A Valuable Lesson in Entrepreneurship: How the Coding Boot Camp Helped Alejandro Palacios Remain Calm in the Wake of COVID-19

Before enrolling in a coding boot camp, Alejandro Palacios worked for Globalization Partners as a business development representative. Although he thrived in sales, he wanted to switch his career and start all over again. With that, he decided to return to his studies and pursue a Master’s in Business Intelligence and Data Science.

Despite Alejandro’s clear agenda, there was one obstacle in his way — to enter the program, he would first need a background in programming. Determined to see his plans through, Alejandro enrolled in Tecnológico de Monterrey Coding Boot Camp.

Looking back today, he knows that this decision made all the difference.

Passionate professors — and an unexpected new skill

“Before the course, I had zero experience in programming,” said Alejandro. “I didn’t even know what HTML and CSS were — they’re supposed to be the building blocks of coding.” 

In spite of this, Alejandro worked with the boot camp’s passionate instructors and TAs to gain confidence and overcome technical hurdles. 

Although Alejandro learned many valuable lessons along the way, one new skill, in particular, proved vital to his future. 

“The course taught me to be an entrepreneur,” he said. “While it fostered a strong support network through its instructors and TAs, it also gave me the initiative to do research on my own.”

A tragic storm — and a silver lining

After completing the boot camp in early 2020, Alejandro was equipped with the programming skills he needed to become a full-stack web developer. As expected, the course provided him with multiple options. He was at a fork in the road, debating whether to apply for a coding job or become an entrepreneur while completing his Master’s.

Then, the pandemic struck — and Alejandro’s options began to dwindle.

“Sadly, a lot of the positions I applied for got canceled,” he said. “But even though many jobs became unavailable, I noticed that there was an emerging market of web application entrepreneurs.”

Applying a newfound entrepreneurial spirit

Seizing his silver living, Alejandro began applying the entrepreneurial skills he learned in class to his work ethic. Although he didn’t know a lot about starting a business, he actively sought out clients and closed deals. 

“Everything ran smoothly,” he said. “Even though I had little experience, the course taught me how to plan a project and incorporate code into those plans. And while the pandemic has severely affected employment around the world, I found the virtual aspect of my job to be advantageous.”

Now, Alejandro works in full-stack web development. His business serves a variety of small companies, building everything from simple websites and landing pages to fully fledged e-commerce platforms.

Seeking new chapters ahead

Alejandro’s journey is far from over. Between his newly launched venture and the Master’s program in Business Intelligence Solutions, even more learning lies ahead.

“I love strengthening my knowledge,” Alejandro said. “By learning new technologies, I hope to provide and deliver better solutions for a wider variety of clients and projects.”