Codesmith

If you are still unsure about which school to attend, I would seriously recommend going to the meetup and seeing the level of engineering excellence that they can provide. The program itself is difficult and rigorous, but the level of knowledge and skill that you walk away with is amazing. They really encourage a good community among each cohort, and it was a real treat being able to meet like minded people who were also as passionate about learning as I was. The job support is awesome and very helpful. I would 100% recommend this program as it has really helped me achieve my goals.

Codesmith allowed me to expedite my path to becoming a software engineer far more than I could have on my own. The day-to-day agenda kept me busy at all times, but I enjoyed every bit of it. I feel that their curriculum not only targets the most relevant technologies desired on the job market, but also ensures that students learn from the bottom-up. Aside from the program, the culture that's fostered at Codesmith is both welcoming and engaging. They heavily emphasis pair-programming, and I feel that that's allowed me to better articulate myself and my approach in code. I would easily recommend this program to anyone interested in software engineering.

I personally had an amazing experience at Codesmith. I would recommend it to every aspiring engineer.

Acceptance:
Their acceptance process was more rigorous than other places which at first was extremely intimidating, but once I got in, I realized I already felt comfortable with fundamental things which weren't even required by other places.

Learning:
The learning experience was definitely intense at times. We were spending 6 days a week, sometimes more than 10 hours a day. Each unit was only two days long and I felt like I was being rushed until we started building projects. Then it made sense. The reason why these units are so quick are because you will solidify the fundamentals during the projects phase when you are forced to implement all the technologies learned. The senior portion was definitely my favorite part as it was refreshing having to dive deep into a technology like GraphQL or another advanced portion of a modern tech stack. 

Environment:
Ultimately, this is what makes Codesmith. They have done such a well job recruiting students and staff that care about the program and foster a family culture. Every person there is purposeful and kind and is looking out for one another. I have found a second family here and it is so amazing knowing that every individual is pursuing the same goal.

I've never been surrounded by a group of more supportive and compassionate people in my entire life. This is what makes Codesmith such an amazing place. From the academic team to the felllows to your cohort mates, everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand to ensure your success in the program.

The curriculum is rigorous and gets more challenging as the program goes on, but it never feels overwhelming because of this supportive structure. You'll learn the basics in popular web technologies like React / Redux and Node / Express in a very short amount of time but you'll master these concepts in group projects.

The hiring support is extensive with Will Sentance and Erik Kirsten leading lectures about the interviewing process and salary negotiation towards the end of the program. Every bit of advice given in these lectures is invaluable to your job search.

Attending Codesmith has been one of the best decisions in my life. You'll not only gain a deep understanding of popular web technologies and engineering best practices but you'll learn how to overcome any obstacle as a software engineer. If you're looking for a program that will push you to your limits but supports you every step of the way, look no further than Codesmith.

I would like to start by saying as recent graduate who received a very decent job I am extremely grateful for what I gained at Codesmith.  Is the program flawless? Not really, but I’m sure it would be hard to find one that is.

In my experience good reviews give background and tend to layout the pros and cons, so I will do so accordingly here.

My background: I consider myself a career changer who came from a liberal arts background but have always been interested in tech and the idea of creating my own apps. Prior to entering Codesmith I did go back to school for an undergrad CS Degree. I felt like there were certain gaps in my knowledge I wanted to fill and so I decided to go through the program.  Despite all that I will say that almost everything I learned at Codesmith was new and I didn’t feel like I had any particular advantage over the cohort mates who did not have a CS background.  The more you can think like an engineer and problem solve, the more successful you will be.

Now that we got that out of the way let me lay down the pros and cons for you.

PROS:

Codesmith helps you get a good job.  I know there are some mixed opinions on the data offered up but from what I’ve seen almost everyone gets a good job within 4 months.  While I was skeptical at first, the salary numbers offered up by Codesmith are not a lie. Frankly speaking if I got nothing else from Codesmith, I learned what I was worth and what I could achieve. Could I have done this without Codesmith? Maybe, but it would have been extremely hard without the guidance and advice offered.

Codesmith teaches you the essentials of the latest ”hot” technologies.  I can’t tell you how many doors were open because I focused on studying the technologies in Codesmith’s curriculum. Even with the CS degree, without having gone through Codesmith, I don’t believe I would have been able to get the job I have now, nor most of my interviews where knowledge of the latest frameworks and tech is key.

The struggle at Codesmith really does prepare you for the job and the job search.  Point is, in this field you need to be able to learn on your own and solve problems without being hand held.  Codesmith helped prepare me for this.

You make lifelong friends. I know I know..  this may not be limited to Codesmith only, but I had to list it anyway as it’s true. You will make good friends as long as you are willing to.

CONS:

Not the best curriculum. Many lessons do leave you wanting more or still confused. Codesmith claims this is because they want to give you the bare minimum (skeleton ) so you can put the rest together on your own.  While this may have it’s advantages, I do honestly believe there is room for improvement.  The topics are right, but the content and instruction is lacking.  Don’t expect a step by step how to anywhere here, but as I said before this prepares you for the real world.

Not for everyone.   I think Codesmith does a pretty good job of accepting people who have the potential to succeed, but don’t expect Codesmith to make you a software engineer. You have to struggle to do that on your own and it could take longer for some than others.

IN ESSENCE:    I am grateful for what I gained from Codesmith and do not regret attending.  Its not the flawless program many people may sell it to be, but I still believe it offers something unique and continue to recommend it to those I think can succeed there.  Take advantage of the guidance offered by the program but don’t ever think that the struggle ends when you graduate.  Getting that job is hard and will require continued work and study after.

The instruction was very good and I became close with some of my cohort-mates. Ryan is a supremely knowledgeable teacher and an incredibly nice guy. The course helped me to fill gaps in my knowledge as well as build up more confidence before doing a technical interview for Codesmith.   

Since the lectures move quickly and the concepts require time to digest, I would HIGHLY suggest becoming familiar with ALL of CSX--the online pre-course material--before attending. If not, you may feel behind in the pair programming sessions and not get the most benefit from the course.  

Codesmith is an amazing opportunity to strengthen your skills if you have a background in programming or learn the right way of doing things if you have no experience.The curricullum is challenging and compact and every topic we touched is at the cutting edge of technology as we know it, but it is design this way so you can challenge yourself. 

Codesmith is not meant to spoon feed you the what,how,when and where of programming, Codesmith teaches you how to learn things on your own so that even if you are no longer at codesmith, you have the confidence that you can tackle any bug any block and any new technology.

These three months at codesmith really grows you as a person. The staff are the hardest working people I have ever met and they set a great example of not only what it takes to be a great developer, but also what it means to take control of your own destiny and make something out of yourself. It has been an absolute honor learning and having the opportunity to grow by pushing myself everyday and having people around me that  are also doing the same. 

Codesmith is no joke. It was such a challenging exprience for me. You will spend every single day, night and day for the next 12 weeks learning new material, doing challenges and debugging, all the while drinking endless cups of coffee. You probably spend 10-12 hours in Codesmith make sure you are ready for this hard work before you enroll. About the curriculum you will learn Full-Stack (Data Structure and Algorithm,React,Redux,Express,Node,SQL,NoSQL) in your first 4 weeks then rest is all about the project No more lectures, You work on your full stack project all day, helping each other out. Everone in codesmith is so smart and I'm thankful they are all trying and willing to help each others. If you do not have technical background make sure you study before you get into. Because curriculum so fast you wont have enought time to learn all in that short period of time.

I am a self-taught web developer who recently graduated with a BS in Computer Science. I didn't do any internships during my time at university and had trouble passing interviews for junior developer jobs. I needed something to fill in the gap between being a fresh graduate and having some industry experience and Codesmith was it.

I attended the JavaScript the Hard Parts meetup a number of times before considering the program. I was impressed with the level of depth of the content and noticed my own skills and technical vocabulary improving quickly after just a few meetups. I truly felt that this was a next level program and not just something to get you from zero to "Hello world!".

The program itself is very intensive and one of the hardest things I've ever done and I would do it all over again. My skills as an engineer and my technical communication improved by leaps and bounds over the course of the program and I now feel confident in tackling any complex or new engineering problem. It taught me how to teach myself, effectively communicate, and reason about difficult problems.

I never thought I'd be the type of person giving tech talks in front of large groups of people or being relaxed and confident when whiteboarding difficult algorithms on a whiteboard, but Codesmith gave me the tools, practice, and confidence to do so. 

One of the most valuable parts of the program is the hiring prep and support. I have since taken a job as a Senior Front-End Developer and couldn't have done it without Codesmith.
 

You can find any coding school or bootcamp that teaches JavaScript, React, or whatever trending technologies. However, it is really difficult to find a community where every student and team member is positive, energetic, and respecting one another.

Students at Codesmith spend over 12 hours a day; from 9am, most students stay until 10 or 11pm at night. Even though they are mentally exhausted and physically tired, students still help other students who are having difficult time understanding the technology they learned that day.

Some students decide to stay at Codesmith as "fellows" after graduating. Fellows stay untill late night to help junior students and support students to become successful software engineers.

Many alumni often come back to Codesmith. On Alumni Night, alumni give a talk about their current work and their story after Codesmith like how they struggled until getting a job. They also give mock interviews to senior students so that students can have more confidence when they face real interviews.

Engineers at Codesmith provide great lectures. They don't teach how to create React application from bottom to top, but rather they make students learn the hard way so that students can store the knowledge in long-term memory. Students will be exposed to new technologies and learn how to utilize them by finding answers by themselves or working with other students. By pair programming with other students, they not only learn how to work with other programmers, but also how to technically communicate.

What is great about Codesmith is students will learn how to become a better person as well. Students take a short survey prior to a lecture about implicit bias; they learn how not to discriminate other students or future coworkers by their race, national origin, gender, or age. Eric, who is an advisor for students, teaches interpersonal skills that are important for interviews. Last but not least, lectures from Will, CEO of Codesmith, are crucial and really helpful for those who do not know how to get a job in tech industry.

The amount of knowledge that I have gained through this experience is unreal.  I can confidently say no other place will push you the way Codesmith does.  They don't just teach you material, they introduce you to topics and guide you in a way that forces you to learn the right way.  The only piece more enjoyable than how much I have learned is the community of people that I have met - insanely kind, welcoming, hard-working and unique.  I never knew a place like this existed but I am beyond fortunate that does.