Codesmith

The Codesmith engineering immersive program is one of, if not the best bootcamp experiences around. After comparing various bootcamps by instructors, curriculum and outcomes, it was clear to me that Codesmith would provide me the best opportunity to transition into software engineering. The curriculum is rigorous and captivating, taught by experienced people, both professional engineers and top former graduates of the program. The combination of data structures and algorithms (important for technical interviews when looking for a job) and in-depth web development is key for any aspiring engineer, and the Codesmith curriculum pushes its residents to learn as much as possible during the program. The deciding factor on choosing Codesmith over other bootcamps was the culminating project, which is a tool built for other engineers to use during their development process, rather than a client-facing product. This kind of project requires a higher level of dedication, as the ideas and features for building a dev tool are more complex than a client-facing application. While the experience will be one of the hardest things that most people will go through, the community is extremely supportive and easily one of my favorite aspects of the whole program. The friends that I made during the program really made my time that much better, because we were all challenged at various points and supported each other throughout. While the job search is certainly challenging, the program provides great hiring support and checks in frequently on your progress, as well as providing a plethora of information on how best to succeed throughout the job hunt.

Attending Codesmith was a great experience; I learned a lot of things and it really shaped my foundation of web development. It was a grueling boot camp as you spend tons of hours coding and learning however, it was a decision I do not regret. Instructors were great, they really want you to succeed as the curriculum was hard! But overall, I would recommend Codesmith to anyone looking for a great boot camp.

When you've finished a course and wish there were more sessions... that's when you know it was a great experience.

I would def. recommend JavaScript for Beginners (JSB) to anyone who is interested in exploring a career change into a developer role. I came in with almost no experience (just a handful of exercises in Codecademy) and in two short weekend sessions I'm hooked.

Even with the course being completely remote, the course was engaging with everyone participating and the instructor taking time to really walk through questions - either on the topic at hand, broader Codesmith questions, or even questions about the industry in general.

The curriculum was also great for an intro course - it wasn't just showing 'do this for this to happen' but actually going through some of the nuts and bolts to really understand why 'doing this' will 'cause that to happen.'

I took this course thinking it would be a good look into what the rest of the Codesmith program would be, and if this short 2 day course is any indicator I can't wait for the next steps!

I highly recommend this course for anyone who is hoping to kickstart their coding journey or is curious about the Codesmith teaching style. I've been learning JavaScript on my own over the last few months, but despite having a decently solid understanding of the fundamentals, my technical communication skills were lacking. This class was a great opportunity to practice speaking code.

The course consisted of lectures, three pair programming sessions, a group project/presentation, and a final assessment. The lectures covered a variety of JavaScript basics, starting from variables and data types to loops and functions. Each lecture included diagramming sessions where our instructor, Sophie, gave us a block of code and walked us through each line step by step. She also called on the students during these diagramming sessions so we could practice our technical communication. If we were ever confused on certain topics, Sophie made sure we fully understood everything before moving on. After the lectures, we were given 30 minutes to pair program with a partner. The last segment of the course focused on a basic group project. We were given about 2 days to complete the project with our group mates, and the course culminated in the final presentation night on the Monday after the last day of class. It was really fun to see what everyone else came up with, and all of my cohort mates did an amazing job!

The final assessment of the course determines whether you'll be able to get a "free pass" into the next bootcamp prep class, CS Prep. Although you don't have to take JSB to go into CS Prep, the "free pass" for JSB allows you to bypass the application and phone interview process for CS Prep, thus giving you automatic acceptance into the next course.

Also important to note: if you're aiming to join Codesmith's bootcamp, you should definitely go ahead and take JSB and/or CS Prep. The tuition costs roll over to the next course that you take (CS Prep or the full-time immersive), so you're basically already paying for it and might as well get the most out of that money! Codesmith also offers scholarship opportunities for all of their courses, so I'd suggest applying for JSB early if you'd be interested in applying for a scholarship.

I'd also recommend going through the entire precourse unit on CSX first before taking the class. Although JSB is geared towards beginners, there's a bit of a steep learning curve if your first time seeing code is on the first day of class. Having a very basic understanding of the topics covered in the course will definitely help.

Overall, I think JSB was a great course. Sophie was a phenomenal instructor and all of my cohort mates were super friendly. I'm enjoying the remote learning environment so far and I'm looking forward to learning more about JavaScript in CS Prep!

School: Codesmith
Course: JavaScript for Beginners
Instructor: Sophie
Sept, 2020

I had a great experience in JSB at Codesmith. My instructor Sophie was generous, knowledgable, and clear. She took her time to answer everyone's questions, and was able to get us through the material. I love the group learning environment that Codesmith creates. The group projects at the end were super fun. I'm enrolled in their CS Prep course, and can't wait to be inside a Codesmith (virtual) classroom again. I was hoping to leave the course feeling confident in my knowledge of JS basics, and I definitely hit that goal. 

I started playing around with Javascript in March and have spent months looking for a pre-course for a bootcamp that suited my needs. The teachers in this program were absolutely amazing and showed passion in teaching the content. The amount of information I learned and practiced in just two weeks was more than I learned by myself in six months. I highly recommend CSPrep for someone who is new to coding and also to people who want to understand what is happening under the hood in JavaScript.

Codesmith is magic. Come prepared, know your JS, and do all the precourse work to completion. Know functional programming and OOP, and come ready to WORK.  

If you work extremely hard at Codesmith, learn the whats and whys of each technology, and use YouTube to build general knowledge about the other technologies not covered (if only to compare and contrast them), you will stand out in your interviews. 

There were multiple people here who had previously gone to other coding schools and unanimously agreed that Codesmith is an entirely different animal. The CIRR reports make that plain to see as well. If you want a real, high paying, mid or senior engineer job, this is the only program that will take you there.
 I was rather skeptical if it would work for me, if it would be worth the expense, and I only joined at the behest of a friend who believed in it more than I did; but now I’m a senior engineer who can learn anything. As you can imagine, I owe that friend quite a lot now.

I have aggressively recommended Codesmith to several friends already who are looking for a career change, and will continue to do so. I would not encourage my own friends to pay the cost of Codesmith If I wasn’t absolutely certain they would land a great job immediately afterwards. 

If anyone’s familiar with sports, this is the New England Patriots.  When you join, you leave everything else at the door, you commit to teamwork, you trust the system, and the system wins championships.

One thing I would say to anyone trying to go to Codesmith is this: the more you prepare and learn the tech stack beforehand, the more you will get out of the program. Your projects will be better, cleaner, bigger, and you will be more proud of them when you hit the job search.

On top of that, the team engineering you will be capable of will be that much better. And that will be a force multiplier for your entire cohort.  This is critical, as each member of the cohort aids the others, fills in our holes in knowledge, and allows us to focus on reaching the next level. 

This type of learning cannot be done alone. You will hit blocks, you will get frustrated, you will want to give up; but your cohort will carry you onward. The people you meet here, the focus you put in together, will set you up for life.  The single most important aspect of Codesmith is the teamwork. 

You might think, then can’t I just find some friends and we’ll just do all this training and building by ourselves?  Good luck with that..... Every single person here has invested their entire future on this program. This will be the most dedicated and driven environment you will ever be a part of. We worked form 8am to midnight every day, well beyond official hours. And the salary payoff has been literally double my expectations going in.  

Last thing to mention is the hiring support. They will help you until you get the job you want. They have a tried and true system for hiring, and it works. If you arrange everything the way they teach you, pass their reviews, you will be flooded with interest.  We as the cohort also shared information, tricks, tips, everything each of us learned in interviews to boost our performance. The results speak for themselves.

If you’re ready to put in the work to build the future you actually want, Codesmith is the only place where every ounce of effort will be amplified and multiplied. It is the only choice for programming. I encourage you not to waste your time and money on any schools that pretend to be competitors, they’re absolutely not comparable.  You’ll likely just end up going to Codesmith after them like many of my cohort-mates. Do your research and the choice will be obvious. 


Good luck, future coworkers. 

CS Prep was a great way to get familiar with the teaching style, meet your cohortmates and prepare for the immersive interviews. The wonderful instructors provided a lot of clarity to approaching coding challenges that I didn't even know that I didn't know how to do.

Codesmith has a great academic program and it covers a variety of technologies such as React, Redux, Express, Docker, and more. Codesmith has helped me hone in on skills such as algorithms, debugging, and working in teams to build a variety products. During their hiring portion, I gained life skills for resume building, networking, interviewing, and negotiating salaries. Previously, I had no experience in the tech industry. I went from being a Substitute Teacher to a Software Engineer at a major tech company in less than a year, thanks to Codesmith. 

Hey!

A little over a year ago, I finished Codesmith and got my first fulltime software engineering job. In general, I felt like the process is probably not for everyone, but if you can be empathetic, work hard, and push your limits, you can pretty much go as far as you want. That opinion still stands.

What I'd like to add on to it, though, is what my experience has been like since leaving. The friends I made at Codesmith have continued to be incredible resources for learning, for job referrals, for professional advice, and are genuinely really great people whose perspectives and presence in my life have really continued to transform me long after the 3mo was over. We've helped each other out with algorithms, jobhunting, architecture questions, interpersonal office conflicts, and everything between.

I'd also be remiss not to mention that the reason I'm writing today, over a full year since leaving Codesmith, is that the staff has continued to help me even now.  I recently found a new job, and received an excellent offer- one that exceeded my expectations and that I would have been thrilled to accept right off the bat. Before taking action, though, I contacted Codesmith's hiring support, and was coached through the process of negotiating for an even better package. It wasn't magic, but it certainly felt like it was, especially since that session got me $15,000 more in compensation than what had been initially offered to me.

Since getting into the field, several of my friends and family have asked me about bootcamps, and my advice to all of them is the same- take your time, study independently, and work on your own projects. If/when you get to the point where that's not enough, you should seriously vet the available options- go to free workshops, meet students, talk to the instructors, etc. After you've done your due diligence, pick the one that's right for you. If you're like me, though, Codesmith will find its place firmly at the top of your list.

I went through the immersive program in LA and graduated in March 2020. I didn't come from a STEM background and was skeptical about whether I would actually be able to become a software engineer in just 3 months, but as I am writing this I can proudly say that I am working as a full stack engineer and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the amazing curriculum and staff at Codesmith! 
I will be honest and say that it is HARD and YOU have to put in a lot of work, but it is worth it in the end. The curriculum is fast paced and at times it's overwhelming, but the instructors and fellows are so helpful! You struggle together with your cohort mates and through this program I was able to make life long friends. 
The hardest part was the job search, but Codesmith has great job assistance and you have your cohort mates/alumni to lean on so it's nice to have that community! 

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.

 Codesmith was a transformation part of my journey to landing a job in software engineering. It's been three months since my graduation and I just landed a role as an engineer at a Fortune 500 company. I attached a blurb about my background below to give you context to my previous skills and experience before entering Codesmith.  Codesmith provided valuable engineering experiences that not only prepared me for the job, but helped me communicate with other engineers during the job search. Throughout the duration of the program, the biggest takeaway is your ability to technically communicate, which is easily one of the most valuable skills to have during a job search and in the job itself.  If your goal is to go to a bootcamp to just learn React, I'd say your better off studying the thousands of hours of free material online. The Codesmith experience is more than just learning the technologies- its about learning to think, act and work like a high quality Software Engineer while being part of an extremely supportive community.  That being said, I think it's best to attend this program having a decent idea/background in the coursework. The more prepared you are coming into the program with both the material and the Codesmith culture, the more potential you will have during your time in the program. Codesmith overall provides a great community for all levels of engineering, so definitely utilize resources provided by both the community and free online before attending the immersive.  My background- I graduated from college the same year I decided to attend Codesmith. I learned to code during my time at university, but didn't receive a degree in computer sciences. I attended Codesmith after 4 months of self teaching web-based technologies. I had no other professional experiences besides an internship and a student org positions. 

This is a fantastic class that lights a fire under you, coordinates you with like-minded folks, and pushes you to actually learn and practice introductory Javascript & Programming.

Who am I? I'm a 27 year old who's worked in the Advertising Analytics industry (at a big 4 Advertising Agency). I decided to finally pursue software engineering and programming, but personally I like a little bit of structure.

For a good idea of concepts you'll master (if you put in the work, of course), you can head over to CSX, which is Codesmith's free online learning platform. But you can come in as a total beginner ==>  to implementing higher-order functions, recursion, and closure.

I've taken intro classes before, and am a college graduate who took a couple of programming classes. But those were usually mostly theory and overly-complicated.

On the other hand, CS Prep's:
1) Immediately practical (I built a basic "Meal Preparation" calculator with 4 other classmates within a couple of weeks)
2) Humbling, and with an authentic instructor. Always pointing you to resources outside of CS Prep to enhance your curriculum and help make things click.
3) No nonsense, no-spoonfeeding, and VERY rewarding to those who participate in class, ask follow-up questions, and combine your studies with other things like MDN references, or your own flavor of other outside coursework. (I'm partial to Team Treehouse).
Our instructor even insisted with supplement with resources outside of CS Prep because he encouraged us to make sure to keep digging until material "clicks", and sometimes different instructors just phrase it better for others.

-The instructor does white-boards to walk you through concepts.
-You're provided power-point slides after every session, as well as video recordings (Which was pivotal for me, since I had to miss one class).
-The hours are intense, but fair. With 3 hour sessions 3x a week, and 6 hour sessions on Saturdays.
-A slack channel is provided to keep things tidy and accessible

a) 5 stars for Overall Experience
b) 5 stars for Instructors
c) 4 stars for curriculum (I'd give 4.5 if I could though).
Reasons I'm not leaving 5 stars is sometimes people don't take reviews seriously if they're ALL 5 stars, and also the curriculum did slightly leave me feeling that the difficulty spiked randomly, or led me to finding resources elsewhere to fill in knowledge gaps

d) No job assistance, as this is a short-term prep program -- but I'm confident it's given me the skills and knowledge and grit necessary to thrive in intensive, long-term bootcamps now.

I loved CS Prep! CS Prep is a two-week course offered by Codesmith for people considering applying to their immersive program and who want to improve their technical communication and pair programming skills, and expand their knowledge and understanding of core JavaScript concepts. 

Honestly, I was so nervous going in -- I barely had any experience pair programming and there is a group project during the final weekend of the course -- this course definitely pushed me beyond my comfort zone (exactly where I needed to go!) and I experienced more growth in these two weeks of CS Prep than over the past several months trying to study on my own. 

The instructor (Chris) was excellent as explaining each topic, and calling on students to whiteboard code and technically communicate line by line, as well as daily code reviews of previous "Problem of the Day"s, I gained so much insight into the inner workings of JavaScript. He also gave super helpful feedback on my technical communication video and pair programmed with me outside of class. There is also a course Slack for questions, code review, and the instructor is available to answer any questions you might have between the classes. 

The culture of Codesmith is built on community, empathy, kindness and passion -- all which the instructor and classmates embodied, and without these things, I don't think I would have been as engaged as I was in learning. I felt supported, encouraged every step of the way. If you're not sure if you're ready to apply to CS Prep, don't let fear of not knowing enough hold you back! Just do it. You will learn a ton, and meet some really kind, compassionate people on the same journey! Highly recommend CS Prep!

I'll be honest, I wasn't fully aware what I was getting myself into when I walked away from my job to take a deeper dive into software engineering. While being WAY more exciting than my past career as a sales manager, I quickly found some of the material to be overwhelming. However, the team at Codesmith does a great job of providing guidance, and comfort during some of the more trying times when you begin to feel like you're not entirely sure what you are doing, which is an integral part of helping you push through the hard times, and allow you to come out on the other side with a greater perspective, both on what you have accomplished, but also when it comes to grasping the material. All in all, Codesmith does a great job exposing you to various technologies, though I wish there were some they went into in greater depth, but they certainly don't hold you back from pushing your own bounds of exploration. Another area I feel they could go into greater depth, knowing now that the industry views this as an important thing would be the aspect of linters, and coding format. It is something that is covered, but never really emphasized on, which has made a significant difference in my job search, and in the feedback I received following job assessments. All in all, if you are finding yourself looking for something that can challenge you more both mentally, and creatively, and software development is an area of interest that excites you, look no further than Codesmith. 

So you should go into the Codesmith program already knowing about some Javascript. It's a good thing they talk to you beforehand and have many free tutorials online that you can study before immersing your into the CS prep. They teach you a lot of valuable tools, give you ample time to pair program, and really get you set for the whole coding process. Always there for you and do a great job of community building. Highly recommended.

Codesmith is a revolutionary school. They are not just teaching students to be great engineers but also implements and encourages everyone to grow as a team and contribute greatly to society. It is a top-notch education program that provides in-depth knowledge in all aspects of software engineering by experienced, amicable, and genuine staff and instructors. Once you are in, whether a person is an instructor or a student, everyone becomes part of a big community that supports and encourages each other regardless of the individual's experience level, knowledge, or ethnic background. This is not a regular boot camp school, you literally get to receive ivy league university education. 

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.  

For start I was already amazed the first time that I attended my first free workshop with Codesmith. The didactic, the levels of complexity and the passion that they have for teaching and building a community is a life lesson itself. After that I was sure that it was the bootcamp for me, I complete all they free challenges CSX and started to attend the pair programming workshops (best learning tool for me). Since I had zero background on code I also decided to attend they paid prep courses JAVASCRIPT FOR BEGINNERS and CS PREP, both really good to accelerate your understanding of the fundamentals, guiding you to a path of success and building a since of community. Now I’m starting my journey on the Immersive course and It’s not for someone that what somebody holding your hand as you learn how to ride, but definitely for who want to embrace the unknown having a community to support to back up when you fall. Highly recommend.