Coding Dojo Reviews
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Bradford L Verified via GitHubThe Doj
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I decided to attend Coding Dojo for two reason: the people and the variety of technologies I would learn. A coding bootcamp is a huge time commitment and I wanted to learn in an environment where I enjoyed the people around me. I attended open houses and a Saturday workshop to get a feel for the environment, the people and the teaching style. There are a lot of good boot camps available and I believe that a large part of success is not finding the best, but finding the best personal fit for you.
Trying to learn three stacks in 14 weeks is a daunting task, and I knew that I would not have the same depth of knowledge as someone who may have spent that same amount of time focused on one technology. However, I saw several advantages to this approach. By learning several technologies I was also learning how to learn and use other new technologies in the future. It also gave me a chance to work under several frameworks with different advantages and disadvantages in order to better understand how and where to apply the technologies I was learning. With these skills I knew that I could always continue to grow my knowledge base as time went on and continue to improve myself.
The Coding Dojo was a place that transformed my career and I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in learning how to code. That said, it is a lot of hard work, and requires a lot of preparation to be truly successful. Remember that this isn’t a traditional school and it doesn’t function like one. The onus is on the student to drive motivation and success. Be proactive in your learning, be curious and ask questions, don’t be afraid to fail.
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Wura Alese Verified via GitHubI had an amazing experience
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If you are looking for a place with core resources to learn the foundation of web dev languages and also grow as a self-sufficient programmer then Coding Dojo is a right fit. I personally don't believe boot camps are for everyone because they are very intensive. But I also believe anyone with no prior experience that is patient enough to struggle through and self-motivated to put in the work will do excellently well.
I came into Coding Dojo with no prior CS/programming experience. I recently graduated with no just above 95% score on all my exams taken for 3 different courses but most importantly the confidence in building things on my own. I also had a lovely time at Coding Dojo because I didn't just connect with my classmates but also with the instructors and previous graduates. It's like a family there.
Counterintuitively, what you might find odd is that the instructors don't lecture as much, we were made to go through the notes on our own in most cases but obviously, ask for help if we got stuck. This I believe was a major key to my success. Struggling through the material and learning to figure things out on my own quickly shaped me into developer I'm today. For me, this was the most rewarding experience I got from the Dojo.
Again, boot camps aren't for anyone but anyone willing to put in the work and that understands the art of patience will be a perfect fit for Coding Dojo. I came all the way from Nigeria and everyone made me feel most welcome.
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Yeldarb Verified via LinkedIn
Coding Dojo Seattle Graduate
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I had a fantastic experience at Coding Dojo. It is definitely a full-on immersive course and the ~70 hour weekly expectation is very real. It is an expectation and not a firm requirement as the instructors/staff will not chase you if you choose not to put in the time. You'll get what you put into this, so I would highly recommend giving it your all. There were certain times where I felt very comfortable with the material (more toward the beginning) and didn't feel the need to put in 70 hours and other times where I felt I was struggling or falling behind and put in more than 70.
Your typical day will begin with an hour of algorithm white-board practice which is a key skill not only for programming but for upcoming technical interviews when you'll be searching for a job. I would recommend being sure to attend these and pay full attention. I do think that the brevity of these sessions and the group nature did leave a few people behind in understanding that may have relied on their stronger group members, but this is a great example of where those individuals could put in more time to catch up. You'll then receive a lecture on a given topic before essentially moving into an open lab period where you will proceed on the Dojo's online platform. Your cohort-mates and instructors will be available to help you if you're stuck, and I highly recommend taking advantage of this. Many times working on difficult assignments in a group was highly beneficial to me.
Generally the platform is excellent, clearly explains the given concepts and moves at a quick pace. I will say that some of the platforms were better done than others, especially towards the beginning. I took MEAN as a third stack and I believe it had just been revised and contained some typos and grammatical errors. While not at all game-breaking, it was frustrating at times as coding requires a very precise attention to detail. Those are also simply typographical errors that did not really affect the quality of the actual material. Overall it was fantastic and perhaps my favorite element of the course as it let me proceed in the material at my own pace.
The instructors are also excellent, coming from a wide variety of backgrounds. They are generally very supportive and helpful and made themselves available throughout the day.
Just a few minor nitpicks - the actual building the Dojo is located in isn't the best - it's facilities are a bit outdated and it had some internet connectivity issues while I was attending there. I do believe the Dojo is planning to move at some point and this certainly should not deter you from attending as the camp itself far outweighs any negatives. Just pointing it out as it was a bit annoying on some rare occasions.
I would overall highly recommend Coding Dojo. I reviewed quite a few coding boot camps before deciding on Coding Dojo and maintain that I made the correct choice. Good luck!
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Kausali Verified via GitHubGreat opportunity to learn coding in only 14 weeks
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I graduated with a major in Health Services Administration in 2016 and worked as an IT technician through out my college career. I wanted to change my major to computer science and by the time when i developed my interest to learn coding I was already a senior so I didn't had the confidence to change my major and re-do my undergrad over-again. Shortly after my graduation I worked for a global company as a service desk analyst. Here I got to work along with the Business Analysts and programmers. One fine day at work, few of the new delopelopers stopped by and I was responsible to show them the applications we use at the service desk. So i started talking to them and asked them about their programming experience. Those progarmmers lerarned to code from some coding bootcamps with no previous coding experience. This huge inspired me to look for the coding bootcamps. I started comparing multuple coding bootcamps and Coding Dojo stoodout for me. I applied for the program did the general interview. Once i was confirmed that I got into the program without even thinking for a second I gave two weeks notice to my manager and moved from Minneapolis to Seattle. Learning to code in only 14 weeks was the kind of opportunity i couldn't pass on.
I have learned so much from coding dojo and from my cohort. Its been a month since I graduated from here and still looking for job. I have been able to create multiple projects on my own and I am glad I choose Coding Dojo over other bootcamps. -
Mike Verified via GitHubReinvented my career in my 30’s
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For some background, got my bachelors in Political Science about a decade ago, and coding was something I always wanted to do, but could never find the time in my previous job. After looking around and coding by myself for awhile, I eventually found coding boot camps in Chicago that might help me get over the coding hump. Went to the open house at the Coding Dojo, and I knew it was the place for me. I applied shortly thereafter, quit my job, and devoted the next 14 weeks to coding. The faculty was incredible, the material was great, and I managed to learn 3 full stacks in a short period of time. Just a month after graduation, I was offered a dev ops role in a great young company, and I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out. Excellent resource for anyone looking to reinvent their career.
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Noelle Verified via GitHubSo Much Learning
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I tried to learn programming languages on my own through online resources like Coursera, Codecademy, and other online tools, and while they helped, I still couldn't piece so many different concepts together well enough to feel confident developing on my own. I also maybe didn't have the self-discipline to push myself to research things I didn't understand, often because I was just overwhelmed by the amount of information to sift through and was uncertain which things were actually relevant.
I had learned Java about 10 years ago, so to be fair, I did have some experience going into the bootcamp, which helped me get through the material relatively quickly compared to some, but I still learned so much, and those concepts that had seemed so disparate previously now all make sense and I feel much more comfortable reading documentation, understanding the big picture of all the different layers of technology, and learning new concepts and placing them coherently into my overall mental map.
I like structure, so it was a bit of an adjustment at first because the Dojo, while curriculum-intensive, also maintains a very laid-back culture. The lectures are short (and more valuable if you're staying on pace) and the instructors deliberately don't tell you the answers to your questions immediately. Many of them will answer in the form of a question to try to help you reach your own conclusion. It may feel frustrating initially, but eventually you realize how rewarding it is to learn how to find your answers. The learning platform itself provides a solid foundation for knowing the right terminology, distinguishing between language-specific/framework-specific and general ideas, etc. Now I know how to ask (i.e. google) more educated questions, sift through and find relevant solutions, and actually understand the documentation I read!
I can only second so many of the others' comments--you get out of it what you put into it!
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Shawn Baugh II Verified via LinkedIn
My Dallas Experience
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I went to the coding dojo from March 15th to June 30th, 2017. It was hard. We had some tough times as a cohort and many of my classmates would say the same. The difference is, I didn't let it phase me and I also didn't complain. Coding Dojo puts you through 3 Full Stacks of technologies, mine was Python, Mean, and Ruby (in that order). They're currently working on getting Java up and will soon add it. The instructors are helpful but stern. Chill but they make you do your assignments. And the algorithms, well, I don't like them but they are definitely needed in this field.
Day 1 you're taken through some HTML, basic algorithms, and some CSS. First 2 weeks are all front end and I had an upper hand because I had been working with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript previously. Sailing through took an abrupt stop once I hit python. I had never programmed anything like it before. Yes looking back it was easy and I shouldn't have freaked out but honestly, when you're in it, you're freaking out a little. Don't let that phase you, keep pushing. Same with life in general.
Probably the hardest thing that hit my cohort was our career advisor leaving. We had her for about a month and a half and she got an amazing job opportunity she couldn't pass up. Before that, I had already been in her office twice and went in a third time to get every ounce of knowledge out of her before she left. That's what YOU have to do. You go to any boot camp you have to be in it to win it. You can't just sit back and think it'll happen because it won't. Literally, I bugged her so much and asked probably stupid questions, same with coding and so on. I push myself and my teachers.
Once I got through Python things got like 5% easier. you've gone through flask and Django, so you know what a framework does but the MEAN stack kicks your butt. Like hard. Really hard. You stress so bad about it unless you're a JS king/queen and nail it down week 2. Getting all the parts together was stressful and I didn't know if I would pass my tests. It took me 4 tries but I finally got my black belt and bam, I was on to stack 3.
Ruby is Ruby, there's a lot of built ins you have to learn and rails make it a dream to get something going fast. The hardest part is the quires. They literally know it's so easy so they made the tests harder. But, come on, it's ruby.
Overall I'd give it a 4 out of 5 purely because I don't like giving 5 stars, no one is perfect and you shouldn't look for perfection. Look for the people who will tell you if this coding life is for you. Maybe it isn't and that ok. Maybe you should do something else in a tech company. My biased advice is to GO TO CODING DOJO, my unbiased advice is to research the competition. Only thing is most won't teach you 3 high in demand stacks. So do you but be 100% if you go to the Dojo.
Oh yea, I got a Job 3 months after the program as well.
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Harmann Verified via LinkedIn
Take advantage of opportunities outside of just learning curriculum.
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I attended Coding Dojo with very little programming experience and a background in Finance. 14 weeks isn’t enough time to learn 3 different programming languages. However, it’s plenty of time to build self-doubt and unreasonable expectations that can sway your experience and results.
Coding Dojo has the resources to help you with your goal of being a developer but it’s up to you to take advantage of your resources. If you don’t plan on taking advantage of the resources provided by Coding Dojo, you would be better off learning to program by yourself at home.
You are surrounded by highly intelligent and motivated people. Become friends with your cohort mates they are your support system during and after the bootcamp. If you’re struggling with a topic, ask your cohort mates. On the other hand, if you overhear one of your cohort mates struggling to grasp a concept, offer your help. Some days your cohort mates will be frustrated and it can create a negative environment. It’s up to you to motivate everyone and be positive because your cohort mates will do the same for you.
Your instructors were once in your position and understand your struggle. They are successful developers themselves, they have friends that are developers, and most importantly they know the industry.
My instructor had qualities of a developer that I admired and after graduating, I asked her to be my mentor. She encouraged me to pursue my career as a developer when I had my doubts. She helped me communicate my new developer identity and until this day challenges me and holds me accountable for results. Additionally, I often met with the Coding Dojo career counselor and gained valuable advice which helped me to build my developer brand and attract employers with my old and newly acquired skills.
At Coding Dojo, I built a foundation for future learning that eventually lead to becoming a self-sufficient programmer. I learned the key is accepting you will not understand everything right away, quickly moving forward, and not being afraid to ask for help.
My experience might be different than others but Coding Dojo is a contributor to my success because I took advantage of opportunities outside of just learning curriculum.
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Mick Verified via LinkedIn
Solid Program - Great Experience
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I loved my time at Coding Dojo Chicago. The instructors are very knowledgeable and care deeply about student success. Their learning platform is great at providing a number of assignments in order to practice a new skill (as opposed to just being slide after slide of information). Students practice algorithms every morning, which allows exposure to computer science fundamentals like big O notation and data structures. After learning each stack (At the time of my attendance - Python/Django, Ruby on Rails, and MEAN), students can participate in a project week, which was my favorite part of the experience. It was great working on a longer-term project, putting our skills to use, and working on a team (practicing a loose agile methodology and collaborating over Github).
The fact that they teach three full stacks is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it allows students to get a wide berth of exposure to different languages and frameworks and potentially find a favorite or one they want to target in their job search. It also teaches you to learn new languages and frameworks quickly, as you'll have experience starting from zero at least three times. On the other hand, you can come out of it with experience that looks a bit shallow compared to someone who went to a bootcamp and studied one stack consistently for three months. My advice is to find your favorite and continue expanding your knowledge in that after graduating. (And overall, I prefer the idea of learning multiple stacks.)
I found the career services to be solid. There's a week after graduating devoted to coaching students on resumes, LinkedIn, etc. They also do a good job of bringing job openings and events to students' attention. The one problem with that is that it becomes a bit of a feeding frenzy toward the posted jobs and connections made at events, but I'm not really sure there's a good solution to that problem. I was able to find a job within a couple of months after graduating, as were my other cohort-mates who were in the top of our class. With that said, it wasn't an easy process. There's still a huge stigma around hiring bootcamp grads, and job searching (while simultaneously trying to continue coding) was more than a full-time job. If you plan on attending, definitely plan on not having a job for more than just the three and a half months of the bootcamp (and budget accordingly).
Like everyone says, it's all about what you put into it. Most of my cohort-mates and I put in 10-12 hour days everyday and worked at least one day out of the weekend. I'd say if you're not ready to do that or don't want to, then this probably isn't the route for you. Additionally, I highly recommend putting significant time into programing before you come (at least a month or so of self-study) - not just html and css, but actual programming fundamentals (try taking some of CS50 or getting a good way through freeCodeCamp). While the program is designed to accommodate everyone, in my experience, those who had at least a decent amount of prior experience were able to hit the ground running and not struggle so much early on. Overall, I loved my time at Coding Dojo, and strongly recommend it.
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Pat Verified via LinkedIn
Great Program With Even Better Teachers
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I went into the 14 week full time program with minimal at most programming experience. I came out of the program be very knowledgeable in 3 stacks. The online platform that they use can be improved in some sections but they are very prompted and helpful in correcting any errors you may find. I'd say the most valuable part of the bootcamp would be the teachers. They are very knowledgeable and ride the thin line between giving you all the answers and not really helping you at all. But riding this line is allows the students to better learn problem solving techniques and explore alternative option to fix an issue.
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Matt S Verified via LinkedIn
I came out successful and work at Microsoft as a Contractor
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I came out of the program and found work as a Microsoft contractor a few months later. It worked. It was hard. That said, this program and most other bootcamps are not for everyone. The program tries it's best to be inclusive and fun and all that, but the sad hard truth is most people who attend shouldn't waste their time and money.
There are really only 3 types of candidates:
1) People with no exp whatsoever, who are just chasing that mythic job for dollars, often with no higher education experience
2) Mid 20's people who got degrees in something they don't use, are tired of their current jobs.
3) Seasoned tech professionals who just don't know modern web stacks/languages.
The people who will be successful are group #3 and people from group #2 who are driven/hard working enough. The rest are the types who are probably the naysayers leaving negative reviews. Most of the time it's not an issue of ability, but one of expectation. People who haven't been through college often don't understand the hours/effort required to truly learn something. A lot of people who did go to college don't understand what it actually takes to get hired, and just assume (incorrectly) that showing up and getting a piece of paper is enough to get a job.
The building is crappy - but you don't go to have a nice building. You go here to learn. People who judge a program based on anything else are just acting spoiled.
The instructors are great, each one has a different angle. Jack has an amazing ability to communicate algorithms/time complexity. Ray is very caring and patient, and can explain things to people with no technical background in ways which make sense to them, if it still doesn't, he'll find a way.
All that being said - the program is getting too greedy. They keep expanding class sizes with each cohort - and it's gotten out of control. Last I checked, their new class had 50 students. Ideally, 15-20 quality students is about right per instructor. The bootcamp needs to do a far better job with 'vetting' candidates to their bootcamp.
Had I known about this practice I probably should have went to Galvanize or something like that - they actually require real tests/assignments before being accepted, and a friend in the current cohort only has 15 people in it - although their price tag is far less affordable.
The Job assisstance was actually better than I expected, it definitely got rid of a lot of erroneous assumptions I had about finding jobs/the hiring process, and I say this as someone with an Engineering degree with professional experience.
The coding experience itself is enough to get you going - it provides enough tools that you can go and learn on your own afterwards, but the program is by no means enough on it's own to snag you a job - it's up to you after that.
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Alex Verified via LinkedIn
Intensive 3 months
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After working 6+ years in the IT consulting, I decided I wanted to take a different direction in my career. I earn a degree in computer science but never got into the web technologies. After doing research about the different web dev accelerators, I decided on Coding Dojo.
The variety of content offered via the three stacks platform. The instructors are constantly adjusting their teaching styles to better suit every individual student's needs. The small cohort size allowed me to get the attention and coaching I needed to succeed.
My cohort was the third group of students to study at the Chicago location, there were changes during my time there. There were instructors from the Seattle location on loan until they could find Chicago-based instructors. All the instructors were great, though some were a bit rigid in their teaching style. The community manager has been active in helping students find employment after graduation.
The learning is done via an in-house platform that allows students to apply self-paced learning. That style of learning works for me, but some might want more of a lecture-centric environment. The typical day starts off with a short lecture covering the previous night's reading assignment, followed by white-boarding algorithm solutions, the remainder of the day involves working on coding assignments and perhaps a demo from the instructor for the stack.
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Thomas Pruim Verified via LinkedIn
Overall Great Experience in Chicago
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I attended Coding Dojo, with virtually no development experience. As the program moves fast, I learned a great deal within that relatively short time span. Learning 3 Full stacks allows for you to understand development principles much better, as well as how they can compare to each other. As someone who always learned best through comparison, this really benefitted my learning. In addition, I find myself much more able to learn new technologies over someone who learned only one stack.
This bootcamp is by far the best learning experience that I have ever had, including attending a 4 year university, and could not recommend it more.
As I am still looking for a job, the Coding Dojo staff are active in the process trying to place it's students into Chicago companies. Their active approach I believe maximizes success, as I feel that I will land a desired role soon.
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John Verified via GitHubA great environment, requires hard work and dedication
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I recently graduated and am freshly entering the tech world, so I don't know how the tech industry is as a whole, but I really enjoyed the environment at Coding Dojo. The instructors and my fellow students were all very friendly, and the vibe was generally very relaxed and easy going. There is a biegarten literally a 1 minute walk away and that also made the experience extra fun. With that said, learning to code requires dedication and persistance. One of the rules at the Coding Dojo is that when you are coding, you need to first struggle for 20 minutes before asking help from an instructor or TA. You can ask a fellow student, but you guys must also struggle for 20 minutes first. This may seem counter intuitive too many at first, but in my opinion this is a great policy. This really teaches you to become more self reliant, creative in searching for solutions, and a better problem solver. This is also a simulation of the coding environment in the real world. BUT with that said, if you're completely stuck on something and you gave your best effort, definitely ask for help after 20 minutes. There's no point in being stuck for longer than that. The TAs and instructors that I've worked with have all been very intelligent and helpful. They can find the problems in your code no problem, but they want you to try by yourself first. When you actively engage your obstacles, that's how you really internalize what your doing. If someone just handed you all the answers, it may feel good at first but it would be hindering your long-term growth.
I'm a big fan of the learning platform offered by the Dojo. I've heard different opinions from various people, but for me it provided me all the tools to delve into coding and eventually build web apps. I personally learn a lot better by doing projects as opposed to heavy lecture based curriculum. The Dojo provides demos and lectures, but I still prefer learning by reading and doing. Before I came to the dojo, I learned html/css/jquery, basic javascript and python through code academy but nothing related to servers or databases. In fact, I've never even heard of many of the technologies we learned. By going through the Dojo, I've been able to develop web apps that are currently deployed (online) which is awesome in such a short amount of time. Still, with that said, it took a lot of hard work and long hours (70-90 hours a week for me). Nothing will be handed to you. Just because you enroll doesn't mean you'll magically become an awesome coder. You have to earn and struggle through every obstacle and achievement you make.
Ok I feel like I've started rambling a bit. My take home message is the Coding Dojo provides a great environment to learn. You have to embrace struggling because coding is hard. Help is always around the corner, but try try try by yourself first. And just like anything in life, the more you put in the more you get out.
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Jack Verified via LinkedIn
Worth Your Time
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Before I came to the Coding Dojo, I had a background in biotech. I graduated college with a degree in Biochemistry, and then worked in that industry for a bit before realizing it wasn't a good fit for me. I had a feeling that would be the case before I even graduated college, but I decided to play it out a bit and see how it went. While I was still in college, I was starting to look into coding, but I didn't do so very seriously until after I started working and realized it wasn't going to work out. I did a lot of research on the bootcamps in the area, and after talking to some graduates from the Coding Dojo that had jobs right out of the program, I decided to go with it.
The experience there was almost overwhelmingly positive. The environment was great, super laid back, and working together to solve problems was encouraged. All the instructors seemed like they really wanted you to succeed, and between them and the TAs there, there is always someone you can ask for help, even to things unrelated to assignments. The amount of work you have to put in to be successful is no joke, when people say 60-70 hours a week they mean it. More would help. There are a LOT of concepts to cover, and between learning the basics of algorithms, frameworks, and different languages, there is no shortage of things to learn. Keeping on schedule with assignments can be pretty tough sometimes, a lot of people tend to fall behind by a day or so by the end of each stack.
The general layout of the program is as follows. The first 2 weeks are spent learning the basics of algorithms, HTML, and CSS, and touching a bit upon Ajax, jQuery, and Git/GitHub. Then everyone moves to the first stack, which is always Python, since it is a great starting language for most people for a variety of reasons. The layout of the stacks is the same. The first week is spent learning the language, and beginning to integrate it into HTML. The second and 3rd weeks then cover either the single framework you are using, broken into its component pieces, or initially a simpler framework (to teach basic concepts) and then the actual framework you will learn. At the end of the 3rd week, you have a test called the Belt exam, where if you score higher than a 9.5/10 you get a "Black Belt." It's very challenging to do this, because it is timed, and you build a project from scratch. Definitely doable, but most don't get it on their first try (you can retake it several times). Then the last week is spent working on a project, usually in a team, before presenting it at the end of the week. The project can be anything of your choosing, preferentially in the framework you just learned but that isn't required.
After the 3 stacks, there is a month of the residency program. When I went there, that had just changed to a new format, one that I found very helpful. The first week is spent going over the job hunting process, interviews, technical questions, and LinkedIn stuff. Just overall career outreach and what your next steps should entail. The remaining 3 weeks is time to touch up portfolios, finish projects/stacks/belt exams, and learn about some more advanced concepts that people vote on every day. These will range from computer science concepts to more job-related things, depending on what is on everyone's mind that day. There is also some more technical question practice during this time, and getting that down is very important.
In terms of honest criticism, there are a few holes in the experience, though I felt like they were being addressed fairly and in a reasonable amount of time. The platform occasionally had some outdated/incorrect info, but reporting this had it dealt with fairly quickly, and frameworks change pretty often so it can be hard to keep up with every last detail the exact moment it happens. Parking was a nightmare, and the solution was to just not have people park on site anymore, which should start soon if it hasn't already. This is actually better than having 150 people fight over 10 parking spots by seeing who can get there first, so this also seems fair in my book. You will not get feedback on assignments by just turning them in, as there is way too much for a few instructors to go over every day. However, you can get feedback on anything if you ask for a code review with an instructor. You just have to be proactive about asking questions.
Overall, the experience was fantastic, and you will get out what you put into it. It's not a degree, so you don't get a piece of paper that entails you to easy access to the interview process. You have to prove yourself to recruiters and employers with code you have written via projects you worked on, so take that seriously. I know some people complained about this program, but honestly I can say that I know these kind of people (we had a few in our cohort). They would only occasionally show up and didn't really seem like they wanted to learn, just that they wanted a job in a field that pays well. If you decide to go this route, make sure it is actually what you want to do, and you will have fun even in the midst of 70+ hours of coding a week. I had a ton of fun, met a lot of amazing people, and made quite a few new friends. I am 2 weeks out of the program and interviewing at 4 different places already. I am moving faster than most of the other people from my graduating section, but it's definitely doable, especially if you are proactive about this process.
My decision to come here was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and if you honestly want to get into this field and learn how to code, this is the place to do it.
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William Verified via LinkedIn
I had a lot of fun
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I first heard about programming boot camps on the radio and I always wondered how much someone can actually learn if they immerse themselves in a subject for a full three months. My previous programming experience was limited to a compulsory CS course from back in college in Matlab, so I had the advantage of already being familiar with concepts like if/else statements, for/while loops, arrays (often treated as matrices in Matlab), and nightmares about recursion. When I decided to enroll in Coding Dojo, I showed my friend who is a web developer a list of all the technologies I would be learning and he seemed incredulous that it would be possible to learn all of it. So I initially approached the boot camp with a bit of skepticism and the goal to get as much out of the experience as I could.
I soon found that both the coursework and the instruction was superb. I feel you really get exposed to a good cross section of web development. I cannot understate the time commitment that is expected however. I spent 70+ hours a week programming, and I did not witness anyone who was successful in the program that didn't dedicate a similar amount of time. The pace was grueling, but I somehow found myself waking every morning re-energized and excited to learn new things and interact with my classmates and the instructors who are genuinely fun to be around. Ultimately, three months had passed and in the process I had learned three full stacks, developed the ability to self-learn new languages, and made life-long friends.
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Harris Verified via LinkedIn
Experience at Coding Dojo
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My overall experience at Coding Dojo was an excellent one. If I had to describe the journey, I would have to say it was "frustratingly rewarding." The curriculum is designed with gaps (this was the frustrating part) for students to actually engage in the completion of the work. This aspect of the program was difficult but the instructors do a great job in guiding you in the right direction. I can't stress enough how essential personal time management comes into play and how many times I've witnessed a student give up on their goal or find and alternative. If you 're looking to make your way into becoming a software developer in the shortest amount of time, I implore you to sacrifice the 14 weeks they ask of you, expect it to be rough, and most importantly, go HAM! Now an alumni of the dojo, I can say with confidence that getting through it was easily one of the best decisions I've made for myself.
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Zak H. Verified via LinkedIn
Developing your coding acumen
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I am currently a UW student who was sponsored last summer ’16 through the WSOS to take the Coding Dojo bootcamp. My greatest take away from the dojo was the ‘coding acumen’ I developed that has allowed me to independently write, work with other people’s code, and comprehend language documentation. I will admit, In the beginning, I was highly frustrated because I couldn’t always understand how to go about writing an algorithm or even how to navigate through my computer. But the beauty about dedicating yourself to working on software for a few months, is that overtime you begin to develop an ability to decompose problems at a higher level than you could before. I have been using this skillset of decomposing problems to understand machine learning, as well as ethical hacking. Simply put, being at the Coding Dojo community and environment will give you useful skillsets that can be applied to more than just web development! (P.S. I study Neurobiology, and understanding how to use code has been extremely useful for me in a biological field).
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Brenden Camastro
Was good, now a scam
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I thought what I learned was good. Originally I felt after graduation, they were pretty helpful with resume stuff and helping you propel to try to find a career. Unfortunately when I graduated there were tons of layoffs in the industry so hard to get a job. But I kept using the coding dojo website to make sure I stay sharp on what I was taught and I would find new skills to learn or to grow. Now they are taking all access away from any one that graduated and it seems impossible to get in touch with any one who would help you find a career after. It’s an overpriced scam. Go with another boot camp that will either actually help you, or a cheaper one. -
Fernanda Monroe
It was worth every second!
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I enrolled as a student of the Software Development Full Time program. It demands from 70 to 90 hours a week, and I can assure you that if you take the time to study and aim to complete all of the assignments on time, you will spend 70+ hours a week easily. Even though the bootcamp is demanding, I can say that every second was worth it. I learned so much with the bootcamp. Their online material, the live lectures, and the insructors were great and they make learning the materials easy. I met great people through this program, expanded my network, and feel like I'm part of a community of cohorts who are all in the same boat as me. My cohort was great, everyone helped each other during the program and I can certainly say I made great friends.
Since we live in a digital world, it is true that you can find most of the material from free sources, like Google and Youtube. But I decided to join the bootcamp because the instructors could guide me on which steps should be taken first, and I had a community of people available to clarify all my question when needed.
Coding Dojo also offers workshops with diverse topics. I attented all of them and most of it had great information. They do TechTalks monthly and often invite Alumni that are in a Developer role to give advice and share their experiences as a bootcamp student, now in the field.
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Kezia
Over priced and under delivered services.
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Please save your money and go somewhere else. Coding Dojo's Cybersecurity program is overly priced for the very sub-par services they offer. I was excited and assured that you can do this program as a newbie to the tech world. It felt like someone hurriedly threw together the curriculum. I spent my first three months trying to sort through the course work, trying to make sense of sentences that didn't even fit together. It was very poorly structured. Literally whole paragraphs would not make sense grammatically. They have three different professors for beginner, intermediate and the professional stack. I truly do not know what they were thinking hiring the first professor to teach the beginner section. He is someone who is clearly well knowledgeable but not even close to being a good teacher. Many times, when questioned to explain something deeper because a student didn't understand, he would often repeat the explanation he already gave and then say "you get it?" When the person replied no, he would say, well lets table it for now. He said that for everything and after a month about 30 people dropped from the program because they weren't getting the help they were promised to understand this very large and complex topic. The other two teachers were much better than him but because we weren't given a great foundation in the program everything was a struggle. I've done other bootcamps that were thousands less, way more helpful and just very intuitive for the student to learn in the best environment possible.
Trying to contact someone for help was just as ambiguous, after reaching out to TA's and meeting with the professor himself, I resorted to complaining directly to the school imploring that I needed help. I was gaslit and even though I had proof to show that I had reached out on numerous occasions, it was still determined that it was somehow my fault even though I was putting in 40 hours of studying weekly. This program is why bootcamps can have a bad connotation with scamming. Save your money and go somewhere else.
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Oscar Castanaza
This Bootcamp was worth the investment
This Bootcamp has very good teachers, they know what they do and where to find the answers to any question (in case they don't know). But they really understand the realms of Data Science. I was so afraid to join and be left behind but the instructors and TAs were always there to help me push through. I didn't want it to end but Its time to find a job and continue now. -
Radyn
Hard Work pays off
Going through coding dojo i learned 3 full stacks and met a lot of people to network with, most of the instructors where really good only had one that was not very good. The career services are good at getting you prepared to applying for with resume works shops and interview techniques -
Francisco Mallari
Top Tier Bootcamp
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Coding dojo was such a great experience. Had little coding knowledge but by the end of the boot camp I felt confident in getting into the software development field. The courses were very detailed, included lots of support, and the instructors were patient, involved and available. The assignments were definitely helpful in learning each stack. We also get life time career services, who help with finding a job, resume building, interview coaching, etc. Would recommend to anyone looking to get into software development or wanting to learn new languages. -
Aaron Hill
Wonderful
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So there are some pros and cons and they are actually the same but opposite sides.
The 3 stack program is amazing to get a few different languages under your belt and see what you like. But on the flip side that can hinder you from learning deeper into the language. As for me, I like having the more languages. It gave me more of a feel of what I wanted to do. I thought I wanted to do front end but quickly realized I did not like that approach.
The Career services team are amazing if you work with them. While they may reach out to you for hte initial you have to put in your leg work (not a bad thing since they have 100s of students to work with) to keep your resume up to par and worded right.
The instructors and TA's are top notch. It is hard to stump them with any type of questions, besides stumping them they even go in depth to help further your knowledge. All the instructors I had were in it to help you succeed.
Each stack you have an exam to test your knowledge. It is a fail pass exceed,
All in all The staff is awesome and great to know and study under. -
Kelsey Bremer
don't do it
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There are better bootcamps out there. Find one that won't charge you tuition until you get employed!! Then you know its guaranteed. There's nothing worse than paying 14k for a *full time immersive* bootcamp and nothing to show for it. The teachers are ok, but you'll still be helpless and clueless after the bootcamp. Most of them are just graduates from this bootcamp who couldnt get a job FYI. And the lifetime of career services?? Its garbage too. Seriously, if you're here reading this, FIND ANOTHER BOOTCAMP!!! -
Monte Honarchian
You Get What You Put In!
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You get what you put out of it. I Highly Recommend This. Online Full Time Grad
Short Answer: If you want to get into Software Development/Engineering, Coding Dojo is the route. Far cheaper than going to a 4 year school, wish I did this 4 years ago. High Quality Instruction, Fast-Paced, and you get what you put into it. Plus, Career Services for LIFE!!!
Long Answer:
Overall Experience: I am proud to have finished the dojo, it was truly a "strength through struggle" endeavor that opened my eyes to the world that was once completely foreign to me. I highly recommend Coding Dojo, because the curriculum and staff are top-tier. 3.5 months for me to learning web fundamentals and 3 full stacks has proved to me that I can learn something new really quickly which is super attractive to employers.
Instructors: High Quality Instructors who have great and friendly personalities. They are super helpful! Even the new instructors are all very well trained and capable of teaching in an effective way. Teachers Assistants "TA's" are also very helpful and supportive and with them plus the teachers you have ample support for when you get stuck. The only thing is to actually get help from them when needed don't miss the opportunity and fall behind.
Curriculum: I learned Web Fundamentals, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, then 3 full stacks of Python, MERN, and JAVA. Fast-Paced but totally doable if you put in the time. We also start each day with Algorithms.
Job Support: The career services team is readily available and offer GOLD NUGGETS of insider information that make you more competitive for employers
Great Staff, Rewarding, Up-to-Date Material, Personal Growth, Fun, Lots of Support, Does not feel like school, exciting.
If you fall behind in the fast-paced class that I took for 3.5 months, you have time to catch up, but that's almost all you will be doing, just playing catch up. I fell behind because of my lack of discipline at times and stubbornness at times to get help from the instructor in a timely manner, but hey even I made it through. -
Eriun Almanzar Reyes
Review from my perspective
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Coding Dojo is a family that help you achieved new skills at the same time improve as a human being, have fun and learn that the way to be reach through too you need to be humble .
✅: great support from instructor, teaching assistants and classmates.
❌: The platform should be update with the latest software. The platform should be more completed so students can fully be prepared to work on a company.
Should relate more group projects as mandatory to get more familiar to collaborate with other developers. -
Joanna Taranowski
Overall Recommend!!
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I definitely wouldn't be where I am without the bootcamp.
They do a great job of trying to pack a lot into the 14 weeks and the community you build really helps you stay on track and motivated. Quick thing that I'd like to mention is that the pros and cons below are going to be outweighed by your ability to commit and work hard. Every person who met milestones on time, regardless of how they felt on the overall program, was putting in the time and energy. Good instructors, resources, overall well organized, good collaborative time. The instructors and TA's are all excited for you and seem to like their jobs. Lots of support throughout the process.There's also a lot of post bootcamp & career services related support .Sometimes their learning platform is not up to date which can cause a lot of frustration. Sometimes you may get a newer instructor and that can cause a lot more stress for you, especially if you struggle more to pickup the material. There is still a huge commitment of time and resources post bootcamp during the job search. Some people do get lucky and get employed quickly but ultimately you have to continue learning, building, etc. -
Laura B
Great experience!
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I took this bootcamp because I wanted to improve my data science/ programming skills. My background is in International Business and I am switching into this field. I found it great! I was a beginner in programming without a background in math, computer science or statistics so I wanted to try a bootcamp where some previous knowledge was not required. Coding Dojo helps you with a week of pre-bootcamp and then you start the whole bootcamp. I really liked that since the beginning people contact you, your counselor, your instructor, career services, etc. They give you immediate access to the learning platform, to the schedule, to the activities, etc. I feel that you do not get lost with all the new things you have to learn and do. I have taken other online courses/bridges programs and it did feel like you were there by yourself and if you learn something good for you because 'we do not care' and it was totally different with Coding Dojo. They give you real support! The platform is very interactive, Instructors and TA's really help you, they send you emails when you are behind asking how they can help, etc. The community and classmates were very nice too, they helped me many times. I can say that it is worth the money and your time. -
Hyen Woo Park
Student
I started this program with zero experience. Had a good platform to learn by myself and have previous lecture recordings. The learning platform was also well developed and maintained. All around it was a great experience. -
C Thomas Wyrth
Software Development Full-Time Online Review
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Coding Dojo is one of six coding bootcamps I researched when I first decided to make a career change and move into programming. While I was making my decision to attend I found the staff to be pleasant, engaging, and capable. They always answered me promptly and referred me to sources that would help if they didn't directly/immediately know themselves. I ultimately decided to attend based on that and on the program they offered... it was one of the few that provided study in more than one programming language and that didn't insist on a Microsoft-centric learning experience.
Once in the program I found the curriculum to be directed and the instructors to be engaging. The time commitment is intensive (they make sure to acknowledge that continuously before you start) and it's easy to find yourself falling behind on daily expectations, but there were always resources available to help catch you back up - including TAs, access to Zoom classrooms, an active Discord for your cohort, and the ability to schedule 1-on-1s with the instructor. The testing paradigm to progress through the stacks is consistent and the scoring does offer students an opportunity to distinguish themselves.
Now, none of this is to say that Coding Dojo's program is perfect. During my cohort, at least, there wasn't a very solid sense of necessity during the project week that concludes each stack. Testing happens before then and can even run into that time if there are a lot of retakes and the project didn't have any bearing on your success or failure overall. There was also little import as to whether you should do them in a group or alone. Also, while there is an investment in the course materials to encourage students to do extra research on specific topics and to venture out to learn more about other languages, interfaces, and libraries, there are a few aspects of that where the program is definitely lacking. The most important of which I see as unit testing.
Outside of the program, Career Services is the other aspect to consider here. My experience overall has not been the most consistent. It is improving, but I had a rocky start from early on. A lot of my cohort-mates, however, swear by their CSMs and have since early on in the program. The alumni Discord is active and there are regular emails with job listings, activities/programs, and new partnerships the Dojo is taking on. All-in-all, there's a comprehensive after-program program... you just have to invest yourself in accessing it. Thank fully, it never really goes away, they say you have life-time access. -
Michael Loucks
I learned a lot in a short time
It was a great program. I was able to learn three full stacks in a short amount of time all while using my GI Bill. Learning multiple stacks allowed me to decide the one to build my career on. -
timothy soule
Great place to learn to code
I started this program with zero experience. They where very good at teaching coding in a way i could understand. The instructors where very helpful and the content was great! Couldnt have expected more. The learning platform was also well developed and maintained. All around it was a great experience. -
Jeffrey Harms
Amazing Program
I had my doubts and fears about returning to school to complete Coding Dojo's Full Stack Development course but it was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. The instructors and TAs that I got to know while attending the program were all patient, passionate and dedicated to helping their students succeed. -
Sophia Baker
BEST BOOTCAMP AVAILABLE
I learned to code while pregnant and with a newborn. The platform flexible and interactive. You can set your own pace, watch lectures live or recorded and the access to live help is always an option. Looking to take more courses so I can further my skills! -
Jacob Adams
graduate
A great place to learn to be a programmer -
Andre Batten
Great School
A solid choice if you are starting in tech or want to change careers. The staff is great, the curriculum is challenging but fair. You will learn so much and be such a better developer afterwards. The environment is welcoming and respect and instructors help you along the way. If you're on the fence choose this school. -
Christina Pilat
10/10 Would Recommend
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The Coding Dojo experience was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It pushed me to my limit. But I loved it. The Dojo has so much to offer. They have amazing scheduling options, so much learning support - from instructors to TAs, great online community, user-friendly learning platform, reading & video materials, lectures from multiple instructors, and great career services support. There's so much to learn and it's going to require more time than you think but it's so worth it. -
Richards
Great !
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This is the Bootcamp that you need to level up your skills, it is intense, and you should work hard to get your belt.
Professors are the best in their field, always available, always kind and if they can't the professor's assistants have availability. You can set up a meeting with them to solve every issue that you have. My experience is in Full Stack Python part-time but it isn't part-time cause it is so intense and worthful, you should dedicate enough time to pass the belt exams at the end it depends 100% on you cause there is material, class, exercises, and assistantships, everything that you need to learn and go beyond of what you need.
I highly recommend this Bootcamp, I'll take another BootCamp for sure.