Fullstack Academy

I really enjoyed the bootcamp, but I was definitely a special case as I was awarded a full-tuition scholarship which heavily influenced my decision to attend. The instruction was top-notch, and my cohort was mostly professional and hard-working. The skills you'll learn are valuable and marketable, but competition in the job market is intense, and you may struggle after the bootcamp. Most bootcamp grads will find a job in their industry in 6 months to a year after graduating. So, make sure you're in this for the long haul. The only negatives I can think of are that you could potentially leave the bootcamp without any notable projects on your resume. So, work hard to make every project a resume worthy one. You can also revisit them afterward to polish them up. It may also take some commitment on evenings and weekends to really create something impressive, especially in the second half (senior phase) of the bootcamp. Don't get burned out, but give it everything you can so that you're not disappointed after graduating. I did not heavily use career services, but found a job after 6 months anyway. It's a personal decision of how much you use what they have to offer, and personal opinion on how helpful you perceive it to be. Best of luck if you attend, we're nearing the end of Covid, but returning to in person classes in the future may be possible. I attended the bootcamp fully remote in the summer of 2020.  Read less

Fullstack Academy has great curriculum and great instructors. I can confidently say that I came out there with the appropriate knowledge to identify myself as a software engineer. The instructors are helpful and insightful and the curriculum itself was fun because of its challenging nature. NOW, the only caveat is that job assistance is POOR. There are many in my cohort who STILL do not have jobs, I am really only one of the few. I also do not think Fullstack has a vested interest in your ability to find one. There are other bootcamps that will not require upfront payment unless you land a position, which is much safer as you can be assured that they have a profound interest in connecting you with a company. My recommendation for Fullstack is to allow all people to have the option to pay post-finding-a-job, and not just a select group (their Gracehopper program). If this option is allowed, I would whole heartedly recommend this bootcamp. But if not, ethically speaking I cannot. Find a different bootcamp that asks you for compensation afterwards because it is stressful to have to pay back a near 20k loan unemployed.  Read less

I reached out to Fullstack to schedule a call to discuss their software engineering immersive because I am going to make a decision ASAP.  Not only could they not make time to speak with me for almost 4 days... THEY NEVER EVEN SHOWED UP FOR THE CALL!  They sent me a calendar invite which I accepted, it had my phone number right in the appointment, but they were late.  I emailed them about 5 minutes after the appointment time and no response.  I emailed them 15 minutes after the appointment time... STILL NO RESPONSE.   I cannot even believe how unprofessional this is.  I guess they're too busy to care about actually showing up to their recruiting appointments. Read less

The Grace Hopper Program was fast paced and I had moments where I struggled to absorb every piece of information that was thrown at me. However, I'm so glad I completed this bootcamp. It was well worth all of the hard work (even post-bootcamp). I think this program is great for people like me who really want a career change and want an organized, structured curriculum to follow. I enjoyed a lot of aspects: the instructors, the engaging lectures/workshops, pair programming, and senior phase. After the program, I found it helpful that there was an alumni slack in which jobs were posted daily for bootcamp grads. This was the best resource for finding jobs/networking in my opinion. During the last phase of the bootcamp (senior phase), I would've preferred gaining more insight from technical recruiters on my resume and projects. I realized I needed to put in a lot of extra work/time into preparing for interviews, namely algorithms and data structures. Other than that, I would recommend this bootcamp to a friend. It changed my life and I am way more confident in my skills/experience than before. Read less

Fullstack Academy was a great experience. I went from knowing virtually nothing about software engineering to building fully functional web applications within the span of a few months. Full warning this bootcamp is a lot of work, be prepared to spend your weekends and free time studying. But if you're willing to put in the work Fullstack provides an incredibly supportive team to help you achieve your goals. Read less

I know the title is dramatic, but that is genuinely how I feel. I first heard about in Fullstack when my partner went about a year and a half ago. I saw how good his experience was and knew it was legitimate when he got a job as an engineer just a few months after graduating. 

I took Bootcamp Prep in January and now less than 9 months later I have accepted an offer as an Apprentice Software Engineer at a reputable startup in Chicago. I was connected with the job through a Fullstack alum, which is a testament to how passionate Fullstack alums are to help new grads get jobs.

I don't blame people for being initially skeptical of bootcamps- there are a lot of bad ones out there, and at the end of the day they are for profit institutions. During my time at Fullstack, it is safe to say that they have earned their rank as one of the top bootcamps in the country. From start to finish, I was challenged more than I ever have been, but I was also supported more than I ever have been in an academic setting. 

I would recommend Fullstack to anyone I know who is interested in starting a career in web development.  Read less

I applied to Fullstack on recommendation from a couple of friends who are developers. I had looked into 2 other highly respected bootcamps as well, but was not interested in the hours they offered. Fullstack is 5 days a week 9-6, while the other two were something like 9-8 M-F and 10-5 or so on Sat. Perhaps they end up covering more at the other schools, but I'm not certain. I knew that I would need to get enough rest, and that I would probably have enough to study on the weekends anyways, which was certainly the case

The application  process was pretty smooth, and included a live pair programming algorithm over Zoom or Skype.  I was excited to be accepted, and had to begin the pre-course which was online, at your own pace with weekly deadlines and mini-tests called checkpoints. Most of the pre-course was targeted at improving your javascript skills and didn't include any frameworks or any type of work with stacks. After 3 weeks or so of that, the on-location portion began in NYC. It was exciting to be back in a learning environment, and I had been out of school since 2005. It was also energizing to be surrounded by many other people who were making a career change and were eager to learn. Unfortunately, we were on location for only a week (or two?) because of COVID, but I was extremely pleased at how well everything worked in a remote setting. 

The 13 on-location weeks are split into two phases. The first, called junior phase is essentially learning the core stack. Node, Express, Sequelize, React, Redux. Then there is a week off with limited assignments, and a god chance to relax and review. The second phase is essentially putting everything we learned into practice, and prepping for the job hunt. I was surprised at how robust their career coaching was from resume reviews, interview practice, etc. I came out of the program a transformed person, and was fortunate to land a job within 2.5 months of graduating.  Read less

My experience at the Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy was extremely positive. Pivoting your career can be nerve-wracking and scary but I started to feel like a software engineer right off the bat at this bootcamp. I decided to apply to Grace Hopper for two reasons. One, it's exclusively a women and non-binary coding program, which is so rare in the tech and software engineering world. Two, the deferred payment plan is super helpful, especially since I uprooted my life to make a career switch. The material we learned is relevant and interesting and you have access to it even after you graduate, which I used throughout my job search. It's also really great to have a network of fellow software engineers as I begin my career in the field. I highly suggest this program if you're looking to pivot your career!  Read less

I was starting with simple test about any programming language usage. After that I've got an invitation to attend one week JavaScript course for free. Then it was preparation to the course at home and final exam to get started bootcamp junior phase. The process was so excited that I did not think a lot and made a start.
The advantages of this course are very talented teachers, with many years experience in the industry. Smart Curriculum, it means you step by step learn how to make things starting from front-end and ends of back-end. You will try to get some technologies by yourself and make a project on it. You will aware about additional tools for developers that helps to host and control you work. Data structures and algorithms is a big plus as well. Read less

The instructors are extremely technical, smart, and knowledgeable.  This rubs off on you in a positive way.  You learn how to be technical and gain the ability to learn new technologies, which applies when you get your first job.  The bootcamp is extremely difficult but you learn a completely new skillset and are fully prepared for the job market, minus one or two things you may have to do on your own in an ever changing cyber security job market.  But, to get an entry level position in cyber security, you are definitely prepared.  It is a classy bootcamp and the career success coach and instructors do care about your well-being and success even though the pace is very fast learning because it is a bootcamp.  Very difficult but leads to excellent career so well worth tremendous effort.  Career success coaching is good but obviously cannot guarantee you or hand you the job but they are there to hold your hand along the way and the career success coach is there to advise you and support you.  I am very lucky and grateful to have gotten a job within two months of graduating the bootcamp in the pandemic so my effort has paid off.  Part of the reason of my success is my willingness to relocate.  The instructors are caring but push you.   Read less

I first joined Fullstack Academy's bootcamp prep course which is only $99 and I also received a complete refund for completing the course. My bootcamp prep instructor Sarah was super passionate and she explained all Javascript in clear logic which was super helpful. After completing the prep course, I became close friend with Sarah and a couple of other students at Fullstack Academy. I got a sense of their supportive culture and decided to enroll in their full-time immersive course. 
After being admitted, I took 2 month to study as much as I can on my own before I started the full-time course. I started the course in July 2019 and the three months period was really intense but not unbearable. For the six weeks junior phase, you get to learn new concepts on a daily basis. You will have lectures in the morning and workshops(pair programming) in the afternoon. I normally had some time to relax and exercise after dinner every day but I did continue to study over the weekend. Each week, you would also have to take a checkpoint test to check your understanding of that week's study. 
After the junior phase, you will take a week off to relax and refresh yourself, which I found really helpful. Then you enter another six weeks of senior phase. You will build two group projects and one solo projects, which I found was really fun. You also got to build closer relationship with your group members. Each cohort would also have social chairs that organizes activities for us to get to know each other better such as happy hours on Friday. Each week, you would also have ample opportunities and channels to express your concerns about the course, instructors, or your peer. 
Upon graduation, I was also offered a 3-month paid teaching fellow position. While helping mentor the next cohort, I also got to sit in all the lectures again which definitely helped solidify my grasp of all the concepts. I also took the time to learn more about algorithm and data structure on my own. After that, I attended the launch day organized by Fullstack academy. 
After leaving the school, I continued to apply for jobs, practicing algorithms and building projects. All my interviewed were obtained through Fullstack's network and I finally got a pretty good offer from a big company this May. 
I want to thank Ben for being a passionate instructor and supportive friend. I want to thank my career coach Natalie for always being there for me and practicing all the behavioral questions with me. I want to thank many others at Fullstack Academy that made my transition from a person with zero tech background to a full-stack software engineer  POSSIBLE! Read less

The coding instructors for the program were fantastic. However, the support offered by the career success team was very disappointing. My cohort was scheduled to have 2 career fairs, both of which were cancelled with little notice and with a broken promise of rescheduling. It was my career counselor's last year with Fullstack and it was apparent by how 'checked out' they were. Students could request individual assistance (which was difficult to ascertain) but there was no structured curriculum about job hunting. Learning how to job hunt and interview for coding positions was the main appeal to me and it was disappointing to be snubbed. Read less

When I decided to switch careers to software engineering, I didn't look much beyond Fullstack Academy as a starting place. Their reputation and proven numbers were stellar and it didn't hurt their onsite immersive in Chicago was easily accessible to me. Chicago has other options, though, but Fullstack won out on quantitative results. Of course, none of that stopped me from being nervous about the program. With limited background in coding, I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it. Their tried and tested system, patient instructors, and dedication to their students quickly helped me understand why they have the reputation as one of, if not the, premier coding bootcamps in the country. Don't get me wrong. It was difficult and stressful at times, but, that's why they call them bootcamps, and in the end I came out prepared to enter the job market and succeeded in landing a job in the industry in three months. To anyone considering making this leap, I can't recommend Fullstack Academy enough. And make sure you take advantage of their bootcamp prep course before applying. Read less

Fullstack Academy played a very special role in my life at a time (around 40 years old) when I was finally daring to face down deeply ingrained fears and negative thought patterns about my ability to learn challenging new concepts and skills, and bet on myself in pursuing new and compelling pathways in life.

I attended the immersive program, which is so well structured and paced, relevant/current, and meticulously and lovingly crafted; the instructors are masterful and clearly passionate and invested in the success of the students (love to Finn, Collin, and Priti); and the student community is so intelligent, growth-oriented, warm, and supportive (coming from someone who usually has trouble fitting in), that there's no question this was a critical turning point in my life. Fullstack's career counseling- and especially, their Chicago lead, Holly- is the best I've engaged with anywhere in my life, and I've just accepted a software development role at a company I'm truly excited to work for.

I could ramble for a long time, but here are some subtle things of note:
- They have an actual 'No Assholes' sign, no assholes were encountered in my time there
- They have an entire lecture dedicated to unconscious bias, and I watched them make good on it with poise and grace when a contentious situation arose
- They demonstrate and fluently integrate a deep understanding of the learning process, including concepts like psychological safety and a hierarchy of activities that solidify knowledge acquisition (if you've always felt teaching is the best way to learn- you're in good company)
- I normally get icky vibes from CEOs (and I've met many), but when one of the co-founders, David Yang, came to do a Q&A with my cohort toward the end of our time there, he was so transparent, and took the time to truly consider and reply authentically, evenly, and without pretense to every question (even some challenging ones about company management), that the last piece of the puzzle snapped into place- this is a program founded and built by a group of people who have a deep, abiding love of technology and of learning, and faith in the potential of both of these things to change individual lives and the world. Read less

I can't believe where my life is now. After about one year of programming and a short three month bootcamp sprint I am a fullstack software engineer for a medical imaging company that I am inspired to work for. I could not have been here was it not for the skills and support that was brought to me from fullstack academy. They not only taught me the fundimentals of coding, but also gave me confidence in my ability to learn. Despite the academy's currculum in fullstack javascript I acheived a position at a company who uses completely different technologies, solely because I am now an expert learning of software. I can't thank fullstack academy enough for accelerting me into work I love and making me confident in my proffesional abilities.

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My time at Fullstack Academy was extremely fruitful. I was taught relevant and powerful technologies that the industry is using, and given all the resources I could ever need to succeed. I began my journey afraid of what the future held for me and unsure of my abilities as a coder, to then becoming a confidant software engineer who's eager to learn more and more. The fast paced curriculum is a bit intimidating at first, but it becomes almost addictive by the end of the program (especially during Project/Senior phase). 

The personal growth you see at Fullstack is incredible. At graduation, though I know I have a lot more to learn, I was proud at the amount of material I was able to learn in such a short period of time. The community is another incredible characteristic of Fullstack. Everyone is eager to learn just as much as you, and are extremely supportive of one another. The instructors are another gem. They are very down to earth and patient with you. Definitely, Fullstack Academy was the best choice for me.

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Fullstack Academy made me excited to wake up every single morning. All the instructors are extremely approachable and always available to help. As intense as it was, honestly I was having so much fun. It's an incredible experience that I'll always treasure. There will be games and activites on certain days to balance out the work. The instructors are extremely knowledgable and it was great learning from all of them. After all, it is all dependent on your own willingness and responsibility to learn and how much work you are willing to put into reaching your goals.Their career success team is amazing that will give you great insight, strategies and knowledge to maximize your potential to landing a job. The career coaches will be available to you even after you graduate and guide you every step of the way. It was a hard journey, but if you want it bad enough, you will pull through.

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I attended the Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy of Code and I have to say, it was one of the best moves in my entry to Software Engineering career.  I went in knowing only a little about Front-End development, Beginner Python, and a little bit about JavaScript and came out an official full stack software engineer.

 I knew that I wanted to take my coding skills to the next level, so after researching and hearing from other people I had reached out to who had also completed Fullstack, I chose to give it a try.  Coming in, I was a bit intimidated, afraid for what would happen...would I be able to keep up?  What if I failed?  I had heard that the intensity of the course was very high and that a lot of new information would be thrown at me.  I chose to go forth, courageously and make the investment.  I am thoroughly glad that I did not let fear of the unknown stop me.  

The program was highly structured and regimented.  The system was so detailed it became easy to pinpoint areas where there was a block in my understanding; coming from the military, I really appreciated such an organized platform.  This level of structure along with the immense support from the staff and fellows made it possible to tackle really hard subjects in such a short period of time.  It was far from easy, but attending Fullstack helped me to realize my own ability in learning new technologies in a matter of 2 weeks and really possessing the aptitude to create projects that I never believed I could have created a year ago.  This is just the tip of the iceberg of what makes Fullstack a top choice!

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