CodeCore Bootcamp

I graduated the CodeCore bootcamp in August and I feel confident saying it was the best educational experience I’ve ever had. I have previously received a Bachelor’s degree in business and began learning on my own over a year ago. I joined CodeCore because I found the complete full stack difficult to learn on my own. I wanted more hands on training and to be able to code with a group (as you would on a job) and to get more feedback and code review. 

It was hard work, and I really loved how much there was to learn and how quickly I could take it in thanks to the bootcamp format. Instruction took place in the morning then we did labs to practice during the afternoon. Homework and exams helped further cement knowledge and build confidence. The quality of the teaching was excellent - Steve and Tam are great instructors with valuable industry knowledge. And the TAs are excellent - friendly, highly skilled and helpful. 

I’m getting ready to start my first position as a full stack dev and I’m beyond excited. Advice I would give if you’re thinking of joining CodeCore is work hard, take it seriously, ask for help when you need it., and maximize your potential learning by practicing the basics as much as possible before starting. They really want you to succeed and will do everything to help you learn and prepare for jobs afterward. There’s a good reason past grads regularly keep in touch with CodeCore: CodeCore builds community and values its alumni and students. 

Having almost no previous background in coding, I completed CodeCore's 3-month course 2 years ago. A few months after my graduation I started working as a professional web developer. I feel well equiped by the education at CodeCore and emotionally supported by the welcoming community. The school truly offers quality education in this fast-paced tech world.  The tuition is really fair too, compared to similar programs in town, considering the instruction time and reputation etc. For what I've been able to get out of the bootcamp (coding knowledge, confidence for technologies in general, career prospect, financial income, developer community connection etc.), attending CodeCore has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I first took codecore's fundamentals class and pondered for a few months deciding whether or not to take the full bootcamp course either in Codecore or Lighthouse Labs. In the end, I decided to go to Codecore because they offered a 12 week program as opposed to 8 weeks and I truly do believe 4 extra weeks makes a lot of difference.

Throughout my time in the bootcamp, the instructors and TA's were really helpful and always available to answer questions. Another aspect that Codecore focus's on is the importance of Networking. Althought it wasn't something I really enjoyed, it is without a doubt an important aspect and Codecore does a good job pushing their students in the right direction to get started. It was a lot of hard work, spending around 10+ hours everyday coding is quite tiring. But you really do get what you put into it.

After graduation, Codecore was able to provide me continued support during job search. I was able to get a few interviews thanks to the staff there and ultimately landed a job after a month.

A little bit of background on myself, I have always been interested in technology and computers.  From the time I was a little boy I was fascinated with the multitude of things you could do with a PC so naturally once I had tried programming I was hooked. Gaining some experience in high school and later my first year at University I had never taken a deep dive into programming and computer science. I had taken some time off from University to work and that’s when my father had found out about these developer boot camps. Knowing that I liked programming and wished to pursue it further he told me about CodeCore, from that moment on I knew I wasn’t going to be going back to University.

CodeCore itself is supported by an amazing group of staff and teaching assistants. Both of the lead instructors Tam and Steve have great teaching styles which are easy to follow along and grasp these new concepts that introduced to you day in and day out. If you so choose to attend the boot camp your day will consist of 3 hours of instruction in the morning followed by 4 hours of lab time after lunch so you get a chance to practice and put into action what you had learned in the morning. After that you are technically free to go but, there is always teaching assistants on campus from 4 pm - 8 pm and I highly recommend you take advantage of these people. All of them are brilliant people working in the technology sector many of whom started in the exact same position you will find yourself. The course itself is 3 months long, 1 month longer than the other leading boot camp. The course will take you through the fundamentals of JavaScript of Ruby and other basic computer science topics. There is about a week spent on Node.js and the Express framework, which if you’re wishing to only focus on JavaScript I’d spend my time here. The main part of the course is Ruby on Rails, you will spend somewhere around 6 weeks getting familiar with the framework as well as web development patterns using Ruby on Rails. You may hear that it is not worth learning Ruby on Rails for whatever reason I would advise you to not listen to the nay-sayers. Ruby on Rails, especially for someone who is very new the world of web development is an excellent tool to grasp the many concepts that come with the topic which you can take and translate to whatever you wish to pursue in your journey towards becoming a developer. Finally, they do introduce you to the leading JavaScript framework, React. There is a lot of opportunity within that framework but it is not the focus of the course, I’d suggest pursuing it as soon as you grasp the fundamental concepts with vanilla JavaScript if you wish to pursue that within your career.

I’d like to touch my experience after the boot camp. Like many people who put themselves through a boot camp I was quite worried about how finding a job would go with my education being this 3 months long course especially since, unlike most of my classmates, I did not have a complimentary bachelor’s degree as I was 20 years old at the time of completing the boot camp. CodeCore has some great connections within Vancouver’s tech sector and through them, I was introduced to the company I still work for today. In my current role, I have moved away from Web Development in some ways, I still write a lot of JavaScript but a lot of my work involves our legacy Java code base and our new project in which we use Golang as our primary development language. Also, I have been introduced to many DevOps technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes. I have moved into more of programmer role over a developer role which has required to keep pushing in my pursuit of a computer science.

Finally, who are these boot camps for? If you except to go to one of these for 8 hours a day and just do the bare minimum and somehow at the end walk away with a job this is not the place for you. You have to be driven, you need to know before you that this will require a great deal of sacrifice on your part. Some days I spent up to 16 hours a day working on a project or trying to fit as much study in a day as I possibly could stand. If you can handle that sort of workload, and be prepared to put in a great deal of work in the position you acquire after the boot camp, then this is the place for you.  If you present yourself as a driven, eager learner I am willing to bet someone will take a chance on you.

I want to start by saying that I believe codecore is the best option for those looking to enter into a career in web development. As a graduate, my opinion may be considered as biased, but I would strongly recommend those who doubt it to attend demo days at codecore and competing bootcamps. In my opinion, the final projects of codecore students are typically superior to projects completed at other bootcamps.

Throughout the 12 weeks in the bootcamp, I was exposed to a number of front end and back end frameworks in both JavaScript and Ruby, as well as learning relevant theory related to software development. The biggest benefit, however, was that codecore's approach to teaching helped me to understand why I was doing what I was doing, as opposed to only learning how to do it. Staff were on-site for 12 hours a day to help with anything I needed, regardless of it was included in the curriculum. This approach and support has enabled me to go learn new langagues and frameworks on my own.

Upon graduation, the team at codecore was incredibly helpful at helping me find employment. I was referred to postings by staff members, had interviews scheduled for me, and could always rely on the team to quickly help with any issue I encountered on my search. I am writing this, less than 5 weeks after graduating, with multiple offers to choose from and an abundance of confidence in my ability to succeed with the foundational skillset I acquired at codecore.

Tam, Steve, Luc, and all the TAs at codecore are well equipped to help kickstart your career in development, and I can't recommend them highly enough.

I had conducted hours of research into 4 of Vancouver's most prominent bootcamps. In the end I had chosen CodeCore because it offered a fundamentals course, along with the 12 week bootcamp itself. They were also very welcoming of their alumni in returning to the campus. This was in contrast to the interview I had with Red Academy's developer program. I asked the recruiter if I would be able to return to the campus upon graduating, and was told that the time should be limited as time progressed.

The experience itself was perhaps the most difficult 3 months (in terms of school or work) that I had ever gone through. Each day consisted of 9-10 hours of coding at a minimum. The TA's and instructors made the whole process easier, however. We were encouraged to stay every class and put in our greatest effort. The bootcamp felt like a community, with fellow students, alumni, and instructors guiding us through code, events and jobs.

After completion, I spent 2 months working on freelance projects and my portfolio before finding full time work. The campus administrator Luke, puts his best efforts to find meaningful positions for the graduates. With a reference from an alumni, and guidance from the administrators, I was able to secure the contract. My contract starts in 3 weeks and I am very excited.

I would highly recommend this bootcamp for anyone who is interested in coding.

Whether you  are a junior or intermediate developer or recently graduate from school, CodeCore is one of the places you can start a new career. 12 weeks intense coourse help you to boost your career path. Needless to say it reuires hardworking. It is recommended people without CS background just take part-time courses and if they found they can go further then try fulltime course. CodeCore is a freindly and positive environment whcich has proved it's name in Vancouver for years by educating great developers. 

Tam's knowledge, teaching style, and caring nature make this bootcamp hands down the best.  Not only is the course material dynamic to adapt to the changing landscape, but there are tons of knowledgeable resources to further drive home your education.

I course is about 4 hours/day with about 4 hours/day labs to get practical experience working on the days concepts.  Outside of these hours, there is about 4 more where one has access to Tam or his knowledgeable staff to answer questions on extra work, projects, or anything in general.

Overall, well organized with tons of support onsite.  All that's needed is your desire to succeed!

I can't say enought positive things about Tam and the people at CodeCore.

After spending 10 years doing physical labor, I purchased my first computer in Spring of 2015 and attended the BootCamp in fall of 2015.

Since then I have had 5 jobs and moved to San Francisco to be on a cutting edge team at one of the hottest startups in the history of startups.

My pre-BootCamp income was a very reasonable, comfortable, and livable wage.  I now make 2.7 times my previous income.

The BootCamp is difficult, it will not give you anything.  You have to earn everything.  I was not the smartest, or most talented person in my cohort...but I was the hardest working and now I am a successful developer.

CodeCore will teach you how to think and learn like a developer.  If you put in effort, you can come away with enough knowledge to get an entry level position.  After that, it's all about how hard you work and there is no ceiling on the possibilities. 

I may have finished the BootCamp 2 years ago, but the effort I put forth in learning and writing good code has not diminished and it has paid off.

Investing several thousand dollars into a 3 month course is not an easy decision. No doubt you have already spent several hours researching different education options. I hope this review will shed some light on whether it’s right for you.

Are Bootcamps for Me?

If you are fresh out of highschool, seriously consider going to university or BCIT for a compsci degree.

A lot of material is covered in a very short time. A science/engineering degree, or previous programming experience is highly recommended. IMO it’s generally understood that a bootcamp can only teach so much. Employers will also be looking at your background and personal projects.

What Do They Offer?

There are a few advantages with Bootcamps. They focus on teaching you very specific practices and technologies within the shortest possible timeframe. They tend to be well-connected with employers and may even act as ‘feeder’ schools, funnelling talent directly to certain large employers.

In short, they are great for augmenting existing skills or experience and for networking. You will probably still want a degree at some point.

How Does CodeCore Compare?

There are a lot of options within the city. I chose CodeCore due to:

1. Professional atmosphere. Other locations had video  games, foosball, and similar loud distractions. Good for marketing but not conducive to work.
2. Better value. Due to a longer course curriculum and more lecture hours, the course can be intense without being overwhelming. I feel they are underpriced in the current market.
3. Unlimited retakes. This doesn’t sound great until you realize how quickly the curriculum evolves. Over the past year they have pivoted with market trends, much to the delight of employers. This is a great way to remain relevant and connected with up-and-coming talent.
4. Honesty. Having worked at educational institutions I know how the “95% placement rate” statistics are spliced together. CC did not give a placement rate but spoke about their commitment on quality placements, rather than low-paid internships.
5. Alumni Support. It’s not uncommon to walk onto campus and see grads working there instead of the office. Job opportunities, networking events, and hackathon teams are commonly shared on the alumni chat channels.
6. Free Fundamentals Course - if you also take the Bootcamp. This is a good way to test the waters and see if the course is for you. Worst case, you learn a little programming and for much less cost than similar intro courses.

Having kept in touch with several cohorts of students, I can confirm the hiring rate is very good.

Will CodeCore Get Me A Job?

No, but they will try really, really hard. One thing not advertised is their professional development classes that begin at the end of the curriculum. I’ve been around a long time - these classes are quality and are geared towards today’s CEO of Me, Inc mentality.

They harmonize your LinkedIn, resume, portfolio, github/bitbucket online footprint and also find job leads for you. Then there’s mock interviews, technical practice, and free editing for cover letters.

Ultimately it’s up to you to actually LAND the position but the school teaches you how to job hunt effectively.

What’s Your Story?

I’m a former programmer/technical designer in the game industry and a college instructor. I also have some finance designations. I decided to get into Web Dev as I wanted to help create a more intuitive and connected world.

I attended CodeCore, met some great people, and ended up at an amazing company, and am very grateful for the experience.

Feel free to get in touch if you ever have any questions.

Also a shout out to the staff that kept everything running smooth and the coffee flowing.

I had a blast going through the CodeCore course, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants to enter the tech industry. The instructors are very knowledgable, personable, and are always very helpful. The founder himself teaches some of the classes and is very approachable, always there for a chat or to answer questions. I had great classmates that challenged and taught me a lot. If you can use this environment to push yourself, you will find yourself making things that you didn't think you have the ability for. There are projects and problems that I would've never thought of attempting, but I'm glad I did, because it gave me the foundation in both skill and confidence. The classroom is very spacey and well-lit, which I liked very much. The community feels tightly knit and supportive, with a lot of the alumni remaining as active members, sharing their knowledge and experience. After graduation I received large amounts of help in finding a job. The referral and recommendation from CodeCore is what helped me land my first tech job. If you are willing to put in the effort, the journey will be really rewarding.

Codecore was absolutely instrumental in starting my career in the industry. After completing codecore I was hired as a junior back end developer and three years later I am still in the industry. Not only did Codecore help me gain the foundation I needed to find my first job,  the same foundation has made it possible for me to build on my initial skills and continue to learn the methodologies and technologies that are relevant. Codecore was absolutely one of the best decisions I have made in my life  

After you graduate you'll have a buddy (usually a codecore staff) to help you find a job. At first I was told there will be contracts and connections that will help me enter the tech field. However as I continued coming in every morning and applying for jobs online, I realized that both Tam and Bronwyn never truly cared about my progress. Some other grads were treated better and were offered either a contract or TA position. Sometimes even both. I had to get a job myself and never received any help. Staff are nice but at that time there weren't enough for the buddy system. 

Not worth your money if I could go back, I'd choose Lighthouse labs. 

Why I took it

I had always been curious about Programming and Web development. So when a friend of mine decided to take the CodeCore Fundamentals program, I decided to tag along. I was almost instantly inspired and impressed. I had taken programming courses in the past before but it was never an enjoyable experience. However, CodeCore was different. The people were super patient and passionate, the program was very approachable and well paced, and the campus was near a NoodleBox. So for those reasons, I decided to commit to the full 12 week bootcamp.

The Program and the People

The program itself was one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever endured. When I took the program, the focus was primarily on Ruby, Ruby on Rails, and Javascript. Everyday was a new day to abuse the brain with new concepts and teachings. You won’t have much time to review yesterday’s materials. Nor will you have the time to do anything else besides coding. And you have to be okay with not being able to understand everything. Now I know it sounds overwhelming and it was, but it really wasn’t that bad. I had made a huge investment on myself, so I decided to commit to it fully. Stay late, do the work, ask questions ,and trust in the process became my main philosophies for whole duration of the bootcamp. The teachers at CodeCore are Awesome. Great teachers are hard to come by. In my list of top 5 best teachers of all time who’s came into my life, Tam would definitely be one of them. He’s super knowledgable, patient, and most importantly- able to pass on knowledge in a non-intimidating way. He managed to keep me motivated and inspired me throughout the whole bootcamp. But it wasn’t just Tam, the rest of the CodeCore community were just as awesome. The TAs and staff were always super friendly and available for help. I also feel very fortunate because the people in the cohort were so amazing. Everyone supported everyone and we motivated each other.

The Payoff

After the bootcamp you’ll have everything you need to land a job. CodeCore will provide you with the skills, projects, and connections. Now what you do with those assets is completely up to you. CodeCore will even help you with proof-reading your resume, improving your LinkedIn profile, and conducting mock interviews. Those job finding services (along with the leads/connections to opportunities) plus the ability to retake the bootcamp will always be available to you. Fortunately, I was able to land a job not long after the bootcamp. I’m currently working with two of my former cohort classmates at a Startup. They are both weirdos, but the job is fun. I’m super glad that I went through with the CodeCore bootcamp because it has seriously changed my life. So is CodeCore for you? Before you decide, the most important question that you must ask for yourself is: are you able to fully dedicate to 3 months of hardcore coding. If you want do well and ultimately, land a job. You’ll have to show up everyday, ask questions, and stay late. This is a requirement. Also, keep in mind that job hunting is a completely different beast. CodeCore will certainly help you but you have to continue to work hard if you want to that job. So the verdict is: if you can commit to working really hard for a while then do it. Good luck!

As many others in my age bracket and possibly reading this, I was stuck in a job that I didn't like, feeling I was going nowhere and even worse, getting paid horribly for it. I wanted to change my situation, but it wasn't easy because studying is expensive and "slow". I couldn't afford to take some years off to go study full time and the pace of part time studying didn't seem to be worth it for me.

I have always had a passion for computers, and internet overall. I always had a deep interest on development and web design as well, but I only went as far as making a few basic static websites here and there. Development was scary and unreachable for me... why? Well because of "Computer Science", the hairy monster.

I grew up understanding that CS was a hostile world, ridiculously hard with a huge emphasis on MATH, and PHYSICS and ALGORITHMS and incredibly complicated abstractness that just seemed unreachable unless you resolve sudokus on hardmode for breakfast. In other words, I always perceived it as a career simply not for me.

Even though this was in my mind, for some reason, I took a “risk” and went check out the CodeCore academy. I thought I would talk with someone there, and see if there was hope for me in the web development world… what's the worse that could happen right? They might say yes!

I was greeted by Tam, who listened my sob story, and organized a meeting with Bronwyn and himself, to assess if I would be a good candidate for the course, but first and most importantly, for the career. And this last part, is exactly why I chose CodeCore over any other option. They care to identify if this is a relationship that can work in the long run.  

I learnt that CS is not the only path into this profession, and had a better understanding of which skills are the most relevant for modern web development.

I signed up for the bootcamp starting the following week, and after incredibly intense 12 weeks, with outstanding mentorship, support and care to explain even the most ridiculous questions, I finished up with an extraordinary foundation to firmly commence my new path into web development.

Now I am happy to say I am working at a great company, loving my job, feeling challenged and engaged every day!

One thing that I believe is important for everyone to understand though is that CodeCore is just the beginning. You get a massive boost and level up, enough to fulfill the requirements of the market and get your foot on the door, but it’s in your hands to go to the next level after that. The good news is that with the core elements you get taught, and continuous support from the CodeCore community, that journey is much much easier.

The time that I spent at CodeCore was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I came to CodeCore in the hopes of pursuing a career in the tech industry, and the bootcamp program provided me with all the necessary tools and directions. 

I went into the program knowing very little html and css. During the rigorous and engaging 3 months of boot camp, I spent on average 12 hours a day to learn and absorb all the materials. The program’s hands-on approach helped me to really understand the material and acquire the practical skills I needed. The instructors were knowledgeable and helpful, and the staff cares about their students.  After graduating, the staff has followed up with me regularly, offering job placement assistance.  

To be honest, it was not easy but after 3 months I was able to find a job as a junior developer at a great company. Thanks to  CodeCore, I can now look forward to a career in an industry that I find interesting, challenging, and rewarding. 

CodeCore's developer bootcamp is a fantastic starting point for those wishing to get into the tech industry. However, unless you have prior programming experience, I would highly recommend going through the fundamentals course first. It gives an early taste of what web development/programming is like and allows you to make a more knowledgeable decision about whether this is truly something you enjoy and are willing to invest a TON of time, effort and money into. 

The instructors and TAs for both the fundamentals and full-time bootcamps were amazing. Highly knowledgeable, many of them were willing to spend time outside of class/lab hours to answer any questions or concerns I had regarding the material. As a few others have mentioned, it's impossible for a 3 month program to teach you everything there is to know about web development, but CodeCore will leave you walking away with a strong understanding of the core principles. You will have the confidence and ability to pursue further learning on your own and to succeed as a Junior Web Developer. 

I took the fundamentals course in June 2016 and the full-time bootcamp in July 2016. One of the instructors helped set me up with an interview on demo day and I was hired the week after. If you're willing to put in the effort and are up for the challenge, I would recommend giving the fundamentals class a shot.

Like any valuable learning, what you get from the course does not just depend on how well the material is taught. You yourself need to immerse into the work and study hard. Keep up to date with the material and be active in labwork by asking questions or taking good notes. If you think you're able to do this, you'll succeed at CodeCore. 

I took the bootcamp in May 2015 after meeting with the founders/instructors and seeing how friendly and well-spoken they were. I was interested in learning how to build something tangible that could ultimately solve some small problem for people. When the course began, there were days I felt lost but I kept at it because persistence is key. You will learn a lot of valuable skills and problem solving techniques aside from just the languages/libraries introduced to you. No bootcamp will ever teach you everything you need to know but this is well-thought out to the point where you should be able to confidently walk away knowing enough to explore anything else in the world of developing and coding on your own. 

After the demo day where I showed my final project, I was approached by 3 companies for interviews, in which one lead to a job offer within the next week. 10 days after the course completion, I was at my new job.

So it's up to you. It isn't easy but I can guarantee you it'll be rewarding. Engage with the community and go to the networking events. Build your portfolio with new ideas and projects. Collaborate and build something cool! 

When I started looking for a school, I read so many online reviews for developer bootcamps my head was spinning! I spent months self-learning but not getting very far. 

I immediately got a great vibe when I met Tam, Bronwyn and all the team. I'm not going to lie. The bootcamp was hard going. But the best career decision I've ever made and I don't regret it for a second.

This is an intense course and you definitely get out what you put in, as the cliche goes. But its so true! Personally I put in 12 hour days, 6 days a week, sometimes 7. For the duration of the bootcamp I ate, drank and slept code. 

The quality and the delivery of learning material is excellent. Fantastic teachers, who have a way of delivering complex material in a very understandable way.

TAs were always available to help out whenever I got stuck or wanted a deeper understanding of concepts. Working on actual projects I could put on my github as a portfolio helped me better understand the tech I was working with and also I had something to show for it at the end. Every day I was excited to come to class!

When I finished the course CodeCore lined up some interviews for me and I landed a job on the second one as a web and mobile developer! I'm still working with the same company since I graduated and loving the learning journey!

I had an amazing experience at CodeCore. So happy I made the jump and took the full time bootcamp!