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DigitalCrafts offers online, flex instruction bootcamps in Software Development, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence. All courses provide online learning with live instructor guidance and feedback. The curriculum has been designed to effectively challenge beginners and experienced learners alike. Students can expect hands-on exercises, tools, and projects that reflect skills utilized in the workplace today. DigitalCrafts instructors and staff strive to be highly accessible and care deeply about their students.
The DigitalCrafts admissions process begins with an online application and an informal admissions interview. The whole process can be finished in a day, and admissions decisions are typically sent the same day or soon after that.
DigitalCrafts students can graduate with a polished resume and an established online presence to help them be ready for the job search. Graduates are supported by a Student Success Team dedicated to career readiness.
DigitalCrafts is part of the American InterContinental University System. The System is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Not all programs are available to residents of all states.
Around a year ago, I too was pouring over CourseReport, Quora, and whatever else I could find in my initial search of coding schools that I might consider for making a career pivot into the world of software development. The options were overwhelming to some degree, and I defintiely found reviews of those who'd gone before to be extremely helpful, and I'm somewhat regretful for having taken so long to post up my own experience.
A year ago, my experience with coding ...
Around a year ago, I too was pouring over CourseReport, Quora, and whatever else I could find in my initial search of coding schools that I might consider for making a career pivot into the world of software development. The options were overwhelming to some degree, and I defintiely found reviews of those who'd gone before to be extremely helpful, and I'm somewhat regretful for having taken so long to post up my own experience.
A year ago, my experience with coding equated to:
1. Taking Treehouse tutorials for a few weeks at a time, then doing nothing with coding for months. Then I'd come back, take a few more weeks, and then take a break again. Basically I was excited about all of the information that was out there, but was failing to make the commitment needed to actually build up any base level experience with much of anything. I knew a little HTML,CSS, and very very basic Javascript at this point.
2. I'd taken a CS-101 course through a bootcamp out in Seattle around 4 years ago (I've been dabbling in this for some time), which was actually a really solid month long course that was basically geared as prep/feeder into their bootcamp program. Unfortunately I had a 2 month old son at the time, as well as a full time job, and I basically only absorbed what I was able to understand from the lectures. In failing to do the labs and the projects, I again, failed to really build any lasting knowledge or understanding.
In 2016, I committed myself to making the transition into a developer a reality. At that point, I think I felt certain that I could accomplish it all in a matter of months. Just sign up for a bootcamp, and BAM, I'd be all set and ready to go. I can't speak to how often that actually happens for others, but I can share with you how my year went.
After doing what you're doing right now (investigating options), it became overwhelmingly clear that the top bootcamp/coding school option out there was Hack Reactor. From what I'd read and seen, it looked really like nothing else even came close.
I signed up for the Fulcrum prep program (I'm not sure if they're still offering this by the same name) with the intention to take 6 weeks to devote myself full time to this prep work, applying to bootcamps once I'd convinced myself that I was willing to commit to the change, and that I was capable of making it.
A few weeks into Fulcrum, I'd still failed to pass my first check in (which is basic JS--Codecademy level stuff), and was seriously feeling as though I was going to wash out of all of this after all. Luckily for me, a mentor there took special interest in me, gave me additional work, and encouraged me to keep pressing. After another week to 10 days of hard work, I passed that initial check in. Then I passed the next one (which was working through higher order functions), then I passed the recursion check in. The momentum was building, and I'd managed to tackle the first of what I think most people will run into throughout this process: the "Can I actually do this"' moment.
All of this to say, I think it's important to experience that moment before you even think about applying to a coding school. I think you run the risk of wasting a lot of time and money if you haven't faced being utterly lost, having to demonstrate to another human being (not just passing some entry level coding challenge) some basic grasp of the fundamentals of programing, and in that process coming to a point where you grapple with that fear or rejection, and figure out how you're going to move past it.
If a coding school that you're applying to doesn't seem to appreciate that, or have teachers/mentors that approach pushing you in that direction, then again, I think you're doing yourself a disservice by signing up for that.
I will be forever grateful to Hack Reactor and that mentor as I truly don't believe I'd be where I am today without it.
Now, since this is a review of DigitalCrafts, let me get back to the story. After a couple of months with the Fulcrum online prep course through Hack Reactor, I'd pretty much 100% decided that I personally wanted an in person bootcamp expereince. Some people can likely pull off the online only thing, but that just wasn't working for me. I wanted to be around other people who were pursuing this dream, in an environment set up to make sure I had the best chance for success.
Prior to this point, I had honestly not been very interested in Atlanta area schools. Beyond the poor reviews for GA and Iron Yard, I didn't really like their program structure, or have much interest in learning Ruby. This is not to say that people aren't doing well with these schools--I just had no interest in them. Hack reactor at that point was MEAN stack in its curriculum, and I wanted to find something that mirrored that. **This is before I came to realize that these JS stacks are flavors of the day.
DigitalCrafts was brand new at this point, which gave me pause initially, but their curiculum was what I wanted, it was 4 months, instead of 3, and it was located in the Atlanta Tech Village, so I decided to reach out to them. After coming down for the interview, I was completely sold. Class sizes were capped at 16 people. The professors stayed at school all day (ie not just TA's around for afternoon labs, but the actual professor). I could tell that Jake and Max were completely focused on creating that premiere bootcamp experience seen in other cities that Atlanta seemed to be lacking.
I paid my deposit, got on the waitlist, continued doing prep on my own, and started in the September 2016 cohort.
Days are long in these programs, and working on your own after school is something that I (and most of my classmates) did routinely. Our coursework started with Python, learning foundations of programming, along with HTML and CSS, before moving into SQL databases/queries/schema's. After that we learned our first framework, and built a webapp for our first group project.
I'll say this as a plug for in person coding schools as well: the group project component is extremely valuable: not only is it where you're sythesizing much of the topics that you're covering, but nothing mimicks the reality of an actual software dev workday like those weeks spent in the group projects. Again, I think you're doing yourself a disservice if you miss out on that experience.
From there, we moved into all things JavaScript: JQuery, Ajax, Angular, Node, Express, Mongo. It should be noted that DC is now teaching ES6 and React, but again, JS frameworks are going to come and go. Understanding that there will always be flavors of the day, along with a strong grasp of the fundamentals is going to set you up well to be able to transition on the day that Angular and React are no longer around.
The cohort itself was fantastic. Most of us became very close, and still get together whenever we can. I honestly miss my school experience immensely, as there's really nothing quite like it. You're learning something new every single day, adding it to an ever growing skill set, watching yourself beome what you've been dreaming about being for years. Once you reach the end, and you realize that you've become that person, it's extremely satisfying and terrifying all at once.
Toby, my professor, is still someone I consider a close friend and mentor. He routinely checks in with me to see how things are going at my job. I couldn't have asked for a better instructor. I have no doubt he goes to sleep every night and wakes up every morning thinking about the well being of his students. His expertise in the field isn't too shabby either.
As with any experience of this sort, you're only going to get out of it what you're able to put into it. I can't stress enough the fact that if you're embarking on this journey, and you're serious about it, you need to get comfortable with the fact that your journey is going to be a series of "What am I doing? I'm not sure I'm cut out for this. There's no way I'm going to be able to figure all of this out" experiences. Day 1 of my new job was nothing but that feeling. All of this to say, again, if you haven't experienced this yet--figure out a way to do so before applying to or spending money on a bootcamp.
I and one other classmate found jobs by the end of our program. A few others founds jobs within the weeks that followed. Others (even those I would consider extremely sharp students) are still job searching 2.5 months out of the program. A coding school will not guarantee a job for you. I do believe a coding school can serve as a means of cultivating the experience needed in order to land yourself a job, along with providing a network to help make that process much more efficient. There was plenty of job prep that was a part of the DC experience that I know was pivotal in my landing my job.
In the end, I have nothing but great things to say about DigitalCrafts, and wouldn't trade my experience there for anything. I would seriously re-live those 4 months again tomorrow if it were possible. I've got a great job as a Software Engineer as a result, and they were a massive part of the reason that's a reality. I still have to pinch myself most mornings.
Best of luck to those of you looking to make this transition. Invest in yourself---commit to the process and challenge yourself prior to applying to schools. This is supposed to be hard--that's a good thing. Get used to that feeling as fast as you can. Go to local meet-ups, or school sponsored events where you can talk to actual students: that will be your best way to gauge whether it's a good fit for you.
Jake H of DigitalCrafts
Co-Founder, VP
Mar 13, 2023
Jake H of DigitalCrafts
Co-Founder, VP
Mar 01, 2023
How much does DigitalCrafts cost?
DigitalCrafts costs around $9,500.
What courses does DigitalCrafts teach?
DigitalCrafts offers courses like AI & Machine Learning Certificate (Flex, Online), Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals Certificate (Flex, Online), Cybersecurity (Flex, Online), Software Development (Flex, Online).
Where does DigitalCrafts have campuses?
DigitalCrafts teaches students Online in a remote classroom.
Is DigitalCrafts worth it?
DigitalCrafts hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 339 DigitalCrafts alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed DigitalCrafts on Course Report - you should start there!
Is DigitalCrafts legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 339 DigitalCrafts alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed DigitalCrafts and rate their overall experience a 4.85 out of 5.
Does DigitalCrafts offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like DigitalCrafts 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 DigitalCrafts reviews?
You can read 339 reviews of DigitalCrafts on Course Report! DigitalCrafts alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed DigitalCrafts and rate their overall experience a 4.85 out of 5.
Is DigitalCrafts accredited?
https://www.digitalcrafts.com/about/accreditation
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