Proshore Bootcamp #2: More than a mentorship program
In October 2021, we launched the first 3-month Proshore Bootcamp. The free mentorship program was aimed at supporting aspiring IT professionals as they kickstart their careers – and showcasing the job opportunities available in Nepal.
Here’s an insight into the first edition of Proshore Bootcamp,
- 10 seats were available for 3 different streams: Frontend, Backend, and Project Management.
- Virtually, there were no criteria required to apply. Only basic knowledge on the respective stream.
- 59 applications were received from aspiring software developers, UI/UX Designers, and Project Managers for the 10 seats.
- 10 Bootcampers started the virtual self-paced program
- 7 Bootcamper completed the program to graduate
- 3 Bootcampers received job offers from us and are currently working for our clients.
- Rest of the graduated bootcampers are also working for renowned Nepali IT companies.
The 2nd Edition
Taking into account the learnings from the 1st edition, we launched the 2nd edition of Proshore Bootcamp for March to June 2022 with a few changes. This time around we increased the number of seats to 20 and added a stream for QA in addition to the existing front/backend and project management streams.
The increase in seats for the 3-month mentorship program proved to be the right call as we received a whopping 127 applications. Based on the quality of application answers, and their desire to learn, we shortlisted 58 candidates for a virtual interview over tea or ‘Chiya Guff’. 35 potential bootcampers made it to the final selection before 20 seats were filled.
Similar to the 1st edition, the bootcampers worked on a project developing a piece of software for real-world use by Proshore. While the 1st edition bootcampers built a project road-mapping tool, this time the outcome was to be a time tracking tool – an essential for co-located companies with international clients.
Following the agile methodology, the bootcamp was conducted in sprints after orientation and project-specific training sessions. The bootcampers worked on the time-tracking tool for 5 ‘ 2-week’ sprints during which 44 professional-growth sessions were conducted by 20 different mentors.
The Impact
Just like how updates improve an app with bug fixes and new features, the 2nd edition of Proshore Bootcamp was an upgrade over the 1st edition. While the scope of the project was decreased to fit the timeframe, all planned features could not be released. However, the outcome of the time-tracking tool, creatively named ‘Ticker’ by the Bootcampers, was more than commendable.
A graduation ceremony was organized on the 10th of June, 2022. 15 out of 20 bootcampers graduated from the 2nd edition of Proshore Bootcamp, whereupon, they received certification for completing the program. Similarly, 6 bootcampers received job opportunities out of which 2 were onboarded into our backend teams.
We have always maintained that the objective of Proshore Bootcamp is not the project Bootcampers work on during the 3-month program, but rather, to get the selected Bootcampers to realize their potential and kickstart their promising IT journey. The success of Proshore Bootcamp as a program is therefore based on opportunities created.
IT Career Tips
As part of our graduation ceremony we also hosted a panel discussion where seasoned Proshorians shared career tips. To encourage beneficial takeaway, the floor was open for panelists to share their views and answer career or industry related questions.
We have curated some interesting points from the panel discussion below. Whether you are an aspiring Software Developer, UI/UX designer, QA, or Project Manager, this may useful to you.
Next on Proshore Bootcamp
The 4th edition of Proshore Bootcamp is underway from March to June 2023! Afterwards, we are set to have one more edition of Proshore Bootcamp for the year.
Still not sure about what Proshore Bootcamp is? Learn more about Proshore Bootcamp and the first edition in our blog.
In all upcoming editions of Proshore Bootcamp, we look forward to creating more opportunities and contributing to the promising future of Nepal as a tech hub. Follow us on socials to keep updated with exciting career opportunities.