App Academy

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. 
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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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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My biggest complaint is on the curriculum design because some parts of it were a little confusing or outdated.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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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. Read less

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. Read less

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.  Read less

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! Read less

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)  Read less

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. Read less

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.  Read less

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!  Read less

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.  Read less

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! Read less

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. Read less

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!! Read less

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. Read less

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. Read less