My Shenzhen Mission: Bringing ‘Tech’ to ‘non-Technicals’


NowShenzhen   |   October 19, 2018

Hi, I am Markey Tan and this is my story of how I came to start a coding bootcamp in Shenzhen.

It started just like how it starts for so many others out there. I went to university to study the subjects of my choosing; political science and international relations, all the while increasingly getting conscious of the problems around me and constantly coming up with the ideas to solve them.

By the time I graduated, I was all stoked and couldn’t wait to entrepreneur the crap out of my ideas. Only to realize that ideas, no matter how good and enthusiasm can only take you so far and what I needed was business skills. So, I did what every fresh out of the university, aspiring entrepreneur does: I went to business school.

I chose to do my masters in business management at the Peking University in Shenzhen. I couldn’t have chosen a better city to study in.

Shenzhen was a dream come true for my entrepreneurial mind that by now was brimming with ideas. Plus, it comes to the era that all devices can be connected with the Internet. Then Shenzhen must be the place!

With its ever-growing international community, a strong spirit of entrepreneurship and all sort of resources available at my fingertips, I was sure to be able to launch my project in no time but even though I had a clear business plan and knew all that I needed to know or so I thought, I still found myself on the outside of things looking in.

My year 2017 would be spent working as a co-founder of China Channel. In the process, I really had a blast setting up large-scale events related to China Digital Marketing. I was using Tencent WeChat to its full extent every day for growth, management, and communications.

It was there, among some of the most brilliant entrepreneurial and business minds that I realized what I had been missing in my arsenal: technical skills.

Too often, I had an idea for a product or a service. I had done my research and it was most definitely needed. I had a business model, I had a marketing plan, I had projections, and everything else, except a way to talk to my tech team. They spoke a language, I didn’t understand and I couldn’t clearly relay what I was looking for. Even though I had complete confidence in their capabilities, I felt alienated throughout the design process. I was once again on the outside of things. How could I call it my product when I didn’t know anything about its inner workings?

CHina CHat is the largest international Chinese Digital Marketing conference in the World

It was now clear to me why so many genius ideas remain just that, Ideas. The lack of technical know-how in the business minds keeps them from realizing their dream projects.

I decided to tackle this technical difficulty head-on by going back to school to learn to code, as if the universe was waiting for me to make this decision; I meet Thibault of Le Wagon China.

He told me what he does, I told him what all I wanted to do, long story short, instead of spending what could possibly have been years, I am on way to a 9-weeks coding bootcamp.

Le Wagon batch #151 in Chengdu, West China

Why did I or should anyone else join the Le Wagon coding bootcamp?

First of all, isn’t it better to test the waters by joining a 9-weeks program before plunging headfirst into what can be at the least a year-long course, only to realize it is not something for you and dropping out mid-semester?

Second and I know this through experience, Le Wagon coding bootcamps are not designed to beat the coding into you but to ease you into the world of computer languages and programming so that after the camp, you can choose whether you want to continue learning or if you’ve learned all that you needed.

Third, and this was the reason that I joined the bootcamp, wouldn’t it be nice if you can be more involved in the actual realization of your brain-child and be able to understand what your technical team is talking about at your next staff meeting? It’s not for no reason that Bill Gates dropped out of pre-law and chose computer science. Also to myself, I always came up with the idea. Then this is perfect for me to just make it come true with Le Wagon tools that I’ve learned within 9 weeks.

And last but not the least, you will be learning in a friendly, non-classroom environment from highly skilled, seasoned, coders who won’t only give you theoretical knowledge but teach you how to implement it.

Back to my story. We fast forward to 9 weeks later. I am done with the Le Wagon bootcamp and was I glad that I went. Not only did I learn a programming language, albeit basic (hey, it was a big deal for someone with a non-technical background like me), my fear of all things programming related is gone! Now, I can continue learning on my own with the help of the books that didn’t even dare look at the cover of.

And, the cherry on top of this awesome sundae is that now I am more involved in my projects and can understand when my developers tell me that there is a ‘technical problem’ and not just stare him blankly in the face as they go on explaining it.

Who should attend Le Wagon coding bootcamp?

Everyone! In this day and age when programming is fast becoming the most widely spoken language of the world, it doesn’t matter whether you are a student, entrepreneur, salesman, marketing specialist, financial consultant or English teacher… You got to know the what, how and why of those dozens of applications and smart gadgets you are using. Especially if you are living in China.

Now that you are all excited to give it a try, where can you attend a Le Wagon bootcamp?

Le Wagon is currently present in 29 cities across the globe and as I couldn’t keep the benefit of this mind-blowing program to myself, I have decided to bring Le Wagon to Shenzhen!

Why Shenzhen?

If not here then where? Shenzhen boasts and for no small reasons, its new-found status of being the tech and gadget capital of China. It is home to some of the biggest tech giants like Tencent, Huawei, DJI, BYD and ZTE of our time.

In just 40 years, what was a fisherman’s village has gone from being the hardware manufacturing city to now quickly becoming the tech capital of the country.

With its strategically superior location in Greater Bay Area, manufacturing facilities, diverse international culture, Shenzhen is where the startup dreams come true.

Despite attracting a vast entrepreneurial crowd, there is one major problem.

The talent pool in Shenzhen is divided into two groups, one with genius ideas and the other with technical skills to turn it into reality.

Because of the communication gap, one can’t explain to the other what it is that they want in their product or if it is at all possible.

So even when the two are able to come together, the outcome is most of the times, less than satisfactory or not all what they initially hoped and planned for. As a result, most startups don’t even get to see the light of day and die out during the execution and, the ones that do get launched, their life is short lived.

With Le Wagon coding bootcamp, I wish to bridge that gap in knowledge and communication in tech in Shenzhen.

So, if you are someone who has a business idea but don’t know how to go about executing it, a young professional who wants to get a taste of programming or a senior executive in a tech company. Le Wagon Shenzhen is now here for you.

The Mission in Shenzhen

We are really excited about working with the young business minds, seasoned professionals and entrepreneurs of Shenzhen to bridge the gap between techs and non-techs. Our passionate programming teachers are eager to share their knowledge with anyone and everyone willing to make a step to help themselves.

A community empowered with knowledge will make for a better, stronger Shenzhen.

If you are in Shenzhen and would like to know more about our mission, contact me!

???? [email protected]

For more: https://medium.com/le-wagon/shenzhen-mission-bringing-tech-to-non-technicals-d5aceb497925