Code Platoon is honest when they tell you it will be difficult, but you’re stacking a whole lot of knowledge into a few months. Regardless, it was the best decision of my life. I went from level 0 knowledge to being able to create fullstack applications, and now have an amazing software engineering apprenticeship. The instructors were awesome, the curriculum aligns with the industry, and I made some of the best friends I have - all while being remote. You’re going to have to put in work, that’s a given. But it was a blast and I couldn’t have images a better experience. Not only do you learn A LOT, but you also get to meet industry professionals and mentors to help with interviews, your resume, and your learning styles. Then upon graduating if you didn’t participate in the internship program, you get resources from their career services professionals to assist in the job hunt. This isn’t a bootcamp where they give you some online tasks then that’s it - there’s lecture, assessments, projects, 2 instructors, and a plethora of TAs you can talk to both during the day and after class. 

This course teaches you everything that you need to become a full stack web developer including JavaScript, Python, React, Django, PostgreSQL, and much more. By the end of this you will walk away knowing how to develop a fully operational website and have a base of knowledge with the tools necessary to expand that knowledge. Their workshops are very useful and information dense. The presentations are very resourceful and will help answer any questions that you may have about the industry or anything coding related. The instructors are very understanding if you have anything occur that may distract you from participating, but it is up to you to catch up. They also go above and beyond teaching you how to be a developer. In addition, they provide you the assistance you need to become a developer, such as a résumé coach and career services. I would highly recommend this course to any veteran who wants to work as a developer. And for those who are considering, it is a challenging and demanding grind, but the instructors are there to help you every step of the way, and the reward that you get from completing this are more than worth it. This is honestly one of the greatest decisions that I have ever personally made, and I am sure that anyone that takes this course will feel no different.

Code Platoon was an amazing experience that has given me the foundations to be successful in the tech field. Not only is the program itself enriching and challenging, but they also offer an employment assistance program after you graduate; which is how I was able to find a job in development in as little as 4 months. 

There is nothing more to say other than my title really.  Unbelievable amount of resources, staff is top notch, they have remote learning down to a science, and a dedicated alumni network that is very active.  Even though it could be extremely challenging/frustrating, the feeling of successfully solving a problem or having a concept finally click outweighs the frustration a hundred times over.  There were a ridiculous amount of TA's (former students, industry professionals, and child prodigies [literally, we had a 17 year old TA that might have been the smartest human being I have ever met in my life]), you can sign up to have a mentor, and the instructors are also top notch.  While you can feel overwhelmed, there is always someone to help out and everyone made it an extremely fun learning environment.  I cannot say enough about the course, truly one of a kind!

My journey into professional software development started as I was transitioning from an Active Duty service member into a Navy Veteran. I came across the VET TEC program on the Veterans Affairs Education website. The VET TEC education courses are helpful for Veterans and Spouses that would like to transition and advance into the high-technology industry. The goal is to match up Veterans with a leading training provider to help develop those high-tech skills to quickly be placed in a high-paying tech job.

The program has a long list of approved providers. As I scanned through all of the providers, the one that stuck out most was Code Platoon's Full-Stack Software Engineering Bootcamp. It was a program that focused on giving Veterans the tools they need to succeed as a Full-Stack Software Engineer. Additionally, it's located in Chicago, near the same place every Navy Saylor starts their career at the Navy Boot Camp Recruit Training. 

Initially, my experience with Code Platoon started with the administration process. You begin by filling out some forms about your background. You provide some videos of yourself answering some interview-like questions. Finally, you're given some resources and some coding challenges to complete. Once you've completed that process and have done everything correctly, you'll be approved to start in the cohort of your choosing. 

I was a part of the PAPA platoon cohort, which officially started OCT 2021 and ended JAN 2022. Before the cohort starts, you are required to complete some prework. It's about four weeks of self-paced learning to get you prepared. The initial prework documentation outlined expectations, resources for help, and all the tools needed to set you up to be successful in the Boot Camp. At the end of the prework, you're given a live coding challenge with one of the instructors to ensure that you completed the prework and retained the information.

Now, the actual course can be pretty intense and fast-paced. Each week will become increasingly more difficult. You will need to show up five days a week on time, ready to learn. Every day starts with a live online workshop teaching new programing or career-building concepts. In the second half of the day, you will be applying those newly learned skills on your own or paired with other students in a paired programming environment. If you get stuck, you have access to a group of very skilled and knowledgeable instructors and TA's that will quickly help you out. Their goal is not to give you the answer but to help you develop the skills to find the answer.

Each week you'll focus on learning JavaScript, Python, Django, SQL, React, Data Structures, Algorithms, Version Control, Paired programming, Career building, and much, much more. Overall, the Code Platoon Boot Camp will give any Veteran willing to learn all the tools needed to succeed in the Software Development space. 

I have a close friend and sibling who have attended other, more well known and very "prestigious" bootcamps and comparing Code Platoon comes out easily as good or better.

The curriculum was really, really good in my opinion. You build to create django+react fullstack apps, and I think the knowledge base is a really good foundation. 

The class was small and for the field very diverse.

I was impressed with how this school handled remote learning. They were flexible with my time - so when my kid had some issues at school, I was able to deal with that and then get back to class. 

I loved being able to work as part of a team with other students. The students in class with me were other individuals who were extremely motivated to be there, and really made the experience shine.

The teaching assistants were amazing. We ALWAYS had someone to ask a question to. The alumni so far are great - anyone I reach out to replies within a few hours to connect.

I feel more prepared now to get a job than ever.

Attending Code Platoon was a great experience.  The instructors and executive director are always looking to make the program better with each cohort and it shows in the resulting course.  As you would expect, the pace of learning is very quick and sometime hard to keep up with.  But, there are lots of people willing to help.  My cohort of 30 students had 2 instructors, 4 intern TAs (that were in class with us), and 9 volunteer TAs (for after hours).  By the end, I felt confident about being able to write a full-stack application.  

I originally picked this bootcamp because of the updated and relevant curriculum and the too-good-to-be-true reviews that I read online. I can say that even with the great reviews, this bootcamp has blown away my expectations. The lectures are clearly taught, there are TA's available to help during and after class time, and the students are all willing to help each other succeed. Additionally the curriculum is reviewed and updated each cohort based on the weekly feedback from students, meaning that each cohort will be better than the previous one. I have nothing negative to say so if you are a veteran or military spouse sign up, keep studying, and don't be afraid to reach out on Slack to ask alumni for help . 

Originally, I was set to attend another bootcamp until I found out about Code Platoon. I did a lot of research trying to figure out which bootcamp would best set me up for a successful career as a SWE and ultimately decided CP was my best option. What really convinced me was the reviews of past students I found on the internet. Everyone spoke highly of this bootcamp and emphasized the amount of support you would get from peers, TA's, and instructors. The reviews on the internet were right, I had a really amazing learning experience. It was very challenging, but I felt I had the support I needed every step of the way. 

The curriculum is top notch, I don't think that get's mentioned in these reviews, but CP pays very careful attention to what and how something is being taught. As a former teacher, I really appreciated this aspect of the bootcamp. If you have the opportunity to attend CP, do it, it's the best coding bootcamp out there right now. 

If you're a veteran, service-member, or military spouse I would highly recommend this program if you're serious about jumping into tech. 

Pros:
-This course teaches you both Python and Javascript. Many other coding bootcamps have you working in a single language such as JavaScript, which tends to constrict what type of projects or areas of development you can pursue. Having Python be a major language used during the cohort was great as the language works very well for web development, data science, or any sort of automation that you can think of.

-You also can participate in earning two free certifications (AWS CCP and Agile). This is voluntary, but I highly recommend at least pursuing the AWS cert. It was one of the primary factors that helped me obtain an internship before graduating. 

-Code Platoon matches students into apprenticeships each cohort. The number of apprenticeships available varies, but this cohort we had around ~10 available positions scattered across different sized companies in various industries. If you don't get matched in an apprenticeship you still get career service help afterwards.

-The education level of each student varies, which is nice if you're new to programming. If you're a newbie, you're going to be working with tons of people just like you, but also have a few people attend who have been coding for multiple years. At first you may feel nervous about working with the more experienced people, but I totally recommend it in helping you grow.

Thinks to know beforehand:
-This isn't primarily a Code Platoon thing, but coding bootcamps in general: be ready to do a lot of learning on your own. The instructors and TAs will help you along the way, but there's a high expectation that you will study outside of class to pick up concepts you feel fuzzy on. It's very easy to fall behind if you get lazy.

-You're not guaranteed a job after completing a coding bootcamp, Code Platoon or otherwise. Make sure you realize that finding a role is a grind and that you're expected to put in a lot of work on your own career development. When looking at my situation, I would say that I performed in the middle of the pack in terms of coding competency, yet still managed to find an internship before graduating. Finding a role all depends on your willingness to put in an effort.

-The program has just started putting an emphasis on remote learning, but a lot of things like apprenticeship placement are focused primarily for those in the Chicago area. They're making good progress, but expect if you're an attendee that about half of if not more of the apprenticeships will require you to at least move temporarily to Chicago. The other half are either scattered across the US or fully remote positions. Be ready for a lot of competition if you're looking for a remote gig.

Overall the program was very smooth and comprehensive. I felt like the instructors were there with the desire to see me succeed. I have also been connected to a network that will help with the job search.