Vincent's success story | Bootcamp to robotics expert

I am an industrial engineer who studied at RWTH Aachen University. I specialized in production technology and robotics during my master's degree. As such, I wanted to establish a foothold in robotics. The education I received at the university was very theoretical.

During my university studies, I took courses in Java programming. However, these courses constituted only a small part of my studies and did not provide a broad foundation. In my master's program, I then took courses in robotics where I learned to perform forward and inverse calculations and manipulate points using DH parameters. Nevertheless, I still felt unprepared in programming after completing these courses.

After university and my first job, the question arose of how to continue my journey. I wanted to build programming skills for my entry into the field. Additionally, I was interested in an on-site course, as there is greater motivation to see the journey through.

So, I consulted my circle of friends to find a reputable programming bootcamp near Munich. A friend of mine had founded a startup, codum.cc. Her startup's business model is to bring together bootcamp graduates and self-taught programmers so that they can continue their journey and motivate each other to keep learning programming. She had extensive insights into the IT bootcamps in the Munich area and recommended Constructor Academy to me. The reason is that Constructor Academy's courses are aimed at more experienced students who have already completed a degree. Constructor Academy is headquartered in Zurich and has a branch in Munich. The Munich branch is centrally located at the Donnersberger Bridge in a picturesque office on the 20th floor of a high-rise building, offering a breathtaking view over Munich. The courses are conducted in English.

I decided to join the bootcamp in mid-April. The initial contact with Constructor Academy was very smooth. The bootcamp charges prices that are reasonable for adult education. Fortunately, there is the possibility to receive support in the form of an educational voucher from public funds, which is applied for through the Employment Office.

Since the next batch/semester of Constructor Academy was set to begin in early May, I had to complete my registration and the application for the educational voucher within two weeks. Thanks to the excellent work and network of Ms. Sieber, I obtained an educational voucher in time for the start of the next bootcamp semester.

In the last few days of my bootcamp, I also had the opportunity to see the final projects of the previous semester and was impressed. What particularly excited me were:

• The final projects that the students had put together.
• The atmosphere in the bootcamp, and the openness to discuss topics from the bootcamp even with IT newcomers.
• The enthusiasm with which the former students spoke about their projects afterward.
• Pizza and drinks 🙂

I started my bootcamp with two other trainees who, like me, had academic backgrounds, but both had already completed their PhDs.

The bootcamp was structured such that in the mornings, we attended English lectures covering the theory from the modules. In the afternoons, we worked on exercises together with other students and with the support of a teaching assistant. The solutions to the exercises were then uploaded, allowing us to compare our results.

The bootcamp lasted three months, or 12 weeks. Here, Constructor Academy is honest. Other bootcamp providers promise three months of bootcamp, but the program lasts only 9 weeks.

Another focus of the bootcamp was on team projects. After the first few weeks, students were grouped and given a day to work on a project together. Exchange and teamwork are very important in IT; soft skills are absolutely essential. The projects were challenging but manageable as a team. The projects were then presented. The Constructor team provided valuable feedback on how to give good business presentations on IT topics.

The final weeks were dedicated to the capstone project. The capstone projects are carried out in collaboration with industry companies, and Constructor utilizes a strong network for this. In my capstone project, we worked with QualityMinds to predict human movements for autonomous driving.

The Constructor Academy team carefully considered how to assign teams for these projects. I was part of a very motivated and capable team; our skills complemented each other well. While my teammates delved deeply into specific aspects of the project, I maintained an overview of the entire project.

The goal for the presentations was to engage a broad audience. Therefore, the presentations needed to be concise and precise. There were several rounds of presentations with a lot of constructive feedback.

The final presentations took place in a large event room. On the day of the presentations, you could feel the excitement in the air. Five teams from Munich presented their projects, and a few more from Zurich. Some teams were hybrid, with students from both Munich and Zurich. All teams delivered strong presentations. Afterwards, there were drinks, pizza, and discussions about the bootcamps.

A few weeks after the bootcamp, I received great news: I got a job with a robotics manufacturer based in Denmark, with a sales office in Munich. I work there as a robotics trainer, showing participants how programming with our robots works. The robots are programmed in a language similar to Python, which I had learned during the bootcamp. Additionally, the three months at the bootcamp allowed me to see how adult education works. The bootcamp is very practice-oriented, so now I can actually program.

The bootcamp was therefore very worthwhile for me. I was able to build the qualifications I need to work in robotics. A big thank you to the team at Constructor Academy! And good luck to all future students in deciding whether to follow a similar path. If you want to know more about my journey, feel free to contact me via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-von-zitzewitz/.