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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...
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.
Sarah of Coding Dojo
Alumni Relations
Sep 06, 2023
Description | Percentage |
Full Time, In-Field Employee | N/A |
Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | N/A |
Short-term contract, part-time position, freelance | N/A |
Employed out-of-field | N/A |
How much does Coding Dojo cost?
Coding Dojo costs around $16,995. On the lower end, some Coding Dojo courses like Software Development Online Part-Time Accelerated cost $9,995.
What courses does Coding Dojo teach?
Coding Dojo offers courses like Cybersecurity Online Part-Time Bootcamp, Data Science & Machine Learning Online Part-Time Bootcamp, Data Science & Visualization Part-Time Online Bootcamp, Software Development Online Full-Time and 2 more.
Where does Coding Dojo have campuses?
Coding Dojo teaches students Online in a remote classroom.
Is Coding Dojo worth it?
The data says yes! In 2019, Coding Dojo reported a 80% graduation rate, a median salary of $72,048, and N/A of Coding Dojo alumni are employed.
Is Coding Dojo legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 628 Coding Dojo alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Coding Dojo and rate their overall experience a 4.39 out of 5.
Does Coding Dojo offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Coding Dojo 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 Coding Dojo reviews?
You can read 628 reviews of Coding Dojo on Course Report! Coding Dojo alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Coding Dojo and rate their overall experience a 4.39 out of 5.
Is Coding Dojo accredited?
No
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