Fullstack Academy

Attending to Fullstack Academy was the best decision of my life. I have found my true passion and gained a lot of valuable skills. Besides that, I also had the best friendships during my time at Fullstack.

 

I attended Fullstack from September to December in 2018 at Chicago Campus. Then, I was hired by Fullstack as a Teaching Fellow where I worked there for 3 months. About 2 months after the end of my fellowship, I found a job at my dream company, Google, as a Web Solutions Engineer.

 

Before Fullstack, I was a PhD student in Molecular Biology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I had interest to coding before; but it was always like a hobby. After I quit grad school, the best thing I know was coding (seriously, I didn’t have skills in any area besides biology) and I wanted to turn this hobby into a career. I looked at the best coding bootcamps around Chicago and Fullstack was one of the first ones that came up through my searches. I talked to many grads before convincing myself that this will worth the money. After the first week at Fullstack, I already knew it’s worth it!

 

Let me talk a little bit about specifics. Curriculum! There are tons of materials out there and other teaching methods where you can learn coding. Some of them are good for some students and some students might feel like a total loss amongst all these materials. The key point here is consistency. Fullstack has consistent track of success where graduates coming from different backgrounds who achieve at the end. And Fullstack has been doing this quite a while. Fullstack developed one of the best curriculums out there and they are constantly developing it to make it better. They adjust the curriculum based on the industry’s needs and these changes can be documented by the success of their graduates. Another thing is that they know the best how to teach that curriculum. So, instructors! Instructors in Chicago are really good! My instructors were Collin, Finn, and Ben and they were all amazing! Due to their technical work history, they know the ins and outs of the internet for a long time. When you ask a question outside of the curriculum, you see their expertise on many other topics. Besides their knowledge, they really care about the students. There were multiple times when an instructor helped us after hours or even during lunch sacrificing their free time. I will give a specific example: One time, we were debugging really hard and it was about 4:45. Collin was passing behind us, and we didn’t call for his help as it was late already. But he saw that we are struggling a lot and he offered help. Then, he helped us debug for about an hour straight. He was passionate about finding the bug (more like helping the students actually) and he found it at the end. Another thing I want to mention is job search and career development. Fullstack does not only teach you the skills you need but also teaches you how to present them in a best way while you are applying, at the interviews, after the interviews, at the offer stage, negotiating, and even accepting the offer (Sounds exciting, huh? You all will get there 😊 ). Chicago’s career success counselor, Holly, is great as she is super helpful. She helps you at every stage of your job hunt which is while you are at Fullstack and after you leave until you sign the offer. I think this is a really good opportunity for people like us who learned bunch of new skills recently but don’t know how exactly to present them. The last thing I want to talk about is Fullstack’s special way of teaching Data Structures and Algorithms. As you might already know, most of the big tech companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft asks a lot of data structures problems at the interviews. They are like the fundamentals of the computer science and these companies want to make sure you know them really well. Not all companies ask these questions and when they ask, they don’t ask as hard as the other bug ones. Fullstack teaches data structures really well at an introductory level. In junior phase, you got some data structures lectures to kick off. Every week, there is an optional meetup where you can study more of these kind of questions after school. And at senior phase, students have 1-hour morning session where they either learn a new data structure or an algorithm taught by an instructor or they are given a question to solve followed by explanations by teaching fellows. I think this is a great opportunity as you get to deal with these hard topics every day and after 6 weeks, they do accumulate. As I mentioned before, it is still like an introductory to data structures. It’s more than enough for most of the interviews. It is also a great start if you want to study more and try one of the big tech companies.  

 

Overall, my experience with Fullstack was excellent! I strongly recommend Fullstack to anyone who will be devoting their time and effort to become a Software Engineer. I know it’s not so simple but it’s doable with Fullstack.

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.