At Summer of Tech, a big part of our charity focus is to give opportunities to students to learn job-ready skills and all the latest and greatest technologies in Aotearoa. Bootcamps are a place for you to connect with our marvellous mentors, and other students to learn the basics on hot topics in the industry! Here’s a quick crash course on what our bootcamps are all about!

What is a bootcamp?

A 'bootcamp' is what we call our free events delivered by industry volunteers, SoT alumni, SoT team members, employers, and sponsors. Generally, our bootcamps fall into one of two categories.

We have core skills bootcamps that cover topics such as how to write a CV, job interviews, negotiation, mental health and wellbeing, personal branding and networking. We also have technical bootcamps that focus on tech and design topics based on the most popular required skills of the previous recruiting year to get the students updated on the latest tech trends in Aotearoa.

Our technical bootcamps are designed to be an introduction to a concept, and how it’s used by industry. We are not expecting to teach you a new programming language or process in 1.5 hours!Bootcamps are a great opportunity to meet and connect with industry mentors. A lot of them are past SoT interns and employers who will be hiring through us during recruitment season. But this is an informal, supportive learning environment - they want to help you get ready to make a great impression when you apply for jobs!

Who can attend a bootcamp?

Everyone who has a profile on the Summer of Tech platform is welcome to attend our bootcamps (sign up now if you haven’t already). You don’t need to have an approved profile for most of our events. If you’re eligible for SoT (current students and recent graduates from NZ tertiary institutions) you can join our bootcamps and learn from our industry mentors. We don’t mind what you’re studying, if you’re at the start of your qualification or at the end, you just have to be interested in learning new skills and connecting to the tech sector. 

We understand that life can get very busy and our bootcamps are optional, you don’t have to attend our bootcamps to be eligible for an internship, but if you do have time to attend it will be well worth it! Let’s say that again: this is purely optional, you should attend when you have the time and are interested in the topic. Do not feel obligated to attend bootcamps if you have other commitments.

We have around ~90 bootcamps throughout the year, and many of them will be recorded if you want to catch up afterwards!

Where and when are you having these bootcamps?

Our bootcamps happen during uni term running from March through to September. In Wellington, most are hosted at Victoria University of Wellington and in Auckland most are hosted by the University of Auckland.

2020 taught us that we can run bootcamps virtually! We’re planning to deliver all our important bootcamps online to reach students throughout Aotearoa, so you won’t miss out even if you're watching from the Chatham Islands or Stewart Island, you’ll still have the same opportunities to connect with industry mentors.

Our bootcamps usually take place at 6pm for 90 minutes, but it depends on the format and availability of our presenters. The time and duration of the bootcamp will always be on the event listing.

Who are your presenters?

Our bootcamp presenters are mostly volunteers from our network of industry mentors. Some bootcamps are delivered by our wonderful sponsors, their logos will appear on the bootcamp listing if they’re sponsoring that bootcamp.It is Summer of Tech’s priority to ensure a diverse balance within our presenters, we invite presenters from different backgrounds and paths of life to share their knowledge with you. 

How do I register for a bootcamp?

Once you’ve registered for Summer of Tech, log in and go to the “Events'' page and see what bootcamps are happening near you. You can register for as many bootcamps as you like. Top tip: You can filter out the bootcamps based on your “topics of interest” and “location”. All online bootcamps will be searchable in any location so you will not miss them :)

How do I check-in to bootcamps?

For in-person bootcamps, you’ll need to check in with our “SoT wranglers”. They are part of the Summer of Tech team and will wear a Summer of Tech t-shirt. You will find them at the door before the bootcamp starts, and at the front of the room (near the presenter) at the end of the Bootcamp.

If you missed them on your way in, please approach the wrangler and tell them your name. They will be able to check you in on our web platform. For our online bootcamps, you will receive an automated email. Click the “follow this unique link to join” 15 minutes before the scheduled time. You will be directed to this check-in page. Please click “check-in and join the event” and voila, all is done! Your attendance should be recorded automatically.

What if I can no longer attend a bootcamp?

Our bootcamps are very popular and it is on first come first served registration on our platform. Sometimes, we have a long waitlist. This is why we ask you to please withdraw your registration a minimum of 4 hours before the event starts if you can no longer attend. That way, another student can take up your spot. 

Your attendance to bootcamp is under our Student Terms and Conditions, this means that failure to show up at a bootcamp will result in you getting a notification on your profile. If you miss attending several bootcamps that you were registered for, you are at risk of being banned from attending future SoT events including Meet & Greet and Speed Interview.

If there’s an emergency or something unexpected comes up, and you’re not able to notify us within 4 hours, please send your apology/explanation to our team as soon as possible through Intercom (the blue chat bubble) or to info@summeroftech.co.nz.

What commitments are required from me?

We only need your excitement to learn and connect with the presenter(s). It is important that you abide by our Code of Conduct, too. Some bootcamps will require you to bring a laptop or install some software ahead of time. Don’t worry, we will always mention that in the event description so you can prepare yourself!

Some presenters come to bootcamps to connect with you and use this opportunity to scout their future interns! So, always come with an open mind and a positive attitude.

Ryan Bircham, our SoT2019 and SoT2020 alumni said at an alumni panel “My best advice is to not attend bootcamps if you are busy, in a bad mood or stressed about uni. It will not be a good first impression on you to the presenters.”

We also appreciate it when you take a minute to fill in our bootcamp survey feedback after a bootcamp. We can use your input to make Summer of Tech events a better experience for future attendees. It only takes a minute to complete and it is anonymous :)

We hope this is a helpful resource, if you haven't registered for Summer of Tech yet, you can register here!