Tomasz Mroczyński has long dreamed of becoming an IT developer, but the hardship of life got in his way. After ten weeks at an Accelerate bootcamp, he is ready to realize his dream.
- My wish is to be able to work as a developer in Norway. I have learned a lot for myself, online, but I wanted to take it a step further. I have been looking for the best way for me to do that, Tomasz Mroczyński said.
He completed the Accelerate Bootcamp "Backend web development with .NET" in December. He describes it as an “intense and incredibly educational experience”.
- The bootcamp was like a big injection of knowledge! The name Accelerate fits very well. This form of learning was perfect for me. It was much more effective than learning on my own.
- I signed up for the bootcamp because I had a good impression of Noroff. Especially the fact that the school collaborates closely with the industry. The possibility to get a certification after the course suited me perfectly, Mroczyński said.
The boot camp was like a big injection of knowledge.Tomasz Mroczyński
Seeking a better life
Mroczyński comes from Poland, where he worked as a sales manager in a company that sold and installed biometric identification systems (e.g., fingerprints and speech recognition).
- At that time, I was cooperating with programmers to design products, add new features to our software, or establish communication with customers' systems. The idea to learn to program in the future took root at that time. Unfortunately, the hardships of life took it away for some time.
He explains that life in Poland was tough. Even though he had a stable and good job, his salary was low. And after he decided to look for another, better-paid job, he instead ended up going several months without a job. The debt and worries grew, and eventually, he decided he had to leave his homeland to pursue his dreams of a better life. The choice was between England and Norway.
- In England, I had a job waiting for me, through a friend, but I still chose Norway. I have not regretted it, he said.
Called 30 companies a day
After arriving in Norway in 2012, the work search began. He called 30 companies a day to offer his services, and within two weeks he had secured a job as a driver. He has been doing that job ever since.
- Our years in Norway have exceeded all expectations. I have bought a house, had a son, and had the opportunity to travel around the world. The worries and stress have disappeared, he said.
His focus after he came to Norway has been to support the family and create a good and stable life. But his dream of becoming an IT developer has been there all along. Now the 38-year-old is ready to realize his personal ambitions.
- In recent years, I have spent a lot of time on my own learning Python. At the beginning of 2021, I started learning JavaScript and React, and I have a commercial project in my portfolio that has been developed in React. But in the autumn of 2021, I decided that C # was the language I wanted to specialize in, he said.
Read more: - The Python-bootcamp was perfect for me
Convinced that .NET is a great choice
He says that he was a little worried about whether the learning at the Accelerate bootcamp would go too fast for him.
- In the beginning, I did have to spend more time catching up with object-oriented programming, but luckily the educational materials were perfectly prepared, complete, and flowing from topic to topic. The final task requirements at the end of each module were formed so precisely that the process of learning was effective and satisfactory. After 10 weeks with an initial skill level close to zero, I learned how to publish my own .NET Web Api with database support.
Mroczyński says that he would like to be able to continue bootcamp life even after the ten weeks.
- I've gained the ability to use object-oriented programming, create web API with Asp.NET core with Entity Framework, and finally to deploy my app on Azure and containerize it. Moreover, the boot camp convinced me that .NET was a good choice for my specialization, he said
.NET is a collection of software development technologies from Microsoft that was first introduced in 2002. Today, it is one of the most widely used development platforms in the world. You can write .NET applications with various programming languages, including C #.
Read more: Ruhksar learned frontend-development in ten weeks
Support from his wife
Mroczyński, who today lives in eastern Norway with his family, explains that combining the learning at bootcamp with work and family life went well.
- Fortunately, I had the full support of my wife who organized everything around me from childcare to full home management. She was always beside me, believed in me, and encouraged me to pursue my dreams and ambitions. My work did not conflict with the bootcamp at all, because I have only night shifts.
After the bootcamp, his plan is to continue developing his programming skills, to become a full-stack .NET developer.
- I will continue to explore and learn. I am going to make my educational project a multi-platform frontend app with the use of .NET MAUI. I'll start looking for jobs at some point, but it is difficult for me to judge when my skills will be sufficient. Maybe they already are? he said.
He has no doubt that the skills acquired at the Accelerate bootcamp will open new opportunities for him.
- There is a great demand for .NET-knowledge, so I want to use what I have learned to get my first job in the IT branch soon, Mroczyński said.
