Frequently asked questions
General
We are a product company, and at the same time the fastest and the most cost-effective way to find your next job in Canada.
While development focused bootcamps can be valuable for gaining skills and transitioning into a career in tech, there are several potential disadvantages to consider, particularly if you’re aiming to secure a job after graduation:
- Limited depth of knowledge: Bootcamps typically cover a broad range of topics within a relatively short timeframe. While this can provide you with a foundational understanding of various technologies, it will lack the depth of knowledge and expertise that employers seek for certain specialized roles.
- Limited networking opportunities: Unlike traditional universities or colleges, bootcamps offer fewer networking opportunities with industry professionals. Building a strong professional network can be crucial for securing job opportunities, and bootcamps may not always provide the same level of networking support.
- Varied quality of instruction: The quality of instruction at bootcamps can vary widely depending on factors such as the curriculum, teaching methods, and qualifications of instructors.
- Limited job placement support: Most bootcamps offer only support in securing job opportunities. Unfortunately, there are unrealistic expectations among bootcamp graduates regarding job placement rates and earning potential. Only a minor percentage of graduates successfully secure job offers shortly after graduation.
We are not against bootcamps, but it is critical to set expectations, especially if you are experienced in building products.
Of course. Your title is the same as the last title you are given in your last job. If you haven’t worked before, you’ll be given a junior position.
Our focus is on hands-on experience and real product development. Unlike traditional bootcamps that offer training without practical application, we engage technology professionals, particularly developers, in building tangible products.
Our approach includes active mentorship, thorough product planning, and practical learning experiences, all of which empower our members to make a significant impact.
This emphasis on real-world projects not only enhances skill development but also makes transitioning to the next job easier for our members.
At BlueWave Labes, we aim to ensure a smooth and efficient admission process to help you kickstart your journey towards working on real products and finding a job.
Here’s what you can expect:
Apply online: Start by filling out our online application form. Provide us with essential details about your background, interests, and motivations. This step allows us to get to know you better and understand your aspirations in the tech industry. Note that we ask for at least 20 hours of dedication every week to keep up with the pace.
Interview: Upon reviewing your application, we will invite you for a personalized interview. This interview serves as an opportunity for us to delve deeper into your skills, experiences, and goals. We encourage you to be open and honest during this conversation, as it helps us tailor our program to meet your needs effectively.
Preparation: Congratulations on making it to this stage! During our intensive voluntary work, you’ll immerse yourself in the intricacies of our tech stack. This phase is all about hands-on learning, where you’ll tackle real projects, collaborate with peers, and refine your skills to become a member of BlueWave Labs.
We understand that starting a new job can be daunting, but rest assured, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking to upskill or a complete beginner eager to dive into the world of coding, our admission process is designed to accommodate individuals from diverse backgrounds and skill levels.
Unlike traditional training bootcamps, we ask for prior experience. This is required to develop a highly competitive product, work seamlessly with your peers, have strong commitment and have an understanding of office culture.
Whatever your job description is, we ask for at least 3 years of product development experience, (or 2 years of UI/UX design experience, or 2 years of product management experience) in your field. You’ll also be given tasks to complete before the admission process begins.
The BlueWave Labs members are currently working on development of the following products:
- An HRM system, a suite of software that organizations use to manage internal human resources functions.
- A social media scheduler, which helps you schedule your social posts across multiple social media accounts and platforms.
- A user onboarding platform which helps end users onboard to the application.
- A dataroom application where companies can keep their private documents, and securely share with others.
No. All the products are developed internally as open source projects.
The Canadian Experience Class is for skilled workers who have Canadian work experience and want to become permanent residents.
BlueWave Labs helps you switch to another permanent job by giving you a temporary job. The permanent job (your skilled work experience) must be a paid work, including paid wages or earned commission.
Hence, the volunteer work you are carrying out at BlueWave Labs doesn’t count as Canadian Experience Class work.
No we do not. We are not a bootcamp that tries to attract students by enticing them with potentially higher salaries. We are a hands-on, real-life development program where you’ll work on real products. It is for rising experts, and not ideal for new graduates who have no prior programming experience.
If you have never worked in a company in the past, you probably won’t be accepted to the program.
Your work and responsibilities
Your typical workday as a part-time developer working 20 hours per week is structured around maximizing your productivity and progress within the limited time available.
Here’s a general outline of what your day might look like:
- Start your day by reviewing any emails, messages, or notifications related to the project.
- Check your project board to prioritize tasks for the day.
- Begin working on your highest priority tasks or projects.
- Focus on coding, debugging, or testing depending on the stage of development.
- Review your progress for the day and update any documentation or task. statuses as necessary.
You’re expected to possess the necessary technical skills and knowledge relevant to the project. You should be able to analyze issues, identify root causes, and devise efficient solutions.
Producing high-quality, maintainable code in BlueWave Labs is very crucial. Your code should be well-structured, readable, and adherent to coding standards and best practices.
Last but not least, meeting deadlines and delivering work on time is essential. You’re expected to manage your time effectively, prioritize tasks, and make progress consistently, even when working part-time.
Absolutely – we all work remotely. However, the development teams will gather once a month in a coworking space. This is to make sure everyone is in sync and get to know each other physically. If physical meeting is not an option for you due to distance, this is fine – we don’t keep it compulsory.
Since projects are not complex in nature, you’ll need two weeks to get used to the codebase. You’ll get a list of initial tasks to familiarize yourself what to do next.
Yes. Since your previous 3-year experience will be matched to what you are doing at BlueWave Labs, your last title will be the same as your BlueWave Labs company title.
If you stay with us for 4 months, we are happy to provide you a reference letter if asked. We are honest in our reference letter and our letter identically reflects how you performed.
Technology
We mainly use Javascript on the front end (with frameworks like React), and Nodejs on the backend. All the issues and codebase is on GitHub (you’ll join Github with the company address). Deployments are on Vercel and AWS.
Depending on your title (e.g frontend developer, backend developer, UI designer etc), you will be given a set of tools you work with.
These include:
- An editor if you already don’t have one.
- Figma or another design tool for UI/UX developers.
- A GitHub account if you don’t already have one, and GitHub Copilot if required.
- Access to AI tools to help you leverage AI.
Please see the list of libraries, databases and platforms we use as we build our products.
For all the open source projects, the license will be permissive (e.g MIT, AGPLv3 or similar).
Pricing
The BlueWave Labs program is an incredible value at only $259 per month to cover the cost of training and mentorship. This allows you to receive all the benefits of our top-tier program without breaking the bank.
The benefits include:
- Access to BlueWave Labs’ mentor network.
- Build a globally recognized application.
- Be affiliated with BlueWave Labs.
We also waive the monthly fee under certain circumstances (e.g if you can’t afford the payment, or you have at least of 5 years of experience and willing to help other developers, or can be a team lead). Please get in touch with us if this is your case.
While the work is volunteer job, there’s ongoing training, mentorship from reputable people and management / administration costs associated with the work you will be doing. We’ll assign you tasks, monitor them and QA the work you have submitted. Note that you should consider it as a temporary (or permanent work if you work close to 35 hours per week), and after 6 months, you’ll also get a reference letter upon request. All of those services induce costs, and the payment compensates the company costs incurred.
No, not at all. We don’t bind you to the company. You can leave anytime. Companies try to retain their employees, but BlueWave Labs wants you to find a permanent job.
Yes. We also have a one time payment option, where you pay only 4 months instead of 6, which is a 33% discount. If you would like to go with this option, please get in touch with us.
Still have questions?
Get in touch with us and we’ll take care of the rest
(We usually respond the same day)