Coding is for everyone. There are thousands of website and app developers all over the world. They come from all races, cultural backgrounds and genders.
As technology advances, so do STEM career opportunities. Throughout the pandemic, thousands of people were left unemployed. With many businesses, events, organizations and platforms going virtual, coding skills have never been so necessary.
When Maurice Toukam, originally from Cameroon, found himself without a job during the pandemic he joined Coding Boot Camp in January 2021 to develop coding and programming skills to apply his knowledge to his own business.
Despite being a predominantly French speaker, he has been able to easily comprehend the coding program, connect with others and develop skills to last a lifetime.
Walls Project spoke with Toukam to hear more about his experience with Coding Boot Camp thus far.
What inspired you to join Coding Boot Camp?
I saw the announcement of the Futures Fund Coding Boot-Camp training on the WorkForce Education BRCC website. I was there because I was unemployed and was looking for a short training course that could help me get into the job market quickly. I found this new training for people of all ages and backgrounds and decided to go for it after doing some research on what it is all about.
Why are coding skills important for you to have?
Coding or programming skills are important to me because they allow me to diversify my professional theoretical knowledge and will allow me to create websites for my personal business. On a professional level, they allow me to be competitive since, in this third millennium, most of the economic fields (medicine, biology, economy, business development and law, Engineering) are migrating towards online automation technology hence a competent workforce.
How does being multilingual help you with learning code?
Being multilingual has a mixed influence on my learning; first, it allows me to be able to code or program in two languages (integrating the different cultures) but requires extra efforts for the comprehension and interpretation of the explanations of the programming materials.
What challenges do you face being multilingual and not from the U.S.?
The challenges of being multilingual and non-American are: accent and pronunciation of words and phrases (words are not articulated with all their syllables), vocabulary is sometimes at a high level for some and colloquial for others and the teaching methodology (pedagogy and courseware).
How do you plan to apply your coding and technology skills in the future?
I would like to pursue further training in the fields of programming and computer technology for wider application in business and if possible, train people in need.
Are you interested in creating your own website, developing an app or getting a career in the STEM field? Make the first step and register for Coding Boot Camp here.