Covalence

Two things to really consider before applying:

1. If you're a beginner and even if you've done the pre-coursework, think again.  After four days of the bootcamp, I soon realized that I wasn't "up to par".  I had done the pre-coursework and more, and, as much as I was willing and eager to learn, this coding bootcamp was not for the beginner that I was, and I needed more time to fully digest the material and work on my programming skills.  That said, I withdrew after four days by sending an email, and I didn't hear anything back.  

2. Think twice about the pro-rated fund.  After withdrawing, I began to get worried since I was now jobless and in need of those funds.  After calling several times, I finally got the person in charge (after A WEEK had gone by), and she sent me an email back that said the prorated fund was according to Tennessee's standards and not prorated by Covalence themselves.  This was not clearly stated in anything that Covalence had sent out previously, and my four days ended up costing $2,000 or more (still undetermined since I still haven't received a refund).  Needless to say, I was quite disappointed and frustrated by the lack of communication on their end and up front for who the program was truly geared for and how the pro-rated system worked.  

I took the Front End After-Hours class this past fall. I had coded previously while I was in college and had a good basic knowledge, but there were definitely holes in my foundation. I knew that I wanted a career change and looked to Depot/U to gain confidence in my abilities and re-strengthen my foundation. 

I felt that I was able to relearn the basics during the class. I have noticed they have since shortened this class to a single week and would agree with that change. 

My main goal and the main goal of all of the others in my class was to eventually change careers and I did not feel that this class assisted with that. While in the class I applied for jobs, I got an interview for a QA position. I was really excited because the company I was applying for had a clear goal for career development and it was outlined for me from the beginning of my interview process. I also didn't feel that I was ready to begin work as a software developer coming out of the class. Unfortunately, my excitement was diminished when my teacher called QA a "click monkey position." I have since begun work at the company I interviewed with, in the QA position, and every day I have the opportunity to work towards my goal of development. I believe that those going through the class should be encouraged to join the Tech community in the best way that suits them, everybody needs to start somewhere. 

After an interview, I identified a clear void of job interview prep and asked the instructors to assist with this. Unfortunately, nothing came of it and we were unable to work it into the time we had. 

If Covalence decides to run the After Hours course again, I would really encourage them to find somebody able to just teach that class. By the end of our work days, the students were exhausted and we really needed somebody in front of us that was fresh and ready to go. Our teacher worked a full time job and our TA was taking the all day full stack class. Both of them had been working 8+ hours by the time they even got to us. At times this class felt overlooked and I felt that I missed out on some of the opportunities afforded to others despite paying the same amount. 

In the end, I got what I needed to out of the class and was able to translate that into a successful career change. I am very happy with my decision to take the class, but hope they will take this feedback and make positive changes for the future. 

Recently graduated from the Full-Stack program in Birmingham. I did most of the course pre-work and felt comfortable enough to follow through with it. Here's an honest review after some time to reflect on the experience:

** I had no coding experience prior to this course**

The course starts off with "easing into" coding with some simple styling labs. There's one lab a day after the morning lecture where students get to struggle through the exercises. I think Matt Landers (Covalence founder) has smartly used this "struggle through it until you get it" concept to maximize the efficiency of the program. 10 weeks is a very short time to get students quality time and exposure to coding and I do think that struggling through it is the best way (albeit very difficult) way to learn the material. By the time we reached the final projects, I felt like I had most of the tools to feel self-sufficient in creating a full-stack website. Feeling comfortable and feeling independent definitely took some more studying on my end, especially for the "final assessment," to feel like I really had a solid understanding of how everything worked together. 

My main frustration with the program came with the misleading job prospect promises. Throughout the program and beyond graduating, Covalence keeps a network of job opportunities and will provide students with job listings for entry-level development jobs. There is a student success coach looking over job listings on job-hunt websites (Indeed, Monster, etc.) and providing advice on resumes and cover letters. She was very helpful where she could be and these are great resources to have! However, they do not live up to the expectations that were set at the beginning of the course. If you're already a proactive person, these resources are what you as an aspiring developer would be using anyway so it really doesn't afford you much of an advantage in the job market. We were told about the great connections that Covalence has with employers, some of whom are actually your mentors in the course, although I literally saw my mentor once - the initial meet-and-greet day. You are also told how rapidly Birmingham is growing and how in-demand web developer skills are currently. These claims are still true! Just know that the bootcamp is your foot in the door to web development. It will require much more work on your part to really be marketable as an entry-level developer in the job market. In reality, you will be doing 95% of the work to get yourself hired so set your expectations accordingly and take the job promises guardedly. 

Final thoughts: The program is overall a great program for an accelerated jump into web development. The cost certainly beats the alternative (entirely self-directed learning or Computer Science degree), but the price tag is a bit high for the value IMO. If you already have job prospects, using these skills to supplement existing skills to make you more valuable, or your company is already sending you, it's a slam dunk and you have nothing to lose. If you're quitting your job to change direction and fully jump into web development, make sure you really take time to weigh the pro's and con's. It's literally an investment so make sure you feel like it's worth investing in. 

I was a student of the first Depot/U developer's boot camp class and highly recommend the course to anyone interested. The instructors were very knowledgeable, approachable, and were always willing to help one-on-one when needed. I learned a lot of new skills at an extremely quick pace during the course. The only warning I would give is about the pace. It is very fast and you might feel lost at first. This is normal. If you are prepared to focus, spend many hours per day coding, and if you enjoy hands-on learning, you will excel in this class. I'd recommend checking out the pre-course work assignments to get a feel for some of the course material.

I consider myself lucky to have participated in the first class for this program. I landed a significantly better job than I previously had, made lots of professional connections, and made lots of great friends that I still keep in touch with.

Coming into Depot/U I had no coding experience. I didn't even know what a front or a back end was. Getting started was a struggle. I absolutely love technology and computers, so I thought I would pick everything up super quickly. Some days it seemed like I wouldn't ever get the hang of it. The instructor(s) were extremely helpful and helped me realize that it was going to be that way for a while, and to really learn and understand these new things, I needed to struggle and force myself to learn. That's what the course really offers you that the ads/website don't mention. Not only do you learn all these excellent web skills and technologies, but you learn how to LEARN! Fast! Once I felt like I was getting the hang of things, the rest of the course was a blast. I became more comfortable with my skills on the computer as well as a more social student in the class. I began socializing with the people around me who also just so happened to be experiencing that "Ah ha!" moment, where as before I was too shy to talk to anyone! Throughout the course, there will be multiple companies that come in and talk with the students and explain what they look for when hiring new developers. This was super intimidating for me because they were using technological words that most of us had never heard before. But thanks to Depot/U bringing in those companies, I've had 2 PAID internships straight out of the program. I actually just found out today that I am being hired by the company that gave me my most recent internship! So the opportunities are certainly there. Do your best to take advantage of everything the course has to offer. Finally, a random tip I think anyone looking to take the course should know... Don't be afraid to treat the instructors and staff like your friends. They know a TON! And not only are they extremely nice and helpful with the course work, they are great people to just have a normal conversation with.

My Background

I spent 4 years automating control systems and working on the front end graphics for HVAC systems but I wanted to step away from HVAC and move more towards Web Development. 

When I started looking into Web Development I went to YouTube and some other online resources but it was either too basic, lacked structure, or the content was not up to date. I was ready to throw in the towel and move forward in Buildings but then I discovered that Covalence was moving to Nashville and offered a Full Stack Bootcamp!!

What I learned

Covalence helped me gain confidence in my ability by creating an environment where I learned something new everyday and was held accountable to complete the labs. It was similar to my college experience but without all the extra General Ed classes to focus on. It was challenging and helped me acheive my goal. 

I also learned and then helped coach students as an Intructor in the following subjects: HTML/CSS, Angular/React/React Native, Object Oriented Programming, NodeJS, Deployment, SCRUM methodology, Databases, REST API, and Version Control (Github).

Curriculum

Covalence is dedicated to updating their content. So you can be sure that you are learning the latest material needed to be successful. And if you notice anything that should be updated they are receptive to feedback.

Culture

The culture at Covalence is very inclusive and community focused. You're encouraged to ask questions but be prepared to work hard too because you will be challenged. The goal is that as you approach your final project you will still have questions but will also become more indepenent because you have gained confidence in your ability and learned how to read through documentation to find answers. Which is something you'll be doing often in a Developer role. 

After Graduation

When you start applying you'll want to do a few things to have the best chance to landing an interview. 

1. You worked with Covalence to have a clean resume that tells your story and why you are qualified.

2. You created a personal website/portfolio. (Recruiters love these) 

3. You reviewed the basics and read the documentation for X. After 10 weeks you may be amazed to see what you can do but there is always more to learn and you might need to review some basics that were covered in week 1. 

4. Understand that you will need to be aggresive in your job search. Job searching is never easy and rejection is going to happened. Its a part of the process. But you will find a match! 

5. Ask questions and provide feedback as you run into challenges throughout your job search. Covalence is their to help!

The material in this program is very good. They go over it with an online video everyday during the lecture part of the day and you are given an assignment in the afternoon for a “lab”. That is the basic structure of the class. You are pretty much left to struggle through it unless you ask the TA or instructor for help. Everyone seems to go at a different pace. Some people get it easier than others of course, and once someone gets behind some people seem to stay that way. It is EXTREMELY fast paced. The week before our projects were due, our instructor missed the entire week and no-one knew why. Once he returned he explained why he was out, but also said that the students should not need an instructor this late in the course, that students have to build the app on their own. I disagree with this for the simple fact that students are PAYING for an instructor to be there in person, to a point when you all are coming to the same road block you need someone to guide you in a different direction. I understand to a point that the situation that occurred could not be helped. But there was poor communication all around on the part of the instructor and Covalence regarding this issue. That to me is poor business practice. I would take the course again, I learned a lot and enjoyed the material, but there probably needs to be some kind of policy implemented in case an instructor is going to miss a consecutive amount of time.

I had done a fair amount of self teaching before Depot/U, but was looking for something more. I needed a real human there to answer my questions and give me the "why" from time to time. David Stapleton did a great job with his lectures, as well as 1 on 1 help throughout the course. I am glad I took the course, as it has advanced my career and helped me get into a field that can be very tough to break through.

This course teaches you the ins and outs of JavaScript, which will prove valuable no matter what programming language you go on to learn in the future. Depot/U teaches you how to learn, so you can enrich your programming experience on your own, forever.

This course is definitely worth it, but make sure you are ready to give 110% and you are totally invested in learning to code!

I completed the Front End Development course during Summer 2016.  Everything related to the course was as advertised.  It was a very demanding, fast paced experience that allowed me to build my knowledge base and skillset at a much more accelerated pace, in a much more organized manner, and with a much more sound foundation than I could have pulled off learning on my own.

The instructor was extremely helpful throughout the process and always available to assist whenever needed. At the end of the class, Depot/U invited a number of potential employers to attend our final presentations.  After we presented, I was contacted by one of the CEOs at a software development company who had attended and ended up landing an internship with his company, which was exactly the kind of gig I was looking for when I enrolled in the program.

It took a lot of hard work, but if you are looking to make a change and get your foot in the door in tech, I would fully recommend Depot/U.  If you fully commit to the process and fully immerse yourself in the experience - completing with the required prework, showing up to class each day, staying up late night after night by yourself working on assignments, listening to the instructors and guest lecturers, etc. - the process works.

I graduated with the first class of Depot/U and would highly recommend anyone that is interested in the developer world to give it a try. The agency that I work for found out about Depot/U and realized immediately that it is a great tool to have in any city. I was working in a different department when my agency offered me a chance to take the course and move over to the interactive department. I immediately jumped on the opportunity as I had been practicing front end development on my own for a couple years with no huge improvement. In just 10 weeks, I was able to learn everything I needed to jump directly into the intereactive department and hit the ground running. I recommend doing all the pre-work plus some and you should have a good grasp of the work in class, even though it might take a week or two to click.

I was able to make many connections that help my career progress and I could never say enough about the friends that I have made by taking the course.

Covalence provides all the tools necessary for you to effectively reach a new level of expertise as a programmer. It takes a lot of effort from the student in return. There's no secret to replace the hours of hard work. Make sure you're able to fully commit to the time necessary if you're planning on doing any sort of coding bootcamp. The instructors are very, very knowledgeable and approachable to help you get past problems you're stuck on. Part of getting better though is finding the answer yourself too. 

If you trust yourself to be disciplined and mildly intelligent, you can do it. Don't be intimidated. Make sure you're building a portfolio of projects on GitHub cause it will help you drastically when interviewing. For those looking to a career change, do it. You'll also enjoy it more the better you get at it, because you'll start to be able to see the progress you're making and the applications you can create.