Hello review seeker, I just finished DevLeague a couple weeks ago… be prepared for a long but genuine review of Hawaii’s only coding bootcamp. Let me also preface this review by stating that other than knowing a bit of HTML / CSS, I have absolutely no coding knowledge or experience.

Before enrolling myself in their immersive full-time program, like you and many others… I did my research and tried to find any review or resource I could get my hands on about this school. When I stumbled upon CourseReport and saw all their 5 star reviews, the cynic in me couldn’t believe this boot camp (let alone one all the way in Hawaii) could achieve so many positive reviews, so naturally I assumed most were fake.  It wasn’t until I personally met (or saw around school)  a lot of these “rando” names that were being used on CourseReport, did in fact belong to actual people and these are genuine reviews from real DevLeague alumni.

Taking the plunge with DevLeague as my sidekick was a huge risk for me as I was working full-time in a non-tech job but one of the major deciding factors in choosing this coding bootcamp was the fact that I would be able to make this big career switch in just a few short months and I didn’t have to step foot out of Hawaii.

Being the premature baby dev that I was with no coding background, I enrolled in their JavaScript prep course so I could gain enough knowledge to submit my coding challenge entry. Vic was our main instructor during the 4-week prep course and he was (and still remains) one of my favorite people I’ve met through DevLeague. It’s hard to say *favorite* because honestly,  pretty much everyone at DevLeague was awesome and I’m really glad to be a part of this community.

I remember when I first started attending prep class, I was really shocked (but impressed) with the sense of support and community from everyone at DL.  Previous graduates would come back to help out or various alumni popped in to give some advice, even students from other classes would stop by to see how we were doing. Needless to say, I really felt the support system there and it’s obvious it trickled down from the top.

I wouldn’t be sitting here today, a DL graduate, if it weren’t for the help and support from Russel and Jason. I can’t count how many emails were passed between Russel and I before I started DevLeague. He was incredibly responsive and resourceful especially when I was going through the process to apply for scholarship, which I was generously awarded. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity they’ve given me.

It’s clearly impossible for me to write a shorter review, especially on something that has had such a big impact, but I’ll try to summarize my experience of the actual bootcamp program:

If you’re looking at the full-time program of 11 hour days, 6 days a week… it seems long, yes, but honestly it passes by pretty quickly especially since you’re jamming on code 70% of the time. My other classmates have the same view as me in this regard.

It’s extremely challenging. I felt so overloaded with information at times that I barely felt like I actually retained anything. That led to me asking myself “Did I make the right decision going through this program?” or “Maybe I’m not meant to be a developer?”

In the beginning, I felt like nothing made sense and it wasn’t until towards the tail end of bootcamp that the pieces started coming together to form a whole picture.

The curriculum is well thought out, projects on point for the topic and I enjoyed the humor in the slideshows. The readme docs are at times confusing (probably getting us used to reading real docs, lol) and some needed updates.

In the end, I wholeheartedly join in and agree with the others in saying “It was the best decision I made” career-wise and if you’re on fence about taking the course or want to ask me for more details about my experience, I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you… shoot me an email jennahscriptAToutlookDOTcom

I recently completed DevLeague's full-time "JavaScript Web Engineer" track, and I highly recommend the program to anyone who is considering entering the world of web/software development without a CS background.  The course offers broad and deep exposure to the fundamental concepts and technologies upon which the Internet is built, so you will be able to jump aboard even without prior CS experience.  

Instructors

The two core instructors of the full-time "JavaScript Web Engineer" course are highly qualified software developers with many years of professional experience.  They excelled in explaining technical concepts in a manner which was easy to understand, and they consistently demonstrated patience and a genuine willingness to help and educate all students in the class (even on an individual basis).

Curriculum

The curriculum was presented in the form of lectures and coding projects.  In addition to the fundamentals of JavaScript, the covered topics included, inter alia: React, Angular, AWS (EC2 and S3), Node, Express, XHR, HTTP requests, relational databases (SQL, PostgreSQL, and related ORMs), CSS preprocessing, debugging (Chrome and VSC), database indexing, database normalization, algorithms, data structures, big O notation, object-oriented programming, automation tools, unit testing, templating, hashing, and encryption.

Job Assistance

The founders of DevLeague are extremely proactive in helping graduates find jobs after completing the program.  Prior to graduating, all students are provided with assistance in developing their resumes and practicing for technical interviews.  Following graduation, one of the program founders (Russel) continues to make himself available as a valuable resource in your job hunt (locally and abroad).  Moreover, the DevLeague community has a strong network of alumni who regularly share job opportunities with other graduates.

Overall Experience

My overall experience in DevLeague has been extremely positive, and I am glad that I took the plunge.  If you are living in Hawaii (or considering moving to Hawaii) and are serious about entering the field of web/software development, you will not regret your decision to attend DevLeague.  However, be aware that the time and effort required to succeed will be substantial.  

I attended the Full Time Javascript program at DevLeague from September to December of 2017. In February 2018, I accepted a full stack developer position with the City and County of Honolulu.

Pros:

• Highly knowledgable and dedicated instructors. The instructors are there because they want to be there. This is reflected in how much effort they put into helping students learn and understand concepts.
• Wide but deep coverage of current and relevant topics. Saying that there is a lot to cover is an understatement. The instructors did a great job at covering as many topics as possible while providing the depth of knowledge on topics we needed to hold our own in the industry.
• Numerous individual and team projects. You will work in both environments during your career so it is helpful to gain experience early on.
• Post-graduation job assistance. DevLeague has good connections within the tech community. Keep in mind that they won't hold your hand during the job search but they give great guidance and will make introductions if possible.
• Helpful and responsive community. I continue to reach out with questions even after the program. The DevLeague community is more than happy to help.

Cons:

• Not enough time to learn everything. This is to be expected. Learn what you can with the time that you have.

Attending DevLeague was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It was challenging, rigorous, exciting, and fun! I spent three months on the edge of my seat, trying to absorb as much information as possible. Like anything else, the more effort you put into this program, the more you will get out of it. If you're on the fence about taking the plunge, just do it! You will come out on the other side ecstatic that you did.

I am so thankful that I stumbled upon Devleague. I can tell they genuinely care about their students from start to end, and even after graduation.  During the screening, they could have just admitted me while being pregnant, but because they care about my well being, they advised me to delay my admission instead. From that experience alone, I already know that I will be in good hands. 

Devleague instructors were really passionate on what they're teaching and has been truly patient. They also give precise feedback on how to improve your learning style. Overall, the curriculum is great and Devleague is expecting that you play your part as a responsible student. I also want to add on how cool the co-founders and whole team, very approachable and truly supportive. 

Before DevLeague, I had no clue what direction I should be taking in life. I had been working a bunch of different jobs, trying to get a feel for something that I would enjoy doing for an extended period of time, but I came up with nothing. I was getting to a point where I was worried about my future when I found DevLeague. To be honest, when I started looking into the course, I had little to no expectation that I would ever be interested in coding, but as I taught myself the little that I had to know to apply and get accepted, I realized that coding was like nothing I had ever experienced. I got accepted to the program, and 3 months later I'm living in a whole new world. I see technology differently since DevLeague, and I see my place in the world. I see what path to take for my future, and I'm positive that coding is something I can maintain. I love developing, and DevLeague is where it all started. If you need a little boost in life, and a brand new career path, DevLeague is the place for you.

I was interested in joining DevLeague a few years back but the only course offered at the time was the full time course and I was not ready to leave my full time job. Once the part time course was available I reapplied and joined their Javascript prep course. The prep course is a 4 week night program that introduces prospective students to the fundamentals of Javascript and serves as a trial run for students seriously considering apply to the full and part time programs. Joining the part time program was the best decision I have made thus far. I gained new skills in software development and a new support network. The beginning of the course was overwhelmning as you are learning various programs and methods each class, but the instructors are more than happy to clarify anything you don't understand. If you're considering joining the part time program be prepared for long nights and devoting extra hours outside of class time.

If I could, I would go through DevLeague all over again. It was honestly one of the best and most challenging experiences of my life! I left my job in California and moved out to Hawaii for 3 months to learn something I had no experience in. So yeah… that was kinda nuts, but it was so worth it! I got to learn from instructors who were enthusiastic about programming and who were genuinely interested in helping us learn the material. At the same time, I had amazing classmates who busted their butts day in and day out, which kept me going throughout the course. Yes, programming is tough and there are plenty of rough times, but I was always able to get through it with the amazing support group I had at DevLeague.

DevLeague was definitely not a walk in the park. I was sweating bullets before class even started. Though I went through the phone screening and passed the coding challenge, I still had this uneasy feeling of imposter syndrome. I was thinking to myself, “This must be a fluke. Are they sure the accepted the right guy?” and “I just don’t think I’m smart enough to do this!”. Well after 12 intensive weeks of non-stop programming, all I can say is “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!”. My advice is just to grind through it and to never ever give up! And don’t be afraid to ask questions. The people at DevLeague are there to help you, so make sure you take full advantage of their resources during the bootcamp and after you graduate.

I attended DevLeague with no prior coding experience. I am very satistifed from everything I learned during this program. All of the instructors are very knowledgable and are always willing to help. If I didn't understand something, I just asked and they would sit with me until I understood it. 

Russel and Jason are extremely supportive and are available for any assistance you may need. They genuinely care about our success, even after completing the course, they continue to offer their guidance and expertise.  

If you have an interest in learning web development or making a career change, I highly recommend DevLeague. 

DevLeague is an incredible coding bootcamp that offers two different options for becoming a Javascript Engineer.  Either a 12 week full time course or a couple months PT option, I chose the 12 week FT course. From the very beginning they provide you with a strong foundation in software engineering, and continue to provide you with all the neccessary skills, knowledge and tools required to begin a career as a software engineer.  They provide an immense amount of support, lots of encouragment.  During the 12 week program they become your family and afterwards they continue providing support via Slack, introducing you to alumni/legends, supporting you at Hackathons, provide continued support at their campus. Jesse and Ed the FT instructors have lots of experience with software development and equally strong skills in teaching it.  They provide challenging and highly rewarding projects that help you feel comfortable with working with Javascript, React, Angular, Nodejs, RDBMS, etc.  The supporting instructors are always available and willing to support with your learning experience.  After graduation they provide resume and job search support, by sharing job openings, introductions, stories, and continued tech classes.

Hey hey! I attended DevLeague from Sept - Dec 2017 with no coding experience except for their prep course. Feb 2018 I accepted an offer for a non-entry-level position as a backend engineer for a game company in Tokyo.

Pros:

1. Good curriculum. After DevLeague your skillset will match a good majority of web developer job listings (**a lot of time spent on front end frameworks)
2. A lot of team projects, so you get used to that GitHub flow
3. We had about a month of exercises & online sessions before the actual cohort began, so we didn't have to waste as much time on basics
4. Instructors were insanely dedicated, and totally "on" & present every hour of the day, which is crazy. They actually cared about our success, which might be a "Hawaii" thing lol

Cons:

1. Some very talented instructors left during my cohort 
2. Located in Hawaii, so if you're looking to get a job anywhere else it'll be more difficult to network
3. DevOps lectures were ALL OVER the place
4. Didn't let me bedazzle my keycard

Several years before entering DevLeague I had graduated with a bachelors in computer science.  I still gained a lot from the bootcamp. This course aims to make "fullstack javascript web developers".  If that complete phrase doesn't describe you, you will probably get good value out of this.  Now, if most of that phrase fits you, there may be diminishing returns, but I couldn't say from experience.  I went with the 6 month part time version instead of the concentrated 3 month one and the more spaced out nature of the program gave me more time to absorb the material.  Prior knowledge does give you an edge, but each week the focus changes, and you will not have a smooth 6 months.  For part time a lot of work does need to be done outside of class, so make sure you can accomodate that.  
Their approach is to have you do things the hard way first, then show you the tools that make it easier.  You could just skip to the end and start with the library, but I personally want to know what's going on with everything everywhere so this works out better for me.  When things break, you have an actual idea of why that might be.  
You could learn this on your own, certainly.  It would take longer because deciding what to learn and how important various things are is hard to judge when you're starting out.  Starting with best practices is much easier, and probably better in the long run.  When you get stuck, there are actual people to help you.  StackOverflow can answer many questions, but it might not answer your question.  The help is there when you need it, most times of day, let's be realistic here. And this doesn't end on graduation, you still have access to a large network of graduates and Devleague should you need assistance with something later.
If you are accepted, then you will make it to the end if you keep moving forward.  A good portion of our cohort had no prior programming experience.  There will be difficult patches, but they all made it through.  You will get used to being comfortable with feeling uncertain about things, and its an important skill to have.  Its not quite the same as forgetting whether you locked your house, thats a different problem.  You will forget things, because it's a lot of knowledge crammed into a short time frame.  But you will know that these things are possible, that you've done them, and that you could pick them up again when you need to. 

After graduating college with a CS degree, I had developed a cynical attitude about education as a whole. I felt as if I'd reached a limit in my capacity for technical growth in college, I considered other options to help me dive deeper into programming and something that would give me practical experience. I began working for the state as a digital archive specialist. After a year, for similar reasons, I felt I wanted more. A coding bootcamp seemed like not a bad bet. Thankfully there was DevLeague, right in the heart of my beautiful home of Oahu, Hawaii.

DevLeague was groundbreaking. For the first time, I found a place where better I did, the better DevLeague did. No amount of words can describe the rigor and the challenge of the program. An 80-90 hour weekly commitment is typical. I lost sleep and was challenged consistently. I was surrounded (and out-competed) by some of the most gifted people I’ve ever met. Once course is over, I was thrust into the job search, which was filled with entirely different challenges. For me it was personal projects, phone calls, contracted work, technical screenings, white boarding sessions, in-person interviews, salary negotiations.

And then, almost miraculously, things started working out. I was interviewing at places I’d only dreamed of working on. I had the confidence to choose which offers to accept and which to reject.

DevLeague truly provides a life-changing experience. Everyone from the founders to the instructors and TAs are amazingly brilliant people who not only understand the material but have a genuine desire to help others. The caliber of the students is phenomenal and diverse. Various people from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. All in all, I have zero regrets about choosing this program. All promises were kept. It was the most challenging educational endeavor I've ever attempted but, thanks to DevLeague, I feel confident about my future as a Software Engineer at Microsoft. If you're passionate about the field and are willing to put in the hard work, there's no better place to learn software development. Plus, the beaches in Hawaii are a breathtaking added bonus. :)

For profit company that will ask you for $12,000+ up front with no guarantee of their services. The instructors are volatile and abusive, micromanaging, and will threaten to deny you a refund if you express any dissatisfaction whatsoever. Boring, soulless curriculum, secondary to freeCodeCamp--which comes with a price tag of $0, compared to the experience of paying over $12k to be harassed by angst-filled burnouts pretending to be educators. It's a true shame that their greed has infected the dev community in Hawai'i.

I had a great experience at DevLeague.  I joined DevLeague from a completely different industry, and had no coding background.  After completing the course I am confident in my ability to create full stack applications, and feel prepared to start a career in software development.  

The full time class is 66 hours a week, and can be mentally exhausting, but I always enjoyed going to class.  Some concepts might take longer to grasp, and it is important to take it upon yourself to put in the extra time where need be.  The instructors and TA's are great and there was plenty of opportunity to get personal help working through difficult problems.  The curriculum is designed to achieve results.  Students learn real, in demand skills that help start a career in software.  On top of that students are also gaining the skills to learn new languages and technologies on their own.  

The job assistance doesn't stop when you graduate.  DevLeague has a deep network with many connections, both in Hawaii and the mainland.  They help you prepare with mock interviews, detailed feedback, resume assistance, and students are encouraged to attend networking events where they can meet people in the industry.   

Overall I couldn't be happier with my decision to learn to code at DevLeage, and I would encourage anyone who wants to pursue a career in software to consider DevLeague. 

I just graduated from DevLeague two days ago and I am so satistifed from everything I learnt during this program. I am a belgian native and last year I decided to change career and go from a business career to a coding career. I didn't want to spend a full year at Colege and a bootcamp looked therefore as the perfect solution. After some research, I found about DevLeague and I have directly been seduced by their program. Isolated on a beautiful island, super intense schedule and with a curriculum that covers a lot of areas from the front-end to the back-end; this was the program I had been looking for.

The application process already set the tone of the program but this is a good thing as you can directly see if this made for you or not. You really have to be ready to put your life apart for twelve weeks and be ready to a lot of hard working. This is surely some sacrifice but in the end it is totally worth it. Twelve weeks ago, my knowledge were close to 0 and today I am now able to build web applications, develop databases, deploy a website, etc. Every topic is covered in deep and put into practise with daily exercises and weekly small projects.

Last but not least, the human experience is also something unique. You will make great friends through this bootcamp and DevLeauge like to consider its students as part of a big family. You will really feel well welcomed and not considered at all as just a number.

I am now ready for a new step in my career and now exactly what I want to aim for. I am really grateful to Devleague to have succeeded this in twelve weeks.

All of the instructors are very knowledgeable and always willing lend a hand when we would ask for help. The curicullum is very intense when balancing a full time job, though very rewarding if you apply yourself and put the time in to learn.  

Just graduated from DevLeague, and what an experience it was! 

Went from not knowing what a variable or a function was to being able to build real applications that people may actually use. 

Instructors were available ALL the time. Instructors and staff were held in extremely high regard in the dev community not just locally in Hawaii, but throughout the US. There were 2 instructors, 1 TA for our 16 person class, which I believe is highly personalized for these bootcamps and I felt that the school genuinely cares for each student's success and outcome.

Classmates, instructors and staff became family after this 6 month experience, totally life-changing.

Short story:
DevLeague is the bootcamp you want.

Long story:
Not feeling satisfied with my education at the time I wanted to check out different alternatives. I ended up leaving my Bachelors Degree in Sociology and joining DevLeague. Flying all the way from Mexico to Hawaii, with the Mexican peso doing really poorly, I was really hoping that the money I was investing would be worth it. DevLeague did not disappoint. For three months my brain was in a state of bliss while learning all this new cool stuff. The teachers really make sure that you are learning how to code well, you learn everything from the ground up so that you understand how frameworks and libraries work, and they really try to make sure you are writing clean, fast and efficient code.
The atmosphere there is amazing, everybody is really fun, loving and supportive, but what I love the most about people there is their humbleness. In DevLeague you come across insanely good developers, that take time off their busy lives to teach other people what they know. I admire so many people there. I was really satisfied with the course, I wished it had not ended.

Longer story:
I wrote a blog post about DevLeague
https://medium.com/@estefaniamorton/ode-to-devleague-ace97f9922d5#.bgloveoms

 I was your traditional college student pursuing a computer science degree when in my third year I realized school just wasn't teaching what I wanted to learn CODING.  I became bored at school and started to just teach myself how to code. I soon found out this was not easy and was not getting very far on my own. Main reason being, CODING IS HARD and its a vast ocean of information, I didn't even know where to start.  I knew I wanted a career in the tech world and that traditional schooling wasn't giving me what I needed. Thats when I decided to make a change.

I randomly met a guy at the beach that went through a programming bootcamp and talked very highly of how they teach and his experiecne. This peeked my interest right away he told me there is one right here in Hawaii. I instantly began researching bootcamps and decided that Devleague was where I wanted to apply. I chose Devleague because of the amazing communication I experienced when researching the school and could see they just had something the others didn't.  So I trusted my gut and applied the next day. They gave me a coding entrance exam which I have to say was very challegning. I worked around the clock on this project teaching myself different mark-up languages and coding languages. I struggled so hard with this, but along the way Devleague was there to answer any questions I had to help me without giving me answers. I knew then that they wanted me to succeed so I worked even harder to prove that I wanted to get into this program.  After finally completing this exam I received my acceptance into the program. 

After accepting the offer to attend the program, the work began instantly prepping myself  before I even step foot in the classroom. And once again, Devleague was there helping me along the way from video conferences, chat, email. Anything I needed I simply had to just ask.

Throughout the duration of the program, we were pushed and challenged everyday with new concepts. The instructors were able to take something very complicated and break it down in a manner that anyone can understand, then solidified these concepts through project-orientated learning. The instructors were so knowledgable and helpful with anything I needed. If I didn't understand something, I just asked and they would sit with me till I understood it. Thats when I really knew I made the right choice coming here. The staff would do anything to help me. To be honest, I wasn't the sharpest student in my class and struggled everyday. I don't know how many times I thought "can I really do this?" But everyday I worked harder, saught help, and came back the next day. Besides the classroom, we were able to attend software developer meetups and participate in some amazing hackathons. 

After completing the program, I look back at all my struggles and am happy I went through Devleague. They taught me the skills I needed to be a successful and confident developer and went out of their to ensure I had a great experience. Even after completing the program, the help still flows continously from job assistance, coding questions, interview prep and this list goes on. Devleague's motto is " to have a great experience before, during, and after the program". Well let me be the first to tell you they nailed it. In summary, if you want the complete package then look no further!!!!!!  You aren't just another student to them, you are family and I felt that from day one. I would like to thank the entire staff at Devleague for everything you have done for me and continue to do. Happy Coding :)

DevLeague was undoubtedly the best decision of my life and this isn't an overstatement. 
 

My Background:

In college, I originally majored in Computer Science. I enjoyed creating programs and the satisfaction I felt from making a working product. However, towards the end of the first year, I was beginning to doubt myself because the material was getting more challenging and all my classmates seemed to have been coding long before college started. I ended up changing my major and graduating with a degree in Health Science. I didn't believe in myself, and that was the biggest regret in my life.

I began working at a hospital in Boston performing administrative work. I knew right away that this wasn't the career path for me. I desired a technical challenge and I wanted to gain skills that were both rare and valuable in society. I began learning how to code again online. I enjoyed it a lot and I ultimately decided to quit my job and move home to Hawaii to start DevLeague.

I wanted something more for myself so I decided to believe in my abilities and take a risk. I left my life of comfort and normality in hopes of a brighter and more challenging career.

DevLeague:

Instructors/Job Assistance

• extremely helpful, passionate, friendly, and knowledgeable
• encourage your problem solving skills by assisting you towards an answer instead of providing you with answers
• genuinely cares about your outcomes after the program and are there to help you make connections and prepare you for interviews 

Curriculum

• large range of topics covered but also covered in depth
• many of the topics covered are job requirements or preferred qualifications for software and web development jobs
• assignments were both fun and challenging

Summary

I thoroughly enjoyed studying at DevLeague and I would encourage the program to any friends who want to learn about web development. My advice is to believe in yourself and never give up.

I heard about Devleague rougly in the middle of 2015 over the radio thinking to myself what Devleague was all about, sadly, i ignored it and continued looking for a job. I Graduated with a Bachelors of Political Science thinking i would be a civil service employee for either a state or federal agency. For my entire life, i had always been involved in public service (National guardsman for 10 years)

Fast forward to April 2016, a friend that i had gone to school with told me about Devleague, i was still hessitant...

July 2016 i met with my friend that had finished the program a year prior during my lunch break and told me everything that he loved about webdevelopment and thus that sparked my journey. After lunch i signed up for Devleague, interviewed and saw the coding challenge... 
After looking at the coding challenge i contemplated on if this field was for me. i was able to make it into the August Prep-course which Victor taught, this course gave me enough to learn fundamentals of HTML, CSS, and Javascript, which was needed in to finish the coding challenge. The Prep-course was extremely useful, due to the fact that i had no prior experience with code. Without out, i probably would not have made it finish the coding challenge. *FUN FACT* i actually QUIT my full time job prior to even being accepted into the full time course, HUGE gamble but it paid off!
I got accepted into Cohort 13, September to November and thus begun my journey into the Web dev community.
Let me remind people that this course is seriously not for everyone. There will be many moments of highs and lows, many moments of contemplating of quiting the program. Fight your fears, Make it through, trust the instructors, and embrace the merges! Because everything will come full circle in the end!

Looking back 3 months ago to today after completing the bootcamp, i would never imagine that i could be capable of building a website *full stack* *front and back end* and present it to friends and family!

Fear and the uncertainty drove me to complete the course! Run with it and don't look back!!!
 

If you're on the fence about joining Dev League, I would recommend jumping into it. You will enjoy your time in class and dont give up on yourself.

Pros: 
The instructors were amazing, they were super supportive and knowledgeable in all topics that we covered. The classroom environment was amazing as well, I had a ton of fun over 12 weeks and would definitely do it again. In 12 weeks we covered a ton of content, created a bunch of projects, and we also learned how to build a full application from the ground up. Along with all the technical knowledge, you also create life long bonds with your classmates. I enjoyed the challenges that I faced and conquered and look forward to a career in web development.

Cons: 
None, the hours are long. But when you and your classmates are figuring out challenges and problems, time flies by so fast that you might not be able to finish solving the problem.

The driving force behind my decision to join a coding boot-camp was waking up everyday and not enjoying the career I had. The lucrative salary was the only reason for me getting up in the morning and going to work. I spent many years in the IT field however,  having held various Consultant and Analyst roles, these positions never really allowed me to execute anything myself. I was always promised training and mentor-ship but there was never enough time. I kept taking on more and more work that didn't allow me any room to learn the development side of IT. I wanted to be more creative, I wanted to build things, I wanted to make something that people used but I needed to learn how and college wasn't an option for me. 

Decisioning- Before selecting Dev League, I spent many hours researching other boot camps. A few things that stood out to me from Dev League were the class sizes, the selection process, and the involvement of the founders. The smaller sizes appealed to me as I figured I would get more one on one time with instructors and not fade away in the background or be seen as just another student. The selection process is also a bit different from other boot-camps. Dev League requires you to complete a coding challenge that is evaluated for acceptance by the founders. Good thing Dev League also offers a prep course that covers some fundamentals of programming. This really helped me in completing the coding challenge. I liked that Dev League doesn't just accept anyone willing to pay the tuition. I knew upon being accepted that I would be in a class with like minded individuals who also put in the time and effort to complete the challenge and the founders were the ones making that decision not some recruiter or senior developer or anyone else. There was never any mystery of who they were. I would say that was the biggest factor in my decision.  So, I sold everything I owned and my husband and I packed two suitcases and we moved to Hawaii!!!

Experience in Dev League- If you're looking for a boot-camp that is just going to feed you lectures and give you homework this will not be a good choice for you. The instructors do a great job of giving you enough information until the light bulbs go off in your head and the rest you have to figure out on your own. A lot of time is spent researching and coding trial and errors. Part of what Dev League strives for is teaching students how to teach themselves. Which was frustrating for me at first, after pounding my head against the wall a few times I really just wanted to yell at the instructors to just give me the answer! However, I think my toughest times were my greatest lessons. I chose to take the full-time course because I wanted to be 110% focused without any distractions. The days were really long, 6 days a week from about 9am to sometimes 10-11pm for me. It definitely takes a lot of self-motivation and drive to complete the course. Do not expect a hand out. Dev League definitely makes you earn your stripes. You are ultimately responsible for your own success. Dev League helps aid to that success by providing a great network of resources and support. Not only did Dev League offer professional advice on my resume, but a Linked In profile/social media review, active email distributions on open positions within the Dev League network all around the world, professional advise from the founders, and an extended "FRAMILY" of Dev League alumni. All of which I was not expecting. Also, from the beginning of the application process, to the Skye interview, to the prep course, the full time class, part time class, prep course, the networking events, the coffee hours, the happy hours, and all the way to after graduation the founders are involved in ALL of it. 

Conclusion- Joining Dev League was the best decision I ever made. It was a huge sacrifice for me to leave my family, friends, belongings, and LIFE behind in Austin, Texas. I moved to Hawaii not knowing anyone, I had never lived outside of Texas. The course itself was not easy and it really made me learn how to brand myself as a person verses just making myself marketable just to get a job. It was the best investment that I've made in myself. I've made really great friends and connections that will last a lifetime. Three weeks after Dev League I received my first job offer as a Data Conversion Developer Analyst. A hybrid position that was created for me by an employer in the Dev League network.

If you would like more information about my journey to Hawaii or my experience in Dev League and life after Dev League, please feel free to email me at infonataliemacias@gmail.com.

I'm as "fresh off the boat" as they come when first learning of DevLeague and programming in general. I'm not a gamer, my phone's a S3, prior to DevLeague the closest thing to a laptop was my ASUS tablet, and I had some exposure to html, meaning - I've heard the term and seen it in Dream Weaver at work lol. Fortunately, DevLeague took a chance with me, my instructors and classmates were not only patient but super supportive, and now I've recently accepted a job offer and am switching career paths. Hopefully this reassures any other F.O.B. aspiring coders out there, that "if I can do it, you can definitely do it."

You graduate the program with a solid foundation as a full-stack developer, allowing you to navigate this huge and constantly changing world of tech, which can be intimidating. Yes, I still feel like a small fish in a huge ocean, BUT now I have a sense of direction, tools to navigate with, and an approach and sense of independence to problem solving that I'll be applying to any problem .. code or non-code related. I really appreciated DevLeague's approach to teaching the material, which was usually - teaching us the hardest way and from ground up, then rewarding us with easier tools, shortcuts even. Yes, torture, but super effective. This solidified our understanding of the material. DevLeague makes you comfortable and confident in addressing and learning the unknown, revealing to yourself on whether you have the grit or not in getting you there. If you were hoping for a 'technical' review, at this point, you probably realize you're not getting one. Because what worked for me in learning the material, completing 6 months in the part-time, and eventually landing a job opportunity .. were the non-technical mantras below, explained to me and my classmates early in the bootcamp. I literally have a sheet of paper in my apartment where I would tally each day of code. One day at a time, One month at a time ..

*ATTITUDE: have a positive attitude 
*WORK ETHIC and DISCIPLINE: at least 11 hours outside of the classroom .. and read the docs!! 
*ALWAYS BE COMMITTING

In addition to accomplishing your first step to becoming a full-stack developer, you join an extremely talented and generous community, all sharing the same passion to constantly be learning and solving problems :) I'm very lucky to be one of many to say, THANK YOU DevLeague.

If you are willing to put in the time and effort and learn to be comfortable in a state of frustration and confusion (that just seems to come with the job), Dev League can teach you the necessary skills that you need to start a new career. The curriculum includes all the cutting-edge, in demand skills that will land you a job, or allow you to develop your own app-ideas. Within a year of graduating from Dev League (having started without any prior coding knowledge), I have managed to land an offer as a full-time Software Engineer at Microsoft. More than just teaching me the necessary skills, Dev League has set me up with a community and a support network that has reached far beyond the Hawaiian Islands.