App Academy Reviews
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Iulia H
Great support
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Coming in from a non-technical background I didn’t know what to expect but I was shocked at how much I was able to learn over the course of just a few months. The curriculum was well balanced and the culture was friendly and uplifting. The resources were abundant and while the learning material could get overwhelming sometimes, we were encouraged to reach out to our circle leaders for help and general support. The instructors themselves were helpful and devoted to our success which was a big part of my enjoyment of this course. As my cohort started around the time states were shutting down, we only had two weeks of in-person learning, but their response to the shut-down was prompt and well thought-out so I did not feel robbed of the learning experience at all. Overall, the course is a great way to learn, but the pace and intensity may not be for everyone. -
Pedro Siqueira
Challenging but rewarding!
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Going to App Academy was a great experience, however it has it's ups and downs.
The staff is composed with amazing TAs, they are very approachable and friendly, and you can relate to them, because most of them experienced going through the curriculum.
Some projects were great to work on, others had some unclear instructions, however, you could always ask questions and the staff would gladly help you.
The only complaint I would have is with the final project we had to submit, they could provide us with more information on setup, materials to reference, etc.
Overall: prepare yourself for exhausting 4 months, but keep in mind it is rewarding. The amount of information you learn is insane, and really makes you feel proud of what you've done.
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James Jiang
Great school with good foundation, but you need to be highly self-motivated
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Coming from a non-technical background and going through the fullstack "in-person" curriculum, I can say that I know so much more than I did at the beginning of the course. The speed at which I learned and level of understanding I achieved would definitely not have been possible without the help of the instructors and the assessments. Instructors were quick to answer questions during the course (less so during the project phase, but that's part of the curriculum design) and their explanations were always fantastic.
My biggest complaint is on the curriculum design because some parts of it were a little confusing or outdated. To my knowledge, they are working on a course redesign and I have faith that future classes will have the best materials. In the times when the projects/instructions were unclear or confusing, you really had to pick up the slack, work twice as hard, and learn to be self-reliant.
As to the hours and course load, I thought that the second half of the course was significantly faster than the first half. Some concepts in the first half of the course took a week or more to learn, but most concepts in the second half were given maybe 2-3 days at most. That threw me off, and initially I disliked it tremendously and was prepared to voice my concern. However, having gone through those sped-up portions, I can say that in hindsight, I saw why the pace was as it was. What you learn in the last 2 weeks of the course is comparable to first 6-7 weeks combined. It's quick, but you come out of it feeling like "wow I didn't know I could do that".
Overall, I would recommend the program for those looking for a career change, but only if you are self motivated and willing to put in the effort to go far outside the scope of the class curriculum.
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Miguel DelaCruz
Friendly Environment
On top of the in depth material aA has taught me to develop full-stack web applications, everyone I've met at aA is super friendly!
I'm confident I can get a job after taking this course. -
Jacob Meyer
It was a tough course, but I came out of it with a ton of new skills that will hopefully land me my dream job.
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I'll start by pointing out that without App Academy's tuition deferment program, it would not have been possible for me to take this course. That is the first huge win for App Academy over other programs. The second big win is their online program. I don't live in San Francisco or New York. I don't live in a town where there are any coding bootcamps, as a matter of fact. So if it weren't for the online, again, I would have not been able to take the course. It has been incredibly stressful and it only got more stressful as the months rolled on. But if you try as hard as you can, you can get through it. You just can't give up. The course itself teaches you a lot of really marketable skills and I think they do a really good job of teaching those skills. Is it perfect? No. At this point it is hard to look at my own criticism and know whether it is valuable or just the product of my 6 month long high stress level. I guess if I don't get hired, it will probably validate those criticisms, but as I go on linkedin and see all of the a/A grads getting hired, it seems like if you follow the steps and commit yourself, that you will be rewarded. I think it is a very valuable course and I highly recommend it. -
Jorge Barreto
Underwhelming and Disappointing -- But Hoping I Get A Job
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I joined App Academy with very high expectations of what the curriculum, staff, and program would be. I was disappointed at every turn.
Time and time again, a/A staff proved to be highly disconnected with each other, and there was a deep sense of disorganization. (One eg: for about a month my instructor (someone who'd graduated from a/A 1 year prior, with no other software dev experience) actively wrote the day by day curriculum that we were actually taking.) Having attended the online curriculum, I can only speak to that: there were few to no attempts made by staff in order to foster a sense of community among the cohort, even as they spoke of such measures being undertaken (in an official capacity) in the in-person cohorts.
These faults (among others) might be admissible if the curriculum was very strong. The fact of the matter is that the written material for the Ruby course (still as of this writing freely available through a/A Online) is an amazingly written curriculum. The JavaScript portions (over half of the material), however, were a far cry from this standard. It was evident the material had not been updated, in some cases, for years.
One of the things I truly disliked about going through a/A was that there were several times where I asked my instructor for help with a problem given in the curriculum, and they were unwilling (in one case) or unable (in another two cases) to help me. Now, I can't really fault someone who is out of school for a year, and who doesn't have any real life experience whatsoever to not know the intricacies of what I was asking (which at least in one case went above and beyond the curriculum), but I found it egregious that there was no system of escalation in place. Was there really no technical instructor in a/A's roster that could take some minutes to walk through an implementation of Knuth's Algorithm X?
These are only a couple of the gripes that I had with the system. They had feedback tools available, which I used in order to tell them about all of these incidents in turn, as they happened. I never once saw resolution, and no one ever reached back out to me about my issues. It seems to me that this shows a/A is simply very disorganized at a very high level, in need of some serious reshuffling of priorities.
As I write, my cohort is graduating in 2 days and we are starting the job search portion of the program. I have hopes for this portion still, because I figure that getting me a job is really a/A's core business, far and away from teaching me to code. However, all remains to be seen. -
Sushil Thapa
Challenging, but Rewarding!
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I received my BS and MS degrees in the sciences, so I was someone who have never touched or even really seen a line of code. I was working in the science industry, really doing well, and hadn't really thought about career change. The world of software development wasn't something I had ever thought about it. While I enjoyed my job, I was getting bored. Somehow I started to review some YouTube videos/ read articles related to software development. It was then I started to code. I found coding enjoyable, but challenging. I researched many bootcamps. I finally decided to apply to App Academy and got admitted.
I had read many reviews of App Academy , so I was aware that it was going to be intense. While I was prepared, I was still surprised by the amount of material and work we covered every single day. I studied nearly 12 hours every day (some days even more!). While it was extremely tiring, I was really enjoying learning and understanding new concepts. It was even more rewarding when I was able to apply the things I had learned into my full stack projects. My instructors were really helpful and explained the concepts very well. The work was intense, but it was all worth it! This is definitely one of my most challenging, but rewarding experiences. I found the online class to be very beneficial to me. The instructors were available whenever I needed their help and the curriculum was organized really well. -
Gustavo Gutierrez
Great Experience!
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The entire time at App Academy I felt like I was behind on all the material but that was because I was comparing my progress with others in my cohort which was a huge mistake. If I compare what I knew when I first started to what I know now that I'm at the finish line there is a huge gap. I would definitely recommend App Academy to anyone trying to get into the industry. The teachers are great, they are all extremely helpful and genuinely care about your success. The other students are even more so. Definitely worth the time and the effort! -
Alex
Intense but rewarding and fun experience!
Pros:
- Great instructors
- Online program is very structured and in-depth
- Intense but rewarding curriculum
- Made many friends amongst my cohort :)
Cons:
- Too much reading / homework sometimes (pacing could have been better)
- A lot of changes to the curriculum and job search process
- More solo projects / work time would have been nice (over 90% pair programming) -
John
Software Engineer
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The main benefit of going to App Academy is the rigor and accountability. You sign up for this bootcamp because you're ready to rock and super serious about getting a best-in-class curriculum to get your first engineering job.
I was afraid the online program wouldn't be as valuable or effective as the in-person, but I ended up being very challenged and happy with my result. Just a few months after graduating, I got a backend software engineer position at a big tech company with a great compensation package.
The TA's and instructor were super available and helpful throughout the program and my career coach was as hands on as I would like during the job search.
Cons: Would have preferred more data structures and algorithms material. For our job search, I would have liked more of a focus on quality of applications (like securing referrals) than viewing it as a numbers game. Also would have liked more solo projects instead of constant pair programming.
Pros: Really solid curriculum. I felt like I was a legit programmer after graduating. Was able to get to the final rounds with several reputable tech companies within the first few months of graduating. Really enjoyed the people. The intensity will up your game. The program attracts mostly high achievers.
**Crucial to remember** No bootcamp, including App Academy, will get you a job. You have to do the work. Even after you graduate, you have to keep practicing, studying, applying and interviewing. App Academy gave me an amazing foundation. The rest is up to you. -
Albert Cheng
Intensive, solid courses
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I finished the App Academy Online Program recently. Here are my pros and cons:
Pros:
- Great technology selections. They did their research well, all the tech stacks they teach are very relevant to current tech job market.
- Very tentative teaching environment. Instructors, TA's are all very responsive. You can always reach them and they are knowledgeable on the materials.
- Great job search coaching. They set up your portfolio with tech relevant projects, help you with your resumé and interview questions. They also host job fairs from time to time.
Cons:
- Slightly light on the academy side. They breezed through Data Structures and Algorithms and provided resources if individual wants to learn more. But to be fair, given the program's duration, there's not enough time to stuff everything in.
- More team building activities with classmates would be ideal. -
Eli Raybon
Life Changing Experience
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Coming from a non-traditional background as a musician with no college degree or work experience, App Academy seemed too good to be true. I'd always been interested in tech, but could a bootcamp really take me from nothing to software developer in 6 months? The answer is... Yes! BUT you have to be ready to put in a tremendous amount of passion, dedication, time, and effort. There's no magic secret to App Academy... It's just a lot of hard work. No one can learn to code for you, and no one can get a job for you... That's all on you! But App Academy provides you with all the tools and support you need, and it was a truly life changing experience for me.
The core curriculum (as it was when I attended) is incredible - I can't praise it enough. You don't just learn web development frameworks, you learn how they work under the hood. The TA's are always willing to help you when you run into issues, no matter how long it takes. And your fellow cohort mates will be fun to work with! A lot of students (including myself) were dubious of pair programming in the beginning... And although it's not perfect, the pros far outweigh the cons. Communicating your code to others is a make-or-break skill in the job search, and pair programming is a great way to develop that skill. Some days of pairing will be better than others, but that's just life haha.
If you're worried about the workload, don't be. Well ok... maybe worry a little haha. App Academy will keep you busy all day, every day for the entirety of the program, weekends included. This is especially true if you're striving for a deep understanding of the material (which you should be!). But learning software development is a fun and rewarding process, and although the workload was immense, I found it enjoyable. There will be times when you feel overwhelmed, but there's a strangely satisfying feeling that comes from being thrashed day after day after day haha. I think the most difficult part is the end of the course when you're building your own projects. I'm a perfectionist, so I put a lot of pressure on myself, and worked very long hours. I had no school or prior experience, so I knew my portfolio would be a critical part in showing off my abilities as a developer.
Once projects are completed, you will move into the job search, which is a completely different challenge. You have to balance sending out plenty of applications, preparing for interviews and continuing to learn and grow as a developer. You will be responsible for structuring your days and holding yourself accountable, and it's really easy to get lazy and unmotivated (I know I did), especially when your pipeline is empty. Also, don't expect your career coach to get you a job - there's only so much they can do. To give some detailed job search stats, I sent out a total of 333 applications, which resulted in 8 phone screens, 3 coding challenges, 2 on-sites, and 1 job. I was extremely fortunate.
All in all, App Academy was an amazing experience. However, it seems like App Academy is growing and changing, as all companies do. I can't say for certain if the experience of future cohorts will be the same as mine. I know the curriculum has been completely overhauled, and I'm not sure I would call it an improvement, based on what I've seen. It'll be up to you to decide if App Academy is the right choice, but I'm happy to say that it worked out very well for me, as well as many students before me. If you've made the decision to become a software engineer, App Academy is definitely worth consideration! -
Ryan Woods
Great Bootcamp, Better Instructors
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The App Academy Bootcamp is a great place to learn web development. In my opinion, the program was well paced and adequately priced. The instructors in my cohort were extremely helpful and went above and beyond to help answer questions outside of the direct curriculum. I think the program prepared me with the necessary skills to enter the job search, though the continued help and opportunities after graduating did not live up to my experience during the bootcamp. To be fair however, I entered the job search directly before the coronavirus outbreak happened so that is a contributing factor to the difference in experience between job search and bootcamp instruction. -
Long McFarlin
A rewarding journey
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It is definitely a very rewarding experience. I learned so much in this 6-month journey, which I don't think I could have done in a year if on my own. However, the program is not for everyone. I read lots of reviews like 'prepare to spend 80 hrs+ per week' before joining a/A, and I thought it was exaggerated. It was NOT. I think I ended up spending an average 90 hours per week. If I was not sleeping or eating, I was studying. I don't think I have ever done something like this in my life before, not even when preparing for the college entrance exam or GRE. Stay positive, take care of yourself and work really hard, that's how I made it through. If you are serious about changing your career, then give it a try! -
Tristan Mockler
Rewarding and rigorous
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My experience at App Academy has been one of the most rewarding times of my life. The program can seem slightly overwhelming at times with the large amount of content. However, you'll be amazed by how much of the content you can retain. The instructors I've encountered at App Academy have been amazing and have really made the experience a 5-star one. Completing App Academy will make you confident in your ability to develop full-stack web applications, and also equip you with the ability to be comfortable pair programming with anyone. Highly recommend this program to anyone looking to make a career change. -
David Odio
Awesome Experience
I just finished an online boot camp at AppAcademy and got awesome results too. It didn't just teach me the skills I now have but it also showed me the discipline needed to learn more on my own. Great place to be, and a great supportive community. -
Yenisbel Valle
Immersive Bootcamp
Thi is a 12-week bootcamp that teach everything from JavaScript to Ruby on Rails. With great TAs that support your journey and empower the path in Tech. The of App Academy graduates find jobs as software developers, and during this last step there is also support from a career coach!! -
Tom B.
Art Teacher to Software Engineer!
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Just graduated today after 1000+ hours and so relieved to have made it through! It's easily the hardest thing I (and everyone else in my cohort) have ever done. More prepared to build real applications, code and answer higher level data structures / algorithm questions than my friends with CS degrees said they were when they started job searching. In fact a bunch of people in my cohort already had legit CS degrees. Only side-note is that I noticed a BIG difference in the general vibe of the program based on what instructors you get to work with. I switched from the SF cohort to Online when I found out I was having a baby (which they were very supportive of) and it was like a completely different bootcamp just because I got some over-the-top friendly instructors. Not a serious issue though because a/A's written and video resources are fantastic, and all the instructors are super capable engineers that can help you track down and conceptually understand any bug you hit in your code. Other side note, I strongly recommend dabbling through one or two Udemy courses before starting a/A though if you literally have no coding experience (I did the first half of Colt Steele's Web Dev Bootcamp, loved it). Not because you necessarily have to, but it'll make a/A more fun and less stressful. That said, my BFF from the program had zero coding experience and was working at Home Depot before doing a/A. He breezed through so yeah, no previous coding experience necessary is not a lie. And I absolutely love my career coach so far, honestly the job search curriculum and post-graduation support alone would make the financial commitment worth it in my opinion.
TLDR – After watching me go through app academy my wife wants to try to get in to the program to facilitate her own career switch (for whatever that's worth). I was an art teacher 6 months ago, if I can do this anyone can! But I never would have learned this much this fast without a/A. -
Cindy K
Challenging but rewarding
This program was intense and was extremely difficult for me in the beginning. However, it is such a rewarding experience and I am glad I decided to push through and I'm proud of my projects. The instructors were great and helpful, and they teach you a lot of useful tips. -
Ryan Leung
app academy
This bootcamp teaches you a lot of the things you need to become a software developer. If you have the will power to study and work hard everyday including weekends, this is a good place to start. -
Fei Yang
Very rigorous bootcamp and totally worth it!
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I really value the experience I got out of App Academy; it is indeed rigorous and intensive and it goes very fast. That being said, you don't as much time to dig into certain subjects as much as you want to but you come out learning very very much (of course you have to study). Also, I really valued the fullstack projects I got to create/help create at App Academy. I've taken some previous programming courses at college, which I really appreciated and some were super great. However, I never created a full stack project, like cloning a website, writing all the backend and frontend; even though I am still finishing the fullstack, this was one of the most awesome experiences. You spend a lot of time pair programming. Tips: You don't have to come in knowing anything; I had taken some programming classes before and I'm glad I did. There are students at many different levels starting. A couple of CS majors in my class and for them, they got through the material easier/got through more of the projects. I really appreciate the environment to help each other and support each other, noncompetitive. I think the TAs are friendly, encouraging and really care and want the best for you. They are GREAT (at least in my experience) They put you in a circle, which is a smaller group of people that meet half hour daily. Shout out to ALISSA, my circle leader, who really believed in me, was super positive, always encouraging, and really cared, checked in to see if I wanted to review anything. I'm super thankful for her belief and faith in me, oh man, I definitely needed it! Thank you Alissa!!! =D The assessments, do what the TAs say and make sure you do the practice ones over and over again. At App Academy, you allowed one free fail and then after, if you fail again, you are allowed one retake and if you don't pass the retake, you are kicked out. But if you reallly do the practice tests over and over, like they ask you to, you'll be fine. The assessments were really stressful at times, really stressful I met a LOT of really awesome people! =D Be prepared to work hard, really really hard, it is super busy all the time and super stressful at times. I like having structure; that helps me. And App Academy really helps you in the job search process....partially because you HAVE to apply to a certain amount of jobs per week -
Wilson
Would recommend!
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I really enjoyed my time here! I came to App Academy with a background in biology and knew nothing about coding. I've come a long way these past few months and I think that App Academy's done a good job preparing me for entry into the workforce as a software engineer.
I have a very good opinion of App Academy because I can see the results of all my work and studying. I'm able to make amazing web applications and I have a good understanding of the coding languages and tools taught by App Academy.
It is a lot of work, though. I woke up at 7 and commuted 40 minutes to App Academy, where I coded from 9AM to 6PM. Then I commuted 40 minutes home and either reviewed the day's material or studied for the next day's material from 8PM to 11PM. As daunting as that sounds, it is completely do-able. It's hard, but it's not impossible. Just be prepared for it and keep your end goal in mind.
Furthermore, I've been talking to friends and hear about the friends of friends who have gone through coding interviews. Many of those interview topics have already been covered by App Academy.
If I have to nitpick about things, it is that I don't think that we reviewed enough material as we progressed through the course. We learned ALOT. Which means we also forget a lot. We're told that we should review after class, but most days, there's so much material to look at for the next day that I don't have time to review.
I still really enjoyed my time here at App Academy, though, and I'll be missing it.
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Kyle K
review
this is my review -
Joe
A rewarding experience
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If you are willing to study 70+ hrs weekly, App Academy does a great job to train you to become a software engineer. You will learn a lot during the pairing programming with your partners. After class, you spend night time learning the next day's material. New topics are introduced almost every day and you can find yourself falling behind easily. Overall, you can expect to come out of App Academy with programming skills, good projects, and a lot of job search resources. -
Jen Lu
App Academy Experience
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I definitely learned a lot while I was at App Academy and I really value the experience, however it was extremely draining emotionally and mentally.
Pros: The TAs are all really friendly and eager to help whenever a problem arises. Many of the paired programming projects we did really helped me learn as I was able to work with some brilliant minded people and see their thought process as we went along.
Cons: It often took a long time for a TA to come help because the student to TA ratio was pretty skewed. I really disliked the lectures as we just all sat and stared at the projector with no desks or laptops. The job search curriculum has been pretty generic and I don't see much value in it.
All in all, I started this journey with zero programming experience and came out knowing more than I could have either thought in just 16 weeks. -
Try Khov
Can't recommend it enough
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For those that are considering a bootcamp and live around the SF area, App Academy is absolutely worth it. What I love most about App Academy is that despite my prior experience in programming, I was constantly challenged and learned something new each day. The curriculum is rich enough that even the more experienced programmers will feel like they're getting something out of it. I can't recommend this program enough for those that are looking for a bootcamp.
However, my main suggestion is that prior to applying or even considering this bootcamp, you should learn to code. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but the purpose of a bootcamp is not just to teach you how to code, it's to help get a job to build a career. In addition, learning to code prior gives you a sense on whether or not you even enjoy learning how to code. If you do, then definitely put in some time to learn prior to applying. It not only prepares you for the admissions interview but also will help you immensely in the program. App Academy is incredibly competitive and while there are many people that come into this program with little to no knowledge of how to code and ultimately succeed, there are many that don't make it pass the first few weeks. This is simply because the program has a strike out policy where if they deem that you're too far behind in their expectations of where you should be, you could get dismissed.
App Academy is a great investment and I highly recommend that those that are considering this program will also consider the time and commitment. Everyone will do whatever it takes to make sure that you learn the material and get that job but only if you're willing to do your part in that process as well.
Pros:
• Rich curriculum of learning full-stack development and job searching
• Has career coaches that work extensively to help you find a job
• Relatively affordable: for those that can't pay the entire tuition out of pocket, the deferred plan is a great option that asks for a deposit and a fraction of your first year's income. This is a great choice because other bootcamps have policies that extend over 1 year and the repayment is little compared to what you'll be making as a software engineer.
• Learn by doing: The curriculum emphasizes learning by doing. So you'll be working on a lot of projects but don't worry. The projects are not expected to be completed. They're meant to be for YOUR learning experience.
Cons:
• San Francisco is expensive. If you don't live in San Francisco, expect to dedicate some time commuting to and from the campus (SF traffic sucks).
• Doesn't necessarily take into account everyone's learning style. I learn better when I'm coding along with someone but lectures don't allow for computers so it's difficult to pay attention when I have to write notes with pen and paper while trying to follow lecture slides.
• Too much pair programming: App Academy focuses on pair programming to get students to learn how to communicate and work with partners. This style is the majority of the program. It would be nice if we had more days to work by ourselves to learn the material at our own pace.
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Justin Fang
Full Stack Software Engineer
Pros:
-great support system from TA's
-learn a ton of new technologies in a very short amount of time
-you get to meet a great cohort of like-minded individuals, largely who will become your network in the future
Cons:
-instruction can sometimes seem unorganized
-some material can be learned online that is often easier to understand than provided lectures -
Edward Kim
App Academy Review
App Academy is a time intensive and challenging bootcamp. If you're willing to put in the work, it is very rewarding. The staff is very helpful and encouraging. Bigger classes might have a harder time getting help because there is a queue to ask questions. Besides coursework, App Academy also helps those who graduate with their job search. Overall, it was a very positive experience. -
Jesse
Excellent
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Overall, my experience at App Academy was 100% worth it. I decided to attend aA after taking a computer science course at college and realizing how much I enjoyed it. I was looking into coding bootcamps, and App Academy was recommended to me by a friend. After comparing the prep-work between other bootcamps and aA, it became obvious that App Academy's curriculum was far superior to the others - leading me to eventually choose it over the other options.
After the course, the practical material I learned and the depth to which I learned it allowed me to successfully complete a full stack onsite interview and land a position within 2 weeks of finishing aA. While this was not the norm, I believe that overall App Academy is a valuable asset to someone wishing to enter the field of software engineering. With hard work, it is quite difficult not to learn the material and, by the end, graduate with the ability to build a complete full stack application. The added bonus of the option to delay payment makes it pretty accessible as well. -
Chelsea
Demanding but well worth the wide range of skills you gain
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a/A was an extremely demanding bootcamp (talking 90 hour weeks) but it was well worth it! I gained so much knowledge that I know I wouldn't be able to learn on my own over the same amount of time. Each day brought new curriculum to learn and there is homework every night that is required in order to be prepared for the next day's material. I knew some Python prior to attending, but almost all of my coding skills I learned at a/A. The instructors were former a/A students so they teach understanding the student's perspective and are always willing to help. You pair program every day which to me was great because I loved having the opportunity to work with all of my cohort mates. Towards the end of the bootcamp, you build a full stack clone of an app of your choice which is invaluable in terms of job searching.
All in all, a/A was certainly stressful at times but highly rewarding in terms of the knowledge and skills you gain. You have to be truly ready to commit 100% of your time (no joke) and have a passion for coding but if being a SWE is your dream like it is mine, you'll do just fine. -
Kevin Nguyen
Great bootcamp
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I didn't know a coding bootcamp with be with satisfying. I think there was a lot to learn in a short amount of time but a lot of the course is based on how much extra time you put in. The course is very solid and extensive with great instructional information to go along with each topic. If you're willing to put in the work, it is definitely doable. I would highly recommend if you are on the fence about doing it. -
Ankit Patel
Student
The program was a great opportunity to learn a new skill very quickly. I would not have been able to learn as much if I were to do so on my own. The TAs are there if you need them, but you will be doing most of the learning on your own. You will need to learn quickly and not doubt your skills. -
Martin Stenflo
App Academy
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App Academy was one of the most challenging learning experiences of my life, it took all my time and dedication for 16 weeks. I did not think it was possible to truly learn software engineering in such a short amount of time, but we did. I feel very confident with the material and have a huge support network of former students, teaching assistants, and job coaches to help me succeed in this new line of work. I am so happy I chose App Academy and I highly recommend it to anyone that is up for the challenge, but be warned, it is HARD! -
Lex Logan
Great program
Awesome for teaching full stack development skills -
Chris Nguyen
Great times!
My time here at App Academy has been an amazing one! From the staff to the material learned, all have been phenomenal! The bootcamp provided the programming foundation and has expose me to so much more! -
Jaydip Dalal
App Academy Aces
App Academy makes aces out of anyone capable of completing the program. The course is designed to be fast paced. With a focus on understanding the core/evolving technologies required for web development. The process works. Expect to learn with/from a wide variety of resources/people. All around, a great experience. -
JD
Diamonds are made under pressure
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The experience of going through the in-person curriculum was stressful but worth it. It was a bit hard trying to keep up with the lessons specially when we switched from Ruby to SQL and to JavaScript in a short time span. They will teach you everything you need to learn but you have to persevere. My tip for aspiring students is to practice being vocal about your code, or just be vocal. Sure, App Academy will help you practice pair programming but it's up to you to do the extra mile and be better at making your ideas be clear to someone else. To everyone wanting to be part of App Academy, Goodluck! :) -
Eddie Xiao
It's a marathon but will teach you skills with no prior experience
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App Academy is a truly intensive 16 week program that requires dedication to get the most out of it. This bootcamp is ideal for people with little to no prior experience in software development and will teach you the knowledge necessary to build a full stack web app by week 12. For people with some prior experience, the beginning will be a little slow as the material is tailored to new developers. Being in the latter camp, I still found this program very valuable in many ways that self-study can not compare. The structure of the curriculum and the quality of the projects students work on everyday really reinforce the concepts taught. The guidance of the teaching assistants and the camaraderie of other students provide a great learning environment that will push you to stay on track.
Now for some criticisms. This bootcamp will teach you very basic fundamentals early on and then transition quickly into being focused on frontend web development. The practical skills taught are all in frontend frameworks. This is great to train students to be able to jump into a junior frontend role and be productive, but not so great if you desire to work backend. Now of course a/A is just providing the building blocks to launch students into a career in software development and students can certainly transition into a backend role, but it likely won't be the first job after a/A. The program is 16 weeks and can not replace a CS degree. A lot of self-study is necessary right after the program ends to shore up deficiencies in the data structures and algorithms.
As for the SF campus, the building is located in Financial District / Embarcadero which means rent will be very expensive if you want to live nearby. If you are moving to SF, look for housing right away after being accepted and see if you can find a roommate with a fellow student in the cohort. The equipment on campus is adequate but some upgrades could be made with the office chairs. Having your own relatively modern laptop is a must.
All in all, I am very pleased with what I've gained through App Academy in the last 4 months. Putting in 60-100 hours per week was all worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I've met incredible, diverse, ambitious people with whom I have no doubt will stay as long term relationships. App Academy teaches you how to learn and provides you with the structure to learn as much as possible in 16 weeks. -
Elson Li
Review Copypasta
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Doesn’t look like much when you walk past, but I was practically dying to code so I popped in. The definition of a hole-in-the-wall. I got the software engineering special and wow… there are no words. A course done right. Stuffed with Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, React, Redux, then topped off with essential algorithms and data structures. There’s about a million bugs between your code and the solution, so it can get a little overwhelming, but you really can’t go wrong. Not much else to say besides go see for yourself! You won’t be disappointed. -
Jonathan
Your milage may vary.
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I was a student in the August 2019 cohort. App academy is great for getting up to speed on the fundamentals as well as the cutting edge frameworks currently used in the field. You truly get to know the full stack. However, before you sign up ask them about the cohort size. Previous cohorts have been ~30 students, our cohort was 65+ and it was a challenge working in such a large group. The career coaching during the job search was also very difficult (a lot of pressure), but the coach has left a/A and the rest of the staff seem to be on their game. Your milage may vary.