Java Reviews

There is a bit of magic that goes on at Zip Code Wilmington. The magicians are those who Wayne mentioned in his review, plus the head magician and Head of the School, Anthony Pisapia, who makes sure all the most important people in Delaware are watching and supporting the bootcamp.

A continuous promotion of ZCW is being done daily by all the main actors, and that unrest makes the classroom what it I like to call a glass showcase for employers. The students are on display for the entire course of the 3-month program. Involvement beyond the daily classwork is made known and encouraged by Anthony and the instructors who are on the look out for relevant applications of the work being done in class. Those who volunteer themself for the additional events and projects only help themselves to shine brighter on display among a tireless group of aspiring developers. Meanwhile, more and more local employers sign up to become partners liking the drive they see.  

It seems like every day, a new representative of one of the partners and future partners are stopping in to see the magic that is happening each day in the classroom. Because of this, students are getting many opportunities to get to know the employers and the employers are scouting out the individuals they want to give a job to at the end of the course. ZCW gives you what other schools don't--3 months to show a future employer that you are worth their investment. That is what is truly magical about Zip Code Wilmington.

My Background:

I am an alumnus of the first Zip Code class. Before Zip Code I was teaching math in various roles including Long Term High School Math Substitute, and working as a waitress during the summer. I have a Bachelors in Psychology. I chose to go through Zip Code over the option of pursuing a second degree in Information Security as I desired a career in technology. I had minimal experience in HTML/CSS, with no experience in JavaScript and Java prior to the pre-coursework. When I learned about Zip Code, I quit my part-time summer job to focus on the pre-coursework. In the last 3 weeks of the bootcamp I was offered a fulltime software developer position with one of the partner companies, and invited to start immediately upon the course's end. I love the continuous challenges that are presented at work. In my free time, when I am not taking care of my dog, I am taking on additional opportunities to be involved at the firm and giving back to Zip Code and the tech community in various ways. Zip Code gave me the lifestyle I have been searching for, and a clear vision of my future with a series of goals I look to achieve in the upcoming years.

Articles that include things I got to be a part of while at ZCW:

http://technical.ly/delaware/2015/10/21/5-zip-code-wilmington-students-building-app-tedxwilmington/
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/11/20/del-techhire-initiative-preparing-21st-century-workforce/76100100/
http://technical.ly/delaware/2015/12/07/zip-code-wilmington-grads-making-bank/
A must read: http://technical.ly/delaware/2015/10/29/zip-code-wilmington-boot-camp-is-no-joke/

A three-month full immersion courses in which I learned Java, JavaScript, as well as 6-month apprenticeship to start fresh with a new career. The instructors and curriculum really pushed us out of our comfort zones and consistently gave us challenging projects while having us follow test driven development, agile methodologies, and supplying us with a steady stream of guest speakers every week within the industry themselves. We actually met a few CTO's from the major financial institutions within the area. Every single graduate from the first cohort (In which I was a member of) received fulltime jobs or 6 month apprenticeships. 
Also the course costs $2000 up front or can be waived based on income. The additional $10000 is payed through from the employer upon student acceptance into an Apprenticeship.

Zip Code Wilmington is a tough, no-holds-barred bootcamp for aspiring Java Developers. We didn't spend ninety days figuring out HTML and CSS—we worked with real, cold, hard Java.

The experience was fantastic and Zip Code fully supports its graduates in finding gainful employment. The entire inaugural class, including myself, was placed in local paid apprenticeships. Zip Code not only provided us with the technical skills we needed to get software jobs, but also the career coaching and interview skills needed to complement employers' interest.

Tariq Hook, Froilan Miranda, and David Ginzberg are not only phenomenal instructors but also well-seasoned, tried and true software engineers. The main focus of the course is Java, but there is a healthy dose of Javascript and several other auxillary technologies that developers use in the workforce. The course is excellent because it teaches students core skills that can be applied to any development environment. Instead of focusing on a particular technology (other than Java), Zip Code's instruction style focuses on principles rather than the deep quirks of a particular stack. We may have learned Git, for example, but we would have no trouble getting up to speed on SVN if that's what the workplace required. Several of us are working in entirely unfamiliar stacks but the underlying principles Mr. Hook, Miranda, and Ginzberg taught us have given us the ability to adapt and thrive.

Melanie Augustin, the Director of Corporate Partnerships at Zip Code, did an absolutely fantastic job at coordinating apprenticeships with the employing partner companies, but also coached us rigorously on our interview skills and made sure our resumes were in tip-top shape before we sent them out to be reviewed by potential employers. This career coaching without a doubt significantly contributed to the success of the first cohort.

Zip Code Wilmington is a great start if you are looking to jump into software development. It has been an entirely worthwhile experience where I not only had a lot of fun and made a lot of cool developer-friends to network with, but I also got a job that is satisfying and rewarding. If you're thinking of taking through the program, apply. It just might change your life.