DigitalCrafts

I had an extremely positive experience with DigitalCrafts, I would highly recommend it for anyone looking to attend a bootcamp.The curriculum is robust, moves fast (as most bootcamps)  but it is focused on teaching the most relevant technologies. My instructor Veronica exceeded my expectations, she is knowledgeable, engaging, highly skilled, offers a ton of support, gives you tons or resources you need to succeed and not only teaches you the how, but also the why behind the concepts. 
All of the employees at DC really truly care about your success and growth. I'm glad I enrolled at DigitalCrafts and will strongly recommend.

I recently graduated from DigitalCrafts' 16 week long Full Stack Web Development course. The course can be challenging, but when you are supported by some of the best instruction out there, you will be amazed at what you can learn. My instructor, Mohammad Azam, was both highly skilled in software development and instruction. If you are looking for a school that will teach you highly sought after skills, and more importantly, how to learn, DigitalCrafts is your top option!

As I write this, it has been 2 weeks since I completed the full-time onsite DigitalCrafts Full-Stack Immersion program so I am still in the process of reflecting on my experiences but I’ll do my best to share my current thoughts.  I recommend doing a lot of research and reading several reviews before committing to a boot camp or other educational platform so that you ensure you’ll get the most out of the learning experience. 

Tuition 

While software developer boot camps cost can vary widely, DigitalCrafts Full-Stack Immersion program seems to be competitive with other boot camps that are full-time. I attended the Houston, TX onsite program which had the benefit of an instructor, a couple of classroom DiRs (Developer in Residences who assisted the instructor and students) and I got to learn along with classmates from many different backgrounds. 

Veterans 

For military veterans, the VA has approved DigitalCrafts for VET TEC.  VET TEC is a government program that funds veteran job training in technology fields.  VET TEC does not subtract from your GI BILL but you are required to be GI Bill eligible to qualify for the VET TEC program. VET TEC covers the cost of tuition plus allots the veteran a monthly stipend for housing during the course of the program. Check out this link to learn more about VET TEC https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/vettec-high-tech-program/. 

Instructors 

Each class has a dedicated instructor who will be with you throughout your boot camp. The DiRs are former Digital Craft graduates who are very knowledgeable, helpful and understand what it means to go through a boot camp so their assistance is inviable to the classroom.  My instructor Veronica is a former NASA engineer who has many years of being a software developer which allows her to draw upon her experiences. She is also able to speak about how coding is always evolving. She goes above and beyond when it comes to helping her students set themselves up for not only classroom success but for real-world success as well. She covers the course requirements but also covers material that will help you stand out among other new software developer job seekers.       

Learning Environment 

If you’ve never heard of the expression, “It is like drinking from a fire hydrant.” well you have now and that is what Digital Crafts Full-Stack Immersion program is like. It is a boot camp in every sense of the word.  You will wake up with coding on the mind, spend the day learning and practicing coding fundamentals, your evenings & weekends will be filled with coding homework, going over notes, rewrite notes, watching coding videos, speaking with your classmates, etc. 

I thought I knew what I was getting myself into but “Oh My God!” it was that and then some.  I know everyone's experiences will be different, but for me almost every moment of every day for the entire 16-week course I was consumed by coding.  With hindsight, I would have come into the course better prepared. There are lots of good free and low-cost coding tutorials and courses online. Being exposed to basic Command Line, Git/GitHub, Python, and JavaScript concepts would have been a saving grace because the immersion program covers a lot of information in a very short amount of time and all that information builds upon itself.  It is like being thrown in the deep part of the pool.  Sure, there are lifeguards around but having floaties on and the ability to doggie paddle are nice backups to have. 

Learning Onsite (The Cannon Campus) vs Learning Online 

My class cohort started in early January so we got the benefit of starting out in classrooms which for those who like to learn in person like myself, was great. 

Having access to the teachers, aides, and staff in real-time is really nice. Being able to get to know your classmates in a classroom environment is something that is hard to duplicate with an online-only class. A typical DigitalCrafts day started at 9 am and ended at 4 pm. The days themselves were a mix of lecture, note-taking, coding along with the instructor on your laptop, practical application, individual and team projects, along with an hour lunch break and several small breaks throughout the day. 

The campus on which DigitalCrafts is located is made up of several businesses. The main building where the classrooms are located in Houston is called The Cannon https://thecannon.com/. If you’re like me and pictured working in a place that is made up of collaborative workspaces, glass-walled offices, gaming areas, free food and drink, and overall has a cool innovative feel to it, well my friend The Cannon is the place to be.  An amazing bonus of our classrooms being located at The Cannon is that you get exposed to companies who are either based out of The Cannon or have satellite offices located there.  These companies are known to hire DigitalCrafts alumni, some of which got offers before they even completed the immersion course.  

Once the Covid-19 pandemic occurred, DigitalCrafts switched our onsite learning to online learning. While this took several days for everyone to adjust, in the end, it worked out well. Why I personally think that the biggest advantages that DigitalCrafts has over other boot camps are its instructors, DiRs, students being able to learn in a classroom and being exposed daily to companies who need software developers, overall DigitalCrafts adjusted well to a situation that no one anticipated needing to make when the class original started.  

Course Work 

As a reminder, I’m very new to coding but DigitalCrafts curriculum seems to be pretty well thought out and it looks to cover the popular software that companies, where DigitalCrafts are located, are looking for when bringing in new software developers.  

I researched several boot camps in my area and they all seem to have a slightly different mix of software being covered. I highly recommend that you do your research to make sure you are learning something that will be useful in the present and future job markets. 

Areas To Improve Upon 

This could be something that DigitalCrafts is in the process of working on since everyone had to adjust to the new Covid-19 world that we all find ourselves in but DigitalCrafts need more video content that students can reference. Once an instructor has covered a topic, a pre-recorded, edited version of that day’s topics, with resource links, zip files, etc... should be easily accessible to the student. While I feel that nothing can truly replace an actual instructor that students can learn from in real time, resources like these would be extremely helpful for students to refer to over lunch breaks, after school hours, on weekends, etc. 

“It’s not a race” is something that I thought of often while sitting in class as information was being disseminated at my classmates and me at what felt like ludicrous speed. While there is a lot of information to be covered in a relatively short amount of time, going at a pace where students know that there will be pausing for note-taking, troubleshooting, etc... will lessen the likely hood that students have to battle between note-taking (and possibly getting behind on what the instructor is coding), following along with the code (and getting behind on note-taking) or troubleshooting a random error (and falling behind on both note-taking and whatever the instructor is covering). Students need notes to refer to later. They also need to follow along with the lecture and code that is being presented. Allowing students time to do both helps everyone.  Students will absorb information better and instructors will spend less time reteaching information that was already covered. 

Final Thoughts 

I recommend attending DigitalCrafts Full-Stack Immersion program. The instructors are knowable, they care about the well being of their students and want them to be successful.  The information being covered is UpToDate and in demand. The tuition is reasonable when compared to other full-time full-stack programs. The office staff is active and works for your success. The alumni are extremely active and the school is all about networking and leveraging those connections when it comes to getting you exposed to companies that are hiring. DigitalCrafts seems to be willing to adapt so that it is offering prospective, current, and former students a product that has great value. If you prepare yourself for the workload, don’t give up no matter what and be willing to learn, you will make it through the immersion program.  Companies value DigitalCrafts students as evident by how many former DigitalCrafts students are current software developers and engineers.  

I hope this writeup and review helps. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about what it was like going to DigitalCrafts. Stay learning, flexible in thought, and Semper Fi! 

Sean - 

I attended DigitalCrafts looking to fast track a career change and the program delivered amazing results for me. I had a technical background and some experience with computers, but no coding experience when I started DigitalCrafts. The program quickly helped me lay a strong foundation of core programming skills and introduced me to some of the hottest technologies in the industry. I am currently employed as a Node.js developer and believe that I am on par with many developers in the industry with several years of experience. 

Personal attention is one of the strongest attributes at DigitalCrafts. The founders are approachable and speak with you one on one to ensure you have a great experience. If you have a problem you can call them up or walk into their office and the issue will be handled on the spot. It is very rare to have access to the leadership of a company and have them working directly with there customers. DigitalCrafts also fosters an open and friendly environment with events, meetups, and continued interaction with its alumni. The instructors will work hands on with you and give you one on one attention to ensure your success. Also if the class size grows, they will bring in additional teaching assistants to ensure every student gets enough personal instruction to succeed. 

The instructors are terrific! Toby was my instructor for the 16-week bootcamp, and I was extremely impressed by his commitment and dedication to me and the other students. He truly wanted us to succeed and achieve our goals! I also was Rob's teaching assistant for a short time and had a great experience working with him and his class. Rob is also deeply invested in the success of his students. All the Atlanta instructors are extremely knowledgeable and boast impressive resumes, educational achievement, and work experience in the industry.

The curriculum is bleeding edge! DigitalCrafts boast an extremely impressive curriculum that is constantly changing to keep up with the industry. During my bootcamp the company changed the curriculum midway through the course and taught Python instead of PHP as part of it's second technology stack. I was extremely impressed with there willingness to make this change. They have continued to change the curriculum by adding React to an already impressive technology list that includes Node.js, JavaScript, Python, MongoDB and many many more. 

Career assistance is still in its infancy. The career services program is still lacking an established network of employers that know and trust DigitalCrafts graduates. Part of this is due to the youth of the company and low number of cohorts that they have graduated thus far. I due believe that this will improve as more and more students enter the industry and companies see them perform at a high level. The staff works extremely hard introducing job opportunities to each student and coaching you with resume tips and interview practice. This should not deter you from exploring DigitalCrafts as a choice for a bootcamp.

Overall, I was extremely happy with my experience at DigitalCrafts and would attend them over any other code school I have researched. They are committed to improving and you may have an even better experience than I had as this company continues is climb toward the top of the coding bootcamp mountain.