From Sound Design to Coding: UT Dallas Coding Bootcamp Alum Greg Kurka's Journey

Greg Kurka's journey from sound design and game script programming to full-stack web development is a testament to the transformative power of focused learning. Learn how Greg’s journey with the UT Dallas Coding Bootcamp helped him find the clarity and support he needed to solidify his skills and prepare for a tech career.

From Tech Scripts to Full-Stack Skills

Greg enrolled in UT Dallas Coding Bootcamp with a foundation in tech, having coded scripts in Python and C# for the purposes of music and game programming. “I had been learning general programming for a while before coming to the bootcamp," Greg explains. “And felt a lot of clarity once I started learning exact concepts and how everything fit together."

This clarity was fostered by his instructors, who, “really cared about our learning experience and were always available for any questions and further learning" attests Greg. He found the pace of learning to be fast, but very approachable. He also notes, “Though it was quick, I picked up the concepts we were studying as the pace of lectures, and open discussion board made each concept easy to pick up." This experience increased his desire to move beyond scripting into full-stack development.

Conquering Challenges and Finding Clarity

According to Greg, the most challenging part of bootcamp was approaching real-world problems during his capstone project—which involved building a full stack application from scratch as part of a development team. However, the support from the instructors, combined with effective group communication, proved invaluable:

“Through support from the instructors, and communication in the group, we were able to overcome some pretty difficult obstacles and bugs in our capstone. Our final product is something I'm very proud of!"

He particularly appreciated the instructors' ability to provide helpful resources for any situation. He also highlights the instructors' accessibility:

“I remember I was having problems understanding exactly how promises and async functions work in JavaScript, and the instructors stayed after class and helped me and other students figure it out. It was what I needed that day for sure."

Building a Foundation for Future Success: Greg's Advice to Aspiring Coders

Greg's experience at UT Dallas Coding Bootcamp provided him with more than just technical skills; it equipped him with a deeper understanding of the coding landscape. “The most valuable skills involve overarching concepts of how it all fits together, understanding documentation much better, and general troubleshooting," he states. He found the structured curriculum particularly beneficial:

"When I started the bootcamp, they were able to give me exact ways to do everything, right down to the best extensions for VSCode, and the best technologies to use accompanying the PERN stack. Now that I have an exact way to do things with this particular tech stack, I feel like I can better understand the countless other ways and how to learn other technologies much easier."

Greg's advice to aspiring tech professionals is clear: "I'd say definitely jump in and do it, and make friends!" He emphasizes the lasting connections formed during the bootcamp, noting, "My capstone team is still meeting post bootcamp to work on things together."

Inspired by Greg’s journey? Learn more about the UT Dallas Coding Bootcamp powered by Fullstack Academy and how you can gain in-demand tech skills.