Today we talked with a graduate of our 5th Immersive cohort, Hiroyuki Momoi. Now, barely a year since graduation, Hiro works as a Customer Engineer at Google. Let's see what he has to say about what he learned at Code Chrysalis.

What are you currently working on?

Right now I'm working as a Customer Engineer for Google Cloud, an enterprise platform offered by Google.

As an engineer on the sales team I create prototypes using our service for clients to explain not only how to use our service, but also to demonstrate its benefits and possibilities. Simply put, my job is to make Google Cloud accessible to everyone.

What did you do before joining Code Chrysalis?

Before enrolling in Code Chrysalis, I worked at an IT Vendor. My company developed, installed, and managed client companies' customer-facing systems.

I worked primarily as a project manager, but for the last 2 or 3 years of my time there I also got involved with service and product development.

How did you hear about Code Chrysalis?

I actually found an article about it on a portal website for international coding bootcamps. At the time, I was thining of studying abroad overseas or entering graduate school in Japan. As I was exploring my options, I heard about software engineering bootcamps. When I looked into it further, I learned that there were 2 international bootcamps in Tokyo: Code Chrysalis and Le Wagon.

After comparing the curriculum and course timeline of the two, I decided that Code Chrysalis suited my goals better. So I chose Code Chrysalis.

What ultimately led you to enroll?

Before entering our Immersive course, Hiro was a student of our Intro to Programming Foundations program.

I wanted to be able to create my own applications. That's what finally led me to enroll.

After I graduated college, I joined an IT company as a project manager, so I eventually learned all about system architecture, design, and so on as I worked. However, I couldn't express myself on the level of code--I couldn't get across what I wanted to. As a result, I decided I wanted to have, at the very least, basic knowledge of software engineering.

What was the most challenging part of the Immersive Bootcamp?

It was really high pressure (laughs).

Preserving my mental balance was really challenging.

It was especially difficult to adapt to this really high volume of information, and figuring out how to organize and use it effectively to create applications. During that process, tech debt kept piling up. It took so much time just to keep up with everything we were learning, especially when I ran into language problems.

Having said that, I'd decided from the start to take this very seriously, so I put myself under perhaps even more pressure. I devoted myself to absorbing everything as fast as possible. Sometimes I'd feel totally unable to move forward because I couldn't understand what I was working on. So it became very important to create coping strategies to deal with the stress of those situations, and that was one of the most important things I learned through the course.

What was the most unexpectedly positive part of the course for you?

My classmates became like a family to me, and I was so happy to spend time with them.

Everyone in my class was studying toward the same goal, so I always enjoyed any moments spent together with them. I think there's nowhere else in Japan where you can learn coding in such an international environment. It was a deeply important experience.

How did you change after finishing the Immersive course?

I gained a lot of technical knowledge, and the difficulty I used to have creating applications disappeared. On top of that, I now have a better grasp on what knowledge I have, versus what knowledge I don't yet have.

Other than technical skills, I've also gained a lot of confidence in my ability to adapt and persevere. For me, working overseas has always been a priority. Being able to study in an international environment for 3 months and present in English countless times is something I consider a personal accomplishment. Through the Immersive course I was truly able to experience the world.

Any advice for future students?

The best 3 months of your life are about to begin. This is an opportunity to learn, so dive in.

In order to grow, you have to step from the boundaries of what you know into the territory of what you don't. You may be scared of failure, but you still have to try. Even if you understand this on an intellectual level, actually doing it is still extremely hard. However, at Code Chrysalis they create an environment where it's okay to fail--where it is understood that failure is part of the process of growth--so there's nothing to worry about.

It's a coding bootcamp, so of course you're coming to learn software engineering. But there will be a lot of learning opportunities outside of the technical ones, so stay open to those as well.

Code Chrysalis is a Tokyo-based 🗼 coding school providing a full-time and part-time programming courses in English and Japanese. Join us in-person or take our classes remotely. See why we are an industry leader in technical education in Japan 🗾.

We also put on free workshops and events for the community, so follow us for the latest!

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