Codesmith Reviews
Page 4
-
Jimmy Verified via LinkedIn
Software Engineering Immersive Program
Read more Read less of Jimmy's review
I'm a LA Cohort 30 graduate. Prior to Codesmith, I graduated UCLA with a degree in physics. I didn't have much programming experience but had a lot of experience grinding. That's what codesmith is; a hardcore grind. We learn everything from vanillaJS, to React/Redux in the frontend, NodeJS/Express in the backend, MongoDB/Postgres for DB, and your very own niche topic that you'll spend 4 weeks on. Honestly, what other boot camp helps you make your own developer tool. The hiring process itself (how codesmith approaches finding interviews/etc) is worth the 18k honestly. I'm blown away at how strong the hiring process is and how they go about reaching out to companies. You will not regret your experience at codesmith. Cohort 30 best cohort :)
-
Julie Young Verified via LinkedIn
JavaScript for Beginners
Read more Read less of Julie Young's review
I just finished the JSB prep course and can't recommend it, or Codesmith, enough. I started looking into bootcamps as my next step in a career change out of social services. JSB was perfect for a beginner like myself; succinct but robust enough to provide a great jumping-off point for a future engineer. As a female and LGBTQIA+ person, it was important to me to choose a program that not only acknowledges marginalized communities in tech but actively works to reduce barriers and support their success. Codesmith does both. Their scholarship opportunities and proven course outcomes made my decision a no-brainer. I plan to continue my journey with CS Prep and later the immersive. While I'm in the very early stages of my coding journey, I'm so happy to have Codesmith on my side already!
-
Alfredo Alpizar Verified via GitHub
One of a kind experience!
Read more Read less of Alfredo Alpizar's review
This place literally changed my life.
I just finished the program on 08/30/19 and I just signed my offer letter yesterday for an engineering position well within the 6 figure salary range.
I just want to start by saying that you are not guaranteed a 6 figure salary by just attending. Codesmith gives you the perfect environment and resources necessary to succeed and grow at a rapid pace, but it is ultimately up to the individual to get the most out of their experience.
My Background: I graduated with my B.S. in a tech related major (not CS) last year in 2018 and I have been trying to break into the industry ever since. I took a few CS classes in Java and taught myself Python; I would say I was at a junior level after graduating, but I had no software engineering internships. After trying for so long with no luck, I realized I was doing something wrong. My application was rarely ever seen; having the required technical skills won't matter if you are never able to get into an interview room with engineers and show them.
I was very hesitant to go to a bootcamp, I already had some coding experience so I felt as though paying 17k for something I could teach myself was a waste of money. After a fair amount of research, a friend of mine recommended Codesmith. He went through the program after being in a similar situation as me and ended up at a successful startup making over 6 figures a month after finishing the program. I decided to attend the free workshops every Thursday night and I was sold after 2 weeks.
How to join: You definitely need to have a solid understanding of JavaScript fundamentals to truly get the most out of CodeSmith, if you are completely brand new to JavaScript or coding, you definitely need to study before attending. The technical interviews required for admission do a good job at gauging this, if you are able to get accepted after the technicals, you should be at a good enough level to start.
Luckily, Codesmith provides a lot of free resources that can help you get to the level needed for entry. CSX, their online learning platform, and JavaScript the Hard Parts meetups every Thursday are 2 fantastic free resources Codesmith provides to the community.
What sets it apart from other programs?
I won't try too hard to sell it, the results and positive experience students have speak for itself.
I will say that the way I was thinking about it before joining was wrong. I did not pay 17k for the material they teach here; I could have learned that on my own, anyone could. I paid 17k for a lot more than just the material taught.
The 4 things that make Codesmith worth it:
1) Learning how to problem solve
Codesmith believes in hard learning. For your own benefit, there is no spoon feeding at Codesmith. The units are designed in a way that you and your partner are bound to hit blocks. This is 100% intentional. The lectures give you a high level overview of the topic so that you are not completely lost in the unit, but you will have to dig deeper into specific parts of the technology with your partner in order to push through those blocks. You might think this is stupid, why are you paying so much money to end up teaching yourself ? This is a fair concern to have. To be clear, you have access to your partner, other cohort mates, your seniors, your fellows, and instructors as resources to help you break through those blocks. Still, no one here will flat out tell you the answer. It is absolutely essential for you to bridge that gap and have that moment of realization on your own, having someone simply tell you what to do robs you of that learning opportunity. You are bound to struggle, but I guarantee that you will have a deeper understanding of the topic after struggling with that block for so long. On the other hand, if someone just gave you the answer you might take it for granted and not fully understand what you did. Hard learning a topic is more likely to stick with you.
2) Building soft skills
Something that is often overlooked are the soft skills that you develop during your time at Codesmith. This is something that you absolutely cannot develop while studying on your own at home. Soft skills play a huge role during the hiring process and an even bigger role within the workplace. Soft skills become increasingly more important as you climb the software engineer ladder at work. The difference between a junior engineer and a mid-level engineer is that the junior needs to be told what to do while the mid-level is autonomous. A senior engineer has all that and can also teach/guide other engineers to make sure the team is on the same page. This requires a good mix of technical skills and soft skills.
Codesmith teaches you how to write your resume, present yourself, whiteboard effectively and technically communicate. Even pair programming every day helps build these soft skills while communicating with a partner. This is invaluable stuff.
3) Hiring support
The hiring support has been amazing. The job hunt is definitely a rough road, no one said it was going to be easy. I have been finished with codesmith for about 4 weeks now and the staff has kept in touch with me throughout these 4 weeks to make sure I am going about the job hunting process as efficiently as possible. It might be annoying at first, but it really forces you to self reflect and be real with yourself; if you are not getting any results then it means you must change what you are doing and try something else. I honeslty believe the only reason someone would not get hired after is if they don't put in the work required; its a really hard grind but you just have to make it to the light at the end of the tunnel. That being said, Codesmith does an amazing job at keeping morale high and making sure everyone is putting in the work necessary to get their dream job. You can also schedule mock interviews/resume reviews/ anything else you need with staff whenever you need help.
The negotiation advice given by a specialist at Codesmith alone was worth the 17k i paid; I was able to get an extra 10k a year on my base salary because of it.
4) Amazing community
I have met SO many amazing people since joining the Codesmith community around 5 months ago when I started going to the free workshops. This is something that might sound corny but its nice to be reminded that you are not alone in this process. After job hunting for so long on my own with no luck, I was starting to feel really down. Being in it together with a group of like minded individuals has helped me tremendously. They believed in me at times when I wasn't able to believe in myself. The staff does an amazing job at fostering a supportive community. Breaking into this industry will be scary and rough, but you don't have to do it alone.
-
Dmitriy L Verified via GitHub
Student / Resident
Read more Read less of Dmitriy L's review
When you are signing up for this immersive course, you must realize a few things.
- This is not for the weak.
- This is for people who are ready for change, and that can be daunting.
- Must be ready to temporarily put aside your social life.
CodeSmith's pedagogy is precise when it comes to evolving a Student into a well-spoken Software Engineer professional.
Tip: Do not think that "just getting into CodeSmith" will qualify you to be worth 100k+ right away. You become worth that much after you put in the necessary work in CodeSmith.
What I loved about CodeSmith: As you can imagine, trying to prove yourself to someone else (to get hired) can be very intimidating. CodeSmith has professional software engineer veterans who help students with the imposter monster (imposter syndrome) they may be facing by giving them the right honest advice. It all may sound unbelievable and what not (trust me, I am hard-headed myself to start believing things). But you can trust CodeSmith to give you the right kind of support you need to be successful.
There is so much more I can say about CodeSmith.
If you are interested in joining a Bootcamp, visit CodeSmith first.
P.S. One of the greatest things about CodeSmith is that I also made new life long friends who I became very close with.
-
q. bui Verified via LinkedIn
Post Grad
Read more Read less of q. bui's review
I graduated from Codesmith LA back in May and have been working for a few months as a Frontend Developer. I got my first job from their hiring day, which is actually one of the things that set Codesmith apart from other bootcamps. Towards the end of your bootcamp, Codesmith invites a handful of tech companies around the area to do a round robin / speed dating event with the cohort. Casual, not a lot of pressure and great experience to practice interviewing with real companies. Two people from my cohort actually got jobs from the hiring day with a bunch of others getting take home assignments and onsite interviews. So if you come to Codesmith, take hiring day seriously, you could get a job out of it.
Curriculum - When I was shopping around for bootcamps, they all seemed to have mostly the same curriculum. Algorithms, Javascript, React, Node. I did notice that one of my current co-workers that came out of Hack Reactor LA had zero experience with testing, devops, and barely any redux. Hack Reactor might have changed their curriculum since then but I actually didn't know how good I had it with Codesmith until working with him. Post Grad Support - Another great thing about Codesmith and actually the reason why I'm here writing this review. Their resident business advisor/consultant/support?, Eric, is awesome. He's the one that coaches you on how to interview, accept offers and negotiate. Even after your first job out of Codesmith you can still text him, "Hey Eric, I just got an offer from ___ for $$$ and here is how everything went down, what do you think?" and he'll either call you back in a few minutes or text you to coach you on how to proceed with negotiations or to just take it because it's a great offer! So for anyone looking for a coding bootcamp, you can't really go wrong with Codesmith. The only advice I would have for them is to keep the cohorts small. I came from a cohort of 14 which was awesome, but some of the ones after me started getting pretty big. I feel like you lose out on quality when you go for quantity but I could be wrong. Also don't rely on any coding bootcamp as an easy way to change careers because software engineering is not easy. You're going to spend a ton of hours at your bootcamp and even then that will not be enough to become a decent software engineer. Bootcamp is only 3 months so if you want to become great you're going to have to keep learning and working on your own until you get that first job. If you love learning new things in a field that's constantly changing then this is for you. If you're lazy and don't like to learn new things then don't waste your time. -
Kate M Verified via LinkedIn
Codesmith is intense.
Read more Read less of Kate M's review
I graduated from Codesmith in July, but my journey here isn't over yet. I was asked to stay on for another 3 months as an engineering fellow. I'm going to update this review once I move on to my next job outside of Codesmith, but I figured I'd mark this spot in time with my current thoughts and feelings on what I've done so far here.
Unfortunately it's hard to talk objectively about something when you've become so personally invested in it, and when its community has become your second family, but I'll try.
Codesmith has warm and fuzzies aplenty, but these exist solely to better serve the development of the students here. Codesmith demands a lot from you - "immersive" doesn't begin to convey it. The small cohort sizes mean that every single person is an integral part of the bigger team.
The program is established enough to have thoroughly iterated its curriculum and pedagogy, but young and agile enough to still be continually iterating and adapting (e.g. recently including units on Docker/AWS and ML). All of the technologies you'd expect from a fullstack JavaScript program are here, of course, but way they're instilled is (I think) unusual - lectures are given to provide a general overview of a particular subject (say, Redux), but then you are forced to work together to fight through the code implementation and do a lot of active, hard learning. While support is *always* available on multiple levels, there is zero hand-holding. Every bit of knowledge is hard-fought, and that's the kind of knowledge that sticks.
The curriculum is only a small percentage of the program, though - after the first several weeks, all of your time is spent working on projects of various sizes with varying objectives, with the free reign (if not outright pressure) to push well beyond the confines of the standard MERN stack into technologies like gRPC, GraphQL, Kafka, and whatever else you can imagine. In additional to expanding the scope of your tech fluency, it forces you to practice real-world practices like Scrum methodology, Kanban boards, Git workflows, and just general empathetic team engineering.
The hiring portion is also intense. You might not realize it initially while your brain is struggling to digest new and disparate technologies every 2 days, but every step of the program is designed with the ultimate goal (the job search) in mind. The reason why Codesmith outcomes are so impressive is that students are constantly being pushed to think not just in terms of how to use a certain technology, but *how* that technology fits into the larger tech landscape, and why certain choices are better than others when it comes to architecting software. Projects have to be approved by the team - to make sure that what they're working on will grow them as engineers that will be very soon sitting in the interview chair. Resumes are repeatedly iterated upon and also must be approved before the end of the program. Mock interviews and systems design whiteboarding sessions pepper the last several weeks.
I imagine all "bootcamps" (for lack of a better word) are crucibles of growth to a degree, but it's very hard to imagine one that has the precision and intensity that Codesmith does. It's hard to imagine other environements where people can willingly, joyfully, engagedly spend 13-16 hours of their day productively engaged in growth.
I'm a bit uncomfortable with how evangelize-y and preachey this review is, because it goes against my general skeptical, jaded nature, but Codesmith really is an unusually special place. I'm a person from a non-technical background (I first pondered the idea of learning to code in January) and generally lacking in self-assuredness, but Codesmith has in a short period of time gotten me to a place where I feel genuinely confident to enter the coding workforce, and not just at an entry level (not that there's anything wrong with that). I'm already seeing it happening in my cohortmates that have secured amazing jobs, and I see the growth in myself.
Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but Codesmith is very explicitly welcoming of people from all backgrounds (speaking as a person who is trans, at least). Again, I'm sure other programs are fine in this regard as well, but from the team down to the fellows to the residents, the amount of representation from all walks of life is really inspiring.
Okay, this is already way too long, and I honestly don't know why you're still reading. If you're on the fence, go to the free weekly workshops (JavaScript The Easy Parts or Hard Parts) and say hi. There are no gimmicks or nonsense. What you see is what you get, and what you put in here is what you get out.
-
Leury Verified via GitHub
Above and beyond!
Read more Read less of Leury's review
A great and accurate descriptor for the experience I've had and the people I've met on this journey!
There are three things that I think set Codesmith apart, and are things that I would like to highlight for people wondering why they should choose Codesmith over other programs.
Curriculum integration:
There is no shortage of options out there for fullstack engineering programs, and a lot follow a similar or identical tech stack to the one you will receive here, but Codesmith's execution in this respect is what sets them apart. Here, Codesmith focuses on two key elements to progress you through the program’s completion. These are pair programming and collaboration. The core curriculum is divided into units, and each unit covering a web technology is followed by a pair programming session with another resident to complete a related challenge. This strengthens your technical communication; you are challenged not only in putting into practice what you just covered, but also navigating the communication required to effectively present the concepts of the technology and your thought process to another engineer. Once you move into the projects phase, you are placed groups with other residents in order to prepare you for the collaboration that will be required of you at a job, when you’re working as part of a team. It’s also important to note that the projects aren’t given to you, like assignments would be, but instead are ideas and tools that you and your group come up with and decide to work on.
Hiring program:
When considering what you’ll learn from an engineering program, usually the focus is on the tech stack and the technical skills you’ll pick up, but Codesmith has a period of time set aside for something just as important for people who will be entering the job market. Navigating this market, and standing out in it requires a different kind of preparation, and a professional presence that not many take the time to craft. Codesmith educates its residents in everything from crafting distinguished resumes, to increasing conversion rates through strategically composed applications, to tightening communication and confidence throughout the interview process. The best part of it is that the support doesn’t stop once you graduate. Codesmith continues to follow up as you go through the application process, and give you feedback, and offers help through things like mock interview practices and emotional support.
Community:
I’ve saved community for last because I believe it’s all-encompassing, and is probably the best descriptor of what really glues all the best parts of Codesmith together to create the best engineering program experience. It is not an exaggeration for me to call Codesmith a family. If you’ve ever had the chance to come to a few of the meetups hosted by them, you can get a glimpse of the strong sense of community between everyone involved at Codesmith, residents, staff, alumni, and visitors alike. This is something that is nurtured every step of the way during your time as a resident in the program. The pair programming, the group projects, the support encouraged between not just the staff and residents, but also between the residents as well. This sense of community carries on way after graduation, with a strong network of alumni and staff that are always happy to help in any way they can.
Above and beyond is really the only way I can describe my Codesmith experience. My time there has marked a clear distinction in my life as far as the person and engineer I was before, and the person and engineer I've grown into by having gone through it. It has been the most challenging and most rewarding investment I've made in my education and professional development. It requires a great level of grit and perseverance, for sure, but when you emerge on the other end, you do it with a family of peers and supporting staff that provide you with a sense of community, and with the technical knowledge and experience to know that any engineering challenge you face is just another obstacle like the many ones you've just surpassed.
There are so many more things I could say about Codesmith, but I hope this review helps anyone condering taking this next step in their career.
-
Bryan F. Verified via GitHub
Mid to senior level developers? No way!
Read more Read less of Bryan F.'s review
Yes way! And it is all because of the curriculum, the hiring portion and the people. After completing Codesmith, I understand why the students are able to achieve the results Codesmith speak of. I had the chance to attend another competing coding program free of charge, but I decided to pay $18k for Codesmith and I do not regret it at all. The process to get into Codesmith is very unique, but it is not extremely difficult if you work hard, attend the meetups, and come with the right attitude. The reason I say it's unique is because for some crazy reason, Codesmith never fails to bring in the right candidates that are smart, hard working, supportive, and fun. During the core curriculum, we are always pair programming. This meant that we quickly learned to digest difficult technical concepts together and communicate these concepts to our peers. Being able to pair program everyday has allowed me to honed my technical communication, which is important for interviews and on-the-job. The Codesmith team is always making the curriculum better or adding new units to the curriculum because they want to do whatever they can to prepare the residents for the current market. During our project phase, we were always working in teams (other than the solo project). We would have meetings and daily standup and the projects are always collaborative, which is great because it is very unlikely that you would be working alone in the professional setting. We also have a project where we have to iterate over another group’s codebase, which is something that you would be doing when you join an engineering team. So it is just great that Codesmith prepares us for that. Our final project is like no other - we have to build an open source developer tool. Currently, Codesmith residents have created tools that has 10k+ stars on Github. If you’re like me a few months ago, you might actually be intimidated by this final project. The truth is Codesmith does an excellent job preparing us during the junior portion that we are all able to build a tool that we are proud of. It is definitely challenging, but it is totally rewarding at the end. Another thing that brings Codesmith to the next level is the hiring portion. We learned to build a robust resume that really makes us stand out and we were taught interviewing techniques that would not be taught at any other programs. I can honestly say that it has made me a more confident interviewer and the things we were taught has made me grow as a person. My fear before graduating Codesmith is that I will take an offer because I want a job and not because I like the company and the role, but the things that I learned through Codesmith has given me the confident and skill that I can pick and choose. If you’re like me, I wanted to join a program with great people that I can form lifelong bonds with and that is what drew me to Codesmith. Codesmith has a great sense of community and the culture is great - come to any of the meetups and you can see for yourself. The team and residents are super supportive and it is always a great time. Codesmith is like family and if you are ready to work hard, play hard and take yourself to the next level, this place is for you. -
Christian Padilla Verified via GitHub
From CS Prep to Codesmith to Google in ~9 months
Read more Read less of Christian Padilla's review
Super cool place. 10/10
I only had minor experience with Python (and no JS experience) before starting CS prep Dec 2018. Spent ~2 months after that studying alone (with the occasional JS – The Hard Parts lecture visits) and then started at Codesmith NY in Feb 2019. ~5 months later had software engineer job offers from Microsoft and Google.
CS prep is good, but I'll write about the Immersive program here. Ultimately, I think Codesmith works well because it's very careful during its admissions process to find people that are a fun combination of prepared, curious, and comfortable with not knowing things.
Some thoughts for prospective students:
-Not a program where you "learn to code" from zero. You definitely DON'T need to be an expert, but to pass the entrance interview you'll need to be pretty familiar with JavaScript (closure and how to use it, recursion, array methods, call stack. Do CSX exercises for a good idea of what to expect).
-More important than knowing a bit of JS is being a reasonable person that is okay with the discomfort of "not knowing" or being wrong. I was asked to come back for a second interview to see how I would react when given a problem I didn't know how to even begin solving (was asked to write a function that, given a string, outputs an array of all unique permutations of the characters in that string. Way beyond what I was comfortable with at that time, did not get a working solution but had a fun conversation with the interviewer about different parts of the problem). What’s great about this is that you can be confident your fellow students are going to be the type of people that are happy to work through lots of difficult problems together.
-The curriculum includes the fairly standard array of webdev technologies(JS/HTML → React/Node → Mongo/Redis/SQL), but it covers them in only ~4 weeks while also including sections on testing, and deployment (with AWS and Docker). I had never used anything past JS/HTML before starting, keep in mind.
-That said, the program is about projects, not lectures. If you want to build things and are looking for people to work with or ideas to get started, this is a great place. You’ll spend many weeks building things (mostly developer tools) that you’ll be initially convinced you’re not capable of building.
-Besides the crazy ambitious projects and the cool people, the hiring portion (including interview prep) is the other great thing about CS. Non-obvious (and apparently super effective) strategies on how to prepare for all aspects of the job hunt from resumes to phone screens to onsites and salary negotiations.
Summary:
If you’re looking to become a solid software engineer as quickly as possible, Codesmith is probably the best way to do it. If you're not sure, go to a JS - Hard Parts meetup and talk to the people there. Good luck!
-
Gaber Mowiena Verified via GitHub
Software Engineer
Codesmith is a very fast-paced agile environment, In order to make the most out the curriculum you better be prepared and have some experience with the technologies covered
-
Raphael Ram Verified via LinkedIn
A unique approach that works
Read more Read less of Raphael Ram's review
Dear Prospective Software Engineer,
I was in your shoes for the first half of 2018, looking for a Bootcamp to fast track myself towards a career in software development.
I finally decided on Codesmith (for reasons I will describe below), and got admitted into the program in November. Six life-changing months later, I accepted an offer as a mid-level Software Engineer in July 2019.
A little context first: I have spent my time at Codesmith as a Resident (3 months) and a Teaching Fellow (3 months), experiencing the program both as a participant and a facilitator. This has given me the unique privilege of seeing 5 separate cohorts (over 60 residents) with little to no software engineering experience come into the program and go on to earn 6-figure salaries as Mid-Senior level Software Engineers (check out the CIRR report on Codesmith- https://cirr.org/data, and https://www.codesmith.io/graduate-outcomes). I think there are 4 specific parts of the Codesmith program that leads to these accomplishments:
First, Codesmith sets you up for success before you even join the program. For evidence of this, look no further than the free advanced JavaScript workshops (check out https://codesmith.io/coding-events), free exercises on CSX (https://csx.codesmith.io/) and Bootcamp prep course, CS Prep (https://www.codesmith.io/bootcamp-prep). All of these serve as community-building (you will meet many of your future cohort -mates), and to prepare you for the technical interview to gain acceptance into the program.
The interview itself is quite challenging and might even require more than 1 attempt, but you will be gauged on qualities that are markers for success in the program and in your career as a software engineer (technical communication, problem-solving ability, and approach to tackling unfamiliar concepts). I urge you to attend any of these free JavaScript workshops for an insight into the excellent pedagogy and supportive culture at Codesmith (make sure to stay for drinks afterward on Thursday night! =D).
Second: Pair Programming and working in groups. Almost the entirety of your residency at Codesmith will be spent working with a partner or in a group. There’s been a deliberate decision to make almost every part of the program collaborative, as this reinforces the qualities needed to succeed as a software engineer. How do you prove your expertise when doing interviews for software engineering roles? By technically communicating software engineering and web application concepts, much as you did in your first 6 weeks at Codesmith. When you get hired as a Software Engineer, you will almost definitely be working as a part of a team in an agile environment- much like you will in your last 6 weeks at Codesmith. Your experiences at Codesmith will translate directly to real-world benefits in both applying for engineering jobs, and excelling at them.
Third, the creation of Open Source Developer Tools. In the last half of your program at Codesmith, you will be tasked with creating an Open Source developer tool, going from conception to working product in less than 4 weeks. It is absolutely a difficult endeavor, but the rewards are well worth it.
While most Bootcamps have simple CRUD applications as their capstone projects, building developer tools gives you deep, specific knowledge on key web application concepts. This will also help you gain real-world engineering experience while working in an Agile environment, and is a huge reason why Codesmith grads get placed in Mid-Senior developer roles out of the gate.
Finally, the hiring program and post-program support. I feel like this is Codesmith’s best-kept secret, and is worth the cost of admission alone. Applying for engineering roles requires a different set of skills than being able to carry out the job itself. Most of the program takes care of the latter, and the hiring program tackles the former. You will learn everything from crafting incredibly effective resumes and structuring your applications and outreach messages to acing your interviews, eloquently discussing your software engineering narrative, and the all-important salary negotiations. These are all invaluable skills that will carry you from your first mid-senior engineering gig through the rest of your software engineering career. After the program, you will have bi-weekly check-ins to gauge your job application process leading up to your first job placement.
If you are driven and intrinsically motivated to progress as a Software Engineer, Codesmith will give you all the necessary tools and resources to succeed. But keep in mind, this drive and motivation is essential. The program is undoubtedly tough from admission to graduation, and expecting to be spoon-fed information will only lead to disappointment.
Being persistent and working hard to improve yourself and your peers, however, will lead to success both during your time at Codesmith, and in your career as a Software Engineer- I’ve seen it happen time and time again.
Note: If you’re interested, I highly recommend visiting https://codesmith.io/coding-events for the next Hard Parts. The in-depth JavaScript knowledge you’ll gain from these workshops is invaluable, regardless of whether you choose to attend Codesmith.
-
Annette Verified via LinkedIn
Found a family
Read more Read less of Annette's review
I went through Codesmith essentially twice - as a resident and as an engineering fellow after graduating. In both situations, I got so much more out of it than I ever expected to. I not only ended up becoming a software engineer but found a place that truly felt like home.
My first exposure to Codesmith was through JSHP and was immediately impressed by how much detail the instructors went into for core concepts in JS. At the time, I wasn't even looking for a program, just an opportunity to meet other engineers and network. However, the level of commitment Codesmith had for developing the community around the free workshops made me realize it was something different. Additionally, the fact that both Will and Phil were willing to help me even before I considered applying proved how unique of a place Codesmith is. The one key phrase that I kept hearing stood out to me: Developing yourself but never at the expense of somebody else. I was already nervous enough considering switching career fields, but that phrase really provided solace. I eventually applied and got accepted into the program.
Residency: The residency is extremely challenging and back-breaking. There is no other way to say it. However, the feeling that you will get from tackling those challenges trumps everything. While doing the residency, I finally understood why Codesmith was on a different caliber than other programs (i.e. Hack Reactor, Flatiron...etc). A really big portion is the production project where we focus on building developer tools that other engineers use. It might not even be on at technology taught in the program. Ultimately, it boils down to the community. You will face a tremendous amount of doubt, trying to justify why you deserve to be in the program while continuously fighting imposter syndrome and simultaneously digesting overwhelming amounts of information. Even though the curriculum is tough, it's nothing compared to the emotional aspects that come along with it that you'll need to manage. However, as cliche as it sounds, it's the community that will carry you through. You're amidst people who are just as passionate and ambitious as you and that's going to make you work harder. What makes it special though is that everyone is mutually invested in your success are you are in theirs. That reciprocity results in you learning and growing even though you might feel like you aren't. The residency teaches you not only the core curriculum but also what it means to be someone of value personally and professionally. You eventually learn to leverage grit, frustration, mentorship and perseverance as traits that are going to make you invaluable as an engineer.
Fellowship: I was extremely fortunate to be asked to join the team after graduating as an engineering fellow. As a fellow, you are not only working on Codesmith's platform (i.e CSX), but also mentoring the residents. Doing the fellowship made me realize just how much work went into forming this community. I knew every team member works extremely hard but I didn't realize the amount of dedication it took behind the scenes to make Codesmith what it is. Having to actually represent Codesmith made me realize there were so many things I took for granted. I thought doing the residency was challenging, doing the fellowship took it to a whole other level. However, I am so glad I did as I learned just as much if not even more than the residency. I essentially went through the program again but this time through the lens of an instructor. Having that change in perspective makes you mature extremely fast technically. Beyond the technical growth, working with the team was one of the best parts. It's common to hear that good work culture in a company often translates into strong performance. Working at Codesmith was the epitome of that. As challenging as doing the fellowship was technically and emotionally, knowing the team always had my back made me realize I found a family that valued me for who I was. Not a lot of companies are able to provide that.
Having gone through essentially a full circle, Codesmith is where you want to be if you want to become a software engineer. However, beyond that, Codesmith is a place that will grow you personally and professionally in ways that that other programs can't
-
Bo Peng Verified via GitHub
More than just a bootcamp
Read more Read less of Bo Peng's review
My first exposure to Codesmith was through hardparts on Thursdays. I did not start until a few months later, but when I did, it was not an easy process. To help with this, Codesmith provides everyone with many great resources like CSX to help you grasp the fundamentals of Javascript.
Once you get in, it does not get easier. Being a software developer is not only to test if you make a simple website, but how data structures can make your program faster, how each technology you use affects your program differently, and how to scale efficiently. This is where Codesmith comes in, teaching not only how to make websites, but also other CS fundamentals as if you were pursuing a CS degree in college so we as engineers can make educated decisions ourselves in our own projects/products.
Now you may be wondering what happens after you graduate. Your time with Codesmith does not end. They will continue to support you. They also have a strong community filled with passionate software engineers so you are able to meet other residents besides the ones in your own cohort to see what their experiences were like.
-
Parker Verified via GitHub
Incredible engineering culture
Read more Read less of Parker's review
One of the best parts about codesmith, in my mind, that separates it from other bootcamps is the culture of engineering excellence. Technical communication, and engineering empathy (not being a dick) is a big part of the screening process on who they accept into the program, so when I started with my co-hort, I was surrounded by incredibly talented peers to work alongside. That being said, it is incredibly challenging. There is little to no hand-holding, which makes the struggle all the more satisfying when you make it out on the other side, and ultimately is what forged me into the engineer I am now. Can't say enough about this place, the people, and how it has changed my life.
-
Yusuf Bagha Verified via GitHub
JSHP Codesmith Prep
You will come out with a much deeper understanding of JavaScript under the hood 10/10
-
Adele C. Verified via GitHub
Codesmith changed my life
Read more Read less of Adele C.'s review
I first came across Codesmith through their free JavaScript Hard parts meetups (which I highly recommend you go and check out) and the first thing that impressed me early on was the clarity and interactive teaching style of Phil (Lead in NYC) and Will (CEO) on advanced topics such as async & promises, closures, higher-order functions. Going to these meetups helped tremendously in my decision to go to Codesmith as you get a preview of the lectures, people (a lot of the cohort comes from the meetups) and environment. To give a better context to my review, I focused on three things during my decision process for picking a coding bootcamp:
- The quality of the education- I came to coding with zero background in computer science and made a complete career change, so this was important not only because of the cost of the program, but I needed to be able to digest advanced topics in a short amount of time.
- Job assistance – I needed a program that can also jumpstart my career in this industry since I left a good job to study and commit to a 13 program and couldn’t afford to not get a job quickly or start on an entry level (More on this later, but Codesmith has a hiring program that’s included in your time there and is worth the price alone)
- The community – I needed to be challenged and be with like-minded and supportive people. There are plenty of group projects and pair-programming so the people surrounding you are important. Also, you are spending every ounce of your time there (Codesmith is 6 days a week, from 9am to 8pm (officially) but most usually stay until 10-11pm+). Additionally, the girl ratio was also a concern for me (In my cohort there was 4 out 16).
Needless to say Codesmith exceed my expectations and hit all of major concerns. To start with the curriculum, every day for the first hour of the day you have an algorithm problem and the approach lecture for the problem the day before. You spend the first 4 weeks doing 2 day units which consist of lectures, skill-builders (solo-work) and pair-programing unit challenges. Most of your “learning” comes from these pair-programing challenges which encourage you to problem-solve by struggling and talking out things with your partner. (There is a clear focus on technical communication.) There’s also constructive feedback after each session so you’re constantly improving your teamwork and coding skills. An important note: things are not hand-fed to you. This approach makes you a capable of learning new things really quickly but just know that you will go through a confidence rollercoaster during the course of the program (Will even has a chart that he provides the on the first day). The rest of the program consist of the project phase (3 short term ones and your production project, which will take 4-5 weeks). These are great way to experiment, dive deep, and build your expertise in certain technologies. They are all impressive (check out Codesmith’s website for examples) and a notable experience to talk about when on an interview.
What makes the program so powerful is that the community of the instructors, fellows, the non-technical staff, and the rest of the cohort. Every person is expertly selected to preserve the Codesmith community and culture, and, I’ve never seen a more dedicated and caring workforce. The teaching fellows are there to do the approach lectures and to support you throughout the entire process and they spend hours with you going over material, questions you may have, and even theorizing about a particular approach or current hot topic. There are also periodical check-ins with the staff on how you are doing with the program, and they are always available to you to resolve any issues you may have. A new cohort starts every six weeks, and Juniors and Seniors are in the same space, so you’ll get plenty of opportunity to meet/network/mentor with more developers before and after you. The small class size, long hours, and plenty of group projects makes it easy to bond with your cohort group. It was only 90 days but it felt like we were together for many years. There’s also a great alumni network that’s available online and in person (there were always a few alumni visiting during my time there).
Towards the end of the program they start the hiring program which has on-going support after graduation and is led by Will and Eric. It’s another thing that sets Codesmith apart from the rest. They give you knowledge and practice on building your resume, how to interview, how to approach the job search, and how to negotiate salary (Listen to Eric on this – he coaches you what to say and what to expect and it is 100% on point). There are mock interviews, and check-ins, and slack channels that will be your coding and job-search bible. On top of that, there’s always someone on staff (or fellow cohort mates) to guide you throughout the whole process.
You can read about the outcomes report on Codesmith here (https://cirr.org/data) and certainly do your research (got to meetups and info sessions) but I can honestly say that Codesmith changed my life. Its staff, approach to education, and community are top notch. It was definitely one of the toughest things I’ve done but it was also one of the most rewarding. The hesitation toward joining such an intense program is valid but if you commit yourself to those 90 days, Codesmith will change your life. I am sure it.
-
Dan Wu Verified via GitHub
For those seeking new challenges
Read more Read less of Dan Wu's review
Steer clear of Codesmith if you're not ready to be challenged! Over 12 grueling weeks, you will be primed to tackle algorithmic challenges and pick up new web technologies (React/Redux/SQL/noSQL) at breakneck pace. The fact that each member of my cohort was able to hold his/her own - despite the unrelenting pace of the curriculum - is testament to the dedication of and empowerment fostered by the instructors and teaching staff who give the program its momentum. Career-wise, the support I have received from Codesmith (in addition to the numerous networking opportunities during the course of the program) has been invaluable and will be very encouraging for those seeking opportunities in the software dev market for the first time.
As a side note, consider taking the associated 2-week CSPrep program before tackling the 12-week program head-on; I myself enrolled in it and could not have found a better way to ready myself for the Javascript curriculum that's the cornerstone of the Codesmith program.
-
Hubert Verified via LinkedIn
Life-changing experience
Read more Read less of Hubert's review
I'm writing this review as I finally cleared my background check for my mid-level offer after 1 month of graduating from Codesmith in order to shine light for those who are in my position 4 months ago.
In that sense, I'll speak to what I wish I would have read before making the leap to Codesmith. If you're reading this, you've probably narrowed down your choices to the top bootcamps - Fullstack, HR, App Academy - but maybe you've heard of Codesmith or went to JS the Hard Parts. That was me and I was ready to go to Fullstack until I went to one workshop and immediately changed my mind.
To me the big 3 differentiators of Codesmith are:
1. Results.
In the end, that's what we care about right? Codesmith has been consistently getting its graduates 6 figure salaries and now they have the audited data to prove it. If you go to CIRR, you can see their average salary way over any bootcamp in NY, and I believe the US. Some bootcamps even started leaving off their results because of how bad it's gotten. As I recently interviewed, I can speak to why - the industry is getting fierce as bootcamps and colleges are churning out more and more grads. While other bootcamps stayed complacent, Codesmith innovated - as the hiring program is phenomenal and is not comparable to anything else offered. Other bootcamps just tell you to make your resume look pretty and give you mock interviews but Codesmith's hiring program seriously prepares you to not only pass the interviews, but to get the interviews - which is the most important part. Coming out of a bootcamp, especially with no experience, you're already going to have a hard time getting interviews but not Codesmith grads. Some people in my cohort had to disable their notifications because they were getting spammed with interview requests by recruiters.
2. Community
Well, now you're probably wondering if Codesmith has such great results, why aren't they as well known as all the others? Well, its because Codesmith doesn't go for guerilla marketing like others. When I was googling coding terms, and even now, I couldn't go 5 minutes without seeing a Fullstack Academy ad. When I finished Hack Reactor Prep, I couldn't go 5 days without seeing an email reminder telling me to sign up for the next cohort. Why? Because those bootcamps were acquired and are incentivized work to increase their bottom line and churn out grads. I didn't want to feel like I was just another face in a sea of students. Codesmith doesn't do guerilla marketing and keeps its cohorts small, having only 2 in person running at each time. One in their senior phase, to mentor the juniors, who are in the beginning phase. That way education quality is upheld, more individual attention can be given, and everyone forms lasting relationships.
3. Project
If you check out the Codesmith projects, you'll realize why grads get only mid level offers or higher. Instead of building some slack/airbnb clone or some random thing no one will ever use, grads are building developer tools that people actually use. Trust me - when your interviewer hears that your project was starred by core team members of the framework you're USING - I promise you they'll be impressed.
In the end, if you work hard enough, you can join the Codesmith family of software engineers, all whose lives have been changed by this experience. I encourage anyone out there learning to code to keep working hard, and come to a Thursday night workshop at Codesmith and see what it really is all about!
-
Jonah Verified via LinkedIn
A Rewarding Choice
Read more Read less of Jonah's review
As many other have noted, Codesmith’s 12-week course is both an extremely challenging and extremely rewarding journey. The aspect that made it possible was the unbelievable assistance from the community. The unflagging support from both the staff and fellow students make the long hours (10-12 hours day, if not more) manageable — enjoyable even — and it never feels like you’re alone during any part of the marathon.
The structured pace is fast, but at no point did I feel left behind because there is always someone willing to review curriculum material. The onus of mastery falls on the initiative of the student (additional long hours or weekend work), but Codesmith mentors and teachers do an amazing job of making themselves available.The production project portion of the program forces students to think outside the box and interact with their team in a similar way that they might in the real world. The graphQL migration tool my team built was a crucial learning experience and huge talking point during my job search and interviews.
With so many bootcamp options available, it can be difficult to gauge the flavor of each and whether a course might be right for you. Codesmith’s CS Prep and free CSX course is a great way to get a sense of the culture and curriculum. I would heartily recommend Codesmith to someone looking to level-up in fullstack development and it was one of the best educational/career decisions I’ve ever made.
-
Steven Verified via GitHub
On a league of its own
Read more Read less of Steven's review
I came across Codesmith after attending one of their free Javascript the Hard Parts Thursday classes and I was immediately hooked. The instructors such as Will and Phil are outstanding, their ability to break down these giant topics into smaller chunks in a form that anyone can understand is phenomenal. The community is also very inviting and determined in the growth of everyone in the class. After attending several JSHP classes, I decided it was time to enroll in their next cohort and this was one of the best decisions of my life.
To define Codesmith as just a coding boot camp would be an understatement. It is a software engineering residency. The first six weeks of the program are the junior phase where you learn new topics in two-day units. The units consist of about 10% lecture and 90% programming with a partner. I was a little put off by this idea at first, but as the days went on I realized that the best way to learn is to struggle through the material together with less hand-holding as possible. You can still request help from the existing fellows and seniors in the program if you ever get stuck but they are there to help you think and guide you rather than blatantly give you the answer. The topics that are covered are always current with the latest and greatest. During my time we covered algorithms, data structures, DOM Manipulation, React, Node, PostgreSQL, Mongo, and Testing, to name a few. Near the end of the junior phase, you will have an opportunity to work on different projects using the technologies you have learned thus far. In addition to all of these units, we had a number of extra activities like weekly family dinners, circles, hackathons, and Thursday night drinks. This all helped bring the cohorts together and made it feel like we were all part of one team.
The six weeks of the course focus a big production project that you and your group come up with during ideation week of the program and hiring support. During this time you are encouraged to include technologies that you have not learned thus far to include in your project. It was a bit overwhelming at first to apply new technologies to our projects, but the first six weeks taught me a very valuable lesson which is learning how to learn, knowing what to do when you get stuck. Through our research were able to overcome any blocks that we encountered at a much faster pace than I thought we could.
Comparing myself to before I started this program and I realized how much I have grown as an engineer, a mentor, and just overall being okay with not knowing everything but also having the ability to overcome blocks. Now I'm not saying it's easy, there were very long strenuous days and a lot of material to go over, but if you're committed to growing as an empathetic and confident engineer then there is no better place than Codesmith. If you're still on the fence I would recommend attending their JavaScipt the Hard Parts classes and I will promise you will not be disappointed.
-
Ed Ryan Verified via GitHub
Resident
Read more Read less of Ed Ryan's review
Given that one understands the personal commitment required, I reccomend Codesmith wholeheartedly. Five reasons why:
1. There's a hiring day. Nothing compares to sitting down and doing a real interview. Eight companies came by. A hiring day gives you incomparable experience.
2. I got to work on specific cutting-edge technologies. Of note: testing with Jest and Enzyme. Dockerization. Learning to navigate AWS.
3. The production project. The project ideas come from the students themselves. The teachers approve ideas, but do not supply them. I worked on a testing and mocking tool for gRPCs. I worked at least 13 hours a day, six days a week, for 5 weeks. Usually about 15 hours. I learned a ton, and I'm proud of what I made. We self-learned about RPC systems, protobufs, HTTP2 - all sorts of nonsense. There is no course for these things. Only documentation. Reading it gave me depth and experience. We wanted a professional, responsive UI and our team broke our backs make it clean and fast.
4. The people. I put in an insane amount of time. My teammates matched me hour-for-hour. The level of dedication and commitment is very very high.
5. Sensitivity is valued. There is strong support for underrepresented groups in tech. Codesmith tries very hard to foster a positive environment for its students, and I think it shows. Instructors and staff explicitly make themselves available when students feel uncomfortable or stressed. Staff check in with each student individually on a regular basis.
You get what you put into the program. It is not for everyone. There was laughter, tears. It was usually fun and very hard. An absurd experience, and intense. For me, absolutely worth it. For most, the Codesmith system works. People are getting good jobs coming out of the program.
Some cons - the program is getting too large. Cohorts in LA are much too large, in my opinion. It is too loud and they need more bathrooms. You need a certain amount of self-reliance. The instructors do the best they can, but they can not be there for everyone. The program heavily benefits people who thrive in situations where questions are vague and demand that people seek their own solutions. You are paying 17k to be asked questions - not to be given answers. This seems like poor teaching practice. As someone who has real, formal training in the classroom - I vouch for approach to teaching, with reservations. It fosters creativity, but it is badly frustrating, and it feels awful to fail constantly.
A very high reccomendation with strong reservations.
-
Wisdom Liu Verified via LinkedIn
Software Engineer
Read more Read less of Wisdom Liu's review
I was pushed to my limits and beyond. They taught me data structures, React/Redux, Node/Express, SQL and NoSQL databases, and much more. It's crazy how far I've come from no technical experience to now being a fullstack Software Engineer. I'm grateful for the opportunity I was given here and will never forget the experience.
This is not a typical bootcamp - it's literally a residency. I've gained invaluable skills here and developed a close relationship with each of my classmates in my cohort.Their hiring program is amazing - they really want you to get the best offer possible - and as with everything else they teach, it's a very in-depth program.
-
Julian Verified via GitHub
Incredible experience!
Read more Read less of Julian's review
Looking back on the last 3 months, I can safely say that joining the Codesmith community has been one of the best experiences of my life. It was a remarkable journey of rewarding challenges that taught me so much not just about programming, but about myself.
When I first decided to pursue coding, I did a lot of research looking into the many programs New York City had to offer. I remember the pivotal moment when a friend of mine suggested Codesmith’s “JavaScript the Hard Parts” class offered every Thursday evening, because attending that first class changed everything.
I found a community of supportive, passionate people who fostered an environment of collaboration and growth, the likes of which I had never seen anywhere else.
When I was accepted into the 3 month program, I found the excitement and passion for problem solving to be infectious, and I felt invigorated every day to push myself harder, and learn as much as I possibly could.
The instructors are amazing. Not only do they have an incredible wealth of knowledge, but they also possess the ability to dynamically teach it to others, and I think that’s very important to note. The most important thing you gain from your Codesmith residency though, is the tool chest to learn anything. You are fundamentally trained to be able to figure your way through any technical block, and this is an invaluable skill.
Maybe you’re wondering… does it really work? Can I really get a job afterwards? The numbers don’t lie, and the answer is yes. The average salary is around 120k and my cohort is seeing these offers and better ones already. It’s only been a few weeks since we graduated.
My advice to you: Go for a visit on a Thursday evening and meet everyone. You’ll see what I mean. I can’t recommend it enough!
-
Andy Verified via GitHub
The best of the best!
Read more Read less of Andy's review
Sometimes it's hard to know if you made the right choice until you look back on it and I can say for 100% certainty that going Codesmith was one of the best decisions I made!
Of course, I didn't go through all the other schools/bootcamps but I did a lot of extensive research on all the options before deciding on Codesmith. Why I ultimately decided Codesmith was the right fit for me was... 1. The smaller class sizes allow you to receive more attention and bond with classmates 2. The production project (building projects that help the developer community) 3. Phil, Will, Dave, and all the other Instructors/fellows... you can replace curriculum but you can't replace great instructors!
When I was initially interviewing for other bootcamps, I felt like I was one of just another person of incoming students. Phil and Will, on the other hand, made me feel like I was part of a community and I really felt they cared about my personal growth above all else.
The curriculum was amazing but more than that the community was the best thing about Codesmith! I've learned a lot from my fellow classmates and the energy that everyone brings is what Codesmith strives to cultivate.
Was it worth the price? Well, whether you find a job or not, you grow in every way possible. So in short answer... yes! What are you waiting for? ;) -
Jonathan Verified via GitHub
More value than a value meal
Read more Read less of Jonathan's review
If you're in a rush here is the information you want:
After completing the residency at Codesmith I received multiple offers of which the lowest was $120k. This is an objective fact. No smoke, no mirrors.
Another objective fact: my first offer was 13 days after I entered the market.
With that said, I want to be very clear about the end goal here. It is not about money. The end goal is mastery of your craft. It just so happens that companies will pay well for people who can demonstrate dedication to their craft. I couldn't command a 100k+ salary before completing the Codesmith residency. Afterwards I had a few options to choose from.
_______
About Codesmith:
Codesmith is about finding your limits and pushing past them. If you can consistently do that every day for the duration of the program and continue doing so in the job market then you can expect great offers. You get out what you put in. If you don’t put in the effort don’t expect stellar results.
With that said, there is no version of the universe where I earned as many offers without the team at Codesmith. From the top down Will and his team will prepare you for the demands of a job market that wants mid and senior level engineers. Codesmith is three-fold; it is one part becoming a better engineer, another part becoming a better person, and third part becoming a better interviewee. Each aspect of that is assessed before you’re admitted, and each part is worked on during the residency. You have the opportunity and the support to improve but again it is up to you to act on it.
Secondly, Codesmith is not a bootcamp.
I know because I went to a bootcamp prior to Codesmith, as have many Codesmith residents.
There is nothing else out there like Codesmith. It gets lumped into the pile with the rest because bootcamps are the closest thing. Codesmith is a residency. Unlike other residencies Codesmith makes sure that all of it’s engineers are on the same page. There is a 4 week curriculum in which you are thrown into the deep-end of full-stack Javascript. This is so that each engineer there has the same toolkit to collaborate and build projects together. And building projects is what you do for the remainder of the residency. Even during the 4 week curriculum you are building applications, just piecemeal with each piece of technology building upon previous units.
The day to day at codesmith is: you show up at 9am and keep coding until 8pm. It is not uncommon to see people stay even later and in fact most do. You get practical hands on experience building scalable applications and even more important you get hands on experience collaborating with other engineers with varying degrees of experience. It is truly a transformative experience.
At a bootcamp you spend 75% or more of your time observing or coding along to something. Of the 1000+ hours at Codesmith less than 5% of that is spent in a lecture setting. You are actively building products the entire time. There is support for when you need help but the majority of the time you are working in pods to build scalable applications. The goal is to overcome problems yourself with the help of your team, just how you would in the real world. That may sound intimidating or intense but know that the team at Codesmith is incredibly supportive.
From the beginning they are highly selective about who is allowed into the program. Codesmith doesn’t just screen for determined and talented engineers, it also screens for nice people. A very talented engineer who is rude or hard to get along with will not be able to join a cohort at Codesmith. This is something that makes the 3 months in this environment not just bearable, but outright enjoyable. The staff go above and beyond to make sure the environment remains a positive one and there are activities built into the schedule to help prevent residents from burning out.
So how are the results overall?
Well, from my Cohort of 12 only 3 have spent more than 3 months looking for jobs.
Compare that to my bootcamp experience where I had a cohort of 23 and after 6 months only 4 people had full-time jobs in tech. Nobody from my previous bootcamp cohort got offered more than 70k. Not one. The lowest offer from my Codesmith cohort was 80k and that same person also got a 90k offer.
I don’t want it to seem like I am only focused on money. I bring it up because Codesmith costs money to join, it is an investment in yourself and I want to show that it pays off financially.
Beyond the financial payoff my confidence to create, collaborate, and contribute as an engineer have increased exponentially. Before Codesmith I had some difficulty learning new libraries or technologies. I didn’t know how to get information from documentation. If I had to learn something new I had to watch somebody on Youtube or Udemy teach me and then try my best to replicate that. Then once I replicated it perfectly I would branch out slowly until something broke and then I’d have to watch more youtube videos until I figured it out. Now I just read the documentation and figure it out in a few minutes.
Everything is excellent from start to finish. Once you finish the program at Codesmith there is unparalleled support. There is staff available to polish your interviewing skills and even negotiate offers. There is nothing else like it.
I remember being in my previous bootcamp and talking to alums who were in the market after graduating. Some of them had been in the market for months. The bootcamp I attended said the job search could take up to a year after finishing the program. The grads I talked to were looking for junior roles in the 60- 80k range. Anything higher than that was unheard of and many, fatigued emotionally and financially from the long job search, were willing to go even lower than that.
My first Hard Parts meetup was on recursion being lead by the Senior Engineer at Codesmith. At the time I had a vague idea about how recursion works but by the time I walked out it was clear as day. I knew I had to learn more. I started talking to some of the residents and graduates and they started talking about their job processes. Some of them were getting offers the same week they graduated for more than 100k. I didn’t think that it was possible but the more people I talked to the more I kept hearing the same things. At that point I decided to apply. I figured if I didn’t get in then at least I knew that I tried. I was rejected on my first attempt but on my second attempt (a month later, studying the whole time) I was offered a spot in one of the cohorts.
Before starting the program I thought that Codesmith residents must have been super-human engineers. But now that I've completed it I know they weren’t, they were just dedicated to their craft. Being a part of my cohort at Codesmith was the first time in my life I was surrounded by people equally as driven as I am. I’m a little spoiled now as a result.
_________
Shoutout to Will, Phil, Ryan, Olivia, Jac, Dave, Sam, Schno, Haley, Jenny, Mircea, Saim, Chris, Alesi, Ryan, Christine, & Joel. 10/10 would recommend. -
Julie Beak Verified via GitHub
Planning to join bootcamp? Do CS Prep first!
Read more Read less of Julie Beak's review
If you are planning to join a coding bootcamp, consider CS Prep course seriously!
I took CS Prep this February to prepare myself get in Codesmith immersive program. I can tell you confidently it is so worth it. Codesmith is very famouse of just getting in is so hard. Before I did CS Prep, I took another prep course from other bootcamp, which was 100% online. I mean, CS Prep is also online course but they do it on live, not recorded lectures. Our instructor, Ryan, did a phenomenon job, took care of every single students, was very patient, and tried answer all the questions we had no matter how late it was or how many times we asked same quesitons. I was accepted into the Immersive on my first try!! I built solid foundational Javascript knowledge and was taught how to do proper technical communication. Every class you do pair programming that can help you to practice your technical communication. It can be very difficult if you have never done before, but once you get used to, you will understand how important it is! You also can send a video of your technical communication to Ryan, he will watch it no matter how long it is and will give you a solid feedback. I can't say thank you enough to all the staffs of Codesmith and Ryan!
-
Eugene Verified via GitHub
The best choice I've made
Read more Read less of Eugene's review
I'm writing the review I would like to have seen here before making my decision. If you're skeptical about the idea of attending a three month program like Codesmith after graduating with a technical degree, I hope this review helps you.
Before attending Codesmith at NYC, I was a fresh graduate looking for work. I studied Computer Science as an undergrad and I had finished with a general set of skills. However I never learned about software engineering or the ways to approach building a project on my own. I never learned about best coding practices. I didn't have a body of work that showcased what I had been learning for the past four years.
I spent a couple of months self-studying. I took courses on Udemy learning JavaScript libraries like React and Redux, and was able to build some small projects. However, I hit a block where I wasn't learning as quickly as I was when I started. So I reached out to find other developers through Meetup and found myself at Hard Parts. The consistent delivery of energy and extensive explanation of fundamental concepts had me coming back every week. At some point, I had attended all of the workshops they had to offer, and during my time there I was seriously considering attending Codesmith as a resident. I was on the fence about it for a while, because I felt that it wouldn't have been necessary given my background. I wanted some more information about the program so I hung around and spoke with the current cohorts and engineering fellows. Everyone I asked was very receptive and gave me the ins and outs of the program and its potential tradeoffs. I really admired the community Codesmith fostered. I finally decided for that I wanted to be a resident, and ultimately a part of a community of developers who were driven and loved to build things.
Codesmith is all about collective learning. For the first six weeks we pair program every day, switching pairs every two days. The first thing I had noticed about the material is how quickly information was introduced. We spent the first week learning fundamental algorithms and data structures (subjects I wasn't exposed to until two years into university). After that week, my cohort mates, without any exposure to algorithms coming in, were already taking time and space complexity into consideration when solving coding problems. They were also thinking about how to optimize their solutions. What also got me going was constantly being around people who enjoyed discussing JavaScript concepts, web development and project ideas they had.
After the first six weeks, we get to ideate on a production project idea with a team. In my opinion this is the most important phase in the course. You spend the first six weeks learning all about and using web libraries like React, Redux, MongoDB, Node and Express, and you’re given an opportunity to use those tools to build an application from scratch. Most importantly, you do so with the cohort mates you’ve been growing and learning with. I learned the most during the production phase because it provided me with experience of being on a team, and working in a Git flow. For my team, we had common disagreements about the problems we wanted to solve, the technologies we wanted to use, and our workflow. Meeting up as a team, discussing these issues and resolving them are important experiences that both help you grow as a developer, and as a team player.
You can only learn so much by sitting at home and developing projects on your own. I’d say the most important things I got out of the program were the experiences I had with other developers that I could speak to. I believe that being able to talk about problems you were introduced to with other people and how you overcame them as a team can take you a long way. Codesmith was definitely the right choice for me. It definitely provided me with exactly the components I needed to land the job that I have now. Even after graduating Codesmith, I have the support of the mentors and the students I’ve built relationships with during my time there.
-
David Verified via GitHub
Transformative Experience
Read more Read less of David's review
Simply put, Codesmith is a cut above the rest.
I came from a background of electronic music production, some decent experience with JavaScript, SQL, and aside from that, a largely non-technical background. After working hard and doing pretty much nothing but coding in my spare time preparing to get into Codesmith throughout 2018, I joined in the October 2018 cohort. I was hoping it would be a life-changing experience - it delivered 100%.
More than just teaching you how to use the most in-demand languages/frameworks/libraries, Codesmith teaches you how to solve problems. It builds that muscle for walking up to a wall of code and/or problems that you may have no idea how to solve, and teaches you to calmly dissect it, piece by piece and solve the problem at hand. Doing this over and over, time and time again, is what prepares you for that mid to senior level engineering role.
Codesmith is extremely effective at curating a group of residents who are passionate and willing to make this their top priority. It is not easy to get into Codesmith, and this careful vetting process shows. My cohort was filled with brilliant engineers who were not only driven to improve their skills as engineers, but equally invested in helping to grow the skills of all those around them. In turn, the result is that everyone levels up together, and lifelong friends are made in the process.
Curriculum includes Algorithms, Data Structures, Big O notation, JavaScript, React, Redux, Webpack, Node, SQL, noSQL, etc. The program is very challenging, and takes the approach of giving you a "birds eye view" overview lecture, and then throwing you into the deep end to build with what you've just learned about. This process can be extremely challenging, frustrating, and definitely made me doubt myself at times, but in the end, was incredibly effective in improving my problem solving skills, technical communication, and making me more comfortable being uncomfortable.
The hiring program at Codesmith is one of the main aspects that sets Codesmith apart from any other coding residency I looked into. A strong emphasis is placed on considering not just what technologies you know, but why you specifically chose to use these technologies over other available options, what the tradeoffs were, and strengthening your technical communication to effectively communicate these decisions in a mature and thoughtful way. From whiteboarding and mock interviews, to SDI's, one-on-one salary negotiation, multiple resume and online profile reviews, and a unique, results-driven approach to applying for jobs, Codesmith sticks with you when it gets real after graduation. Lifetime hiring support is provided - I did two mock-interviews after graduating that were both instrumental in helping me to land the offer in LA I just accepted for a full stack engineer position.
Lastly, I would like to speak on the lifelong friends and colleagues I met at Codesmith. Upon graduation, two of my cohort mates and I decided to form a slack channel to hold each other accountable and check in with each other throughout the job search process. We made sure to touch base every day, and shared things we were learning throughout each technical interview we encountered. I am proud to say that all three of us have landed 125k+ positions within a month and a half of graduating.
It is possible! Make the sacrifices, make this your top priority, and you can do it! Codesmith has the roadmap laid out - you just have to make the commitment, work harder than you ever have before, and make it happen. If I can do it, so can you 🤘 -
Jason Ou Verified via LinkedIn
The best way to make a career switch
Read more Read less of Jason Ou's review
I graduated from college in 2017 where I majored in Finance/Economics and minored in CS. I tried management consulting for a year, but realized that the parts of the job that excited me the most were related to computer science, so I self taught myself HTML/CSS/JS as far as I could.
But when it came to applying to jobs, I found that my experience just wasn't enough. So I applied to Codesmith on a whim, and it turned out to be the best decision I could have made. I was making $75k as a consultant, and was interviewing for junior positions that would have paid ~$80k, but even these positions I wasn't passing the phone screens.
After putting in a few months of hard work at Codesmith, I received a contract offer with JPM for $60/hr! And now, a few months later, I've leveraged my experience here into a full time position with American Express for $130k, and I have another final round interview with Amazon for $160k!!! (omg)
These numbers are absolutely not something I ever ever ever thought I would be making but its all been possible thanks to Codesmith.
Going into the program, I was already fairly comfortable with web engineering since I had self taught and I studied CS in college, but the breadth and depth of the Codesmith experience let me take that to the next level.
-
Nat Verified via GitHub
CS Prep
Read more Read less of Nat's review
I took CS Prep this February and it was a very fulfilling experience. I will start by saying that after taking CS Prep, I was passed my technical interview and was accepted into the Immersive on my first try. CS Prep provided me with a solid foundational Javascript knowledge and taught me the technical communication skills that were necessary not only to be admitted to the program, but to begin to think and work like an engineer. Each day of class for about an hour, we pair program which is a great exercise in learning to be a better communicator. Our instructor Ryan kept class interesting and informative and was always willing to provide extra help and guidance. The group project that we did at the end of the course was my first experience building something from scratch in Javascript and while it was challenging, it’s very rewarding to now have something to show my Javascript abilities. Some of us in the class who were based in LA met up outside of class to pair program and study together so the prep class was good at fostering a sense of community as well.
-
Wisdom Liu Verified via GitHub
The best place to learn programming
Read more Read less of Wisdom Liu's review
This place changed my life.
I spent a lot of time trying to decide which school to attend to become a software engineer. I looked at General Assembly, Hack reactor, and Thinkful. None of these compared to the Codesmith learning experience offered in just their free lectures (JS Easy parts and JS Hard parts).
I would strongly reccomend this school for anyone who really wants to understand practical applications of computer science to the core. Their curriculum is challenging and will probably be one of the hardest things you'll learn, but the reward in the end is worth it.
-
Sam Silver Verified via LinkedIn
A great experience
Read more Read less of Sam Silver's review
Trying to navigate your way to the RIGHT bootcamp in 2019 is a lonely, confusing place to be. Codesmith's CS Prep course, along with their free CSX courses and free streamed/in-person "Javascript the Hard Parts" are a great way to get to know the culture and pedagogy of Codesmith. I've been accepted to most of the top bootcamps and have had my eye on the space for more than a while. My experience in CS Prep confirms my suspicious that Codesmith's curriculum, pedagogy, and culture are unmatched in the 12-16 week bootcamp space.
Ryan Trontz, the teacher for CS Prep, has a long history of teaching subjects from Economics to Mathematics to Programming. He HIMSELF is a relatively recent product of Codesmith's SWE immersive. He's able to both zoom deeply in on topics to give you a step-by-step understanding of how the JS Engine works AND zoom out to give you a contextual understanding of where X tool fits into a SWE's workflow. If you're considering Codesmith or another top-tier bootcamp, I recommend CS Prep wholeheartedly. -
bry Verified via GitHub
Journey of Self Discovery
Read more Read less of bry's review
My experience with Codesmith started with despair and self doubt. Before interviewing at Codesmith, I have been self studying for a couple months. I reached Codewars Kata 6, I finished Fullstack Prep in a week, I completed Hack Reactor's online program, and just to add another layer of security, I finished CSX before I applied. I thought I was a shoe in, and boy was I wrong. I was completely crushed in the first interview, got close to being accepted by the second one, and I was wondering if I could ever get in, and maybe I should just go with other programs. At the end, I gave myself a hard dead line, and the rest was just the beginning.
Codesmith is going to push you out of your comfort zone. If you are naturally curious (aka console.log blobs just to see what it says, or try to use Node to build your own containers), then you are in luck. You will find other engineers who are equally curious. By the way, do you know the difference between setTimeout, IO callbacks, setImmediate, and Promises? What if I told you they go into different queues and a lot of other people have it wrong thinking there's only one? Codesmith will not teach you those things, but if you have an inquisitive mind, you will naturally gravitate to find those answers with like minded engineers.
It is normal that different people have different preference. It's not good or bad, but simple preference. If you require detailed instructions (like a classroom setting or tutorial type walkthrough), then Codesmith will be disastrous for you. You will absolutely hate it because the only instructions you get are very high level. No one will say, declare a function here with three parameters, and you loop here, then you return here. You are supposed to extend your knowledge to unknown areas like a true engineer.
Do you think building a functional CRUD app is a big achievement? At Codesmith, residents build CRUD apps as dummy data for projects. Before I began, I never thought of achieving the level of of engineering capability that I am now, but I can honestly say, if you love pushing it, if you love to break things and see what happens, Codesmith is definitely the right place for you.
-
Jaime Gonzalez Verified via GitHub
CSPrep
Read more Read less of Jaime Gonzalez's review
Before I decided to join CSPrep I was using the CSX site offered by Codesmith to understand what's needed for their immersive program. I didn't realize that what I was lacking in wasn't my ability to learn, but how I could communicate to other developers.
CSPrep is a nine day course spread into 2 weeks. It allowed me to collaborate with others who had the same goals which made it so much easier to develop my technical communication.
The course emphasized working with others over knowing the material as the goal is to learn independently.
The instructor Ryan is also an amazing person who has a background in education which is apparent in his drive to help his students understand the curriculum and to be able to expand it further even after the course and continues to offer advice after the course ends.
Coming out of this class I learned how to explain myself as well as how JavaScript works under the hood and honestly I have learned more in the two weeks than I have in the 3 years of self teaching.
I recommend this course to those who are seeking to apply to any bootcamp and want to improve their ability to not just learn new JavaScript concepts but why they work as diagramming problems takes up a good amount of the class time.
I also recommend to spend the Thursday off at Codesmith's free lectures to supplement one's ability to grasp new concepts and apply them as pair programming exercises occur for each session. It also gives people the chance to meet others taking the CSPrep course.
And to conclude, I strongly urge to look into the scholarships they offer as the tuition will be transferred to the immersive program so there's nothing to lose when taking CSPrep and if anything, the people who take the class will grow regardless of the initial skill level.
-
alyswerdlova Verified via LinkedIn
You will learn a ton!
Read more Read less of alyswerdlova's review
Completing Codesmith's 12-week program was one of the hardest--and most rewarding--things I've ever done. I had completed an immersive program somewhere else before going to Codesmith, and the difference was like night and day. Codesmith's curriculum takes you deep down into computer science fundamentals and under-the-hood JavaScript in a way other programs do not. The quality of instruction is top-notch, too.
The 12 weeks are very intense: there's no doubt about it. But you will learn. A lot! The staff will make sure of it. If they see you're falling behind, they will work with you one-on-one for whatever amount of time it takes to make sure your understanding is up to speed. There's no falling through the cracks here.
It's also one of the most supportive and welcoming communities I've ever had the privilege of being a part of. From the CEO, Will Sentance, on down, every single person truly cares about seeing you succeed, and will do what's necessary to set you up for success before, during, and after the program.
I can’t say enough good things about Codesmith. If you have the opportunity to enroll, then I suggest you take it!
-
greg shamalta Verified via LinkedIn
Great school get ready to learn
Read more Read less of greg shamalta's review
Overall a great experience. I had previously taken another boot camp which wasn't as immersive or as in depth. This program pretty much felt like part 102 to their 101. It is a lifestyle for those 3 months. It is high demand but comes with a great return if you dedicate yourself to it. Prep is big, the testing to get accepted is very stringent but the more you can cover before going in the more you will take out when you walk away. This is due to the massive amount of material you go over while you are there. I would recommend it to my closest friends and have...
-
Marlon Wiprud Verified via LinkedIn
Best decision you will ever make
Read more Read less of Marlon Wiprud's review
As a recent Codesmith graduate, I can say with certainty that spending the past 3 months in the challenging, immersive, and transfomative process that Codesmith provides was one of the best decisions I have ever made, both for my personal growth as well as my career. They have a meticoulously crafted program that continously iterates upon itself to make improvements with every new cohort. The staff truly care about the success and well-being of every resident, and do everything in their power to help you get the absolute most of the program that you possibly can.
The instruction is one of a kind, and ensures that you understand concepts that will bring you to a new level of software engineering. Codesmith, like other great programs, will teach you javascript fundamentals and modern frameworks that are commonly used in top companies. But the truly unique trait that I believe is the most important aspect one can gain from the 3-month experience, is building the mental framework for continous technical progression as an engineer. By the end of the program, you will find yourself diving into new technologies with enthusiasm that may have seemed out of your technical depth only a short time ago. This would not be possible without the culture that is fostered by the Codesmith community, which encourages you to push yourself every day and supports you through the ups and downs of an intense learning process.
The application process is not easy. I personally had to spend a lot of time studying, and interviewed multiple times in order to get accepted to the program. If you see this as daunting, I would lend you the perspective that this ensures that once admitted, you will be surrounded by a group of dedicated, hard-working individuals who are commited to the success of the group and themselves.
All-in-all, Codesmith was an amazing experience and I could not recommend it enough to anyone who is considering attending an immersive program.
-
Hari Verified via GitHub
Turning Point in Life
Read more Read less of Hari's review
While I was searching for the best software engineer residency program, Codesmith’s JS Hard Parts caught my attention. Their hardparts lecture was an eye opening experience overall due to their simple and organized explanations. I finally understood the “Why” and the “How” behind my code and was able to implement them throughout my algorithm problems using technical communication. It was all or none. Either I wanted to be a software engineer and live my dream or continue my job that I didn’t have any passion for... I made a quick decision to quit my job and dedicated the next 6 months to solely focus on building my future and career (3 months to study and pass Codesmith's interview and the other 3 months to face the immersive 12-week program at Codesmith). Since day one of Codesmith immersive program until now, I have not once regretted my choice, but rather thought this was the best decision that I made in my life. Yes, it was extremely long and painful hours that I invested at Codesmith— Waking up at 6am and arriving back home at midnight for 6 days in a week was intense. However, all the hard work and effort that I put in was for ME. It’s the best present I could give myself, and accomplishing these goals that I set has been the most rewarding moment. I wanted change. I wanted challenge. I needed my innerself to be uncomfortable so that I could grow as a developer and as a person. Codesmith support is there 100% of the time. You have to ask and seek for this. As cliche as it may sound, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. I used the Codesmith facility as if it was my house. I asked the fellows and the lead technical mentor for help and support. Codesmith has a system in place. Believe in the system and put your 100% into the program. Just warning you… you will feel overwhelmed and bombarded with loads of materials. This is the way to learn. The whole 12-week program is planned out. You have to go through the struggle and pain to grow and become an engineer who can debug, code review, and listen to peers to code efficiently. Once you know how to enjoy the emotional rollercoaster, you will be successful. There is no guarantee in anything in life. However, I can guarantee that you will receive the best support even after the cohort is finished. Coming out of Codesmith, I got a job offer in a mere one month after completing the program. Within that one month, I scheduled multiple mock interview sessions with the lead technical mentor (Sam Goldberg, thank you Sam!!! ). I cannot thank Codesmith enough for believing in me and always reminding me that it is possible. I overcame countless instances of imposter syndrome to become an optimistic and self-rewarding person. All in all, Codesmith is the best program in all aspects: system, community, and after-support. -
Lee Rogers Verified via GitHub
An incredible learning community
Read more Read less of Lee Rogers's review
**UPDATE** My full review, written shortly after finishing the program, is below. I wanted to add that I just got a job that makes me think Codesmith was a worthy investment indeed. That said, it's been two years since I graduated the program, so it took me a while. I'm an outlier in that respect I think, but just to offer another data-point. Personally I found it impossible to learn all the material they threw at me during those 13 weeks. Instead it ended up being a very detailed syllabus of all the stuff I needed to learn after I finished the program. After graduation I was told I didn't appreciate how much I already knew. That didn't feel right but I went ahead and started applying anyway. Their resume/application tips do work to get interviews. Unfortunately for me at first I got blown out of the water. It was rough because I wasn't ready. This turned into a cycle of me having a bad interview, studying to learn all the stuff I didn't know (it was often material I remembered coming up in CS) until I felt like I could do well if I had a chance at a do-over, applying again... only to be asked completely different stuff in the next interview (rinse, repeat). In the meantime I took advantage of CS's hiring support, refining answers to interview questions, tweaking my resume, etc. Fortunately I had enough savings to be able to take the time to continue this cycle of interviews and studying and working on a project of my own (where I truly learned the stuff by using it). Finally, after almost two years I had a series of interviews that went well enough to land me a job, and it's a good one. Codesmith helped me negotiate a nice bump in my salary. In a few years I will have made up the lost earnings from quitting my previous job as well as CS tuition. CS puts a lot of effort into boosting your confidence as they send you out into the world but I wish there had also been an effort at the end of the program to truly evaluate where you're at and identify what weak spots you may need to work on before putting yourself out there. Yes, the "Interview Driven Development" (IDD ) approach works, but I'd say there's a baseline one should be at before starting that process. At the end of the day, you have to learn this stuff yourself. But Codesmith shows you what you need to learn, hooks you up with a great community of people, and offers very practical guidance for getting interviews and doing well in them. In my first week on my new job I sat in on a couple job interviews and heard applicants say things that CS coached us to avoid... then at the post interview meeting colleagues brought those specific comments up as reason not to hire. So CS's guidance was indeed spot on there. If I were to do it over again I would study more of the material Codesmith teaches on my own before starting the program, so I wouldn't be getting introduced to so much new stuff all at once. But I'd still do the program. If you are committed to getting a software engineering job, no matter what it takes, Codesmith ultimately justifies its price tag. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***ORIGINAL REVIEW*** I had a very good experience at Codesmith. There were a few areas where I personally saw some room for improvement, which I will discuss below, but overall it's certainly an excellent program. Here are my thoughts on its strengths as well as just some things to be aware of as you decide if CS is right for you. First off, the culture at CS is amazing. Everyone is super friendly and supportive of each other as they go through this sometimes stressful/intense learning process. While I feel lucky to have worked with such a great group of people at CS I also know it wasn't luck: CS takes an active role in shaping the culture, carefully choosing who to admit and then setting expectations about being empathetic and putting others before yourself. From there it takes on a life of its own, as the positive energy creates more positive energy. You will work many long, difficult hours at CS, but it won't really feel that way because it's such a supportive, fun environment to be in. The importance of this cannot be overstated. The other remarkable thing about CS, and this actually encompasses a range of topics, is how great it is at dealing with all the intangibles around coding and finding work. It's about turning you into a software engineer, which means shaping who you are as a person. They help you manage 'imposter syndrome,' while learning to accept and embrace the struggle that comes with working on difficult challenges. Beyond that they offer a lot of great advice on how to present yourself to maximize your odds of finding a good job, and what employers are actually looking for (as distinct from what they might say they are looking for), helping you to present yourself as that perfect 'fit.' There's a lot about managing people's perceptions... part of that is, frankly, helping you create the impression you have more experience/expertise than you actually have, without actually lying. If you wanted to be cynical you could call this deceitful... But let's be honest: this is the real world we live in. It's not fair, and people often make decisions for shallow, unconscious reasons. CS helps you find every possible way to prime employers' expectations to see you in a certain light and tip the odds of success in your favor. As we learned these psychological tricks I couldn't help but consider how the CS program was also trying to shape our own perceptions as students. They try to make you feel that upon leaving CS you are now ready for top-level coding jobs... somewhat regardless of where you may actually be in terms of your skill/knowledge level. I think the thinking behind this is that employers are hiring people based on subtle cues that they pick up from the applicant, and that if you are confident in your abilities they will pick up on that and will be more likely to hire you. (And after that, you'll figure it out... It's what you did at CS after all.) For this reason it's important that you see yourself as an advanced level engineer, and truly believe it. If you believe it, it will become true. Indeed every step of your journey at CS is about convincing you to believe in your own abilities. Codesmith has a very specific teaching style, which they use in a sort of one-size-fits-all kind of way... Essentially they don't really 'teach' at all, but rather have you figure it out yourself. They feel strongly it's the only way to really learn this stuff. During the first part of the program there are lectures to provide a super high level overview of material (for example, the purpose of a framework) without getting into any actual specifics about the code. You are paired with someone to work on a related challenge and the two of you basically try to figure it out together. This often involves using online tutorials or Youtube videos or whatever to try to figure out what's going on. In that sense you might think, "well this is what I was already doing before I came to CS!" There are a few important differences though: You will work way harder than you would on your own, and you will be working alongside a great group of students in the same boat, all helping each other. Certainly no 'meetup' could substitute for the community of learners you'll find yourself working with at CS. So it's more that CS is providing an optimal environment for learning than it is that they're teaching you, per se. The students who figure things out first often end up showing the others what to do, so actually it is your classmates that do most of the 'teaching' in that regard... I think those students probably get the most out of the program, as teaching others is the best way to solidify one's own understanding. It's worth noting that Codesmith is really not at all like the Hard Parts lectures. Those involve getting into the nitty-gritty of javascript, with the teacher typically asking lots of questions to students, really keeping you on your toes and making sure you're following along. (Will Sentance, the co-founder of CS, is particularly great at this) When I did the Hard Parts I thought "Aha! This is exactly what I need!" In the program itself, however, teachers don't really call on students much or get into many details. It's more: here's a slide show for a high level overview... now go figure it out. One advantage of this is it's how the real world is: no one will be holding your hand. If you can do it here, you will be able to do it out there as well. But it can also be frustrating, especially if you were expecting to be taught how to code. Having worked as an educator, the traditional conception of education has three basic steps: the teacher shows students how to do something, the teacher assists as students try it themselves, and finally the teacher has students do it all on their own without help. (aka "gradual release of responsibility") Udemy classes and other online tutorials typically don't get past step one, which is a major limitation on their effectiveness. Codesmith, on the other hand, pretty much just skips straight to step three. It's basically a "sink or swim" approach. They emphasize that if you are struggling that is itself a success: You are training yourself to keep trying and not give up even when you feel stuck. ("Building that muscle") And I think there's something to that: Surely a big part of what employers are looking for is people with the patience, persistence and determination to work through difficult challenges. It can be frustrating though when you feel lost, because no one's going to really make sure you're getting it. Personally I found myself struggling a lot. During the first part of the program Mondays start with an assessment that tests your understanding of the previous week's material, which you will then hear back about on Saturday. If you did not do well someone will go over the assessment with you before you leave for your (one day) weekend. Those one-on-one sessions can be very helpful... I would actually say those were some of the most productive times for me at CS in terms of furthering my learning. I do wish they had occurred in a more timely manner though. The latter portion of the program is basically all group work on projects. If you know enough to be able to contribute you can learn a lot because it's real coding, and the things you learn along the way, as you hit blocks and work through them, will likely stick. Personally I think I would have benefited more from more structured lessons, along the lines of Hard Parts, that drilled in all the basic skills until they're second nature, with such lessons gradually giving way to more independent work... rather than just being set loose on these big projects. "Rote learning" is not sexy by any means, but I actually felt CS could have used some of it. There's just a lot of vocabulary and syntax you need to know. It seems like a 'boot camp' environment would be the ideal environment to really drill that stuff in. The CS curriculum provides a brief introduction to a number of coding areas, but they keep things moving along quickly. They want to get you working on the deep stuff that's going to look really impressive on your resume as soon as possible. This points to an important distinction: the goal of CS is to not exactly to teach you how to code, but to help you land a great job. The two goals are of course related, but where they diverge CS is focused on the latter. They want to help you come off as that 'rare unicorn' who has somehow taken to coding so naturally you could instantly move into working in super challenging areas. Employers will be so impressed at the challenges you've been pursuing that they will just assume you must also be solid on all the basics. And, frankly, if you had to choose between being great at coding and having a great coding job, which would you choose? Probably the latter... the reason you want to be great at coding is probably so that you can get that great job. Well that's exactly what CS is going to help you do. Along the way you will pick up some coding skills, but the idea is that once you get that great job you will essentially be able to figure out what you need to know on the job. This will be possible in part because you have confidence in your own ability to figure out whatever challenge is thrown at you. And in truth the coding skills required for success will constantly be changing as technology evolves anyway, so knowing particular skills is less important than having the confidence, patience and persistence to figure things out. So, the focus on just landing the job does make some sense. The mantra from CS instructors is 'trust the process,' basically implying 'we've got this figured out.' Along with that is the implication that the process only works if you 'trust' it... that is, you believe it will work. Apparently there was one cohort where one student felt strongly that Codesmith's approach to teaching was wrong and who managed to convince the rest of his cohort of this. This cohort didn't get as much out of their time there and was then significantly less successful in finding work after graduation than other cohorts. I can believe it. So much of life is about attitude, beliefs, expectations, etc. So it makes sense that CS is very vigilant about keeping everyone onboard the program and clamping down on any sort of negativity or 'dissent.' I think this is done with the best interest of students in mind. Where it becomes a little tricky is if it doesn't allow for the curriculum or teaching methods to be questioned, thereby preventing improvements. I feel like more could be done to make sure everyone is progressing and to find ways to meet the needs of different types of learners. At no point, for example, do they ask students for feedback about how the program could be improved, which surprised me (also true for CS Prep, btw). I think they just don't want to encourage any negative thinking about the program, so that everyone will feel like they got the best possible education and therefore go into the job hunt with confidence. It's understandable, but I think they'd be able to make the program even better if they were soliciting constructive criticism to guide future iterations on the curriculum. Despite these concerns my experience at CS was overall very positive. Hopefully this provides a realistic sense of what Codesmith is all about to help you decide if it's right for you. While I heard other students privately raise some of the same issues I never once heard anyone say they regretted their decision to enroll. A number of people went so far as to describe it as a life-changing experience even. Personally if I had to go back and decide whether to do it over again I think I would, BUT I would wait and spend more time studying before enrolling. I enrolled as someone without any computer science background, really only having done some Udemy classes, the Hard Parts lectures and CS Prep. I knew the CSX material backwards and forwards and could write a 'reduce' function in my sleep, but I didn't know much beyond javascript. In retrospect I wish I had been more comfortable writing CRUD apps (if you don't know, look it up) before I got to CS, so I could spend less time learning the basics and more on the advanced features we were supposed to be working on. As it was I spent a lot time during the day struggling with things far over my head, often feeling like I was spinning my wheels, while spending nights trying to catch up on the basics. I certainly learned WAY more than I would have just studying on my own for those 13 weeks. Coming out of it, though, I'm currently working on solidifying the skills I was introduced to at CS, that are listed on my resume, so that hopefully I will feel comfortable using/discussiong them in an interview situation. That's not exactly where I was hoping to be at this point, although I'm optimistic I will get where I need to be. I would especially recommend Codesmith to people who already have some computer science experience, whether from school or work. It is possible to come in relatively 'cold' and succeed (I saw people do it), but it's much harder. I would at least find out the frameworks/technologies/etc covered in the curriculum and try to do a Udemy class or something on each one before starting the program. You're going to be figuring most of it out yourself anyway, so might as well get a head start on that. I am a very recent graduate and have yet to really begin my job search in earnest... So far the job search support does seem very good though. They definitely don't just forget about you after you're "done." If things go as they say to expect and I eventually land the kind of job they are saying we should be able to get, then by all means this program will have been worth every penny and more. Certainly many alums have done very well. Overall, if you are looking to do a 'boot camp' style program (a term they don't actually use, btw) you should definitely consider Codesmith. It's not a boot camp in the sense that they're going to drill coding skills into you, but it is in the sense that it aims to shape you as a person, instilling you with confidence and a problem-solving mindset. They encourage you to think like a software engineer, and think of yourself as a software engineer... confident you can figure out whatever's thrown at you, because you've done it before. The idea is that if you can make that paradigm shift in your head, the rest (i.e. learning specific skills) will follow in due course. And in the process you will become part of a great community. It's a sometimes stressful, even grueling experience... but one that's also full of a lot of joy, camaraderie and discovery. I know it's a time in my life that I will always remember fondly. -
Ray Yao Verified via GitHub
CS Prep Review
I loved how detailed the course was in diagramming code. Seeing code diagrammed step-by-step really helped me understand the fundamentals of what was going on. I definitely could not have learned any of this myself.
