Codesmith Reviews
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Justin
A worthwhile grind
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Everything you've probably read about Codesmith is true. Its a tough worthwhile grind where you'll be thinking about code every waking/sleeping moment, (albeit maybe not while you're playing ping pong)
This program is definitely not for the faint of heart, but those that are looking to be stretched in what they know technically and then more. It's very much get out what you put in. There will be lows, where you'll be challenged to problem solve and debug with your pair programming partner, exuberant highs where you'll feel the happiness that comes with understand a complicated topic, and everything in-between. Its in my firm belief that there is no other program that competes with Codesmith and I would make the same decision again in a heartbeat.
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Kevin
Worth it
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Before joining Codesmith, I have been coding for a few years on and off. I was building projects, but was always left with a feeling that I was hacking pieces together that I did not truly understand.
I started attending the Codesmith run meetups, JS The Hard Parts, and was surprised by how thorough the topics were explained. Going under the hood and really understanding what is going on. Plus, the community was very helpful and I found myself surrounded by people who were also eager to learn and share their knowledge.
The program itself is very challenging, be prepared to put in the time and effort to learn and practice all the covered topics and build (exciting and challenging) projects to solidify your knowledge. Staff and cohort-mates were there every step of the journey.
Easily the most exhausting, but rewarding, 3-months of my life. All the hard work does not end after the program as job searching is a full-time commitment in itself. It was all worth it and I have since found a job as a Software Engineer at a great company.
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Annie
Actually Lifechanging
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Without being hyperbolic, Codesmith genuinely changed my life. I came into the program with a background in teaching math, already knowing that I loved problem-solving and buildling things. I wasn't sure, however, whether the hype about Codesmith was real, or whether I'd really be able to learn enough in 3 months to position myself for a real career in software engineering.
If you are relatively prepared with Javascript fundamentals and have a genuine passion for programming and engineering, Codesmith is a phenomenal program. The curriculum is almost entirely problem and project-based, meaning that you'll learn by doing, rather than by watching others. This means many many hours spent on your own or with a partner poring over documentation, writing things from scratch, and debugging code. It's important to note that the program is very self-driven. You definitely have access to mentors and instructors, and they've designed a great curriculum that ensures that you hit all of the important points/skills you need if you stay on track, but ultimately it is up to the student to figure almost everything out, with the help of his or her peers. I loved this environment and found that it really let me thrive and push myself to the best of my abilities. I built a production project here that I am genuinely proud of, and that has gotten recognition by engineers at companies like Netflix and Amazon.
The hiring support at Codesmith is really invaluable. It doesn't come until the last couple of weeks of the program, so I found myself worrying quite a bit during the first couple of months. They really give you targeted and specific guidance and feedback on resume writing, presenting yourself online, reaching out to companies, interviewing, and closing an offer. Obviously, you will have to be the one to follow through on all of their advice, but if you are persistent and have done your preparation, you'll be positioned to land a pretty great job. I received two awesome offers from companies this week, and the staff at Codesmith gave me advice for negotiating and signing on with the company I was most excited about.
The community at Codesmith is incredibly supportive. People are fun, positive, driven, and unafraid of failing. If you are driven by problem-solving and self-motivated to succeed, I think it's an ideal environment in which to level up and make a huge impact on your life.
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Frank
Graduate
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Graduated from Cohort 2 in NYC this week. The last 13 weeks have been an amazing ride.
My background was in finance with some programming work. I quit a fairly well paying position in December to pursue further developing my programming skills, being able to make applications and tools in your freetime is an amazing skill.
All of the accepted residents have varying degrees of prior programming experience, in my cohort this ranged from a few months to over 10 years. One day before the program started, I messaged the Codesmith team and asked them if I should defer entrance, I did not feel ready. They told me many accepted residents often feel that way from the pre-course work and that I should stick it out for the first week to feel out my readiness. I'm glad I did, three days from graduation I accepted an offer from my dream job that I've wanted for the last 4 years.
Programming background depending, the curriculum is likely going to be challenging. The first 6 weeks (junior phase), you go through 2 day units that cover differently topics across the stack. Ideation week for your senior production project lasts 1 week, you then spend another 4 weeks (senior phase) working on a open source production project before spending the final 2 weeks preparing for post program. All together, I spent around 10-14 hours each day at the program from Monday-Saturday and also put in a few hours on Sunday.
Our production project was focused on improving the local development experience of a Kubernetes cluster. I had two amazing partners working on the project with me and we launched the project (see Watchpod on Github) to very positive feedback from members of the Kubernetes developer community.
Lastly, I want to dedicate a paragraph to the Codesmith team. One of the main reasons why I joined Codesmith over competing programs is because of the community. From Thursday night drinks to nerf wars, Codesmith does an amazing job fostering a caring and colloquial community. The staff puts in 110% to ensure the resident experience is as positive as possible. For the long hours they put into both emotional and intellectual support across the entire program, they deserve a tremendous applause. Kudos to the entire team, with special shoutouts to Victoria for always caring about the resident experience, Eric for the wonderful job search support, Brandon for convincing me to take part in this wonderful program, and lastly Will for building something amazing over the last 2 years. You guys have built something special, keep up the wonderful work. I'm excited to see the future of Codesmith with each cohort improving upon the last!
Olivia of Codesmith
New York Director
Sep 12, 2018
Frank - it was so great to get to know you during your time at Codesmith, and to continue to stay in touch through your alumni involvement. We are thrilled that have stayed such a present member of the NY Codesmith community and can't wait to see how you grow in your role HOF Capital. -
Ryan
The Right Move
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I was working as a home automation systems programmer for 10 years and I could see that the market was changing, customers were leaning more and more on internet connected devices and I realized my career needed a course correction. I started to teach myself web development, I was going down the typical self-learning path and it was very frustrating. I'd get to spend maybe an hour or two per day going through tutorials and I would often end up stuck down a rabbit hole researching something tangentially related to what I was trying to learn. I had been spending some evenings attending the meetups that were put on by local bootcamps just to try to steer my self study. One evening I attended Codesmith's weekly JavaScript the Hard Parts meetup and I was very impressed both by the fact that Will the CEO was actually giving the lesson and that the atmosphere around the meetup was so friendly and invigorating. After a few months of careful research and deliberation I decided to attend Codesmith. I can say that my decision has paid off so far, I learned so much during the 12 weeks, most importantly I learned how to pick up a new technology quickly and how to work through blocks in development. Additionally I am now part of an awesome community of Codemith staff, students and alumni who are most intelligent, positive group I've ever met. All in all Codesmith was the right move for me.
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Erik Larsen
February 2018 grad
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I'm fresh out of the November-February program. I've never before learned so much in so little time. I came in with only a smidgen of JavaScript knowledge, having completed the Codecademy JS course and gone to Codesmith's weekly LA meetup (JS: the Hard Parts) a few times. My background is completely non-technical, and I had no prior coding experience. Codesmith took me from there to creating a developer library that uses a Webpack loader to bundle files as Web Workers that can be used in a pool structure in 12 weeks! I don't think I would've even understood that sentence before starting.
Here are some of the things that set Codesmith apart:
- It's really demanding. At a minimum you'll be onsite 62 hours/week, and you should expect to be there a lot more.
- Learning is accomplished by doing. There are lectures, but they are not the focus. The first four weeks are spent on JS units, and thereafter you work in teams on projects.
- Technical communication skills are paramount. There is only one solo project, which lasts 2 days, in the whole curriculum. Everything else is pair programming or group projects.
- The production project, which lasts 4 weeks, is the main focus. For a project to be approved, it has to require deep knowledge of an area of JS that will impress seasoned developers.
- The staff is very supportive, and they do a lot of work from the admission process through the project phase to ensure that every cohort maintains a positive culture.
Codesmith is a big investment of time and money, but it's worth it. Having completed the program, I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone with a passion for JS and a desire to take their skills to a whole new level. If you're in LA or NYC and thinking about doing a fast-track coding school, check out Codesmith's weekly JavaScript: the Hard Parts meetup.
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Justino
Great program for aspiring and experienced software engineers!
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Codesmith's immersive full-stack JavaScript program helped expand and sharpen my software engineering skills. The collaborative culture and focus on improving one's communication and problem-solving skills made a huge difference in my growth and learning experience. I enjoyed the fun yet challenging environment created not only by the Codesmith team but also the program residents. I spent over 70+ hours every week coding, learning new concepts, reviewing people's code, solving challenging problems, and exchanging knowledge with others. I particularly enjoyed the second half of the program when I worked with team of 2 other amazing software engineers. We built a collaborative, real-time text-editor that implements full end-to-end encryption and gives users privacy and the peace of mind that no third party is collecting or selling their data. This portion of the program taught me so much about team work, the value of pair-programming and testing, and the importance of having good communication skills. I had a rewarding and joyful experience during my time at Codesmith. -
Jonathan
Six months of Hard Parts
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I’ve made multiple attempts into getting into Software Engineering in my life, and credit my weekly attendance of Codesmith’s JavaScript – The Hard Parts workshops as the reason this attempt is succeeding. Will spares no effort to hammer in the importance of technical communication, step-by-step interpretation of the code, and understanding what's going on "under the hood” in Javascript. It helped me develop the fundamentals that were invaluable in passing the interviews for the programs I was looking into, including Hack Reactor and Codesmith itself.
No less importantly, Hard Parts brought me into contact with others taking their first steps toward becoming software engineers. I learned a lot working with them, but more than that, I was inspired by them. Seeing so many of my peers working so passionately towards the same goal as me helped me remained focused on my aspiration. Learning about their backgrounds and listening to their experiences provided perspective and reassurance. And when I was waiting in the reception area for my final chance at getting into the Codesmith program, their encouragement kept me from running for the door and rescheduling my interview another six months down the line.
I look forward to entering this program in two weeks and continuing my journey with this incredible team. -
Mark Romano
Graduate
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I began looking into software immersion programs in the winter of 2016. In searching for pair program partner to study with for technical interviews, I came across a person on Reddit, who was at the time a Codesmith student, who offered to help me study. Only at the end of our studies did he ask what program I was shooting for. I told him Hack Reactor, since it had a solid rep, and I was already living in the Bay Area. He pushed me to look into Codesmith, telling me he too had looked into HR. He moved all the way from Florida to LA to attend.
I applied to both, and got into both. I chose Codesmith, because my Reddit buddy praised the school so highly, and believed in the program so strongly. Since graduating, I firmly share his beliefs, and know I made the correct choice. There are three major factors that make Codesmith such a standout; an especially capable and talented student body, an emphasis on technical communication, and the strong sense of community the program fosters.
The student body at Codesmith is carefully selected . The standards for admission are tough. The technical interview was harder than HR by a long shot - it took me a couple of tries to get in. This was frustrating at the time, but this system results in a cohort with stronger technical abilities, so the material and the rate at which they teach it can be upped. There’s a cultural interview too. It’s not enough just to be really smart. Empathetic, team-focused, communicative, and social personalities are sought from applicants. The curriculum revolves around pair programming and project teams, so people who fill this criteria are strong fits for the program. This combination of technical abilities and conducive personalities results in learning environment where you can maximize your growth.
The most powerful skill set I was able to develop at Codesmith wasn’t learning JavaScript really well (though I did that, too), but technical communication. I can’t stress how important this ability is. When you’re interviewing for mid and senior level developer positions, being well-spoken and concise is sooo important. After all, asides from a coding challenge or two, the only way these interviewers can judge you is by the words you share with them. Being able to answer questions in an elegant, precise, and confident way is the best way to shine. But the perks of a strong technical communication ability don’t end there. After you’re hired, you’ll have to communicate with your team, both technical and non-technical members, in an efficient and approachable way. This’ll make you an especially valuable asset to your team.
The most enjoyable part of the program is the community and culture the Codesmith team has created. Graduates consistently maintain relations with Codesmith. Whether it’s coming back to for mock interviews of current students, host an open forum that details their job search story and their current roles, or just dropping by to hang out, alumni are a big part of the culture and are always looking to give back. Thursday nights are special night each week where students, staff, alumni, and friends put aside their work a little earlier than usual, and have a few drinks with each other. Very often the karaoke machine gets busted out. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve watched half a dozen engineers singing along to some N’Sync. There are beach days, bonfires, family-style dinners, kickball. And all of this fun happens alongside some of the most intense and rapid-paced learning you’ll ever have.
I really can’t say enough good things about Codesmith. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it has been a bit of a life-changing experience. I’ve gained a large group of friends I’ve bonded very strongly to, an amazing job I feel proud of, and a new perspective on communication, problem solving, and life in general.
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Samantha
Great Experience!
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Codesmith was the only place for me - coming from about 3 years experience as an AngularJS developer, I was looking for a way to quickly get my skills up to the next level. Codesmith did that not only by teaching the newest technologies (React, Node), but by making sure students also truly understand the fundamentals and principles underlying all those great technologies. The pair programming style of learning was extremely appealing and rewarding for me and has taken my technical communication and ability to program with other to a whole new level.
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Jonathan Perera
Top Notch!
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Codesmith's immersive program truly is a cut above the rest. There are a few things that I considered when making my decision to attend:
Material - not only is the course material relavent to the current job industry, it's extremely well structured. All of the units that the Codesmith residents work through are laid out in a logical manner that builds upon your experiences in previous units. By the time you know it, all the pieces connect and you come out with a wealth of knowledge that's highly sought after.
Instructors - as it turns out, the couse material, although important, is only a small factor in why Codesmith works. The team members here are amazing, explaining highly technical concepts and code walkthroughs with perfect technical detail and clarity - and it's not just code that they teach you. Codesmith specializes in honing your problem solving capabilities. This is a skill that trumps all others. During your software engineering journey, you're bound to run into countless scenarios where you just don't know the answer, or perhaps have no knowledge of the technology you're working with. How do you overcome those blocks? How do you tackle not knowing something? These are what the instructors are truly teaching you. As you work through the material, the team is there to help you work any blocks or challenges that you may face, all while never revealing answers so you come to solutions on your own might - adding another notch to your belt of coding skills with each challenge you've solved. Eventually, you'll have enough notches to work through scenarios you thought previously impossible, regardless of the technology you're working in.
Culture - this last one seals the deal and puts Codesmith in a class of it's own. Codesmith is not just a coding school, it's a community. A tightly knit one at that. An environment of learning and self improvement with no judgement has been established here. This is the type of place where anyone and everyone is a resource to you, a place where you can flag any random person down in the hallway and they will drop what they're doing to help you. The community here is unlike any other you'll experience, you'll be surrounded by good natured, extremely friendly and highly intelligent people - it's honestly a bit addicting.
All in all I'm so glad I attended! It was truly a transformative process and I feel well prepared for what lay ahead.
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Jon
Excellent Choice
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If you are considering any kind of software engineering education, you must at the very least check out Codesmith’s free `JavaScript the hard parts`. Over the course of a few months attending these weekly sessions I became convinced that Codesmith was the right choice for me. I enrolled in July, graduated in October and by November had an excellent offer from a great company in the Bay Area.
Codesmith instills great confidence and ambition in its residents, which is reflected by the quality of the open source projects produced.
For me, this was achieved by focussing on technical communication - a core part of the Codesmith experience. Only by having a solid understanding of foundational concepts and what’s going on ‘under the hood’ is it possible to effectively communicate complex problems in an articulate manner. This is an invaluable skill for interviews.
Building on this foundational understanding, the second half of the program helped develop my skills as an autonomous problem solver. In requiring residents to engage positively with the open source community, it helped address the inevitable imposter syndrome head on, and validate ourselves as software engineers.
It is a combination of deep understanding, excellence in technical communication, ambition of projects undertaken, and the culture and enthusiasm created by the Codesmith team that has led to the success of so many graduates, myself included, as professional software engineers.
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Johnny
Life Changing
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I'm a graduate of Codesmith who has been working as a software engineer now for about 4 months. I'm a naturally skeptical person, so I went into the program with a healthy dose of caution, trying to dampen my expecations on the promise of the program. I was so happy to discover that I have nothing but good things to say about the program. I was very surprised that Codesmith not only met my expectations, but exceeded them. The community is what makes it -- it's simultaneosly friendly, encouraging, and very supportive. The leadership and instructors set a wonderful tone for the whole program -- they're approachable, fun, friendly, and super knowledgable. It's such an amazing experience to be surrounded by driven, intellectually curious people non-stop for 12 weeks -- the dynamic is always so supportive, even during later weeks when everyone is burnt out, tired, and stressed to hit the next deadline. Sounds cheesy, but this place changed my life. I came out of the program with a whole new set of friends, and a job/career that I love. I couldn't recommend Codesmith more highly to someone who is cut out for it.
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Ian
Codesmith
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I think it's useful to provide some context with any review - I have an engineering (not computer science/engineering) BS from UCLA with a non-engineering career prior to my career change. That said, the majority of the people in my cohort came from entirely non-technical backgrounds.
I went into Codesmith with some self-study Javascript experience - as much as I can cram without losing direction/getting overwhelmed with the amount of breadth that comes with Javascript. Definitely enough for a junior web developer role, but I wanted to work on the more interesting and fun problems that come with a mid/sr level role.
Going through the program has prepared me for such a role for the following reasons:
1. A ton of hours pair programming - not only does this teach you to be a better technical communicator, but it also gives you a better in-depth understanding of core concepts and troubleshooting approaches. Not to mention - it also makes you better at reading other people's code (something that you'll need to do in your career)
2. Projects - the point of this program isn't to showcase how you've completed a 3-month immersive program to somehow justify that you are now qualified to be a software engineer. The point is to show that you’re able to perform and contribute as an engineer in a meaningful way. A reputable program should encourage you to come up with ambitious projects that directly impact other developers and contribute to the open source community (i.e. not CRUD apps). This signals to employers that you’re capable of tackling problems that real developers face.
3. Learning how to learn - part of learning to become a proficient software engineer is to be confronted with difficult and challenging engineering problems where the struggle is the norm rather than the exception. Codesmith goes out of its way to make sure that they're not just spoon-feeding you the answers for good reason. Make no mistake - it will be hard work before, during, and especially after the program.
The outcomes? Most people in my cohort (who, again, came from non-technical backgrounds) are gainfully employed with the salary expectations that were presented to them. The great and unexpected side-effect of this program is that I made friends and connections with awesome people who I would not have otherwise have met or bonded with. Work hard but don't forget to take the time to make those connections!
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MH
Worth the Investment
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I debated about whether or not to attend a coding bootcamp for over a year before finally making a decision to attend one. I knew that I wanted to change careers, but I wasn’t sure if coding bootcamps were worth the high price tag. I already had a graduate degree and felt like I couldn’t afford the time it would take to go back to school for to get another degree in computer science.
Attending Codesmith was a last-minute decision for me. I had been accepted into Hack Reactor, and was all set to attend. However, due to Hack Reactor’s fairly negative reviews at the time, I was doing some last-minute research before paying my registration fee. That’s when I discovered Codesmith, and decided to attend Hard Parts.
After Hard Parts, Will Sentence (the CEO/Founder) followed up with me personally to see how my experience had been. I thought that was great, and appreciated the personalization, so I started looking into Codesmith more deeply and it seemed like graduates’ starting salaries were higher than Hack Reactor or some other bootcamps I was attending.
I decided to apply, and was also pleased to find that the admission process was more challenging than Hack Reactor’s had been. I wanted to attend a program that would allow me to leave with the most advanced skills possible, so I felt like this was a good sign. I had both a cultural and technical interview, and was admitted on my first try, although I hear this is not the norm.
Throughout the program, I never felt like I was learning. I was constantly afraid that I would never be able to learn enough (or learn fast enough) to land one of the amazing jobs that I had read about from other graduates, and I never felt adequate enough to call myself a developer.
However, 5 weeks after graduation, I received an amazing offer from one of Codesmith’s Hiring Day partners, one that is in line with Codesmith’s advertised graduate salaries. Not only that, but I LOVE my new job, the company and the team I work with. I honestly couldn’t have asked to land in a better situation.
Were there things I didn’t like about Codesmith? Sure. But at the end of the program, it landed me exactly where I wanted it to be, and for that reason, I would do it all over again. Could you learn everything Codesmith teaches on your own? Definitely. But in my experience, I would never have landed at the company I did with the salary I was offered in such a short amount of time without Codesmith. If you are considering Codesmith, I would say that the price is worth it if only for the career services aspect of everything. The resume building, personal narrative critiquing and Hiring Day opportunities are worth the price tag.
I’ll also say that throughout the program, Will, Haley and the rest of the staff were always ready and willing to listen to my concerns, work with me to shape the program to my specific needs and encourage me not to give up. I almost quit about halfway through the program, but I am so glad that I didn’t, because I know that I would NOT be where I am today if I had chosen to walk away.
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Simon
I was once reading these reviews
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I took a risk and moved all the way from San Francisco to attend Codesmith's August 2016 cohort. At the time, Codesmith was still a relatively new Software Engineer program and trying to build its reputation as the best in the nation. There were already well established and reputable programs like Hack Reactor and App Academy. I got into all 3 programs, but I chose Codesmith for the following reasons:
1) Small, intimate cohort size (15-20 students max). You will get a chance to pair with everyone in your cohort and connect on a deeper level beyond the curriculum. The staff and peers will not let you fall behind.
2) Very selective. Codesmith only admits smart, motivated, empathetic, and thoughtful peers. You will meet amazing people from all walks of life and build relationships that will last beyond the 12 weeks.
3) Projects. You build challenging and ambitious projects you are proud to put on your portfolio and speak passionately about when you are job seeking.
4) Curriculum. Modern tech stack with emphasis on best practices.
5) Support. Routine check ins , interview practice, job search tips, algorithm practice, soft skill practice, etc.
6) Hiring day. 20ish companies come out on the last day to hire you! What other program even has hiring day anymore?Tips:
Be prepared and committed work 8-12 hrs a day for 6 days a week.
Continue to work just as hard when the program has concluded. Remember nothing is guaranteed.
You will have the confidence and knowledge to become a mid-level developer.
Imposter syndrome is real. Just know it happens at every level. The more you know, the more you don't know.Finals thoughts:
It's been 1.5 years since I completed the program. I made a choice, and it paid off. Codesmith was one of the best experiences of my life and I would do it many times over. -
Aaron Goldsmith
Unquestionably Worth It.
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I had completed General Assembly's 12 week Web Development Immersive prior to attending Codesmith, and wasn't having much luck on the job search. After one session of Javascript: The Hard Parts, I knew that Codesmith was how I would be able to gain the requisite knowledge to do well in interviews and land a job. The in-depth study of computer science fundamentals was crucial, and gave me the edge I needed. Moreovever, Codesmith CEO Will Sentance is an amazing human being, and his passion for software engineering was something that I was so happy to have been able to witness.
The hours are long, but there is a method to the madness; your future co-workers will be astounded by your work ethic! I was particularly impressed with the job-preparation elements of the course; they share with you the tools to package and present yourself as a capable engineer (even with no previous experience). The mock-interviews and practice white-boarding sessions were a great preview to the interview process. The emphasis Codesmith puts on pair programming is also fantastic, as learning to work well with others will serve you well down the line.
Two months after graduation, and about 5 or 6 on-site technical interviews, I wound up as a full-stack software engineer for Rotten Tomatoes. It's important to not slack off after graduation; the job-search is your job. During the day you should be either interviewing or applying, and in the evenings, you should be learning/coding. Don't forget to take care of yourself, eat well and exercise if you can.
Like others have said on here, trust the process. The curriculum is spot on. Practice algorithm challegnes daily, I particularly like Codewars. Also, try to have a personal website that showcases some completed and deployed applications you built; this was something I had from General Assembly coming into Codesmith that some of my peers didn't have, and I feel like it made things a bit easier for me, although as far as I know, all of my classmates have jobs now.
Will and his team lay out everything for you, they give you the knowledge and the tools to get what you want, it's just up to you to walk the path and put in work.
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Chris
An amazing program.
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Could I have gotten to the place I am now without attending Codesmith? Probably. Could I have done it in such a short time frame, and would I have same the confidence in my ablities I do now? Absolutely not. Codesmith is an amazing software engineering program that is designed for and depends on your success. I could not reccomend it more, both as a Career accelerator, and probably the most fun (and stressful) few months of your life. Worth every penny and more.
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Jake
JS Hard Parts Prep Course
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The primer for the program (JavaScript the Hard Parts) takes place Thursday nights in Los Angeles, and varies for other cities, and is a great introduction to/review of concepts that those learning the JavaScript language may struggle with initially. The class is interactive, engaging, and gives a good sense of what the program entails. In each session a concept is reviewed. First the concept is defined, then we examine what might make it a novel concept and especially important for the language, and finally review examples line by line to understand what is happening in each line that is executed.
The Hard Parts sessions also include pair programming time (again, emphasizing communication and working in teams) and an opportunity for problem solving that might be from a different perspective. After trying online resources, a handful of books and other in-person bootcamps I found JS Hard Parts to sync best with my learning style, meet other people with my level of experience and interest, and the best overall explanation of the concepts being reviewed. This is in part because the classes are in depth, but the engagement of others in the room means more people ask questions I may not have thought to ask, and in turn gives me a better understanding of the subject.
Prior to deciding to pursue a career change and become a developer I had met and worked at a company with 3 Codesmith grads. My role was in operations, but everyone in the company knew one another and I had a handful of conversations with them about work/nonwork. Besides being generally great people they were often recognized for the things the Codesmith program equipped them with including: (naturally) a deep understanding of JavaScript and (importantly) effective communication skills that prepared them to work in a team with others. I have heard from a number of other developers who have been in the field for years that the ability to complete projects independently will only open up a bit of the professional world and prepare you success where you have complete control. Codesmith's emphasis on collaborating and effective communication prepares graduates to work in a group environment, and promotes synergy in a cognizant way.
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Jacob Worrel
A Truly Special Place
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Coming to Codesmith for the first time can be a bit of a surreal experience. I remember when I walked through the elevator doors to attend "JavaScript: the Hard Parts," not sure what to expect. I was nervous because I hardly felt like I had a grasp on the easy parts of JavaScript and was certain I was in over my head. What's a higher order function, anyway?
6 months later, I'm writing scalable web apps and front end architectures using bleeding edge technology and I've got data structures and algorithms practically oozing out of my fingernails. I wouldn't be the Software Engineer that I am today without the support of my cohort mates who struggled with me through the program and the staff who guided me throughout the process.
The amount of attention paid to each student to ensure their success throughout the program and beyond is astonishing. I've seen staff stay long after their scheduled hours, just to work through challenges with students or give impromptu lectures, not because they have to but because they genuinely care about all things software and web-related and want to share their knowledge with others. That enthusiasm to dig deep into computer science and JavaScript fundamentals permeate the entire space, an awesome startup like environment where day after day people are coding late into the night.
Codesmith isn't a bootcamp. It's a community of people who are extremely passionate about learning and building new things- a truly special place I'm so thankful I was able to be a part of.
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Ian
Life changing!
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Thanks to Codesmith, I was able to land a job as a GIS Software Developer.
Curriculum - 5 Stars
The curriculum extensively covers the basics to advanced topics in Software Engineering and everything inbetween. There are lectures, review sessions, and everything that else that you would expect from a traditional teaching approach, but what I believe separates Codesmith from any other program is their heavy focus on project building and exercises that have real world applications. There is a lot of hands on experiences which is honestly wonderful because it provides opportunities to solidify the materials that have been taught.
Instructors - 5 Stars
The instructors genuinely care about a student's success. I'm the type that will ask a lot of questions if I don't understand something. I don't know how many questions I have asked, but all I know was that each question was treated with equal importance. So if you are like me, don't be afraid and ask away. Every single one of the instructors are highly approachable and they will do whatever it takes to make sure you understand even if they literally have to sit next to you hours on end.
Job Assisstance - 5 Stars
The job assisstance aspect of the program is exceptional. They do everything like mock phone and on-site interviews, whiteboarding sessions, resume builders, and follow-ups. The staff do their best to make sure you are ready and confident to go through the entire job hunting process.
Overall Experience - 5 Stars
I have nothing, but praise for this program. As a warning though, you will only get what you put in. Codesmith is amazing and provides you with the foundation and skillset to succeed; however, if you don't put in the work, you won't get much out of it. This program is not a walk in the park.
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Jin Choi
Best bootcamp in the universe
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I'm very grateful to Codesmith as it accelerated me from junior to mid level in my time there and provided me the tools and mindset to jump from mid level to senior at my first full time job in the time span of 2 months. YMMV but you will at least be a mid level developer out of Codesmith.
From what I know, the hiring support and tips and tricks to get mid level positions even without any developer experience puts Codesmith head and shoulders above any other bootcamp out there.
The only downside is having to listen to the CEO's speeches every Thursday night. But in spite of that, it still makes Codesmith more than worth the cost and the 12 weeks of intense learning.
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Christopher Cano
Fun and Best Learning Experience
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Codesmith was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. As an electrical engineering graduate from USC, I definitely had a more enlightening and fun academic learning experience at Codesmith than in college. The staff is super friendly and supportive (Especially Haley, she cool. Watch out for Brandon though…haha). Everyone's journey to and through Codesmith is a little different, so I can only tell of my experience. I actually had around 1-2 years of coding experience from both college and self teaching through other resources such as Coursera. But the curriculum at Codesmith was still challenging and greatly invigorating. You'll get your hands dirty with algorithms, data structures, http, react, angular, node, express, testing, and much more! You'll also get the chance to meet real professional software engineers who occasionally give mentor talks. The best part about Codesmith isn't the specific content though, but the overall experience of learning web development fundamentals, working with your peers and emulating what it's like to work on an engineering team in the real world (something which isn't as easy or plausible in a CS program in college), developing the skill on how to learn to solve problems autonomously, and…gaining new, lifelong friends! I don't think I needed a bootcamp/academy/whatever you want to call these things to get to where I'm at ( because there's this thing called the internet). But Codesmith definitely accelerated my learning experience and also made it more concentrated, focused, and structured. Before Codesmith, I was working as an EE when I wanted to switch careers. I had done basic programming in college but nothing close to the level needed to get hired as a software engineer. I decided to teach myself through resources such as Code Academy, Coursera, MIT OpenCourseware. I was all over the place trying to teach myself things. When you self teach you tend to learn stuff that you're only really interested in. I then landed an internship at a small startup, but even then, I felt like I was learning Python and Django specific things to get the job done. Plus, I didn't have the greatest mentorship. I was basically a code monkey. Codesmith helped fill my knowledge gaps, whether they were about fun or boring topics. Plus, I learned a lot from my peers that I could not have learned on my own. You can trust that you're in good hands at Codesmith. They have a great staff with backgrounds from Harvard, UCLA, Yale, and more big name prestigious schools (if that really matters to you). They also have a great alumni network with graduates working at places ranging from small startups to the big companies (Google, Microsoft). Now I wouldn't be me if I didn't keep it onehunnid so I will also talk about things that Codesmith can improve upon. Codesmith says that they can help get you to become a mid level software engineer. Depending on what type of software engineer, this is definitely possible but you might have to do more work for topics that are only lightly touched upon in the curriculum. Regardless, I feel that Codesmith can improve in its basic computer science portion in its curriculum. Things like stack, heap, how different types of data are stored in memory (in a computer not just how JS does it), and deeper OOP (it is touched upon but quickly switches to JS OOP which is different from Java, Python, Ruby, etc...) can be expanded upon. Now to be fair, when using javascript you don't need to know these things but it is definitely something a software engineer, especially mid level, should know. Butttttt that's my opinion. With that said, Codesmith overall is still a 5/5 star program. Some of the things you aren't deeply exposed to at Codesmith you can learn on your own. After all, their mission is to help teach you how to become a software engineer that can adapt to different environments and not be a code monkey. Codesmith doesn't hold your hand, but you will have support. You'll still be a mid-level engineer (or at the very least, will have learned to think like one) by the time you're done. You just have to do a little more work if you don't want to stay in javascript land or want to do advanced back end engineering. Codesmith is an expensive investment. Worth every penny, but expensive nonetheless. I hope my review will help who ever is reading this. If you have any doubts, the result of all my hard work was a position as a software engineer (back end) in Santa Monica, CA. Maybe that helps motivate you. Maybe not. In the end, it really is up to you and how much you want it. I still teach myself stuff after work that college, Codesmith, and my job didn't expose to me. There isn't any one program, school, or job that can teach you everything. Without a doubt though, Codesmith helped me get to where I am more than any other learning experience. And it was fun. =) -
Jorel
An Honest Canuck's Review
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Coming from a .Net background I was looking for a way to accelerate my training of using Javascript throughout the full stack and to familiarize myself with modern frontend frameworks. After attending a couple of Meetups hosted at Codesmith including the wonderful, ‘JS: The Hard Parts’ lead by Will Sentance, I knew that Codesmith was the place for me. Even as a guest, I could already feel the genuine excitement for tech and self-improvement just by walking around the space.
From day one, the support from the staff and fellow students was outstanding. Whether there be a technical issue or something else there was ALWAYS someone there to pick you right back up and steer you in the right direction. I really loved hanging out with my cohort mates and to be honest asked myself more than once if I was enjoying it too much. Don’t get me wrong, long nights and stress were part of everyday life but it really helped knowing that everyone had your back.
Overall, my 12 weeks at Codesmith was a life changing experience and I am incredibly proud to be part of the Codesmith family.
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John
The Journey to Full-Stack
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The Decision
I was a Front-End Developer in the Bay Area before Codesmith, but wasn't getting the exposure to Back-End technology that I desired. I tried teaching myself, but couldn't find reliable resources to get me where I wanted to. At this realization, and also knowing I wanted to level-up my career, I started looking into "coding bootcamps" that could get me the fulfillment I wanted. I had money, so I intended on going into the best one I could get into. I particularly looked into the LA area because I had family over here. My choice ended up being between Hack Reactor and Codesmith for me. I chose Codesmith because not only were they doing better in LA, but they showed such an exceptional care for their residents, including the aspiring residents.
The Culture
There are many work places, clubs, bands, and organizations that claim to be a family, but very few that claim to be actually are. At least, this was always my experience. Because of this, I was very surprised in experiencing that family feeling over at Codesmith. Seriously, no BS zone here. It's clear they are very careful in not just selecting the brightest for the residency, but the best for the culture at the residency as well. I can honestly say the people in my cohort are some of my best friends today.
The Search After
Because let's be honest, this is probably the most important part. I probably could have been done very quickly, but because I wanted to get into either full-stack or back-end engineering, I bit the bullet and chased what I went to CS for. As mentioned, I was a Front-End Developer before CS, and seriously had recruiters emailing me several times every day for Front-End positions. On top of that, I wasn't interested in working in the Health Care industry, and I didn't even go to my previous employer during my search. Fast forward to decision time, I ended up with 3 offers, two of them being full-stack, and one of them back-end. Much of my thanks has to go out to the staff for helping me sell my skills, chilling out my type-A personality (often times I had the desire to followup too fast), and giving me mock interviews on whatever topics I felt like I needed polishing on.
Conclusion
I made an unregrettable decision to change my life. I put a lot at risk by quitting my job and moving to LA. I joined CS to level up, and I got exactly what I wanted. If you're considering CS to level up like me, or change careers like most, it's definitely worth it.
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Angela
The best investment you can make in yourself
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I will keep this short, as there are many other reviews talking about the curriculum in depth and the amazing resources that Codesmith provides. My review will be about what I gained the most during my time there.
Codesmith is a valuable investment in yourself and your future. During Codesmith, I genuinely learned how to learn and now I am confident that I will excel at any software postition that I enter. My background is in Civil Engineering and I previously coded in Java, but I had never experienced this level of intense learning until now.
Codesmith got the philosophy right and you are surrounded by people who are asking in-depth questions about the most interesting emerging technologies. A small group of students, engaged instructors, and projects that challenge you to think critically... this is what all school should be like!!
I did get a great job at a startup working on the technologies that I love (React), but what I really got was a new mindset on software that will take me far. Shout-out to the Codesmith staff, keep it up!
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Jordan
Very Rewarding Experience
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TL:DR: I had an amazing exprience with Codesmith. Although my program ended a few months ago, I feel I'll always be a part of the Codesmith Family.
Like most of you, I did my share of research before I applied and committed to Codesmith. You can read all of the reviews, compare all of the other programs, but nothing compares to actually attending the JS The Hard Parts classes and meeting the folks that you might spend the next couple months with. Like many of my classmates, I was offered a seat at a couple of the other popular coding programs, but the family-atmosphere at Codesmith is what ultimately brought me in.
The program itself was very challenging to say the least. I definitely felt overwhelmed at times, but it really helps that you're surrounded by other engineers that are just as passionate and just as driven as you are. As some of the staff would say, "The challenges will be there to push you down, we'll be right here to lift you back up".
Unemployment can be a dark time for many, but I was tremendously fortunate to have the Codesmith staff to help me every step of the way. From the emails to the phone calls to the negotiations, Eric, Hira and Haley really showed me how to succeed.
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Chris
Incredible experience
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Codesmith by far is the best bootcamp out there. Plenty of bootcamps teach you how to code, but only one brings a family along with it. The Codesmith family is what brings you to the next level as an engineer. They push you to solve problems and challenges you never thought you could achieve. They give you the tools to find problems and solve them on your own, all while teaching you how to learn better, and faster. But it doesn't stop there. They work very hard to prepare all of their students for their life after a bootcamp. Codesmith really will prepare you to be an incredible engineer.
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Kyle
Great Experience
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All the instructors are very kind and helpful. You can tell they want you to succeed but they also don't just give you the answers. They make you work for it and are more mentors than teachers. That is good though because now I feel prepared to learn anything coding related on my own with maybe a little help from someone more experienced than I am. They really simulate the working environment where you won't be 'taught' per se but more mentored by an more experienced manager.
I was also very impressed by the social aspect. I was at Codesmith for about 80 hours a week, which sounds crazy but honestly it wasn't that bad for two reasons. One, I knew it was only for 3 months, and two, the social aspect of Codesmith was amazing. They plan fun activities to make sure we don't get burned out and they also make sure to only accept people who won't be jerks. The second is really important because when you're spending that much time with people, you want to make sure you enjoy the people around you. Everyone from every cohort I've met has been a really nice and supportive person. That's pretty incredible if you ask me. They take culture very seriously there and it shows.
They also take engineering very seriously and if you don't believe me just look at the types of projects Codesmith grads produce. That is really the best predicter of how well the program is if you ask me. I looked at the projects of grads from other schools when I was deciding where to go and they didn't even come close to what Codesmith grads create.
So in sum, I would highly recommend Codesmith. Go to the JavaScript the Hard Parts and meet the people. By the way, that's something other schools don't do. Other schools might say, "come one time on this one day to check out the program and then make your decision". Codesmith is a lot more transparent in that way by hosting all kinds of events from Thursday JavaScript the Hard Parts, to Saturday trainings, to JavaScript meetups, etc. They have nothing to hide and you'll immediately feel their warmth, bredth of knowledge, and ability to train excellent engineers.
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Jamin
JS the Hard Parts!!
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Codesmith is an amazing community of passionate, like-minded, software engineers. Kudos to Will, the visionary leader, who is orchestrating this life changing movement in the Los Angeles and now New York area. JS the Hard Parts Prep is a another example of the Codesmith organization giving back and creating opportunity for those aspiring to grow more in this field or considering coding bootcamp.
I have been a part of the Codesmith community a little over a year and a half now. Looking back my growth has been incredible. As a student, with the beginners mind, I have immersed my self in the coding bootcamp world despite having education in Computer Science. The first thing I noticed attending JS the Hard Parts was the amount of passion in the room. It is the perfect environment to meet other like-minded engineers who are passionate about learning. Will is an superb teacher with in depth knowledge of JavaScript and Software Engineering. The combination of attending JS the Hard Parts and being around other Engineers definitely heightened my understanding of JavaScript in a short amount of time!
Everyone has a different journey. JS the Hard Parts really took my understanding to a new level. I can personally say, JS the Hard Parts is the best place to start and will add value, skills, and useful tools to your plate. It is an excellent place to sharpen your skills to get into coding bootcamp. From my own experience, the knowledge and skills I have gained attending JS the Hard Parts and being a part of the community has contributed to me landing an entry level role in the Software Engineering Industry.
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Andre
A truly fantastic program
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Codesmith provides great programs that not only focus on coding, but the necessary communication skills to be successful and get hired as a Software Engineer. Every program I have attended has shown how important CodeSmith considers communication. Many programs have centered around the correct way to express highly technical concepts in a clear and concise manner utilizing proper parlance.
From my observations, the cornerstone of CodeSmith is to make their graduates as marketable as possible. I recently attended the presentations of the latest group of graduates capstone projects; I was blown away. Many of the projects presented used a combination of very popular technologies and a few of which I had never been exposed. Every project would impress any hiring manager, and will be powerful tools in assisting the graduates acquire great employment opportunities.
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Mary
Simply Life Changing
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My life has changed so much since I started Codesmith. I can confidently say that I grew more in the past 3 months than I had in the past few years. Before Codesmith started, I was incredibly anxious. I was worried that I would’t be able to keep up with such an intense program. Being on the other side of that, I feel confident in my ability to pick up new things. Not knowing something is no longer scary. I know that I can figure it out, and that has been so empowering. One of the reasons for my growth has been the amazing community at Codesmith.
Codesmith attracts driven, smart, and empathetic people. I believe the community is one of the driving forces behind student success. It’s easy to stay and put in long hours when the people around you are just as driven. It’s an environment where everyone pushes the people around them to be better than they were. Even when it gets to be past midnight, there are still people around to work through some code with.
The teaching style at Codesmith is not at all like a ‘hold-your-hand-tutorial’ Codesmith focuses on fostering problem solving ability and independent learners. Struggling through the material is where the learning happens. Sometimes that feels overwhelming, but it works so well. If you come to Codesmith remember to trust the process, because it works.
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Tom
Learn the Fundamentals
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This course teaches the most fundamental principles of JavaScript that any aspiring engineer or seasoned veteran should know. It is done via three 2 hour workshops. It also helps prepare junior developers for CodeSmith's Residency program (not a bootcamp).
There is tremendous value in the course material and pair programming excersizes - you'll learn what goes on under the hood of JavaScript and learn techniques for just-in-time learning (a necessity of our industry).
But the real impact is felt through the passion and genious of the instructor himself - his style ensures the information will stick and is well understood, and you feel as if you are going down this new road together with him. You leave the workshops feeling like you want more.
I've attended each several times. Despite having been a software engineer for over a decade, I still learn something new on every visit.
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Curtis
Codesmith far exceeded my expectations
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Are you stuck in a career that you aren't passionate about? Are you thinking about making a career change? Are you skeptical that a 12-week immersive coding bootcamp can transform you into a software engineer that is capable of being hired after graduation? Well, until I made the best decision of my life by attending Codesmith, so was I.
I had no prior experience in Computer Science aside from a basic computer class in high school. I even failed my first interview at Codesmith after studying my butt off for several months. But my determination went a long way. I cut nearly everything out of my life (would take time to stay physically fit by going to the gym, which I highly recommend after gruling programming sessions) to focus on my career change. I knew these sacrifices needed to happen in order for me to succeed.
If you are considering to do it, be fully ready to live and breathe Codesmith for the duration of the program. If you do not fully commit, you will not succeed. I am living proof that, as long as you give it everything you got and don't look back, anyone with no expereince in the field can come out of Codesmith with hirable professional programming skills. After graduating and accepting an offer at the current company I'm at, I doubts that I wasn't smart or knowledgeable enough to pick up new technologies and/or be able to keep up with the demands of the job. To my surprise, that was not the case. Codesmith does a great job of training students to be able to go into any environment and find solutions.
My time at Codesmith was very enjoyable. They do a good job of screening prospective students during interviews, which is why the Codesmith community is so awesome. Everyone is enthusiastic and excited to be there. Engineering fellows are extremely helpful for students. Intructors are top notch.
Codesmith provides all the tools necessary for your success. Even after your graduation, you are able to seek guidance on things such as salary negotiations and referrals for new opportunities.
Overall, this is an outstanding program and I am very happy and satisfied that I went through with it!
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Steven Meads
Codesmith: The Top Gun For Software Engineers
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Prior to Codesmith, I was enrolled in an online program. While the online program was a great start towards accomplishing my goal of becoming a software engineer, the program was missing something. After several months of the online program, I discovered Codesmith through one of their meetups, Build With Code. I immediately realized what I was missing was a community of like-minded software engineers. Long story short, I dropped out of the online program, prepared myself to get into Codesmith, and got accepted.
Codesmith isn't just a program that produces graduates every 12 weeks. Codesmith is a team of the most dedicated individuals whose first and foremost responsibility is to support its students, and ensure each student is successful and becomes a leader in software engineering. I personally have benefited from their support and commitment.
Additionally, the culture Codesmith has cultivated makes it an ideal learning environment. Within minutes you become part of a family and everyone is devoted to helping each other become the best software engineers possible. Not to mention, the curriculum is extremely challenging and increases your capabilities exponentially truly preparing you to be a leader in software engineering.
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Star
From nothing to Something...
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Wow! Did I get my butt kicked. I went into Framework not knowing absolutely anything....so green...so unbelievably green. And I have to say this was sooo challenging for me. I had one week to do the precourse work and then I dove head first into Javascript in Framework.
For 4 weeks I went through the course pretty behind compared to everyone else... The course moves fast. But I never felt so inspired at the same time in my "not knowing". And both instructors Tiffany and Isaac were so knowledgeable and warm, they really made me feel ok that I was struggling and kept me inspired to give it my all.
What I recommend for anyone considering this course is to really get your head around the prework they assign. Focus in on Javascript....I made the mistake of only having one week and just focusing on the HTML and CSS aspect of the precourse during that week. This course challenges you on your knowledge of the Javascript precourse information and moves at a higher thinking level than your normal fill in the blanks and hold your hand Codeacademy exercises. I believe if you have a good grasp on the Codeacademy and Codeschool Javascript precourse material, you will really step up your whole game with Framework.
What's so crazy is that before Framework - I was just flirting with the idea of coding and had no direction. Here I am 2 weeks out of my framework so a total of 7 weeks of coding overall and I have such direction and am working on a web application using the same structure I was taught in Framework. It's hard to believe what can be learned in 1 month. I really do miss the community of class. I feel like I have a new coding family. It is so much better than learning to code on your own in my opinion.
THUMBS UP!!!!!!! DO IT! AND DO THE PRECOURSE JAVASCRIPT to really get the most out of this course!! -
George Norberg
The best program out there
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Codesmith is hands down the best software engineering immersive program around. Do some research and you'll quickly find that only a handful of these coding immersives are legit -- Codesmith is one of them. The quality of students is astounding, as seen in their projects reaching thousands of Github stars and being featured at Google I/O. It also has the best outcomes salary-wise compared to its competitors given that LA cost of living is far less expensive than SF and NY.
I came in as a product manager and walked out a software engineer. I gained all the skills and technical understanding that I was looking for, met incredible people from all walks of life, and joined a warm community of empathic and talented engineers.
Whether you are a software engineer looking to enhance your technical communication and skill set or a self-taught programmer interested in picking up the latest industry technologies, Codesmith should be the program that you aspire to.
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Jamin
Worth the time Investment!!
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Codesmith is an amazing community of passionate, like-minded, software engineers. Kudos to Will, the visionary leader, who is orchestrating this life changing movement in the Los Angeles and now New York area. JS the Hard Parts Prep is a another example of the Codesmith organization giving back and creating opportunity for those aspiring to grow more in this field or considering coding bootcamp.
I have been a part of the Codesmith community a little over a year and a half now. Looking back my growth has been incredible. As a student, with the beginners mind, I have immersed my self in the coding bootcamp world despite having education in Computer Science. The first thing I noticed attending JS the Hard Parts was the amount of passion in the room. It is the perfect environment to meet other like-minded engineers who are passionate about learning. Will is an superb teacher with in depth knowledge of JavaScript and Software Engineering. The combination of attending JS the Hard Parts and being around other Engineers definitely heightened my understanding of JavaScript in a short amount of time!
In addition, to completing my Masters of Science in Software Engineering last month, I decided to attend Framework also just to polish up my skills, learn more, and be job ready. I was not disappointed. Daniel and Issac provided stellar teaching throughout the course. They really went in detail, under the hood, of many relevant front-end technologies. I also met many great people in the course. Over the length of 4 weeks, there was a real sense of community. Through pair programming, building cool projects, presentations, and applying world class software engineering principles, Framework was a source of great value.
Everyone has a different journey. JS the Hard Parts really took my understanding to a new level. Framework served as a great environment to better prepare me for the workforce and sharpen my skills. Combining the two provides you with a solid foundation to pursue coding bootcamp or even get a job as a junior software engineer. As a passionate, driven, software engineer, my journey does not end here, but it is only a step further. Maybe you just want to level up, bring an idea to reality, gain deeper understanding for bootcamp, meet other cool people, or be more effective on your job. Whatever the reason, I can personally say, JS the Hard Parts is the best place to start and will add value, skills, and useful tools to your plate. Thank you again Will and the Codesmith community and keep making impact one engineer at a time!
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Vinnie King
Seasoned Engineer!
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Codesmith was pretty great and I now I am a Software Engineer that can build mostly anything web related that I can think of. One of the main benifits are the people, like everyone else says. They are really sharp and usually really kind. Naturally, learning from these people around you makes you sharper and makes coding for 14 hours per day alot easier.
The focus on new Javascript frameworks is really important since basically every front end role out there loves React and Angular experieince.
It was great that we had speakers come in and we became part of the community.
The production project is great becuase the team makes you pick a project that is challenging enough to impress employers.
Codesmith really makes you a strong problem solver. Many times now when an employer asks me to do something, I won't really know but I feel like I can just figure it out by reading the docs.
They place a TON of emphasis on strong JS fundamentals and making you a great programmer, so that was good.
Hiring prep is great too and has helped me get through to lots of companies. Post CS support is nice too since Eric helps you negotiate.
There are some cons too. Sometimes it felt a little too hands off, like we didnt learn best practices because we were supposed to teach ourselves. So often times, we felt like we were in the dark learning things.
Parking when you are a junior, SUCKS. Sometimes it would take me 20 minutes to find a spot.
Hiring day is way awesome since companies come to you. One person in our cohot got a job offer on hiring day.
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Anto Afarian
My Codesmith Experience
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Hello all,
My name is Anto Afarian, and I'm very happy with my Codesmith experience. I loved meeting other Software Engineers and building projects! These are some of the experiences I had throughout the course that I thought were worth mentioning:
- Algorithm challenges- We did so many algorithm challenges that solving them became more of a puzzle or activity than something that would intimidate you. Once you see enough of them, there are patterns that you will recognize and act accordingly.
- Working with modern technologies- Our projects were built using Angular, React, Javascript, Node, Express, and many different types of databases. We made our own choices for tech stack, but were encouraged to build full stack applications.
- Working in teams- One of the most helpful things as a growing Software Engineer is having experience working in teams. This means not only do you figure out how to sort out problems and make decisions, but also keep your code clean so your teammates can use it/read it.
- Comaraderie- Everyone at Codesmith looks out for each other. There were times where a team was not finished with their own project and it was 1 am, but they would go and help another struggling team before even completing their own project. Thursday nights are a lot of fun (Codesmith Drinks Night after the Javascript meetup, open to everyone!), and staying there from 9 am to around midnight 6 nights a week really helps you get to know the people that you're hanging out with!
After Codesmith, I felt a lot more confident jumping back into the job search. I had some high impact interviews, did well on most coding challenges, and felt like I had high value. Confidence was one of my biggest issues after my college degree, and I'm very happy that those days are long gone. I have recently accepted a six figure offer and Codesmith was there every step of the way. They were very supportive and always asked for updates on how my interviews were going, and what I was struggling with, even after I had graduated. Definitely would recommend Codesmith to any future Software Engineers!