Zuitt Coding Bootcamp, Philippines successfully launched its International Bootcamp training in India through an initiative called Free Coding Training. Zuitt invited university students from India and welcomed them to apply for this opportunity to learn Full Stack Web Development for free.
Zuitt held its first International Commencement Ceremony for its India batch last April 14, 2023, at Beatle Hotel, Mumbai.
Prashant Ranjan, a Civil Engineering student, was one of the first few successful boot campers for Zuitt’s first India Batch. He is currently a university student at IIT Bombay. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is known as a prestigious, government-owned, technical university located across India.
In this article, Zuitt interviewed Prashant for feedback and took into account his personal Bootcamp experience on Zuitt’s Free Coding Training.
(Inputs by Prashant Ranjan; Interviewed by Adrianne Saldua; Written by Dana Diaz)
—— Introduce yourself to the Zuitt community.
Prashant Ranjan: My name is Prashant Ranjan and I am currently living in Mumbai, India. I am currently pursuing Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Bombay. Also, I am currently a sophomore in my college. My interests are Machine Learning, Data Science, Web Development, and Stock Market.
A Free Coding Training for an IIT University Student
—— Tell us about your first impression of Zuitt’s Free Coding Training offer.
Prashant Ranjan: At first, I was really very excited about this Bootcamp. I am very passionate to learn about Web Development and to become a Full Stack Web Developer.
This opportunity is free which is a very good thing for us – college students, because we are not earning right now. Our college tuition fees are already too high for us to afford other courses. It will definitely help students like us who are not financially well off, or just not in a position to purchase such a good course. Zuitt is a good Bootcamp.
—— Do you have any expectations about the Free Coding Training?
Prashant Ranjan: At the beginning, I didn’t have that much expectation, but I was definitely very excited about it. When the Bootcamp started, it was nice meeting the Zuitt instructors virtually. After a few classes, I was thinking why is this course for free and still they are teaching us in such a good way. The whole course was supervised and well-structured. They teach in such a way that complex concepts can be understood easily. So, I’m really thankful for that.
—— How do you think this initiative can help your future career or the future career of university students like you?
Prashant Ranjan: I think it is a great initiative by Zuitt to help people who are interested in Web Development but are not able to afford such a great quality Bootcamp. For us, college students, it is really a great opportunity.
I have classes from 8:30 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening. Then for the Bootcamp, it’s 7:00 to 11:00 in the evening. I’m really thankful to Zuitt for that schedule because it doesn’t collide with my college subjects.
I think most of the people in my batch or most of the people in my college are really interested in Tech and coding. Most of them are very eager to learn about Web Development, Machine Learning, and Data Science. Some aspire to become Data Analysts too. Most of them are very interested in tech activities.
I think they would be very thankful to Zuitt for providing this opportunity for free. Most of the platforms, we have to pay for it.
—— Do you think that the languages that you’re learning from the Bootcamp will help you as a future Civil Engineer?
Prashant Ranjan: In most cases and most of the fields right now, coding is really important and coding helps everywhere. I think in some way it will help but I don’t know how yet. My professor used R Studio. It is a coding language but I never heard of it. She used that for estimating some fluid problems and applied hydraulics. So, I think coding can help.
An IIT University student’s viewpoint of Zuitt Coding Bootcamp
—— What do you think is the best thing about this training?
Prashant Ranjan: I think the best thing about this Bootcamp is the Zuitt instructors. Sir Arvin and Sir Marco are really great to me. I look forward to these classes because their way of teaching is so interactive and I don’t feel like I’m doing classes. For my college classes, in most of the classes, I feel bored. The Zuitt classes were so interactive. The activities are a great way to apply all the concepts we’ve learned in the classes.
—— Tell me about your opinion on Zuitt’s Live-instruction classes.
Prashant Ranjan: Zuitt’s live-instruction classes are very engaging and interactive. The instructors make complicated things easy. Every class is so well-structured and well-planned. They provide one hour for an activity. The best part is that they don’t ignore any concerns or doubts that we post in the chat or when we speak in google meet. The instructors reply to us very calmly. They don’t rush through things like we have to complete the course and make sure that they reply to every single question we have.
—— How about your opinion on the Capstone project?
Prashant Ranjan: For the Capstone project, I was able to apply all the things that have been taught to us about front-end development. I would be able to add it to my portfolio. So I’m thankful that it was compulsory for the students because it would really help us in our application which will definitely help in our job search.
—— How about the curriculum? What do you think about it?
Prashant Ranjan: I don’t think I would be able to learn web development in a better way with a better curriculum somewhere else. Zuitt’s curriculum is really good and it covers almost all of the concepts of web development from frontend to backend. I’ve learned so many new things which I didn’t learn before.
—— What do you think about the pacing of the lessons?
Prashant Ranjan: The pacing of the lessons is very comfortable. It’s in between – it’s not too much, it’s not too less. I’m able to digest all of the things definitely through activities. If there are too many concepts taught in class and I am not able to catch up, through our activities and through looking at the codebase, I have always been able to catch up through all those things. It gets a little difficult for me, but most of the time, it’s very comfortable for me.
—— How about your opinion on having Zuitt Filipino IT instructors? Do you mind that your instructors are Filipinos?
Prashant Ranjan: Zuitt’s instructors are really great. They are the ones who made this Bootcamp great. I don’t I think I’ll be able to get a better instructor for web development better than Sir Arvin and Sir Marco.
No, I don’t mind that our instructors are Filipino. They are really good at interacting with people. Their way of speaking and their accent is very good. I don’t have any problem understanding them. Filipino instructors speak so clearly that’s why I’m really able to understand.
—— Tell me your opinion on your onboarding for the training and the process of becoming an actual Zuitt Bootcamp student.
Prashant Ranjan: We had a quiz session that was not exactly for checking technical skills but for logical reasoning abilities. Those who passed were shortlisted and interviewed. This process that they do for the candidates is important because candidates who are selected for the Bootcamp should be capable to understand and to grasp all of the concepts in a Web development course.
—— Tell us about your overall experience while you were working through the front-end course of the developer career program?
Prashant Ranjan: It was really a great experience. I don’t think I would be able to learn something about web development in a structured way with a deep understanding also.
The front end was the first thing we learned. I think the front end of the website is important because it is the first impression of a viewer of the website. I think it was really a great experience really.
—— What were your struggles during your capstone? And how did you handle it? And how did you overcome it?
Prashant Ranjan: Okay, so during the Capstone project, my struggle was how to make my website more aesthetic using the concept of CSS, HTML, and Bootstrap. It was taught in around 16 lessons and activities. In our daily activities, there is a desired output that we all have to work on. In the Capstone project, the instructors told us that we have to make it personalized and make it interactive and better. So, in a sense, there wasn’t any desired output that I can pattern what I am doing. It was tough but I learned quite a lot of things. Through the capstone project, I was able to build my first official website which I deployed from Github. I sent it to my brother. I sent it to my parents. The struggles were worth it because I was satisfied that my website looked somewhat good.
—— How will the Free Coding Training be helpful to you, especially for your future career?
Prashant Ranjan: I aspire to become a software engineer and end up in web development. This Bootcamp helped me to become a software engineer like studying at a university. I will apply to several companies such as LinkedIn and also through placements in my college. I think this Bootcamp will definitely shape my career.
—— Tell us about your career goal after the university or after taking this Bootcamp with Zuitt.
Prashant Ranjan: So actually, when I entered college, I didn’t know much about Web Development. In the first year of my college, I did a course on Web Development for the Summer of Science. This event is conducted every year for IIT Bombay students. It was a somewhat introductory course and I found it quite a lot interesting.
When I heard about this opportunity from Zuitt, I decided to take it because I was already interested in it. I’m very grateful to Zuitt for this opportunity. I’m very thankful to them because they taught us so well and also took care of all of our classes. There have been no clashes between my college classes and the Zuitt Bootcamp classes. After learning web development, I am definitely going to become a Software Engineer after my university and it’s all thanks to Zuitt.
Words of wisdom from a Zuitt boot camper from India
—— What do you think is the best thing about Zuitt?
Prashant Ranjan: The best thing about Zuitt is their instructors – their way of teaching. Also, the structure of their curriculum is so good – there are daily activities and capstone projects which you can add to your portfolio. If you are interested, Zuitt Coding Bootcamp will be a great Bootcamp for you to learn Web Development from scratch up to a very advanced level.
—— What is your message to Zuitt’s future boot campers in India?
Prashant Ranjan: For future boot campers, you should be really grateful for this opportunity. For the classes and for the lectures, I would suggest you listen to all of the classes very well. Even when you have very little time, the activities won’t take more than an hour to complete especially if you’re sitting with your laptop and concentrating on it. For the Capstone project, it would be tough at first, but give it time. If you just put in some extra effort like me, I made this Bootcamp a priority over my college classes and my lectures. So if you put in some extra effort, you will be able to cover all the things and you won’t regret it.
—— What is your message to your Zuitt instructors?
Prashant Ranjan: I’ve been really grateful for your way of teaching. The classes were beyond my expectations and I learned so many new things daily. I have decided to become a Full Stack Web Developer because of you teaching this course to me. Please keep the classes as engaging as it is right now.
—— What is your message to your fellow classmates in your university, or anyone in maybe, in India, who wants to learn how to code?
Prashant Ranjan: If you are interested in web development, I think Zuitt will be a great Bootcamp for you to learn Web Development. Technical instructors are so good. I’ve been in this Bootcamp for a time and it has been so great until now.
(End of interview)
Are you an alumnus or student of any Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) in India? If you are interested to learn more about web development, you are welcome to apply to Zuitt’s Free Coding Training. This will start on May 17, 2023. To learn more about this free program, visit www.india.zuitt.co
