Chegg Skills Reviews
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Nicci Williams Verified via GitHubI would - and DO - recommend Thinkful to anyone who will listen
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I am a software engineer and recent graduate of Thinkful's full-time Engineering Immersion program. I had previous web development experience, but knew that I was falling behind in terms of my modern, relevant development skills. I'd tried books, online tuts, videos and Meetups. They were helpful, but none of them worked - for me - to get me to the next level. I'm not a twenty-something, so I really didn't think a coding bootcamp was an option for someone like me. I happened to find myself in a JavaScript Meetup - and that's when everything changed!
The Meetup was put on by Thinkful, which I'd never heard of, at the time. After talking to the Community Manager there, I decided it would be worth it to sign-up for their 2-week trial. As soon as I logged into their portal, I WAS SOLD!! The curriculum is challenging, but presented in a very managable way. It is also 100% relevant to what I am doing in my job as a software engineer. There are live Q&A sessions and workshops with experienced mentors almost around the clock (including weekends). Not to mention my designated mentors that I worked with daily, 1-on-1 throughout the entire program. We also had mock interviews after every module of the program to test our knowledge of the material and get us more comfortable with talking through the various technical questions and processes.
Speaking of the mentors, every single person I interacted with so supportive, so passionate and so committed to my success that I was constantly reassured that this huge investment was going to pay off. I "pair programmed" with other students in my cohort almost every day, so I got to know them pretty well and we got to draw energy from one another, which helped keep productivity high. I did have an issue with one mentor. He was making an effort, but I wasn't getting what I needed from his instruction. I took it up with my Program Manager, who immediately went to work finding me another mentor. The Capstone projects and GitHub repos that we produced were definitely looked at by potential employers, so the mentors and program managers reviewed my work and made me bring it up to a certain level before I could move on or graduate.
I was initially concerned about the 100% online format, but that concern was quickly put to rest. I never felt stuck, disconnected or alone. Between Slack and the live video sessions every day, I had all of the support and connection I wanted and needed - without ever being in traffic! But for the times I needed to be with real people, my city also offered in-person dinners, events and study sessions. So, I had the best of both worlds.
Finally, my dedicated Career Services mentor reviewed and advised me on my resume, LinkedIn profile, portfolio, salary negotiations, interview questions, provided emotional support...everything that I needed during my job search.
I cannot speak highly enough about my Thinkful experience! Again, it IS challenging but if you do the work and stay in communication with them; you will get everything you need out of the Thinkful staff and curriculum -- and, most importantly, you will get a dev job! About 6 months ago, I wasn't sure what I was going to do...and today, I'm living MY dream!
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Tiani Verified via LinkedIn
Thinkful Data Science Bootcamp from a Biologist POV
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My qualifications for this review: biology undergraduate education, no formal/previous background in coding at all, joined Thinkful's Data Science Bootcamp about a month and a half ago.
My program search and why I chose Thinkful: I knew others who had gone through this program and talked with them about their experiences, searched Course Report for what online bootcamps were popular, discussed my questions with Jessica (one of the Thinkful advisors), and spoke with others about their experiences in other programs. I would recommend any prospective students to ask A LOT of questions to people who are just a few steps ahead of you. But, it's ultimately your decision.
I chose Thinkful because I liked their track record of taking people with non-coding backgrounds and ensuring they did not just learn the material, but were also confident about their newfound skills, and their ability to apply them in concrete projects at multiple stages along their course. Thinkful also has great graduation rates and job placement records for past graduates. The mentors are highly qualified (ask any program your interested what qualifications all of their mentors need to have). Additionally, I liked all of the different payment plans and potential loans that the Thinkful program offers. Other programs were not as favorable on a month to month payment basis as Thinkful's is. I also liked the idea of being able to specialize in a certain data science focus after developing the basic skills. I had some doubts "how do I know I'm chosing the right one?" and other thoughts like that. But the mentors ensured me that they would work with me, give suggestions, and that I wasn't "locked in" to a specialization after I've chosen one. It might take more time to switch specializations, but the benefit of potentially learning a bit from two might even give me a uniqueness about my background that could be favorable on the job market. Additionally, I hear you get multiple mentors in Thinkful (one program manager, one mentor (who you meet with 2x/week 1:1), multiple Q&A leading mentors, etc..That's a lot of attention, which I think is so essential for an online program where you could just otherwise be a name on a course enrollment list.
Overall experience so far: I'm glad that I learned the basics of Python while I was working. In my downtime, I went through Codacademy's free Python modules and got about half way through before starting at Thinkful. That helped me have confidence that I could track with the coding logic for at least the beginning. This helped me go through the pre-course faster than otherwise because there aren't as many interactive lessons for those initial drills as there are in Codacademy. I was thankful for the instructions that told you not to spend more than 20-30 minutes on a CodeWars challenge. That brought a lot of relief to me because I knew it was ok to ask questions after trying a bit on my own. I recognize that my biology background has helped me understand the statistics, research proposal and sampling rationale curriculum so far, but the material is challenging and I get stuck at times on the challenges. Drew, my specific mentor, is superb. He has helped me on this journey and I look forward to what I'll learn as I continue.
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John-Alexander Hall Verified via LinkedIn
Thinkful Data Science Bootcamp
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After veering away from a career in web development, I was looking for a bootcamp program that taught me how to leverage python for data science. Thinkful's online model was great for me, as I was looking for a flexible curriculum that I could complete at my own pace and in the comfort of my own home. I also really enjoyed the idead of having a mentor that I could meet with 3 times a week and email as I saw fit. Going through difficult concepts with a mentor who has years of experience in the field made the process that much easier. Thinkful also has lots of learning opportunities throughout the week hosted by various mentors. This course curriculum was definitely the highlight of the program for me, providing a high-level, holisitic view of what can be done with the available data tools. This high-level view was augmented through conversations with my personal mentor, other students and other mentors.
One thing that did leave me slightly disappointed concerned the career services section of the course. I expected Thinkful to provide a list of hiring partners, but I think, due to my east coast location, it was slightly more difficult for them to do so. However, I adhered to their guidelines on how to approach the hiring process and things still ended up working out.
In summation, I really enjoyed my time with Thinkful. I learned a great deal about how to leverage the available tools for data science and it made me job ready.
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Matt Verified via GitHubDedicated and supportive mentorship and project-based curriculum make learning easy
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Thinkful provides a content-rich, supportive learning environment that is designed to help students flourish. I graduated from the full-stack flex program, and came away with the skills, confidence, and connections that would have taken me years to develop on my own.
This owes to the strength of Thinkful’s staff, curriculum, and student support.
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Staff: As a Thinkful student you are provided a wealth of dedicated people to help make sure you’re meeting your learning and career goals. Your mentor is your primary guide—in twice weekly one-on-one meetings, they’ll help you squash bugs, offer new explanations for tricky concepts, show you best practices, or just offer encouragement as your work through a difficult project.
You can also drop in on Q&A sessions that will let you ask questions live to an expert, or just eavesdrop on other people’s programming questions. Or check out the various Thinkful slack channels. There’s always someone around to help.
Your project manager is the connective tissue for your Thinkful experience. They’ll check in to make sure things are going well with your mentor, give you a heads up on events, help you set check points, and chase down answers to non-programming questions you have.
I don’t yet have experience with this, but you’ll also get a career mentor who will help you polish up your job materials. (I gave it 5 stars below because I'm required to put something there. I'll come back and edit this if something unexpected happens.)
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Curriculum: Before Thinkful, I checked out a number of other online resources. Thinkful’s curriculum is, far and away, the best I’ve seen for web development.
The writing quality is, generally, superb. Each section lays out key ideas plainly and with plenty of examples. And most of the units offer multiple, well thought out interactive coding exercises along the way.
I appreciated the focus that the curriculum offers. On my own, I tended to jump around from topic to topic, learning the same concepts over and over from different sources, or in slightly different ways. Thinkful’s curriculum makes sure you’re constantly learning something new, while reinforcing fundamental concepts.
Some of the later sections could use a re-organization. When I went through the course, the section on Node.js seemed to jump around a bit, offering high level overviews of JS Promises, and then not returning to do anything with them until much later, for example. The content was solid, it just came in a strange order.
The final unit on data structures and algorithms isn’t quite on the level of the other sections. Here you’ll find yourself going outside the curriculum (or bugging your mentor) to really gain an understanding of the ideas.
- Student support: Thinkful does a lot for its students and will find a way to make sure each student can fully leverage its resources. I found the mock interviews to be a really enriching experience, for example. When scheduling those, I was offered the calendar of over a dozen different interviewers, so I could pick the exact day and time that worked for me. When I wanted to switch mentors – just because I wanted to try out a different learning style – my PM listened to me, and made it happen within a day. The various people in the TF community have made sure to include me in all sorts of opportunities—from assisting with in-person instructional sections, to setting up career meetups, to just hosting hang outs.
Thinkful has been a truly rewarding experience for me, and I hope it can be the same for others. -
Staff: As a Thinkful student you are provided a wealth of dedicated people to help make sure you’re meeting your learning and career goals. Your mentor is your primary guide—in twice weekly one-on-one meetings, they’ll help you squash bugs, offer new explanations for tricky concepts, show you best practices, or just offer encouragement as your work through a difficult project.
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Anonymous Verified via GitHubBest Investment Made
Can't help but wish I had the opportunity sooner. Thinkful provides an incredibly deep and diverse, community experience that supports all of the students with becoming a developer. After shopping around amoungst the other 'bootcamp' styled programs, I decided on Thinkful for this exact reason.
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Kayla W. Verified via GitHubBest Career Decision I've Ever Made
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Warning: this is a long review. Skip to TL;DR if you don't care to read it all.
Attending Thinkful's Engineering Immersion program was definitely one of the best decisions I have made for my career. Everyone in the organization truly cares about your success. I was fortunate enough to have the support of my employer to make this career switch, but even if you make the leap on your own, Thinkful adequately prepares you to be EMPLOYABLE in less than 6 months. This review will be for the full time program.
TL;DR - The tech stack is top notch and relevant for what the market is looking for. You also learn soft skills that make you a great developer - perseverance, curiosity, patience, working on a team. The full time program is tough and you will doubt yourself over and over but if you stick with it and utilize the wealth of resources around you (mentors, TAs, slack channel, office hours), you WILL be successful and you WILL find a job.
THE PREP
You begin with 3-4 weeks of prep material to get you up to speed on HTML, CSS, git and Javascript. The prep course will give you base level knowledge so that you can pass the technical evaluation. It's self paced, but will have "milestones" that you need to complete to be ready to join the next cohort. A new cohort begins every 5 weeks. Therefore, there is no need to panic if you don't do well or feel like you need more time. You also have a prep course program manager and a mentor that you meet with 3 times a week during the prep course. Sidenote -- what other bootcamp gives you a mentor BEFORE the program actually begins?? Mentor support at Thinkful is truly remarkable.
THE TECHNICAL EVALUATION
Once you complete the prep course, you will schedule your technical evaluation that is held with one of Thinkful's mentors. Everyone does it differently but it essentially will gauge if you have a handle on the basic concepts to be ready for the rigor of the bootcamp. Be prepared to discuss concepts and do some basic coding challenges. Don't worry -- your program manager will give you a study guide. It won't be on anything that you did not cover in the prep course. After you pass the tech eval, you'll do another interview that's essentially a culture fit. They want to make sure you'll work well with other students. Pair programming is a central part of the full time program.
MODULE I: JAVASCRIPT FUNDAMENTALS
For me, the first two weeks of the program felt like getting hit by a truck. No lie. I knew it would be hard but it was super fast paced. We worked on a lot of exercises to get used to git then dove into object-oriented programming, jQuery and hitting APIs from the front-end. I think there was an API project sprinkled in there too. It's all a bit of a blur since we went quick.
MODULE II: SERVER - NODE, EXPRESS, MONGO, POSTGRES
After a relatively quick unit in Javascript, OOP and APIs, we moved along to server-side code. It seems like a lot of people struggle with this part of the curriculum simply because the backend isn't sexy. There's not really any instant feedback like there is on the client-side. Personally, I loved it since I have a data background. Anywhoo, after 5-ish weeks on the server, you'll do your first big capstone that should showcase your knowledge of RESTful APIs.
MODULE III: REACT, REDUX
Back on the front-end, you'll learn about React, the Javascript framework developed by Facebook and used by many companies (i.e. AirBnB). The market is HOT at the moment for developers with knowledge of React, so pay attention! (haha) In all seriousness, React is super fun. As someone who struggled a bit with jQuery, it was cool to work with a framework that gives you instance feedback without manually reloading the page. You also will dive into Redux, which is a library that manages your application's state.
Thinkful does a great job at introducing you to tools that modern Engineering teams use to manage large codebases (you MUST maintain the state of your application SOMEWHERE or there will be CHAOS! ^_^)
After about 4 weeks learning React and Redux, you'll be paired with someone to do a Full Stack Capstone, marrying what you learned about Node.
MODULE IV: DESIGN WEEK
Chill, fun week that gives you a bit of a "break." You learn about design concepts like typography, layout, and color schemes. Here, you'll get a start on your portfolio and receive feedback.
MODULE V: COMPUTER SCIENCE FUNDAMENTALS
The last type of formal instruction that you get as an EI student is a crash course in computer science fundamentals -- they fit Data Structures (i.e. Arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues) and algorithms (sorting, searching etc.) into about 2 weeks of material. It's A LOT. But don't panic. This stuff is hard and they want to prepare you for the inevitable white-boarding interview that you may encounter during the job search. It's important to be able to intelligently talk about WHY you solved a technical problem a certain way and what the performance benefits and/or limitations are (Big O notation). Though many companies are shying away from the traditional white-boarding interview, you still need to be prepared to talk about technical concepts. You'll be able to practice during this part of the course with mock interviews (sidenote: there are mock interviews throughout the duration bootcamp but this one is supposed to be more challenging of them all).
You'll have another capstone centered around algorithms at the end of this unit. This one was probably my favorite because of how much it made my brain hurt (ha). Struggle ====== GROWTH.
MODULE VI: FLEX WEEK
Pick a technology and you have a week to learn about it. Don't pick a low-level language like C -- there simply isn't enough time. Most students do a different front-end framework like Angular, React Native or Vue. The goal of flex week is to figure out how best you can learn new technologies on your own. That is honestly 80% of the job as a developer. Speaking as someone who has only been working professionally as a developer for two months -- i've had to learn so many new concepts in a short period of time. However, it's no longer daunting because Thinkful floods you with information until you figure out what works for you (everyone is different).
MODULE VII: FINAL CAPSTONE, CAREER SERVICES
After flex week you'll be working on a larger team (about 3-5 of your classmates) to do you final capstone! This is a 3 week project where you'll get a taste of what it's like to work on a real development team. You'll no longer have your instructors or mentors to hold your hand. You're mostly on your own except for your team lead that is a Thinkful mentor and he or she will just make sure your team is on the right track. This project should be impressive (you have 3 weeks!) and you'll each have some sort of role -- Project Manager, design lead etc. etc. It's hard work and almost identical to what you'll experience as a professional.
After that, you take a week to finalize your portfolio and submit it for feedback, after which CONGRATS, you've graduated. I was lucky enough to have a job before I graduated, so I can't speak about career services other than they make sure to get you ready to apply for jobs. They guarantee that you'll find a job or you get your money back -- that's how confident they are.
IN CONCLUSION
Making the leap over to the tech community is the best decision I could have ever made for my career and I'm truly grateful that I was able to attend Thinkful. Not only have I forged awesome relationships (the Thinkful communities in D.C./LA/NYC/ATL are very active!), I now have skills that nobody can take away from me.
Good luck! -
Tom Lam Verified via LinkedIn
One of the best life decisions I have made
The mentors in the program have a lot of experience and knowledge to pass on. I feel I have learned more in these 3 months of taking the program so far than I have ever learned in my life. There are certain times where you can find yourself stuck due to the difficulty of the material but your mentor will always be there to help you get out of that hole.
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Peter Benvenuto Verified via GitHubBest decision I ever made
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Honestly the educational experience with Thinkful has been amazing. I'm close to finishing the course and I never thought I could be this comfortable after a regular bootcamp. I was actually supposed ot go to a 9 week immersive bootcamp here in Toronto, but 9 weeks feels too quick and I decided to choose Thinkful because you get 6 months ot learn concepts that are foreign to beginners. I have very little previous knowledge havign completed a prep course for another bootcamp. The curriculum forces you to do research to figure problems out on your own because that's how you learn. My advice for anyone joining is the course materials are there to guide you into finding a solution, do yoru own research online, and in the Slack community it really helps you undertsand what you're doing.
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Shannon Callahan Verified via LinkedIn
Different kind of bootcamp
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I guess being as the first deaf student within this bootcamp. My first impression was their resources and expectations. Even if there were some bumps along the way, but they were more willing to figure out the solution. My progress with this bootcamp is at the hard place right now, but there is plentiful support from peers, mentors, and teachers. I could not imagine myself doing some self-taught without any support. I would recommend you to check this out and give it a try.
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Timothy Verified via GitHubThe bootcamp I've been looking for!
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I am currently in the midst of the full stack flex program at Thinkful. While I had tried learning on my own through the many websites that are available to learn web development I always felt something was missing. That is until I found Thinkful and it's 1 on 1 mentor sessions it has greatly improved my understanding of web development and I can not stress how useful it is to get instant feedback and help that my mentors have provided for me so far. They ask me questions to make sure I understand the material as well which I feel has really helped to squash the dreaded 'imposter syndrome' because they give me the opportunity to show to myself that I know what I am talking about. On top of that, the projects that are giving are fairly open-ended allowing you to be creative with only guided lessons to help you take a project from the planning stage to completed app. On top of all that each lesson is ended with a mock interview which not only helps get rid of 'imposter syndrome' but also helps to get me ready for the real interviews to come. While I am only in the middle of the material right now I feel extremely confident that after I graduate I will be able to get a job as a web developer thanks to Thinkful.
ps. Job Support is listed n/a only because I haven't utilized it at this time.
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Sreyas Verified via GitHubFrom beginner to an expert
Pros: Great community where you can post your questions when you are stuck while learning and you get response quickly
Good learning content
Coding challenge helps to understand the concepts better
Mock interview prepares you for the real world
Cons:
Overpriced
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Ari Simon Verified via GitHubThe Best, Most Flexible Boot Camp Out There!
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I love this boot camp. I was a bit tentative in deciding whether or not to do this boot camp due to the fact that I was already employed full-time. The prospect of having 25-30+ hours a week of coding on top of my already busy schedule was something that I had to get used to but when it comes down to it, I haven't regretted my decision one bit.
There is no doubt that the material is difficult and having to manage my time has been something I have struggled with. The curriculum itself is awesome (though hard!) and the drills and projects I have done so far have provided me with a great base to build upon as I continue through the course. I really feel that when I finish, I will have the knowledge and skills to pursue a career in web development.
More than anything, I cannot be more grateful for the support that I have found in the Thinkful community. From my mentor who has gone out of her way no matter the hour to help me with bugs and broken code to the Slack community of other mentors/developers/students who are always available to answer my questions or give me feedback when it's most needed.
For anyone that is looking for a great program that is flexible but challenging, look no further!
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Nathan Garrett Verified via LinkedIn
Overall Fantastic Experience
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Thinkful has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I've done a lot of challenging things so far at the age of 25, i've owned 2 businesses, am a marine corps veteran, and now graduate of Thinkful and found my way into the tech industry working professionally now. I started full stack immersive class at the end of September and graduated mid-february. The cirriculum is very thorough and constantly updated making you the most modern dev when you go into interviews. The languages/frameworks the other applicants are talking about trying to learn, you already know in depth from Thinkful. The 2 best things about Thinkful though I have to say, is the mentors, program managers and the people you are surrounded by on a daily basis and the fact that you not only learn to be a modern full stack web developer, but you always learn HOW TO learn which was huge for me. Tech is constantly changing and I wanted the ability to be able to learn, grow, and adapt to this changing field and Thinkful helped me do that by teaching me how to learn and pick up new languages, frameworks, etc. I will end this review by making one last, important statement... only join this course if you intend to give your 120% all day every day. If you don't put in maximum effort, you won't get maxiumum return. As well as hindering the experience for your fellow classmates which isn't fair to them either. I never ran into this issue at all and still regularly communicate with my fellow cohort, but it's important for you all to work hard and never give up on yourself or each other. In the full stack immersive you'll feel like you're living with these people with 6 months and grow fantastic relationships with them along the way.
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Hadas Ben-Tsur Verified via LinkedIn
Independent Study with Plenty of Support
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I'm currently attending the online Full Stack Flex program with Thinkful. I participated in another in-person bootcamp elsewhere and found it really lacking as concepts weren't explained thoroughly and instructors/staff weren't around often enough to help me through tough assignments. So I found Thinkful through Course Report!
At Thinkful the course curriculum is so thorough that I'm able to tackle a good 70% of it on my own. They provide so many additional resources if you want to dig deeper or if you need help understanding a concept. Besides the fantastic material, there are also many Q+A sessions throughout the day. If I'm ever stuck on a problem for more than an hour I hop into a Q+A session and am guided in the right direction. I've been in many of these sessions and interacted with many of the instructors and each one helps put me on the right track without handing me the answer or making me feel stupid for not knowing something. I also have an incredible mentor I meet with twice a week on a video chat where we go over my homework and any questions I have.
There's also a strong focus on job eligibility between mock interviews that are part of your course requirements, career Q+A sessions offered several times a week, and the capstone projects that are great additions to a portfolio.
I'm so grateful to have found Thinkful through Course Report! I find myself facing mental challenges I never experienced before yet it's all good because the Thinkful structure and team is encouraging through every step.
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Matt Palumbo Verified via LinkedIn
Great Course Material, Great People
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I signed up for the Flexible Full Stack JavaScript course. I found the material to be extremely relevant in terms of the job market and incredibly thorough. I ventured out many times to find other takes on the concepts they were teaching especially in regards to the Computer Science material and every single time I found that their code was the cleanest, most concise, and most elegant. They updated the material very regularly which impressed me. You work with mentors 3x / week via Slack or some other vid chat for an hour at a time. I worked with 2, they were both very seasoned and knowledgable programmers and web developers. The last one I worked with was working for a startup in the Netherlands before he came back to the states to work for Nike (he knew his stuff). The program director I worked with (Derek Forge) was an awesome and amazing guy (also extremely seasoned developer) and was always eager to help and available to chat. My career coach Jen worked with me weekly. She really helped me put out a professional resume and had great advice to help get me a job. Overall I was extremley happy with my experience there. I really their curriculum is top notch.
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Lindsey Verified via LinkedIn
Highly Recommended For Career Advancement Or Career Change
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My overall experience as a Thinkful student was incredibly positive. I originally started with Thinkful in their Full Time Web Development program. The instructors for the full time program are very knowledgable and take the time to focus on each team's projects and progress throughout the course. There is also a TA assigned to each cohort who is available to help outside of designated daily class hours.
After completing the 3-week prep course and about 2 weeks of the full time schedule, I switched over to the Flexible Web Development program. I was able to stay with the same mentor who I initially started with and still had access to all of the great resources that Thinkful provides, like QA sessions, Workshops, a designated Program Manager, and multiple Slack channels connecting me with fellow Thinkful students.
The curriculum that Thinkful lays out for each section provides a great foundation for full stack web development. Before Thinkful, I taught myself HTML, CSS, and some basic JavaScript. I drastically increased my programming skills and understanding over the past six months, learning both front- and backend JS frameworks and libraries.A couple of aspects that really set Thinkful apart from other bootcamps are their individualized care for each student and their one-on-one mentor program. Having the opportunity to speak to a professional programmer 3 times a week was invaluable. My mentor helped me make sense of concepts I struggled with and guided me back on track when I was working through the curriculum and 3 capstone projects. Each student at Thinkful is also paired with their own Program Manager who helps you with any concerns you might have about your progress or to just check in to see how things are going with you.
If you're weighing your coding bootcamp options and you are looking for a program that has fine-tuned (and continuously improves) the online bootcamp experience, seriously consider going with Thinkful. I don't think I could have achieved such success and have been able to change careers if it had not been for Thinkful.
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Jason Verified via LinkedIn
Excellent Course!
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I'm a professional educator, and I know that learning in this model, with self-directed projects alongside a mentor, is the most effective way to learn.The course material is well organized, appropriate, and challenging, and the mentor sessions are invaluable. I love the flexibility in the Full Stack Flex program. I coded 15 years ago in Java, and now need to go back to some basics to get back up to web dev speed, and I appreciate the combination of basics and advanced concepts as well as the ability for me to speed up or slow down as needed. I recommend Thinkful's Flex program for anyone that wants to learn the most up-to-date web development with the most flexibility.
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Bryan Corder Verified via LinkedIn
Great Course
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Coming from a business background with only cursory knowledge of Python and Statistics, I probably have to work harder and longer than everyone else, but found my mentor supportive in guiding me through the curriculum and pointing me in the right direction so I didn't waste too much time going on tangents. There are a number of bootcamps popping up in person and online, and I haven't tried them so I can't do a direct comparison, but Thinkful's emphasis (compared to the curriculum of others) on putting together real projects drew me to the course, and I believe my Capstones will demonstrate my capabilities to potential employers. The capstones will get me in the door and the intensive mock interviews will get me the job. It's well worth the investment. -
Brittany Renz-Lopez Verified via GitHubExcellent Experience
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Before finding Thinkful I was lost, uncertain of what I would make of my future. I had drive but I did not know where to apply it or what my prospects were of achieving purpose or success in any of the options that were put before me career-wise. I have since found that guidance in Thinkful via my wonderful mentor (shoutout to Aaron) and the excellent support system that makes up the rest of the community. The curriculum and resources are very thorough and the staff is very accommodating. I have found great benefit from the program as a whole so far and would recommend it to anyone seeking a career in web development or feeling lost as I once was.
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Tyler Verified via LinkedIn
Thinkful Flexible Web Development Boot Camp
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So far I am about a month and a half into Thinkful's flexible web development boot camp. I am just finished my first big project and I am finishing up the introductory section. I have had a great experience with Thinkful so far. When you have a question that needs to be answered quickly you can go to the Slack community where there are mentors that will answer your question very fast. If you have a more in-depth question there are Q & A sessions going on all day long on various topics that you can jump into via video chat to get your question answered. Finally, you have 3, hour-long sessions with your mentor each week to go over what you are learning. The mentor meetings are extremely valuable. My mentor has helped to clear up topics that I have been confused about.
I can't give an accurate rating of the job support as I haven't reached that point in the course yet. Although, if it is anything like the support I have received so far then I know I won't be disappointed. If you are thinking about joining Thinkful and want to talk to a current student, feel free to email me at strtzy91@gmail.com.
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Donald Dobbin Verified via LinkedIn
Best Decision
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Applying to Thinkful was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I completed the full-time fullstack JavaScript course in August 2017. It was a huge time commitment, but I was lucky enough to be able to give the course 100% attention. I probably put a minimum of 40 hours a week for the entire length of the course. If you put in the time and work, and have a passion for becoming a developer, this is definitely the place for you.
The teachers were great, the mentor system was amazing, and the Thinkful network is absolutely incredible. If I ever needed help or advice on something, I would be able to reach out to someone and get an answer or pointed in the right direction in a timely manner. I would say the thing that I was most impressed with was the effort so many people put in during the job search. I would get slack messages a few times a week with job postings that fit what I was looking for. One of those slack messages ended up being the job I accepted! I hit a bit of a snag during my job search and my career coach revamped my resume and I believe it really helped me finding my eventual job.
Expect to learn a ton of new stuff, really really quickly. It can get overwhelming but all you have to do is keep moving forward. Let people know if you're not understanding the material, the last thing you want to do is fall behind. Everything will come together in the end, you just have to work hard every day for the enitre length of the course.
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Stacer Verified via LinkedIn
Great Prep Experience
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Pros:
I was looking into online courses for data science for two reasons: No.1 I didn't have any actual programming experience and this is becoming a very trendy direction to catch on. Maybe not for new jobs or career shift, I wanted to learn new stuff always. No.2 I do want to know if changing career after three years full time with science background would be a great option for me.
I found Thinkful on Meetup and I signed up for free course and info session in downtown Atlanta, GA. I found I was sitll intereted in the course so that I signed up prep course which helped me to get some shadows on data science, especially to know a little about python and the toolkit.
My mentor Hallie, who walked me through a lot during our chat sessions. Three time a week was a little too much for me as I was doing part time jobs while looking for new jobs. After four weeks I finished my tiny capstone in which I truly learned a lot as a beginner. I already shared and referred 10 friends to Thinkful. In the mean time I found a great new job then I will be more confident to enroll to the bootcamp.
If you are a zero background beginner like me, the prep course is a real trail for you to know if you are a good fit. Without this, I wouldn't have known a lot of people out there keep learning new things and you will have chances to connect with your mentor and expand your network as well.
Since I don't need it to find a job but surprisingly I will need python in the new job and I just learned it a bit earlier.
Cons: (Not cons exactly)
You do need to invest a LOT of time and energy before stepping into the bootcamp while doing your full-time job.
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A.L. Verified via LinkedIn
Great for working professional
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I picked Thinkful because I didn't want to quit my day job.. and it turned out to be a great choice!
Your experience with the program will very much depend on the quality of your mentor. You are expected to have three 1-on-1 meetings per week, for 1 hour each. The best use of the time is to make sure you establish goals with the curriculum, then come to the meeting with questions. Aside from the curriculum, you can ask your mentor about the industry or CS theories.
After graduation, you are matched with a career coach to help with your resume, LinkedIn, cover letter,etc etc... and to help you stay on track with the requirements for the money back graduante. Like your mentor, the career coach is very helpful and friendly with advices. Thinkful will try to introduce you to 3 companies.. but I didn't need this service so I can't comment much on it. I found a Web Developer job with a good company within 2 months after graduation (4 months in total as I started job searching before graduation as well).
The Thinkful community is also very good. I had an alumni reaching out to me to offer helps if needed. I also reached out to an alumni when I noticed he work at a company I was applying for, and he didn't mind giving me an introduction.
Overall, I would recommend this to my friends or others who are serious about a career change.
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Simran Gill Verified via LinkedIn
My Experience with the full-time program
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My experience with Thinkful has been great. The skills and technologies that i picked up these past months have really helped me understand complex libraries and frameworks. My honest adivse to anyone thinking of taking Thinkful or any other bootcamp would be that, you have to make it a habit to f**king code day and night. It is the only way to stand out once you come out of one. Another thing I really liked about Thinkful is that even now that i have a job, i can pop into their Q/A sessions and ask questions about things that still may be new to me. As for their staff, they are all really nice and considerate. They really do try their best to help you stand on your feet as a developer, so hats off the to staff.
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William Huang Verified via LinkedIn
An excellent career transition opportunity
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I came into Thinkful's program with zero prior programming knowledge. I used their prep course as an opportunity to figure out whether I'd like programming, and then completed the full-time full-stack program. I started my job as a web developer last week - it took a total of ~3 months for me to get a good offer. The TL;DR is that I had an excellent experience with Thinkful and would recommend it to anyone.
Thinkful is a remote-only program, which I thought might be problematic at first but didn't turn out to be much of a problem. The curriculum is constantly being iterated on, and - in my opinion - reflects a lot of thought about how to learn effectively (pair programming, a focus on creating projects, etc.) I think it covers all of the important building blocks for developers and prepares you on the relevant areas of knowledge for developers (e.g., common Git/Github practices). In terms of mentorship and resources, it's quite clear that Thinkful provides as much additional help as you want - "help" being one-on-one time with developers that have been in the industry, teaching you how they'd do something.
The curriculum uses JavaScript (through Node.js) on the back-end as well, which I think is a bit of a trade-off - it is much easier to handle learning just one language, but I saw few companies that use Node. I don't think this is a major issue - you can advertise your general knowledge of back-end, and typically I don't think companies hire junior developers with the thinking that they need to know the specific server-side technology already. I'm also not sure if there are any bootcamps that offer a significant improvement in this regard.
I am really happy with the position I have now, but it did take longer than I would've liked to get a position. Some of that was probably some bad luck, and I was happy with the career support Thinkful provided. The career services group knows what they're doing - I came out with what seemed like every box ticked off (a portfolio of projects, a tuned resume, a presence on LInkedIn and Angellist). Thinkful also provides you invaluable access to a career coach for weekly sessions, and continues to give you access to mentors if you want to polish up the coding side.
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Alex Verified via GitHubRewarding and Profitable Experience
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I was accepted in the Nov '16 cohort that finished this past March '17. Prior to Thinkful, my coding experience was negligible, though I had a good deal of advanced math. Four months after completion I received a job offer as a front-end developer and successfully made career shift from a previously non-technical role.
In short, the staff and instructors were lovely people who knew their stuff. Thinkful's dedication to their student's success was clear. I loved the individualized mentor relationship. This is a person who not only helps you with day to day issues, but also with longer term goals, strategies, and struggles.
Special shout out to manager Theresa, instructor Ben, TAs Alex and Sidharth, and my mentors Jason and Jennifer.
Regarding the online experience, Thinkful did a great job overcoming the difficulties inherent in online education. 98% of the time, everything wen smoothly. The majority of the curriculum was great, with the rare exception of 4 or 5 days out of 4 months where my partners and I would lose confidence in the lesson plan and abandoned it for some self-study alternative. However, Thinkful seems very open to feedback and I've since learned that Thinkful has reworked some of the lesson days.
In total, I'm grateful of my Thinkful experience and highly recommend them. -
Ben Altieri Verified via GitHubThinkful will make a professional developer out of you
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I have been a student at Thinkful for a little over a year in the Python Programming course. I am 50 years old, married with a couple of kids. I also have a demanding job in IT at a company in the Boston area. I highly recommend Thinkful because of the immersion that is difficult to reproduce any other way. The immersion consists of a dedicated mentor who will colllaborate with you as you learn how code and how to properly communicate with others on your programming projects using tools such as Github and TravisCI. In the process, I learned skills and vocabulary have become second nature. As a Thinkful student, you will not only learn how to code, but also how to speak the language which is an invalubale skill required to land coding jobs as a freelancer or a full time developer. The assignments can seem daunting at first, but the Thinkful mentors I worked with helped me get over that initial fear of what I didn't know when I started the course. Even though I had a hectic schedule, I did manage to finish the Thinkful Python Programming course. Sign up and make the commitment and you will be surprised how much you can learn and develop your skills. Learning never stops. It is a life long process. Thinkful is like vitimins for your professional growth.
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Derek D. Verified via GitHubVery much enjoying my experience
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I am currently still working with Thinkful after the phase I introduction phase and this has been the best experience to date to learn programming.
I have tried other programs to learn the same material but for some reason the way Thinkful teaches just sticks with me the best. The combination of reading and applying that knowledge I find to be the best way to progress effectively.
Have the one on one mentor time I think is one of the best parts about this program. As an introvert, I struggle in larger class settings but having one person to talk to about what I am working on works for me very well. I find that am able to ask all the questions I may have been hesitant in a classroom setting and thus I am moving forward to ideally become a software engineer.
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Tanner Gill Verified via LinkedIn
From Barista to Developer
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4 months ago I was working behind the bar one of my favorite places to be, my place of work, a hip and trendy coffee shop in the Downtown area of San Diego. I've often considered school to study computer programming, but more often than not the idea seem unachievable. In my area there are many developers, often filtering in and out my store, sparking my interest yet again in web development. Through them I learned of FreeCodeCamp.com which rapidly became my second favorite place to be as I began learning the basics of HTML/CSS. After spending a few hours every evening working on fun little projects for my photography friends and I, I decided to take it more seriously, I just didn't know how. After expressing my interest and enthusiasm with the before mentioned developers filtering in and out of my shop, I learned about the concept of a boot camp. Having experience with unconventional forms of learning, having been home schooled most of my life, the idea intrigued me, and I started entertaining the idea by researching programs in my area. After touring a place or two, having a few discussions with friends of mine (one of which an employee of GitHub), I kept hearing about Thinkful, the online alternative.
Thinkful's course covers fullstack JavaScript development. They focus on the idea of project based learning all the while being taught by personable instructors and guided by a mentor assigned to you in the beginning of the camp. Through the instructors I learned new concepts, through my fellow students I learned how to "speak code" and work with other developers, and through my mentor I learned new ideologies for troubleshooting issues, new resources for learning, exciting new technologies, and recieved help on my personal projects.
Two weeks before graduating the program I was recommended by my program manager to a company out of San Francisco who was in the market for a Junior Developer, and got the job. I am now no longer working behind the bar at that hip and trendy coffee shop, instead i'm working infront of it in the tables I once served. The transition from barista to developer has been a wild one, but I couldn't recommend it enough.
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Jamie Wang Verified via LinkedIn
Excellent experience
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If anyone is looking for a professional, supportive, and effective coding bootcamp, particularly in the DC area, Thinkful is the best place! I came here on a complete career switch and wanted not only a school with a robust curriculum but also one that could provide me with effective career services and local networking opportunities. Thinkful's staff delivered on both of these and more. I had zero technical background or experience and managed to get hired before graduation thanks to Thinkful's help and encouragement on my portfolio, resume, and project management. Definitely a lot of hard work but totally worth it!
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Thomas Kastanek Verified via LinkedIn
Industry-Leading Curriculum
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In short: I had an extremely positive experience with Thinkful's Full-Time Web Development program and would highly recommend it to others. Thinkful is still a fairly young company and it does show--some of their material is not as polished as you'll see at more established companies like GA. However, it also means that they are much more flexible with the curriculum (which is a good thing).
When I went through the program they had just switched to full JavaScript front and back-end. While they do offer resources for learning Python and, I think, Ruby/Rails as well, I felt that the all JavaScript approach was excellent. The market is definitely moving in that direction and I was able to land a full-stack Software Engineering role before finishing the bootcamp and was able to dive into the code base and contribute production code very quickly thanks to what I had learned at Thinkful.You'll have to make the decision whether the all-remote approach is right for you and, of course, you'll get out of the experience only what you're willing to put into it. But I found the support to be excellent and the all JavaScript approach is, IMO, the correct one.
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Shay Kennedy Verified via LinkedIn
My Thoughts
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Short Story:
Overall, I had a positive experience at Thinkful. I was in the 3rd cohort for the Full Time Full Stack program. I graduated in November 2016 and started a job on February 6th, 2017 as a Software Developer. I love my job and the company I work for and consider entering a bootcamp and getting into this career as the best professional decision I’ve made. I learned a ton while at Thinkful that directly contributed to me getting hired, specifically my React/Redux skills/experience.
Longer Story:
Like I mentioned earlier, my experience at Thinkful was very positive. There were a few things I didn’t necessarily agree with, but they collected feedback and you could tell were making efforts to improve their program (based on feedback) as we were going through. Since I’ve graduated, I’m sure a lot has changed and their program is even better. I learned a lot while I was there and it was very hard work, so expect to put in your best effort if you want to maximize the return on your time – this would likely hold true to any bootcamp. I thoroughly enjoyed what I was learning and put in many hours outside of the scheduled time. There were certainly times when it was frustrating because things just didn’t make sense, but once it started to click, it was amazing!
I specifically choose Thinkful for a few reasons. I was looking for an online program due to my geographical area (Phoenix, AZ) and the limited in-person options at that time. So, I wanted a bootcamp that specialized in online education, which I felt like Thinkful checked that box. I also wanted a program that was longer than the traditional programs. A lot of the bootcamps I saw were between 9 – 12 weeks and I just didn’t really feel like that was long. So, I was looking for something a bit longer, but not too long due to time constraints for myself and needing to get a job. (The longer you can spend learning, the better off you will be. To most of us, this stuff doesn’t come easy, especially in the beginning.) At the time, I think the Thinkful program ran 16 weeks, which I felt was much better than 12 weeks. Finally, I wanted a program that had a lot of resources. Thinkful had many resources, including: instructors, TAs, mentors, program managers, training sessions, open Q&A sessions, lectures, career advisors, and a lot more. I really think the amount of resources is one of the things that sets Thinkful apart from others and makes them a great program.
My Advice:
This advice applies to learning to become a developer and selecting a program in general and is not specific to Thinkful. From a cost perspective, there are a variety of options out there, some even free. So, depending on your situation, take into consideration what options would work best for you and make sure you understand what you are getting for your money. I am a believer in investing in yourself, but that’s just my opinion and you should do what’s best for you. When looking at different bootcamps, don’t be afraid to ask questions, even the tough questions. If they won’t give you answers, they probably aren’t worth your time (or money). This is a big investment in your time (and money), so you want to make sure everything is clear before you sign up for anything. After you do select a program, don’t hesitate to ask questions or raise concerns. In my opinion, a good program is one that would welcome feedback and the chance to make improvements that will be beneficial to their students. LASTLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, once you start a program, work hard! Like really hard! It is not an easy journey and it shouldn’t be. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent person, and it was very difficult for me. But I put in my best effort and it paid off, big time! Put in the extra hours, ask questions, ask for help, and try to help others (trust me, you’ll help yourself doing this). You don’t want to finish a program and look back with regrets on not trying harder. Like I said earlier, this is a big investment in your time (and possibly money), so maximize that investment the best you can.
Feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions and I’ll do my best to respond. You can find me on LinkedIn.
Shay Kennedy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaykennedy/
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John Knotts Verified via LinkedIn
Thinkful's Flexible Web Development Bootcamp is just right!
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I’m about halfway through Thinkful’s Flexible Web Development Program and I’ve been really happy with it so far. After years of dabbling with tutorials and other programs, I think that Thinkful is finally the perfect fit.
The Node/Express/React curriculum is current and is exactly what I was looking for. The flexible schedule is still challenging enough to keep you moving forward, but also allows room for the important things in your life.
But the key for me has been having 3 mentor sessions a week. At every step of the way I have a knowledgable, experienced developer that can look at my code and let me know if I’m doing it “the right way” or there are some things to change or improve upon. I was always able to get through lessons in other programs, but I still never knew if what I was doing was really applicable in the real world. Now I know!
And all of this at about half the price of a traditional bootcamp!
It’s great to finally feel like I’m on the right track to a career as a software developer.
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Cameron Verified via GitHubMY Experience with Thinkful's Flexible Bootcamp
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Thinkful has an amazing program. I chose to enroll in Thinkful's Flexible Web-Development Bootcamp after trying to learn web development on my own for about a year. I was at the point where I wanted some mentorship or guidance on the decisions I was making since my projects were becoming more complicated. I strongly feel that Thinkful was the best choice. I say that based on an analysis of Thinkful's program of instruction based on the three components that make their program what it is; the people, the curriculum and how they are managed in the process of education. Thinkful does a phenomenal job in all three areas.
From an administrative perspective Thinkful has always been prompt and accurate with billing and any questions that I have had. They offer a veteran’s discount which I appreciated. The people on the staff are all professional and are located globally; so there is flexibility in scheduling your mentoring sessions. I have worked with two mentors because I had a scheduling conflict with the first. The change was smooth and I did not lose any momentum in my education.
The curriculum at Thinkful is focused on the Node stack and Javascript web development. That should probably be your first consideration in choosing a school, do you want to learn their technology? If you decide on Node you won't find any better school than Thinkful. I have seen the curriculum at another coding school and Thinkful's is far superior; the other school did nothing to explain the utility of Ruby's gem system and left a lot of the programming decisions to the "black box" of Rails. Thinkful walks through the components used at length. Both in developing a CSS grid system and in the introduction to testing Thinkful's curriculum unpacked what was going on so that the final functionality was clearly understood based on how it was built. I believe that it is better to understand than rely on a "black box" from your framework's package system, but that is only my opinion.
In the execution of the program the Thinkful team has been stellar as well; they really do function as an integrated team. Due to travel I had to suspend my program a week and that was executed smoothly, so basic administrative functions are solid in this regard. The sessions with my Mentors have always been professional and productive; they have been both attentive to my questions and able to guide the process. As part of the education I have held three mock-interviews with other members of the staff, two where I had to perform coding demonstrations. This was new to me and real value added, because it was hard, and something I could not have done on my own. The evaluators were thorough and professional and demonstrated the high caliber of the Thinkful Team. I have several interviews left in the program and I am confident that the future members of the staff that I interact with will be of equally high caliber.
Coding bootcamps are expensive but it is my opionion Thinkful is well worth the money. That said you don't get handed anything, you have to work for it; Thinkful provides a comprehensive program that guides you along by focusing on the most important tasks needed to become competent in web-development using the Node stack. I highly recommend the school.
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DZ Verified via GitHubGreat program, helpful people
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I graduated in April and got a job in June, it is great program, definatly worth to check it out! Stephanie is my career coach manager, she is very helpful and responsive. Once you enroll into the program, you get access to the slack channel, you can look for help there, also Q&A session is my faviorite thing, even when you done with the program you still get access to it, Kyle is a great mentor, very knowledgebale and nice.
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Ria Camrin Verified via GitHubAlmost graduating... here is my experience so far
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Why I Chose Thinkful
I am a Product Designer working mostly on web products. I am also self-taught front-end dev. I watched tens of hours of tutorials, went to meetups and conferences and got to the point where I could comfortably turn my designs into HTML mockups. I found it very difficult to progress from here into programming. I tried learning JS frameworks myself but had difficulty finding help and understanding best practices and so on.
I was looking for a bootcamp that would provide:
- guidance on how to approach switching to a full-stack development,
- active student community,
- and most importantly, lots of 1:1 time with a mentor.
I compared a few programs and then I had a chance to join Thinkful's online community for a bit to explore and talk to a few people. I really liked the community I found there and all the Q/A sessions going on, so I decided to give it a shot.
Curriculum
I thought the curriculum was very modern, very challenging with a lot of great content. I supplemented my learning with additional resources like Egghead and FrontendMasters, but I thought it was a perfect roadmap of concepts and techniques I needed to master.
Mentor
My mentor is by far the best part of the program. I have a tremendous respect for him. He is extremely knowledgeable, but also kind and patient. I have three hours a week of face-to-face time with him, but we also Slack on a regular basis if I am stuck and need help.
Community
I don't know how many students are taking the program simultaneously, but it always seems busy in Slack. Moreover, there are Q/A sessions available every day with other mentors over a video chat. To me personally, it was very very helpful to have a community of folks I can talk to and learn from.
Carrer Support
There are five interview practice sessions. They are hard, mentors are rigorous, just like a real interview.
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Andy Amaya Verified via GitHubFlexible Web Development
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I've been at Thinkful for about 3 months now. There are three very valuable features about Thinkful to me: 1.) Flexibility 2.) One on One Mentoring 3.) Soft Skills development.
The curriculum is very good and they are constantly updating it so I know the quality of the content is itteratively improving. I honestly believe that the team I'm working with has their best interest in my success; that makes a big difference.It's a bit expensive.
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Nicole Kelley Verified via GitHubWhile your paying its great
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I graduated Thinkful's Flexible Web Development Bootcamp in May. I have gotten a job and an offer from a fortune 100 company. The Bootcamp does exactly what I expected it to do, which was to give me a start in the web development world. HOWEVER, there is one thing all boot camp seekers should know and understand. A web development boot camp is only as good as what you put into it. This is a field that requires a love and great interest in coding/programming. If you are going to spend the time and money to change careers, wouldn't you want to make sure that it is really what you want to do? Not only does this have to be something you are extremely interested in, you have to be willing to put in the hard work. Meaning you have to be willing to research, read, breathe, eat, and sleep code all while working full time and or having a newborn like I did. Thinkful does not hold your hand. They do not give you the answers all the time. They do not give you a master book saying here is everything now you're a web developer. Thinkful requires you to research, read, analyze and understand outside of what is printed and what they have as assignments. You MUST do this in order to actually understand what you are doing and learn a valuable skill set.
Thinkful was great while I was paying. Meaning that I had 1-1 mentorship, I had a program manager who kept in touch or would respond when I reached out. I had a mentor who was experienced and challenged me to fight for every single word in my code. They even allowed me time to pause in my program to have my son, and then continue. However, the hiccup came when I was in this sort of limbo. I requested to stop being charged tuition because I was refining my portfolio and waiting on feedback. This process in total took me a month which I didn't deem as fair to pay if I had no mentor support. Once I stopped paying with the agreement of Thinkful, it seems services died down. It took 2 months to get full access to career support and by then I had already landed my first job offer.
So while there are issues that could be addressed, that doesn't mean Thinkful failed me. It only means things could be improved as all systems could. Thinkful is a good boot camp and provides flexibility in which course to take as well as financially. -
Scott Fontenot Verified via GitHubFlexible Web Development
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I'm a student at Thinkful's Flexible Web Development program. I'm about a month into the 6 month curriculum. Prior to this, I had taken a handful of coding courses online with Codecademy, Lynda.com, and CodeSchool. I also took advantage of Thinkful's 3-week prep course on Web Development prior to officially starting the FlexWebDev program. If you are on the fence, I do recommend taking this prep course, it's not very expensive to start and it gives you an accurate assessment of what the 6 month program would be like. The course material seems to be a healthy combination of active/passive learning. You are never alone in your learning. You have access to a mentor for 1-1 discussions, there's several slack channels to seek out help or review. There's also workshops and Q and A sessions, all thorought the day making it accessible to someone like myself who's stuck at a 9-5 job during the day. Overall, I'm happy and satisfied with Thinkful and would recommend their services.
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Blake Sager Verified via GitHubChallenging, but absolutely worth it!
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TL;DR: Thinkful’s flex web development program helped me land a dev position within 40 days of graduating. While I do think the program could improve in a few areas, I still think it is well worth the time, money, and effort.There’s a lot that could be covered in this review but for brevity’s sake, I’ve chosen to focus on the curriculum. Let it be known that the Slack community, QA sessions, Mentors, and Career Services team are all incredible.
I started Thinkful’s flex bootcamp with roughly two months of development experience under my belt; I knew what variables were and understood the basics of control flow, but had yet to build any real apps. The first curriculum module quickly got me up to speed on basic web development, and I completed my first capstone project with a reasonably solid understanding of framework-less front end development.
The second curriculum module focused on Node and the basics of backend development. There was considerably less handholding in this module, which forced me ask better questions and sharpen my Google-Fu skills. While being able to teach yourself and google your way through new concepts is an absolutely vital development skill, I would have had less difficulty during this section had I known that the curriculum intentionally contained less information. All that being said, the curriculum was well written and successfully explained the more abstract backend concepts.
The third module focused on React. Following the pattern established with module two, there was even less spoon-fed information and I spent more time reading the React docs than I did the curriculum. However, the curriculum does a great job explaining the topics it covers, and always links to more in-depth resources when necessary.
The fourth and final module focused on Computer Science (CS) basics. The curriculum was really well written, but I still spent a TON of time grappling with the sorting algorithms and data structures. I completed this module convinced that I had learned absolutely nothing, but I gleaned enough knowledge to satisfy most of the CS interview questions I encountered.
Overall, I really enjoyed the curriculum. There were a fair amount of typos and a few instances of non-functioning code examples, but most of them occurred because Thinkful is constantly updating the lessons. I’d rather have slightly unpolished curriculum than a pristine set of lessons on old tech and legacy projects.
My one critique here is that, while the curriculum does not teach UI/UX design, all of the capstones still have to satisfy certain UX metrics. These standards may be intuitive to designers and front-end oriented students, but this was not the case for me. I am a terrible designer and having to wrestle with design principles I did not know or understand severely hampered my progress. Having said that, the program still helped me land a job as a backend developer. I'd enthusiastically reccommend the flex program to any committed student excited about cutting-edge web development.