App Academy

I chose App Academy because it was one of the few bootcamps that still offered an in-person experience. I attended App Academy’s 16-week in person software engineering program in San Francisco. Being able to have your instructors there with you and pair program with your peers in-person was invaluable. If being in-person is something you can commit to, I highly recommend it! 
The coursework is rigorous (about 8 hrs of lectures/programming during the day and a few more hours of readings/homework at night) and the job search after is even more rigorous. But they do provide you with all the tools you need to succeed with experienced instructors, opportunities to build projects to showcase your skills, and career workshops and partnership jobs after. The in-person curriculum may be lacking Python, but App Academy prepares you to learn and implement new languages and frameworks on your own. 
I was previously a marketing manager with little coding experience. The job market was slow at the time I graduated App Academy and it took me 6 months to receive 2 software engineering offers. The program is tough, but definitely rewarding if you are dedicated to shifting your career into engineering. 

I recently completed App Academy's bootcamp and I can say without hesitation that it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The curriculum was challenging but comprehensive, and the instructors were top-notch. They provided great support and guidance throughout the program, and their industry experience really shone through in their instruction.What really sets App Academy apart, however, is their job search support. They provide excellent resources and personalized guidance to help you land a job after graduation. Thanks to their help, I was able to secure a great position shortly after completing the program.

Be prepared to spend many hours because App Academy is a very rigorous course because if you don't, you will struggle a lot.

You expected to read/learn material ahead of the next day, so that you are able to do the projects. They also have assessments that test your skills, be ready for those tests.

Once all of the assessments all done, you get to make your own websites using what you have learn over the course. The course does a good job teaching you how to apply these skills on your own project, so the course does pay off once you reach to this part of the course.

Although App Academy is a pretty great course, I feel like some parts of course should be expanded upon as I felt like they were just barely a footnote.

And once you finish your sites, they will provide you a lot of support to get your next job. In fact, I was able to land my job thanks to their support. If you don't get a job within a year, they will refund your money back.

Overall, as you long as you are willing to commit your time to start a career on software engineering, I would recommend you join App Academy.

I did the online bootcamp during the pandemic, while abroad. App Academy is legit. It is rigorous, and you must know your stuff to move on to the next week, every week. Everyone who makes it through is well prepared for a modern software engineering role with the latest frameworks etc. The curriculum is up-to-date, so that is an advantage for bootcamp grads.
But I was most impressed with the support after graduation.  They keep students on track and guide you in the job search process with workshops, projects, strategies, and partnerships. Post-grad is just as rigorous as the bootcamp itself.  They are motivated to support you post-graduation, unlike any other academic institution I've been involved with.I got a software engineering job within 3 months of graduating.

App Academy gives as much as you put into it. And if you complete the 6 month boot camp and fully commit yourself to learning, you will come out with the skills to be an engineer. It’s not always easy, and it takes a lot of effort both for the material and the job search. But it worked for me and everyone in my cohort. Would recommend to anyone who is serious about making a career switch, or supplementing their skills!

The most important thing I’ll say after participating in App Academy’s 6-month online intensive boot camp is that I should have done it sooner! I’m not going to lie…it was a lot of really, really hard work. Probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But, what’s great about a/A besides the up-to-date curriculum and technical resources at your disposal is the support system that is in place to help you succeed. It’s a win win, and their career coaches are truly top notch. Based on where I am now, I'd say App Academy Open is definitely a real success for me. It's by far the best resource out there for learning to code, and it's entirely free. If you want to land a tech career without breaking the bank, App Academy Open might just be for you 

I did the 16 week program. It was truly one of the most intense courses I've ever taken, you've been warned. They guide you with lessons to help you develop the skills necessary to become an excellent engineer. You get to do 3 portfolio projects with light guidance, and after graduating, they have career search support which I attribute to the success of me quickly finding a job. And it doesn't stop there, there's continued support for alumni with mid to senior level job searching too. The tuition payment plans are very flexible too.

A little about me, my previous career I was a Registered Nurse, but wish I had always gone into software and eventually landed on coding bootcamps as my attempt to become a software developer. I found it incredibly difficult to decide on which bootcamp to attend given the rising number of bootcamps out there and the high risk of many being non-legitimate. Eventually I found a few that seemed to be solid bootcamps and ultimately chose to go with App Academy based out of San Francisco/New York. If you are in the same position as I was, then you probably have researched many reviews as well and come to find that it really goes 50-50 on whether to do a coding bootcamp or not to do one. So many people say its worthless and a waste of money and how you can learn it all on your own or to pursue a computer science degree instead. Me personally? learning on my own was not going to work. Having the structure and discipline a bootcamp provides was exceedingly beneficial, especially in how they slowly advance you in learning topics. When learning on your own you get very lost in where to start and what frameworks to pick up, you end up in a constant limbo of learning small things here and there but never really gaining true knowledge of how things work. 

I recently completed the 6-month online software engineer track with App Academy in April of 2022. Before I started this program I spent about a month with on and off learning through websites such as Free Code Camp, Codecademy, and youtube videos. Essentially, I came in with next to know knowledge of coding. Most bootcamps are designed for people with very little coding knowledge, and build them up to speed as fast as possible. As most reviews say, attending a coding bootcamp can be very difficult and will take up most of your time. I can attest to this, It will definitely take up almost all of your time for the time you are enrolled, but I promise you it is not as hard as they say it is, it is very doable. For the 6-month online program, it was mon-fri 8am-5pm and had tests on every monday in which you need to pass to advance to the next week. You can only fail the tests or the projects (there were 4 projects total) combined of 3 times. But don't let that scare you, so many people have done this and have been successful, and App Academy does a really good job of preparing you with practice tests and office hours. They have various payment methods, which usually comes out to be around 20-22k depending on how you choose to pay. They are on the higher end of the spectrum of bootcamp affordability, but in my personal opinion, well worth it.

With that said I had a great experience with App Academy and highly recommend them if you are searching for a well established bootcamp. One of the best features is that they have a career team that continues to do work shops and hiring events after you complete the program help you in your job search. I am not sure if other bootcamps do this, but this is a must, they help to keep you focused after you finish to keep learning and applying so that you will obtain that job. Don't be afraid if you do decide to choose App Academy and see that there are 100 people in your online cohort, within the first 3 weeks that number can drop in half with people deciding they don't like coding and people failing because they are not truly dedicated to learning. It is also true that most of the teachers/aides are previous students, do not be alarmed by this either, every single bootcamp does this. But do know that they have real experienced software engineers above them that also provide lectures and guide the curriculum to ensure that the correct things are being taught and that we are progressively learning. At the end of completing any bootcamp, don't expect to land a job within a few months, while it certainly does happen, it is definitely not the norm. You have to continuously work on projects/learn new concepts/study DSA/obtain certificates/ and most importantly do not stop applying to jobs. Completing the bootcamp is one part, the job search is a whole different monster, but I promise this bootcamp offers enormous help once you finish to land that job.

Sorry if some of my thoughts are random through this, I am trying to put down every thing I found to be important and what I wish I had knew before I started lol. All in all if you decide on App Academy it is absolutely legit, you will learn enormous amounts, and it will be incredibly fun if you love coding. As stated above I finished in April of 2022, I just now landed a remote software engineer job this month of November 2022, it took me 6 months to land my first job and around 1000-1200 job applications. Sounds like a lot right? Many people including Computer Science graduates have this same issue in the job search. It takes a while to land that first job because everyone wants experienced engineers. Its a crappy situation, but once your in, your in. Right now the average to land that job is 6 months, sometimes sooner, and sometimes later. But it is very cool to say that I made it, from Registered Nurse to Software Engineer. I'm sure you want to hear the salary as well, it was always annoying to see people who got jobs but never listed their salary, it would be incredibly helpful if they did. For me, I am starting out at around 70k. If your in a big tech city such as San Francisco you will easily be over 100k but remember cost of living there is insane. For an entry level position I am pretty happy with that salary, within a couple years it could easily jump to 150+, but ultimately I just want to learn and grow more with a great work-life balance, so money is secondary to me. 

Final words, in case you were wondering if these reviews are fake or App Academy paid me to do this, they did not. That was another fear I had when searching, was that so many bootcamps had such great reviews lol. But this is absolutely my honest review, bootcamps are not for everyone, but if you truly do want to make the switch, be prepared with enough money to last you for a year, 6 months to do the program and 6 months to find a job. I hope this aides you in your search, and absolutely keep App Academy as one of your top choices if it is not already. 

Let me start by saying that, enrolling in App Academy has been one of the most rewarding experiences in recent memory. It helped me land my first role in tech, and with that role came freedom and financial security. I was enrolled in their 24-week full-time software engineering program. Though it was tough, having now made it through and finally landing that first role is amazing experience. 

The curriculum is well thought out, and the instructors are good at explaining all of the programming concepts that are foreign or difficult to comprehend. In my case, everything was new to me, as I didn't have any sort of background in information technology whatsoever. Those 6 months of constant study were quite difficult, but as long as you can stay determined, you'll definitely make it through. 

I can not say enough about how grateful I am to app academy for giving me the tools, knowledge, and networking power I needed to switch from working in special education to software engineering. 
From the day to day course and lectures provided by experts in the field who answered question after question (yes the same question lol) with patience, to fostering great coding skills and collaborative coding by proving daily pair boarding opportunities with other classmates, all the way to supporting me with a great career coach who didn’t rest until I was places, a/A is number one at getting you placed in your new career.
Cannot stress enough the importance of pairboarding during the course, and then having access to such a vast network of software engineers when you graduate the course. 
Lastly, a/A’s culture is conducive to learning, growth, feeling safe, and having fun.  No question is stupid, and all who are on the quest for knowledge and have respect for others are accepted, and the staff and course text try and stay hip and current!

I joined App Academy's remote program without knowing much about web development. The main stacks I learned were Ruby on Rails/React/PostgreSQL and MERN. Our daily sessions were almost all similar, with lectures in the morning and pair programming on labs in the evening. Instructors were there to help us with questions and issues. Expect A LOT of information each day. I finished the program with 3 projects for my portfolio. For the job hunt, I received help with my resume, technical interviewing, and behavioral interviewing. It was pretty much up to me to be proactive and use the resources available, which were endless (pair programming sessions, mock interviews, tech practice, and others). The job hunt assistance was available to me until I found a job.  I got 2 job offers after 6 months of graduation.

Everything about this course was great - It was fun working alongside other students, the teacher assistance was great, but not incredibly hand holding.

Don't go into this course thinking it will be easy - it won't be. You will work 40+ hours every week continuously learning new material, so at times you may feel a little overwhelmed. Don't worry if you feel this way - it all comes together in the end.

Javascript is an incredible first base language to learn and luckily it's the first language they teach you in the course. 

Overall, this course will set a solid foundation for you to become a great software engineer.

If you're considering joining a bootcamp, choose App Academy! While the curriculum is rigorous and intense it is worthwhile. I graduated from the 24 week online program and my skillset now includes Javascript, Python, HTML5, CSS3, React.js / Redux, Flask, Express.js, Node.js. PostgreSQL, SQLAlchemy, Sequelize, Git, and other tools. There were times throughout this program when I thought becoming a software engineer and learning all I know now would be nearly impossible... but here we are :-)

After graduation you are paired with a career coach who will provide you guidance as you navigate your way through the job search and eventually toward your first career as a software engineer. The job search will feel overwhelming and discouraging however you will have amazing support from a very solid team as well as your graduate peers!

App Academy was a great experience to behold. Coming from a background in accounting, I had little experience in coding but I was capable of learn multiple languages and how to code in just a short time span of 3 months. App Academy had attentive instructors who really cares about the students and were welcoming and helpful. They have an exquisite curriculum  and many materials to learn. The students and colleagues were also fantastic and I am happy that I met them. Overall I would recommend anyone who wants to apply for this great experience.

As someone with zero background with software engineering / coding, I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from their well-crafted curriculum. The course is quite rigorous, and the instructors are super attentive. Everybody is super welcoming and willing to help one another out - instructors and students alike. I look forward to the job search and applying the skills that I have acquired over the last few months.

The instructors explained lectures in a timely and orderly fashion. The curriculum was well-crafted by team of highly-respected professionals. Every day, I could not have been more excited to arrive to App Academy, as the lectures were paced appropriately and staff were welcoming. Learning how to be a full-stack engineer was amazing. Meeting great colleagues was enjoyable. At anytime, I could always ask staff for help, as I looked up to them. It was my honor to be here. I'd like to thank the team at App Academy for bringing lots of great experiences.

Disclaimer: I did the 16 week program, but it was online rather than in person due to Covid.

For me, App Academy was a great experience. From great instructors to amazing cohort mates, the people are what made the journey fun and enjoyable. When I started, I expected to be pretty much isolated from the rest of the world for 4 months coding. However, App Academy's friendly instructors and my fellow cohort mates made the physical isolation feel like nothing as I would log in every day looking forward to talking and learning to code with them. The course, while challenging (I put in 70-80 hours a week), was fair and the material was taught in a clear, step-wise manner that allowed for ideas to reinforce each other day after day. I know some people do not like it, but I enjoyed learning Ruby over Python and many jobs that I applied to did not care that I knew Ruby as compared to Python or Java as long as I showed a willingness to learn the other language. After my graduation was where I thought I got the most bang for my buck. My career coach, who held weekly 1 on 1's with me and was responsive to my many questions, gave me wonderful and insightful advice to clean up job application materials as well as how to properly prepare for interviews. That advice resulted in me being offered three software engineering jobs within 2 months of graduating with one being over 100k.

The con of App Academy is pretty much the cost, as its deferred cost is more than other programs deferred costs. But with how quickly i got a job, I am not complaining!

I can without hesitation recommend the App Academy program to those who are looking to enter tech from a non-tech background.

I attended the 16 week App Academy program starting in December and graduated in April. I started with a little bit of knowledge on coding. However, the course progressed very quickly through that. While it may feel overwhelming at times, the TAs were super helpful and always available to help. The assessments aren't terribly difficult, but definitely need to be studied for. My fellow classmates were great people and willing to help. A majority of the class was spent learning Rails, Javascript, and React to build 3 projects. These projects really gave the sense of progression as everything you learn in class comes together. The only gripes about the curriculum are that React hooks are not taught and I believe Python would have been preferred over Ruby.

Post graduation, the job search support has also been great. Coaches are always available even when they're not even assigned to you! The support network has been great and I'm looking forward to the future!

Finding self studying hard? Don't know where to start with coding? A bootcamp may be for you! App Academy has an amazing support system, whether it be the mod leads, the TAs, to your own cohort mates. It is fast-paced though, and if you don't study or do the homework, you will fall behind. It's for your own benefit, anyways! Now that I'm in job search, I can full-heartedly say that my career coach is absolutely amazing and super helpful. A tip I would give is to start practicing DS&A problems halfway through the bootcamp on your own so you don't have to stress about it as much like I am right now after the bootcamp. This bootcamp give you amazing pair programming experiences to talk about, and also group projects and solo projects for your portfolio. If I could do it again, I would, and I would start doing one DS&A problem every day or every other day or something.. starting from week 7 probably. I would definitely recommend App Academy though!

I completed the 24 week software engineering online program.  It was hard, but if you do the homework and study the practice assessments you will be fine.  It was quite a ride, and there were times when I wanted to give up, but I got through it and now am in the job search portion of the program.  App Academy teaches you how to learn effectively and efficiently.  We had one week where we learned python and then two weeks later we built a full stack app using a python backend. 

Overall I would recommend App Academy.

I have just graduated from the 24-week online software engineering bootcamp. It is a very fast-paced and intensive program but also very rewarding because of all the information that you learn. No prior experience is required. Toward the latter half of the program, we build a total of 4 full-stack projects using languages such as JavaScript, React, and Redux to name a few. The TAs are very helpful as well and want you to succeed.

The course is very intense, and requires you to learn a lot in a short time. If you are the type of person who can lock in and persevere through any obstacle, this is definitely for you. You don't need any prior knowledge, I came in directly from working in a lab with a chemistry background. Everything you need to know, they will teach you, and plenty of help from instructors are provided. However, I definitely recommend, more prep is always best. Also, before starting this journey, please ensure you are financially ready. Though the course is 6 months, it can easily turn into a year. Timeline varies for everyone, if you defer multiple times, or how long the job search lasts for you. Don't be ashamed of deferring, people who were smarter than I deferred, which is why you should plan for it, if taking this course. From this point on, you must plan for any scenario in your life. This will make you a better coder, and person. I definitely would do this course again, and recommend it to those with a creative, and problem solving mind. I wish I would have done something like this sooner.

After much deliberation between going the self-taught route versus attending a bootcamp, I enrolled in the 16-week online program focused on Javascript and Ruby on Rails. Without a doubt, attending App Academy has been one of the best decisions of my life. Attending the program gives you a support network of TAs and peers who are with you each step of the way to keep you motivated and to hold you accountable, which is something I would have missed had I decided to teach myself to code. Who knows how long the projects would have taken me to complete had I decided to try to code for X or Y hours each day? The coursework is challenging and for the most part is very hands-off - you get out what you put in. I still recall one review of App Academy that I saw before attending and the punchline read something like "Sure you could teach your self to code, but who knows how long that will take. You'd probably get a job and start making money 1/4 of a year earlier with A/a which would offset the cost of the program very quickly."

Going through the 16 week course was a ton of fun, I've made some amazing friendships that might last my entire life. The curriculum is very loose, almost self-guided, but the way it's structured inspires creative and innovative thinking, and teaches you good programming habits and problem solving processes.
You have to put in a lot of your own work, and the curriculum does not really teach you as much as you would teach yourself through being hands-on and introspective during the process. The guidance is really loose, but it really helps you understand the depth of the concepts at hand.

Attended App Academy's 16 week hybrid bootcamp option (now available in-person rather than online). Overall enjoyed the program and feel as though it prepared me well. The curriculum does facilitate your learning and help you pick up more skills on your own after your studies are done. 

Pros:
- Really good instructors (at least for my cohort - Darren/Spencer/Diego were amazing teachers)
- Short timeframe to gain the necessary skills/experience
- Good project experience to fill out resume and give real world examples of programming
- Got a lot of pair programming experience
- Good partnership opportunities with certain companies (including some FAANG level opportunities)
- Strong sense of community with your cohort

Cons:
- Some of the curriculum is a little outdated (specifically the React portion could be better). You should 100% learn React hooks after the cohort ends to be ready for frontend interviews (or even before if you feel ambitious).
- Homework/instructional videos start out quite good and get to be lower quality towards the end of the course
- Advanced data structures and algorithms are mostly just touched upon briefly and not covered in depth, so you'll need to learn them on your own 
- JavaScript is the language you'll feel strongest in by the end of the program, and it's not ideal to interview in. Ruby is also taught but you won't be using it too actively post week 8 aside from the full stack project, but a lot of companies do not interview in Ruby
- After the instruction ends, there are a lot of boilerplate meetings you'll need to go to for the career quest which will slow down your study of data structures and algorithms. If you want to be strong at this, you'll need to really study hard and not take it easy despite graduation

While I did list several cons, all of these can be nullified by having a strong work ethic and learning on your own. If you're motivated to do well and want to take a career change seriously, App Academy provides a really good foundation and I would recommend it a lot.

I had a really great experience at App Academy. I attended 16 weeks Full Stack Software Engineering program. Due to the pandemic, it was online. I started with basic knowledge of programming. I remember I used to struggle with loops and variables when I started the Bootcamp, but in the end, I was able to create a full-stack single-page web application. App Academy's course structure is perfect, it starts with basics and ramp-up to an advanced level. Before starting the Bootcamp you don't have to have previous knowledge of programming, but if you do, it's a plus because it is a fast-paced Bootcamp. The First 2 weeks of the course are the basics of ruby, and there are no lectures, so you have to study by yourself but the TAs are always there to help. After 2 weeks, there are lectures in the morning and pair boarding in the afternoon.I really enjoyed pair boarding, it does improve your social skills and prepare you for the work environment and job interviews, plus you get to learn a lot from your fellow students. I had an amazing team of TAs, they were always ready to help and teach new things. They are also app academy graduates, so you get to learn a lot from their experiences. After graduation, the app academy assigns you to a coach who helps in the job search and prepares you for the job interviews, whether it be technical interviews or behavioral interviews. I highly recommend people to join App Academy if you want to start a career in the software engineering field.

App Academy was 6 months of intense study in full-stack web development. I did the online 24 week program and my background was in electrical engineering beforehand but there were plenty of good developers in my cohort who were not from a technical background. The best part of app academy is having the group of people all studying together trying to pick up new skills quickly. We pair programmed for 4 to 6 hours per day and worked on solo and group projects. The really big advantage of doing app academy over self-study is that you have TAs there live with you and you can ask questions and get help on the spot. The program was lot of work, I would say that it is about the equivalent of working a full-time job and then taking classes in the evening. You are online for the length of a full-time job and then you have a few hours of homework every night. Our cohort started with about 85 people and i think only about 20 or 25 of us made it all the way through so it is definitely difficult. The other really nice thing about app academy is the partnership companies. They were really helpful with the job search and I got a few different offers and a great developer role within a few months of graduating.

I started off with no coding experience prior to App Academy and at the end of the 24 weeks I felt confident in my abilities to break into the field of software engineering. It definitely wasn't easy, those 60 - 80+ hour weeks they tell you about are true, but with perseverance and hard work it's worth it. I had a great team of instructors and TAs who were patient, knowledgeable, and understood the struggles I was going through. The learning styling during some of the curriculum changed during my time at a/A to the flipped classroom style, which was tough to adjust to, but I eventually saw the benefits of the struggle of problem solving first before lecture. Though at times it was frustrating, I feel like it made me a better problem solver and a stronger developer. After graduating, the career coaching team has been phenomenal at supporting me with the job search so far and I'm looking forward to landing my first job as a SWE. If you're thinking about switching careers and applying to a/A just do it, you never know where life will take you!

I attended App Academy's 24-week program, and it was the best decision I have ever made! I will not lie, it was not easy with the weekly assessments, 70-80 hour weeks, and projects. However, I learned very valuable skills such as Python and Javascript. Towards the back half of the program, we began building full-stack projects to help us gain experience and to put on our resumé. After graduation, you get assigned a career coach whose job is to make sure you get a job, which is the main reason why I personally chose App Academy over other boot camps.

This program was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I've been through. Coming from an Entertainment & Music Industry background I hadn't coded much prior. The pace of the material kept me on my toes throughout the course. However, there is a beauty in their curriculum style and teaching methods, from the start they instill the kind of self-reliance that it takes to solve real-world problems on the job. The pair programming was a great way to take in the material, learn to work with all types of people, and make friends. I would say it's really important to make friends and study with other students, that is probably what helped me most when I was struggling was the support system I created there. The teachers are amazing and really go above and beyond. 

Another part of the course I rarely see mentioned by other reviewers is the Career Quest portion for 3 months following completion. The resume, portfolio, learning session, and partnership resources are really what sets App Academy apart. I was super impressed with the job support and career coaches.

If you're considering a Bootcamp,  App Academy is stellar!

I was struggling horribly to learn code from sites like Youtube and Udemy while having a full time job, it just wasn't working out. I NEEDED a change. I heard that App Academy is considered the top coding bootcamp in the states so I applied. After a rigorous amount of work and interviews I had finally got accepted! By this time I was ALREADY pumped up and fully immersed in the coding world from the PRE course called JUMPSTART. I have never learned so much in 4 months in my life. I have made long lasting friendships, my first video game, a full stack application and so so much progress with languages and libraries such as javascript, ruby, react, etc. I will never forget my time at App Academy. What a rewarding and worthwhile experience!