Hello, world. My name is James Kimani. I recently joined
Moringa School for the Moringa prep program and I am planning to go back to do ruby
on rails and java. This story narrows down my experience in Moringa School and
what prompted me to join Moringa School.
I have a degree in procurement. On-campus, I fell in love
with technology. I had an interest that slowly grew into a passion. This is why I
ventured into programming. I strongly believe that any business that does not
utilize technology loses profits. A business that does not make use of
technology does not fully achieve its potential. Technology allows you to have
clients and business partners from anywhere in the world. Technology creates
solutions to problems in society. Technology makes life easier and fun.
Technology enables you to work remotely from home. The final and most crucial
to me-technology allows you to spend more time with family; this is because you
can easily become your own BOSS.
Upon searching for a school in Kenya that provides high-quality education and training in programming, I almost threw in the towel
until my friend recommended me to join Moringa School. He had heard good things
about the school from his friends. It was at such a pivotal time because I was
sick of watching online tutorials on YouTube. I needed a classroom setup where
I could consult someone if I got stuck and learn more from other people. I applied
for Moringa School and I was called for an interview. I said to myself
“interview?! This is interesting.” In Kenya, if you apply for a course most
schools never call you for an interview. You are just required to submit your
qualifications and pay the school fees. Moringa School is different. They
actually want to know why you are interested in programming, this helps them to
know you and help you achieve your dreams.
Rolling up my sleeves for the first day and I will say it
was fun! After orientation, we were introduced to our very own Technical
Mentors. Technical mentors help you in your studies whenever you face any
challenge; they are always there ready to help. The kind of learning style at
Moringa School is different from the ones people are used to. You have peer
programming. This is where you get to study in pairs. You have a partner,
who you study together with, do code practice and challenges with. Then after a
short duration of time say… two days you switch to a different partner. It is
fun because you get to work with people who think differently from you; you are
also able to learn more than you could have otherwise studied alone. Moringa
School also provides time for you to work alone.
Moringa School has sweet notes hosted online. I must admit it’s
remarkable. Their notes are detailed and very helpful. You are able to
understand code easier because of its simplicity and do code practice. Moringa
School does not condone copy-pasting of code because they actually want
students to learn. You get to have one on ones with your technical mentor so
that they can know how you are progressing. On Friday you do an independent
project which helps you put into practice what you have been learning the
entire week. We hang with the senior developers who are doing the more advanced
programming and they get to advice you, see your projects and comment on it.
I did the Moringa prep program. Moringa prep is an
introduction to programming. You get to learn front-end web development using
html, css, bootstrap and a little JavaScript and jQuery. You later get to
advance when you pass the class and join Moringa core. In Moringa core you get
to choose the android package or ruby on rails package. The android package has
deeper JavaScript, java and android app development. The ruby on rails
basically is a web development framework written in ruby.
My journey in Moringa School was amazing. It stretched my
mind and got me to realize that I am capable of doing more than I can imagine.
I grew on my interpersonal skills-I am now able to express myself better. This
is because you get to present your projects to other people. There numerous
activities in Moringa School which help in growth, some of them are: stand-ups,
lightning talks, group projects and independent projects among many others.
There is usually yoga in the evening at least twice a week. On Thursday Moringa
School invites a guest speaker who is in the industry and they get to advise
us. We interact with them and actually get to grow and know what is expected of
us. It is a great place to network and meet giants in programming. One thing
that stood out for me was the staff. Moringa school has the friendliest staff
I’ve ever meet. They are always cheerful and willing to help. Moringa School is
more of a family.
Moringa School teaches you learning how to learn. At first
when I heard this statement during orientation I did not understand it. Having
gone through the Moringa prep I actually feel comfortable learning by myself
how to code which I actually didn’t before I joined Moringa School. I know how
to do proper research, learn a new programming language by myself using
documentations and videos. That I would only have achieved through Moringa
School.
So, would I recommend somebody to join Moringa School? I
already did and they have already joined. I recommended a friend of my mine to
join Moringa School Immediately after I had an interview. I know a serious and
professional school when I see one. I am sure that very soon Moringa School
will be in-taking more than 1000 students in a single cohort because people are
actually realizing the importance of Technology. If you want to join a
programming school and you are not certain which school you want to join, I
recommend you to join Moringa School.
My advice to an aspiring developer is: be strong, do not be faint-hearted and do not give up. You do not need to understand a concept the first time, second time or third time. Just do practice. Success is the sum of small efforts — repeated day in and day out. A ship is safe in the harbor but that’s not what ships are built for. Push yourself; do not be in a comfort zone!