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Alumni Spotlight: Jason Fry of General Assembly Remote
6/27/2017
Jason Fry enjoyed programming in high school, but went a different direction in college. After relocating, getting married, and starting a family, Jason reevaluated his career, and decided to enroll in General Assembly’s Web Development Immersive Remote coding bootcamp to get back into tech. Jason tells us why he chose a full-time online bootcamp over a part-time in-person bootcamp, how much he enjoyed interacting with his General Assembly classmates from all around the world, and how networking helped him land a web developer job at Feathr Inc in Florida’s “Silicon Swamp.”
Continue ReadingAlumni Spotlight: Courtney Waller of Thinkful
6/23/2017
Once Courtney Waller got excited about learning to code, it was Thinkful’s job guarantee that gave her the reassurance to enroll in the Flexible Web Development Bootcamp. The Thinkful team worked hard to help Courtney get her first job, and her past career as a teacher and counselor has now propelled Courtney into her second developer role in the EdTech space. We sat down to learn how Courtney balanced a full-time job with her Thinkful class, what stood out about her mentor, and how Thinkful gave her foundations to build on in her career as a developer.
Continue ReadingAlumni Spotlight: Rebecca Saines from Hackbright Academy
6/22/2017
As a math and science teacher, Rebecca was always interested in using technology in the classroom, but it wasn’t until working in EdTech that she saw a career for herself as a developer. So in 2016, she enrolled at Hackbright Academy, the all-women Python bootcamp in San Francisco, to make the career change. Rebecca tells us how Hackbright Academy’s teaching style compared to traditional education, what she got from learning amongst women, and why she was admittedly picky while interviewing for her first job as a Software Engineer at Streak!
Continue ReadingAlumni Spotlight: Shane Sniteman of The Iron Yard
6/20/2017
Shane Sniteman graduated from The Iron Yard coding bootcamp 2.5 years ago and is now leading a team in his second job as a mobile app developer. After working in finance at a Big 4 accounting firm and in graphic design for financial publications, the realization that websites could more efficiently convey financial data spurred him to learn to code. Shane dives into his career trajectory since The Iron Yard, explains how the iOS app he built helped him land his first job for a music app company, and how he got headhunted for his second job at Bridgestone!
Continue ReadingEmployer Spotlight: Why Bazaarvoice Hires From General Assembly
6/19/2017
In the past year, SaaS company Bazaarvoice has hired more than 10 General Assembly graduates into Implementation Engineer and Technical Success roles (which require JavaScript chops and soft-skills to onboard new customers). We sat down with Bazaarvoice Talent Acquisition Manager, Travis Baker, to hear his advice for employers hiring coding bootcampers and how “General Assembly grads start contributing significantly faster than candidates hired through traditional channels.”
Continue ReadingCurriculum Spotlight: The New Part-time Online Program at Actualize
6/19/2017
Jay Wengrow founded part-time web development bootcamp and apprenticeship program Actualize in Chicago in 2014 to make learning to code efficient and accessible. Now the coding bootcamp has campuses in New York and San Francisco, and in June 2017 they are launching their new online part-time program to further reduce barriers to entry into tech. We asked Jay about the format of the new online course (+ photos) compared with the in-person course, why no programming experience is required, and how Actualize prepares students to land new careers in tech.
Continue ReadingDeep Dive: Career Success at Fullstack Academy
6/16/2017
As an experienced recruiter, Ceren Nomer knows how to get coding bootcampers in the door at tech companies, and she brings that perspective to her students as Head of Career Success at Fullstack Academy. We sat down with Ceren to find out how the Careers Team prepares Fullstack Academy and Grace Hopper Program students for technical interviews, develops soft skills to impress employers, and helps navigate salary negotiation. Plus, Ceren tells us the 3 worst mistakes that coding bootcamp grads make in interviews (and how to stop making them)!
Continue ReadingInstructor Spotlight: Kate Humphrey of The Grace Hopper Program
6/14/2017
“I want to see more women in the tech industry, because the more women who work in this field, the safer and better it is for everyone.” Kate Humphrey has a background in technology consulting, and enrolled in Fullstack Academy to solidify her skills for the New York market. With her tech experience and teaching experience, Kate was well qualified to become an instructor for The Grace Hopper Program. Kate tells us about her quirky and interactive teaching style, the difference between teaching all women versus co-ed classes, and why she feels it’s so important for more women to learn to code and break into the tech industry.
Continue Reading3 Months vs 2 Years: How Long Should Your Coding Bootcamp Be?
6/26/2017
For some students, the traditional 12-week, full-time coding bootcamp may not seem like enough time to acquire the skills that employers want. As the coding bootcamp industry has evolved, longer coding bootcamps such as Turing, Galvanize, C4Q, Ada Developers Academy, Learner's Guild, CODE University, Holberton School, Make School, We Think Code, and 42 have emerged with courses ranging from 6 months to 5 years. These schools emphasize computer science concepts, offer apprenticeships, and provide in-depth, cutting-edge technology education, without the opportunity cost of a traditional computer science degree. Think a longer coding bootcamp could be for you? Start your research here.
Continue ReadingHow the Curriculum at Holberton Helped Justin Get Hired
6/12/2017
Justin Marsh enjoyed traveling the world as a professional poker player, but when he hit 30, he wanted to transition to a more settled career in software engineering. After attempting to teach himself, Justin felt he needed more guidance when he got stuck, so he enrolled in Holberton School in San Francisco. Now he’s landed a coveted apprenticeship at LinkedIn, and credits Holberton’s project-based learning for his success. We asked Justin and Holberton Chief Engineer Julien Cyr to explain how the curriculum is designed to prepare students to keep learning on the job.
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