How Dennis Desmornes Discovered His Passion for Coding

For a long time, Dennis Desmornes wondered which career path would help him find fulfillment and purpose. Initially, he considered becoming a fashion designer. With prior experience in designing custom shirts for customers, he believed that fashion was a field worth pursuing — so, he bought research books on color theory and design principles to teach himself some basic concepts.

However, after extensively researching the field, he realized that he didn’t feel a particular spark of passion for design. Parting ways with that potential career path, he continued his job search in hopes of finding something that would inspire a sense of purpose.

Ultimately, this process led him to the tech industry. “Tech was always something that was in my peripheral vision,” Dennis explained. “But really, I had no idea what the industry was like or what a role in tech would entail.” It was time for him to find out.

Taking a chance 

Coding had never been on Dennis’ radar. But one fateful day, a friend who had studied computer science recommended that Dennis look into coding. Since Dennis sought a field where he could build practical skills and develop a fulfilling long-term career, he decided to take a leap of faith and see what coding had to offer. 

To test the waters, Dennis started familiarizing himself with different programming concepts. He recognized that he enjoyed the thrill and challenge of identifying solutions through coding languages — so when he stumbled upon an ad for a tech boot camp, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to advance his education.

Conquering imposter syndrome 

With that, Dennis enrolled in UCF Coding Boot Camp: an intensive six-month course that teaches students the latest in full stack web development. The program was initially formatted to be an in-person experience, but because of COVID-19, his university had to quickly adapt and go completely remote. 

As a beginner in a fast-paced program, Dennis found this transition to be quite challenging.

“At first, I felt a lot of imposter syndrome and self-doubt,” he shared. “But I reminded myself that wonderful things are forged in hardship. I knew I was capable of thriving in this work, so I continued to push myself and access all the available resources.” 

As it turns out, six months of perseverance and hard work paid off. By the end of the boot camp, Dennis had become proficient in web development, confidently building applications and thinking in technical terms.

An immersive coding experience

Looking back, Dennis credits the program’s industry-driven curriculum for shaping his success. “We were introduced to new tech every day, starting with the basics,” shared Dennis. “In the beginning of the course, we learned about HTML, CSS, and all the fundamentals of web development. I learned that JavaScript provides the animation function for websites, whereas languages like HTML and CSS provide the body. It was very rewarding to learn these [languages] in such a short time frame. They were building blocks for my future career.”

Dennis also found his instructors to be extremely knowledgeable and supportive. With diverse software development backgrounds of their own, they provided the class with an immersive learning experience. And, they were always willing to share real-world insights that helped students understand and contextualize challenging material. 

Dennis found a strong community among his classmates, too. “Everyone in the cohort was very open and eager to learn,” he said. ”And at the end of the day, we all had the same goal in mind. It was a sprint to the very end, where we each hoped to land our dream developer role.”

Determined to succeed

Confident in his newly sharpened tech skills, Dennis knew it was time to start submitting job applications. To put his best foot forward, he worked with his boot camp’s Career Services team to polish his resume, LinkedIn profile, and GitHub account. Shortly after doing so, he got an opportunity to connect with the tech consultancy Capco — and proceeded to interview for an apprenticeship position at their company.

Fast forward to today, and Dennis now works as a digital engineering apprentice at Capco. He landed the role in January 2022 and is busy learning more about agile development, as well as the general overview of his workflow. 

“Right now, I’m in the phase of wanting to learn as much as I can, as quickly as I can, so I can apply my skill set to drive solutions,” he said. “I’m thankful that the boot camp prepared me for this moment.”

Looking ahead, Dennis aims to continue advancing in his career and eventually become a high-level software engineer. He seeks every opportunity to grow, meet his potential, and code effective solutions for everyday life. 

“I strive to live life to the highest degree, and software engineering satisfies me on a creative, intellectual level,” Dennis explained. “It’s a very challenging but satisfying field to be in right now.”