How I Chose A Technical Bootcamp

Product Development Process

CAD & CAM Training

Recently, I’ve been apart of the first APC Fellowship organized by (LACI) or the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator. Their mission states: “LACI is building a more diverse and inclusive ecosystem that integrates women, people of color and other under-represented groups into the cleantech sector.”.

This whole experience gave me a lot more than an introduction to a CNC mill, and 3D printing, so of course I had to write about the experience.

Before I found out about the APC Fellowship I was attending Small Business Expos and Workshops. I was frustrated because I wanted to take my business to the next level, however, I didn’t know where to begin.

I knew that I wanted to get away from being hunched over tapping away on my computer and be around entrepreneurial individuals. As fate would have it, I came across the Technical Bootcamp opportunity and immediately applied. A short time later I was accepted into the Fellowship and got to meet the LACI staff, budding Engineers and other Entrepreneurs.

My first impression was that everyone was at different levels within their careers. Some of the participants still attended University, others recently graduated and some like myself wherein the process of a career change.

The concept of the Technical Bootcamp was to go through courses, which were created by Assist 2 Develop in partnership with Solid Professor. Accompanying the Autodesk Software courses was hands-on training in the Advanced Prototyping Center. * For my final project I created a 3D model of a purse holder engraved with my blog logo.

Class Experience

In addition to the courses, we had a 30-minute mentorship session with a career coach to discuss our immediate and long term career goals. We could discuss what we needed to work on i.e. interview skills, and a resume and or what we were good at i.e. networking, and computer skills.

Apart from that, we had awesome speakers discuss their career experiences using the skills that we were currently learning. Lastly, we created a Slack group where we shared inspirational videos, tech-based meetups, and networking events.

These courses, hands-on training, and mentorship sessions were great because you could learn a lot. Don’t get me wrong it was fast-paced and some days I felt overwhelmed at the amount of information. In the end, I learned to ask questions and adjust my initial product design. * It took over 3 hours between the 3D printing and hot water cleaning to create my purse hook.

As a final stage for the Bootcamp, we could present our projects to the LACI staff, sponsors and mentors. The common theme for the entire Fellowship was building a community, teamwork, and innovation. Overall, I am grateful that I was able to be apart of the two-week technical boot camp and inaugural fellowship. I look forward to the next three months of career coaching and working with business mentors to create my translation mobile application.

Looking for more information on Assist 2 Develop Engineering and Manufacturing training check out their website here.

If you would like more information about the APC Fellowship and the LACI organization check out the APC Fellowship Program webpage.

Questions about the survey, travel or small business related news contact Erica Dozier, Founder at support@koreanconvenience.com