Concordia Bootcamps

   HOW THE BOOTCAMP WORKS 

   In the full time version, you study Monday to Friday, with about 8 hrs of class/instructor help per day. You start with short lesson, somewhere between 1 to 3 hrs of lecture. You are then assigned a workshop which is usually due before the beginning of the next class. There are also a few major projects to complete. While projects are assigned, workshops are not assigned. So at any given time, you are expected to be doing either workshops or projects, but not both. You only need to complete each workshop to 75% to pass. Unfortunately, there is usually a huge learning curve to overcome if you want to complete the last 25% of each workshop. Each workshop has additional stretch goals, which are not graded but are challenges which will help you become a better developer. So if you only complete 75% of each workshop, you will be missing out on SO MANY opportunities to learn skills that will make you a more competent developer. Skills that you paid good money to learn. On the plus side, once the bootcamp is done, you still have all your workshops on your GitHub account. So you can go back and complete them after the bootcamp if you want. But you should understand that, unless you have significant past programming experience, you will spend nearly every waking moment studying. You will give up your entire weekends. You will do nothing but code for the duration of the bootcamp. And even then, you will probably not achieve a 100% completion rate on your workshops. 

   In the part-time version, you have class/instructor help on Tuesdays (6:30 to 10pm), Thursdays (6:30 to 10pm), and Sundays (10am to 5pm). The workshops are due before the next class after which they were assigned. Instead of being 3 months long, the part-time version is 8 months long (because of things like Christmas break, March break, and statutory holidays).

   Once you complete the program, you are given career assistance for 6 months. A career counselor helps you make a resume, a LinkedIn profile, etc. They also help you with mock interviews, filling your resume/applications with keywords, etc. You also get invited to online job fairs and speed interviews, where you get some face time with employers. I was eventually hired by a company through one of these job fairs. Most of my friends from the bootcamp were too.  
   

   MY EXPERIENCE
   
   I was almost totally green when joining the bootcamp. I had done some very basic HTML and CSS in some online courses, and the simplest Javascript. Like document.querySelector() type stuff. At first I joined the full-time bootcamp. It was WAY too fast-paced. I think I would have passed, and my instructors told me that I was one of the stronger students. But I took this encouragement with a grain of salt. Because even though the instructors are for the most part kind people, their paychecks depend on people sticking with the program, whether they pass or not. Additionally, if I had stayed in the full time program, there would have been so many missed opportunities for learning, because I simply did not have the time to complete my workshops to 100%, nor did I have the time to accomplish any stretch goals. You have ten days to quit the bootcamp and get all your money back except for your $500 deposit, which you lose. So I quit and took the $500 loss. 

   I then joined the part-time bootcamp, and worked part time while I studied. The bootcamp coordinators say that the part time version is made for people with full time jobs. But let me tell you from experience, as someone who has a bachelors degree and knows how to grind, that you are much better off working part time and doing the part time program. This will let you actually take the time to get the most out of the program. There were students in my cohort that had full time jobs, some of whom even had past programming experience. They tended to not do very well. Most of them passed, but some didn't. When I started the part-time program, we had 46 students in the class. By the time we finished, there were only 26 of us left. This means that close to half of us flunked out, and lost somewhere between $500 and $11,500. So if you can make it work it financially, I strongly recommend that you take the 8 month part-time version, and only work part-time while you do it. This way you can maximize your chances of passing, and also maximize the amount of learning you do while completing the program.

   Now that I have given you fair warning to take this program seriously or risk a major financial loss, I want you to know that I am glad I completed this bootcamp. It was VERY challenging, but the rewards are great for those who make it. I feel like a pretty competent Javascript-based developer, even though I'm a fresh graduate. If you manage to complete most workshops to 100% or close, and manage to do your projects well, by the end of the bootcamp you will be able to confidently build full-stack web applications using the MERN stack. You will also be in a better position to learn new technologies. The instructors were good about helping me find the answers to most of my questions, and I learned A LOT. In eight months of part-time studies, I went from being barely able to put a basic webpage together, to building full-stack web applications that actually worked well. If you put the work in, you will RAPIDLY grow as a developer. 


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE BOOTCAMP

   One of the reasons I chose this program, is because you actually get a diploma. While the diploma is from the Concordia University's Centre for Continuing Education (and not from Concordia University itself), it sill qualifies as a Diploma program for tax purposes. This means that you get a T2202A for the money you spend on the program, which will give you some tax credits when you file for that year. This helps take some of the sting out of the cost of the program. When I was looking for a coding bootcamp, this was the only bootcamp which offered this. And they made good on their promise. I got my diploma and my T2202A, and I did get a substantial tax rebate.

   The other reason I chose this bootcamp, was their emphasis on learning the React.js framework. React.js is a very useful frontend Javascript framework to know. It is a powerful framework, and at the time of me writing this, lots of companies use it. Check some job descriptions on LinkedIn or Indeed to see for yourself. 

   One thing that I really did not like, was that the database management software we learned was MongoDB. It's pretty rare for companies to use object-oriented database management software like MongoDB. The first thing I did after graduating from the program, was to start learning PostgreSQL. PostgreSQL is a relational database management software. And this type is MUCH more common in the marketplace. Luckily, learning PostgreSQL helped me to land my first developer job right as my career services was about to end.

   I found the career services to be helpful. My resume has never looked better. My interview skills have never been stronger. And I did eventually find a job, although I had to relocate to Quebec to get my foot in the door. This is something you should understand. The bootcamp is in Montreal. Most of their corporate partners are in Montreal. Even though many tech jobs are remote, junior developers are often expected to go into the office. So if you absolutely will not relocate to Quebec, and you don't care about getting a diploma or the tax breaks that getting one entails, then you may want to consider a bootcamp a little closer to home. 


FINAL THOUGHTS

   I learned A LOT through this bootcamp. When you graduate, you will still only be at the level of a green, junior developer. But you will have the skills you need to integrate into a new workplace as a junior developer. You will also have the skills to build and deploy websites. In short: you will still be a newbie, but you will know how to code some seriously cool stuff into existence.  

   If you treat the bootcamp like it will be one of the hardest things you ever do, allocate the appropriate time to it, and work really hard, you have a good chance of finding success by completing it. This bootcamp is like so many other things in life which bring reward: they are risky. There is no reward that one can earn without risk, and this bootcamp is no exception. It is hard. It is risky. And if you make it, you will be in a much better position to enter the web development field. But as a junior developer, you will still probably have to settle at first, for a job that isn't exactly what you want. This is the honest truth. I hope that by sharing my experience, I help empower you to make the right choice for you. 

When they say the course is intense, they are not kidding around. I do wish they were a bit more organized and cohesive between the instructors but over all the experience helped me to grow as a person and I did learn a LOT of new information. 

However, I would have to say that the best part for me was definitely the career services after the program had ended. I worked with a woman named Penny and she really made me feel supported and heard. She went above and beyond to make sure that I was able to find a job that I really like and get access to the companies that I deserved to connect with. Penny rules.

My overall experience was amazing and I would highly recommend the course to anyone interested in tech, likes to help people and is ready for a challenge. A change in a career takes a lot of work and determination. The Bluebird team is really there to guide you and help you with a life-changing experience.  Everyone is so friendly and supportive!

Instructors: My instructor Scott Tower was an amazing teacher. He was open and understanding. He went above and beyond with great actionable support. He really helped in any way he could to land a tech sales role. 

Curriculum: The class was quite a fun challenge but really prepared me to 100% jump into a tech sales role and be successful.  It was always very interesting and Scott always answered everyone's questions and dug deep into the material. 

Job Assistance: Having a career coach is a huge difference maker, between regular post-secondary and Bluebird.  My career coach Penny Mancuso helped me stay on track and build up my weaknesses. She was open, kind, supported and helped me gain a new perspective on job hunting. I had an awesome experience doing interview prep and would recommend her to anyone trying to land a role. 

Prior to this course, I had never written a single line of code. I think most people in this course would definitely agree that the course is hard! It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life. However, it was well worth it. The instructors are incredibly supportive and if you're giving your best, they are with you every step of the way. While it was a lot of work I could see myself learning and building on previous skills. What I ended doing for my final project was something that me on day one would have never believed. 

Finally, the job coaches are fantastic. My coach helped me prepare for interviews, how to make my linked-in more attractive, told me off(gently) when I doubted myself, and all-around was a great support for a time that is known to be stressful. The career week was helpful in understanding the jobs I was looking for, and was a nice introduction into the industry. I would recommend!

The bootcamp was quite intense. Since I did the full-time option, it really was 10-12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week of hard work. By the end of the third week, you get used to sitting in front of your computer screen solving hard (real-life) problems. Luckily, you also get incredible support from the instructors who will try to help you figure things out when you get stuck (and not give the answers away). So, despite the spartan schedule, it was actually fun. It wasn’t hard, and I felt like everything was within reach. 
Pros:The curriculum covers most major machine learning techniques so you get to work on a lot of relevant projects throughout your course. You make friends along the way - as people are just in the same boat as you are, figuring things out together makes you a sort of "band of brothers".Your determination is tested immensely and if you match up to it, you will absolutely make headway.The lectures had so much knowledge and information, and instructors were frequently available to clarify things during the workshops.Your programming skills are sharpened in a relatively short time
This program was really worth the investment in myself as the value that students get from it is pretty astounding in terms of the content. However, it works well if you work at it. There's only so much the instructors can do by way of information, you are required to solve the problems yourself. 

It was the best decision I could take!
It is really intense and as long as you work hard you got this. I did the Data Science Bootcamps, I learnt so much about Data Science while I was a complete beginner didn't know much about code. We see Python, visualization, algorithm, regression, clustering, classification, time series, SQL, predictive modelling. We can work together on workshop and we have group project. The instructors were awesome, tried to explained and break down complex things.
The coach and technical coach are awesome and really help with your resume, your cover letter, your LinkedIn profil, trained you to passed interview.

Before attending the Concordia Bootcamp, I was a beginner with little experience in coding. The curriculum was good as it reflects the current industry tech stack. The instructor, Harris, was great and knowledgeable but also the instructors assisting you along the adventure. The career part after the bootcamp was also, good. I was supported and given great advices from professionals. They helped me to improve my interview skills. I found a job after 5 months.  
Advice: study on programming Fundamentals before the bootcamp will help a lot.

I'm so happy I decided to take this bootcamp! It was an intense 12 weeks and we learned so much. But I always felt supported by the TCs and fellow students. After the bootcamp they have dedicated career coaches (Joelle was amazing!) that give you a ton of support throughout the process of job searching. After graduation they held a virtual Job Fair with 20 different companies. I was offered a full time position within 3 weeks of graduation from one of the companies at the job fair! I honestly can't imagine a better bootcamp. I 100% recommend it to anyone looking to learn web development. 

Coming in with very little experience in coding, I was nervous to start and a bit skeptical about how much I would learn after completing the bootcamp. However, if you look at my ratings ⬆, it evidently turned out pretty well!

Since I was working while studying, the part-time stream fit my schedule perfectly. The curriculum was well-structured and the topics covered were up to date. The instructor and TCs were helpful and friendly (thanks y'all). They always took the time to go over concepts that were confusing and offered a lot of useful advice. There were workshops that accompanied the weekly lectures so we were able to practice what we learnt. Near the end of the course, there was a group project and an individual project. Both of which were challenging, but I did learn a lot and had support when I needed it. 

After completing the course, they offered career services. The coaches that were assigned to me were both very knowledge in their areas and helped to guide and reassure me throughout that process (thanks to you both). I had a very good experience overall and would recommend!

In 2019, I had decided that I wanted to do something better for myself and I had seen the Concordia Bootcamps show up in my feed a couple of times on Facebook until one day I checked out the website and found out the possibilities that could be waiting ahead for me. So at that moment I evaluated my budget and I was good to go.
From the moment I started the bootcamp, I had access to a multitude of resources and the only thing that could set me back was actually just me. Being part of the part-time cohort, it allowed me to keep my full-time job as well as reserving some time in the evening and weekend to code away. It had been a while since I was challenged to this point in my professional life and that is what I was longing for.
After graduating, I followed the advices from the career services and my career coach/ technical coach to improve my chances  to secure a job. 2 months later, I was able to get my 1st developer job and I have never felt so accomplished since it took less than a year to achieve this goal that I had set up for myself which was to change careers!
I definitely would recommend this bootcamp to anyone that is serious and committed to go through the multiple hurdles that comes in a career change and you won't regret it! The instructors and technical coaches are very accessible as well as the career services in case we have questions or need help. My career coach also was invaluable to me as I was able to be accountable for my actions and the support was priceless.
The curriculum was well-organized and the logic to it made sense in how  it develops you from the fundamentals in order to understand more complex ideas. In the end, everything becomes interconnected which helps to solidify your understanding and are able to work more independently.