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Codesmith is a coding school redefining the way software engineering is taught. Codesmith offers full-time (13-week) and part-time (38-week) remote software engineering immersive programs as well as a full-time NYC Onsite program. Codesmith focuses on concepts and technologies such as full-stack JavaScript, computer science, machine learning, Dev Ops, React, and more. The immersives are advanced residencies designed to help individuals launch meaningful, high-level careers in software engineering.
The Codesmith admissions process involves a written application with optional coding questions, a nontechnical interview, and a technical interview. Codesmith offers a number of free resources for preparing for the admissions process including in-person and online coding workshops, a 2-week online prep course (CS Prep), and an online JavaScript learning platform (CSX).
Codesmith offers extensive career support that guides residents through resume development, interview strategies, salary negotiation, and more. Residents receive career support for life whether they are on their first job search, second job search, or beyond. Plus, the supportive Codesmith community encourages learners to tackle unique and unfamiliar problems, important when preparing for the ever-changing tech landscape. As shared in the most recent CIRR outcomes reports (Jan-June, 2022), more than 80% of Codesmith graduates were employed in the field within 6 months of graduating. Across all full-time immersive programs during this period the median salary for Codesmith graduates was $127,500. The median salary for part-time remote immersive graduates was $137,000.
When it comes to tuition, Codesmith payment options include upfront payments, monthly installments, and financing through Ascent Funding, Codesmith’s loan partner. In addition, eligible students can apply for several different scholarship options at Codesmith.
Codesmith also offers a two-day JavaScript for Beginners online course, as well as CS Prep, a 2-week program offered online and designed to prepare you for Codesmith’s Software Engineering Immersives. Further, you can join their free CSX learning platform and attend any of Codesmith’s free weekly workshops to learn more about its programs and build software engineering fundamentals.
Codesmith is about people. People and code.
Before Joining Codesmith
In mid-2016, I found myself in the middle of coding hell. I was a junior-level dev working or projects that went live before they should have, in an environment that lacked engineering best practices, without the skills I needed to keep up or even understand fully what was going on. In short, I needed a change.
That change came about serendipitously, when I learne...
Codesmith is about people. People and code.
Before Joining Codesmith
In mid-2016, I found myself in the middle of coding hell. I was a junior-level dev working or projects that went live before they should have, in an environment that lacked engineering best practices, without the skills I needed to keep up or even understand fully what was going on. In short, I needed a change.
That change came about serendipitously, when I learned about Codesmith, a coding immersive program, from a an acquaintance at a mutual friend’s party. He was starting Codesmith just that next week and everything he said about it sounded exactly like what I was thirsting for. Full stack, Mongo, Postgres, Angular, ReactJs, Node, Fundamentals, Fundamentals, Fundamentals. Not only that, but the school was in Playa Vista, literally 15 minutes from where I worked in Culver City.
My now friend told me there was a weekly meeting called “Javascript The Hard Parts” on Thursdays and that I should go. That Thursday I was there.
The double doors of the elevator opened up and I had an immediate “yes” feeling when I stepped onto the top floor. I signed in after a warm welcome and joined my fellow meetupers in the main lecture room.
The rest of the night was a series of “yeses.” Will Sentence, the CEO — “yes.” The community of developers — “yes.” The electricity of those in the program, and the knowledge they had — “yes.” But most importantly, I left that night with fundamentals — insights into programming — that I never had before. “Callbacks”, “Higher-order functions,” the “Closure (the closed over variable environment),” variable environment, the call-stack, hoisting, execution context, thread of execution, …, it goes on.
As I left, exhausted, I reflected on my wobbly coding ability and thought, “How can I con my way into Codesmith?” It felt like a matter of survival. I NEEDED this.
I didn’t make it into Codesmith after my first interview. I made it after the second one, after postponing it an additional week for some additional intense studying on the feedback I received from the first.
After waiting nervously by the phone one Thursday afternoon, my phone rang. It was Will Sentence. I was in.
The Codesmith Experience
If you want to truly learn a foreign language what do you do? You immerse yourself in it. You go to a country that speaks the language and you stay there until you know it — until it becomes so much apart of you that you think in it.
Codesmith is a software immersive program that turns junior devs into mid-level devs and mid-level devs into senior. It demands a level of intensity that only those passionate about problem solving in code are able to sustain. The average week was Monday through Friday, 9 am sharp to 10pm, and Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
The People
Codesmith is the most selective coding program in the country. This means that your peers are not only scary smart, but also some of the best community-focused, supportive people you’ll meet in your life. This is a necessary part of the program. Just as if you are to learn a foreign language, you have to be able to “talk” code, internalize it. I only understood some of the nuances of coding because of the in-depth conversations I had with my peers. Everyone had an insight and a different way of explaining every concept. To learn to code you have to “boil the ocean,” but if a partner already boiled a concept, you’ll just need to boil a pond. These conversations are invaluable.
The Instruction
Codesmith hires seasoned battle-tested engineers as instructors. Our instructor was Dan Carr, a brilliant seasoned engineer with years of experience and relationships with some of the most prestigious companies on the planet. Not only did he have a vast coding instinct, but a “gut” ability to communicate his understanding in every lecture. On top of his innate teaching ability, he is truly one of the coolest, approachable dudes you will ever meet. He puts his students first and is always open to dialogue, even (maybe even especially) post-graduation.
In our feedback to Codesmith, our was response about Dan was always, “give him a raise.” He is truly one of the highlights of my experience at Codesmith.
The Projects
Each lecture, as can be expected, is followed by a project to apply the concepts learned in a concrete way. This is where the “sweat and blood” goes. These projects are NOT easy.
It’s been said about Codesmith that not only does it teaches you to code, it teaches you to learn. It is here that concepts move beyond ideas and become emotions. If you and your partner spend 45 minutes of frustration on a problem and finally succeed, you will both remember the story of that problem. It will no longer be a transient concept, like one of those you memorized to pass a test, but an ingrained part of yourself that you “feel” in your gut. Each lecture is followed by a challenge that will make you an independent problem solver. This “sweat equity” turns knowledge into understanding.
The Final Project
The course ends with a final project. You are broken off into groups and together you come up with ideas to present to the staff and your peers. The criteria for an acceptable final project can be summed up as, “Is it impossible?” If the answer is yes, then you’ll be allowed to proceed. There is no such thing as a CRUD (a simple web app) app being allowed as a final project. To be an engineer is to approach problems that do not currently have a solution. These projects are of senior engineer level, and are tools that provide solutions to problems that engineers face out in the field.
My team’s project, for example, was deploying a library for developers to easily create a database on the distributed blockchain technology, Ethereum.
It was here that our knowledge was solidified and we became surgeons with code as our scalpel.
Post Graduation
I entered Codesmith as a junior-level dev, having minor on-the-job experience in coding, and after three months (~1,000 hours later) was able to secure a mid-level (100K+) position shortly (about 3 weeks) after graduation.
Part of the job search was networking via meetups and speaking to graduates from other coding programs. I was politely silent as I listened to them vent about their “horrible, competitive, non-supportive peers” and how “we’re junior devs, there’s nothing we can do.”
Codesmith was genuinely a life changer for me. It helped me make one of the toughest transitions in my life. I went into Codesmith as a junior dev and came out a mid-level dev, as promised. I know for a fact, instinctually, that Codesmith was the best choice I could have made in a school. The other schools’ curriculums are either too soft or the culture is too cold.
Codesmith is about pain. To succeed, you have to be sincere about your intention to make a certain but drastic change in your life.
A few months after graduation, I find myself reflecting, “How do I measure up to my co-workers who may have a more traditional path to engineering? Am I on par with these other mid-level engineers that I work with.” The answer is a resounding “yes.” I am able to contribute to the team at the same or, often, better level than they can. Codesmith instilled an intuition in me that other developers may not have.
There are a lot of factors in success. If I could boil them down, I would name attitude, focus, and education. Codesmith provides the education element. The rest is up to you.
Employed in-field | 80.1% |
Full-time employee | 77.4% |
Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | 0.7% |
Short-term contract, part-time, or freelance | 1.7% |
Started a new company or venture after graduation | 0.3% |
Not seeking in-field employment | 0.3% |
Employed out-of-field | 0.3% |
Continuing to higher education | 0.0% |
Not seeking a job for health, family, or personal reasons | 0.0% |
Still seeking job in-field | 19.6% |
Could not contact | 0.0% |
How much does Codesmith cost?
Codesmith costs around $20,925. On the lower end, some Codesmith courses like JavaScript for Beginners cost $350.
What courses does Codesmith teach?
Codesmith offers courses like CS Prep , Full-Time Remote Software Engineering Immersive, Global Part-Time Remote Software Engineering Immersive, JavaScript for Beginners and 1 more.
Where does Codesmith have campuses?
Codesmith has in-person campuses in New York City. Codesmith also has a remote classroom so students can learn online.
Is Codesmith worth it?
The data says yes! Codesmith reports a median salary of $133,281 and 82% of Codesmith alumni are employed. Codesmith hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 546 Codesmith alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Codesmith on Course Report - you should start there!
Is Codesmith legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 546 Codesmith alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Codesmith and rate their overall experience a 4.89 out of 5.
Does Codesmith offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Codesmith offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.
Can I read Codesmith reviews?
You can read 546 reviews of Codesmith on Course Report! Codesmith alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Codesmith and rate their overall experience a 4.89 out of 5.
Is Codesmith accredited?
Codesmith is approved to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. For more information visit: https://codesmith.io/regulatory-information
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