Tatang Romadhona

The Pivot to Professional Backend Development

Glints Academy (Powered by Binar Academy) | Jan 2020 - Apr 2020

The bootcamp at Glints Academy was where everything clicked. It was an intense three-month program I joined while still wrapping up my college degree — juggling both was rough, but it forced me to grow fast.

Curious how I got here? Read my college story — it's where the shift from multimedia to backend development began.

Diving In and Breaking Through

The first week felt like jumping into the deep end. We switched fully to Linux, learned JavaScript fundamentals, then quickly moved into Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. It was my first real exposure to building APIs and backend logic that actually worked.

At first, I struggled to keep up — especially since I came from a multimedia background. What helped was forming a small study group with classmates, where we learned from each other and built confidence through collaboration.

Real Projects, Real Pressure

Every few weeks we had to ship something real. Those projects taught me what deadlines and teamwork actually feel like:

Mini-Project 1: Todo App

  • Focus: Deliver under pressure and make sure the backend works flawlessly with the frontend team.
  • Lesson: Learned how small communication issues can break integrations — and how to fix them fast.

Mini-Project 2: Movie App

Focus: Built a CRUD movie database with user ratings — my first real full-stack app that felt professional.

Final Project: Desa Sehat (Crowdfunding Platform)

  • Focus: Led backend for a donation platform similar to Kitabisa, handling API design and integration.
  • Lesson: Learned how to write cleaner code, document properly, and explain design choices during technical reviews.

Where It Took Me

That bootcamp became my real entry point into professional backend work. It gave me the foundation, confidence, and mindset to build production-grade systems. Soon after, I landed my first role at Roots Indonesia as a Full Stack Developer — the true start of my career in tech.

Looking back, Glints Academy wasn't just a bootcamp — it was the bridge between curiosity and career.