A part-time bootcamp while working: a sample weekly plan

Most people on our part-time Full Stack programme work full-time. Balancing work, classes, homework and personal life for 28 weeks is possible, but without a plan fatigue and a sense of falling behind set in by the end of the second month. Here is the weekly plan our graduates say helped most.

The weekly skeleton

• Monday: 1 hour – read last week’s feedback and make small fixes.
• Tuesday: 19:00-22:00 live class.
• Wednesday: 1.5 hours – continue the project task started in class.
• Thursday: 19:00-22:00 live class.
• Friday: Free – rest.
• Saturday: 10:00-17:00 campus day: teamwork and a mentor meeting.
• Sunday: 2 hours – finish the weekly project and open a pull request.

This plan means about 15 hours of classes and 5-8 hours of individual work a week. Use our Time Planner tool to see how full your week will be with your own working hours.

Habits that work

Small but daily: 45-60 minutes a day on weekdays is more productive than one long weekend session. Not breaking the coding habit makes it easier to start the next session.

The 30-minute rule when stuck: If you have spent more than 30 minutes on a bug, write down what you tried and ask in the community channel or your mentor. Struggling alone for hours is the biggest time sink for people in work.

Be open with your employer: If possible, tell your manager you are on the programme. Some companies can offer flexible hours or help with the cost of training.

Your study environment

An hour at a desk at home, with your phone in another room and notifications off, is more productive than three hours on the sofa. If you can, set up a corner used only for coding. Our campus is open until 22:00 on weekdays, so if you struggle to focus at home you can study there in the evenings.

Hard weeks

There may be a busy period at work, illness or a family matter. The part-time programme has a “catch-up week” every term, and you can postpone a project deadline once by talking to your mentor. What matters is telling us early rather than quietly falling behind.

Protecting your personal life

Keep Friday evening and part of Sunday completely free of the programme. On a 28-week journey, rest is the most effective way to stay motivated. Telling family and friends about your schedule in advance makes it easier to manage expectations.

Trying the pace with a short programme such as Python Foundations before applying is also a good idea.