The Best Kansas City Coding Bootcamps Of 2023

I have wanted to go to Prime since a good friend did it ~6 years ago, but quitting my job didn't feel doable. When their part time full stack option opened up I jumped right in. Had a great experience, learned important hard and soft skills, and started my new job as a software engineer at Target before I even graduated from Prime. I did decide to quit my job around halfway through the program, and some of my cohort mates did the same - we all found that more manageable than balancing prime + work + applying to jobs (you should start applying before you graduate from prime, btw). I had some coding experience going in and already knew that I liked it, but I had cohort mates who did not, and they did well too. If you're the kind of person that likes to prepare in advance, checkout Codecademy and FreeCodeCamp's beginner javascript tut's. From my prime cohort, everyone that was actively trying to get a job (which does mean applying to tons of places) got one within about 3 months of graduating. Not sure how often they update this figure, but FWIW my starting salary was about $11k higher than what Prime advertised as the average salary for their grads at the time. My cohort mates also all made about the same or within $15k more than me at the jobs they got. Now in the workforce, I've met lots of other bootcamp grads, and I do think Prime prepares you better for the workforce than the average bootcamp. It's longer than many other bootcamps, and having React on the resume (at least currently in 2022) is a big plus. However, that said, don't over analyze the specific tech stack offered at Prime vs. where you're trying to get a job - they're often different and it's expected that you'll learn many new technologies throughout your career. You just need one stack to get started. As tech is always changing, a huge part of this career is learning new things, so if you are bored at your current job, this is the place for you.

Well I came into this program a beginner, and came out a web developer. It was one of the hardest challenges I have faced to this day, but it was also one of the most rewarding. I am excited for my path forward, and can't wait for the opportunities from here forward. Thank you to the fantastic staff. I am kind of sad to be done.

You will learn so much about being an SDR in a short period of time 
Understanding of sales methodology including call and email scripting
Supportive coaches, daily check-ins, one-on-one meetings, ability to get help and support from others in the program via chats, meetings, etc. 
On-the-job training that lets you know if this is the right role for you and helps you to be competitive in securing roles as an SDR 
They work to meet you where you are
You know and understand the terminology of sales 
Attainable to meet the graduation requirements and be put in front of their partner companies for interviews
Resume review and interview prep with Lonnie were very helpful
100% confidence that this helped me to land offers as an SDR because prior to this, I was not.

Nucamp provided me with a unique opportunity to further my skills as a full-stack developer. The curriculum was challenging and kept me engaged, but the hands-on projects and supportive community made it a fun and fulfilling experience. Not only did I secure a certificate in fluency of Bootstrap as a result of completing the program, but I also gained confidence in my abilities and a solid foundation for future growth in the field. I highly recommend Nucamp for anyone looking to break into tech or upskill in web development.

First off, I will say I graduated and was placed into a job by LaunchCode. I am very grateful for the opportunity, and it's worked out very well for me in the 2 years since I was hired. 

The good:
If a classroom environment is right for you, then you will likely do well here. I learn better in a classroom, surrounded by like minded individuals. I have too many distractions at home to really focus and teach myself, though I had gotten fairly far with some Python a year or two before applying, and have been using HTML and CSS for over 20 years now. 

It's completely and totally free. My only expenses were a new laptop (only because I spilled water on my perfectly working one about halfway through the course) and transportation/commuting costs. They achieve this by partnering with the companies in the area they're located, and promising them developers who have gone through their program for temporary apprenticeships. This reduces the risk for their local partnered companies, as these are $15 an hour positions for 3 months. If a few people come in and prove themselves, then they're likely to take more LaunchCode graduates. Compared to comparable programs, which can cost $10k or more, this is probably the most important positive of LaunchCode. 

Several of the teachers were really great teachers, senior level software engineers with experience in the language that they were teaching. My teacher for Java could easily have been a Computer Science professor at a large university, and often would point out and correct some inaccuracies or suggest better practices than the examples in the course material. 

The bad:
The course materials are confusing, lacking, or at times incorrect. I'll preface this by saying the material is constantly changing and evolving from "semester" to "semester". However, where it usually is pretty good at telling you how something works, there was almost no coverage of WHEN to use something. Real world examples would be super beneficial, but are usually absent. You can really only get so far with a basic understanding of each of the puzzle pieces and how they work by themselves, but no real knowledge of how to fit them together to build an application that is efficient, maintainable, and scalable. Again, my course was 2 years ago, and was only the second (I believe) time it had been run in my city, so this could have changed by now. However, I have a friend who is in the current class and has shared the current material with me. While the material has been updated, some of it is still worded in a fairly confusing manner.

You will be teaching yourself a fair amount. The course only meets in person twice a week for at most 3 hours. Often, less than half of it is actual lecture time, with the remaining time used for "studio" aka the lab portion. I'd say over 75% the time, I was out the door in 2 to 2.25 hours. There is only so much lecture that can really be absorbed in a single day for most people, so I understood this, but when you're only really being "taught" for 2 to 3 hours a week, they can't cover everything that is important. But, I do feel like that is partly by design. Again, this is a completely free program. They're looking for not only the best and the brightest, but the hardest workers and the ones willing to teach themselves, as this absolutely IS a skill you need to succeed in any development position. There will always be new libraries, new languages, new tools, etc that you will be expected to teach yourself. We started with 250 people, but dropped down to about 110 after unit 1 of 3 finished. More trickled out over the next two units, so I'd say only 60-80 people actually finished the LaunchCode 101 portion. However, the people who do finish have shown that likely fit into a few categories that are marketable to companies looking for developers:

All three of these "types" of people are valuable to a dev team, especially if you think differently to other people that stereotypically fit into a developer role. Someone who isn't naturally inclined to programming will bring insights that those who are naturally gifted won't think about. 

However, that leads me to my final, most frustrating negative. LaunchCode's apprenticeship program/job placement unit, called LiftOff, is not technically part of the base LaunchCode course. It was a 4th, optional unit, for people who wanted an apprenticeship. And apprenticeship is a pretty good word for it. It's really just continuing on the job training for at least 3 months. Many times this turns into an offer for a full position at more than $15 an hour, but other times it doesn't, and you go back into the program until another company picks you up. I'm honestly okay with all of this, as I feel it is fair and gives the people who work well on teams a shot to impress the company they are at for 3 months, guaranteed, for livable compensation. 

The main issue is that their list of apprenticeships is not fair, is not revolving, and if you don't land a job in the first 6 months afterwards, you likely won't through LaunchCode.  Search for LaunchCode on any job listing website, and you'll find dozens of postings advertising not LaunchCode, but their apprenticeship program. If you have all the skills necessary, you can apply and get accepted, while doing no ACTUAL work in any of the units. So, they're filling the list with people who have Computer Science degrees but haven't gotten into the industry yet, and as someone who took a free boot camp, it's very hard to compete. Additionally, I learned that a local company has a deal where they are guaranteed the top 15 from each semester for first interviews, and they hire 5 of those each year. If you're in the group of 10 that interview but aren't hired, you're nearly guaranteed to be placed within the first few months of finishing LiftOff. These are the "best and brightest" to them. I put enough work in to interview, but not be hired, and was placed at a job less than 2 months later. It seems that most of the rest of the positions are filled by the non-LaunchCode apprentices. My TA for the third unit had taken LaunchCode the year before me, but still hadn't been placed anywhere, and hadn't had any interviews set up by LaunchCode in 9 or 10 months, all the while job postings are going up on every imaginable site advertising the apprenticeship program. 

I just feel that it's a bit dishonest to pass yourself off as training these great graduates who go on to do great things when in reality, it seems like a small percentage of those they actually teach are showing what LaunchCode can do. They need to work on standing on their own merit, and maybe that's the slow play, get integrated with partner companies, and show the types of people that can come in (even if a bit dishonestly), they give themselves more staying power in that city, but it just doesn't seem right to me. 

However, I do know of many people who did not get placed by LaunchCode that did end up in development positions or in positions with a fast track to a development position, so if you're in the final graduate list, you do have what it takes to come in at a junior or associate level. Just be expected to prove yourself and strive to be in the top 15. 

Overall, I have to say it worked for me. My pay has increased by well over 50% in the 2 years since I completed the course, and I am much happier than i ever was in any other job. I finally feel like I have a career, and part of that is thanks to LaunchCode. 

If you can look past the negatives, and realize that getting what they offer for absolutely zero risk to you except your time, you will see that this is easily one of the most accessible programs out there. If you are a self-starter, good at learning on your own, and determined to change your life, you'll do fine. 

I was ready to give up on pursuing a job in tech when my new landlord told me about Savvy Coders and helped me get connected.  I had already done another bootcamp, been rejected from multiple jobs and still didn't feel confident in my skills. Before the first class of Savvy Coders ever started, I was challenged to learn web development basics. And when it started I was challenged to manage my time, think critically, meet deadlines and push myself to do a project that I never thought I could do. The teachers and TA's were amazing, encouraging and helpful. Savvy also provided me with my first ever job mentor- Laurie Wilson- who helped me in every step of the job process. With all the help I had, I  overcame every obstacle I faced and graduated with the confidence to get a job. I got my first tech job offer-EVER- today at a company that I didn't know was my dream company and I couldn't be more excited. Thank you to all the people who make Savvy Coders awesome! I also must mention the classmates I met and the amazing connections I made through mock interviews that are the reasons for the job I was offered today.  Words can't explain how much I have grown as a person and a professional over these past few months. It was a 3 month sacrifice and I know my life is changed forever.