Codesmith

I'm a pandemic career-changer in my early 40s and I left a good, stable job to pursue software engineering. This may have been the most significant decision and the most challenging project of my life. Before I was fully committed to this monumental life change I launched a deep research project to determine which boot camp was going to set me up for the greatest success. My research led me to Codesmith.

Every reputable coding boot camp offers some kind of free live workshops and online resources to get you started, get you involved in the community, and help measure and improve your skills. Most offer some kind of "boot camp prep" course. Tuition tends to be pretty similar across the board. So how can you really know which one is "best" or which one is right for you?

My approach was to try them all. In addition to reading reviews and articles and checking out their YouTube channels, I used the free online resources from ten different schools, and I attended the prep courses for three different schools. I figured this would give me the greatest insight into how each school operates and whether I should trust the outcomes I saw published on their own websites as well as in the reports from the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR). My experiences led me to Codesmith.

Codesmith's free workshops curriculum is incredibly robust. It includes sessions targeting everyone from Day 1 beginners to employed engineers seeking a deeper understanding of advanced concepts, and many sessions occur more than once per week. When I attended my first "JavaScript: The Hard Parts" session I immediately felt like I was witnessing something of real value. The instructor was a total pro. The approach and the method were thoughtfully constructed. The attendees were engaged and participating. The quality of this experience was in stark contrast to what I had seen from all of the other schools. I was mostly sold on Codesmith.

The thing that sealed the deal for me was the challenge of getting admitted to Codesmith. At one point I had failed two attempts at the Codesmith technical admissions interview, and I had already been accepted to two other top coding boot camps. It would have been easy to throw in the towel and get started with one of the alternatives but my thinking was if I'm going to quit my job and take out a big loan at the same time, run through my meager savings, and risk everything for a chance at a great new career then I want to make sure it's the greatest new career possible. I couldn't be satisfied with a junior-level position that paid about the same as I was making before; I wanted to go into job interviews with the confidence derived from knowing that I had been through, by far, the most challenging software engineering boot camp available. Codesmith sets the highest barrier to entry and teaches the most advanced curriculum. They're able to do that because they have the best approach and retain the best staff. The formula is working.

In a few days, I'll be starting my first job as a software engineer. I'm going to work at a large financial institution in a mid-level position with a team working on an exciting product. I've acquired all the skills I need to succeed in this industry, I've made a bunch of new friends-for-life, and I've built up a formidable professional network. I would recommend Codesmith to friends and family (and I do, frequently) and to anyone who is serious about getting started in the software industry.

Codesmith was an excellent experience and for me it was definitely worth it. I attended the full time immersive and it was a lot of long hours and tough work, but ultimately absolutely worth it and truly rewarding. I had already done some self studying when I enrolled and it really took my engineering skills to the next level. The most valuable parts of the program for me were the community and network you find, the project focus, and the hiring portion. I chose Codesmith because of the CIRR outcomes and the sense of community. I highly recommend checking out one of their free workshops if you want to get a sense of the teaching style. 

I got a job fairly quickly and have been extremely happy with my choice to make a career change. I'm able to do more satisfying work for more pay, and Codesmith really helped me get there. 

Two things make Codesmith stand out: the open source product and the community. 

The OSP grants a critical advantage in the job search that is unattainable through self study alone or by writing CRUD toy apps. Codesmith's curriculum doesn't teach GraphQL, Electron, TypeScript, microservices architectures etc., but depending on the OSP you choose (and the work you put in both during and after Codesmith), you'll come away with the ability to a) talk knowledgeably about a selection of such highly marketable skill-sets at a level of understanding that will make seasoned engineers see you as prospective peers rather than blank slates, and b) acquire genuine narratives about technical/organizational/interpersonal challenges, breakthroughs, milestones, failures, lessons learned that will demonstrate a level of experience clearly beyond that of entry-level candidates who have only worked on course assignments and scratch projects in small groups. Grinding leetcode will only get you so far in prepping for mid-level big tech interviews, because they will also delve deep into your experiences in engineering, collaboration, and leadership. While there's no replacement there for real world work experience, the Codesmith OSP provides a close approximation. 

As for community, Codesmith doesn't kick you out for falling behind. On the contrary, if you fail assessments you get supplementary sessions. I've also personally never heard of anyone dropping out of the program. On the other hand, decisive action is taken against rare cases of egregiously problematic behavior. Time is set aside every week for shoutouts, game nights, and mingling. All this sets the tone for a safe and warm environment where everyone is "in it together," and residents see each other as collaborators and friends rather than competitors or rivals. Codesmith sets a grueling pace and the material is demanding, so it's helpful and motivating beyond words to have a group of highly competent, driven, and caring people with whom to exchange assistance and emotional support and to unwind. This atmosphere of goodwill extends to the alumni community as well, where I've received extraordinary help and advice freely and readily given from so many awesome people already. I'd gone the self-study route for a while and made good progress before joining Codesmith, but I can say with certainty that it would have taken me years to get to the point I am now had I not sought out a community of like-minded people. 

After months on the job search, I've signed on with an exciting early-stage startup for a senior-level base salary far outside the max range shown in the CIRR reports, and favorable compensation compared to a competing big N L4 offer. While I've been particularly fortunate, there is also no shortage of alumni I know who are now working in highly desirable positions and earning above the reported median wage. Some of them had prior academic or professional experience in STEM, but many more, including me, hail from a completely unrelated background. In short, if you're ready to put in the work for a career in tech, you'll be in the best possible company at Codesmith. 

# Curriculum
I loved that the "JS Hard Parts" approach of deep-diving into the fundamentals of any given concept very much carried over into the immersive. Some subjective nitpicks:

- React unit: Fully switch to functional components and hooks and maybe discuss strategies for avoiding unnecessary re-renders. Should better equip residents to tackle common React takehomes/onsites using up-to-date practices. 
- Node unit: More detail on REST API design constraints and conventions, as well as practical differences between Node.js vs. browser environments.
- Database unit: More practice for composing SQL queries (with CTEs, parameterization), drawing out ER diagrams, and especially avoiding common pitfalls when designing relational data models (i.e. general rules-of-thumb for normalization, enforcing referential integrity).
- Pick a responsive CSS framework and use in every module so the code examples can serve as reference material. 

# Instructors
Michael and Caitlin gave clear, tightly-paced, and engaging lectures, and were always able to provide more in-depth context, detail, and direction as necessary. Codesmith's picks for fellowship in my cohort sandwich also made it clear that they choose the best. 

# Job Support
- Somehow spacing out the OSP and hiring portions would be great so that residents aren't completely burnt out for the latter, the pace isn't so hectic, and residents can get some supervised practice in more areas e.g. sending out a Codesmith-style app, optimizing resumes for ATS while still following Codesmith guidelines, countering negotiation tactics employed by recruiters from the very first email/call, understanding perks and equity packages etc.
- Post-grad hiring and negotiation support quite literally pays for the tuition. Shoutout to Eric and Cassandra and the team for being wonderful. 

# Overall: 
Lifechanging experience. 10/10 would do again.

I joined the Codesmith community through CSX, then CSPrep, then the full-time LA immersive, attending virtually from NY.  It was evident from the beginning that Codesmith's secret to success was their built-in community.  By the time I was done with CSPrep I had a community to struggle through the technical interview process with which was key to my ability to pass the technical interview.  I'd agree with other Course Report reviews that say "persistence is key."  Once I started the full-time immersive it was incredibly helpful to be a part of a nobody-left-behind mentality in such a rigorous program.

One of the things I, personally, wasn't excited about was still how little experience I had with CSS after the immersive, as someone who came in with zero prior experience.  Be sure to get into that because it will likely prove important during the interview process for frontend roles.

The hiring portion gives you the opportunity to ask any and all the questions you need and an answer is always close by.  You'll continue to feel fully supported like this until you land your first job!  Shout out to the hiring team and Eric for helping me navigate my way to a well-paid internship in 3 months, and a full-time role in 6 months.

Very similar experiences with other reviews. I had a great experience here. People are very nice and supportive. Please don't come in expecting you'll get a job without working very hard. It requires a lot of dedication but if you're determined, you'll pull it through.

I got a job 3 weeks after I graduated without the CS degree, but I do have an engineering degree from UC Berkeley though, and I'm not sure that'd be relevant in my job search. It's a very rewarding career.

Good luck and I wish you all the best!

I considered many other bootcamps like fullstack academy, general assembly, etc. but then codesmith hiring outcome came to my attention as codesmith's hiring outcome was the best among bootcamps out there. After going through 12-weeks of program and now getting a job, I can see why codesmith has the best hiring outcome and I am really glad that I decided to go with codesmith. It provides the best curriculum for people who want to be engineers and how to think and code like mid to senior-level software engineers. I got a job offer that is well above the median of codesmith graduate outcomes, so I can say that it actually works!

And the best part for this program is open-source product and how it helps you with job search!

Codesmith was such a great experience for me. I was stuck at a deadend job for way too long and needed to make a change. I found codesmith through a friend of mine who did the program in 2019. This help make my decision to make the leap of faith alot easier because I saw he completed the program and got a great job. Knowing someone first hand helped me put me at ease.

To practice to get into Codesmith they have great free workshops call Javascript the easy parts (intro free classes) and Javascript the hard parts(more challenging concept classes on closures, recursion and callbacks). This is where it was solidified that I want to do the program because they had great instructor and really dug deep under the hood on what was actually happening in the code which I loved. Having a deeper knowledge builds a super strong foundation for everything you learn forward. Afterwards, it took me two tries to do pass the interviews and the rest was history! 

The 3 month program was intense. It's 6 days a week and about 12 hour days. I will say the days go back so quick because you are learning so much and they have cool units to work on with a partner for section. At the end of the program we create a production project for a month with a team of engineer that will impress senior engineers. This is great for your resume in many ways. It helps you learn how to work on an engineering team as well as building an app from scratch using everything you learned. This is where you do the most learning I would say, because you are practicing by doing. It was amazing to see our team's concept go from a drawing to a real electron app that developers can use.

Lastly, codesmith has an amazing hiring program. They help you from everything from your resume, narrative, interview white boarding, system design interviews and algos! Even after you graduate you have lifetime help which is an amazing perk in itself as I saw other bootcamp only offer like 6 months after graduating. 

I got a job at a company I love now with better hours and pay and I definitely couldn't have done it without codesmith and most importantly all the close friends I made along the way. They help you get through the tough parts in the program and even if it was virtual you became close quick. We were all able to meet in person for different events at bars and traveling and it's been a blast and the funny thing is everyone was the same as they were on zoom. In the end, this experience literally changed the trajectory of my life and can't thank codesmith enough! Let's gooo 

I’ve waited to make this review because I wanted to be in the right mindset. That being said, I’ve obtained more value from Codesmith than my years as an engineer in college. Sad.. but very true. I am sitting here almost 3 months into my job with an income 3x more than what it was before I joined Codesmith. 

They will give you the skills to be successful and competitive in the job market. I’ve taken everything they have taught me - especially the nontechnical stuff such as communication, collaboration, vibe, job interviewing and applied it. I think these are the most important skill sets that a Codesmith has to offer. Any school is going to teach how to code, but no school is going to teach how to be an ethical, responsible, driven, and most importantly..... caring engineer. Oh, and by the way, their curriculum is amazing - They always push you to try technologies that are not taught in the program. I came out learning GraphQL, DENO, Redis, Svelte, React native (mobile) + so much more on top of your typical MERN stack. 

I strongly recommend you try their 2-week courses, especially if you are an experienced engineer. I promise you will learn more about how code works under the hood in those two weeks than you would have anywhere else. 

Geo

git commit -m “My Codesmith Review"

I graduated from Codesmith in June, was hired on as an Engineering Fellow by Codesmith for a three-month contract and am now preparing to end my Fellowship and move on to a full-time job as a GraphQL Full Stack Engineer with LexisNexis. From the first time I set foot into one of Codesmith's free public online workshops, I was impressed with their teaching style, pedagogy and above all empathy. They built a positive, ego-free environment where people worked hard at a difficult thing to better themselves, and always with an eye towards enthusiastically helping one another to understand the technology on a deep level. Other Bootcamps gave me the impression that I'd be going through the motions and simply 'making the code work' but Codesmith taught me to think deeply about my mental models and the language that I use to communicate what is happening technically so that I could share that mental model. 

I found interviewing for jobs after Codesmith to not only be un-intimidating but often a real pleasure - it was fun to share my understanding with others and describe what I knew! And because Codesmith encouraged me to always consider other engineers, I leave now feeling that I can continue to grow as a mentor as well as an engineer and human being. Codesmith is a really special place that is kept running by some really dedicated people and I admire them and am proud to have counted myself among them, even for a brief while! 

I owe a particular debt of gratitude to Nancy Kousholt, Katrina Villanueva and Grisha Levine-Rozenvayn, all of them former or current Fellows, Lead Technical Mentors and Engineering Instructors who showed me what it means to be an empathetic engineer!

After working on Codesmith's free JavaScript lessons through CSX and attending a few free workshops, I was ecstatic to win a free weekend intensive of "JavaScript for Beginners" (JSB). My instructor was Sophie, and I can't say enough about the whole experience. Sophie was kind, patient, and knowledgable. As an educator with 23 years of experience, I appreciate the methodical way Codesmith breaks concepts down and gives you ample opportunities to practice and apply what you learned before moving on. The main thing that sets Codesmith's approach apart from other workshops I have attended is their emphasis on technical communication. Both during interactive lectures and through pair-programming, you learn to communicate clearly and concisely about your code, which not only helps you communicate, but helps solidify the information so that you own it. The course culminated with a group project, which I was nervous about. Despite being a teacher and knowing the value of group projects, I have traditionally not enjoyed doing them myself. I couldn't wrap my head around how "coding by committee" could possibly work. I am happy to say the group project was one of my favorite parts, and Codesmith made it easy through their pair-programming system. I can't believe I actually enjoyed a group project and built a product with my awesome team-member classmates. I can't wait for more! Thank you, Sophie and Codesmith!