Code Fellows
Code Fellows is a technical skills training academy in the Pacific Northwest that offers full- and part-time software development, ops and cybersecurity courses online and in-person from their Seattle, Washington location. Code Fellows guides people from all backgrounds to change their lives through fast-paced, career-focused education. Since their first cohort in 2013, Code Fellows has taught over 1,600 graduates and iterated on their curriculum and format to ensu...
Code Fellows is a technical skills training academy in the Pacific Northwest that offers full- and part-time software development, ops and cybersecurity courses online and in-person from their Seattle, Washington location. Code Fellows guides people from all backgrounds to change their lives through fast-paced, career-focused education. Since their first cohort in 2013, Code Fellows has taught over 1,600 graduates and iterated on their curriculum and format to ensure students receive the most industry-relevant training as effectively and efficiently as possible. Code Fellows shapes passionate learners with immersive training to meet industry needs and improve diversity. Students are immersed in their learning with daily lectures, pair programming, weekly presentations from full-time instructional staff who are seasoned industry professionals, one-week project sprints, and more. Code Fellows graduates work at Amazon, Microsoft, Zillow, Expedia, XBOX, NIKE, Amazon, Starbucks, Nordstrom, and over 800 other companies.
The modular style of the Code Fellows program allows students to test into the course level that is most appropriate for their current skill level. In addition, the modular class structure allows students to choose the schedule and timing that meets their needs.
Code Fellows believes everyone should have the opportunity to succeed. Code Fellows offers scholarships to help individuals who come from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds find rewarding careers in tech. They are committed to breaking down systemic barriers and ensuring all people are treated with respect and dignity. They are united with their staff, students, alumni, and partners in the fight against systemic racism and injustice.
Code Fellows supports both domestic and international licensing partners through its Powered by Code Fellows program. Code Fellows also offers a tutoring program and platform to both students and non-students, technical instructor certification, and corporate training.
223 Code Fellows Reviews
Stephen WebberStudent • Code 301: Intermediate Software Development • OnlineFeb 07, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceSupportive, Challenging, and Rad All Around
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'...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.- TiaSoftware Developer • Graduate • Code 401: Advanced Software Development in Full-Stack JavaScript (Full-Time, In-Person) • OnlineOct 24, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
10/10 would recommend
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, cons...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 ArmstrongStudent • Student • Ops 201: Foundations of Computer Operations (Full-Time, In-Person) • OnlineAug 22, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
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 HarmonGraduate • Code 401: Advanced Software Development in Full-Stack JavaScript (Full-Time, In-Person) • SeattleAug 06, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
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! - LauraApplication Development Associate • Graduate • Code 201: Foundations of Software Development • OnlineMar 29, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Great experience
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, e...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 kogerStudent • Code 102: Intro to Software Development (Full-Time, In-Person) • OnlineFeb 11, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
Course really prepared me.
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 ...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 LaRueSoftware developer • Graduate • Code 401: Advanced Software Development in Full-Stack JavaScript • OnlineFeb 06, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Worked for me - (CodeFellows 5 mo on-site program + 5 months hunting = 10 months to job)
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...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.Student • Code 101: Intro to Software Development & Careers in Tech • OnlineJan 29, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Review: Code 102: Intro to Software Development
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 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 LeFullstack Software Engineer • Graduate • Code 401: Advanced Software Development in Python (Full-Time, In-Person) • OnlineAug 22, 2019Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Great coding school
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 TurnerSoftware Developer • Graduate • Code 401: Advanced Software Development in Full-Stack JavaScript • OnlineJun 30, 2018Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Learned a lot and happy with my experience
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 CosgroveGraduate • Code 401: Advanced Software Development in Python (Full-Time, In-Person) • OnlineJun 14, 2018Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Great experience!
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 c...
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 BGraduate • Code 401: Advanced Software Development in Full-Stack JavaScript • OnlineNov 04, 2017Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
CF is the place that I needed
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 whateve...
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!
Code Fellows Alumni Outcomes
| Description | Percentage |
| Full Time, In-Field Employee | 81.7% |
| Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | 12.1% |
| Short-term contract, part-time position, freelance | N/A |
| Employed out-of-field | N/A |
Recent Code Fellows News
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Code Fellows cost?
Code Fellows costs around $12,000. On the lower end, some Code Fellows courses like Ops 101: Explore Ethical Hacking & Cybersecurity Careers (Full-Time, Online) cost $99.
What courses does Code Fellows teach?
Code Fellows offers courses like Code 101: Explore Software Development (Full-Time, In-Person), Code 101: Explore Software Development (Full-Time, Online), Code 102: Intro to Software Development (Full-Time, In-Person), Code 102: Intro to Software Development (Full-Time, Online) and 45 more.
Where does Code Fellows have campuses?
Code Fellows has in-person campuses in Seattle. Code Fellows also has a remote classroom so students can learn online.