Coding Dojo

My name is Arthur and I graduated the Coding Dojo program  months ago.  I started the program to change careers, but have not yet made my move.  I am still working to get comfortable with some new languages and concepts that are currently being used.  My time in the bootcamp was challenging but definitely a good experience.  If you are looking to learn, be prepared to only get as much out as you get in...hopefully.  I really enjoyed the instructors and  TAs, but class participation was not mandatory.  Therefore, if other students were  not working to group up my only resources was the teacher (spent hours picking Devon and Wes's brain).  I also got some great support from one or two other students.  I would recommend an online bootcamp only if you cannot make in person sessions (which require more teamwork) and also have 25 hrs to dedicate to learning.  I would do the bootcamp again!

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Hi everyone, my name is Dumitru and I went thru Coding Dojo bootcamp together with my brother the same time. I want to start with the fact that if you are passionate of web developing, coding and you are not completely new to programing then Coding Dojo is for you. Coding Dojo offers some algorithms code examples, wich can be found here: http://algorithm.codingdojo.com/ you just have to enter your email and take the test, and if you pass the test then you kow for sure you are ready. I'm telling that because bootcamp is not for complete beginers. So in my case Coding Dojo did a great job, in the morning we had 1 hour of algorithms, after that we jumped directly to the platform. Coding Dojo's platform is very wel designed to teach you the newest techology on the market (they difer from location to location, I went to Chicago IL location and at that location they will teach you Python with framework Django, C# with framework ASP.Net Core 2.0, MEAN with framework Angular 5). At Coding Dojo you become full stack developer but you have to dedicate your self, you have to study full time, you can't have a job while in the bootcamp, it is a lot of material which need to be learn in a short period of time. It is a lot of strugling but as they say at Coding Dojo is rewarding. The greatest thing about Coding Dojo is that after each stack they offer you to connect with 2-3 friends and build a website, so after Coding Dojo you should have at least 3 projects. This projects are very important because the improve your knoledge and the most important is for your job interviews. During my job search I got a lot of interviews and I got a lot of questions on my projects. So if Coding Dojo asks you to do a project, do it, it will help you geting a job. About job hunting, after you finish Coding Dojo you get a diploma and next week you are going to have career service week, during that week you'll get a lot of information how to get a job, salary negociation etc. Coding Dojo is not going to look for a job for you, you have to look for a job, I got my job in 2.5 months after finishing that bootcamp, my brother 3.5 months, some of our colegs got jobs after 1.5 months. I'm working contractor for a big company (Abbott under Cognizant) my borter is also a contractor under another company for Google. My bottom line is that it is challenging to find a job, but that not only because is a bootcamp students from coledges universityes, also have a hard time find jobs.
My opinion is that is worthit, but you have to follow the instructors tasks, they kow what is better for you.
Thanks and good luck with your job hunt.
       

       Thanks Coding Dojo.

        Dumitru and Nick.

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I'm a career changer and I would love to share my experience at Coding Dojo. 

• What did you do before Coding Dojo?
  • I was an architectural designer and an MBA student. 
• Why did you decide to join Coding Dojo?
  • As I went through my MBA program, I realized that I want to work in the infotech industry. In order to break into the tech industry without a computer science degree was tough. Also, it didn't really make sense not to know what "coding" is since I would have to work with programmers in my future career. So, I decided to take a coding boot camp. I've researched about a few boot camp options (Hackreactor, Thinkful, and UCLA Extention program along with Coding Dojo) in terms of the ROI, proximity, and culture. Coding Dojo fits my need the best. 
• What did you get out of Coding Dojo?
  • I grasped the overview of what coding is and how engineers think and work. At the end of the program, I was able to build prototypes myself that is a valuable skill to become a product manager. 
• What do you do now?
  • After Coding Dojo, I worked as an associate product manager for a startup. There, I've learned how to work with cross-functional team and development process of the digital product, especially making the data-driven decisions at every given time. Now I'm a project manager at a data science consulting firm: working with data scientists to build machine learning solutions for various business problems. 

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Coding Dojo was one of the best learning experiences of my life. Coming from the first cohort of a new location was a bit worrting at first, but we got lucky with the postitive and close-knit learning environment. Being a new graduate, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my career or where to start. After learning a bit of html myself, I decided a fully emmersive experience would help me grow the skills I needed to further fuel my hobby.

I'm glad I made the investment to attend coding dojo because I absolutely love what I do. With the large amount oif flexibility and creative freedom in my craft, I enjoy creating websites and apps. If I don't entriely know how to do something, I know the way to think of the solution with the foundations that coding dojo gave me, I can problem solve at work. Even though I still don't know what industry I want to be in for the long run, the techinical and personal skills I gained at coding dojo will allow me to really go anywhere.

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Coding Dojo Chicago is awesome. 

Before the Dojo I was a banker and also never completed my college degree. Zero experience in coding but I knew it was a lucrative career path.

I decided on the dojo because I had enough saved away to make the switch and I wanted a career path that was secure and vital. Everyone wants a developer and the need for great developers is only increasing.

I was really on the fence though. Everyone says 6 figure salary on the ads but I basically thought to myself eh...is it really going to happen to me? I took the leap of faith (backed by lots of self research) and went to the dojo.

At the Chicago Dojo I got a great understanding of 3 different full stacks and a community of peers from the onsite that are still friends today! I even built a mobile app and launched it with people from my cohort after we graduated. We successfully had over 1k users world wide downloading and using our app which may not be a lot but it was great to get through those steps of launching a prodict into the world!

Now I am a mobile developer making that very 6 fig salary that all the ads rave about and so this review is certainly overdue.


SOME IMPORTANT CAVEATS:
1. Not everyone in my cohort is a developer. Many took different paths in tech or dropped tech altogether. Some people just did not believe they could do it. It's a shame but many people for some reason just didnt have the confidence in their abilities and the stress can really psych you out of your success. Please if you take this leave the tears and self doubt at the door. Bring your A game. Listen to motivational videos if your getting stressed, whatever it is that gets you pumped for your success be sure to know what you need to bring your focus back

2. I did NOT get a 6 fig job directly out of bootcamp! Here is the timeline I personally tooke:
-Graduate
-3 months learning and building out mobile app (no job and very little applying)
-Part time Code Teaching Assistant for 3 months @ $15-20/hr (still building out mobile app on my own time with friends)
-Land a job at a startup for $55k/yr, 3months there and the company went under!
-Land 6 figure job (current) 

Some people went into 75k/yr jobs right out of bootcamp but I was really passionate about building out this app and I didnt even really try to apply. Others applied really hard but never got a stable job in the industry so moved on to something else. I usually found the people who were less confident in their abilities had a harder time. The people who didnt get psyched out, or at least easily recovered from their stresses got jobs far more easily.


So yea! zero college degree, zero code expereience, and  one Chicago Coding Dojo. Life changed!


You can do it! You need to keep your mental toughness about you the whole way through. There is leterally no difference between me and others who took the course, actually some came in with more experience but I did find that the most confident people who came in pumped to learn and took it easy were far more successful than those who came in seemingly stressed out or believing the courseload was too daunting. 


Best to you on your journey!

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After learning to code on my own, I decided to invest in a bootcamp for the structure and community. Coding Dojo is a big investment, but it was actually less costly than other bootcamps around the area. It’s also one of the few located in South Bay.    The curriculum is great — you learn three full stacks (other bootcamps focus on one). The benefit of this is that you start to see common patterns in each stack. The learning platform goes over the basics of each stack, along with assignments to complete as you progress. Once you’re done with the program, you’ll have time to fill in any gaps in your knowledge. Another benefit to Coding Dojo is you’re always welcome back to use the space. There’s a designated section for alumni and there are usually plenty of seats available.    Most of what you’ll learn will come from the platform, Google, and debugging with your cohortmates. In my opinion this is more effective than lectures because you learn how to teach yourself new concepts which makes you a better developer in the long run 🙂 It teaches you to become a self sufficient developer.    Career services is run by professional career coaches over the course of a week. You also get a one-on-one meeting with them to go over your resume in depth.    I’d recommend Coding Dojo to anyone looking to get their start in web development.   Read less

I have learned various programming languages before I attended this program. However, I have not learned anything about the frameworks that the languages until I took this program. Thanks to Coding Dojo, I have a very in-depth knowledge about Python, Java, Javascript, and the frameworks that use these languages, including Flask, Django, Spring Boot, Node, Express, etc.. 

If you are eager to learn about computer programming and how they are used in various frameworks, then Coding Dojo is the right program for you. The program is pretty intense and fast-paced, however, since you have to complete multiple assignments everyday. Fortunately, the program has plenty of people who can help you. I have made some friends in the dojo who managed to get me through the hardest assignments and clarify things I did not know. I really appreciate their help and the people who have helped me get through the program. I hope the others will have a fun time like I did as well. 

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As the title says, the course was fantastic and most of my instructors were great. However, I was told by my instructors that they would still be accessible and happy to answer any questions once we grauated the program. It's been about a month since I've graduated and I've reached out to all 4 of my instructors, several times, for a quick question or to work through some bugs and 1 got back to me and then didn't respond after that. It just seems strange and unprofessional that it hasn't been even a month and they go from helping you daily, to non-existent and impossible to get in contact with once you walk out that door on your graduation date. 

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The most important thing to keep in mind is that what you get out of the program is completely dependent on what you put in. The material you cover will help establish a strong base for exploring a software development career in Python, RoRs or MEAN, but you are going to have to put in the work, in terms of dedicated time spent on learning and solving algorithms (whiteboarding). I am not referring to some group think process, but a 1 on 1 interview practice on the whiteboard, including behavioral, logic and programming questions. Especially, in the BayArea (Silicon Valley) it is a very competitive job market for software developers. Unless you want to compete and challenge yourself to improve every day there is slim to no chance of you landing a Junior Development job straight out of the boot camp. Keep in mind some students have an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, and some have a Masters in Computer Science or some other Engineering background. If you are open to relocation outside of the BayArea you will find more opportunities where the barrier to entry is a lot lower.

In order to be successful, in the boot camp, you need to dedicate yourself to mastering the material because what you cover are the appetizers of the Software Industry. There are a ton more things to learn and master. Unless you enjoy learning something new every day and challenging yourself, do not join the boot camp. If you enjoy solving problems, fixing software programs to find out why they are not working (debugging) then join the boot camp. Posting your solutions to the programming exercises you find from the boot camp will not be enough to land a job. You will need to be creative in terms of the projects you do to include in your portfolio. Just as in any other high school, or college, teachers do have their favorite students. However, if teachers see that you are putting in the time and the effort they will make more effort to help you. However, if you leave early and come late this is a red flag for them, and they will talk to you to find out why you are not attending morning algorithms. Invest in a good pair of noise canceling over the ear headphones as at times the Dojo can be loud with people playing table tennis, a meet up happening or open house.

Career Services is helpful in the fact it gives you perspective on all the things you need to consider in order to be ready to find a new job including Resume writing, Portfolio building, and Networking. Besides the resume, networking will be your most important tool in order to land a new job opportunity. I heard from students who applied to 300+ jobs online and had less than a 10% response rate. Talk to people while you are in the dojo, attend MeetUps at the dojo, exchange contact information. You will need to overcome the fear of being rejected. Rejection is a common part of life for most of us, but for those who have not experienced it before, it can be a bitter pill to swallow. Failing fast, and not taking rejections personally is an extremely important asset when trying to land your first development opportunity. Apply to many companies, to keep the pipeline of job applications flowing. Smaller companies will tend to get back to you faster than larger companies but that is not always the case. So take control of what is in your power. Apply strategically, and talk to your neighbor, family members, friends, and ex-colleagues. Let people know that you are doing this coding boot camp so by the time you graduate some of them might willing to help share a job lead or pass on your resume to someone in their network. I wish you the best in this challenging journey. Believe in yourself, and don't give up!

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This program was a great introduction into the world of Web Development - the curriculum is tough, but if you put in the time it is more than worth it. I've had feedback from multiple employers during the interview process that are very happy with the exposure to so much. The instructors are great and the daily algorithm hour is a great way to get the brain juices flowing.

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I went to the Coding Dojo after leaving a job in software sales. I took a few clases in college near the end of my major, and was always interested in coding and mobile web development. 

The reason I selected the coding dojo was their offering of full stack development, being new to the field I reasoned that this would allow me to explore/learn different roles at once and from there I could decide where to specialize.

If you're worried about credibility I will just say this, the program is a legit track to break into the IT field, the learning platform is very good, better than anything you will find online and comparable to a college course, but with a more steamlined syllabus.

The standard on-site curriculum includes a 2 week intro, followed by instruction in 3 full web stacks. Each stack is taught over a period of 3-4 weeks. The first two present components of full stack web development and the third ties all of them together. The fourth week is for review or a 1 week sprint project, which can be an invaluable addition to your portfolio and an awesome learning experience in and of itself. 

The instructors are great people, very patient, helpful and very accomodating. I would definitely recommend the on-site program vs. online, because based on my experience when you are stuck as a new developer a little assistance goes a long way.

I would recommend this program, it will be a ton of work, for the most part you should expect to be coding 8-12 hrs a day 6-7 days a week. The good part is that the environment at their Chicago location is really awesome. A great loft space to work in, nice people, free snacks, and places nearby if you need to take a break, grab a coffee, etc. 

Career support is good, but it will require almost the same amount of work as the program. I've seen some people get jobs weeks within graduation and others are still looking months later, but from what I observed it's largely a matter of personal choices, expectations and even a little burnout. But If you are ready to work hard, Coding Dojo will definitely help you land a job. 

Good luck!

 

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My experience at the Dojo was an interesting one. I had very little coding experience before starting and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I realized that the ads and the brochures weren't lying when they said that you might have to spend 70+ hours a week at this bootcamp. I found my self immersed in the work that I was doing and I realized that I was learning more than I ever believed I was capable of learning. About a month after the bootcamp was over I was offered a position at a startup. The bootcamp experience is hard but it's well worth it if you're willing to put in the work that's necessary to be successful. 

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Before going into this program. I had done research with different coding bootcamps and this seemed like a good fit based on reviews, location, and instructors. Although I didn't complete this boot camp, I can tell you why I dropped out. Having no previous experience with coding, I felt like I was expected to know how to do algorithms without learning the concept of it. The main instructor during the first week was not helpful and I felt as if he had no patience for students who did not know certain topics. It wasn't  just algorithms, it was also topics. I was struggling and so were other students I spoke with and we felt like we had little understanding of topics that were given but we were expected to move on to the next topic very quickly. Any beginners signing up, please be cautious of this school, it's only good for people with previous coding experience not said in their website. Remember it's still a business that wants a profit. 

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The Coding Dojo crammed way more students into the cohort than they could handle. Then they fired every T.A and the office manager "to save costs" and the remaining instructors sometimes wouldn't even show up. I can't recomend this bootcamp. I was able to learn a lot by working really hard but in the end the management doesn't care about you, you're basically a dollar sign to them.

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I think that Coding Dojo is on the right track for immersing new students into software development, but I'm hard pressed to recommend the school. There are a few things that they do well, while it feels that most everything else falls into a category of "irrelevant". The communication from instructors is very poor and the course material is a mixed back of inconsistent qualty (either quite decent or very poor).

I've found that Coding Dojo has done well has to do with enrollment and preparation to start the courses. When contacted directly, I've found that the admissions staff are quick to respond and are very helpful. There are a few videos and reading materials presented to ensure that you're of the right mindset to engage in the material. You are expected to go through a preparatory course to ensure that you can at least follow the logic of what's happening in a basic program. You're provided exercises in the pre-camp work to ensure that you understand the new knowledge.

And that's really the extent of it. Currently, Coding Dojo rellies on Slack to handle student/teacher communication. For the uninitiated, Slack is effectively a GUI chat channels, like you might see on IRC or a Skype room. You're expected to ask questions about assignments of your fellow students here before going to the professor. While I agree with this logic, the end result is that communication is very chaotically presented. If you're not sitting at your desk watching the channels, you could easily lose your space. This also means "good luck" if you're a little behind schedule on your assignments.

Another result of Coding Dojo's almost exclusive reliance on Slack instructors are otherwise unresponsive. I think that I've had maybe one productive conversation with a instructor. Beyond that one conversation, I've barely warrented a response from them. I had once gone 48 hours without a response from an instructor to inform him that I'm struggling in a piece of course content that appeared broken. I only received a response because I contacted a member fo the admissions staff and asked him to intervene.

In both circumstances where I've e-mailed instructors, the best that I’ve received was a canned response that could be summerized as “I’ve never seen this problem before, and I’m sorry that you’re frustrated.”

I'll readily admit that I have successfully acquired some new skills, but it’s been a difficult journey. There are a few courses in which concepts felt poorly organized and presented, in which I've had to invest a disproportionate amount reviewing so I could organize my notes to facilitate my comprehension of new concepts. There courses that are poorly presented have a heavy reliance on informal, sometimes ambiguious use of the English language and implied assumption of shared context. That is to say that it can sometimes feel like the course’s progression follows like this: “I’m discussing points B and C now, after which I’ll make reference to point A. Here’s point E. Remember where I buried a passing reference to point D at the start of the course?”

The in-course lectures feel like the usually feel an outline, but are generally unscripted. If the lectures were complimentary to the reading material, this would be fine. Having to transcribe material from an audio format to a text structure for later reference is tedious, frustrating, and inconductive of a learning environment. Their instructors are developers by trade, not instructors. While they are effective at developing assignments and material, their ability to communicate new concepts is in some very dire need of improvement.

As the content is all web-based, it’s not uncommon to receive random (forced) surveys about something that they believe is relevant to what you’re doing – regardless of being at a point to accurately answer their questions. “You’re taking a survey NOW on how your job search is going – even though you’re only half way through our course and you haven’t talked to any of our career advisors.”

So, to summarize, I do not recommend Coding Dojo. You will not be receiving your money’s worth from this school.

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I enrolled at Coding Dojo immediately after they opened the Chicago location. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and professional. The program is tough, and you get out what you put in. I spent many late nights working on the projects. I had many positive experiences at the Dojo. The main focus is becoming a self-reliant full-stack developer, and I feel like I accomplished that goal.  The curriculum is evolving and constantly improving and will only continue to improve.

My only knock was that when I enrolled the career services apparatus had not fully materialized yet. Now, I can see they are actively improving in this area, so your experience won't mirror mine. 

Overall I had a lot of fun and learned a lot a the Dojo, and strongly recommend it. 

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