Bloc

I majored in Finance and was working in Finance for a couple of years with ZERO experience in coding. I realized that I need to move to a different direction. I want to work in the Web Development field because I love problem solving, the challenge, and I can be creative on my technical skills! I was rigorously researching for bootcamp programs that's best suited for me and that's when I stumbled upon Bloc. What makes Bloc different than any other Bootcamps is that you can still keep your full time job while on the program. Right now, I'm at 50% of the curriculum and learned so much already. It is very fast paced and challenging. You have to put in the time, work hard and don't give up if you're stuck. Bloc provides the tools and teach the materials that you will be seeing in a real work environment. The mentors are great and very flexible. If you are stuck on the exercises or have general questions about the material, the technical support team on Slack responds within minutes. Bloc also provides different online group sessions. If you have zero experience in coding and want to pursue this field, definitely try Bloc. Put the time and your maximum effort! :)

I'm currently enrolled in Bloc's Designer Track and have been going at it almost full-time since starting it 6-weeks ago. I'll say this... I've first started teaching myself how to code (on and off) for the past year before deciding to double down and take it seriously. I've researched a bunch of coding bootcamps and narrowed it down to a finalist panel of two - Bloc and #@$ (don't want to name drop because each choice or selection is different from one prospective student to another). I chose Bloc. And I'm glad I did. 

The one item that really differentiated itself from the competition was the mentorship benefit, which I take it to be more of an apprenticeship style. Having those one-to-one meetings are really beneficial (in my opinion) as you can pick their brain about the various projects you are undertaking; these mentors have been in your shoes before and the information they share is invaluable, not to mention, they hold you accountable for the work set before you and push your limits. 

Bloc is really invested in its students' success throughout the program. I make it a habit of reading through a handful of conversations in the student Slack channel and what goes on there is really motivating. I see a number of current students helping each other push through the projects, not to mention alumni jumping in to assist as well. It's as if the Bloc Community has taken on a culture of its own - no developer gets left behind. 

I'm really excited and optimistic about this journey with Bloc and cannot wait to pay it forward. 

So far I'm a little over 1/3 of the way through the course at Bloc. I've been interested in technology, computers, and programming for a long time and when deciding on where I wanted to go for an education I came across Bloc. I decided on Bloc at first because of how many different ways they help, and they had a good history of students and success. After joining not only was that confirmed but even more than I expected! There is a very strong aura of support and an endless amount of resources to help anyone through the course. My mentor has been very helpful and I have found out many things I did not know before. Having weekly 1-on-1 meetings from someone actually in the industry definitely helps give perspective and knowledge required for getting a job. Finally, one thing I like about Bloc is that they stay modern and that what you learn is actually actively used in the industry, so that you're not learning outdated techniques and software.

Let me start by saying that I come from a science background (Bachelors of Science in Chemistry) and was interested in coding as a skill to help me expand my career options and to prepare me for a more tech oriented future job market. I originally started learning how to code on my own back in October 2016, but after months of trying to get myself motivated everyday after work (day job in the Oil and Gas industry) I realized I was not doing as much as I wanted. So I decided to get serious and look for a coding bootcamp that would give me the structure and motivation to start and finish coding projects. I looked at a lot of the conventional bootcamps that require full time attendance and realized that not only did they have high price tags but they also would force me to quit my day job and as a recent college grad with debt that was not an option. Thats when a friend recommended Bloc to me and I was immediately sold on the idea of one-on-one time with a mentor, a custom schedule, and on top of that the price was right! So I started my Bloc program in February 2017 and had an amazing experience all the way through. My mentor was amazing and super flexible with me. During my time with Bloc I traveled twice a month for work and my mentor was able to make it work for me. I learned so much and it was so much better than being on online forums scrolling through questions, I actually had someone there who I could ask and get a response within hours. Not only that but concepts in coding I didnt understand beforehand became crystal clear. I also liked that Bloc starts off slow but quickly picks up steam in terms of curriculum. Three weeks in and I was feeling very challenged by the Web Developer Track. I can't really speak to job support as my intention was just to gain a skill not to change careers, but I thought that at least during the program my mentor was very helpful in guiding me and helping me make choices about what I wanted to do. I am now 6 months out from Bloc and in that time I have gain recognition at my job for coding tools to make data analysis easier, completed freelance web development jobs for small business, and even learned C and Python. I think at the end of it all the real value of the Bloc Web Developer Track is that it gives you a foundation that you can easily build upon and take in any direction you choose to go.

I'm currently enrolled in Bloc's Design program and my experience has been great! My pursuit of Software Design represents a complete career switch, so I entered this program very green with a steep learning curve ahead. Bloc's been a great place to embark on this journey, as it offers straightforward material combined with access to both excellent resources and a strong support system. And my favorite component of the program is the mentorship, where you get 1-on-1 access to individuals from the design industry who bring their real-word experience and insights to the table. I'd recommend this program to anyone who's looking to pursue a career in Software in a way that fits within their busy lifestyles. 

After deciding that teaching was not my calling, I decided to get back into a hobby of mine- web development. I was into it when I was a teenager but felt as though it wasn't a feasible career path because it seemed too difficult/risky. After trying out a few other paths and being stuck in teaching, I decided to see if there would be a way to learn web development quickly and efficiently and change careers asap. I found Bloc after doing a web search for coding bootcamps and loved their website and the fact that they seemed to seek out/support women coders. After being in this course for a little over a month, I've learned HTML, CSS, Javascript and am about to start working on some projects to showcase my skills. The curriculum is easy to follow, and when you get stuck, there is always someone there to help you. Additionally, my mentor felt like a coding friend to me who I could ask anything and get help with whatever problem presented itself to me between meetings with her. I'm so happy I chose Bloc because I'm learning a lot at my own pace and still feel like I will be equipped for a job come this summer!

I love Bloc! I wish I had found Bloc months ago. I have wanted to become a Web Developer for many years but couldnt find a course that would allow me to continue to live my life (i.e. work a job like a responsble adult). Bloc has been awesome. It fits around my schedule so I can continue to work and volunteer my time. The coursework is not easy at all, in fact, at times it can be quite challenging which is what the work will be like so it gives you a reasonable expectation of the future. The best part by far is the support you receive from the mentors, the graders and the other students. No matter when you are working there is someone available to help you if you need it. Bloc is the best decision I have made in a long time. 

Bloc is the tour guide that Alice must have wished she had when she first jumped down the rabbit hole.

The world of software and web development is big and full of intimidating jargon. If you try to learn on your own like I did, you might spend a large majority of your time researching all the names of languages, tools, and companies that you don't actually ever end up making much progress because you get distracted by all the shiny articles that claim you must learn this thing and that thing and this thing and that thing... It's easy to get overwhelmed.

Bloc keeps you focused and productive.

They started me off with the fundamentals that I hadn't even thought to think about and research on my own. The things like the Command Line and GitHub, tools that are essential to working like a real professional. And then we moved through the basics of HTML, CSS, Javascript, jQuery, and then for me AngularJS but for new students React, then into the backend. They did the work of deciding how much knowledge is enough to be successful for now in each subject so that you know when to move on. Over time, the pieces start to fit together and all of the sudden you're building projects with your own backend in Rails and then you know how to call an external API, and all of the sudden words like "asynchronous" and "dependency injection" that once sounded like words from a scary horror movie of All the Things You Will Never Understand have become commonplace in your vocabulary. Then you have that Aha! moment, where you discover that after the initial handholding you've become independent and can create projects largely on your own.

When you decide that you want to be a software developer, your friends and family may or may not be the kinds of people that want to talk about the future of Bitcoin and what awesome browser extenstions and Atom plugins will change your life, and they may or may not understand what you're going through when you're contemplating dropping your laptop off a balcony and quitting professional life to go join the circus. Your mentor definitely will, and the Bloc Slack community too. You can still be your old self and and love all the people that were apart of old self's activities, but you gain new people along the way that can relate to what your new self is up to.

The Bloc team is constantly iterating on their curriculum and the structure of the program, which to me is a sign of a good program. They take the feedback from their students, analyze it, and implement changes. Recently, they've added group video calls where you can opt to listen in to a mentor talk about topics like debugging, the browser, the interview STAR method, and how to job search. And though I've yet to get to this part, it seems like their Career Services team is quite helpful. They're very active on Slack by posting new job opportunities, helping with interview questions, providing feedback on email responses, and sharing insight into what's common in the interview process. 

While you certainly have to put in the time and the effort in order to be successful (you are changing your entire life, after all), Bloc is the fast track to knowing how to do life as a developer. 

I've been a student at Bloc for 2 months now. I'm in the Design Track, part time. So far I feel like the course has been very well presented. The classes are structured logically and progress in difficulty. Since I've joined Bloc, they have made some improvements to their system, which I think is good, because it shows that they are striving to do better all the time. I have a mentor that I like and has been very helpful. They also have a Slack community with mentors on duty to answer any questions you might have while working on projects. This has been a very pleasant experience and I highly recommend the school!

I'd always wanted a career where I could utilize my creative talents. At first, I looked into becoming a software developer, as it's a career that doesn't require a college degree (which I don't have), and there seemed to be plenty of those online courses I could do, and not have to quit working at my full-time job. I chose Bloc because of their great ratings, mentorship program, and the successful results it produced with its graduates. To get more information on the program (and to make sure I really wanted to do this), I spoke with Susannah at Bloc. After learning more about my background and the career I wanted to transition into, Susannah recommended that I would be a great fit for the Design course at Bloc. And so, my design journey at Bloc began! Throughout the course, I developed the necessary skills I needed to become a successful UX Designer, under the guidance of a Senior UX/UI & Product Designer. I saw this mentorship as a valuable experience, a Design Apprenticeship, that college/university students didn't have in their curriculum, without having to go outside of their institution. I completed the Designer Track at their medium pace. On top of a full-time job, this was extremely challenging, but I REALLY wanted a career in design. So, I made temporary sacrifices (bye bye social life!) and dedicated myself to the course from January-October. There were many days where I showed up to work looking like I hadn't slept in months, but I knew at that time it'd eventually be worth it. I'm incredibly grateful to Bloc! I've made a successful career change into Design, something I truly love, and without having any prior design experience.  I've also landed my dream UX Design job! I highly recommend Boc's Design course to anyone wanting to make a career change.

Bloc's Design Track has been a wonderful program for me thus far. After working in the EdTech industry for over 3 years, and more directly, at Coding Bootcamps, I've seen the ups and downs of these Bootcamps overall. A lot of them are about the "numbers", and although may be well reveered, give little attention or personalization to each student. This is where Bloc shines. Even with the "flipped model" of education (pro tip: pretty much all Bootcamps operate this way) you can see how hard the staff works to give you every tool you need to succeed. The mentorship aspect is a really wonderful resource, because that 1:1 time is precious. Many other Bootcamps can only do this in group settings, which takes away from the individual.

I searched for a couple of years to find the right Design program for me, because quitting my job to attend a Full-Time, onsite program wasn't feasible... But I'm extremely glad that it happened this way. Even with the delay in starting my career, I'm thankful that I came across Bloc and am confident that my education is in great hands (me + Bloc's model!) Cheers.

First off, I attended a community college prior to Bloc for computer security and forensics. I only went for 1 year before deciding to look into Bloc. So far, the learning approach at Bloc blows the learning approach of a traditional college out of the water.

I love that I can go through the checkpoints at my own pace. If there's a day that I'm busy then I don't have to do any work but best of all in my opinion is that I can go ahead of the curriculum as far as I want. There's never a time that I don't have work to do which is great because the curriculum and learning style is fun.

My mentor is awesome and it's nice to meet with him twice per week. Throughout the week, I'll write down any questions that I have and I get to have them all answered by my mentor during those meetings. If it's a question that is preventing me from moving forward in the checkpoints,  I can shoot my mentor a message on Bloc and he always answers within hours.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with Bloc and have learned so much. I think I learned more in the first day at Bloc than I did in an entire year of college. I think that says a lot.