Code Fellows Reviews
Page 3
-
Simon
Challenging, Inclusive, Valuable Software Development Program
Read more Read less of Simon's review
I attended the Code Fellows Software Development boot camp in the fall and winter of 2020/2021. I have been holding off on publishing a review because I had the great fortune of being offered a full-time position at Code Fellows shortly after my graduation and did not want my review to appear biased. I have recently moved on to an exciting opportunity at one of the "big tech" companies. I am now in the unbiased position to recommend that anyone that is considering attending Code Fellows should do it! Before attending Code Fellows, I earned an MBA through an online program from a respected state school. From my experience, Code Fellows offers a much more rigorous and better-produced virtual learning experience. I was plesantly surprised by the program's ability to build a community and network of like-minded professionals. If you are serious about breaking into the tech industry, be prepared to make the program your primary focus for as long as you are in the boot camp. It will be a challenging and ultimately rewarding experience. Having spent a year and a half "behind the curtain", observing how the program was developed (and continually redeveloped), I can attest to the effort, passion, and care that is focused by every member of the Code Fellows team on the single goal of helping their students achieve their career goals! -
Marcus Hartwig
Worth It & Hard
Read more Read less of Marcus Hartwig's review
I started my software development journey January 2022. I started at 101 since I had never written a line of code before and couldn't tell you the difference between JavaScript and HTML.. After 6 months of intense class and long nights of study I became a software dev. My experience isn't in tech, in fact I am a wilderness leadership instructor w/ years of living in the mountains under my belt, so making this career transition wasn't a simple one. It wasn't just a process of learning while you're working on projects, often you're just trying to make sense of last weeks instruction and struggling to work out the week that you're now on. Thankfully the instructors and the TAs are there for you. Often instructors from other courses are willing to work through problems with you if you reach out on a late night.
This is what I believe, nobody knows what they are doing when they start, and you'll quickly realize that there is even more to learn than CodeFellows could every teach. If you approach your learning from the position of a lifelong student then you can do this. It's going to be hard. But the school is on your side! They want you to win! If you grind through the struggle lean into the tutoring, TAs, instructors, and your fellow students, you will come out of it a software developer. -
Justin B.
Ops 201
Really outstanding learning environment. Fast paced but comprehensive. Along with in-depth curriculum, emphasis is placed on job readiness and obtaining relevant certifications. Teachers and TAs willing to answer all questions and take their time to make sure core concepts are understood. -
Harvey
Code Fellows Is the best!!!!
I just finished the course and it's Awesome. -
Ella Svete
Student
This was a great bootcamp. I came in knowing nothing and had Audrey Patterson as my 201 instructor which was fantastic! I ended with taking Python with JB, and it was awesome. Super fun, and he made learning a new language so accessible. -
Drew Ferris
Code Fellows is awesome!!!
Read more Read less of Drew Ferris's review
In my 5th year since graduating from Code Fellows I am proud to say that choosing to enroll in their program was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. As a college graduate in 2016 I was uncertain on what to use my degree (Mathematics + Russian language) for and had no idea where to direct my career. Taking the risk of switching paths into software development and enduring the dense 18-week program the Code Fellows provided has proven to be just what I needed, their instruction equipped me with the tools necessary to be a hirable candidate in the job market. Since then I have grown to expand my skills to many areas I would never have imagined accessible at the time of graduation. This has allowed me to get the job that I have now with an industry leading employer, also entirely unimaginable when I first started. To anyone who is on the border of whether or not Code Fellows is the right decision for them in their career path I fully recommend enrolling, you never know where it may take you! -
Roscoe Bass
Boxing Coach to Software Engineer
Read more Read less of Roscoe Bass's review
Pivoting from a non-tech related career, boxing coach, into a software engineer role is not an easy thing to do. Code Fellows gave me the foundational knowledge I needed to do just that. From the onset of my experience with this coding boot camp, I felt welcomed and valued as a student. They cultivate a rich inclusive environment which helps students learn not only the skills to do the work but also to work on a team as so many tech careers require folks to do. Highly recommend this boot camp for anyone looking to skill up in tech. -
Lydia Minehan-Tubic
Breaking into tech with no prior experience
Read more Read less of Lydia Minehan-Tubic's review
I decided to enroll in Code Fellows after knowing two people personally that had done their curriculum and received developer jobs shortly after graduation. Code Fellows is an exceptional coding bootcamp experience that truly prepares you for what life will be like when you get your first job as a software engineer. They provide you with the knowledge, tools, and skills you need to be successful in this industry. Not only do they teach you how to program, they also teach you how to write your resume, interview, and network.
I graduated from their JavaScript track in June 2021 and landed a tech job 4 months later. Most of my classmates have jobs now too. It's really a life changing experience! You're going to get out of it what you put into it, so just keep that in mind. It's not just about getting the certificate, it's about putting in the work to learn the skills you need to be successful in this industry. If you fully commit to learning the course material and you keep practicing you will absolutely find success and be able to break into tech. It's hard but absolutely worth it in the end! -
Joey Hernandez
You found the one. Go here!
Read more Read less of Joey Hernandez's review
I’ve completed my coursework up to 301 and I can honestly say I have never felt more supported, encouraged and motivated ever. Not in all my years in college, no institution or class made me feel as prepared for success as code fellows has made me.
If you’re lost, there’s always someone to help you. If you’re overwhelmed, they hear you. If you have a different way of learning, just ask and they’ll accommodate you. Honestly, you cannot go wrong attending Code Fellows, you just can’t. -
Joe Ivans
Great for Career-Changers
Read more Read less of Joe Ivans's review
▾ Great For Career-Changers • I recommend Code Fellows for career-changers and people looking to start down a programming path • I do not recommend Code Fellows for software engineers with degrees and prior work experience • Code Fellows is an excellent school for people who want to jump into application development but have little-to-no hobby experience, and absolutely no professional experience in the field • I enjoyed my studies at Code Fellows and I ultimately feel that I learned a lot about frontend development • I came to the program after 6 years of work experience as a senior backend engineer wanting to fill frontend knowledge gaps • Nobody else in my classes for the 3 months I was there had the experience level that I did • The critical thing to understand is that the school has to find and cater to an average-level of understanding among the students • Unfortunately for me, having so much experience made the advanced course feel extremely lacking in depth and breadth, which is understandable given that this bootcamp caters to career-changers • If I had known that up-front, I would not have chosen Code Fellows to fill knowledge gaps but found a school that is not as entry-level • I am glad I did though because it was fun and I learned a ton about frontend development • If you are in a similar position as me, with prior experience and a CS degree, I would finish through the 300-level course and not take the 400’s • I’m currently in the middle of the 400 for advanced JS and not sure if I want to put in the effort to finish the remaining assignments because I’m not learning much at this point and working on grad school applications this year for my CS PhD at the same time. Therefore I may not actually graduate from this bootcamp
▾ Approach • You’ll take courses until you complete the Advanced course, then you graduate • You can test into the courses so you don’t have to sit for classes that aren’t helpful for your goals • Assignments are graded and there are, in my opinion, too many assignments to be of value as a learning experience
▾ Intro (200-level) • This class-level is very foundational but I found it absolutely necessary and very helpful for learning the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript • I found the intro class (200-level) helped me with knowledge gaps I had from 6 years working exclusively as a backend engineer • I learned how to put a basic frontend together and all of the options there are for the presentation layer
▾ Intermediate (300-level) • This class-level is great because you’ll learn web API, testing your code, and presentation libraries like React, Bootstrap and Tailwind • I learned a ton about frontend in this course and I’m very glad I took it
▾ Advanced (400-level) • This class-level is where, as a student, you choose your path. Do you want to stay with JavaScript? How about .NET? Maybe Java? • You get the opportunity here to break out into other languages • The reason I joined the program was to fill knowledge gaps from years as a backend engineer, which were entirely frontend gaps • Having worked exclusively in the .NET languages and Java, I opted to continue-on with JavaScript as the advanced course • I found the advanced concepts a bit lacking in this course because it mostly felt like a rehash of the previous 300-level intermediate course
▾ Jobs • After this bootcamp, you’re likely to be eligible for tech internships and junior developer roles
▾ Career • A big plus for Code Fellows is that they have a career workshop program that you can join where they help you with interview and resume prep
▾ Takeaways • This bootcamp is not designed for engineers with prior experience, which should probably be explicitly stated on the Code Fellows website • I was able to fill some frontend knowledge gaps • I felt the advanced course was a bit lacking in breadth and depth
• The overall experience was great, in my opinion• I enjoyed seeing career-changers learn CS concepts and make cool applications -
David
Code Fellows 201
A fantastic, no nonsense course that covers not only JavaScript, CSS, and HTML, but the needed fundamentals of all supporting items -
Skyler Johnson
Software Developer
This is a great school and I had a great experience. I highly recommend! The experience as a whole was grueling but so rewarding at the same time. It was an incredible journey and I am looking forward to the next chapter! Shout out to JB Tellez and all of the TAs, THANK YOU!!!! -
Shay Brown
Everything you want in a bootcamp.
Code Fellows supplies ample resources for learning the tools and skills required to break into the industry. I felt that I had access to all the resources I needed to continually learn and grow. I feel confident in my job search as I know Code Fellows has the resources and connections to assist me in my search. -
Nebiyu Kifle
Software developer
code fellows, instructors, TA's, and students have a great supporting network. the class covered a wide range of materials and industry-standard tools. so I am confident to have the tech industry expected skill. -
Rinat
Great school
Great school with excellent teachers. -
J Jones
Top notch support and instruction
Read more Read less of J Jones's review
Since retiring from my previous job, I had a late start getting into the software development field. I did many hours of talking to several boot camps in the area. I knew software development was what I wanted to transition to, but didn't know how to start. I can say with full honesty that from my very first phone with Code Fellows they have fostered a welcoming and supportive atmosphere. The instructional staff always seemed to go the extra mile and lend support whenever and however they could. Parts of the curriculum were adapted to our class needs to ensure we had the time and help we needed to progress.
This was by far the right choice for me, and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone interested in joining the Software Development Team. -
Carsten Rossen
Ops 301
Great course! Learned a lot about Microsoft systems such as domains, domain controller configurations, and the active directory. Also got good practice with pfSense and setting up captive portals. -
Scott Falbo
Exhausting, Worth It
Read more Read less of Scott Falbo's review
Deciding to pursue my interest in software development at nearly 40 years old after working in the arts for over twenty years was terrifying. But after my journey through Code Fellows, I can say with confidence that I'm prepared both technically and culturally.
I'm leaving these courses with not only the skills to competently program in my chosen language, but also a deeper understanding of the logic, and the agility to quickly learn new languages and tools.
Along with feeling technically sound, the career preparation curriculum has left me feeling ready to face this new unknown industry. I feel comfortable and prepared for interviews, both technical and behavioral. I also feel prepared to be a viable, adaptive, member of a development team.
Code Fellows didn't just teach me to code, they taught me how to be a developer, and a valuable commodity to any team. -
Chris Gantt
CodeFellows is the gateway to getting a dev job in Seattle
I have seen more students get a dev job in Seattle by going through CodeFellows than any other bootcamp. This is the program to take if you want to be a web developer. -
Stephen Webber
Supportive, Challenging, and Rad All Around
Read more Read less of Stephen Webber's review
I'm taking the time to write a review of Code Fellows as a current student because I know lots of people will do some shopping around to find if a bootcamp is right for them, and if so, which bootcamp. I highly recommend Code Fellows and have found it to be a place where people are really celebrated for who they are. The curriculum is stacked so that bit by bit, projects and labs build on what has been taught previously. There is excellent instructor help and TA help during lab time. It's also been great to collaborate with peers on projects and assignments (which include some pretty crazy code challenges that have really rounded out my understanding of some JS methods and regex). I have had Ryan as my 201 instructor and Nicholas as my 301 instructor thus far. I'm going to be capping things off with 401 soon and really looking forward to it. It has been intense and rewarding. I highly recommend it here. -
Tia
10/10 would recommend
Read more Read less of Tia's review
Code Fellows is indeed a coding bootcamp, but it's a lot more than just a place you go to learn how to write code. The program is robust in that it teaches you as much about coding, the industry, and "how to learn" as can be taught in 6 months! They do a great job of exposing you to different parts of the industry and different paths your career could take you. The community is genuine, supportive, and legitimately interested in your success. If you're anything like me 6 months ago, considering a change in your career to better set yourself up for the future, I would highly recommend this program. The instructors and TAs are fantastic and if you find yourself learning from Roger, Nich, Lena, or JB, consider yourself lucky! They are experienced, up on current industry trends, and willing to help out in any way they can. There's a place for everyone in tech and Code Fellows will help you figure out where that might be for you. -
David Armstrong
Solid instruction
This series of classes (I began with Ops 101 and am going thru Ops 401) is my first experience with Code Fellows. I have 2 degrees in an unrelated field and am enjoying a new approach to instruction. There is a good combination of types of learning in the courses including reading, demonstration, lab time, and self exploration. -
Chance Harmon
Came for the education, left with a community!
I started the Code Fellows journey without a single line of code under my belt, and now am a Full Stack JavaScript dev! The courses are demanding and cover so much in a stacked learning environment. Highly recommend this school, was the best choice I have ever made! -
Laura
Great experience
Read more Read less of Laura's review
I took 201 and 301 at Code Fellows (ie Foundations of and Intermediate Software Development). I did not take a 401 course, and I was able to get an entry level job in the field of application development with a tech consulting firm. The instructors for both courses were engaging, approachable, and encouraging. The environment and Code Fellows overall is *extremely* welcoming, even to people like myself who are inexperienced and new to the tech field. There is awesome diversity (gender, ethnic background, employment background, etc) on campus. When I requested a tutor through the Code Fellows tutoring service, I was able to specifically request a female tutor and they accommodated that request with no issue.
There are weekly events on campus with networking opportunities and exposure to lots of different aspects of the field and areas of specialization. Code Fellows also does a great job emphasizing important job search skills like polishing your online presence and they will guide you through creating a better LinkedIn profile.
Honestly it was a great experience. As with all things, you get out what you put in. So be prepared to work your ass off. On the first day of 201, you get a super welcoming and friendly intro to the staff and campus. And then the pace and volume of work quickly becomes...frenetic. There's a lot. You can't learn it all. It's hard and at times overwhelming. But the instructors and TAs are amazing and they truly will do everything to help you learn and succeed. 10/10 would go again. -
Will koger
Course really prepared me.
Read more Read less of Will koger's review
Attending the 102 course has really helped out when I started 201. Our instructor Brad did a really good job of covering a lot of material in a short week. He created a atmosphere that allowed us to more in depth with questions that may not have been "on the curriculum". I think it helped gain a better understanding of the material. You can definitely tell the difference through the first week of 201 on who took the 102 course. Regardless of skill level I would highly recommend it. Even if its just to get use to the systems and interfaces used throughout code fellows. It's been a great springboard in to the rest of the program. -
Fletcher LaRue
Worked for me - (CodeFellows 5 mo on-site program + 5 months hunting = 10 months to job)
Read more Read less of Fletcher LaRue's review
I attended CodeFellows from October 2018 thru March 2019 (5 months), and then spent the following 5 months building my portfolio website, learning in the areas I felt weak in, and looking for a job. In reality I wanted to have a portfolio I was somewhat happy with before applying so I wasn't really applying for the whole 5 months.
At CodeFellows there are 3 levels, which is nice, because they only bill you at the start of each level (as opposed to the whole lump sum up front), the first 2 levels (201 and 301) are 100% focused on Javascript (no other languages). The 3rd and final level (401) lets you pick which language you want to specialize in (when I attended in 2018/19 the options were: JavaScript, Java, Python, and C#). The last course is the longest and most expensive. I did the JavaScript course, which I would fully recommend. The first two levels (201 and 301) are in Javascript, so switching to a new language part way thru will only prevent you from getting to more complex coding ideas (my personal opinion). Essentially you don't get put back to square 1 in the middle of your learning. I (personal opinion here) think also that JavaScript and the JavaScript curriculum is the most relevant for finding a job for a junior developer. I didn't take the other courses and I don't hire developers so I can't say for sure.
In the JavaScript track you learn a ton of good stuff. And in my job I have used much of it extensively and repeatedly, and often. It was actually kind-of surprising to me how similar to the "project weeks" the actual job was (Code Fellows project weeks are intense 4-day team projects, where you often have to learn and apply stuff you've never done). My formal job duties are as a front-end software developer, which is why I feel the React portion of the course is most applicable and marketable. It is probably the thing that made me most qualified for the job I have now. React might be the single best thing CodeFellows teaches :). In addition, due to the nature of the JavaScript full stack curriculum, I also feel empowered to tackle backend problems. There is a lot of time spent covering things like APIs (when I was there we made Express servers in Node.js), and in my job I've run across both C# and Java APIs and feel right at home because they look similar to the JavaScript APIs we made in class.
We also covered:
- React (the most popular front-end framework out there now)
- React Native using Expo (i.e. use React code to make apps on your phone), some people even published apps on the app store
- Web-sockets (i.e. chat-rooms)
- Authentication (i.e. users can login/logout, and do special things if they're logged in)
- Databases (our class used MongoDB and PostgreSQL) (i.e. users can store and share data that is saved in the cloud. this is data that lasts through a page refresh)
- A ton of other stuff. Call them or find the curriculum for the most up to date info - I know they keep evolving as industry trends change.
I do feel the curriculum was really relevant. This is something that my brother (a pro dev of ~10 years) helped me look at when deciding whether to do a bootcamp, and which bootcamp to do. As part of the vetting process I also met the people, who at CodeFellows are all very nice and supportive --- they do meet-and-greets for prospective students where you can meet current students, alumni, and staff to get a better idea of whether you want to attend and get recommendations -- pretty useful.
If you DO decide to go thru the program, and I would recommend it, since it has changed my life for the better, there are a few things that can really help you succeed in the class, and if at all possible leading up to the program try to situate yourself so that succeeding is as likely as possible.
- prior experience coding (however small)
- "over-achieve" on the prework (khan academy Javascript in particular), try to make challenging goals for yourself once you complete the basic requirements. Try to strive to make something you want to show people! This can make it less of a chore and more of a fun activity. Start this as soon as possible... from this you're pretty much guaranteed to do great at the start of the course.
- mentorship (even 1-2 hours every month), or someone to call and ask questions to or complain to. Find someone, if you can, who knows programming that you can talk to, even if briefly about random stuff. Ideally they can do code reviews.
- short commute. The less time your commute is the longer you'll have to sleep, eat, and code. Ideally you will only be doing those 3 things for the whole program!!
It's not all roses. Going through CodeFellows is not guaranteed to land you a job - your hard work and persistence is what you will need to rely on for that. The program is pretty hard... no single concept is really difficult if enough time is spent on it, but there are new concepts introduced almost every day, and I didn't feel like I had time to master every concept. Do this for 5 months straight and it does take some mental fortitude to get through it. One of the frustrating parts of the course was the grading system. When I went there, it didn't feel like there were enough TAs, so the grading for assignments was often delayed. So I would lose points on some assignment, and then only learned about it later, when my mind is on something else, and/or the grades are getting locked in. When I attended it was a required 90% to pass, but the actual grading was relatively flexible - you could re-submit work that you lost points on to get additional credit (there was a time cut-off for this though, I forget how long, 2 weeks?), and the late-assignment penalty simply reduced the maximum you could get on the assignment, again, I forget how much (80%?), but it wasn't too bad. Often, it felt to me like playing the grade-game was a big distraction from the main objectives of the class - we had ~4 or 5 assignments a day - some were quite trivial like a daily warmup, but others weren't so trivial, like the daily whiteboard problem which takes ~1hr. In the end, I found that (at least for me) the best route was to play the grade-game (i.e, submit assignments even if not-done, play catchup when you can) ONLY as much as needed to get the minimum grade, and not focus on getting 100% .... instead I tried to focus on learning the material. I realized that there was no special award for getting a really good grade, it's just pass fail.
The daily routine can be difficult. But you get out of it what you put in. And its worth it in the end. I spent a lot of time on this stuff... probably ~12 hours a day (including meals). Class started at 9am and with lecture, lab, other homework, the daily whiteboarding problem, catchup work, etc it is easy to go until 9pm. For me, it helped to keep my meals simple, I had a short commute, and I reduced my social life to as minimal as possible. I would also recommend using a Mac laptop instead of a Windows laptop (disclaimer: I am not a Mac evangelist, I had used Microsoft PCs my entire life) the differences are only slight, and people will tell you that you can program on either, but overall, and if you can spare the extra dough, I think the developer experience is better on a Mac, things just seem to work better and smoother. Also, if you finance a Mac with a Barklays card you can get 18 months w/o any payments, at which time you hopefully have a job - this deal might have changed tho. Also I would recommend dropping ~150-200 bucks and buying a 2nd monitor - compared to the price you're paying for the course per day, a monitor to give you some extra screen real-estate is almost a no-brainer - I didn't get one until part way thru the course and when I did my productivity went way up.
One thing that I think had some room for improvement was the job support. The people who were there and helped me did a great job, but as an institution, the process could have, I think, been a little better. It could be different now.... when I had just finished the program there had been some staff changes in the job support program. I'm also not sure what they could have done differently though - I just know it could have been better - possibly better integration with local businesses? i.e. more "practice" (but not really practice) interviews with local companies (I did get to do a mock interview with Microsoft). Maybe setting up informational interviews? tours? On-site job fairs?
-
Iris L.
Review: Code 102: Intro to Software Development
Read more Read less of Iris L.'s review
I really enjoyed this course! And absolutely would recommend it. The teacher (Brad) always showed a very positive and friendly attitude, and never showed annoyance when we askied the same thing over and over again (very hard thing to control).
Also, Brad express sincere caring for our future careers.I like the speed of the class, although I feel that we need more time for the lab exercises, but this may be just me. Related with this, I would recommend a 7min break arround 10:30, for coffee/bathroom and don’t miss anything.
Finally, I would recommend analogies on how loops and logic operations works, before seeing the syntax on code.Thank you very much, I learned and enjoy a lot this course.
Iris L.
-
Dan Le
Great coding school
Read more Read less of Dan Le's review
Went through the school from Oct 2018 to Apr 2019. Took the 401 in Python. You get what you put into it. If you are not ready to be challenged or not ready to spend almost all of your time learning, this is not the place for you. It's very fast paced and make you question your life sometimes, but you do learn a lot. The insctructors are the best part. Wish we had a class on security though.
-
Tim Turner
Learned a lot and happy with my experience
Read more Read less of Tim Turner's review
This program was a very well developed Full-Stack JavaScript course using Mongo, Express, React, and Node. I learned a lot and enjoyed my time there. The only problem I had was one of the instructors was still relatively new to teaching this material and it took a while for my learning style to be able to handle his teaching style. Overall though, I would definitely recommend this school to someone looking to get into software development.
-
Kat Cosgrove
Great experience!
Read more Read less of Kat Cosgrove's review
I also attended Code Fellows for their 201 and 301 classes. Overall, the experience has been spectacular. It is definitely intense, but it's very doable and you get into the groove of the course style fairly quickly. The amount of information you can absorb in such a short period of time is insane. All of the instructors are very knowledgeable and approachable, the curriculum is detailed and I love how quickly they're able to adjust it to include new technologies as the tech market changes. The environment is welcoming and supportive -- no one will ever make you feel inferior or out of place here. It truly is the ideal learning environment, in my opinion.
Outside of tech, the curriculum for 401 includes a lot of career development -- learning how to properly craft a resume, how to handle "soft" questions during job interviews, and how to pitch yourself to someone you meet at a networking event. Post-graduation, there is a job placement assistance in the form of networking events, mock interviews with industry partners (from both big and small companies), and hookups directly to hiring partners. All of this has been immensely helpful. They prepared me for the market very well, both technically and socially. -
Dustin B
CF is the place that I needed
Read more Read less of Dustin B's review
As a small backstory, I have dabbled in tech and code my whole life, without any expertise of note. I had been in the service industry for about 20 years, and always known I could benefit from an immersive environment to really dig in and learn. Code Fellows delivered on that, and then some.
These people that work here, from the greenest Teaching Assitant, to the admin staff, teachers, and the CEO, really love what they do, and get excited helping students to do whatever is necessary to succeed. The teaching staff - aside from being awesome people you would just want to hang out with - are incredibly empathetic and intelligent. They evolve curriculum to always be teaching what the industry is after, staying ahead of the tech trends so that the information doesn't grow stale. I really don't think I have ever been around so many people who and are stoked about what they do. Someone recently described the campus as 'just having an incredibly positive vibe', and I couldn't agree more. If you are considering going here, come in and see what it is all about!
-
Mike
Good Courses, Bad Follow-Up
Read more Read less of Mike's review
I completed the entirety of the full stack JavaScript courses at Code Fellows in August.
I immediately began applying for jobs all around Seattle that fit my skill set, entry, junior, and otherwise.
Companies would not even give me the time of day because I do not have a BA. I even utilized some high-level internal referrals at several companies and would not even get a look.As a result I ended up taking essentially the same job I had before code fellows and am $20,000 poorer as a result.
The coursework is great. I think if you have a BA it is a great and worthwhile investment. However, if you don't have that BA, avoid at all costs. It's simply not worth it.
Additionally, they do not provide nearly enough follow-up job search support for the sheer amount of money you throw at them. -
Kyle Hillman
A great way to start your new career
Read more Read less of Kyle Hillman's review
I'm a musician, an Army veteran and recently got my BS in audio engineering. When I entered the corporate world, I couldn't find anything that seemed like a good fit for me. I was in a dead-end job when someone sent me a couple links for Code Fellows. When I contacted Code Fellows I really felt like I was talking to a 'real' local person and was immediately comfortable and knew I would fit in. They helped me get set up with the GI Bill and before I knew it, I was on my way. I was excited and the Army really taught me the patience and willingness to work hard and fight through any challenges. My instructor Adam and classmates at Code Fellows were a great support as well. It was a really good feeling to know we were all in it together and wanted to help each other succeed. Code Fellows has given me the opportunity to create a better life for me and my family.
-
Remil
Life Changing Experience
Read more Read less of Remil's review
I was living in LA, planning to use my GI Bill funds to attend a code school that was advertising approval for GI Bill funds, turned out they weren't actually approved. I found out Code Fellows was approved, got in touch with them and it has worked out great. After my time in the Air Force, I became a day trader but wanted something more, there's no community aspect in that industry. In the coding world, it's all about community, it's awesome to be in such a supportive environment. The discipline I learned in the Air Force really helped me understand the time, rigor and dedication needed to code. The instructors at Code Fellows are dedicated and put in a lot of hard work to help you succeed - Brian is awesome. If it weren't for Code Fellows and their approval to accept GI Bill Funds, I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to do this. Now I will be able to find a career doing what I enjoy most - coding!
-
Yana Radenska
Great step on the way to career transition
Read more Read less of Yana Radenska's review
I just finished the 401 Full Stack JavaScript class (having also taken 201 and 301 at Code Fellows). My experience has been phenomenal the entire way through. The staff and TAs are dedicated to student success, both in terms of the technical curriculum (web development) and preparation for entering the job market. Code Fellows instructors are not only experts in the field, they are also deeply attuned to how people learn to code, what works and what doesn't, and what students need from instructors to do their best work. Both of the instructors I had genuinely cared about each and every student and their progress. They also shared invaluable knowledge of the many aspects of what it is like to work as a web developer.
The staff and instructors are constantly working to keep the curriculum relevant to current industry practices and making connections and deepening relationships with area companies that hire web developers. Code Fellows also places a big emphasis on using educational strategies that work, and despite already doing a phenomenal job in this area, they continue to strive to be even better in this area. They very much value and use student input to help improve their courses.
It is hard work to get through these classes, but Code Fellows gives you all the tools to do well assuming you are willing to invest the effort and time. For me personally, Code Fellows not only gave me the focus to learn what I needed to learn to become an entry level web developer, but additionally their dedicated and passionate staff made me love coding more than I thought possible.
-
Jacob Isenberg
Worth the Investment
Read more Read less of Jacob Isenberg's review
After graduating with a 4-year degree in the sciences, I got a great job at the Fred Hutch here in Seattle. It's a company with a mission that I care about, but I had ambitions to contribute more than allowed by my current role - I needed more skilled training. So thankfully with the support of my manager, I started searching for code schools that offer night courses, so I could keep working during the day.
I was referred to Code Fellows by a friend, and after reading about their courses, career development and their great reviews I knew Code Fellows was right for me. I'd been teaching myself how to code using online resources but wanted to work with other people to improve my collaborative coding skill-sets. Code Fellows provided the educational structure and instructional resources in a teamwork-oriented environment that helped me succeed. It took a ton of hard work and dedication, and now I'm graduating and ready to find a new career as a software developer. Thanks to Scott and Duncan for everything they did to help us get through it all - they're great instructors. Code Fellows is an excellent school and I highly recommend it!
-
Kenneth
Great for Vets, Diverse student body, great for everyone!!
Read more Read less of Kenneth's review
I’m an Army Veteran, and after doing my service, I wanted to get into a career where I could create stuff as well as have a more flexible schedule. I was trying to teach myself how to code, using Code Academy, Team Treehouse, and other websites. Then after attending a Code Fellows 101 in NYC taught by Brook, I knew this was the school for me, so I decided to relocate to Seattle and attend the school full-time since they took the G.I Bill. Mindy and Maggi in Admissions were great and helped me get the GI Bill funds and the Code Fellows Diversity Scholarship for their 401 course.
I did very well and I think why I did well came down to a few things:
1. I wasn't afraid to ask questions
2. I eliminated social media (a lot of students get distracted by social media)
The discipline instilled from my military experience really helped me meet the deadlines for projects and assignments, which was critical to my success. The Instructor, Duncan, and one of the TAs, Judy, were awesome and very tough on grading. Our final project was very cool (if I say so myself) our small team used a Raspberry PI with voice and facial recognition technology to build a security system - the Code Fellows CEO said it was in his top three favorite demos of all time! I highly recommend Code Fellows! They have helped me succeed in getting the skills, knowledge and confidence to go out and get a great coding job!
-
Thomas Martinez
CODE 401: Advanced Software Development
Read more Read less of Thomas Martinez's review
Code Fellows rocks. I'm an Air Force veteran, four years in active duty, building jet engines. After deciding I didn't want the smell of jet fuel on me at all times, and after graduating from college and deciding not to pursue a law degree, I found myself at Code Fellows. I took Scott's night-time 201 course (Scott is an awesome instructor), and with Gi Bill funds and a Code Fellows Diversity Scholarship was ultimately able to quit my job to take Duncan's 401 (Duncan is also a fantastic instructor, and I had an exceptional TA to help me too, Judy). I had a great experience. It was very hard, but I excelled. I think the combination of the discipline I learned from sports (I'm a powerlifter) and the military, the self-learning I did through Coursera prior to starting the 201, combined with my willingness to ask for help when getting stuck, and to work with anyone in collaboration (I enjoy pair programming) all helped me excel. Now I'm ready for a coding job! I highly recommend the school, but be prepared to work hard, collaboratively with other students, if you decide to enroll. Also, any amount of pre-course self-learning will help you immensely. Learning how to use Git and work at the command line ahead of time will help dramatically in your success.
-
Jaren Escueta
A Talented Network, A Caring Community
Read more Read less of Jaren Escueta's review
I was living in Alaska, trying to figure out how to launch a new career, when I found out about Code Fellows. After testing into the 301 intermediate course, I packed up and moved to Seattle - and haven't looked back! One of the most helpful aspects is Career Development where we learn how to polish our online brand, market ourselves to potential employers, and figure out the 'why' that drives our decision making. I've already got an apprenticeship position lined up, where I'll be using the skills I picked up at Code Fellows after I graduate. It hasn't been easy, but it has been worth it. The instruction is very high-quality, the campus has a friendly and collaborative atmosphere, and the team made me feel at home. It's not perfect, but is there really such a thing? Code Fellows is definitely one of the top-tier coding schools in the nation, and the teachers and staff all celebrate the success of students that come through. But success doesn't happen without hard work, and as others have already expressed below, you will work your butt off to make it happen. Even as the start date for my first developer position draws near, I know I would be happy to come back and take another 401 or 501 course. You never stop learning with this job. -
Chris
Excellent Program that Cares About Professional Development
Read more Read less of Chris's review
Overall Experience: Truly a great program, that teaches all the key tools needed for getting started on the JavaScript stack. From the get go, had a great time learning the material, enjoyed really digging into all the different topics, met some great people as well! Your mileage may vary, but if you go with a positive mindset and really try to learn the material, you'll find many helpful people. We were even able to get professionals in the field to come in and give talks/demonstrations on various topics from whiteboarding, AGILE development, etc. Code Fellows really does care about your professional development, but be prepared to work HARD! It's very easy to fall behind because of the amount of information coming to you, but you'll find that it all starts clicking and the topics become easier to absorb. I think it speaks volumes when a graduating clas decides to hold a meetup to help each other with the job hunt and to do lightning talks on topics that help each other (algorithms and data structures, development, design methods, etc.).
Curriculum: You start on JavaScript and you end in JavaScript. That's great because for bootcamps, you really want to keep hammering your skills in a few areas (limited time so master the important stuff). Since JavaScript is still the dominant web language out there, this is key. What's also great is the instructors are constantly keeping track of the latest developments in JavaScript/tech world and are updating the curriculum constantly. This is valuable for such a fast changing field like web development. I really appreciate the project weeks we have at the end of 201/301 and mid-401/end-401. You get some nice portfolio pieces and really get to learn how to code within a group of people.
Instructors: Extremely knowledgable. The head instructor, Marty, was formerly in the field as a developer and has a lot of understanding of professional development. This is extremely valuable to have when it comes to considering a code camp since professional experience says a lot and you start adopting best practices fast. Because of this, the other instructors also produce professional work and teach in a clear and concise manner. They are really cool people and I still keep in touch today.
Job Assistance: Super good. They brought in recruiters on the last day of 401 and we got to show off our projects. I managed to even snag an interview and ultimately an offer from a Fortune 500 company in the area ;). They bring in professionals who are currently in the field every week (during 401 class) who give talks on job hunting and how to present oneself, and even tackling white boarding. There are also a lot of job recruiters who connect with Code Fellows and contacts that are interested in CF grads. The administration also helps us with resume, cover letter writing, etc. as an ongoing process for those looking. Don't give up!