Alchemy Reviews
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Joe Klause
Fastest and most complete, comprehensive on-ramp to a full time coding job.
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Whichever other school you are considering you can stop. Alchemy has everything you are looking for. An incredibly in-depth program that takes you from knowing nothing (at least in my case) to being hire-able as a full stack software engineer in the MERN stack in less than six months! It's that simple. Super knowledgable and empathetic teaching staff, fantastic career services, and tons of networking opportunities. The best part is probably the group projects. Working with three to five other students to build... well, whatever it is you want to build. After four weeks of studying code, my team built a music interval trainer. After eight weeks, we built a Pokemon battle game. After 14 weeks we built a Maze generator. And our final project was a crypto-currency trader. It was one of the best educational experiences I ever had. So thankful to have done it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. -
Kamran Ali
Software Developer
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I decided to join Alchemy Code Lab because, after 4 years of restaurant work, I was fed up with getting people ranch all day. I had a friend take the course, and convince me to try it out. I am so incredibly happy I did, I didn't know how much my life would change after the fact, being in a new career path I love, the incredible community, and the friends made along the way. This program is fast paced, but it's crazy to see where you went in knowledge from just Monday to Monday, almost by osmosis. Teaching Assistants and staff are always around and helpful. The career services part of the program with, mock interviews, resume reviews, and job assistance, is also top notch! They even bring in past alumni who are all out in the wild and working. All in all, 10/10 experience and would do it all over again! -
Janelle
worth it
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When I decided to go to code school, it became very clear to me that Alchemy's program was special and unlike any of the other programs that were being offered in Portland. I enrolled initially because of the robust career services support, the in-person learning with a small student/teacher ratio, the relevant and up to date curriculum, and the vibrant, open, and inclusive community. Although my cohort went fully remote halfway through the program due to COVID, Alchemy coached us through the program with relative ease given the circumstances. I was glad that I had the first part of the program in person with my cohort to really build those relationships in-person first and was thankful that Alchemy takes their student's health and safety so seriously.
It is a very very hard program and I would only recommend it to folks who know they are serious about this as a career. However, for those that are ready to put in the work and be humbled in the process, this program is hard to beat. Ryan has a gift for explaining very difficult concepts and will really amplify your learning and Shannon is such a champion for Alchemy folks! The community you are welcomed into is incredible and really uplifts and supports each other not only during the program but ongoing. -
Yuval Allweil
Best Coding Bootcamp in Portland
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I attended Alchemy Code Lab and had a phenomenal experience. The teachers are passionate and excellent at explaining difficult concepts, the staff is friendly, and the career services assistance you get is first-rate. Their curriculum is constantly iterated to better teach the material, and they make sure to cover the most in-demand technologies like React in depth.
In the year since I graduated I have helped build a Yelp competitor app for a local startup, coded A/B tests for one of the nation's premier digital marketing agencies, and am now making well over six figures at my current job as a front end developer at a Fortune 20 company.
The support I got from Alchemy's staff was absolutely integral to my success. They helped me get all three of the jobs previously mentioned, and went out of their way to ensure that I would be working jobs I loved -- not just any job. The school is invested in every single student because they understand that a happy and successful coder is the best advertising they can get.
I moved from San Francisco (a place full of top-notch coding bootcamps) to Portland specifically to attend Alchemy Code Lab, and it was the best decision of my life. It is hands-down the most inspiring place I've been: the level of positivity and you-can-do-this attitude is practically palpable.
On top of that, they have a beautiful and sunny campus that is filled with happy plants and delicious snacks, and is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Portland, right across the street from the world-famous Powell's Books.
I have met many graduates from other bootcamps in Portland and can confidently assert that Alchemy's training is by far the best in the city, a fact I also heard repeated in several of my interviews.
If you want to ensure your success as a developer, you should attend Alchemy Code Lab. -
Tyler Corbett
I wish I came here instead of college
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I've attended regular college in the past but Alchemy takes education to a whole new level.
In just 6 months I went from someone who knew next to nothing about software to having in depth conversations with industry veterans.
I was taught by Marty Nelson and Ryan Mehta. Both were some of the best teachers I’ve had in my life.
I had the chance to work in Alchemy's, "App Lab" upon graduation. I worked with real clients on real projects on a daily basis. This made the interviewing process much smoother. I also picked up additional skills that weren't included in the standard curriculum - and got paid to do it.
Not only that but I had help from their career counselor to help me get hired. Shannon doesn't just give you tips on your resume - she gets you interviews.
I remember reading these reviews before considering joining the program just like you're doing. I would highly recommend the program to literally anyone. -
Ian Andrewson
Spectacular Program
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This program is, quite simply, amazing. Having gone into the program with zero knowledge about web and software development, I finished the program feeling extremely competent. The courses are challenging and a lot of work, but all of the effort immensely pays off. While the program has you develop a wide breadth of very in-demand skills, they also teach you how to continue developing as a programmer after the program is finished. The teachers and staff are incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and expert in their respective fields, and continue to support students after they graduate the program. The focus on career building in particular is what made me choose this program over others in the Portland area, and I have to say the career counseling alone makes this program worth it. I landed my first coding job within a month of the end of the program, and I have yet to come across a problem I couldn't find a solution to. You will work very, very hard in this program but it is absolutely 100% worth it. I cannot recommend this program enough. -
Cody Brown
Elevate your life
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I, like most people, was in an unfulfilling dead-end boring monotonous career living paycheck to paycheck. My long time girlfriend and I were talking about getting married and I knew it was time for a career change if I was to support a growing family. I had interests in engineering and software development but didn't want to wait the 3-4 years for a degree, so eventually I settled on going to a code school/bootcamp. Between in-person (prior COVID) to remote, there are a ton to choose from. After months of reading reviews and blogs, talking to industry professionals, attending lectures, and touring different places...there really was no competition. Given the curriculum and resources available Alchemy Code Lab was going to give me best shot I could have for making my dreams a reality. There is no easy way to put it, the course is tough. You will drink from a firehose of knowledge and information. There will be times you want to quit cause you feel you can't do it. Just remember why you're there, reach out to your peers who are struggling just as much as you, and ask for help from the staff (They Will Always Help). Alchemy Code Lab doesn't just teach you how to code (don't worry, they do a great job at that); they teach you how to learn and grow in the tech world, how to research a problem effectively, how to find new technologies to implement, how to bug fix, how to test, how to learn new languages, how to ask the right questions, how to network, how to interview in the tech world (much different than the trades)...they show you how to take anything imaginable, and make it real (week long team sprints are a game changer). I started the program in January and completed it in June. Since graduating I have participated in two major hackathons (Techlandia working with BLE relays and AWS where my team took 3rd place) working with languages and frameworks I never learned in Alchemy, but regardless I was able to pick up things up pretty quick; and I accredit it all to Alchemy. If you're considering going to Alchemy Code Lab, just do it. It's worth it. -
Danny Suarez
The most rewarding experience I've ever had
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I attended a local community college a few years prior to attending Alchemy Code Lab. The curriculum at the community college was behind what was being used out in the 'real world' and it was a pretty boring experience. Once I heard about Alchemy I did my research and met with the staff, after meeting Megan and Shannon I went home and immediately filled out my application.
The program has great instructional staff with years of industry experience who are able to explain difficult concepts in an a way that will make sense to anyone just starting out. Shannon, the career services director, is a huge asset to this school and is always hustling to ensure students feel ready to land their first engineering roles. She is available for students during the program and will continue to work with you after completing the program.
Alchemy Code Lab is truly a full stack bootcamp that will prepare you for your first developer role. You will learn some of the latest tech being used in the industry, make great connections, and have some amazing portfolio pieces to show off. -
Jenna Goldman
Enrolling in Alchemy was the best decision I've ever made
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I have dreamed of becoming a software engineer for a long time. Over the years, I've tried numerous ways of making that happen - video tutorials, self-paced online courses, part-time in-person classes, etc. Ultimately, I decided what I needed in order to be successful was a full-time program that could provide both structure and accountability. While researching programs based in Portland, it was pretty obvious that Alchemy was the superior option, but the cost was initially hard for me to accept. Alchemy's message of turning out higher-quality developers that are able to earn a higher starting salary than graduates from other schools helped me to get over that initial shock, helped along further by their supporting documentation. This was enough to get me to schedule an in-person meeting with the admissions director, Megan. I was immediately impressed when walking into the school by the lively and collaborative environment, and Megan is easily one of the kindest individuals I've ever met. I decided to take a leap of faith, and applied right after my meeting.
My time in the program was challenging, fun, and pushed me to grow every single day. The curriculum is centered around popular JavaScript-based frameworks that are used by a lot of companies, so you're very likely to find job roles that use at least some of the same. Alchemy's instructors and teaching assistants were engaging, friendly, and willing to help whenever I needed it. The remote/virtual format that we moved to in March due to COVID-19 actually benefitted us in being able to use our time more efficiently, and get support faster. I really appreciated that when I sought help, I wasn't always just handed an answer, but rather helped along in the direction of a solution that I could arrive at on my own. Labs, readings, and code challenges helped me to get familiar with high level concepts, continue to practice writing code every day, and build onto my growing knowledge base. The week-long team projects completed at the end of each section of the curriculum were invaluable in teaching us how to work as part of a team, plan out a project, communicate and collaborate, research and experiment with new libraries/frameworks, and actually talk about technology to an audience. There is also a career services aspect to the overall curriculum that was crucial to helping me learn and get comfortable with talking about myself as a developer, building a network, and preparing for interviews post-program.
Six weeks after graduating, I am now employed full-time as a full-stack software engineer, working with a lot of the same frameworks we were taught in the Alchemy curriculum, and also using some of the same libraries that my teams chose to use during some of the larger projects we had to complete. I owe the opportunity to interview for my role to Alchemy's career services director who is an incredible asset to the program, but also recognize that I made it through the interviews because of what I personally learned during my time as an Alchemy student. On my very first days on the job, I was able to meet with career developers, understand what they were working on, and participate in real dialogues about how things worked, what could be changed, and what still needed to be done. Alchemy has more than prepared me to be successful out in the real world, and I will be forever grateful to the community for helping me make my dreams come true. -
Joseph Tatum
Best Decision of My Adult Life
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The program at Alchemy is fantastic. It's intense and fast-paced but super worth the effort. Folks come into the program from all walks and life (some with coding experiences and others with none) and within about 5 days the playing field completely levels out. The instructors are amazing and helpful and kind and treat all the students with respect. I can't say enough good things about them. Alchemy is set apart from other programs since there's a career services department that was quintessential in me landing a role a few months after graduating (in a pandemic no less). Other programs are cheaper and shorter, but I think Alchemy really gives students a better and deeper understanding of the foundational elements of javascript compared to folks I've met coming out of programs. You'll work hard, but the reward is worth it! -
Joel
Wonderful Experience
A very comprehensive curriculum that not only teaches you how to code/problem solve, but how to do so on a team, and how to communicate code as well. There is a real feeling of camaraderie among the classes, and the instructors are incredibly supportive, even after you've graduated! -
Jodi 'JBJ' Kansagor
An incredible experience
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I am so grateful for my time at Alchemy Code Lab. Make no mistake, this program is hard. It will push you in ways that you are not expecting. You will have to work very hard. But, in the end, you will come out having learned more than you ever though you could in 6 months. You will not only learn the course material, but you will learn how to learn code, making you an incredible asset to any team. I got hired on to a team as a Software Engineer within a month of graduating from the program.
I can't say enough amazing things about the staff at ACL. The instructors are so dang smart and the TA's are incredible helpful. I never felt like I was doing this by myself, I always felt like I had the entire staff on my team. -
Paige Gorry
A supportive community unlike any other!
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TL/DR; I had no experience in code, came in, and after six months of hard work, four months of job searching, I have more than doubled the salary I had at my last job. The community, connections, and support you get at Alchemy are unparalleled. If you can, GO HERE!
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Before Alchemy, I worked in the nonprofit world as a community engagement coordinator doing everything from volunteer management, event planning, and social media management. I took one class in college doing basic HTML/CSS - so no experience jumping in.
Overall Experience
Alchemy Code Lab is unlike any other community I have been apart of. And that's what it is - a community. The support, authenticity, and comraderie of the students, instructors, and TAs alike is unique and incredible.
When I first came into the program (as a huge introvert) everyone was welcoming and kind. Folx from the cohort above me took the time to mentor and chat with the new bootcampers and offer advice. When someone gets a job, everyone celebrates, even if there were people competing for the same position.
It's hard to put into words, but the genuine support of everyone is overwhelming.
Curriculum
Coming from a background not in tech and only with basic HTML/CSS skills, I was still able to succeed. The prep work that they provide for you is essential for your success. Do. The. Prep. Work. Bootcamp is a whirlwind and the pace is fast - it's a bootcamp. BUT you have amazing resources to keep you going.
Bootcamp I and II are all JS fundamentals and a taste of Firebase. Career Track is Express, Node, MongoDB, React/Redux. It definitely ramps up once you start career track, but again - it's a bootcamp. Still, all of the staff are a great resource for you in case you are struggling and might need a little extra help. Still, if you keep with it and love to code, you will be successful!
Willingness to collaborate is essential to your success. At the end of Bootcamp I and II and twice in Career Track, you have about a week and a small group to code an app of your choosing. I highly recommend stopping by to a final project presentation to see what you could do by the end of the program - it is truly impressive.
Instructors
The instructors and TAs are amazing. There is a willingness to adapt, to see what works and what doesn't, to hear feedback and respond. Marty and Ryan have real world experience that can give you insight into the why behind the code. You can tell they are passionate about code and about teaching. They really put the time in to make sure everyone can be successful at Alchemy. STILL they are approachable! From Ryan and Marty's dad jokes to quirky puns and overall humor, it is not all serious. We do have fun, too!
TAs are the best! Normally they are recent grads with a lot of passion for code and positivity to help you get through those rough days. They always take the time to provide feedback on your code and tips on how to keep getting better.
Job Assistance
SHANNON! Shannon (the career services director) is incredible and goes out of her way to make connections happen! During Career Track there is a week long career focused program that Shannon sets up, bringing in speakers to give tips on interviewing, salary negotiations, onboarding, body language, elevator pitches, and more. You have the opportunity to do mock interviews with some senior devs and engineers in Portland and gain a ton of great feedback.
Whiteboarding was always something that I dreaded as a srtudent, but throughout Career Track you get hands on practice going up to the whiteboard and practicing in groups and solo.
TA or App Lab - There are employment opportunities for grads once you graduate - come back as a Teaching Assistant for the program or join App Lab and get hands on experience coding for an actual business.Connections - The connections you get from the ALCHEMY community are unparalleled. I got a few interviews and eventually my job from my connections with Alchemy alums.
Alchemy Code Lab hosts some meetups at their location (PDX Node, DonutJS, Women Who Code, Kotlin, Python, etc.) so there is ample opportunity to meet folx from the tech community and make connections. I recommend coming on the last Friday of the month for a social hour where former grads, current students, staff, and other connections come to mingle.But the money...
I know, but hear me out. Coming from a nonprofit salary, I hear you. I received scholarships both through Alchemy and Women Who Code. Others in my cohort used loans and scholarships to afford it. It is possible! Reach out and see what your options are before you say no.
For a $20k investment, I more than doubled the salary I was making at my last job AND I built confidence and a community for life.
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David
Launched my new career
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I attended Alchemy from September 2016 to January 2017. It was a very different school than it is today and I'm very impressed by the changes they've made.
I'll start with the things they did well. My cohort was fantastic! The people I met in that class are still friends of mine and they really helped me get through the course. I think this is due to the culture of pair programming and collaboration that Alchemy teaches. And it's very applicable to real world software development as well. The instructors were top notch and taught me the foundational skills I use every day on the job.
When I attended the curriculum was a bit dated. We learned jQuery and Angular 1.x. I'm very happy to learn that they've replaced both frameworks with more modern vue and react. This is an important change as the industry moves towards these more popular frameworks. I also didn't have a lot of assistance in the job search, but that's also something that has vastly improved since my time at Alchemy. This is super important because Alchemy is very in touch with what skills are currently desired and they're willing to change their curriculum to support their students.
Overall it was a fantasic experience and it started me on a career that I love. I enjoy going to work every day which is not something I've experienced before.
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Kristin H
Fabulous learning-filled experience!
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I became a developer because I didn’t want to teach anymore. I chose Alchemy because it seemed like an incredibly comprehensive program when compared to the other options in PDX. I was sold when I went to visit it in person. left that in-person visit under the impression that this program and those who ran it actually cared about their students and their well-being far beyond just the dollar signs I’m sure other places would’ve see on our heads. They’re also the sister company of Code Fellows up in Seattle, so I figured their great reputation had to have some merit to it hah.The school definitely prepared me to enter a job as a software engineer. The topics covered in the short 6 months turned out to be quite spot on in terms of what would be useful or relevant once joining the workforce. Also, the instructors are incredible. Ryan, who teaches the 3 month Career Track portion, is a GENIUS, but also happens to be the best teacher I’ve ever had in life, in any context. He has this incredible ability to explain any programming topic, no matter how complex or difficult it is, in a manageable way that actually leads you to a solid understanding. Of course you can’t learn everything in that short amount of time, but Alchemy gave me a SOLID foundation that I’ve been able to build off of as I continue to learn in my job.
Side note, I got a legit job as a fullstack JS dev in an awesome Portland company within two weeks of graduating. Cheers ya’ll. I definitely would recommend Alchemy Code Lab above all the other Portland options.
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Karen P.
A rigorous and rewarding program
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I worked as a software developer for many years in an old, proprietary IBM system. My job allowed me to work from home, and my kids were a primary focus during those years, so I was content to stay with the job even though my tech skills were growing stale. Eventually, my family reached the point where I felt I could focus more on my career, and I began to look for ways to make a change.
I researched several programs to update my skills, including on-line code schools, PSU's New Beginnings program, and in-person schools. Eventually, I decided I wanted an in-person, all-day program (to help me brush up on those interpersonal skills that might have gotten a little rusty after all those years working from home) with a fast-paced, in-depth, rigorous curriculum (I wasn't a beginner) that would give me immediately marketable and current skills. Alchemy seemed to meet all those criteria, and had (bonus!) a friendly, inclusive, and welcoming atmosphere. Alchemy lived up to my expectations in all areas. Despite my background in software, I was never bored or under-challenged. The frequent paired and group projects were an excellent way to re-learn how to code with other people, and I found my skills to be reasonably in demand once I graduated. After about two months of job hunting, I got two offers, both for jobs I was excited to take at a salary higher than I had anticipated.
PROS:
Alchemy instructors are experienced software developers, not recent code-school grads. My instructors were Marty (a co-owner) and Ryan (lead instructor), and both of them are extremely smart and knowledgeable developers. I never got the feeling that they were teaching out of their depth. Their fluency with and mastery of what they were teaching was always apparent.
The TAs (recent grads) are an excellent addition to the program. They provide lots of help, feedback, and encouragement. And being a TA can be a very rewarding experience. It's a great way to build your competence and confidence with the material as you look for a job.
Alchemy is a pleasant place to spend a lot of time. It's clean, bright, organized, has lots of plants and even a couple of resident dogs. Megan (co-owner) works hard to make sure the physical space supports and accommodates all the action that takes place there.
Alchemy solicits student feedback every week (and sometimes every day!), and they take suggestions and criticism very seriously. They are very flexible and never afraid to experiment with new ways of doing things.
Shannon, the career counselor, is the perfect person for the role. She works hard to connect with Portland employers and be an evangelist for what Alchemy grads can provide. She brings in knowledgeable speakers to share their expertise about the job-hunting and on-boarding processes. And she provides great support to individual students before and after they graduate, not only helping with writing resumes and cover letters, but also encouraging the under-confident, prodding the procrastinator, and soothing the anxious.
CONS:
It's a lot of work. Don't come here until you have the freedom to devote yourself entirely to learning. Especially toward the end, there were weekends where I had extra time only to get a little exercise and have meals with my family. All other time was devoted to software projects!
The open-source software world moves fast, and to keep up, the curriculum at Alchemy is constantly being updated and modified. Every cohort will feel that they are guinea pigs in at least one area. The alternative would be a canned, stagnant curriculum -- easier, yes, but less valuable.
SUMMARY:
Alchemy is the full package. I have no doubt I made the right choice.
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Joe Churchman
Rigorous but thorough
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This program is intense, but worth the investment! I have a BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing and 10 years in the construction industry. My experience with coding was virtually nil before I enrolled at Alchemy Code Lab. From my initial experience in their Bootcamp Prep course all the way through their Career Track: Full Stack JavaScript, the staff and instructors projected their experience in the field and were adept at conveying the curriculum to the students. Where extra support with concepts was asked for, it was given -- though there was a lot of emphasis on working with peers to find a solution based on the material that led up to the problem. This was an emphasis that carried through my whole experience no matter the instructor I had. Having been in development for over a year and a half now, I understand the value in drilling exploration and discovery into the students.
The program is full time and intense, it seems to go at breakneck speed and asks a lot of the students. It is hard work to keep up, but the result is amazing! I find myself able to talk conceptually about code and implementation options with senior developers at work on a surprisingly complex level. Based on comments and feedback from peers and superiors, I can only attribute this to the rigorous program at Alchemy Code Lab.Other than resume help, networking suggestions, introductions to members of the local development community, and continuing education resources, there wasn't much in the way of Job Assistance when I graduated. I have kept in touch with the folks at the school, though, and they have a wonderful drive to continually improve on what they already offer. That being said, they have been making inroads at many local tech companies and host a large number of community events at their space.
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Ryan
Best Bootcamp in PDX
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After extensive research and meeting other bootcamp grads from Epicodus and the like, I really wanted to go somewhere a little more robust ( I wanted to feel truly comfortable with React, Node, Vanilla Javascript and the various database environments like SQL, MongoDB and Firebase ). Alchemy was a bit longer in duration from start to finish than the other options, but the course work was so much more involved and thorough.
I can't stress enough how glad I am that I chose to go with Alchemy Code Lab. There are graduates of other bootcamps who found that they were un-prepared to head into the job market, and they are coming here afterwards to get better equipped and understand the concepts on a more fundamental level. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, and every month or so we would be thrown into a Project Week which would result in a Full Stack App of our own creation that would be useable after the program in our personal portfolios and resumes.
They have a great Career Services department that truly helps you in securing that job after graduation as well as opportunities to TA or work in their App Lab making real-world production Apps for clients who come to Alchemy to bring their ideas to market. I really do feel like this is the most advanced and competent bootcamp you will find in Portland, let alone anywhere.
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Grace
Intense Immersive Experience
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Myself: I came from an entirely different background from tech and did the 301 and 401 tracks. I had some knowledge from self study for a few months prior to starting, which was why I jumped in at 301.
The school is fast paced but receptive to feedback from weekly surveys. Many times adjustments to the curriculum were made due to feedback.
301: Lecture was around 3 hours long, and lab time was variable depending on how long it takes you to finish it. You are given the time after lecture into the evening to finish it. You also have readings every night and codewars assignments every week or so. There are TAs available during lab time until 6pm, who are very approachable and willing to help. The instructor often stuck around in the evenings to help with questions as well. Overall difficult but not insane. Readings may take 10-20 minutes every night. Labs 2-4 hours. The instructor (Sara Joy) was fantastic. She would stop for questions during her lecture, and provide answers in different formats for better understanding. She was always positive and upbeat, never showed frustration with students. The final week of the class was spent on a team project meant to show a culmination of our understanding. All labs were pair programming.
401 (Devsign): Lecture was around 3-4 hours long. Every Friday was spent whiteboarding with data structures and algorithms. This class had two parts. The first 5 weeks were with Anwar Montasir and we went over design concepts / css / vanilla JS / design tech. I was part of the first devsign course at ACL. Since we were guinea pigs, there was lots of room for improvement and feedback, but the instructor was extremely receptive to feedback and addressed it every week with changes. I have no doubt the second time Devsign is put on that there will be significant improvements and I highly recommend it. Anwar is a strong resource of knowledge and attention to detail when it comes to design and accessibility on the web. He also had a strong understanding of the pace of bootcamps as he went through the full-stack program at ACL himself prior to becoming an instructor. The readings would take around an hour every evening, and the labs took 2-4 hours during the week, and 10-15 hours over the weekend. The pace was very intense and allowed little room for other kinds of activities. There was little pair programming labs except for the midterm project.
The second 5 weeks were with Marty (the business owner) and went over react / redux. Marty is a fast-paced instructor full of knowledge. If you have questions you need to ask them because he will not stop in lecture to check in on the audience. Marty was also extremely responsive to feedback. This section of the career track was the most intense and difficult. Readings are a minimum of 1 hour every evening, and labs take 3-5 hours during the week, and 12-15 hours on the weekend. Sometimes people were paired together to do week-long labs that built on each prior day. The final project was done in a group with 5 days to prepare and then present in front of representatives from companies.
There was one week in between the two halves of Devsign for career services which included resume / linkedIn / github workshops. This part of the course could be improved upon. The school does not have internship relationships with businesses, but does have an in-house internship program called App Lab that takes top career track graduates and has them work with real-world clients with app ideas.
I highly recommend this school if you take the program seriously. It is intense and does not allow room for much else at the same time.
The things I appreciated most:
- receptive to feedback
- willing to work with and help students improve who are struggling
- availability to answer questions, even over the weekend
- TAs that are always willing to help
- relevant new technologies (react / redux / firebase)
- beautiful space and friendly / studious environment
- in-house scholarships for diversity
- career track that is a step beyond what any other bootcamp offers at this time in Portland
- you can use the space all days / all times -
Kate
Best in Show
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In 2017 I decided that I wanted a complete career change and I was looking to the tech field for that. I had a biotech background but no real web tech knowledge. I needed to go back to school and I wanted to take the short but intense route. I began looking into different bootcamps in/near Portland. I knew that I wasn't going to do well with a school that just offered online teachings. I'm a hands-on learner and I wanted personal interaction. This, alone, narrowed the candidates for me. Then I needed to consider the curriculum. Well, I wanted to learn a language and learn it well, as opposed to learning a little bit about several languages. From everything that I'd heard about coding, it mattered more to "master" a language than to simply "familiarize" oneself with many languages. This is because the basic bones of most languages are similar and the knowledge is highly transferrable. This made a lot of sense and, again, narrowed my options. When I looked into Alchemy Code Lab, it was associated with a tried-and-true code academy from Seattle. One with great reviews. Alchemy Code Lab seemed to pump out very successful graduates who often entered their first job at a level higher than a junior dev. How was this possible? Come to find out, their curriculum offers more depth and material than other bootcamps and the material is also always current or ahead of the trends. Lastly, the actual physical environment of the academy is quite inviting - friendly people, natural light, modern, spacious, and a plethora of drinks and snacks rewarding all the deep thought that happens there. It also impressed me that so many alum liked to revisit their old 'digs'. I immediately enrolled in the program (literally). I quickly became part of a family of like AND different minded people. I was fortunate to have 2 amazing teachers throughout my studies. Both are not only extremely knowledgable about the tech world/scene, constantly keeping abreast of the topics themselves, but they are also both quite accessible to help guide, teach, and answer questions outside of lectures. This was what I needed. I won't lie, this bootcamp is not for the weak or lazy. It's tough, grueling even. But the proof is in the pudding and what you come out knowing will blow your mind. If that wasn't enough, the school also takes seriously their commitment to helping you find a job. They have an in-house career-services sector. They also bring in outside coaches to offer guidance on salary negotiation, resume writing, job searches, etc. And recently, they introduced a mentor-program for their graduates. This program allows graduates to work on real client apps and get paid while doing it. I'm incredibly impressed and grateful to have found ACL.
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Claire Follett
Best Bootcamp in PDX
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I graduated from Alchemy Code Lab in March of 2017. I can say with great confidence that going through the program at Alchemy was one of the best life decisions I have ever made. Marty and Megan strive every day to make it the top bootcamp in Portland with continuous encouragement and support. They always stay on top of the trending frameworks/texhnologies and it is seen through out the whole entire curriculum. If you are considering a code school in the Portland Metro-Area and are on the fence about which one to choose, I highly suggest you check out Alchemy Code Lab.
I graduated when I was only 20 years old with no experience in the software industry and I am now a web developer full time at an awesome company. And I would not be here without Alchemy.
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Stephanie F.
Intense, life-changing, and worth it
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I went through the entire Full-Stack JavaScript certificate program at Alchemy Code Lab (formerly Code Fellows PDX)—meaning bootcamp prep, bootcamp parts 1 and 2, and the advanced career track (these had different names when I went through, but the curriculum is the same. I’m using the new names for clarity going forward). Students in my cohort came into this program from all walks of life. Some already had CS degrees or had worked in the past as software engineers but then had a resume gap and wanted to get up to speed on newer technologies. Others had absolutely no exposure to technology development or didn’t have any school after High School and were committed to a career change. I was always interested in math and loved science, but for some reason computer science always seemed mysterious and off-limits to me. I only took a couple of courses in programming basics when I got my bachelors degree, but I didn’t really consider learning to program until I had to for my last job. Then I fell in love with it and started considering changing my career. I checked out all of the bootcamps and coding programs in Portland and settled on Alchemy Code Lab for several reasons:- There was a higher ratio of women and other minority groups in tech representation. It meant a lot to me to be learning in a more diverse environment. I believe this is due to the diversity scholarship program and other initiatives they pursue toward bringing in those less represented in tech.
- I was looking for a full-time, intense experience that I could complete in 5-6 months.
- Related to the above: I wanted to go deep on one language so that I could understand the ins and outs of it before moving on to another language. Because of that, I went with the full-stack JavaScript certificate program.
- The environment was welcoming and professional. In class and during labs, I felt that my background, interests, and contributions were respected and appreciated. The owners of the school work hard to create an environment that works for the students as they go through the bootcamp process.
- Students complete four large group projects if they do the whole program. This was important to me since I had spoken with several industry professionals who told me that when they consider less experienced hires they pay attention to evidence that they can work well in teams. This program let me have ample experience coding individually, pair programming, and working in teams of 3-4 to build working apps from start to finish.
- Size of the classes. My cohort generally had 12 students (it varied somewhat between the courses), and it didn’t take long for us to become very close. In addition to the instructor, we had a TA that had been through the program.
- I took the full-time version of the bootcamps, but I know plenty of students who took the night classes and loved having that option. They are also quite grueling, since the course length doubles and you give up one full weekend day for class/study for the length of those courses. It is an important option for those who can’t afford to quit their day job right away and dive into a career change. The advanced career track is always full-time, as far as I know.
- The instructors collect feedback from students every week, with an anonymous section of the survey for comments you don’t want associated with you. Most of the time I didn’t have too much to say, but the couple of times I did, it was addressed right away. They are quite responsive to the feedback they get—the direction of the week can change on a dime (within reason) to include a general course interest or address a lack based on those comments.
- They have a floating advisor/experienced pair-programmer who is there at certain times to help you on labs and projects. This was immeasurably useful, not just for the advice from a senior engineer, but also so that I could learn different ways of doing things from what the instructor might show.
- The career services involved set times to work on resumes and cover letters, have presentations from industry leaders and recruiters on breaking into the Portland Tech job market, networking, and all things job hunt-related. There is no internship associated with this program, but on the other hand, most of the graduates I spoke with (who went all the way through the advanced career track) landed a job that was above internship or junior-developer level. Interviewing, white boarding, and algorithms practice is also part of the advanced career track curriculum, which I felt was pretty important practice. There is also a new consultancy practice that they are starting with some of the alumni, which is kind of like an in-house internship on lower price tag projects, as far as I know.
- Since I had some experience with HTML and CSS (and C#, but I didn’t think that would apply) beforehand, I considered skipping the first bootcamp level and testing into the second bootcamp. I didn’t end up doing that and instead took the full set of courses from start to finish. There were a couple students in my cohort who did that at either the second bootcamp or the career track level. Though there were some things we had learned by then that those students weren’t really familiar with, they caught on fairly quickly. In any case, I was glad I had gone through the whole program.
- The school is really involved in the Portland tech scene—they host regular events like DonutJS and the Women Who Code Algorithms study night, and then other sporadic events. It makes it easy to stay a little later at the school and then attend an event and practice networking.
- When I went through the program, Full-Stack JavaScript was the only advanced career track, but I know they are adding two more in 2018—Devsigner and Python. There are also professional development courses, which I think are two or three week night classes.
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Chris Wallace
Best Code School in Portland
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My experience with alchemy code lab was nothing short of awesome. Their curriculum is intense and if your a new comer to coding definitely learn some basics before going because they do move fast. The instructors are very experienced and know any question you can throw at them. I got a job shortly after graduating and have nothing but thanks to them for preparing me to succeed. —Chris
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Anonymous
The short version: 11/10 would recommend Alchemy Code Lab *
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The longer version:
- The cost of this program is... a lot. It's a huge decision to take on this kind of debt, especially when you are trying to make a career change from a job that doesn't pay well. The cool thing about Alchemy is that there are different options for paying the tuition, including an Income Share Agreement. If it weren't for the ISA option, this would not have been possible for me.
- The program is a 6 month, FULL TIME commitment. This means 40 hours/week for 24 weeks of in-class lecture time, work time, team project building, AND additional time after class and over the weekend to complete assignments and fully understand difficult concepts. Something that drew me to Alchemy over other programs was the course duration. I could commit to 6 months and felt like it would be enough time to really learn something. By the end of the program, I couldn't imagine being prepared to break into tech if it were any less. Alchemy teaches you everything you need to know to be able to learn the rest of everything you need to know afterwards.
- Finding a job after the program takes work. Part of the curriculum will be career development. This covers everything from resume/cover letter writing, to interview prep, to NETWORKING. As an introvert, this is the part of the program that I really wasn't looking forward to, but was also 100% essential to landing a job and developing my skills as a collaborator. Another thing that lead me to choosing Alchemy was the transparency in the data that was available for program completion, length of job search, average salary post-grad, etc. It's difficult to find companies that are open to hiring people early in career and from non-traditional educational backgrounds, but they are out there and many of them are particularly open to hiring Alchemy grads. Expect the job search to take 3-6 months (less or more for some). After the program, you will still have the support from Alchemy career dev and your Alchemy network, but it is ultimately up to you to put the work in to land the job.
- Be prepared. Alchemy offers a free, week-long Dev 101 intro course. The intro course is optional before enrolling in the program, but just do it. There is also assigned, required pre-work before the start of your cohort. The pre-work will give you an intro into some of the basic stuff you really need to know, and if you spend a lot of time getting familiar with the fundamental concepts and diving in a little bit deeper with the pre-work courses, you are going to struggle a lot less throughout the program. I would also recommend doing your own self-guided learning before even deciding to enroll at Alchemy, or any program. There are endless resources online for learning software/web development... if you take the time to build a foundation with some basic languages and concepts (HTML/CSS, intro to JS), you'll really set yourself up to do well at Alchemy.
My background/experience:
When choosing Alchemy, I really wanted to know this kind of stuff about the people who had success in the program...
- 10+ years in the service industry (barista, bar-back, receptionist).
- My prior tech experience was limited to MySpace coding and some self-guided learning (freeCodeCamp, Grasshopper, Mimo, Google).
- I enrolled in Alchemy for the Nov '21 - June '22 cohort, including Dev 101 and pre-work.
- I chose to cover my tuition via the Income Share Agreement.
- I received a job offer as a Junior Developer ~5 months after completion of the program and my start date was Nov '22.
- My income post-grad has increased by > 130%
* If you take the time to do your own research and preparation, understand the full commitment that this is, and have the resources and support to get through the program and job search... Alchemy Code Lab is 11/10 the program I would recommend. -
Anonymous
Don't look any further, THIS IS THE ONE!
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Having just graduated Alchemy all I have to say is, WOW! This was such a great learning experience. The classrooms are much smaller than most boot camps (around 15-20 students) so you get much more time with instructors and TAs. I came into this program with 0 coding experience, I was previously a nurse, and I learned so much in 6-months here! There is a lot of help if you need it with the teachers and TAs and I never felt like I was drowning. With that said they don't spoon-feed you either. You will leave this program a very competent coder. The career-service side of the program is phenomenal! With the guidance of career services, I got my resume looking clean, learned to write an effective cover letter, learned how to interview confidently, and much more. I actually got a job as a full-stack software developer at a start-up 1-week before the program even finished. I would go through this program a second time if I could 😅. -
Anonymous
Demanding, but rewarding experience.
Alchemy Code Lab was a unique expierence. Like any bootcamp it requires a lot of dedication, late hours, and persistance. The courseload is heavy and you will need to be accountable otherwise you will struggle. This bootcamp is not for everyone. If you are truly interested in taking a deep dive into full stack web development this is the bootcamp for you.
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Anonymous
THE BEST PDX CODE SCHOOL!!
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I attended Alchemy Code Lab and completed the 401 Advanced JS course. It was the best decision I could have made for my career. I was offered a job in tech within one month of graduation....and my salary is higher than it's ever been! I know that finding jobs like the one I have now is what leads most people to coding bootcamps. And while I am very grateful to ACL for positioning me to land such a job, the new career is not the most valuable reward that I received from ACL.
By far, the greatest benefits of choosing ACL over other bootcamps in PDX are the top notch education and unwavering support that students receive. This is a code school that values community and goes to great lengths to support students. And the support does not stop at graduation. Just last week I received an email from a career specialist at ACL who wanted to share some new job opportunities with me. Alchemy Code Labs goes above and beyond to help students meet their career goals.
Additionally, the education that you will receive at Alchemy Code Lab is unparalleled in PDX. I recently attended a meet up where four of us in a group were all recent bootcamp grads (one from Epicodus, one from PDX Code Guild, and one from the Tech Academy). We all swapped bootcamp stories. The other boot campers were pretty envious when I started explaining what it was like to be a student at Alchemy Code Lab. They were envious because of the community support and the school's commitment to equity and diversity in tech. They were also struck by the deep knowledge and thorough skillset that ACL students possess. ACL provides a solid foundation of basic CS principles and plenty of white-boarding practice....I learned that these are lessons you will not receive at other bootcamps. These are skills that set ACL grads apart from other bootcamp grads. It may require a little more up front investment, but I can tell you, first hand, if you're serious about a career in tech, investing in training at ACL is well worth it.
In fact, one of the boot campers from the meet up remarked, "I discounted ACL because of the price tag. I wish I had understood that what ACL was offering was a higher level experience than my bootcamp. I'd probably have a job right now."
If you're on the fence about code schools in PDX, yes, ACL is more expensive....but if you're looking to be career ready and grab the higher paying jobs after graduation, ACL has every other school in town beat.
NOTE: Coding bootcamps are super intense no matter which one you choose. Buckle up. It's worth the ride!