Frequently Asked Questions

FireBootCamp is an intensive 9-week program designed to make you “job ready”. Developers work in teams of 3 or 4 building a .NET application with an experienced mentor.

Most teams will build an enterprise ASP.NET MVC applications the way that we build them at SSW for some of Australia’s largest companies.

Not a lot. Before you begin a Boot Camp, we chat with you and determine your level of knowledge and come up with a personalised training program we call JumpStart.

JumpStart is a bridging program that will teach you what you need to know to be ready on the Boot Camp starting line. It utilises video and web based training materials to teach programming fundamentals, C# basics, the essentials of web development and object oriented programming. (Learn more about JumpStart below.)

What you absolutely need is commitment to become a world class programmer. Regardless of your level of previous experience, you are going to need to work hard to make the most of FireBootCamp. If you are dedicated and hungry to learn, you are going to love FireBootCamp.

Becoming an master software developer is a journey that takes years of experience and practice.

That journey has to start somewhere. Boot Camp will accelerate your journey and teach you the right way to build enterprise .NET web applications.

Our goal is ensure that upon graduation you are a valuable asset to any development team, and that you are heading off down the right path to becoming an elite software developer.

You will build a .Net application. Most choose to build an enterprise ASP.Net MVC application.

To ensure that you cover all of the essential knowledge areas we have assembled several project templates that you will be working on.

Some of these project templates are based on well-known sample applications (like the MVC Music store), others are projects whose specifications we compile to teach you as much as possible.

If you have a burning need to build your own application, please contact our team with your requirements and we can discuss if it can fit in.

We do not provide accommodation for FireBootCamp. All attendees are responsible for finding their own accommodation.

The best options for finding accommodation are:

• Checking gumtree (if you’re in Australia) or Craigslist (USA) for sublets or short-term lease opportunities
• AirBnB
• Some hotels/motels will do a better price on rooms for long-stay guests

Keep in mind that our venues are accessible by public transport, so it is not necessary to find accommodation within walking distance. If you are willing to commute, it opens up a much wider range of options and it will make it much easier to find accommodation that suits your needs.

If you’re from outside Australia and want to attend, all you need is a holiday visa.

To get a job in Australia after the course requires you to be sponsored by an Australian employer, which can be a challenge.

The course runs full time, Monday to Friday from 9am – 6pm for the full 9 weeks.

We do not offer part-time or evening sessions at this stage.

We do not offer delayed payment plans, and we do not have any relationships with financial institutions to assist with financing.

This course is not covered under student loans such as HECS/HELP.

Payment should be fully paid 1 week before the commencement of the course. To secure your spot you will have to pay a $2000 deposit.

If full payment is an issue, contact us and we can discuss other options.

If you have a project that you want built under the leadership of experienced enterprise software architects, please contact our team with your requirements to discuss how FireBootCamp can get your project build.

Before you begin FireBootCamp, we will meet with you and determine your level of programming knowledge. Based on our interview we tailor a JumpStart program to teach you what you need before you start Boot Camp.

JumpStart is a bridging program that will teach you what you need to know to be ready on the Boot Camp starting line. It utilises video and web based training materials to teach programming fundamentals, C# basics, the essentials of web development and object oriented programming.

If you already have ASP.NET MVC programming experience, you could get through JumpStart in a couple of hours. If you are already familiar with C#, web design basics and object-oriented programming we may suggest one or two small modules. If you have no experience in programming at all, we will tailor your program to be a from-scratch introduction to programming that could take a full month, full time to be ready to start Boot Camp.

Yes. JumpStart is compulsory.

Boot Camp is demanding. To give you the best possible chance of success, it is important that you start with a solid foundation in the basic building blocks of web application development with ASP.NET MVC.

Step 1: Click Apply Now.

Step 2: Initial Interview

We’ll give you a call. Here we will be able to answer any questions you have. We will also evaluate your knowledge in key areas and design a JumpStart program for you so that you are ready for Boot Camp Day 1.

We will expect you to meet all of your JumpStart obligations before starting the course.

Step 3: Coding Test

A week prior to the course, you will be given a small coding task. (Don’t fret if you are not already a programmer, your JumpStart training will have covered everything you need to know.) We will ask you to solve the programming task, and then upload a 2 minute video to YouTube of you demonstrating your solution.

Step 4: Day 1

On the first day, you will hear the available projects you can work on and you will meet the other people in the course. You will complete a survey where you tell us which project sounds cool, and what team members you’d ideally like to work with.

Step 5: Select Your Team Members and Projects

On Day 2, you will be grouped into teams of 3-4 people to work on a variety of projects. We’ll do our best to accommodate preferences, but our decision is final. You will learn that great teams are more important than great individuals.

We are looking for people what are ‘dedicated and hungry to learn’. That means you have a passion for learning and are prepared to work hard to learn the best ways to build enterprise web applications.

Brace yourself. You are going to be busy!

You will be looking forward to your first break at lunch. This often includes a walk in the park or a kick of the ball.

We expect that to get the most out of Boot Camp you will need to spend 20-30 hours per week outside class hours. This time will be spent doing homework and working on your projects.

No. For the duration of your Boot Camp we will provide you with a licence to use Visual Studio 2013 Professional.

We will use SQL Server Express which is free.

To make the most of the time that you have with your development mentors, we minimise traditional classroom style lectures. We believe that it makes more sense to utilise online materials to initially present information and utilise classroom time for clarification and problem solving. Watch Salman Khan talk more about this more on TED.

Homework will usually involve watching online lectures. This knowledge will then be used in the formal training and practice sessions the next day.

You will learn how to build enterprise ASP.NET applications the right way from a product specification.

Your learning will cover more than just code and technologies, it will cover best practices, processes and methodologies.

Yes. You need a laptop capable of running Visual Studio 2013 and SQL Server Express. You can hire an SSW laptop at half the normal rate.

You will learn how to build ASP.Net MVC applications the way that they should be built. This is very different from how they are built in nearly every online course on the market. You will learn the architecture that professional developers use to write large enterprise applications. This maintainable approach is used by SSW for some of the largest websites in the country.

• You will know how to build Enterprise ASP.Net MVC 5 web applications.
• You will know how to do dependency injection and implement the repository and unit of work patterns.
• You will walk away knowing Scrum inside and out.
• You will be able to write unit tests and perform functional tests.
• You will be able to create great user interfaces easily using Telerik KendoUI and Twitter Bootstrap.
• You will know the whole application lifecycle.

You will walk away as a world class beginner .NET developer.

You will know how to build Enterprise ASP.Net MVC applications the right way. You will know the same techniques that SSW Solution Architects use to build some of the biggest sites in the country.

This gives you a fantastic head-start to build real-world software.

After FireBootCamp you will walk away job ready. We teach you everything you need to know to walk into an employer and be confident that you can contribute to the team from day 1.

On the last day at the Graduation Gala, your abilities will be on show to potential employers. We will help you ‘Wow’ them!

The Gala night is held on the last night of the boot camp. We invite companies who are looking to hire developers to spend an evening with our students. During the evening you will show off the apps you have built and have an opportunity to talk to potential employers.