experience.

“It’s surprising to see how far you’ve come, but also an understanding that there are a lot of things you still don’t know,” said Spencer. “We’re pretty well-equipped to be able to figure it out, which I think was one of the goals from day one.”

For future bootcampers, Spencer has a few vital pieces of advice: get some sleep, remember that everyone feels defeated at times, and no matter what “keep pushing forward.”

The three month course has been an uphill battle for some bootcampers, but despite the frustration that comes with any new task, the payoff is well worth it.

“12 weeks ago, I couldn’t write a line of code,” Stewart said. “It seems like we have all the tools and support system from Awesome Inc to get a job.”

Education and career backgrounds are not a determining factor in who can become the future of software development. What does determine it? Hard work, dedication, persistence and the strive to grow as an individual.