Fullstack Academy Reviews
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Julia K Verified via LinkedIn
Great program!
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I'm a recent grad from the Fullstack WDF program. It was such an intense learning experience, and the staff there seem to truly care about your success. They handled all questions from my cohort gracefully and patiently, no matter how silly or repetitive the questions were. The career service team provided us with an abundant amount of information, and made themselves available if we ever needed extra office hours to discuss our individual career goals.
ProsExtremely supportive and amazing staff. Curriculum is constantly updated, and I feel like I have a solid foundation to enter the job market.
ConsIt's extremely fast-paced (but hey, it's called a bootcamp for a reason), and sometimes we had to learn like 5 different technologies in one week, which seemed overwhelming at the time. I had to do Udemy courses and watch youtube videos to solidify the material. Their algorithm and data structure preparation is not as robust as I would have liked. I would have preferred to have more structured lessons on data structures, and going over solution patterns.
Overall, I highly recommend this bootcamp. The staff are there to support you as much as they can, but at the end of the day it's up to you to dedicate the time and effort to ensure you really understand the material.
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Joel McGill Verified via LinkedIn
FullTime Immersive Program
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This isn’t something that is easy or will fall in your lap Software Engineering is Hard! That being said there are few programs that I feel could prepare you as well as my program did!! What I love and will rave about to any one looking for a bootcamp is the resources and prep that Full stack offers prior to even taking the immersive bootcamp course. I first took a month long bootcamp prep course where they have industry folks teaching. Also where I met my teacher who referred me for my first job. After that class they offer me a builders program which was another 4 weeks of prep work (not always offered so ask for it). They also recommended a self directed JavaScript platform called teamTreehouse (this took me 3 weeks I did on my own). Then their actual bootcamp is prefaced with a 4 week program called foundations. Overall I got a total 12 weeks worth of preparation before actually starting the 12 week immersive course!! Trust me when I say it was an immense help to have had all that preparation. I really got a bootcamp worth of prep prior to the Bootcamp. The Bootcamp itself is well structured, focuses on JavaScript and heavily uses React on the front end and NodeJS- Sequelize on the backend. If you want to be a backend engineer this may not be the best. Most backend in my job search is Java Go or python. However, for Front End there’s no better place. As a FullStack program you will have all the base skills needed to create websites front to back! My Teachers in the immersive program were Sarah Zhao and David Patlut some of the Best teachers you could have!! They really teach you how to think for yourself and guide you to questions that you can ask yourself about what is happening with the code. This form of teach allows you to be able to teach yourself by understanding what questions to ask and therefore (what to google) ultimately leading to teaching yourself or having a good educated guess and being able to communicate the ideas effectively. Pair programming is big here and will be something you will want to utilize in the workplace. Unless you are in the Grace Hopper program you will own your Job search. It will be imperative to adopt a strong LinkedIn and contact recruiters prior to applying to even get responses and cover letters are a must! Again the don’t follow up on you so be active and stay on top of emailed opportunities. Yes, resources of relevant opportunities are constantly passed along. Though the professional network of FSA is growing everyday and we look out for each other, find us on LinkedIn! I strongly would suggest anyone looking into tech to consider this program. -
Ryan Smith Verified via GitHub
Best Decision I've Ever Made
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Attending Fullstack was easily the best decision I've ever made in my life. I found the curriculum and the style of teaching excellent. From the Foundations course through Senior Phase, and beyond, with career support, my expectations were surpassed at every step of the way. It's difficult to look back and think about where I stood before day one of the program, because of how rapidly I was able to grow during this time. I truly went from very little experience to feeling job-ready, as an entry level software engineer, as a result of this decision.
I so enjoyed collaborating with many of the students in my cohort and all the instructors and teaching fellows were an absolute pleasure to work with and learn from. A couple that stand out in my mind are Noelle Laureano (instructor) and Asim Samual (fellow). Noelle created a real sense of accountability, while simultaneously bringing so much enthusiasm each and every day, to the point that it was contagious. Asim was always there for me as a fellow to help navigate the, at times, overwhelming program. He was always good for some advice, technical or not, and of course, was there to squash some bugs with me when needed!
I've already recommended the program to a few people in my life that are looking to enter the world of development. I will continue to do so anytime I meet anyone else looking to endure this same path! -
Dean S. Gladish Verified via LinkedIn
One of the best bootcamps
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Fullstack Academy definitely taught me so much more than what I would normally learn in your typical computer science course. I started out as a relative newcomer to the field and they took me from knowing practically nothing to being able to pair program and do all kinds of stuff. It’s really that type of school. The instructors were always there to answer our questions and provided us with a massive amount of help whenever we needed it. Fullstack Academy is a really good choice, especially if you’re looking to improve upon your existing computer science education.
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John LaTona Verified via LinkedIn
Software Engineer
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Attending Fullstack Academy was one of the best career decisions I ever made. I applied to Fullstack after attending another coding bootcamp that left me completely unprepared for the job market, not supported, and disillusioned. Fullstack was the boost I needed to become a full-time professional software engineer. The instructors are amazingly talented and really care about your success, the curriculum is challenging, but relevant to the skills needed for the tech job market, and their career services program is attentive, relevant, and delivers real results.
Before graduation they have you meet with prospective employers on what's called "launch day", it's basically several hours of speed interviewing with major employers (my launch day included face to face meetings with executives from Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, and American Express, just to name a few. Every launch day has different companies in attendance however). I received three onsite invitations from launch day, and I signed with one of them for my first engineering job only a few weeks after graduation! That wouldn't have been possible if it hadn't been for the coaching you receive from career services regarding your resume, linkedin presence, and soft interviewing skills, as well as the technical skills from the faculty related to algorithms, data structures, general programming knowledge and the latest JavaScript frameworks, plus the amazing projects you get to work on and add to your portfolio. Fullstack is challenging, but extremely rewarding, and if you're not afraid of working hard in a fast-paced environment, Fullstack can change your life and help you realize your tech career dreams. Highly, highly recommended! -
Juan Verified via LinkedIn
Best decision of my life!
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I applied to Fullstack Academy though the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline for a chance at a fellowship opportunity. With a degree in computer science and the terrible market due to the corona virus, I knew it was going to take a lot more to stand out. That and in today's age, a CS degree holds little weight compared to practical skill in today's climate. Anyway, I applied, went through a bootcamp to learn the fundamentals of JavaScript. I had to take a midterm and a final to get a shot at the actual curriculum. In the curriculum we learned advanced JS concepts, frontend and backend frameworks and in the final weeks of the program we had 3 incredible projects in our portfolio. From my experience at FS, I can say that if I could do it all over again I'd go down the bootcamp route instead of getting a degree!! Shout out to Fila, a TA at the bootcamp. He has such an amazing way of teaching and would be available on days he was off! Definitely made me want to give back to the community in a more significant way. -
Bailey Verified via LinkedIn
Fast way to software
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Overall I am very pleased with my experience at the Grace Hopper Program. I considered the self teaching route, but I am an impatient person and I wanted to do whatever was going to help me transition into tech fastest. I have a background in aerospace engineering and have experience coding from college, but not in web development. I feel that if I had self taught then the process probably would have taken around 2x as long, and I might not have learned the best technologies or have gotten side-tracked. Having a community of people to hold you accountable and hand-feed you the information you need to learn is valuable in and of itself.
Being in an all women environment was something that I never experienced before. I never explicitly had any issues being in male-dominated classes, but I will say that the all female learning experience was pretty cool. This could be extra valuable for women who are apprehensive about trying to break into a male-dominated field.
Keep in mind that there will be a lot of self-studying AFTER graduation if you are expecting to land a job at a large tech company. The course touches on technical interviews (data structures/algorithms) but self practice is how you actually get good at these, and there's not much time during the course to study those because you are busy with projects. -
Sang Hyuk Lee Verified via LinkedIn
Cybersecurity Bootcamp
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I attended Fullstack's Cybersecurity bootcamp between April 2020 - July 2020. I had an amazing experience and graduated with multiple interviews already lined up. The instructors were all amazing. Corey, Veer, Matt, and Frank were all dedicated to preparing us for our first job. Having accepted an offer at a major cyber security firm just weeks after graduation I can, in full confidence, say that I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from these four industry experts. One thing I loved about the bootcamp was that at the end of every week there was an open class discussion on the things that worked very well that week and things that did not. The instructors took this feedback very seriously and implemented any and all changes they could. No matter what was said, each instructor put their egos aside and took it as an opportunity to improve their craft, create a better learning environment, and better prepare their students to become cybersecurity professionals.
I think this mindset is what really separates Fullstack from every other bootcamp and this desire for self improvement is a mindset shared amongst every member in the Fullstack family. This mindset also trickles down to how instructors interact with their students. The instructors understand that the coursework is challenging and fast paced, but instead of giving up on students who fall behind, the instructors are more than happy to make accommodations and spend extra time helping students who need it. One piece of advice for students who do attend.. There was a heavy emphasis on certifications. Don’t feel like you need to get every cert under the sun. I would recommend getting the Sec+ and attempting OSCP during cert week, and attempting splunk during Blue Team. You can pass or fail on OSCP and splunk (it won’t make or break your job hunt), start applying to jobs right after your resume is in order. There is no need for any more certs for entry level jobs. If you want to have a job right after graduation apply to jobs 1 month before your graduation date. -
Griztian hutchins Verified via GitHub
Cybersecurity
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Terrible terrible experience. I have never experienced this kind on monstrosity ever, they're ego is out of the roof. They are proud,disgusting wicked and despicable. The way I was shamed and disrepected was sick. To ruin someones life who wanted to make better of himself for a life that has given him nothing but pain and struggle how dare they, [Personal Information Redacted] will be hearing from their regulators -
Barish Verified via GitHub
An Awesome Experience
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I chose Fullstack Academy for my bootcamp because of the emphasis on cultivating a positive community, the highly relevant JavaScript tech stack, and the strength of its reputation and network in NYC. It definitely lived up to my expectations in those areas. The instructors were super knowledgeable and took our learning and experience seriously. Even though COVID forced the program to be fully remote, by the end it felt like a new family. The curriculum has really nailed the balance of lecture time with solo workshops and paired programming/group work, and there's a good natural progression of building on tools and concepts that really helps a TON of skills and knowledge sink in over a pretty short time. The career success team is a real blessing- they have so much advice to share and really put their all into supporting graduates on their job search. There is so much valuable coaching on networking, professional communication, and career growth, which feels almost like you've taken a whole extra course, which you might not realize or understand the value of when you're deciding to apply to a bootcamp. Bootcamps in general have their downsides and it's no walk in the park to find a junior developer job in these times, but I was pleasantly surprised after graduation by how seriously we are taken by recruiters and companies. As far as I can compare Fullstack to other top-tier bootcamps, I think we got the best of all worlds, with the most time spent on the most relevant and desirable tech stack possible, in a fun environment that challenges you but also deliberately avoids the overly intense and cut-throat atmosphere that I have heard students in other top bootcamps can struggle with. Fullstack should be your choice if you want a positive and engaged social environment while you learn, you're ready to make use of their strong professional network after graduation, and you're going to hold yourself accountable for pushing yourself to get the most out of it without external pressures like being cut from the program if you don't keep up, which is known to happen at other bootcamps. -
Stefanie Verified via LinkedIn
The Web Development Fellowship is truly a blessing!
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I came into this course with very limited coding skills and couldn't afford to pay Fullstack's tuition for their other programs so I decided to enroll in the WDF program. The curriculum is exactly the same as the Software Engineering Immersive and Grace Hopper program but is completely free! The instructors and teaching fellows were literally the best and truly cared about all the students and made sure we understood the materials. Our teaching fellows went above and beyond for us and on many occasions stayed after class to work with us if we had any material we were still unsure about. After graduation our career counselor was constantly in touch with us to make sure our job search was going well and providing us with any support we needed. Overall, Fullstack Academy is a phenomenal bootcamp and worth the investment. The skills we learned are very in-demand and provide a solid foundation for applying to entry-level software engineering roles. -
Laura Verified via LinkedIn
Lifechanging experience
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I had a fantastic time at GHP and wouldn't have chosen any other bootcamp. They don't just give you experience with development, they also prepare you for pair programming, agile methodology, the interviewing/job search process, and for whiteboarding exercises. That being said, there is always room for improvement. The fellows need more guidelines on how to do their jobs, since some fellows were diligent with their grading and their advice, while others were just scraping by. Instructors tell you to embrace the "productive struggle", which is fair if you have an idea of what you're doing, but sometimes students would get 100% lost and wouldn't even know how to search for a solution. At that point, some instructors need to learn how to identify what is best for the student, rather than expect them to figure it out on their own. It's a tough program, especially if you don't have a CS background, but I'm glad I went through it and love the community I'm now surrounded by. -
Edward Lu Verified via LinkedIn
Worth it
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I took a calculated risk when I made a career change last August from finance to tech. I knew I had some background in coding already, and that I wanted to work in tech as an engineer, but I also knew I was taking a risk. The bootcamp experience itself was fantastic; I had a great time learning interesting material and building apps with like-minded people. Fullstack does a good job screening applicants not just for their technical ability but for their people skills as well. The main reason I chose Fullstack over other bootcamps was for the latter reason. Career services also does a great job keeping tabs post graduation and sending out opportunities. This helps keeps grads up-to-date and informed as they navigate the job search process, which is probably the most stressful part.
I can't blanket recommend bootcamps in general to everyone. As I mentioned the bootcamp experience itself was great, but I think you have to really want to be an engineer as well as understand that it is a time and money investment in order to make the most of it. Lack of coding background doesn't have to be an issue if you put in the work and are persistent.
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Abdul Hamid Raufi Verified via LinkedIn
Cyber Threat Analyst
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Words can’t describe how amazing my experience in Fullstack Academy’s cybersecurity bootcamp was. I never thought I would learn as much as I did in such a small period of time. I am someone who had zero security experience and no degree coming into the bootcamp. After graduating, within 20 days I had found myself signing an offer letter to work for the Department of Treasury. All thanks to the amazing teachers, staff and of course Mark! Shout out to Cory and Veer for passing their knowledge to us. -
Mallory Verified via LinkedIn
Rewarding and supportive experience
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The Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy in NYC helped me make a successful career transition into software development. Before starting at Grace Hopper in the fall of 2019, I was working in a different industry in a non-tech role and had been coding in my free time for about 6 months on and off. To prepare for admission to Grace Hopper, I taught myself some Javascript basics, and then attended the Fullstack Academy online Bootcamp Prep course. By the time I graduated from Grace Hopper, I had built several full-stack web apps, including a capstone project that I could showcase during job interviews. Through the curriculum and additional self-study of algorithms and data structures, I learned core skills that made me a competitive applicant for software engineer roles.
One of the most valuable parts of my experience was joining a highly welcoming, collaborative, and empathetic community of women and non-binary software developers. My classmates not only challenged each other in the classroom, but also cheered each other on through the extremely fast-paced curriculum and into the job search process. I'm grateful to be part of such a strong community to navigate a new career in tech with.
Pros:
- Deferred tuition
- Challenging and rewarding curriculum
- Inclusive, supportive community
- Opportunity to attend the school's 'Launch Day' near graduation, which can provide networking and interview leads
- Career counselor available throughout the job search process
Cons:
- Large class size (almost 40 students) sometimes seemed to overstretch instructors, teaching assistants, and career counselors -
Megan Donnelly Verified via LinkedIn
Best investment I've made
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Prior to attending Fullstack's immersive program, I was working in quality assurance at a tech company and I was interested in changing careers to software engineering. I spoke with a number of my coworkers who had attended bootcamps, and the Fullstack / Grace Hopper alumni by far had the most glowing reviews of the programs they attended. After taking Fullstack's bootcamp prep course, I decided that Fullstack had the inclusive learning atmosphere and hiring outcomes I was looking for. I ended up enrolling in the program and becoming a teaching fellow afterward and it is by far the best investment I've ever made. I'm a few weeks out from finishing up my teaching fellowship and I'm excited to say that I've accepted a full-time software engineering role that far exceeded my expectations. I have nothing but great things to say about the wonderful and dedicated instructors and career success advisors at Fullstack. I would highly recommend this program to anyone considering a career shift into software engineering. I will say that my prior experience working in tech and my experience working as a teaching fellows were very helpful during my job search, but I think Fullstack can be a great option for people without prior technical experience as well. -
Jasmine Wang Verified via GitHub
Was a skeptic of bootcamps (Chicago)
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Prior to my career shift, I worked in continuing education and interacted with some software engineering bootcamps that left much to be desired. When I learned about Fullstack Academy and the Grace Hopper program, I was equally skeptical. After reviewing their coursework and taking their online/discounted prep materials, I decided that the material and program was rigorous and worth pursuing. I ended up completing the program as a Grace Hopper Program participant, and then later as a teaching fellow. I'm really glad that I did!
* CULTURE *
Never have I been in a more inclusive environment. My classmates were thoughtful, funny, and pretty self-aware. The support (instructors, staff, teaching fellows) were always warm, friendly, available. I have made some lasting friendships from this program.
* MATERIAL *
The instructors are ON. IT. Software engineering / web development is a constantly changing landscape, and it is evident that the instructors are working to teach the most up-to-date and effective stack to their students. I often noticed typos and minor errors in the course materials, but I am now realizing that it is because instructors will rewrite/update their course materials constantly to make sure it is fresh.
* RETURN OF INVESTMENT aka, GETTING A JOB *
Holly was instrumental in helping me find my job! I was able to apply while working as a teaching fellow, and I was given an offer about two weeks after I started looking. The career success team is there to provide resources and real advice on how to pursue work, negotiate a salary offer, and build a network in the tech industry. Above all of this, they are here to help you deal with impostor syndrome and job search anxiety.
I really wasn't sure what to expect when going through this program but I am definitely glad that I did. This program is what you make of it - if you are looking for a program that will make you think, work, and learn, this might be the one for you! -
Sylvana Verified via LinkedIn
Eternally Grateful
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I am so thankful to Fullstack Academy and Grace Hopper for giving me the skills and confidence to find a job with a company that I love. Let me start by giving you a little background. I studied electrical engineering in college and worked as teacher after graduating, so I had some coding background but I was mostly self-taught. Before Fullstack, I was able to build simple apps by following youtube tutorials or searching stack overflow, but I felt like I was lacking a lot of foundational knowledge. It turns out that, yes, I was lacking foundational knowledge, but there was so much more that I had been missing. After Fullstack, I have a much clearer understanding of the full stack data flow and best practices. Beyond that, I also met some amazing people and found the most loving, supportive community. Anyone who went through the Grace Hopper Program would agree that it is a wonderful, safe bubble, where you feel comfortable asking questions and seeking help. Everyone is genuinely interested in your success, and do their best to help you reach your goals. This is true of both teachers and students. In a field as competitive and intimidating as software engineering, the Grace Hopper program was a wonderful oasis that made learning easy and enjoyable. -
Teressa Verified via LinkedIn
a life choice you will not regret
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I have so much gratitude and love for my Fullstack and Grace Hopper fam. The instructors are super knowledgable (S/O NATALIE LANE AND DAVID ADEWOYIN), the career success coaches, my cohort mates, just the ENTIRE staff. You are set up for success the minute you enter the program. Despite the challenging pace and the jam-packed curriculum, I had the time of my life building web apps with teammates that I could later talk about in interviews. Staying engaged with the material and vocalizing your concerns will get you the personalized support you need to get up to speed in learning the newest technologies. The program is aptly named as an "immersive" course - there are workshops, lectures, office hours, panels, review sessions, and checkpoints to test your mastery of the material. The cohort sizes may vary depending on the time of the year but there are smaller learning teams with a dedicated teaching fellow who will help you navigate through the bootcamp's material. There is also a program lead that checks in with the cohort to address any real-time improvements that can be made to the learning environment. I put in my all, and as a result I've gained lifelong friends, robust projects that make me a competitive software engineer applicant, and a network of fierce women software engineers. -
Charmagne Ladannie Cayetano Verified via LinkedIn
Attending Fullstack Academy is so worth it!
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I was part of a small class (just group of 10, eventually 9, students) and I think that was very advantageous to the students in our cohort, as each student got more attention and help from our instructor and fellow (teaching assistant). We also got to know everyone in the class - got more familiar with them and realized how to pair with them better/work with them better as a teammate.
I like how the curriculum started out with some foundations, especially Javascript, then progressed to DOM manipulation, then to React, then to Node and Express. And then eventually they added some PostgreSQL, then Babel/Webpack, then Redux. I just think that the lesson builds up from the previous technology/framework really well, and helps the students (especially those new to programming) feel less overwhelmed about all the new stuff they're learning. Eventually, all the things you learn are applied to group projects that simulate working in a real-world team.
I would say that our instructor, Prof. Erik, really tried his best to give us a learning structure that would make it easier for us to understand and also appreciate the language and framework we're learning. I loved how he would show first how to do something in a very vanilla way, show you the most basic way you can solve or approach a specific problem. Then in the next or a later lesson, he'll show how to work with a framework that makes life easier and addresses the tediousness of the earlier approach you were taught.
Aside from our instructor, we also have a teaching assistant (also called a fellow) assigned to our class. Haoyu was an ally as we tried to gain the most out of the course. When we have questions, he tried his best to make us understand how something works. He also made sure we are challenging ourselves by giving us stretches and algorithm practices. If we're done with an exercise and there's still time, he'd also suggest what harder use cases we can try to handle.
Aside from the instructors, our class was well taken cared of by the staff assigned to us - Crystal (our program lead), Chris, and Meg (our career coach). Crystal made sure that we are well fed when we stay late or go to campus on weekends. If we have logistic concerns, we raise them to Chris and he takes care of them for us. Meg helped us with career and job hunting preps - how to pitch yourself, how to make your resume/LinkedIn better, how to answer interview questions, how to negotiate salary, you name it!
Overall, I really enjoyed the time I spent as a student in Fullstack Academy's Part-Time Flex program. I would say that I spent my money wisely. I was able to level up my skills. I gained mentors, friends, allies. I became part of a community that makes me feel more confident as a Software Engineer! -
Brian Verified via GitHub
Awesome Experience!
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Fullstack Academy was truly one of my best educational experiences! Not only was I able to learn the latest technologies / methodologies, but I was able to do so in a very collaborative environment, where everyone would go out of their way to help you. This program allowed us to learn a large amount of information in a short amount of time while also still having time to build several solid projects to build out our portfolios. I just want to thank my excellent instructors (Eric K., Eliot S., and Gabriel R.) and my career services advisor (Meg D.) – all of whom are very knowledgeable and genuinely care about our learning / job search. They truly contributed to an awesome experience. I highly recommend Fullstack Academy for anyone looking to attend a coding bootcamp! -
Alexander Z. Verified via LinkedIn
Great Experience in Chicago
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Other reviewers here who were in my cohort have already said everything I might have to say to analyze the program as a whole or any particular people (see Eric's Review from 2/5/2020, and Jennie's review from 2/3/2020).
Just to quickly reiterate however:
Fullstack does a really great job picking the right people for their program, has a strong curriculum, and excellent instructors. The job search help is detailed and gives you a clear process to follow for interacting with potential employers.
The instructors are wonderful individuals and it shows how much care has gone into selecting the right people to teach. Learning from Collin and Finn was a pleasure. Collin is one of the most knowledgeable, inquisitive, and patient people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. His instruction is excellent and very down to earth while maintaining a strong conceptual framework around whatever issue he is explaining. Finn is also very knowledgeable, and is extremely friendly, approachable, funny, and had a real knack for breaking any difficulty down into approachable parts. Both of them are extremely supportive and among the best educators I have had the pleasure to learn from in any field.
Holly, the career services lead, is amazing. Beyond knowing her stuff and having an excellent and down to earth approach, she is extremely supportive and was critical in helping me work my way through the job seeking process. To anyone who attends Fullstack, as far as job hunting goes, the best advice I can give is to listen to Holly, and talk to her regularly.
If you are thinking about a bootcamp, Fullstack is a great program, but be aware of what you are jumping into. Fullstack is a ton of work. Depending on your background and level of experience coming in, it might not be unreasonable to expect to be doing 80ish hours of work per week. Even if you do have a reasonable amount of prior experience, this is an intense program. Relax before your start, take your health seriously, and ask for help when you need it.
Finally, a note about the other students. Fullstack does an excellent job picking people who have a collaborative and growth focused attitude. Without exception, everyone I met at Fullstack was supportive and interested in working together. Despite the workload and time constraints. I would go so far as to say that I made friends here.
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Eric Verified via LinkedIn
Wonderful Experience!!
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I won't drone on too long about how amazing this course is. Instead, I'll just tell you what makes Fullstack special.
1. You don't just feel like a number - Fullstack really cares about its students and that is clear from day one. I was worried that I would fall behind and I would just be left in the dust, but every goes the extra mile to help you learn and succeed. The instructors all know your name within the first day or two, and they cater to the specific needs of each student.
2. The instructors are unbelievable - I don't really know what more to say. They really, truly care about not only what they are teaching, but all of the students. You can approach any one of them with any problem and they are patient, understanding, and extremely helpful. They really made the difference for me. Collin is probably the most knowledgeable person I've ever met, but even so, his patience was incredible. I often had discussions with him in which I would ask the same questions multiple times, and each time he would patiently rephrase his answers so that I was able to understand. In addition, he was willing to spend a great deal of extra time with my capstone group so that we could achieve a higher level of organization. Our other main instructor, Finn, was incredible at using analogies and humour to explain complex problems. At the beginning of every week, I honestly felt like there was no way I'd be able to understand all the material we were expected to learn, but Finn had a way of breaking down very complex programming concepts in understandable chunks. In addition, he is relentless debugger. During one of the projects, I had a very strange bug that he helped me to understand even though it took a long time.
3. The other students - We all wanted to do Fullstack to change our life course, and it is very apparent that nearly every student is aware of this all the time. I was astonished by the level of dedication shown by my classmates. There was no sense of competition. On the contrary, I felt like we were all working together toward a common goal.
4. Holly rocks - the career services lead, Holly Valenty is such a rockstar. Even though there were many of us (30-40 I think), she was willing to spend extra time with each student to make sure we all understood the tools we needed to get a job. Holly really made me feel like I was ready to enter the job market. I don't think I would have ever gotten a job without her! -
Jennie Verified via LinkedIn
Exceeded my (high) expectations
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When I started looking at software engineering bootcamps, I prioritized finding one with a challenging curriculum. Fullstack’s rigorous application process and focus on “productive struggle” during Bootcamp Prep made it my top choice, and the hands-on, fast-paced coursework did not disappoint. Fullstack’s magic, however, lies with its instructors, fellows, and career success team. Their support throughout made the otherwise daunting experience of switching careers feel very attainable.
Fullstack’s curriculum requires hard work, especially for those like me without a programming background. Students have to pass checkpoints in Foundations (4-week online course) to make it to Junior Phase (6-week on-site lectures / workshops), and there’s a similar checkpoint before the project-based Senior phase begins. Having access to fellows and instructors through help tickets and office hours helped me grasp important concepts for homework and looming tests. In Junior Phase, we had the additional benefit of weekly learning lunches led by fellows who answered questions on course content and their experiences at Fullstack.
Relationships with fellows and instructors deepened in Senior Phase: fellows advised us on our projects and instructors led code reviews. The Chicago campus instructors, Collin, Finn, and Priti, gave practical advice when we hit technical snags and encouraged us to learn beyond the curriculum. They held retrospectives for feedback after each project and seemed intune with our needs. (We received an impromptu lecture on React hooks, for instance, after they saw our interest in the topic.)
Chicago also has an amazing career success lead, Holly, who coaches students through resume and LinkedIn updates, technical interviews, and job offers. Holly brought in great companies for Launch Day, where local companies watch capstone project presentations and conduct interviews. Launch Day interviews can lead to job offers, and did for me.
I would only tweak one thing: while the team does a great job of teaching algorithms and data structures during Senior Phase, seeing those exercises earlier on would have been beneficial.
Overall, however, I would recommend Fullstack’s program for its rigorous coursework and excellent support from instructors, fellows, and career success team. -
Haley Verified via LinkedIn
Amazing supportive environment to start your tech career!!
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If you are thinking about making the switch into a tech career, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Grace Hopper program. You learn so much, so fast, while being surrounded by an amazing group of supportive women! Everyone at GH is looking out for you, and rooting for you to do your best. I remember looking over the curriculum when I was considering applying, and thinking about how foreign all these terms were, it seemed like an impossible task to learn so much in so little time. When I saw the capstone videos from previous grads, it felt so out of reach, seeing the amazing things that people had created. But now, after completing the program, I can say that I completed these tasks that seemed so insurmountable at first. I worked really hard, and it all paid off. There are a lot of bootcamps out there, but if you are going to pick one, the Grace Hopper program really is something special. -
Crispina Muriel Verified via GitHub
Worth It.
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The bootcamp-prep curriculum is free. Please go check it out and see if it matches your learning style. I just graduated from the Grace Hopper program at Fullstack Academy in New York.
I can't tell you how much I appriecated every aspect of the program. The instructors went above and beyond to make sure that everyone understood. The fellows were a little less helpful but at least we had immediate help when we needed it during workshops. Any time a fellow could not help they were always guided by the instructor, and we always had access to the instructors when we requested office hours. The curriculum is strong, understandable, comprehensive, and extremely relevant to what I see I need to know, now that i'm on my job search. The instructors have pre-made slides that help in case you need to review a concept. Every single task that you are asked to do has a counterpart sample that has been done inside of some part of a past workshop or past lecture. You are guided to the answers and instead of expecting you to just google the answer, you are able to sift through their curriculum and find it there.
Even though I did not get to meet the founders, I really appreciate them for their obvious care and planning they put into this school. I feel that the Fullstack & GraceHopper schools are masters at lesson design and pedagogy.
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Madison Carr Verified via LinkedIn
A Great Experience!
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I have loved my time at Fullstack Academy! Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I attended the program in September, and then applied for and was accepted on as a Teaching Fellow for 3 months. I was allowed to job search during the second half of my fellowship and recently accepted a software engineering role. Here is my impression of Fullstack during the time I've spent here:
Strengths
-Admissions Process: Fullstack requires students to have a basic understanding of programming fundamentals before acceptance into the program, which allows Fullstack to focus on more advanced topics in its curriculum.
-JavaScript-Centered: Students learn both frontend and backend development focusing on one language: JavaScript. I think this allows students to gain a deep understanding of one language instead of basic familiarity of several.
-Career Success: Fullstack has a great Career Success team. Each campus has an on-site Career Success Counselor who provides insight into the job search and hiring process. They will walk students through effective salary negotiation and keep in regular contact with graduates who are job searching.What Can Be Improved
-Curriculum Update Reconciliation: The only reason that I give their curriculum 4 instead of 5 stars is not due to the content of the curriculum (which is great), but the way that updates are reconciled in the curriculum. A strength of Fullstack is its insight into what up-and-coming technology the industry finds impressive and how it updates its curriculum accordingly. However, on the job a Software Engineer also has to understand and maintain older code, so it's important be familiar with previous versions too (think async/await versus .then() ). Sometimes, it's a bit confusing for students who are taught to do one version of a feature see an older version of a feature in a workshop, but I think the goal of Fullstack is to strike a delicate balance to figure out how to appropriately expose the student to both versions. It can just be hard sometimes to do that in a cohesive way, but that might just be a natural consequence continuing to evolve appropriately.All in all, I'm so happy with the experience I had at Fullstack; I'm glad I took the leap and made the investment. I got to work with smart and creative people in the program and am looking forward to my new career!
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Chris Choi Verified via LinkedIn
Great experience
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This entire program was a really rewarding experience starting from the beginning to the end. The curriculum covered in the alotted time span was taught in ways that worked effectively for me from both the instructors and teaching assistants. Thanks to the awesome instructors John M., Ben R., and Orlando C. were honest about their knowledge and provided as much information as possible certain topics to the best of their ability. You can tell they geniunely care for your progress and will take the time to answer any questions you have. The amount of effort that I put in was well received, and you can tell the staff at Fullstack truly want you to succeed. The culture is great and there are many people of different backgrounds that I have never encountered before and learned so much through each individual's story.
Enrolling at FSA, just know that perserverance is key. You learn it through the program and you will have to continue after you graduate in the job search. I can't thank FSA enough for allowing me to explore the world of tech and fully start a new career in mind.
Never give up! Be hungry and strive for success. The only person that can stand in the way is yourself. Good luck :)
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Maksym Fedorenko Verified via GitHub
Great school
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Hello everyone. Fullstack was a turning point in my life. I was working in completely different environmental, never deal with engineering before last year. But I was always interested in computers and technologies, so I started to study by myself and after I made some progress, I found an amazing school - Fullstack Academy. I graduated from it 2 weeks ago. It was a great 17 week journey. It honestly was an intensive course, sometimes very hard, but it gave me great knowledge and skills to become a Software developer.
Beside that I met amazing people - my classmates and instructors, who helped me to succeed. Everyone in school is extremely supportive. If you got stuck, or you think you are ready to give up, you can schedule as many office hours as you need and got a ton of help. I never heard 'NO' when I asked a question.
If you love technologies, looking for career change but dont know how to start - Fullstack is a perfect place for you. You will begin from the scratch and every day will build on top of it. If you will work hard and trust a process you will succeed.
Best of luck ;)
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A. Verified via LinkedIn
Life-changing
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I graduated from Fullstack Academy 2 months ago. It was a great experience. My cohort was a diverse group of like-minded people who were eager to learn. It is as intense as you would expect, so make sure you have a good foundation before starting. The instructors were all passionate about teaching, not just about code, but also how to deal with things like imposter syndrome. The career success team really cares - you aren't just fending for yourself after graduation. They offer weekly remote meetings and 1 on 1 support during the job search. Plus you graduate with a cohort of people all in the same boat to keep in touch with.
As for the curriculum, I was told more than once during my job search that the skills I had stood out from the majority of bootcamp grads. One interviewer was surprised I had only learned React a few months ago. I put this down to the quality of teaching I received. I would highly recommend Fullstack Academy to anyone serious about attending a coding program and making a career change.
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Jonathan Helvey Verified via LinkedIn
Such a great Experience!!!
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Fullstack Academy of Code was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I believe all education should start to follow this model -- make education quick and affordable. Fullstack teaches the essentials to get you a job as a Software Engineer.
This is one of the best bootcamps in America right now. They are very selective on who gets in, they really want to make sure you are serious about your career switch. They take your education seriously.
I would recommend taking Bootcamp Prep in a Month with them before applying! I can not stress this enough!! Start learning code on your own before you apply. The more you know the better you will be. Just focus on JavaScript. The bootcamp can not teach you everything, it is up to the individual to go out and be able to learn on your own. Fullstack Academy gives you the tools you need to get the job you want. It can not teach you everything but it will teach you how to keep educating yourself.
The support during the program is amazing. Holly Valenty and the career counselors are just the best and most supportive people in the program. This is what makes Fullstack Academy great. That support is amazing and very much needed when you are on your job search. I will say it is not easy, it will take dedication and perseverance to keep yourself going everyday. But never give up. The job search can be frustrating and hard. But with Holly and the career counselors they will give you the support you need to get through it. No matter what keep coding and you will get a job!
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Tetiana Farhuts Verified via LinkedIn
What a journey
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If you had told me a couple of years ago that one day I would become a software developer, I probably would have laughed out loud. I never thought that I would like spending a huge amount of time writing lines of code or enjoy digging in the bushes of the source code. But life has an interesting sense of humor, and here I am enthusiastically describing my new profession.
I attended the Grace Hopper Program in NYC, then got hired on as a Teaching Fellow afterwards at Fullstack. I finished my Teaching Fellowship recently, and just accepted an offer at a very cool cybersecurity startup!
When I first heard about the Grace Hopper Program, I heard it described with words such as community, comprehensive curriculum, and support. After I started the program, I was very pleased to learn that these are the real concepts with which the program operates.
Community: After completing the program, you will be part of the FSA / GH circle. It doesn’t matter if you graduated from the FSA or GH, each former student will be happy to help with anything, such as a job referral or even just a piece of advice. During my job search, I contacted an FSA grad who finished the program in 2017, and he responded almost immediately and provided me with invaluable information.
Comprehensive curriculum: There is a lot of new information to digest, but it is all presented in a way that allows you to absorb the material through application. The curriculum is well structured for layering in new technologies and for getting you practical experience in a short amount of time. It is a fast-paced program, so be prepared to speak and dream in javascript.
Support: The program leads, instructors and teaching fellows really play a big role in their students' success and are constantly going out of their way to make sure everyone is getting the help they need to succeed.
Participating in the program takes your full dedication; you get out of it what you put into it. In the end, this is an extremely rewarding experience. You gain a tremendous amount of knowledge and are provided with all of the tools necessary for your success.
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Amanda Verified via GitHub
Great bootcamp, understand what you're signing up for
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I had been eyeing doing a bootcamp for about 5 years, so I think my perception of them was from the earlier days. I honestly expected a more intense experience with more committed peers. A big surprise to me was that Saturdays are optional (and only a handful of us max were ever there) and everyone left campus at 5pm on the dot every day.
The curriculum is split between 3 phases - Foundations (remote, vanilla JS), Junior Phase (learning the stack and how to put together a full web app), and Senior Phase (building 3 full projects). I found myself with lots of free time during the junior phase. I was disappointed that when I asked fellows or instructors for ideas on what else to work on, they mostly just told me to relax and have fun.
Ok, that's the bad out of the way.
The good - Fullstack ultimately gave me what I paid for. The ability to get a job as a software engineer. I graduated 3 weeks ago and have already had 4 offers and accepted 1 at my top choice company. I felt very prepared for my interviews (although I think part of that was my exposure to the tech scene in my previous job). Learning React is key as I think that's one of the main things that set me apart from just CS grads and every company I interviewed with uses React. I was able to go from theater producer to account manager to software engineer and I don't think I could have done it nearly as fast without Fullstack. I will also say that Collin the instructor is fantastic. Eager to teach, knows everything, and great at explaining the underlying concepts behind the frameworks. I was very, very thankful for his code reviews and guidance.
Suggestions to Fullstack - Please don't ignore students if they are bored/ahead. I really appreciated the extra workshops that started being available to me towards the end of Junior phase. If a student asked me what else they should work on, I would tell them to build a simple CRUD app. Then I would say re-do it using React Hooks instead of Redux. Then I would say use GraphQL.
Suggestions to Students
- Pick your capstone project carefully, but not in the way you think. I was very focused on the actual product and wanted it to be cool, but I am so so thankful that we ended up using new technology and went through struggles and learnings I could talk to. This came up in all my interviews. Several said they brought me in because they liked how well I could communicate in my Youtube video and one had me give a 15 minute presentation on a challenging project to a room full of people. If you don't know how everything in your app works, ask your teammates to talk you through the code AND their decision making process. This was super important for interviews.
- This is something not everyone can control, but I think my exposure to the tech industry and how software is built was invaluable. The people in my class who had similar backgrounds really stood out and seemed to grasp the bigger picture much much better. So if you can work in the field before doing a bootcamp, I highly highly recommend it. I had no technical experience before landing a job as an account manager so I do think this could be an option for lots of people.
- And go to the optional Saturdays and do the optional workshops! They were my favorite workshops and the most beneficial.
I think Fullstack is a top tier bootcamp and I am very grateful for all that it gave me.
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Elizabeth Silverstein Verified via GitHub
Best people, best program
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Simply put, Fullstack's cirriculum can help you change the trajectory of your life. After years working in non-profit and for-profit sector, I was ready to pursue my interest in coding. I choose fullstack because of its emphasis on a challenging cirriculum and only accepting good people. The instructors at Fullstack were more than willing to work closely with me as a student to answer any lingering questions I had after lectures, I was honestly surprised how much one-on-one time I was able to get with all of them. After the program I went on to become a teaching fellow at fullstack which gave me a peek behind the curtain and I can say with confidence that everyone who I interacted with on the fullstack staff level was as commited to helping students suceed as anyone I have met. From the more behind the scenes staff like Ben and Brett, to the instructors like Collin, Priti, and Finn everyone was kind and working everyday to make this a better program. Software is a quickly changing field and Fullstack provide the flexibility for the cirriculum to stay up to date with the newest tech and best practices. Also must give a shout out to the career sucess team including Holly in Chicago. No one has been more commited to getting me a job, Holly is the best!
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Jon Kurinsky Verified via GitHub
Very Much Worth the Investment
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Prior to attending Fullstack's full-time immersive web development program in Chicago, I'd worked in logistics and operations within the publishing industry for a bit less than a decade. I self-taught a bunch of Python during that time for purposes of business process automation, and after coming to really enjoy this part of my job I eventually decided to try to break into the tech industry. After looking at the job market for web development, I realized that despite some demonstrable technical skills in order to actually get hired I'd need to do a few things: (1) learn the tooling and ecosystem that surrounds the immensely complex, fast-moving world of modern Javascript, which I couldn't do alone; (2) gain some experience writing code as part of a team, for having only ever worked in relative isolation; and (3) develop a portfolio showing proficiency in web technology stack in demand on the market.
I looked at bootcamps in Chicago, Denver, and a couple of other cities hoping to find a place that would help me in all three of these respects. I wanted a relatively selective program so I'd be working with people who already had a bit of technical experience (or the facility to acquire it quickly). I wanted a program that required students to come in the door with a fairly solid grasp of the fundamentals of the main language or languages used so classroom work could focus on frameworks and technologies rather than for loops and functions. I wanted the program to have a strong curricular component based on working together in teams. I wanted a program whose graduates' portfolios weren't just cookie-cutter copies of todo apps or simple CRUD applications; I wanted to finish with projects demonstrating some creative engagement with technically challenging problems so I could be competitive on the job market alongside CS majors. Lastly, I wanted a program whose curriculum seemed up-to-date, reflecting new trends and directions the industry is moving in (e.g. React, Angular 2, functional programing concepts and patterns), rather than older technologies, however battle-tested they might be (e.g. Rails, Laravel, etc.).
I chose Fullstack Academy (hereafter, "FSA") for it seeming to be a good match on all counts-- albeit after no small amount of research (including flying to Denver to spend a couple of days on a competitor's campus). FSA requires students to have a grasp of fundamental control and data structures in at least one language (as well as some demonstrable problem-solving ability) before being admitted. FSA requires admitted students to complete an at-home month-long "Javascript Foundations" curriculum before stepping the door, ensuring that everyone has a base level of proficiency. After getting everyone up to speed in its tech stack, the second half of FSA's program (“senior phase”) assigns students to teams to complete projects in an environment designed to approximate the practices and rituals of a real-world agile workflow. In this "senior phase", students are not just encouraged but mandated to explore technologies beyond FSA's stack, finding interesting problems to solve along the way, documenting their work with videos and write-ups that prepare them to present their work on the job market. Finally, FSA's curriculum switched to React a couple of years ago emphasizes a functional style (e.g. you learn the syntax for OOP in JS, but SOLID is not taught; on the other hand, students spend lots of time thinking about how to write pure functions and that are easily testable).
That's what my research taught me about the program. What I found at FSA vastly exceeded even these expectations. FSA's staff are extremely committed to instructional excellence for every student. In contrast to what I saw when checking out some larger, more impersonal programs, they get to know each student, identifying who is struggling with what and how to best help, on the one hand, and figuring out how to further challenge students who are breezing through the material, on the other.
The curriculum is designed not just around teaching Javascript and the chosen stack, but at teaching students how to continue to grow as developers. At the beginning of the junior phase, the workshops do a lot of handholding, but as the program progresses the demands are ramped up: students take on projects involving larger and larger portions of the stack, moving from test-driven learning to building code that meets requirements stated much more abstractly, eventually in the senior phase being pushed to learn new technologies on their own and to solve problems with increasingly less instructor assistance.
Throughout this process there is a healthy expectation that students will build up debugging resilience and gradually learn how to use Google to solve their own problems, though always with help from instructors and TAs. In some ways the purpose of the program, beyond teaching a particular stack, is to equip students with the knowledge of technique and confidence necessary to continue learning in a self-directed way, which is part and parcel of working as a software professional.
The program places strong emphasis on learning to give and respond to feedback in healthy and productive ways, which does a great deal to ease the transition from pairs to teams and collectively acculturates students to the kind of social organization and processes employed in workplaces.
All of this is wonderful, but it’s the approach taken in the “senior phase” and around the capstone project that really sets FSA apart. Throughout the first classroom-instruction phase, FSA collects survey data about which pairs of students work well together. In the senior phase, the instructors build teams based on this data combined with student performance scores and the results of further surveys which ask students what kinds of applications they’re interested in building. Teams are guided through a process which helps them decide between ideas, translate the best ideas into minimum viable products, and then into production-ready applications. The balanced, well-matched teams generated through this process are in a position to be pushed by the instructors and teaching assistants to build technically interesting applications that demonstrate students’ capacity to pick up new technologies and capacity for deep thought about architecture and design.
As in any bootcamp program, things move quickly. It’s up to students to dive deep into technologies or parts of the stack in which they would like to specialize. The portfolio projects can end up having a “hackathon” feel, for this being the environment in which they’re produced-- but employers of course understand this. Tough choices have to be made about what to cover and what not to cover. But these are all par for the course with all bootcamps for being built-in to the territory.
There are a couple of potential challenges unique to FSA worth mentioning. FSA’s teaching-assistantship model (they’re called “teaching fellows”) is based on keeping former students around for a three-month contract to help guide more students through the program, in contrast with some other programs which keep around a semi-permanent teaching-assistantship staff (i.e. people with less expertise than instructors who are the front-line debugging helpers, coaches, code reviewers, etc.). While the instructors typically stick around for several years, teach many cohorts, and grow their own skills as programmers and pedagogues through this experience, the relatively short duration of the fellowship program makes it hard for FSA to accumulate experience and wisdom in the area of its teaching assistants. On the flip side, teaching fellows always have a fresh memory of what it was like to be a student and are in this respect well-positioned to help other students navigate the program’s many challenges and demands-- the program is quite good at selecting qualified former students for this role.
FSA prides itself on an always up-to-date curriculum and has a lot of infrastructure in place to collect student feedback on the curriculum and integrate improvements into it. But as of Fall 2019 FSA moved more slowly than should be possible in integrating this feedback due to the many demands placed on instructor time. I believe they are now in the process of reorganizing curriculum design into a separate department to help address this issue. These are growing pains that instructors and management will freely admit to-- and I am fairly confident that FSA will rise to meet them in the years to come.
Whatever the challenges faced by the program, I liked the environment at Fullstack so much that I decided to stick around as a teaching fellow despite some leads for local jobs that would have paid much more (I should say that I've wrapped up that contract and am no longer employed by FSA at the time of writing!).
Some words on the alumni network and the career success program. When FSA advertises that they've helped candidates land jobs at top companies, they're not kidding. While obviously not everybody will end up at Google, or whatever, it's also not just a couple of outliers that have made it into FAANG companies. (In NYC, Google in particular has taken an interest in FSA graduates and it's not uncommon for a few grads in each cohort to go through the interview process-- whether they make it in, or not, it's a great learning experience.) FSA is known for its academically rigorous curriculum and the quality of its graduates relative to other bootcamps, and companies that have hired from FSA are likely to do so again-- facilitated by an alumni network that feels loyalty to the program and helps graduates navigate the complexities of the job market. It's not uncommon as an alum at career fairs or tech events to name-drop Fullstack and see faces light up: "Oh, great! I've heard good things about them / I've worked with a Fullstack grad / My coworker spoke so highly of a Fullstack grad they’ve worked with," and so on.
After the program I planned a move to a new city in which there was a *much* smaller FSA alumni presence than Chicago or NYC. But the few alumni in my destination city more than made up for their small numbers with a willingness to help me understand the market and find companies where I might be a fit. Not long into my search, with lots of advice from alumni and and the career success team at Fullstack, I was able to land a wonderful position at a Fortune 50 company. And that definitely would not have been possible without FSA!
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Wendy Verified via LinkedIn
Life changing
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Bit of background about me before I dive in: I spent 6 years in the advertising field before making this career change, I attended the Grace Hopper Program in NYC, then got hired on as a Teaching Fellow afterwards at Fullstack. I finished my Teaching Fellowship in July, and just accepted an offer recently at my dream company!
When I used to do admissions interviews, I often get asked about my experience at Fullstack. Obviously I can't speak to how it compares against other coding bootcamps in the city, but what I can say is that when i was "bootcamp-shopping", I identified Fullstack, Hack Reactor and App Academy as the top bootcamps, but after reviewing graduation outcomes on CIRR and interviewing with all 3, I chose Grace Hopper @ Fullstack because of its superior CIRR outcomes and the fact that they don't have weekly Survivor-style elimination rounds like the other 2 bootcamps.
Once I started at Fullstack, it was immediately apparent that EVERYONE there was committed to my success. There was an abundance of resources to help you succeed: custom workshop content, live-coding lectures, several Teaching Fellows (like TAs) who get assigned as your mentors, office hours for one-on-one coaching, extra lectures on Saturdays for those who need it, and a never-ending supply of additional study material (videos, articles). When I became a Teaching Fellow after graduation, I realized that this was fully-intentional; each Fellow would discuss how their group of students is doing, coordinating with instructors to make sure that lectures and assistance were tailored to their specific needs. They really leave no stone unturned.
Further, the staff maintains a startup mentality, in that they maintain an agile approach to their curriculum in response to student feedback. They regularly ask for feedback -- both on the staff memebers as well as the program itself -- and I've seen them implement them within only a few weeks.
I wouldn't in a million years regret my decision to spend this much money on a bootcamp. Before I joined, I was considering just doing a few nanodegrees on Udacity or going through FreeCodeCamp. However, there was no way those would be able to get me 1) live Q&A during lectures, since I have A LOT of questions, 2) tons of pair programming opportunities, 3) learning 5 new technologies in 1.5 months, and 4) a portfolio of full-blown applications and experience working in an agile team of developers, which I was consistenly asked about in my job interviews after graduation.
Like other reviewers here said, going to a bootcamp, be it Fullstack or otherwise, might not necessarily guarantee you a job after graduation. It's not a silver bullet that will solve your life's problems. Like any other educational institution, the outcome you get will be positively correlated with how much work you put in. Be prepared to spend most of your waking hours thinking about, reading, and writing code. Work hard, but also work smart. Understand your learning style early on, as this is a bootcamp and things move at lightning speed. And most of all, don't forget to have fun :)
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Matti Barzilai Verified via LinkedIn
Superior Curriculum, Instructors, and Support
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When I first heard about the phenomenon of coding bootcamps, I was incredibly skeptical. However, after completing Fullstack Academy's Software Engineering Immersive, I am a true believer that a good bootcamp can change your life (and career 😉).
Initially I chose to attend Fullstack for two reasons:
- By requiring students come in with a baseline of knowledge, you are able to move more quickly and spend the limited time of the bootcamp covering more advanced topics (side note: I took the Bootcamp Prep course and was more than ready for to apply for the immersive by the end).
- The idea of focusing on only one language/stack also leaves more time for honing skills and going deeper into concepts instead of learning different syntax for essentially the same things.
After completing the program, I still agree with both of those statements. However, they are only the beginning of what sets Fullstack apart...
Before attending Fullstack, I was a middle school math and science teacher. Coming from a background in education, I was very impressed with the curriculum and overall educational experience Fullstack provides for a variety of reasons, including:
- Each lecture is followed by a workshop in which students get to actually practice using the new information.
- The curriculum builds incrementally on itself, introducing concepts in a logical order. While new topics are introduced in quick succession (there is a TON to learn in not a lot of time), the nature of the workshops and projects requires students to continue using all of the skills they have previously covered. This not only provides additional practice, but also helps students understand how the various pieces fit together.
- Fullstack has found a good balance between explaining the most important ideas, while still requiring students to figure out how to implement them on their own. I think the most important thing I learned at Fullstack Academy is how to read documentation and teach myself to use new technologies.
- This is then revisited in the second half of the program (see comment above) by asking students to choose new technologies/tools they are interested in learning about and using them to build a project of their own design.
- When applying to jobs, I was able to tell interviewers that I was confident I could teach myself whatever languages and tools they use. (In fact, for one job application I taught myself an entire new language and became very comfortable using it in about one week!)
- It feels like the staff really cares about each student and their success. I saw this play out in two main ways:
- Support: the instructors and teaching fellows are genuinely happy when students ask them questions or request office hours.
- Assessment: it is made very clear that the purpose of assessments is to ensure that students have made an appropriate amount of progress, or to find out what they might need more help with. During the immersive portion of the program, there are no "passing" or "failing" scores — assessments are looked at holistically to determine what each student needs at that point to be successful.
- Fullstack purposefully crafts a supportive, collaborative environment by explicitly teaching in the first week such topics as why pair programming is important and how to do it well, how to combat implicit biases, and how to give clear, helpful feedback.
- The instructors elicit and actually respond to feedback! Not only do they make small tweaks if requested during a specific cohort, but they are constantly looking for ways to improve upon the curriculum and program as a whole and then implement them!
- On the topic of instructors: each of the instructors is extremely knowledgeable and brings examples from their own experience to highlight what they are teaching!
As someone who has tremendous anxiety around applying for jobs, I particularly took advantage of the Career Success team. During the bootcamp, I appreciated the guidance on such topics as creating a technical resume or harnessing LinkedIn. Then, during my job search I consistently refered back to the materials they provided us. But most importantly, I felt like I could always reach out to Holly, our Career Success counselor, for answers to even the most inane questions! She was beyond helpful in my search for that first job out of bootcamp, which I can't wait to start next week!
TL;DR Fullstack Academy provides a well-designed curriculum, supportive and knowledgeable instructors, and personalized career support. I couldn't recommend it more!
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Helen Verified via LinkedIn
Software Engineer
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I found my love for programming very late in college, and as a result was unable to pursue it very far while I was still in school. I weighed the option of a masters vs. a boot camp, and ultimately decided that a boot camp made more sense for me both professionally and financially. When it came to choosing which boot camp I wanted to do, I didn’t shop around much. I figured that if I was going to invest so much time and money, I was going to do it at the best boot camp.
Coming out of Fullstack, I can confidently say that enrolling here as a student was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. The program offers high quality instruction, and the staff and instructors are dedicated to creating the best possible experience for students. My fellow cohort-mates as well as the alumni I’ve met have also all been incredibly supportive. I’m now gearing up to start my new job, and couldn’t be more excited for my future!
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Brandon Verified via LinkedIn
Quality Instructors and classmates
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I had two expectations for a bootcamp:
1) to learn the skills of web development quickly and thoroughly
2) to gain a great network of really smart people
I am happy to say that I got both. Creating our capstone project was a great boost of confidence in the skills that I had just learned. I know I could have learned all of this information on my own, but it the organization of the information and the efficiency of how fast I was able to learn was well worth the cost of the bootcamp. I estimate that it would have taken me at least a year to pick up the same skills on my own. I didn't have to waste time figuring out what to learn and what were the best ways to learn them.
I have a lot to learn in software engineering, but I have a great framework of how to improve and learn new technologies on my own. I also got my first job in Software Engineering because of Fullstack!
I also still get together with my classmates and it is really great to have a network and friends who code right out of the gate. I highly recommend Fullstack!
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Gerry Verified via GitHub
2019 Grad - Employed!
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I always thought coding seemed cool, so I thought I'd pay the super resonable fee take Bootcamp Prep on-campus and just see what happens... 8 months later I am nearing the end of my fellowship, having accepted a life-changing job offer, and I can now officially define myself a software engineer. This is not the way I ever imagined my life would go, considering I graduated college with a creative writing degree, but I've truly never been happier or ever felt this proud of myself.
The curriculum, the staff, and the other students are all incredibly dedicated and hardworking. I feel as though I have gained lifelong friends and mentors.
If you're considering a coding bootcamp, no matter if you're considering Fullstack or a lesser camp, take Fullstack's Bootcamp Prep to experience the deeply supportive culture and supreme curriculum. Who knows, maybe 8 months later you'll be crushing it as a software developer at a major international company just like me!
