Codesmith

I am a recent graduate of Codesmith, and it was an incredibly rewarding experience. I came to Codesmith looking to make a career change, and the experience was way more than I expected.  

Codesmith teaches you to be a full-stack developer, and you are challenged constantly throughout the process.  You build a deeper understanding of data structures, algorithms and fundamental javascript concepts with daily hack hours. There are lectures daily on key technology topics as well as application-specific concepts. Most importantly you will also learn Angular, React, Node, Express as well as database applications like MongoDB, PostrgreSQL. The days are broken up in a way that you are always going and the time really flies. As you learn new technologies, you are challenged to build both group and solo projects of your choice utilizing those technologies.  The projects are both challenging and incredibly rewarding as you solve real problems encountered while building and deploying applications. 

Beyond the coding - there is an incredible community at Codesmith. Guest speakers from major companies like Facebook, Netflix, NFL.com and NPM just to name a few were great additions. Most importantly, the friends you make, and relationships you build are amazing. The engineers/instructors are genuinely invested in your development as an engineer and are always willing to go the extra mile to help you. If you want to learn something - they will help you get there!!

I completed the 8-week Summer academy at Codesmith this past summer and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  At the time I had just finished my MBA at USC Marshall and was looking to continue learning and challenging myself in the available months I had before I began my new role.  I was familiar with Codesmith from their weekly Javascript - The Hard Parts sessions, meetup.com/build-with-co…, and it was immediately apparent this was a well-designed program with serious promise.

It was an intellectually challenging experience. My previous programming experience was limited, so the initial learning curve was steep.  The full 12-week program is designed around a 30% - 40% working familiarity with Javascript starting day 1, so I had some ground to make up, but I did.  Within a few weeks I was working on teams building full-stack applications, browsers games, and a hilarious web scraper that kept you alert of everything Donald Trump was tweeting.  The progress I made in a matter of a few weeks was pretty remarkable.

Learning by building is the approach at Codesmith, and it's effective.  The first weeks of the program cover computer science fundamentals like algorithms, data structures, APIs, and databases, but they are taught via coding challenges and mini projects that merge theory with real world application.  Some topics come more easily than others, and some days require an inhumane volume of coffee to finally debug an application, but the rate of concentrated learning is unlike anything I've ever experienced before.  The remainder of the program is dedicated to working in teams on group projects.  The Codesmith engineers kick off each day with hack hours as well which help you continually hone your coding chops.

The building is spacious and crackling with a palpable feeling of enthusiasm and hard work. Everyone is there to help, and you can feel it. I highly recommend the Codesmith program.

Currently,  there are only a few bootcamps located in Los Angeles. I have attended  meetups and online questionnaires at a few of them e.g MakerSquare,  General Assembly, and Codesmith. My favorite of all is Codesmith for the following reasons...

BTW, if you don't want to read this article, you can watch a video summary below...  :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hToEL-nNtyM
 

For those of you who don’t know about Codesmith, it’s a 12 week immersive Software Engineering program teaching Computer Science, Full Stack JavaScript Engineering and mobile development.

They   also teach you how to think like an engineer, and give you that  mindset  so that you can invent and build the projects that you want to.

There are 3 key components that adhere to Codesmith. They are Community, Curriculum, and Passion.   Now these aren’t necessarily mantras of Codesmith themselves, rather   what I have noticed in attendance of their meetups, and this is one of   the reasons that I am fascinated by being there and around that energy.   Which in turn, leads me to the first component...
 
Community:
Talking of energy, It’s   probably safe to say that it is highly unfathomable to know what it   must have been like being around in the beginning of Apple, or  Facebook,  or any other major company that started similarly, but the  feeling that  I get being around Codesmith is what I would imagine that  experience to  be. 
 

1. The people! Everyone is so nice and welcoming. They make you really feel like you are a part of the family. 
2. The Instructors! The CTO Will Sentance and Lead Engineer Alex Zai are probably two of   the most brilliant gentlemen that I have had the pleasure to meet. Not   only are they entirely genuine and remarkable, but they are   revolutionizing the Software Education Industry along with the Tech   Industry. Aside from Codesmith, they have also developed some  extremely,  amazing things. One of those is Icecomm. Icecomm is an  WebRTC based,  Peer to Peer feature that allows you to add serverless  video chat and  data transfer to your application in, I believe under 10  lines of  JavaScript and 4 lines of Angular. How great is that? Now to  go a step  further, they are going to open source it, so that in itself  speaks to  their wonderful character. If I could pick their brains all  day I would.  haha
3. The Environment! The building is like a spaceship. It’s really cool! When you get off  of  the elevator you are met by these multicolored, fluorescent lights  that  resemble something from the future. The whole area is one large  circle  with several nooks and cranny’s for you to explore. The views  are also  great. There are balconies with a panoramic view of water and a  large  portion of Silicon Beach. 

Curriculum

This   is one of the things that sets Codesmith apart from everyone else in   the software education realm. Also what places them at the forefront of   technology because they are using what is now on the forefront of   technology. The core of their Front-End curriculum is with React.js. WHAT???
 

1. React.js ! If you don’t know what React.js is, React is an open-source JavaScript   library for creating user interfaces that aims to address challenges   encountered in developing single-page applications. (or simply put, “The Future of interwebs development” ;) “
2. React Native! React Native enables you to build world-class application experiences   on native platforms using a consistent developer experience based on   JavaScript andReact. The focus of React Native is on developer   efficiency across all the platforms you care about — learn once, write   anywhere. Facebook uses React Native in multiple production apps and   will continue investing in React Native.
3. Distributed Systems and Some Machine Learning! Seriously,   it couldn’t be better. These are the things that are powering the   technology around us all today, including, but not limited to Gmail,   iCloud and Google knowing what you want to search before you finish   typing. No one is teaching these things in any bootcamp or program   currently. 

Here is a photo of the curriculum for a more in depth view:
 

 

Passion

One   of the most important features of Codesmith and everyone there is that   they are endlessly passionate about what they are doing. It’s highly   evident in everything that they do. They actually want to help everyone   bring their dreams to fruition, to build the projects and companies  that  they envision, and change the world for the better. This fact is   something that I cannot stress enough. I only mention this because I   have been to some of the meetups at other places like MakerSquare and I   cannot say the same things. I really can’t even say anything remotely   close, and I don’t want to go into a barrage of Makersquare or anything   like that. This was simply my experience and mine alone, but it was   quite uncomfortable. When I walked in everyone just kind of had an   attitude and they weren’t welcoming. Everything seemed fabricated. You   could tell that at the end of the day this place is just a business and   they seem to only care about one thing: money. That is not an   environment that I welcome, nor should anyone else. With Codesmith it’s   different, not just for the aforementioned reasons alone, but also I  am  beyond enamored with the devotion of everyone involved.  It’s a  really  special place and I suggest that everyone experience it for  themselves. 


Build With Code

You   may ask, “how can I experience it without going to the program?” Well,   I’ll tell you! Every Thursday from 6:30 - 9:00 pm Codesmith offers a   free Meetup called Build With Code. I can’t emphasis enough how great   this place is and especially the Meetups. Who doesn’t like free drinks?   Who doesn’t like free food? Not only do they offer those things, but  you  are able to build cool things and learn about programming in   JavaScript. We’ve built a video chat app. A YouTube app and currently  we  are learning about the hard parts of Javascript, which for anyone   trying to get into a bootcamp is essential. Last week it was Callbacks   & Higher Order Functions. 

The   way that it works is, in the beginning you go around and introduce   yourself, then tell everyone a little about you, what you’ve been   building (if anything) and what your interest in JavaScript is.   Subsequently the instructor Will goes into a lecture with slideshows  and  breaks down everything to first principles, which if you are a fan  of  Elon Musk (I am) means that that is how you get the job done.   Will’s  teaching methods (Socratic, I believe) are fantastic. He makes   everything so clear and concise that the light inside your mind goes  off  and you finally understand what it is that you have been making so   complicated. You see the solution simplified… Especially in dealing  with  two of the most misunderstood objects (no pun intended) in  JavaScript. 
After  the lecture, you  are split up to pair program. I know you may be  thinking... "I don’t  want to pair program! I won't go just because of  that," but It really  is great! Not only can you possibly make a new  friend, but you also get  the chance to see how other people think, and  how they arrive at a  solution. That is invaluable in itself because it  can help you approach  a problem differently one day. When you are pair  programming the EIR’s  (Engineers in Residence) come in and walk around  to offer their  assistance to anyone if they get stuck and also to answer  any other  questions you may have. These guys are really great. Super  friendly and  helpful. Will then wraps up with a summary to help solidify  all that  you have learned and then you can wander around the  facilities, grab  some drinks and food, and hang out and talk with  everyone there. If you  don’t want to do any of that, you don’t have to,  but I can’t recommend  that you should enough. 

I   hope that I am able to clear a few things up for anyone, and if not  you  can message me or get in touch and I will gladly answer any  questions  about my experience. If I can’t answer those questions Joseph  at  Codesmith is also a really great guy and he will be glad to help  you.  Below are some links to where you can find information on the  topics I  covered here in the postings...
 

• Codesmith
• Build With Code - Los Angeles
• Icecomm.io
• A JavaScript library for building user interfaces | React
• React Native | A framework for building native apps using React

It's tough for me to write this because it almost sounds contrived, but I love Codesmith most because, it's become my home.

I am currently enrolled in Codesmith's 12-week immersive program.  We have just finished week 4 and I am excited to get started on the project portion in just 2 more short weeks.  I can't say enough good things about this place.  The community is the kind where we spend Sunday together even though it's not part of the program.  The people are amazing, passionate and incredibly smart.  I haven't felt this happy, excited and welcomed in years.  

So far we have learned: HTML, CSS, Javascript, jQuery, React, Node, Angular and MongoDB.  We also learned a bunch of ancillary things like Express, Mongoose, Bootstrap, Ajax, etc., but those aren't really concepts so much as tools you learn how to use when you need them.

It's tough to recognize the progress you're making while immersed in the program because you're comparing where you are today to where you were yesterday.  Fortunately, every now and then you get a reminder of just how far you've come.  The most recent moment for me was just after presenting my first full-stack project when a student in the junior cohort asked me to help him with understanding hash functions.

Before entering codesmith I was barely understanding closures and callbacks and I didn't even know what a hash function was or what it could be used for.  Now I'm deploying a full stack application to Heroku and using a hash function in conjunction with a database to implement my own authentication!  It's an amazing feeling!

In short, I love this place. I'm learning a ton and If you're serious about becoming a full-stack engineer, apply today!

A deeper dive on the experience here:

Things I love about the program:

Community

The community here is amazing.  Everybody is super friendly, hard-working and always willing to help you understand a concept.  

Instructors

The instructors here are top notch.  Will Sentance, the CTO teaches a bunch of the tough concept lectures.  I don't know if it's his british accent or friendly demeanor, but I find him incredibly easy to learn from.  Even with my ADD, he keeps my attention and his explanations are really really clear.

The pace I'm learning

When you start the course there is a large disparity in the knowledge between students with a computer science background and those without.  Coming from economics and business, I was really far behind!  After the first few weeks, however, the disparity is much smaller and you start learning things like React and Angular - topics that nobody has seen yet.  Although I don't expect to understand computer science theory as well as some of my fellow students, I'm just as good as them at building apps!

Thursday night happy hours

This is an incredibly hard program.  Everybody here is really driven to succeed.  People stay late every night to finish their projects or study up on concepts they're struggling with, but on Thursday nights we party... It's awesome.

Things I get frustrated with:

Workload is very heavy

I understand why the workload is so heavy.  We're going from 20% to a full-stack engineer in twelve weeks.  There really isn't an easy way to do this.

Hours are really long

We work 12 hours a day, minimum.  My typical day starts at 8:55 AM and ends around 10 PM.  Again, I understand this is necessary, but I do miss free time.

Things I have a love-hate relationship with:

Pair Programming

If you haven't pair programmed yet, you should.  Find a friend who is about the same level of programming as you and pair!  There is more to it than this, but essentially you don't touch the keyboard ("navigator") and they take directions from you ("driver").  After twenty minutes, switch roles.  This is likely going to be an incredibly frustrating experience for both parties.  However, it is absolutely the best way to accelerate your learning.  I love learning quickly, but in the moment I get frustrated because I just want the answer!

The Socratic method of teaching

The Socratic method of teaching essentially boils down to this: the instructor does not give answers they just ask you questions to guide you to the right answer.  This is super effective because it forces you to make the connection yourself.  Pretty much all law schools teach this way as well as Harvard, Darden, and Tuck Business Schools.

Codesmith was inclusive and engaging from day one. I got very close to my cohort mates and the instructors/teaching fellows showed a lot of care in my growth and development as a software engineer. The program has two phases, which they split out into the junior portion and the senior portion. The junior phase consists of structured classes and learning modules, teaching you the MERN/PERN stack. The senior portion consists of projects on your own and with your cohort mates. This is where most of the learning happens.

Getting a job post Codesmith is a grind, and graduating is only the beginning of your journey. However, the Codesmith support system is incredible and really helps you get through the process. The alumni network is huge and everyone wants you to succeed. If you're serious about pursuing a software engineering career, I recommend digging deep and getting very comfortable with javascript, react, node.js/express before going through the immersive program. This will put you in the best position to maximize the program. 

I personally know people who have gone through other bootcamps that have struggled to get a job post bootcamp or given up altogether. I really believe Codesmith's biggest value lies in the alumni network and post-grad support that is available to you for the rest of your career. I recently landed my first role post Codesmith and I was able negotiate a great offer thanks to Eric (Thank you Eric!) who is one of the senior advisors.

My experience in Codesmith was fantastic. The technical learning (with a focus on full-stack applications with React & Javascript on the frontend and Node/Express on the backend) was excellent. The structure the program provides really helped me to maximize my learning during my time there. The empathetic support Codesmith uses was instrumental in helping me to succeed in the program and beyond. Codesmith's career-support was amazing by providing practical strategies that helped me to land a job as a software engineer.

As a graduate of Codesmith, I found the program to be highly rewarding yet challenging. Like many intensive learning experiences, what you gain from it directly correlates with the effort you invest. Codesmith provides a rigorous curriculum and ample resources, but succeeding requires dedication and resilience on your part. The program offers excellent support through various accountability groups and resources, fostering a community that encourages growth even after program completion. However, securing a job post-graduation demands continuous hard work and perseverance. If you're willing to put in the effort, Codesmith equips you with the skills and community needed to succeed in the competitive tech industry. 

I also enjoyed the tech support in particular from Cassandra and Eric. They were kind, helpful, and informative in my job search struggles and negotiations. On the other hand, I had some mixed experiences with some of the interview prep "fellows". While some provided valuable insights, others seemed overly interested in specific details about my interviews, such as departments and contacts, which made me feel uncomfortable at times. 

Codesmith does a great job of providing students with resources before they begin the immersive program. Even though I had been studying JavaScript for a few years before applying, the CSX program really helped me better understand important topics like closure, asynchronicity, higher-order functions, and recursion. On top of the CSX program, applicants also have to do live coding interviews with Codesmith faculty which encourages applicants to practice coding and get real-time feedback during their interviews. To me, the lead-up to the immersive program is one of the things that makes Codesmith stand apart from some of the other bootcamps / immersive programs.  I think it would be very difficult to find a SWE job if you start any three-month immersive program without any prior coding knowledge. 
To me, it seems likely that Codesmith's curriculum isn't vastly different from other programs. And as a former educator, I wasn't impressed by the actual teaching methods. It's mostly just an instructor narrating over powerpoint presentations (whose material seems to come mostly from the documentation for that particular technology), asking a couple questions to check for understanding, and then dismissing class for pair programming on the topic. During the pair programming, you might get an instructor or TA's guidance for five minutes, but because of the ratio of TAs to students, their time is quite limited. They will call this "hard learning" where you need to lean into being stuck, looking up documentation, and considering different approaches. These are worthy habits, but it's also "hard learning" because the lectures are hastily done and simply a pretty ineffective pedagogical approach. By the end of the program you have a decent understanding of a lot of the common tech stacks, but, for most students, further study is definitely needed to be fully job-ready.
The crown jewel of the program is their job search portion. They pour a lot of resources into helping students with their resumes, interviewing skills, and networking. That on top of the time and effort they put into building a community (I'm still a part of the Codesmith slack today) really helps students find a SWE role right for them.
Overall, if someone has really tried to get a SWE role through pure self-study (Udemy, YouTube, FreeCodeCamp, books, etc.) and is feeling like they're spinning their wheels, I'd recommend Codesmith as an immersive program that can help direct your learning, connect you to a community of other aspiring developers, and prepare you for the job search process.