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How to Hire a Coding Bootcamp Grad
7/20/2018
So you’re thinking of hiring a coding bootcamp graduate, but not sure how to approach it. After speaking with 12 real employers from companies like Cisco, Stack Overflow, and JPMorgan Chase, we’ve compiled the best advice and lessons learned when hiring a coding bootcamp graduate. Following these steps will help you build a diverse, open-minded, loyal engineering team that finds creative solutions to software challenges. If you’re a prospective bootcamp student, this is also for you – these employers also explain why they hire coding bootcamp grads!
Continue ReadingWhy I Chose Coding Bootcamp Over Law School
7/16/2018
With an undergrad major in the humanities, your career path can often be a winding road. Bernard Lin was planning to go to law school after studying Ancient Greek and Latin, but when he saw the great work-life balance his friends in the tech industry enjoyed, he decided to go to a coding bootcamp. Bernard tells us how Hack Reactor taught him the skills for the job, how he landed his job through the large Hack Reactor alumni network, and he answers our question: Was Coding Bootcamp Worth It? Watch the video or read the summary.
Continue ReadingHow Holberton School Helped Me Switch Careers at 50
7/11/2018
After almost 30 years working in restaurants and agriculture, Larry Madeo wanted a career that used his brain rather than his back. He built up his Excel skills and soon shifted his goals towards software engineering. Larry moved from rural Wisconsin to San Francisco to attend Holberton School and hasn’t looked back. Larry tells us about the Holberton application process, being the oldest student in a very diverse class, and how Holberton prepared him for his new job as a DevOps Engineer! Larry also has great advice for other later-stage career changers – read on!
Continue ReadingAlumnae Spotlight: Liz Phillips of The Grace Hopper Program
7/10/2018
“I used to feel that artistic skills and technical skills were very separate, but in reality the work that I did as a designer is very similar to how I approach problems with engineering.” After a BFA, MFA, and the Grace Hopper Program coding bootcamp, Liz Phillips is now a Full Stack Software Engineer at Fabric! Liz tells us how learning to code amongst women felt like a “healing environment,” how she got her job (spoiler: it involves a warm lead from a fellow Grace Hopper graduate), and why she is pushing to hire more Grace Hopper alumnae to work at Fabric.
Continue ReadingWhy I Moved to Denver for Turing School
7/5/2018
Mimi Le didn’t have a technical background, but if we’ve learned anything from her journey (she moved from LA to Colorado to Phoenix for this career change), it’s that she commits to her goals. Mimi takes us through her bootcamp research process and tells us why she chose the Turing School of Software & Design in Denver (hint: it had a lot to do with their Try Coding weekend). Plus, Mimi is now a Software Developer at Tuft & Needle and she shares how networking and mentorship at Turing School got her into the job!
Continue ReadingIs New York Code + Design Academy Worth It?
7/2/2018
There are many ways to define success after bootcamp and one way to succeed is starting your own business! James Sullivan attended New York Code and Design Academy’s Software Engineering Immersive instead of college, and launched his own web development agency when he graduated! James tells us how NYCDA supported him in his entrepreneurial endeavors, what sort of clients he works with, and why that all made coding bootcamp worth it for him. Watch the video or read the summary.
Continue ReadingJune 2018 Coding Bootcamp Podcast
6/29/2018
In the coding bootcamp industry in June 2018 the biggest trend we saw was coding bootcamps funneling grads into apprenticeships! We also saw two big fundraises by bootcamp-adjacent organizations, we heard about some interesting new legislation which could change how online bootcamps operate, and some bootcamp alumni launched exciting new careers. We also look at the effect bootcamps are having on tech industries in areas around the world, which bootcamps are offering scholarships to help women and underrepresented groups launch tech careers, and partnerships bootcamps are forming with big companies like Facebook. Read the blog post or listen to the podcast!
Continue ReadingAlumni Spotlight: Caleb Wells of Code Fellows
6/29/2018
Caleb Wells enjoyed solving problems as the manager of a tech support center, but he wanted to be solving deeper technology problems as a software developer. He considered teaching himself, or studying for a computer science degree, but eventually decided to enroll in Code Fellows’ 20-week coding bootcamp in Seattle. Caleb tells us how Code Fellows helped him land a job as a full stack Software Engineer at Alaska Airlines, how supportive his new team is, and how he learned numerous new coding languages on the job.
Continue ReadingFullstack Academy vs Grace Hopper Program: Similarities & Differences
6/28/2018
Coding bootcamps Fullstack Academy and the Grace Hopper Program were both founded by David Yang and Nimit Maru, so what is the difference between them? Grace Hopper is an all women’s program and offers deferred tuition, but what else is unique about the program? And do students from both programs have the same job placement outcomes? We asked the leadership team at Fullstack Academy and Grace Hopper to explain the differences and similarities in tuition costs, curricula, learning environment, and support, and how a woman can choose which program is right for her.
Continue ReadingHow I Became a Blockchain Engineer After Hack Reactor
6/27/2018
Dan Miller is a Front End Blockchain Engineer for startup Kyokan, but he began his career working in communications for NGOs. When he realized he wanted to turn coding into his career, he enrolled at Hack Reactor Remote. Dan’s first software job was at a local company on the east coast of Canada, and now he works remotely for San Francisco company Kyokan. Dan tells us how studying remotely with Hack Reactor prepared him for a remote job, how remote work allows him to balance work and life (and to spend more time with his kids), and what it’s like working in the growing blockchain sector!
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