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Alchemy is closed
This school is now closed. Although Alchemy is no longer accepting students or running its program, you can still see historical information and Alchemy alumni reviews on the school page.
Alchemy offers a full-time, 25-week professional software development course live online. Alchemy is an innovation-driven code school where students learn from industry-experienced instructors. Daily interaction with senior developers means that students graduate proficient in the most in-demand tech stacks at a professional level including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, NodeJS, ExpressJS, Postgres SQL, Jest, and the React ecosystem, while also having the skills and mindset to move comfortably into new technologies. Students graduate with the skills vital to becoming a valuable part of a professional engineering team, including problem-solving, remote collaboration, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal communication.
Alchemy also integrates career development services for all students, and graduates earn an average starting salary of $80,000 and mid-level career placements (not internships or entry-level). The Alchemy team works closely with each student to create their own authentic, effective approach to career development. Career development support is provided to all students and alumni, both in the classroom and in one-on-one coaching, both during and after the program. Alchemy also collaborates with experts and organizations that are powering the tech community in Portland and beyond, providing students insider access to the industry.
Alchemy was formerly known as Alchemy Code Lab
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 ...
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
Description | Percentage |
Full Time, In-Field Employee | 68.9% |
Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | 22.2% |
Short-term contract, part-time position, freelance | N/A |
Employed out-of-field | N/A |
How much does Alchemy cost?
Alchemy costs around $24,000. On the lower end, some Alchemy courses like (free, online-live) DEVELOPER 101 cost $0.
What courses does Alchemy teach?
Alchemy offers courses like (free, online-live) DEVELOPER 101, (online, live) Professional Software Development Program in Full Stack JavaScript with Comprehensive Career Services.
Where does Alchemy have campuses?
Alchemy teaches students Online in a remote classroom.
Is Alchemy worth it?
The data says yes! In 2020, Alchemy reported a 91% graduation rate, a median salary of $80,000, and 96% of Alchemy alumni are employed.
Is Alchemy legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 67 Alchemy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Alchemy and rate their overall experience a 4.93 out of 5.
Does Alchemy offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Alchemy offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.
Can I read Alchemy reviews?
You can read 67 reviews of Alchemy on Course Report! Alchemy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Alchemy and rate their overall experience a 4.93 out of 5.
Is Alchemy accredited?
Licensed as a Private Career School by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Committee (HECC). Open to students in the U.S. only.
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