Flutter Academy: Behind The Scenes 

Unveiling Flutter Academy: The What and the Why?

Flutter Academy is an intensive educational program dedicated to budding Flutter developers from all over Poland who want to start their careers and gain their first commercial experience as mobile app developers.

Organizing Flutter Academy is our way to share our knowledge with others and find new talent to join the team.

The interns worked on internal projects within the company and learned a wide range of programming, communication, and Scrum skills. The program is part of our organizational culture, as knowledge sharing is an essential aspect.

As organizers, we provided the necessary training materials for this program, as well as the mentors who guided our candidates through the entire workshop. The successful program helped many aspiring developers to blaze their first trails in commercial programming.

Flutter Academy Schedule – Step by Step

Let’s sum up these amazing days in a few points:

1. Enrollment

We started with enrollment, which lasted two weeks! We received 66 applications. We were looking for people who are already programming but doing it non-commercially, or who already have a specific plan for their development and know that they want to grow in Flutter and need a mentor.
Selected applicants went on to participate in the first online meeting, where we got to know each other.

2. Task

Next, it was time for task-solving, deliberations, and intensive meetings!

After two weeks, candidates who successfully passed the first stage of the process were given a homework assignment to solve.

Those who did well on the task were invited to a short interview with our Flutter Developers and HR team.

It was not an easy decision, but out of the 19 interviews organized, we selected ten candidates for the workshop! 🙂

3. Workshop

We organized the free workshop, which lasted five days, and took place in our office in Wroclaw.

The whole event was coordinated by two of our experienced Flutter Developers and mentors: Alex Stolar and Sebastian Wojdakowski.

During the course, participants listened to substantive lectures and wrote their mobile applications under the guidance of experienced people.

In addition to a massive dose of knowledge, each person also received a certificate confirming their participation in the workshop! It is also worth mentioning the integrations, thanks to which the whole team could get to know each other better 🙂

4. Internship

We had to make difficult decisions – the time for selections had come. We invited five people who distinguished themselves during the workshop to a paid internship lasting 2.5 months.

The interns had the opportunity to work on commercial projects in project teams. As a result, they gained holistic knowledge about the cooperation between the organization and the client, as well as first-hand experience and a direct perspective on how to work in a team.

Insights from Flutter Academy Participants

We asked our five golden adepts of our first Flutter Academy about their viewpoint after the workshops and internship. Get to know them, discover their stories, and find out why they chose Flutter.

How did your Flutter adventure begin?

• My studies effectively discouraged me from many programming languages – I don’t like doing something I’m forced to do. Flutter lurked in the back of my mind somewhere as a curiosity mentioned by the lecturer. After my thesis defense, I was scrolling Facebook and came across an ad for Flutter Academy. Although I didn’t want to tie my future to programming, I decided to give ‘myself’ one last chance. I applied and began the process of rapidly absorbing knowledge to have time to learn anything before receiving the recruitment assignment. Paulina Sieczkowska
• My adventure with Flutter began a few years ago, when a friend of my father’s, knowing that I was in IT, asked me to make an application for his pizzeria. After researching, I found Flutter and decided it was an interesting option. However, after the app was released, my adventure with Flutter was put on hold for a while. Daniel Konsewicz
• My adventure began at the very end of my studies, writing an engineering paper. I decided that I would create a mobile application, and since I didn’t feel comfortable with Java, I looked for another way, and that’s how I came across Flutter. Arek Osmelak

What expectations did you have for the Academy? And how did those expectations work out?

• I wanted my attitude towards programming to be disenchanted. I wanted to learn as much as possible, see the behind-the-scenes work of Droids On Roids and spend time in a relaxed atmosphere. Flutter Academy exceeded my wildest expectations. Paulina Sieczkowska
• I wanted to see what it is like to work in a software house, meet new people from this environment, and try my hand at working on projects. Mikolaj Rodkiewicz
• My biggest expectation was to get an internship position to enter the IT world smoothly. I knew I might fail, so I focused on gaining as much knowledge as possible. I succeeded in achieving both goals. Daniel Konsewicz

How does your career path develop after the Academy?

• My career path after Flutter Academy hit the right track. During my internship, I learned how to work in a team using GIT and Scrum, and in addition, I greatly expanded my technical skills. After the training, I joined a commercial project without any problem and with great fluidity. Daniel Konsewicz
• After Flutter Academy, I was accepted as an intern at Droids On Roids and then as a Junior Flutter Developer. I am currently working on my first commercial project.  Monika Gadomska

What did you learn from working in a team for several months?

• It is always worth asking if you are unsure, so the team can help dispel your doubts. Besides, I think we have made huge progress on the level of cooperation in the team – with the Scrum Master, Testers, Business Clients, and other Developers. Paulina Sieczkowska
• Collaboration, problem-solving and pair programming. Monika Gadomska

Do you feel prepared to work commercially on a project after the internship?

• Yes, I feel prepared and look forward to such an opportunity. Arek Osmelak
• Definitely, yes, and it has even worked already. And it wasn’t even scary. Paulina Sieczkowska
• As much as possible, the internship taught us to work according to the standards used in commercial projects. Monika Gadomska
• Yes! I was not afraid of a commercial project, especially seeing that I would be in a competent team to help me if needed. Mikołaj Rodkiewicz

What challenges will future Academy candidates face? Would you recommend participation in the Academy, and to whom?

• I would say that you need to be determined about what you want to do. The company places a lot of trust in people, so you need self-discipline in completing certain tasks. There is no teacher here who rushes you to work, as everyone is responsible for their work, which personally suits me very well. Mikołaj Rodkiewicz
• The focus is on continuous development and teamwork in a new team, plus numerous integrations. Daniel Konsewicz

Wrap-Up

Thanks to Flutter Academy and the internship on board Droids On Roids, we have welcomed five talented and over-ambitious Junior Flutter Developers!

Behind us are 40 intensive workshop hours and a 3-month internship with the golden five.

As many as ten people worked on organizing the entire initiative, all with one goal – to give the most outstanding value to Flutter Academy’s participants! We consider the goal achieved!

It was an enriching and vital experience for us. We thank everyone who participated in the Academy – candidates, organizers, and mentors!

The first edition was a great success, so stay tuned – we look forward to developing more academies … SOON 🙂

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