From Brainwaves to Browsers: Interview with Bootcamp Student Anna Ostenrath

After years immersed in academia and neuroscience, Anna Ostenrath found herself drawn to a very different kind of problem-solving — one rooted not in brain scans, but in browser tabs. What began as a growing curiosity about code gradually turned into a meaningful new direction. Now a student in the Self-Paced Web Developer Bootcamp, Anna is studying on her own schedule — learning at her own pace while staying connected to the wider Technigo community. We spoke with her about the shift from science to software, what surprised her most about coding, and why she believes anyone curious about tech should just give it a go.

From Research Labs to Responsive Layouts

"I have a background in research, and I was doing a PhD in neuroscience before joining the self-paced web developer bootcamp."

Falling in Love with Code

"In my previous work, I got already quite familiar with coding in general and fell absolutely in love with it. I was always fascinated by how people can just build a website from scratch and really wanted to know how to do it myself."

"I was always fascinated by how people can just build a website from scratch and really wanted to know how to do it myself."

Why Technigo Was the Right Choice

"I was following Technigo for a long time, before I started with my bootcamp. From the outside it already looked like a really welcoming community and the programs focus on very relevant skills for the field. However, I was not able to join the “in-person” bootcamp, so when I saw the self-paced one I knew this would be for me."

Finding Structure — and Joy — in the Projects

"The different projects really helped me to structure my days. Not only are they fun but you also get a feeling of “achievement” whenever one is finished that motivates you to keep going. I would always take a little sneak peek of what I will be working on in the next chapter and think “how could I ever do this?”. And somehow after going through the material, I suddenly just did it and could show it off to other people in the community."

Highlights That Kept the Momentum Going

"For me, being able to live out a new way of being creative is definitely a highlight. In addition, the co-working café and meeting people from the community has been amazing. People are so friendly and helpful and it’s such an inspiration to see other people’s projects."

"For me, being able to live out a new way of being creative is definitely a highlight."

The Control — and Chaos — of Code

"The control you have over every single detail is both a curse and a blessing. Often, the things that I thought would be the hardest, would be straightforward, but the little things could take hours to get right."

Advice for Anyone Feeling Curious

"Go for it! I started with the free course here at Technigo to see if it was something for me and I enjoyed it a lot and just wanted to keep going… getting into web development is definitely a journey, but I’ve been having so much fun doing it and the community here was so helpful whenever I would get stuck."