The Insights and Results of Our Web Development Program

In July 2022 we opened applications for the first edition of Dream Production Academy, the pilot to our formal web development bootcamp program, and at that point in time what started as a neat idea was already looking like an ambitious bet we were about to make.

To provide some context, when the dreamproduction.academy landing page was launched, the overall work that went in structuring and preparing the program curricula, planning and ironing out the administrative details was already close to 200 hours. Reviewing applications, selecting candidates for the shortlist, conducting the interviews and follow-up discussions brought the effort close to 300 hours.

Some of the most accomplished developers and managers in our team have been part of the Academy task force. We had to be sure that the time and energy they invested in this endeavor would not disrupt our daily business and, most importantly, the commitments made towards our clients.

Could have all these hours been monetised? Absolutely. Did our in-house operation impact any client work? Absolutely not, that would have been a dealbreaker towards pledging an additional 4 months of our senior developers’ combined time for the actual classroom and mentorship sessions.

Fast-forward through 4 months of intense hands-on learning and we were faced with an unexpected challenge: Can we make good on our promise and offer all Academy graduates full-time apprenticeship contracts? Would we be able to assimilate 6 newcomers in the bat of an eye?

To put things into perspective it’s important to note that each of the 10 curricula blocks the program was built on required participants to pass a test and hand in a practical assignment. It may be more important still to emphasize that 4 out of 6 participants had no prior experience with programming or studying anything IT-related. Our Academy tagline read “the greener the better”; however, one can imagine the surprise we had when 6 out of 6 participants were able to assimilate and apply to a commendable extent what were essentially the building blocks of our entire technology stack.

All of a sudden our challenge seemed more like a no-brainer: how can we pass on the opportunity to integrate 6 enthusiastic, hard-working newbies?

After another 4 months during which our graduates had a chance to cut their teeth on actual real-life requests under the guidance of our more seasoned colleagues, we can definitely conclude that our ambitious bet paid off.

Looking at the total investment we made in this Academy pilot program one could argue we waged a lot in terms of energy, costs and time; however, the way we see it, it’s our graduates who deserve the credit for what they pulled off. Adi, Cristi, George, Iza, Luci, and Mircea – it’s a pleasure to have you on board! Let’s make it an awesome ride 😉