Dexola Upgrades Talent: Web3 Bootcamp for GoIT Graduates

In August 2023, Dexola, in a strategic partnership with leading educational platform GoIT, rolled out its inaugural coding bootcamp. This 2-month-long program aimed to cultivate the next wave of Web3 developers and project managers by providing real-life expertise.

Now that it’s over, we can confidently assert that this was no ordinary coding course. The camp turned out to be an immersive, hands-on experience designed to elevate 12 top-tier GoIT graduates who took their foundational knowledge from the advanced Full Stack Web Developer Course.

In addition to gaining expertise and exposure to cutting-edge Web3 technologies, standout participants were given the chance to get a position at Dexola — a blockchain development firm backed by Trinetix.

With the bootcamp’s practical phase now complete, we’re in the process of evaluating our participants. The initial results have been nothing less than remarkable, reinforcing our belief in the transformational power of strong educational alliances.

In this review, we’re sharing an inside look at how this bootcamp functioned, why Web3 offers an accessible gateway for novice developers and PMs, and the unique elements that set our program apart. If you’ve ever harbored ambitions of stepping into the blockchain universe or are considering participating in future Dexola initiatives, this write-up is for you.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for updates on future training programs, as this is only the beginning of our ongoing commitment to talent development and team expansion.

Unpacking the Bootcamp Experience

The training course arranged by Dexola offered one of the most authentic work experiences a junior dev or PM could have before getting a real job in Web3. Participants formed two teams, and for about two months, they tackled a small project typical for the industry. The aim was to unearth hidden talents and let them shine.

While technical acumen is key, we also value soft skills like initiative, curiosity, and a continuous appetite for learning. The blockchain landscape is ever-changing, and we often work on projects utilizing the latest technologies — so we prize developers with a zest for exploration.

For those new to IT, the bootcamps served several purposes:

• learning new technologies,
• receiving guidance from seasoned developers,
• experiencing genuine teamwork,
• and participating in a project from the get-go.

For the organizers, this was equally exhilarating. It allowed us to gauge how these new recruits operated in real-world conditions and how well they collaborated — especially when faced with competition.

Dexola’s Web3 Training: Episode 1

Initially, we teamed up with an educational platform GoIT and issued a test assignment to its graduates. The hard skills we required for front-end developers included experience with CSS, JS, TypeScript, among others.

Out of 50 applicants who completed the test, we meticulously chose 12 who excelled in both hard and soft skills: two project managers and ten developers. Then we divided them into two groups and assigned the project.

The first phase of the training was focused on creating a landing page for a hypothetical Web3 product. It was a simple task with basic requirements: adaptive web design for both desktops and mobile, popular web browser support, optimization, and animation. There were also a few input fields for a theoretical user, featuring standard functionalities like password show/hide and input validation.

While the developers coded, the project managers were tasked with organizing workflows: setting up team chats, breaking down the project into tasks and delegating them, and managing deadlines. They had the freedom to choose their own tools and instruments to organize the collaborative process as the aim was to nurture a capable team, not just to find standout individuals.

Project managers had regular meetings with our team leads to report on progress, ask for help, and get educational materials for the team, if needed. Every week, we also had group calls with all the participants of the camp to answer technical and nontechnical questions directly. Both teams delivered great results in the first phase so we moved forward.

Dexola’s Web3 Training: Episode 2

For our next phase of the training, we aimed to mimic real-world conditions as closely as possible. First, we introduced our participants to the Web3 world, tasking them with developing a web app for staking a made-up token on the Sepolia testnet and interacting with predeployed smart contracts. Second, we “forgot” to mention some standard requirements in technical tasks, just like real clients often do.

We believe challenges and obstacles allow standout candidates to emerge. They dig in, conduct research, and strive to deliver their best possible work. This holds true for both developers and managers, as they must collaborate to fill in the gaps and make decisions without continual oversight.

The project managers faced more complex challenges as well. They were responsible for estimating team members’ work hours and deadlines, creating wireframes, and keeping the team motivated.

We were pleased to see that both teams navigated these hurdles successfully and submitted their projects on time.

Evaluating the Participants

We organized the bootcamp with the goal of either assembling a nearly complete team capable of tackling a project or, at the very least, identifying the best candidates to hire.

Here at Dexola, we evaluated the outcomes based on three key criteria:

• soft skills — communication, proactivity, and willingness to learn;
• code quality — team leads checked the code to evaluate its efficiency;
• end-user quality — our internal testing team examed the submitted project to find mistakes;

At the time of writing, we have selected at least five potential candidates to extend relevant job offers, contingent on their passing an interview with Eugene Potemsky, the CTO of Dexola.

UPDATE:

After a lot of thought, we decided to hire two people from the bootcamp. The decision was hard because the top five candidates were all very close in skills and potential. This shows that GoIT’s training program prepares people well for jobs in IT. If you’re looking to get into this field, completing their courses can be a good first step.

Feedback

Here’s what some of our participants had to say about the camp:

“The experience I gained at Dexola Camp has inspired me to further drill my skills in Web3 development. The camp not only expanded my knowledge but also added significant value to the early stages of my career, opening up new opportunities in web development,”

— said Igor.

“I found it particularly interesting to work on a Web3 application. Implementing wallet connections both through browser extensions and mobile app, and working with smart contracts was straightforward and understandable. I’d like to give special kudos to the mentors who were always ready to assist. The atmosphere was collegial and conducive to easy communication,”

— noted Mykola.

“A huge thank you to Dexola for providing such an extraordinary experience. I appreciate the chance to dive deep into the blockchain sector, and I’m impressed by the immense effort the team put into organizing such a comprehensive program,”

— added Vladyslav.

Our Tips for Bootcampers

First off, don’t sweat it if you’re not familiar with specific techs like Web3 wallet connection libraries. The goal of programs like these isn’t just to gauge what you already know, but also to see how eager you are to pick up new skills and stacks.

Secondly, lighten up and enjoy the ride. We’re not on the hunt for the ultimate coder; we’re looking for someone who’s a team player. If you’re a go-getter looking to level up in your field, bootcamps could be right up your alley.

Lastly, stay the course. This isn’t a weekend hackathon or a quick task you can complete in a day or two. You’re facing an almost-real project that will take a professional team about two weeks to complete.

So there you have it — keep these tips in mind, and you’ll not only survive but thrive in a bootcamp setting.