Gabriel Ayela joined the 12-week, full-time Ironhack Cybersecurity bootcamp in November 2020. When we interviewed him in mid-January, and he had completed more than half of the bootcamp.
Gabriel is French, lives in Germany, and has worked in the music industry for 10 years: hiring DJs, managing events and concerts, bookings, and networking with musicians were part of his daily life. But he has always been passionate about technology. As a kid, he got his first computer and the first thing he did was to open it to see what was inside and rebuild it again.
Due to the pandemic, his work in the music sector was at danger, so he decided to make a radical change. A friend of his studied at Ironhack and recommended it to him. Looking at the programs, he decided to take cybersecurity. And why this one? Gabriel suffered a cyberattack a while ago; someone accessed his accounts and since then, he has been wondering why and how this could have happened. He wanted to understand what is behind a cyberattack. Even though he was interested in coding, he didn’t want to specialize in any language; he wanted to understand the security implications for a company on the technical side.
First Days at Ironhack's Cybersecurity Bootcamp
Gabriel comments that at first, “I was a bit scared, didn’t know exactly what to expect.” Before classes begin, there is a mandatory, 20 hour pre-work to complete which, according to Gabriel, “really makes you ready for the program. I felt comfortable with the classmates and instructors soon, because they are there to support you, which creates a really interactive and dynamic community.”
Regarding the lack of previous experience, he says that “it’s not a barrier. I am interested and passionate. Even though the class finishes at 6pm, I can’t stop, I am always checking new tools, it’s a never-ending topic.”
Neither online nor in-person: hybrid!
The format of this program is hybrid, which means that it’s taught online and self-guided. During two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, there is one person (the facilitator) who is there to answer questions and checks that all the daily exercises are complete. Thanks to this methodology, all students learn at the same time and combine online learning with live sessions with a person available for help. During the rest of the day, classmates share their questions and best practices in the Slack channel; they can have calls and work together on whatever they need.
This format is “perfect for cybersecurity. You need time alone to work in your labs and challenges, but you never feel alone. We use the channel and it feels like being in class. The workload is good, it’s really intense and you need to adapt until you get your working routine.”
Gabriel says that he is keeping up with everything now, but the program is getting a bit harder, since it’s an intensive program.
What is the Bootcamp Made of?
The platform combines videos, case studies, and quizzes that allow students to put themselves in real life situations. We recently had an introduction to Javascript, but there is coding involved. They focused on networks, how to build them, and how to respond and react when facing a cyberattack. At the end of the program, they have to present a group project completed in teams of two during the 12 weeks of the bootcamp. Every two weeks, they give a 30 minute presentation to the rest of the class to explain what they have been working on. The topic that Gabriel chose is “Public transportation and cybersecurity;"cybersecurity is a really broad topic, so there are different roles and each week, they focus on one of these roles. Gabriel feels that “you need to work on your own, be really autonomous and face more challenges” as the program gets deeper in the content. According to his experience, working like this is “really fulfilling, it is you who makes learning possible.”
Why Cybersecurity at Ironhack?
When he was thinking about making this change, Gabriel looked for other options but most of them were in the US or didn’t have a real follow up and connection with the teachers. “I saw that at Ironhack, the instructors and facilitators are genuinely interested in helping us, to know who we are and support us.” He also values the contact with Careers, they already reached out to the team; he feels that Ironahck “has the great advantage of being focused on job placement. These are unique elements that make this program different.”
He has a final tip for those who are thinking about joining Ironhack: “yes, it will be intensive but no fear! It is so exciting that you forget about the difficulties.”
If you are thinking about joining a cybersecurity bootcamp but have questions, don't hesitate to reach out to one of our admissions managers and ask any questions you may have! We will be delighted to hear from you.
