Codesmith

I debated about whether or not to attend a coding bootcamp for over a year before finally making a decision to attend one. I knew that I wanted to change careers, but I wasn’t sure if coding bootcamps were worth the high price tag. I already had a graduate degree and felt like I couldn’t afford the time it would take to go back to school for to get another degree in computer science.

Attending Codesmith was a last-minute decision for me. I had been accepted into Hack Reactor, and was all set to attend. However, due to Hack Reactor’s fairly negative reviews at the time, I was doing some last-minute research before paying my registration fee. That’s when I discovered Codesmith, and decided to attend Hard Parts.

After Hard Parts, Will Sentence (the CEO/Founder) followed up with me personally to see how my experience had been. I thought that was great, and appreciated the personalization, so I started looking into Codesmith more deeply and it seemed like graduates’ starting salaries were higher than Hack Reactor or some other bootcamps I was attending.

I decided to apply, and was also pleased to find that the admission process was more challenging than Hack Reactor’s had been. I wanted to attend a program that would allow me to leave with the most advanced skills possible, so I felt like this was a good sign.  I had both a cultural and technical interview, and was admitted on my first try, although I hear this is not the norm.

Throughout the program, I never felt like I was learning. I was constantly afraid that I would never be able to learn enough (or learn fast enough) to land one of the amazing jobs that I had read about from other graduates, and I never felt adequate enough to call myself a developer.

However, 5 weeks after graduation, I received an amazing offer from one of Codesmith’s Hiring Day partners, one that is in line with Codesmith’s advertised graduate salaries. Not only that, but I LOVE my new job, the company and the team I work with. I honestly couldn’t have asked to land in a better situation.

Were there things I didn’t like about Codesmith? Sure. But at the end of the program, it landed me exactly where I wanted it to be, and for that reason, I would do it all over again. Could you learn everything Codesmith teaches on your own? Definitely. But in my experience, I would never have landed at the company I did with the salary I was offered in such a short amount of time without Codesmith. If you are considering Codesmith, I would say that the price is worth it if only for the career services aspect of everything. The resume building, personal narrative critiquing and Hiring Day opportunities are worth the price tag.

I’ll also say that throughout the program, Will, Haley and the rest of the staff were always ready and willing to listen to my concerns, work with me to shape the program to my specific needs and encourage me not to give up. I almost quit about halfway through the program, but I am so glad that I didn’t, because I know that I would NOT be where I am today if I had chosen to walk away.

I took a risk and moved all the way from San Francisco to attend Codesmith's August 2016 cohort. At the time, Codesmith was still a relatively new Software Engineer program and trying to build its reputation as the best in the nation. There were already well established and reputable programs like Hack Reactor and App Academy. I got into all 3 programs, but I chose Codesmith for the following reasons:

1) Small, intimate cohort size (15-20 students max). You will get a chance to pair with everyone in your cohort and connect on a deeper level beyond the curriculum. The staff and peers will not let you fall behind. 
2) Very selective. Codesmith only admits smart, motivated, empathetic, and thoughtful peers. You will meet amazing people from all walks of life and build relationships that will last beyond the 12 weeks. 
3) Projects. You build challenging and ambitious projects you are proud to put on your portfolio and speak passionately about when you are job seeking. 
4) Curriculum. Modern tech stack with emphasis on best practices.
5) Support. Routine check ins , interview practice, job search tips, algorithm practice, soft skill practice, etc. 
6) Hiring day. 20ish companies come out on the last day to hire you! What other program even has hiring day anymore?

Tips: 
Be prepared and committed work 8-12 hrs a day for 6 days a week.
Continue to work just as hard when the program has concluded. Remember nothing is guaranteed. 
You will have the confidence and knowledge to become a mid-level developer. 
Imposter syndrome is real. Just know it happens at every level. The more you know, the more you don't know.

Finals thoughts: 
It's been 1.5 years since I completed the program. I made a choice, and it paid off. Codesmith was one of the best experiences of my life and I would do it many times over.

I had completed General Assembly's 12 week Web Development Immersive prior to attending Codesmith, and wasn't having much luck on the job search.  After one session of Javascript: The Hard Parts, I knew that Codesmith was how I would be able to gain the requisite knowledge to do well in interviews and land a job.  The in-depth study of computer science fundamentals was crucial, and gave me the edge I needed.  Moreovever, Codesmith CEO Will Sentance is an amazing human being, and his passion for software engineering was something that I was so happy to have been able to witness. 

The hours are long, but there is a method to the madness; your future co-workers will be astounded by your work ethic!  I was particularly impressed with the job-preparation elements of the course; they share with you the tools to package and present yourself as a capable engineer (even with no previous experience).  The mock-interviews and practice white-boarding sessions were a great preview to the interview process.  The emphasis Codesmith puts on pair programming is also fantastic, as learning to work well with others will serve you well down the line.  

Two months after graduation, and about 5 or 6 on-site technical interviews, I wound up as a full-stack software engineer for Rotten Tomatoes. It's important to not slack off after graduation; the job-search is your job.  During the day you should be either interviewing or applying, and in the evenings, you should be learning/coding.  Don't forget to take care of yourself, eat well and exercise if you can.  

Like others have said on here, trust the process.  The curriculum is spot on.  Practice algorithm challegnes daily, I particularly like Codewars.  Also, try to have a personal website that showcases some completed and deployed applications you built; this was something I had from General Assembly coming into Codesmith that some of my peers didn't have, and I feel like it made things a bit easier for me, although as far as I know, all of my classmates have jobs now.

Will and his team lay out everything for you, they give you the knowledge and the tools to get what you want, it's just up to you to walk the path and put in work.

The primer for the program (JavaScript the Hard Parts) takes place Thursday nights in Los Angeles, and varies for other cities, and is a great introduction to/review of concepts that those learning the JavaScript language may struggle with initially. The class is interactive, engaging, and gives a good sense of what the program entails. In each session a concept is reviewed. First the concept is defined, then we examine what might make it a novel concept and especially important for the language, and finally review examples line by line to understand what is happening in each line that is executed. 

The Hard Parts sessions also include pair programming time (again, emphasizing communication and working in teams) and an opportunity for problem solving that might be from a different perspective. After trying online resources, a handful of books and other in-person bootcamps I found JS Hard Parts to sync best with my learning style, meet other people with my level of experience and interest, and the best overall explanation of the concepts being reviewed. This is in part because the classes are in depth, but the engagement of others in the room means more people ask questions I may not have thought to ask, and in turn gives me a better understanding of the subject.

Prior to deciding to pursue a career change and become a developer I had met and worked at a company with 3 Codesmith grads. My role was in operations, but everyone in the company knew one another and I had a handful of conversations with them about work/nonwork. Besides being generally great people they were often recognized for the things the Codesmith program equipped them with including: (naturally) a deep understanding of JavaScript and (importantly) effective communication skills that prepared them to work in a team with others. I have heard from a number of other developers who have been in the field for years that the ability to complete projects independently will only open up a bit of the professional world and prepare you success where you have complete control. Codesmith's emphasis on collaborating and effective communication prepares graduates to work in a group environment, and promotes synergy in a cognizant way. 

Coming to Codesmith for the first time can be a bit of a surreal experience. I remember when I walked through the elevator doors to attend "JavaScript: the Hard Parts," not sure what to expect. I was nervous because I hardly felt like I had a grasp on the easy parts of JavaScript and was certain I was in over my head. What's a higher order function, anyway?

6 months later, I'm writing scalable web apps and front end architectures using bleeding edge technology and I've got data structures and algorithms practically oozing out of my fingernails. I wouldn't be the Software Engineer that I am today without the support of my cohort mates who struggled with me through the program and the staff who guided me throughout the process.

The amount of attention paid to each student to ensure their success throughout the program and beyond is astonishing. I've seen staff stay long after their scheduled hours, just to work through challenges with students or give impromptu lectures, not because they have to but because they genuinely care about all things software and web-related and want to share their knowledge with others. That enthusiasm to dig deep into computer science and JavaScript fundamentals permeate the entire space, an awesome startup like environment where day after day people are coding late into the night.

Codesmith isn't a bootcamp. It's a community of people who are extremely passionate about learning and building new things- a truly special place I'm so thankful I was able to be a part of.

Thanks to Codesmith, I was able to land a job as a GIS Software Developer. 

Curriculum - 5 Stars

The curriculum extensively covers the basics to advanced topics in Software Engineering and everything inbetween. There are lectures, review sessions, and everything that else that you would expect from a traditional teaching approach, but what I believe separates Codesmith from any other program is their heavy focus on project building and exercises that have real world applications. There is a lot of hands on experiences which is honestly wonderful because it provides opportunities to solidify the materials that have been taught.

Instructors - 5 Stars

The instructors genuinely care about a student's success. I'm the type that will ask a lot of questions if I don't understand something. I don't know how many questions I have asked, but all I know was that each question was treated with equal importance. So if you are like me, don't be afraid and ask away. Every single one of the instructors are highly approachable and they will do whatever it takes to make sure you understand even if they literally have to sit next to you hours on end.

Job Assisstance - 5 Stars

The job assisstance aspect of the program is exceptional. They do everything like mock phone and on-site interviews, whiteboarding sessions, resume builders, and follow-ups. The staff do their best to make sure you are ready and confident to go through the entire job hunting process.

Overall Experience - 5 Stars

I have nothing, but praise for this program. As a warning though, you will only get what you put in. Codesmith is amazing and provides you with the foundation and skillset to succeed; however, if you don't put in the work, you won't get much out of it. This program is not a walk in the park.

I'm very grateful to Codesmith as it accelerated me from junior to mid level in my time there and provided me the tools and mindset to jump from mid level to senior at my first full time job in the time span of 2 months. YMMV but you will at least be a mid level developer out of Codesmith.

From what I know, the hiring support and tips and tricks to get mid level positions even without any developer experience puts Codesmith head and shoulders above any other bootcamp out there. 

The only downside is having to listen to the CEO's speeches every Thursday night. But in spite of that, it still makes Codesmith more than worth the cost and the 12 weeks of intense learning.

Codesmith was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. As an electrical engineering graduate from USC, I definitely had a more enlightening and fun academic learning experience at Codesmith than in college. The staff is super friendly and supportive (Especially Haley, she cool. Watch out for Brandon though…haha).   Everyone's journey to and through Codesmith is a little different, so I can only tell of my experience. I actually had around 1-2 years of coding experience from both college and self teaching through other resources such as Coursera. But the curriculum at Codesmith was still challenging and greatly invigorating. You'll get your hands dirty with algorithms, data structures, http, react, angular, node, express, testing, and much more! You'll also get the chance to meet real professional software engineers who occasionally give mentor talks. The best part about Codesmith isn't the specific content though, but the overall experience of learning web development fundamentals, working with your peers and emulating what it's like to work on an engineering team in the real world (something which isn't as easy or plausible in a CS program in college), developing the skill on how to learn to solve problems autonomously, and…gaining new, lifelong friends!   I don't think I needed a bootcamp/academy/whatever you want to call these things to get to where I'm at ( because there's this thing called the internet). But Codesmith definitely accelerated my learning experience and also made it more concentrated, focused, and structured. Before Codesmith, I was working as an EE when I wanted to switch careers. I had done basic programming in college but nothing close to the level needed to get hired as a software engineer. I decided to teach myself through resources such as Code Academy, Coursera, MIT OpenCourseware. I was all over the place trying to teach myself things. When you self teach you tend to learn stuff that you're only really interested in. I then landed an internship at a small startup, but even then, I felt like I was learning Python and Django specific things to get the job done. Plus, I didn't have the greatest mentorship. I was basically a code monkey. Codesmith helped fill my knowledge gaps, whether they were about fun or boring topics. Plus, I learned a lot from my peers that I could not have learned on my own. You can trust that you're in good hands at Codesmith. They have a great staff with backgrounds from Harvard, UCLA, Yale, and more big name prestigious schools (if that really matters to you). They also have a great alumni network with graduates working at places ranging from small startups to the big companies (Google, Microsoft).   Now I wouldn't be me if I didn't keep it onehunnid so I will also talk about things that Codesmith can improve upon. Codesmith says that they can help get you to become a mid level software engineer. Depending on what type of software engineer, this is definitely possible but you might have to do more work for topics that are only lightly touched upon in the curriculum. Regardless, I feel that Codesmith can improve in its basic computer science portion in its curriculum. Things like stack, heap, how different types of data are stored in memory (in a computer not just how JS does it), and deeper OOP (it is touched upon but quickly switches to JS OOP which is different from Java, Python, Ruby, etc...) can be expanded upon. Now to be fair, when using javascript you don't need to know these things but it is definitely something a software engineer, especially mid level, should know. Butttttt that's my opinion.    With that said, Codesmith overall is still a 5/5 star program. Some of the things you aren't deeply exposed to at Codesmith you can learn on your own. After all, their mission is to help teach you how to become a software engineer that can adapt to different environments and not be a code monkey. Codesmith doesn't hold your hand, but you will have support. You'll still be a mid-level engineer (or at the very least, will have learned to think like one) by the time you're done. You just have to do a little more work if you don't want to stay in javascript land or want to do advanced back end engineering. Codesmith is an expensive investment. Worth every penny, but expensive nonetheless. I hope my review will help who ever is reading this. If you have any doubts, the result of all my hard work was a position as a software engineer (back end) in Santa Monica, CA. Maybe that helps motivate you. Maybe not. In the end, it really is up to you and how much you want it. I still teach myself stuff after work that college, Codesmith, and my job didn't expose to me. There isn't any one program, school, or job that can teach you everything. Without a doubt though, Codesmith helped me get to where I am more than any other learning experience. And it was fun. =)

Coming from a .Net background I was looking for a way to accelerate my training of using Javascript throughout the full stack and to familiarize myself with modern frontend frameworks.  After attending a couple of Meetups hosted at Codesmith including the wonderful, ‘JS: The Hard Parts’ lead by Will Sentance, I knew that Codesmith was the place for me.  Even as a guest, I could already feel the genuine excitement for tech and self-improvement just by walking around the space.

From day one, the support from the staff and fellow students was outstanding.  Whether there be a technical issue or something else there was ALWAYS someone there to pick you right back up and steer you in the right direction.  I really loved hanging out with my cohort mates and to be honest asked myself more than once if I was enjoying it too much.  Don’t get me wrong, long nights and stress were part of everyday life but it really helped knowing that everyone had your back.

Overall, my 12 weeks at Codesmith was a life changing experience and I am incredibly proud to be part of the Codesmith family.

The Decision

I was a Front-End Developer in the Bay Area before Codesmith, but wasn't getting the exposure to Back-End technology that I desired.  I tried teaching myself, but couldn't find reliable resources to get me where I wanted to.  At this realization, and also knowing I wanted to level-up my career, I started looking into "coding bootcamps" that could get me the fulfillment I wanted.  I had money, so I intended on going into the best one I could get into.  I particularly looked into the LA area because I had family over here.  My choice ended up being between Hack Reactor and Codesmith for me.  I chose Codesmith because not only were they doing better in LA, but they showed such an exceptional care for their residents, including the aspiring residents.

The Culture

There are many work places, clubs, bands, and organizations that claim to be a family, but very few that claim to be actually are.  At least, this was always my experience.  Because of this, I was very surprised in experiencing that family feeling over at Codesmith.  Seriously, no BS zone here.  It's clear they are very careful in not just selecting the brightest for the residency, but the best for the culture at the residency as well.  I can honestly say the people in my cohort are some of my best friends today.

The Search After

Because let's be honest, this is probably the most important part.  I probably could have been done very quickly, but because I wanted to get into either full-stack or back-end engineering, I bit the bullet and chased what I went to CS for.  As mentioned, I was a Front-End Developer before CS, and seriously had recruiters emailing me several times every day for Front-End positions.  On top of that, I wasn't interested in working in the Health Care industry, and I didn't even go to my previous employer during my search.  Fast forward to decision time, I ended up with 3 offers, two of them being full-stack, and one of them back-end.  Much of my thanks has to go out to the staff for helping me sell my skills, chilling out my type-A personality (often times I had the desire to followup too fast), and giving me mock interviews on whatever topics I felt like I needed polishing on.

Conclusion

I made an unregrettable decision to change my life.  I put a lot at risk by quitting my job and moving to LA.  I joined CS to level up, and I got exactly what I wanted.  If you're considering CS to level up like me, or change careers like most, it's definitely worth it.

I will keep this short, as there are many other reviews talking about the curriculum in depth and the amazing resources that Codesmith provides. My review will be about what I gained the most during my time there.

Codesmith is a valuable investment in yourself and your future. During Codesmith, I genuinely learned how to learn and now I am confident that I will excel at any software postition that I enter. My background is in Civil Engineering and I previously coded in Java, but I had never experienced this level of intense learning until now. 

Codesmith got the philosophy right and you are surrounded by people who are asking in-depth questions about the most interesting emerging technologies. A small group of students, engaged instructors, and projects that challenge you to think critically... this is what all school should be like!! 

I did get a great job at a startup working on the technologies that I love (React), but what I really got was a new mindset on software that will take me far. Shout-out to the Codesmith staff, keep it up!