Anthony Delgado Interview about Rutgers Coding Bootcamp

Anthony Delgado is a recent graduate of the Rutgers Coding Bootcamp Class of 2017. Upon graduation, Anthony went on to win multiple Hackathons and recently started his own business. He shared how the bootcamp experience has impacted his career and how he is using his newfound full stack javascript skills in the marketplace.

What were you doing before you enrolled in the Rutgers Coding Bootcamp?

Anthony: I started coding about 10 years ago when I left college to pursue entrepreneurship. Eventually, I became a self-taught coder freelancing for a company that exploded. This was my first full-time gig as a developer. Later, I interviewed someone for my tech company who had just graduated from Rutgers Coding Bootcamp. He showed me all of the cool projects they were working on at Rutgers Coding Bootcamp, and I thought, “Wow, I needed to take this class too.”

Why did you pick Rutgers Coding Bootcamp?

Anthony: The affiliation with Rutgers University was a huge factor in my decision. Both of my uncles went to Rutgers, so the brand was super important to me. Having that R on your resume really makes a huge difference.

Tell us about your experience with hackathons and how they have impacted where you are today.

Anthony: Hack-RU was the first Hack-a-thon we won. We went in with a different mentality and decided if we were going to do these, we had to be all in. We stayed up for 24 hours and created a project we knew was cool but had no idea if it would be good enough to win. Come judgment time, we won the main prize. It was a big moment for us because we gained confidence in ourselves, and in our skills, and realized we could really do this.

Tell us about InterviewIQ

Anthony: One of the projects that won the AT&T Dev Summit Hackathon was an app we created called InterviewIQ. It is a socially driven company that uses AI and video conferencing to connect employers with fresh talent. Our motto is “People First,” and we are building tech solutions so that everyone wins. We want to make sure that whatever we build empowers human beings. We are currently in talks with multiple incubators to receive funding to help bring our app to market. As exciting as this is, we couldn’t have done this without the tools and network we gained from being a part of Rutgers Coding Bootcamp. It’s been completely life-changing. I learned a lot – even from others who just started coding a week ago. I learned how to learn, and I also learned how to provide value to others using my skills. I think that’s one of the most powerful things for me and has helped us win at every hackathon.

Your favorite part about Rutgers Coding Bootcamp?

Anthony: My biggest takeaway throughout this whole experience has been validation and collaboration. Building things are awesome, but when you’re by yourself, you’re siloed. Being able to build things with a team–and then have people around you validate your experiences–is extremely powerful. The sense of community and network at Rutgers Coding Bootcamp are unparalleled.