How Bootcamp Alum Jose Balza Graduated Tech Career-Ready

The live online UT Dallas Coding Bootcamp covers foundational to advanced coding concepts at a rigorous pace. The bootcamp also features instruction in professional skills like resume optimization and portfolio-building to help you graduate career-ready—whether you have previous tech experience or not.

Coding alum Jose Balza is a prime example of someone who began bootcamp with tech interest and experience. Starting with a degree in UX/UI design, plus some knowledge of programming in HTML and CSS, he quickly developed more advanced coding skills alongside his classmates through comprehensive instruction.

“My bootcamp experience has been awesome. The pace feels just right—challenging, but not overwhelming. Plus, the content is super thorough and organized, making learning both effective and fun.”

For Balza, a new but equally valuable challenge was learning to work as part of a team to create coding projects. This practice, which includes pair programming, is a core component of the coding bootcamp because it simulates real-world scenarios in professional software engineering.

“The most challenging part so far has been learning how to work with teammates while we’re all picking up new skills. It's tough because you don’t want to hold the group back if you get stuck, and you also don’t want to feel like you’re falling behind. But the support from mentors and teachers has made it a lot easier—they’re always there to help and provide feedback, which really makes a difference.”

Collaboration not only builds efficient communication and other interpersonal skills, but also allows students to explore their unique technical strengths and passions:

“The most helpful skill I’ve learned so far is developing in React. It’s been amazing to see all the possibilities it offers for creating dynamic and interactive designs. The bootcamp has really enabled me to dive deep into React and expand my skills in coding with CSS, making the design and development process both creative and powerful.”

Overall, Balza’s tech training journey is an amalgamation of self-led discovery, traditional education, and bootcamp training. When asked if he’d recommend bootcamp, he states:

“If you have the chance, go for it! It's an awesome experience and a fantastic way to learn. The bootcamp offers a hands-on approach that really helps you build the skills you need to make a successful career into tech.”

Congratulations, Jose!

Learn how bootcamp can support your own software development journey when you apply today.