Building my career with Youwe University

Whalton Hippertt’s career path has led him from Brazil, his country of origin, to the Netherlands, through the oil and gas and tech industry, and finally to Youwe University, a seven-month bootcamp for young developers. This is his story on what inspired him to join the initiative and how he finds it so far.

Having been a Contract and Procurement Manager in my career, I’ve led a couple of IT projects. I have always had a curiosity for technology and have been exposed to the tech world, but I’ve realized I wanted to be more on the development side. This is why Youwe University is a perfect match for me – I can combine my professional experience and acquire new knowledge in development, and in doing so, progress my career.

I’d just completed another bootcamp in web development, which was great to get a solid foundation in the field. However, I felt I was not overly confident yet to start working as a developer. So Youwe University provided me with a perfect opportunity to build further on that foundation, with everything I am currently learning on PHP and Magento. What is more, when I complete this bootcamp, I will get proper work experience, as I will become one of Youwe’s junior developers.

So far, I really like the structure of the bootcamp. We are, of course, the first generation of such Youwe developers, as the Youwe University has just been launched, but it is great, as we can grow together. The bootcamp is very practical, with a lot of exercises. PHP is a new language for me, but I see that there are a lot of similarities with other languages I’ve learned. And we have already acquired the professional Scrum Master Certification!

I don't see my attending this bootcamp as changing careers or starting over, but rather I perceive this step as a natural flow in my career. My goal is to build on the 15 years of my professional experience in management with my newly acquired knowledge in development and ultimately effectively manage an IT team. My belief is that in order to be a great leader for your team, you need to have the same operational experience and technical knowledge as they do. Youwe University is leading me in the direction of achieving my goal. There are many bootcamps out there, but what makes Youwe University distinct is the possibility to get work experience after successful completion of the training. That gives you a huge head start in the labour market.

I would advise the young talent interested in acquiring new skills and getting work experience in development to join Youwe University bootcamp. The IT world is really fast-paced and you can build your career faster than in other fields. Don't be afraid of taking this step and don't be afraid of believing in your future!