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!

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? ;)

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.
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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.
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Shoutout to Will, Phil, Ryan, Olivia, Jac, Dave, Sam, Schno, Haley, Jenny, Mircea, Saim, Chris, Alesi, Ryan, Christine, & Joel. 10/10 would recommend.

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! 

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.

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 🤘

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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... 

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.

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.

Codesmith’s Software Engineering Immersive was one of the most demanding, rewarding, and unique experiences of my life. I entered the program after 10 years as a professional musician, with no technical background, and am leaving with the skills and confidence to work alongside seasoned software engineers.

In my search for a software engineering immersive, I went through considerable research to find the ‘best’ option. For options in Los Angeles, the search led me to Codesmith and Hack Reactor. To evaluate these programs I worked through their respective online prep materials, attended in-person info/coding sessions, and spoke with company representatives. While I experienced Hack Reactor as high-quality and professional, Codesmith was a cut above. In the areas most important to me, curriculum and culture, Codesmith impressed.

CSX, Codesmith’s online prep platform introduced advanced JavaScript topics and provided challenging exercises to reinforce learning. (It took me 2 days to solve Intersection on the Callbacks & Higher-Order Functions module! This was my introduction to one of Codesmith’s teaching paradigms, learning through struggle.) Their live workshop series, ‘JavaScript: The Hard Parts’ provided an opportunity to connect with aspiring engineers, current residents, and faculty. The people I met were personable and encouraging. They didn’t make me feel self-conscious about my lack of prior experience but created an environment where I could build confidence in my nascent coding skills. These observations, of Codesmith’s high technical standards and supportive community, convinced me to enroll in their full-time Software Engineering Immersive.

My time at Codesmith as an engineering resident was intense, in the best possible way. The pace moved quickly through advanced material. As students, we were constantly being stretched to the edge of our ability, which served to accelerate our learning. Every two days we were assigned a partner to pair-program through various units on Algorithms & Data Structures, React, Redux, Node, and SQL databases. We were provided high-level lectures and support from Engineering Fellows, but much of the learning came through reading documentation, struggling through prepared challenges, and collaborating with other students. This helped me to see that Codesmith has designed its process to not only teach software engineering, but to build meta-skills of collaboration, navigating uncertainty, and learning how to learn.

Codesmith balances its academic rigor with a supportive, inclusive learning environment. Prospective students are screened for cultural fit and soft-skills like empathy and cooperation. It shows. My cohort consisted of brilliant, driven people who supported each other through the process. In a setting that might easily become competitive, my peers were humble, team-focused, and committed to helping others.

Lastly, Codesmith’s hiring program is incredible. Hiring lectures are thorough and battle-tested. Students receive detailed feedback on resumes, online profiles, and outreach strategy, along with one-on-one support for salary negotiations. CEO and co-founder Will Sentence personally reviews and signs-off on each resume. I was so impressed by his investment in the success of every resident!

I realize a review so positive might be met with skepticism, but I’ve found Codesmith to be exceptional at every turn. (Time and again I felt the value provided far exceeded the cost of tuition.) For those who are determined and willing to push through every obstacle, I’d recommend Codesmith without hesitation.

I don't know where I'd be if I had chosen to attend any other bootcamp instead of Codesmith. As a recent grauduate from UCSB with a Financial Math and Stats major, I was unsure of my future as I began having second doubts of my career that I had selected. Codesmith took my interest in coding and turned it into a passion to learn more about the technology that is affecting our world today. In such a rigorous yet rewarding course, I've constantly been challenged to improve myself in critical areas, technical and non-technical. From tackling problems with the right mindset to the ability to communicate clearly to colleagues, I consider every skill I've picked up critical to to myself and the future of my career.

Getting into Codesmith isn't easy, and it doesn't better once you get in. However, with such a careful selection process of cohort members and supportive staff, I found myself so immersed in my work that I didn't mind staying longer than regular hours. It'd be a mistake not to consider Codesmith.

This program is parallel to none.  I went to undergrad at Berkeley, and my three months at Codesmith was more academically rigorous than any semester during college.  But there is a great deal of support.  The instructors, TAs, and fellow students all put in the extra hours to support each other and make this place feel like home.

I had another friend who went to a different coding school in the same city two years ago, and he's been working as an engineer in industry since.  I'll be commanding a higher salary than him upon my graduaduation here from Codesmith.

To me, CodeSmith can best be described as an accelerator. If you're a self-driven learner, CodeSmith will challenge you with a very intense and in depth JavaScript based Computer Science curriculum. Every day, you'll be pair programming with a group of like-minded students and pushed to explain your thinking and build up your technical communication skills.

By the end of the experience, you will have multiple projects in your portfolio and feel confident going out to the search for a mid-level or senior-level software engineering role. More than teaching you Node.js, React and Redux - Codesmith teaches you how to tackle and conquer any new technology.

While the computer science education is fantastic, perhaps the greatest value CodeSmith provides is its rich career development program. The insights you get from the founders of Codesmith - who teach the career development curriculum themselves - is worth the price of tuition alone. 

Codesmith is probably one of the top 3 bootcamps in the US. I was skeptical about their average starting salary report, but now that I've graduated and begun my job search, I definitely believe it. The way that you talk about technologies and the level of code you write when you leave is really impressive.

I initially became interested in Codesmith because I was really impressed with their curriculum. After researching and attending an in-person workshop at both Codesmith and another Los Angeles bootcamp, I was pretty sure Codesmith was the best program in Southern California. I highly advise attending free workshops at whatever camp you’re considering! I attended a Codesmith JavaScript Hard Parts (JSHP) Meetup and was very impressed at the level of detail they went into how JS works under the hood. My mind was left reeling, trying to understand the single thread of execution going through the code, how execution contexts were being popped on and off the call stack, how closure worked due to JavaScript’s lexical scope, etc. I also saw that some residents were actually C.S. grads! So I knew that Codesmith was pretty technical and probably had a decent filter for admits. When I joined, a number of my cohort-mates were actually bootcamp grads from other bootcamps! Codesmith was their 2nd bootcamp. :O

About the culture/people: there were definitely times I felt our cohort was warm and fuzzy and supportive. Each cohort is very different, but they do a good job of picking the right people and building an inclusive, collaborative culture. They also support women/minorities in tech and educate about imposter syndrome and gender/race biases, with the hopes that we as future senior-level engineers can be cognizant about these issues. Thumbs up.

That said, I don't think Codesmith is necessarily for everyone - there is a high degree of autonomy in the last 6 weeks, and you have to be strict with yourself. In the first 6 weeks, the curriculum also moves quickly in 2 day units. The instruction is excellent and I think the curriculum is extremely well thought-out, but since you only get three 1-hr lectures for each unit, you must challenge yourself. You learn to read documentation and problem solve aloud via pair programming. This mirrors real-life and sets you up for future situations in work. For future improvement, I did wish they enforced punishments as it'd be good motivation! I also wish they provided a teeny bit more guidance as we struggled through the challenges haha~ but the on-site fellows were amazing and often nudged us in the right direction whenever we needed help.

The hiring lectures and job preparation/resumes were phenomenal. The advice they give you is gold, and it's quite a transformative process when you look back at what you were like before. You make back your monies in those workshops right there. 

I don't think you'll regret it - it's a worthy investment in your own future. Just attend a JSHP and check it out for yourself! :)

I was going nowhere, not even fast. I was going nowhere slowly. I was making 30k, with no room for career advancement.
Then, I came to Codesmith. I just accepted a 100k+ offer as a Software Engineer. Trust the process. This is real.

The market needs what Codesmith helps you become. 

I researched 4-year universities, I researched grad programs, I researched AA degrees, and I researched bootcamps. Then I found Codesmith, which is none of those things. Codesmith is indeed a resisdency, which asks more of you than a bootcamp and offers more to you than any other program. 

Personally, I have a 4 year degree. I had it prior to Codesmith, yet I was never challenged to work as hard as I was during my time at Codesmith. I was never put into a box a Codesmith, the way I was at my university. 

Codesmith is not making cookie-cutter repeat devs, Codesmith is looking to help you identify your personal strengths/interests and bulid them into a marketable skill set. Codesmith is looking to evolve you. Every graduate who comes from Codesmith is great in their own way, powered by their own strengths, and moving forward by the strength of their own legs. 

They do so by challenging you to accomplish impossible tasks, or at least tasks which seem impossible...until you find yourself completing them. 

Over and over again you will surpass what you thought you were capable of understanding. Over and over again, you will discover knowledge which was earned through problem solving. Over and over again, you will find yourself lifted by an amazing community. 

You will struggle. You will get stuck. You will feel like you can't do it. 

However, Codesmith and the community of learners on the journey with you will do literally everything they are capable of doing to help you along the way. 

This place wants you to succeed, wants to help you succeed...the only question you have to ask yourself is, "Am I ready to succeed?"

If the answer is yes, come to Hard Parts. 

Success is waiting for you there. 
 

"Transformative." "Easily worth the investment." "Unlike anything I have or will have ever done in the best possible way."

Believe me... I was sitting in your position just months ago reading through the reviews and contemplating which one of these software engineering immersion programs was a fit for me, if at all.

Do this instead: Attend a JavaScript: Easy Parts then a Hard Parts Workshop (cost: always free) this upcoming week. Then go back again over and over. 

Why?

No one goes into as much depth about the intricacies of how JavaScript works, especially with respect to asynchronous features, the event loop, and the microtask queue. You will learn so much from the Codesmith faculty as well as from your peers, because pair-programming is a huge part of it. 

Still lost? Don't worry, I was too. But believe me, the effort this place puts in guiding you through the core pillars of software engineering is one-of-a-kind.

Now onto the program. It's phenomenal in every sense of the word. Bright engineers from the residents you'll be building amazing open source projects with, the stellar fellows who will stay late in the night to help you debug, to the instructors who have an incredible track record of molding you into the model mid-level / senior engineer you will soon become. 

So again. If you're thinking about heading down this route, do yourself a favor and attend a workshop. You've got nothing to lose.

Thank you, Codesmith!