Fullstack Academy

I’m gonna try a Q&A interview style here.

 

Q. What were you doing before?

A. I majored in business for my undergrad degree. Worked in finance for several years, then joined a startup company doing marketing.

 

Q. How did you become interested in coding?

A. Throughout my career, and many of you will or already may have experienced is that companies are continuously trying to automate workflows. Who plays the crucial role? Developers! To even work as a project manager role, you can no longer be in the dark of all the technical side. I believed that it was a must-have-skillset.

 

Q. Why did you decide to go to Fullstack?

A. The coding bootcamp industry has been around for almost a decade already. Big companies are recognizing this and acquiring the bootcamps. It is no longer a matter of being a scam or not. We are in a very lucky era. We now can get a good job in a good cultured company without the degree. No matter what your age is or what academic or career background you come from, you still have another chance to make the transition. We ALL still have an opportunity to get back up and try something else! And thanks to coding bootcamps, it’s even easier.

That being said, like all schools and companies, there are top-tiered bootcamps right now. Since all the rankings and data are available online, I’m just going to share a personal opinion, or more like a word on the street from bootcamp grads. Before I say it, let me emphasize that this might be biased and is not a fact. It’s just what I’ve gathered from several people around me before deciding. The top bootcamps with the strongest alumni network were the following at the time: Fullstack Academy and HackReactor. So I only considered these two schools. The final decision was made corresponding to my personal circumstances (tuition, living cost, and location). I chose Fullstack’s Chicago campus.    

 

Q. What did you think about the curriculum / structure of Fullstack?

A. Junior Phase (6 weeks): I was really impressed with Fullstack’s learning platform. The topics you learn will be popular ones that you actually see on many real life job descriptions. You will experience solo labs and pair programming workshops everyday. Frankly, most of you will prefer solo labs, but thanks to the forced pair programming style Fullstack provides, you WILL get better. And you need to! Pair programming is a skillset that really does help coding and I’ve been asked a bunch of times on actual interviews what I thought about pair programming. FYI - junior phase is very very intense and fast-paced but don’t give up! You will get all the support and help needed.

Senior Phase (6 weeks): One thing I love about Fullstack’s senior phase is that you will have three projects out of this program that could be added on your portfolio and resume which is CRUCIAL during job hunt. An excellent part of Fullstack’s curriculum is that it gets you to be trained and disciplined on learning new libraries and frameworks on your own. You will have this experience and be amazed how much you have grown at the end. It’s just an amazing feeling.

 

Q. How are the instructors?

A. AMAZING! They really do care about you. They know you’ve come to the program very determined. So they take it very seriously, like a mission. They are very clear on explaining topics and very good on debugging your code as well. It’s like magic when you go up to them and ask for help. If you do get in to the program, learn and absorb from them as much as possible!

 

Q. How was career success support and the job hunt?

A. They have an amazing career success coach always at your service. She will well prepare you on your resume and cover letter. She is an action taker which is why the network with companies are growing rapidly in Chicago too. At the end of the program, you will have ‘launch day’ which is like a ‘career fair’ but you will be guaranteed to have a one-on-one conversation with the companies. This won’t guarantee you a job, but many did get jobs from this event. At worst, it gives you actual experience to practice interviewing.

 

Q. What do you think about our alumni community?

A. As mentioned earlier, the alumni network is one of the main reasons choosing Fullstack. See for yourself. Look up bootcamps on LinkedIn and see where the alums are currently working. Also, whenever I reached out to them personally and I’m not going to lie, not all of them but most of them do reply and are so willing to help you! I’m honestly very proud to be a Fullstack alum.

 

Q. How were your classmates?

A. As I mentioned, word on the street goes that Fullstack is considered a top-tier bootcamp. And I wasn’t the only one hearing about it. That’s why so many students apply and put Fullstack as their top choice. This leads to competition and the ones that do get accepted are the more prepared. As a result, your colleagues will not only be smart and intelligent but disciplined and persistent individuals. Most of all, I don’t know if this was intentional but somehow most students in Fullstack are generous and warm-hearted human beings. I made so many great friends here. This kind of environment is what keeps you motivated.

 

Q. Anything else you wanna say?

A. It seems like I’ve said a lot of good things. Am I biased? Absolutely. But that’s what Fullstack has done to me. I love it and so darn proud to be a part of it. Of course there’s always pros and cons, but I’m also adding my word on the street, Fullstack is definitely worth it.  

And just one more thing. Fullstack is great, but you yourself need to work hard! It's not going to be easy at all.. But do NOT give up. 

Overall the bootcamp was a great experience. Started with css/html culminating in a Javascript based working e-commerce website utilizing industry specific skills such as react and restApi. There were several instructors, 5 at the start. Two were amazing and 1 left after a short while and never replaced. The other two were quite unhelpful overall and it showed when no one would sign up for extra help with them. Overall, always room for improvement but it gave me the knowledge to gain a foothold in the industry and that's all I hoped for.

I want to start off by saying thank you to the entire Fullstack team for all the help that they've given me. Kim Wood is an extremely knowledgeable career coach and she helped me a ton when it came to my interview process. The instructors were extremely friendly and knowledgeable as well. A few things to consider if you're thinking about enrolling at Fullstack... Start studying for your Security+ ASAP and be prepared to study outside of class hours. My two goals when starting this course were to have Sec+ completed and a job lined up for when I graduated. Both of those goals have been accomplished, I actually got my job offer 3 days before graduation! I know most everyone who reads these reviews wants to know whether or not they will get a job and I'm confident to say that if I can do it, anyone can do it. The only downside I can think of with this bootcamp would be that my cohort was over 70 students which made it a bit tough to get 1 on 1 time with the instructors and to have your personal questions answered. However, there are mentors in the cohorts in which they provide outside class office hours that you can attend to ask any questions if you can spare any time outside the course itself. Lastly, start focusing on LinkedIn and building connections. This is how I found out, applied and got my job so I cannot stress enough how important LinkedIn is. Also, NO I did NOT have prior tech/cybersecurity experience before this bootcamp either. I started from scratch!

Nobody wants to hire anyone in my class and I'm not surprised.. This class was incredibly rushed and It seemed like the instructor had zero to negative energy when teaching. Nobody wants to hire a fresh cyber security apprentice with no real experience.. But these people make it seem like this "bootcamp" is the way to get to it. Anytime we had intricate questions we were met with the usual "if you want to learn It you have to spend time outside of class learning it" 👍 
I would of left a decent review if I had paid 1/10 of what I did. But since I paid what I did.... I can attest this is 100% not worth it. Everything you "get" with this class, you're able to get on the internet for free. Starting with VirtualBox. 

My overall Experience with Fullstack was very good. The Instructor I had Stephen Mathews was great at communicating the material in a way we could understand and input his real life experience in the field. The Cyber mentor Dawon Han was excellent at being flexible whenever you needed help. She was an excellent mentor and aid. Finally my Career coach Kim Wood was very Instrumental in my locking in a job 5 months after the bootcamp. She helped tailor my resume, LinkedIn, and gave me Networking Strategies and always held me accountable and pushing me to achieve my goal. Any question I had, she was proactive at getting back to me in a timely manner and to help me succeed. 

Prior to becoming a student at Fullstack Academy I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical, but I gave it a shot and it changed my life.  I came into Fullstack Academy with absolutely ZERO experience in cyber and tech in general. But that did not matter as the Bootcamp can take you from, as some would say, "Zero to Hero". To put your minds at ease for those contemplating attending the Bootcamp; no, I was not very tech savvy nor is there MATH involved. There, better?  The instructors are awesome and VERY knowledgeable.There are also assistant instructors who are available whenever to help and assist you with any assignments and provide the clarity you may need. USE THEM, they were students prior to being assistants. They were in your shoes. Job assistance. What you're here for....When it comes to job assistance there is a Career Coach who is there to help with your resume, work on your elevator pitch, work on how to answer interview questions, and work on how to network with people via LinkedIn/Social Events. (Shout-out to Dezzi, she's awesome!) Fullstack Academy does offer an event where you have a chance to network with people who are already in the field and work for already established/start-up companies. The Bootcamp doesn't necessarily host a Job Fair where you meet recruiters, and you get hired on the spot. (Things may have changed since I graduated a year ago).  Now, DO NOT LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU. Fullstack Academy has a HUGE alumni network. You can find people who work for well-known companies and start-ups in various industries and connect with them to potentially refer you to a job posting, invite you to events, or direct you to the company/person that can help/hire you. From my experience, the people in the cyber community are extremely helpful and willing to help you. Put yourself out there, network, and smile.  There is nothing to fear. Take the leap. You miss 100% of shots you don’t take. *!!LinkedIn is your best friend!!*

Fullstack Academy's Data Analyst Training Accelerator (DATA) program was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn data analytics and get to know a whole network of data professionals. Class was engaging and supportive; the instructors are paired well in terms of teaching style and my classmates were helpful and collaborative. The topics covered by this program are highly relevant in data analytics, and my presentation and speaking skills constantly improved. In my job search, I sought out additional support while interviewing, which was immensely helpful. 

Areas of growth: the readings in the modules could use proofreading and fact-checking. The associated challenge questions also needed proofreading and the short-answer questions were usually a rewording of the reading material, and did not necessarily encourage critical thinking. Particularly with the SQL challenges, students were asked to write hypothetical SQL code pertaining to a non-existent database, making it difficult for students to check their work. 
In response to student feedback, instructors did provide alternative challenges that were more engaging.

The Fullstack Academy Cybersecurity Analyst Bootcamp was intense and yet, by far, the best learning experience I have ever had.  The leaders and instructors were always available, willing to stay a few minutes after class to ensure a complete understanding of the material provided and how well we comprehended and applied all the principles of the lessons.  Lastly, I truly feel gaining an offer letter recently was highly due to having completed this Bootcamp.  Thank you Fullstack Academy for allowing me to have a professional learning experience that I will never forget. R/ Carey 

I felt challenged and empowered by the full-time data analytics bootcamp program at Fullstack Academy. The instructors are knowledgeable and the lead instructor imparted helpful advice from their extensive professional experiences. The student success manager and career coach were empathetic listeners and overall, kind people. I felt supported by the team in my education and post-graduation job search.
An area of improvement is the curriculum. The modules are easy and at times, redundant. The "challenges" at the end of each module often asked me to regurgitate the modules and did not add value to my learning. The curriculum was thankfully supplemented by challenges provided by the instructors.

Fullstack Academy gave me the tools, experience, and knowledge I needed to unlock a world of potential in the cybersecurity field. 

Joshua Mann and Kara Medema were the most patient instructors I have ever met, they had an answer to everything I could imagine. Dillon Daniels and Evan Haberman were excellent mentors and offered top-notch education support and resources. 

Kim Wood my career coach and wonderful advisor in this journey taught me exactly how to write a resume, cover letter, what skills I needed, how to understand my past experiences, and leverage those soft skills to show I am a team player and contributor to organizational goals. She was there for me at all hours of the day and night when I needed her to look at a cover letter, analyze my resume for the applicant tracking system, or coach me on how to beat the ATS. Most importantly, she taught me how to network, when to network and why to network. Fullstack students and alumni, Kim will be your greatest battle buddy before your graduation and especially post-graduation. Talk to her regularly, connect with her and you will reap the benefits of her experience and knowledge. 

Words cannot describe the experience at Fullstack Academy; all experience is positive.

I had a great learning experience at Fullstack Academy in Offensive and Defensive knowledge. The instructors are very knowledgeable Security Analysts with prior work experience in Cybersecurity. Some are in Offensive and some are in Defensive. We were taught everything from AWS, Linux, Splunk, Burpsuite, Wireshark, Nessus, and so on. The list goes on. They prepare students for the CompTIA Security+ as well as the CompTIA CySA+. 

I want to thank Kim Wood, the Cybersecurity Career Success Manager as well as Lesia Harhaj-Kudryk, the Director of Career Success for their full support during this job hunting journey. They were both equally highly had motivated me to not give up and be confident to look for a job. Their mock interviews, behavioral interviews, and career coaching had helped me tremendously. 

Thank you so much.