Codesmith

I attended CS Prep to help level up ahead of my technical interview for the Full-time immersive course at Codesmith. Honestly, I was quite blown away by how much I managed to learn in those two weeks. Self-teaching JavaScript is a slow process but with the help of Matt and Greg ( the course leaders), I was able to get my head around some concepts that I was having a hard time committing to permanent memory like Closure and Recursion.  For the money, I think it's good value and is really helpful if you were to apply to any boot camp afterwards, not just Codesmith. The only con I can think of is that the hours were quite long but that's primarily because I'm based in the UK and so I had to shift my body clock to attend the course that takes place after work PST and late evening EST.

Just a little blurb about bootcamps and bootcamp reviews in general: No review or seminar you attend will give you a full and accurate understanding of how great a bootcamp actually is. When I did my own extensive research when choosing a bootcamp, I attended many info sessions, looked at many webpages, and read many a review.

What Codesmith does differently, and what pulled me in, was attending one of their many free, public weekly workshops. Meant for just anyone interested in learning programming, this truly showed me what Codesmith is all about. I saw how they emphasized core engineering values: community, culture, and strong interpersonal skills - not just technology and the knowledge to build things. Because of Codesmith's popularity and strong outcomes (look at the CIRR report!), you will be in an environment of 30+ people (cohort sizes being around 20-30, but that doesn't account for your mentors, your instructors, and all the support staff), all of which are a resource for you to improve your chances of succeeding. Codesmith believes in hard-learning. There's no hand-holding and the curriculum is not easy, but what you get is a strong community and support system that exists even after graduating (job searching is as hard and time-consuming as the bootcamp itself!). 

Before Codesmith, I was a college-educated minimum, wage worker. Within a year of starting my programming journey, I have gotten two fix-figure salary offers, and relationships with people that will last a lifetime. 

I am a recent graduate and I can confidently say that Codesmith is an amazing immersive program that teaches you how to become an amazing engineer. 

The immersive program itself is a combination of hard computer science, pragmatism, and an empathetic community. It teaches you to be patient with yourself, to cuddle with the struggle, and to power through hurdles so that you can gain a deeper understanding of what Codesmith calls "the Hard Parts." It's a blend of pair programming and project-building using modern technology stacks. The instructors themselves are passionate, accessible, and empathetic, which are exactly what students need when learning these difficult-to-grasp topics. You'll get a lot out of this program, but keep in mind that you also have to be able to put work in as well. 

At the end of the day, this bootcamp itself is more like an immersive program. You'll feel like you've been learning for a year, but in reality, it's only been a few months. You'll also come out quadruple times more wiser in the engineering world and ready to tackle most engineering problems that you'll face. 

Thank you again Codesmith, it's been a wild ride. Happy to say that I've enjoyed the experience and to start a new chapter in my life!

If all you're looking to do is learn how to code, Codesmith teaches that for free with their Hard Parts workshop and CSX community. I can attest to that, since I attended the free programs for almost 3 months before entering the immersive program. And in fact, that was all I needed to get the job I have now.

But without going through the program, there's no way I would have even gotten to the interview, let alone ask for the ridiculous salary I'm earning now.

The value prospect of Codesmith's immersive program is tailoring a context for students to showcase their skills and interests. For me, the greatest aspect of the program was ingraining in us a confidence and sense of worth by caring enough to push the pause button every now and again to relax and reflect on what we accomplished. 

I had been doing a lot of work on my own and felt like I was cutting through frozen butter. I was making progress but every step took a lot of work and I had some bruises on my forehead from my desk. CS Prep gave me a glowing hot knife. I have a much better foundation and toolset for moving forward. It's hard to know what you don't know but CS Prep and my cohort helped shine a light on the foundations. 

The pair-programming we did was also fantastic. I learned the most from these sessions. Whether it was with someone more advanced than myself or someone struggling to understand the concepts, I walked away miles ahead of where I started. The pedagogy of the assignments was also great at creating those lasting "aha!" moments.

I definitely recommend the program, especially if you are aiming to get into a bootcamp (especially Codesmith).

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:

1. 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.
2. 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)
3. 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.     

If you're considering a bootcamp, do yourself a favor and don't mistake Codesmith for one. For the money, good bootcamps take in new comers, hobbyists, and amateurs and do wonders in preparing them for entry level junior roles. By contrast, Codesmith does this for free. If you want a junior role, start coming to Codesmith where they've cultivated a community created by and for engineers. Regular discussions and workshops expounding on topics from fundamentals to advanced software engineering topics are offered free of charge on a weekly basis. Free of charge. Several times a week. Every week. For free. Meet other like-minded people passionate about engineering. Learn from them and you can teach yourself how to code and probably get a job if you're keen.

If you want to take the next step in your career as a software engineer, as I did, prepare rigorously for the Codesmith admission process and submit an application. Prepare to fail the interview, study, and apply again. Even through failure, you've improved yourself ten-fold. But if you've truly dedicated yourself and committed to becoming the type of engineer who can solve any problem, you might get a chance of a life time.

The Codesmith approach borrows from a pedagogical model practiced by the world's best institutions, reconfiguring that model to meet modern educational needs. It takes a fraction of the time a traditional computer science program needs to prepare you. Although it's also not an equivalent, the approach awards you valuable, hands-on knowledge in place of theory. Part of the program is dedicated to bringing you up to speed with the most current technologies in the javascript ecosystem. We're talking MVC/MVVC, TDD, and RESTful architectures in addition to modern frontend frameworks like React (check out the website for more details) . Don't expect a lot of hand holding here. By design, you are meant to grow by hitting blocks in knowledge, which tests your ability to grow as an engineer. All the while, the instructors keep a close watch, taking care to intervene only when necessary. 

The majority of the time at Codesmith is dedicated to building. Developer tools, client-facing applications, javascript libraries---take your pick. You take the knowledge you've gained up untill that point and create something for the community. The open-source projects built at Codesmith are regularly featured on hacker news and the like. In fact, a recent cohort's project was featured on the main stage at Google I/O (check out WebDSP). What 'bootcamp' can say that? The answer is none. Only a program like Codesmith can put out projects of this level of quality.

To offer my own experience, which is shared by many, I was a self-taught programmer with a non-technical background (accounting and non-profit administration). In terms of academic performance, I was about average, something I take pride in given the level of ability among my peers, which included experienced engineers, recent cs graduates, and some 'non-technical' folks like me. In terms of projects, my team developed an application commissioned by a real company for its userbase. Afterward, I was lucky enough to earn a fellowship, where I had the opportunity to contribute as an engineer and mentor others. When my fellowship ended, I prepared myself to begin a full-fledged job search which I thought would last up to an additional three months. But instead, I received my first offer from a Codesmith hiring partner exactly one day after and I'm now happily employed as a full stack engineer earning a competitive salary.

Simply put, the program works and I changed my life by deciding to come here. Just do yourself a favor and check it out for yourself. See you there.

Before joining CS Prep I was under the impression that I was decent at JS, but I clearly didn't know what I didn't know. My instructor (Shout out to Matt) was awesome and honest. He didn't make up something on the spot, if there was something he didn't know he found out and always got back to us. He made himself super accessible. The curriculum is helpful some people preferred if we coded more, but the class is moreso to teach you how to fish not just to give you fish. There were (and still is) times when I diagrammed code to have a deeper understanding of the material. The most important part is that after the 2 weeks of CS Prep, my technical communication has increased a ton, my coding ability and most importantly my confidence in my coding ability increased. It was definitely challenging if you are a beginner, but if you were like me and did some udemy classes with JS, I think you will fit into CS Prep well, if not check out JSB, I heard it's good.

This course is not organized enough. Some students can not control their stress. I was yelled at during the course. Students would shout you down because they didn't want you to share ideas. Trying to keep up with students who are already professionals was impossible. Students are constantly insulting one another about their perceived lack of skill. I know I'm in a recurring minority of students that sees this mess. The staff members are nice, but can be dishonest.

The whole point of this course is to fake that you are an open source web developer. FOSS developers are people that deserve our appreciation and help. Just search tutorials and documentation on: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Webpack, React, Node, Express, SQL, and MongoDB. There are some other things you will pick up along the way. Search how to contribute to open source projects, and you can skip the course saving all that money. 

 Alumni get to work at corporations that don't discipline sexual assaults from higher-ups , corporations that don't pay taxes and lobby with unknown agendas, and corporations that collect limitless amounts of personal data. These companies are prioritized by the course because they want to show-off the big offers students received. The staff is too smart to deny that surveillance in the interest of business supports systemic problems contributing to prejudice and racism. Stop supporting companies that use invasive and oppressive technology.

For anyone looking to apply to bootcamps, before doing so I highly recommend taking Codesmith's CS Prep course. CS Prep is a two-week program designed to prepare you for Codesmith's Software Engineering Program. However, even if you decide Codesmith is not for you, upon completing the two-week prep course, you'll be prepared to apply for any bootcamp and complete the technical interview. I am preparing to take my technical interviews now (wish me luck) and I can say without a doubt I have learned much more from taking this course than I would have on my own. 

Codesmith's prep course is unique in the sense that they not only teach you Javascript through lectures and whiteboarding, but they also take the idea of learning further and really challenge students to understand Javascript on a more in-depth level. This is done by spending time going "under the hood of Javascript" as they say so you fully understand why and how things work. They also drive home the idea of pair programming, the importance of it, and give you plenty of opportunities to pair program with others. Additionally, attending CS Prep was helpful because it gave me insight into how they teach at the in-person program which can help me determine if it's a good fit for my learning style or not. 

 Although Codesmith does a great job of teaching you the material, there does need to be a certain level of discipline and consistency when taking the prep course to make sure you keep up with the material being presented. However, this shouldn't be seen as a negative as most places require you to be consistent in studying and putting in hours in order to be successful. Overall, I definitely recommend it to anyone serious about pursuing this as a full-time career as this will help you to quickly progress in your coding journey.