Code Platoon

In the overwhelming sea of bootcamp options, it's hard to imagine a better option than Code Platoon for members of the military community (I attended as a military spouse). From its emphasis on diversity & inclusion (so many scholarships available to under-represented communities) to its consistent willingness to re-assess the program curriculum, Code Platoon is a well-structured, intensive program that teaches the hard technical skills you would expect from a coding bootcamp along with invaluable guidance on necessary soft skills for those entering a new career.

The team is very explicit about the time demands of the course, but a welcoming support network of teaching assistants and alumni are always available, whether you're stuck on a concept from the day's class or wanting to dive a level deeper with an experienced developer.

As many have touched on here, getting the most value from the program requires more than completing the minimum requirements, and I highly recommend leveraging the provided community resources, from individual mentorship to resume reviews to job search assistance. Read less

I have nothing but gratitude for the entire Code Platoon experience.  Life-altering may sound extreme, but that was genuinely the case for myself and many of my peers.

Everything about the cohort is intelligently planned and designed.   From dedicated instructors to an expansive network of TA's, mentors, career coaches, and speakers, Code Platoon makes every conceivable effort to prepare its students for a career in tech.

They're honest, transparent and forthright from the very start.  They remind you that the course is a full time commitment, and what's expected of you is that you put in your all.  The work is abundant, but the instructors are realistic and practical.  I and several of my cohort's graduates worked extremely hard, putting in several 12 hour days and pushing through consecutive weekends, but entirely by choice.  Regardless of the workload, the instructors always reminded us to prioritize family and self-care, and to build a healthy work-life balance.

You can expect instructors, TA's, and mentors that will bring their all to the table.  If you place your trust in the program, you can rest assured they'll have your back all throughout the cohort, and afterwards as well. Read less

As a military member  I feel that this has been the greatest choice I have ever made. I can't believe how much we accomplished during my cohort and how much support we received throughout the program. I cant thank enough Code Platoon for helping reach my goals.  Read less

Code Platoon is absolutely a vehicle to make your life better, as long as you're willing to work hard. If you pay attention, learn, and don't quit, you can become a software engineer. Code Platoon has dedicated personnel to help you through the application, the course, and the job search afterwards. There are teaching assistants available most nights to help you with any work not completed during the normal school day which is hugely beneficial. The day to day instructors Tom and Noa are great! If you just show up and do the bare minimum, you will not receive the full benefits of the program. If you are willing to do what it takes, you will be employable. My class was fully remote due to Covid, and although I would have enjoyed being in person, being remote had no effect on the high quality of the course. The pictures I've seen of the building and classroom look really nice. Read less

Code Platoon is committed to helping all students in the program succeed in transitioning into software development and related careers. Outside of learning different programming languages, I also had the opportunity to learn from industry experts through the mentorship program, career coaching, and interview skills workshops. The instructors, TA's, and alumni are always available during and after classes. 

Overall, the program exposed me to programming best practices that are in great demand in the industry such as Agile development practices. After graduation, I feel better prepared for my next career adventure.
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The experience here at Code Platoon was amazing. The overall curriculum was great as it incorporated both technical and softs skill curriculum which helps students learn to be a better overall software engineer. Before Code Platoon I didn't have a good resume, a strong Linkedin, or any idea on good interview practices such as white boarding and answering behavioral questions. Now, after graduating I feel I have obtained all the necessary knowledge and confidence to continue to grow as a developer and enter the work force.

Code Platoon supplies so many resources and opportunities to the students such as, Mentors and TA's who are volunteer industry professionals, Instructors that always makes sure students are understanding the material, as well as an ability to obtain a AWS certification while attending. If you are a military veteran or spouse willing to put in the long hours of work for the next 4 months to become a software engineer this bootcamp is for you.  Read less

Code platoon was a great experience. The curriculum is intense but rewarding. The amount of support given in incredible. Instructors, TA's, mentors, and other alumni all want you to succeed. The camaraderie established between the students in our cohort was a sight to behold.
Code platoon also prepares you for the job hunt with soft skills prep, white boarding, resume writing, mock interviews, etc. Overall, the hours are long, the course work can seem overwhelming at times, but that makes it that just more rewarding at the end. If you're a military veteran or a veteran spouse, i would suggest code platoon. Read less

I don't think there is any other program like this. The director of education, Jonathan Young has done outstanding job structuring the curriculum. His experience working as Senior Software Engineer combined with his past experience of teaching Chicago Public Schools has certainly benefitted Code Platoon. The program's director, Rodrigo Levy is personally invested in student's success. His connections with corporate sponsors and industry professionals provide invaluable networking opportunities for Code Platoon graduates. If you are a veteran or a military spouse interested in Software Engineering Code Platoon is a wonderful place to start.  Read less

The support here is great from onboarding to the coursework, in and out of the classroom, this program is built to set you up for success. Teachers, TA's, mentors, and alumni are all lined up to help you succeed if you put in the work. Code Platoon's weekly commitment to involve all students in a 'what could we do better' session is a testament to their quality commitment. Having just graduated now, I can’t think of another group I’ve been prouder to be a part of. It’s been such an intense challenge, it’s been a family, and no other program or school feels like it's better prepared me for where I’m going next. Read less

I've been very wary of programs that specifically target veterans. When I was originally looking to join a bootcamp style program for IT I kept finding companies that were trying to make easy money off the GI Bill and not really giving a real education or opportunities. That's why when I heard about Code Platoon I thought it had to be too good to be true. I had heard about it through two Marines I served with, one of whom went through the program. When she told me she went  from knowing nothing about computers to getting a top paying internship in only a few months I decided to take the leap an apply. The application was difficult but once I got accepted I made my plans, sold everything I owned, and drove 2000 miles across the country to Chicago to start classes in January 2020. It's now April 2020 and I've graduated and built programs and worked on group projects. All with only a general IT knowledge before hand. We just finished up doing interviews for internships this week. Not only does Code Platoon teach you JavaScript, Python and the technology stack to build web applications but they provide you with career services in the way of mentorships, resume reviews, teaching you how to use LinkedIn, and constant interview prep. It is a full rounded experience meant to get you the skills you need and a job right after. I'm grateful to Rod and Code Platoon for this life changing experience and am excited for my new future and career.  Read less

As a recent graduate of this program of about ( T- 8hr); I can honestly say this is the experience of a lifetime. The instructors give challenging curriculums, which help prepare you for a real-world scenarios. You receive individualized attention, as the instructors help build upon your prospective without interjecting theirs. All members of the program respect you as an individual with varying life experiences and see you as a human. If you want respect and validation, this is the place for you. Read less

I have never seen an organization more committed to the success of Veterans and spouses than Code Platoon. The instruction is excellent and dynamic in keeping up with trends in the industry. I don't know of any other non-profit coding boot camp that serves Veterans and their spouses exclusively.

For anyone thinking that Code Platoon is a place that magically makes you a developer in a few months and hands you a job, you're mistaken. The students that make it at Code Platoon have a baseline passion for learning.  They have motivations to learn software development that aren't exclusively financial.  Successful students approach the learning material with genuine humility (despite what experience they may have had programming before). 

The course load is substantial, with most students working about 12 hours daily (sometimes on the weekends) to accomplish challenges and projects. The instructors are technical experts who want to see you succeed. The soft-skills curriculum and internship opportunities are surreal.  

The more you do to prepare for the course, the better off you will be.  Take the pre-work seriously, learn what is required before you show up, and ask the instructors questions.  If you fake it or copy-paste code on your application, you won't make it in the course.

Code Platoon is already opening doors for us, and I am grateful.  A scarce opportunity that you shouldn't pass up if you have a genuine interest in coding.

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Code Platoon was an absolutely amazing experience. I, of course, had loads of reservations about committing to a coding bootcamp after hearing loads of horror stories, but I'm very pleased that none of the awful things I've heard occur in Code Platoon. Rod and his instructors are 100% devoted to the cause: getting veterans and their spouses trained in the industry, and most importantly, getting them that all-important first job. The instructors had just turned over when my cohort got started, but the course was strong, the method of teaching was established, and the head instructor is still heavily involved with the direction of the course. I believe a key to their success is their constant request for feedback and almost immediate response to concerns that need to be addressed. This program is constantly improving, and I can only imagine this bootcamp is going to become more and more well known than it already is. 
Again, a very high-quality veteran-only, result-driven bootcamp that will absolutely get you into this industry if you want to be there. Very lucky to be a part of it. 

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If you're a veteran and looking at bootcamp options, hands down Code Platoon is the best choice for you!

Curriculum & Overall Experience:

The curriculm is solid, thorough and has a good range of challenging stuff, with lighter stuff mixed in through the varying weeks. You get exposed to a good range of things, with not a whole lot of handholding (Use your instructors and classmates for the challenging stuff!). One of the best and unique things about CP is that they will bring in outside speakers, for workshops throughout - and those not only give you exposure to advanced topics, but context and alternative learning to the topics. In particular the SQL Workshop was amazing and shed light on a whole new range of SQL stuff I didn't know. Pair Progamming is part of the curriculm as well so you get to work on those skills alongside learning the Full Stack. Our program we learned Python w/ Django - and it was a pretty solid overview of those technologies. You also learn how to host your website using Heroku which is something I didn't learn at a previous bootcamp I went to.

In our cohort we learned Full-stack Web Development; Python/Django for the backend and React for the frontend. Whilst we didn't get too into the weeds of React, we went over React really good to the point where we could create fleshed out React Apps. I did wish we went a bit more into the nitty gritty of React.

Throughout the course you have assessments that help gauge where you are in the program, which all felt really solid and a good check-and-balance of where we were at technically with our skillset. Also you get access to TA every night which is kind of invaluable, since they are actual developers who have been working in the industry! On top of that, the Workshops sprinkled through the program are a great bonus, getting to learn advanced topics, from different instructors on different topics. 

Also during the last stretch of the program the individual project week & group project week were some of the best parts of the whole course! You get to spend a week at a host companies office, get to really learn to use Git and how to work on a group project. Something that I didn't really have at the prior bootcamp, that I really enjoyed at CP.

Instructors:

Having went to another top bootcamp, I've had a wide range of instructors and by far Jon and Josh were the best instructors I've ever had. They know how to communicate the technical topics in a way that you can understand, open to going more into depth with topics or providing alternative solutions, walking us through the though process as well as instilling in us the best kind of mindset to tackling problems. They even go over whiteboarding problems! Which is under appreciated as a help for the job assistance!

Job Assistance:

I participated in the internship program and was placed afterwards - the experience was hard, stressful but amazing. CP partners with great companies - also have a whole resume building, coaching, interview practice questions, the whole 9 yards. I came out with a killer new resume, a plethora of resources to work on my skills that I felt very prepared going into interview week. 

Remarks:

Again, if you're a Veteran looking to get into Tech and are checking out bootcamps. CP is the best value, and one of the best bootcamps you can take. If I could go back in time and go to CP instead of the other bootcamp I went to, I would have (saving myself a lot of $$$, and some time). Even coming into CP after doing another bootcamp is a great option because you will still be challenged, still learn some new things, get exposed and connected to a network of developers and other veterans to help you. 

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I was a remote student at Code Platoon and want to make it clear that it is a completely viable option. Students participate live in the classroom through Zoom and are able to engage with the instructors while learning the material. Sometimes there would be technical issues with the microphone and camera, but these problems were always solved before class began so remote students never felt like an afterthought and we were always able to participate. The class is also recorded, so if there are any issues where you can’t make class it is possible to watch the recording and catch back up.

The downside to the remote option is that you are ineligible for the internships that Code Platoon offers. However, they are willing to work with you and allow you to attend the class part remote and part in person. This allows you access to the internships and is a great way to stretch funds if you’ve used up the GI Bill or can’s get Voc-Rehab to go through in time.

The instructors genuinely care about your success and are always available to help. They expect you to hit bumps in the road and they are more than willing to go over the material with you until it finally clicks, regardless of whether you’re in person or not.

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Code Platoon provides an amazing life-changing opportunity for veterans and military spouses. Over the course of a short amount of time, you will be exposed to tools, techniques, and practices to prepare you to enter the workforce as a software developer. 

Pros: 

• Mentors, TAs, Staff - You get a sense that everyone really cares and is there to support your learning and development. 
• Code Platoon encourages and values your feedback. Every week ends with a retrospective where students can discuss how the week went and what could be done differently to improve things. If possible, changes are implemented immediately. Additionally, students can communicate how they are feeling about their progress via a check-in form. I was very impressed with this process.
• Workshops/lectures on topics beyond technology such as personal finance, preparing for interviews, diversity/inclusion, and job search tips

Cons:

• Very time intensive. If you want to succeed, you will need to dedicate the time the program requires. I knew this going in and tried to do my best to manage... but its worth mentioning again... many many 12+ hour days with coursework, challenges, and then eventually full-stack projects.
• Some workshops were more difficult to follow as a remote attendee but I don't think that is the fault of the organization.

 

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Code Platoon is an amazing program.  I have learnt an incredible amount in such a short time. The instructors are dedicated and their support to helping us suceed is awesome - each student is given at least one mentor, and TAs are available in the evenings. The internship program is what sets Code Platoon apart from other bootcamps. 

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What an amazing experience! I came in with very little knowledge about software engineering, and now at the end of the course, I have a great understanding of multiple languages, frameworks, and core competencies to not only build projects, but gain meaningful employment! 

The instructors, TA's, mentors, and coaches all came together to create a supportive learning environment that pushed my capacity to learn new things to a level i didnt think was possible.

I am so grateful for this course and the opportunities that this course has provided me.

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Code Platoon was a very rewarding and very challenging experience for me. Before this program, I didn't really have a grasp or understanding on any coding. After, I feel confident enough to start building apps and comfortable using Javascript and Python. The class cohesion was a critical aspect I feel that sets this bootcamp apart from others. Everyone in the class was there to learn and help each other grow. The instructors were always there to provide assistance and answer questions. We had mentors and TA's volunteer their time to contribute to our overall learning in class. I highly recommend this course to any vet looking to start a career in software development!

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