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Hack Reactor by Galvanize is an educator for rapid career transformation, offering software engineering bootcamps designed so that anyone with motivation can succeed, regardless of education, experience, or background. Hack Reactor by Galvanize bootcamps are challenging and designed to fit a student’s schedule and skill level. Bootcamps include a 19-Week Software Engineering Immersive with JavaScript and Python, designed for beginners, as well as a 12-Week Software Engineering Immersive.
Applicants to the 12-week Software Engineering Immersive need to pass a Technical Admissions Assessment (TAA), which tests for intermediate coding competency. There is a free, self-paced bootcamp prep course that can be accessed to learn the fundamentals of JavaScript. Those applying for the 19-week program do not need to pass the TAA or take any prep courses. Applicants to all programs need to pass an aptitude test, a brief typing test, and an admissions interview.
In addition to its software engineering programs, Hack Reactor provides a large network of professional peers, 1:1 coaching, mock interviews, job training, and more. All students graduate as autonomous, full-stack software engineers, fully capable of tackling unique problems and building complex applications on the job. Hack Reactor alumni join a diverse, engaged network of fellow students, instructors, staff, and alumni, including 14,000+ graduates at 2,500 companies.
I recently finished Hack Reactor Remote and am leaving a review about the remote experience specifically. I originally planned on attending onsite HR, but job/ personal circumstances didn't let me move to attend the course. So I enrolled in remote with a little trepidation- my goal in attending HR was to grow really fast as a software engineer and to be constantly pushed to be better. I wasn't sure if a remote course could motivate me in the same way as seeing my ...
I recently finished Hack Reactor Remote and am leaving a review about the remote experience specifically. I originally planned on attending onsite HR, but job/ personal circumstances didn't let me move to attend the course. So I enrolled in remote with a little trepidation- my goal in attending HR was to grow really fast as a software engineer and to be constantly pushed to be better. I wasn't sure if a remote course could motivate me in the same way as seeing my classmates in person.
I was wrong.
REMOTE IS AWESOME! There is a distinct culture in the remote program and it feels intensely social. Even though your classmates are all over the country (we had one guy in Europe too) you still feel closely connected with them and you're together 12 hours a day in lecture, pair programming, and hangouts. You know how being in a constant groupchat/ snap session with your friends feels like you're always with them even though you're in different cities? HR Remote is like that, except you're getting things done, and your classmates are always pushing you to be better (in a super nice positive way).
Before starting HRR, there were 3 areas that I was concerned about that I'd like to address in my review- CULTURE, LEARNING, OUTCOMES.
CULTURE
Hack Reactor purposefully has a very positive atmosphere. Everybody supports each other and I never felt weird asking a classmate to jump on video chat with me to help me work through a problem or technology that I knew they were a superstar in.
Even though you're distributed, through chat and meetings you quickly get a good idea of everyone's personality and interests. That makes it easy to find people who share your specific programming interests to pursue topics together. Hack Reactor students are really committed to being good web developers and will pursue various topics they're interested in outside of class (i.e. functional programming, 3D canvas animations, systems programming languages) and the culture of exploration is infectious.
The course is challenging at times and both the staff and other students are awesome at cheering you up and getting motivated again.
We graduated with a lot of good in-jokes (which is a good sign of a close knit team).
LEARNING
Whoa.
I was a self-taught programmer for 9 months before starting HR and one of the primary reasons I wanted to do a bootcamp was that I felt that I wasn't moving fast enough by myself. I'd work on Udacity courses, or projects from online tutorials and then I would hit a place where I WOULD BE STUCK.
Prior to HR, I would try to solve my problem, inevitably get frustrated, and generally take a long time to move past my obstacles. After HR, problems no longer last that long. I have the confidence that I can learn new paradigms, look up Stack Overflow, and learn new frameworks without getting stuck.
There are previous negative reviews of Course Report where a student complained the Hackers in Residence (the TAs of Hack Reactor) would just tell them to Google a solution to their problem. Well...yeeaaah- how else do you expect to find an answer?
Don't go to Hack Reactor if you would want an answer handed to you everytime you get stuck at a bug. These aren't the droids you're looking for. The staff will be very good about jumping on a call with you, talking over the problem space with you, and offer helpful suggestions about where to look for a solution. They won't just tell you the answer.
Why? The most valuable part of HR for me wasn't learning JavaScript and Node and JS frameworks- it was the meta-learning. You learn how to solve software problems on your own by researching and liberally applying trial and error. You learn how to debug and understand error messages and test your assumptions. You learn how to learn how to traverse up the call stack. If that fails, you learn how to ask good questions to a senior engineer so that they'll be the most helpful to you.
The magic of Hack Reactor isn't in the course material. It's high quality and always iterating to stay close to the current state of web tech. However, in my opinion it's only like 10-15% better than stuff you could find online for free.
The value of Hack Reactor is all the training in how to solve problems, and not giving you any slack when you'd rather be handed an answer. It's the classmates who will help solve problems with you. It's the thrill of discovery when you finally get your code to work and you've learned new in the process.
Regardless of whether you do a bootcamp, I would argue the most essential skill for a developer is to be able to view a bug as a learning opportunity to learn new paradigms or to correct a fundamental misunderstanding.
Oh- and you'll become a JavaScript, React, Angular, Node ninja too in Hack Reactor.
OUTCOMES
This is one of the most important metrics when evaluating a bootcamp, and one of the fuzziest. When I applied for HR, the hiring metrics seemed unbelievable to me and I think they may create unrealistic expectations for applicants.
The short answer is yes, you will almost for sure get a software engineering job somewhere within 3-6 months of graduating a program. It may not be the ideal job, but it will be a place that you can develop your skills.
I think a lot of the negative feedback comes from students' expectations not being met. Going from not programming at all to working at Google/Amazon/Microsoft/Facebook after three months of Hack Reactor is not a realistic goal. Yes, it's possible for certain students with prior experience and certain students who work their @sses off- but it's not the expected outcome.
The expected outcome is you get a decent job at a dev shop somewhere, and if you really care about working at a unicorn, you can interview there after a year. I would argue that the Hack Reactor marketing doesn't make the expected outcome clear and it leads to some disappointment.
That said, even though I just graduated, I feel very prepared for the job search. For the handful of applications I sent out last week, I've gotten past a few phone screens and got past a coding challenge (to build a Node server in a few hours) sent by a company.
CONCLUSION
Hack Reactor is not magic. If you're not completely committed to being a developer, it's not 10x better than just learning on your own. Its value is that it puts you in an intense environment with other committed classmates where you can quickly develop the meta-skills that will make you a good engineer. What you do with those skills and how you leverage them into getting a job is mostly on your own (with staff support).
I chose Hack Reactor because I wanted a challenging program where I could accelerate my learning. There is no credential or diploma that you get at the end, but I do feel much more confident approaching the job search and learning new things. I continue to view myself fundamentally as a self-taught developer, but Hack Reactor was an accelerator for my personal progress (kind of like young startups going through YC- not guaranteed success, but you learn a lot and get good networks).
If that is your goal and you can afford it- Hack Reactor is super worth it.
How much does Hack Reactor cost?
Hack Reactor costs around $19,480.
What courses does Hack Reactor teach?
Hack Reactor offers courses like 12-Week Software Engineering Online Immersive, 19-Week Software Engineering Immersive with JavaScript & Python.
Where does Hack Reactor have campuses?
Hack Reactor teaches students Online in a remote classroom.
Is Hack Reactor worth it?
Hack Reactor hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 334 Hack Reactor alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Hack Reactor on Course Report - you should start there!
Is Hack Reactor legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 334 Hack Reactor alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Hack Reactor and rate their overall experience a 4.59 out of 5.
Does Hack Reactor offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Hack Reactor offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.
Can I read Hack Reactor reviews?
You can read 334 reviews of Hack Reactor on Course Report! Hack Reactor alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Hack Reactor and rate their overall experience a 4.59 out of 5.
Is Hack Reactor accredited?
Read details here: https://www.galvanize.com/regulatory-information
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