Hack Reactor

Tldr; Hack Reactor provides the curriculum and the right people (motivated and smart) for you to learn web development concepts in pairs and by yourself. I can only speak of the staff in the SF office, but they were both experienced and helpful, although anyone expecting to be a software engineer should get comfortable with directing their own learning (aka not leaning on staff to figure questions out unless you're really stuck). 

Long answer:

Going into Hack Reactor (HR), I wanted to learn to code as quickly as possible and to try to get to a top tier company. I chose HR because I know I wanted an intense / all-day everyday experience, and looking on LinkedIn I found that HR had way more graduates at top tier companies (Uber, Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Stripe, etc.) than other bootcamps. 

Within the first week of attending, I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of my peers. They were more motivated and experienced than I expected, with several having graduated with Computer Science or Mechanical Engineering degress, and a couple having prior industry experience. Given that Hack Reactor is largely pair programming with your peers, they made a huge difference in how much I learned each day.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the quality of the curriculum. It provided some direction, while letting us figure out the key concepts via code. In my experience, the only way to really learn coding concepts is to code them yourself, and then recode them. After finishing the curriculum the right way, and reviewing the concepts you didn't understand (by recoding them), you should be able to do both.

 

When deciding on a bootcamp, it matters what your best alternative option is. I'll lay out the decision in my eyes from those perspectives as well.

1. Bootcamp or self-study?

There are cool opportunties like Free Code Camp that allow you to learn some javascript on your own--providing curriculum and peers via Slack to help you learn.  I was seriously considerig these opportunities, but decided to attend Hack Reactor because I believed I would become profficient at least 2-3 months faster with Hack Reactor's support. Calculating this tradeoff financially, if you take the median/mean ~100k salary/year for 2-3 months that you would have had to continue learning for to reach the same level, the upfront 18k fee becomes a really good deal if you can afford it.

After having gone through the program, I think that the people and curriculum in particular make a huge difference in the rate of learning. While it's conceivable that you could learn tht much on your own, you would need to be dedicated enough to work 10-12 hrs a day for 6 days a week, find your own curriculum to learn the key concepts, and to have smart and motivated peers to bounce your ideas off of every hour or two. If that sounds daunting, then Hack Reactor may be a good way to get the right structure to learn.

2. Hack Reactor or another bootcamp? 

Several bootcamps suggest that they can help get you a job in software engineering. I read up on what the student experience was actually like, and saw that some of the bootcamps clearly had more intense experiences than others, which from my experience leads to more learning. Additionally, LinkedIn searches confirmed that only a couple of the bootcamps actually had graduates working in large numbers in software engineering. 

 

Note: you should expect to get guidance on the job search, but realize that you will not be at the bootcamp for most of your job search, and will need to stay motivated / focused enough to find a job.

I'm apart of the HR part time program and my experience to say the least is disappointing. the first half of the program is pair programming which you are matched with a random pair weekly who most often is "too busy" to pair with you, prefers to work solo or is flat out working ahead of you. When you reach out to address the issue of pairing, you will be told that it's normal and everyone seems to be having an issue with pairing and that staff will try to be more mindful of pairing. I mean come on its a part time program and within the first 3 weeks the structure of the program was clear so if you choose to stay, you should be able to follow the guidelines! How can you be set up for success when the first half of the program you are dependent on a partner that has anti pairing behaviors? However, If YOU work ahead and leave your partner behind, you will be reprimanded for it surprisingly. At this point because it continues to happen, I'm not sure ALL students who do this get reprimanded if you get what I am hinting at. That's not to say you won't meet some great people here. There are always diamonds in the rough. The curriculum needs a lot of work, and honestly some of it comes off as culturally insensitive. Hiring outside POC isn't going to change that, the curriculum needs a whole reboot. Some of videos is full of what they explain as "Bro-y" language but really the lecturer is an insensitive douche. In one of the videos the lecturer actually told a student they hadn't bothered to remember their name. WOW! The class was told they forgot to cut that part out. YIKES. Considering the cost of the program on top of my current experience only a few months in, I wouldn't recommend HR to anyone else to spend almost 20,000 on this bs. You would legit only be paying for the network. 

I wanted to go to hack reactor as soon as I failed the entrance test to enroll in their program. I had applied to other programs before, and after their tests they would only tell me I failed. They wouldn't give me any feedback - but hack reactor did. Hack reactor told me I almost passed - and they offered me tutoring before the next entrance exam. I met up with someone through zoom who helped me practice until the next test (at NO cost) - and I passed. I started going to the NYC campus. Due to COVID we were zoom only, but that didn't matter. My teachers, tutors, and classmates were the most amazing people. My teachers were smart, helpful, and truly just wanted us to succeed. The lectures were spectacular. My classmates were friendly, supportive, down to pair program whenever. We felt like family. I never thought I could get this close to a group of strangers, especially through zoom but it happened - I'm friends with most of them today.When it came to career search I had a lot of support, and a career manager to guide me. It was a great experiance and made it easier for me to find employment. I love Hack Reactor and what they did for me. However, I will say - they changed their model. They now do regional classes with ~70 students. More tutors (around 15) and less teachers (about 5-7 mentors). It's less personal, less support (you have to actively seek it out). I don't think it's the same. It's much more autonomous - you will get the education you seek.

I was sooo enthusiastic and super happy to go to workshops and open houses, working on javascript and to hear such goods results of these bootcamps until I had my experience and I would say - never again! 
Starting from those events, the word from bootcamp staff was always: 'You fail only for behavior', up until you start the immersive.
I was part of oct 2020 cohort and I have to say, it's been very exhausting, starting from the pre course and along the way there is not really a way to gauge if you should remain or you'll be given a second chance. The residents / seniors were encouraging to stay saying that everyone is very tired. and they are all struggling. I really wish there were a better communication on that aspect.
Now of course you see that "the repeat of junior portion is not guaranteed" in the contract or "if you don't pass some technical assessments", but by the time you did all that preparation for many months and pre paid 2 k for pre course, of course the student will sign the agreement. Nothing happened to your friends who graduated.
And after how many assessments that you don't pass you should quit so you don't loose your money? Not clear! 
When is it time to just give up because you don't do well? Nobody knows!!!
And if you say that you were told differently in the campus, they through a letter at you to acknowledge and sign so they can keep your money after. 
Now, if I had a hard time with all of that, wait until you depart and have another nightmare trying to explain to this Associate general counsel from HR, who's handling these cases, armed to his teeth with education in procedures and succesful with similar cases . 
It's just not worth it. Who signed up for all this horrible experience? 
If anyone was reading this, and wanna go the safe route, I would recommend the 6 or 9 months version instead. It's really not about, "I have the time to do the 3 months full-time immersive".  
I would think rolling over students in 3 months course is better for them but Have a normal life, be able to sleep, and honestly digest better the material and get better ready for job. That is everything!
And really, many students from the 3 months have to repeat the junior half. So by the time you do 2-3 times the pre course, repeat eventually the junior half, maybe go back to pre course, it will end up in about 1 year anyway.
Better go safe people and if you don't make it, there is still lots of other options out there, but don't give up on your dream .
 

Hack Reactor was NOT an easy course - 5 days a week I was 'in class' (I did the course virtually due to pandemic) for 12 hours per day, and then on Saturday I clocked out after 8 hours. Be prepared for the rest of your life to basically come to a grinding halt while you devote yourself entirely to this program over these 3 months. I came into the program with NO coding knowledge (besides what's taught in the BootCamp prep courses), and honestly felt like I was in a wave pool the entire time - where I would just manage to get my head over water, and then the next second the next wave would hit. However, not only did I learn an extreme amount throughout this course, but enduring this feeling gave me the skill to be comfortable in a constant state of uncomfortableness. This was a terrific program and one I would recommend to others. It has already drastically changed the trajectory of my life, and I know it's only going to get better as I continue with a software development career!

This is an incredibly rigorous program, so you have to know that this will be the entirety of your focus for the full three months (and you will be putting quite a bit of time doing prep work in the month and a half or so before it officially begins). "Drinking from a firehose" is the way a fellow graduate put it, and it definitely felt that way. If you are up for it (and why wouldn't you be? this is your life and it's yours to do with it what you will!), it does deliver on its promise. I graduated in April 2021, spent a couple of weeks enrolled in their new-ish "job search program" (really useful structured assistance, offered cost-free to graduates), and landed a (paid) internship that began in June. It is now the beginning of September, and I have just recently been promoted to the role of a full-time associate engineer; this was the finish line I knew I needed to cross before I could truthfully review the course for a site like Course Report. While I do have minor quibbles/gripes about certain aspects of its structure and pedagogy, these concerns are rendered moot in the face of the real-world results they've provided. In sum, I couldn't be more pleased with the decision I made in enrolling in Hack Reactor. Like many others, I came to coding incredibly green (I was forced to make a career change due to the pandemic). The fact that within half a year of completing the program I can now say that I am a full-time (and well-paid) associate software engineer is sort of all that needs to be said for this program's effectiveness. Buckle up and change your life!

My experience at Hack Reactor was undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most challenging academic experience I've had to date. This boot-camp is incredibly rigorous, and the full-time program demands that you devote essentially 100% of your waking life to study. There were times when I felt I would not make it to graduation, but that is not for lack of support on Hack Reactor's part. The instruction team is excellent, and clearly has a genuine desire to help their students grow and succeed. 

The curriculum is very well curated, and has a ground up approach which focuses on teaching students skills and technology which are relevant in today's development world. When I started the program, I knew next to nothing about software engineering, and only 3 short months after graduating had a job offer in hand. I would not hesitate to recommend this boot-camp to anyone, granted that they are resilient, have a growth mindset, and are committed to putting in the time and effort required.

I really enjoyed my time at Hack Reactor. The first week or two, I felt so behind that they moved so quickly and the hours were so long. I was under some of the greatest stress of my life. I pushed through and was learning so much, eventually that stress transformed into excitement. I started to have fun between the frustration. I made friends I still hang out with, learned about so many people's unique experiences, and learned so much about programming that I could never have learned on my own. Sometimes it's less about the content being taught and more about having someone provide you the path. In some ways, Hack Reactor paves a path for you, and for many that may be a path out of the infamous "tutorial hell". You also gain real-world experience working in teams and managing productivity and tasks. Overall it was great, and I wish I could do it again with the knowledge I have now. The only thing I would change is the ending. When I give job assistance 3/5 it's not because of my career services manager who was fantastic and certainly the most valuable resource during my job search, but rather the careers week. I think one extra week of focus on job search and practice would've been great. It felt really jammed in at the end. I wanted more personal resume reviews, interview practice, maybe talk with alumni about structuring job search days, etc. I really only feel like I refined my job search to an art months after graduation and I think another week in the program with a focus on that would've put me on that path sooner. In the end, it all worked out though, and I'm so happy with the friends I've made and the knowledge/skills I've obtained. 

Hack Reactor was truly an incredible experience. It challenged me to learn quickly, build teamwork, and communicate like an engineer. Not only did I learn the tools that I needed to succeed in the industry, but I also created a portfolio that impressed hiring managers and recruiters. Autonomy is highlighted in this course. You get what you put into it. I entered Hack Reactor with zero background in coding (other than their basic prep) and was able to succeed due to the guidance and help of the staff and my peers. I would recommend this bootcamp to anyone who is willing and able to put in the work. This is not an easy course. If you have anything else going on in your life, it is nearly impossible to accomplish. For the right person, this bootcamp can get you a job that you will love just a few weeks out. 

I planned to go to grad school to make my career transition to software engineering but was told Hack Reactor might be a good boot camp to help me do it all faster. In the end, in only 5 months, I was able to sign an offer at a company working on something I really believe in. 

If you are incredibly driven, sure about your goals, and value your time, Hack Reactor is the right pressure cooker to get you what you want as fast as possible. The curriculum is highly curated for your development from first principles and the technical support is super valuable. The program becomes a little more hands-off later in the course as it forces you to become a fully autonomous engineer. Trust the process.

It isn't for everyone. If you have other commitments in life currently, it will be hard to find balance during the boot camp. 

I lost my job in the early stages of COVID-19.  I decided to give programming a shot with my downtime.  Hack Reactor was a major component of my path from zero programming experience to an amazing job as a developer within that span of a year.

The style of the SEI program at Hack Reactor suited my needs exactly, but I don't know if that would hold true for everyone.  I had a basic handle on javascript and was starting to apply javascript to web development.  The topic was so expansive that I did not really know where to focus my time.  Hack Reactor focused my attention on a very specific set of skills and concepts that were necessary to build full-stack applications.

I'm fairly certain that I could have self-taught myself the majority of the raw development skills I learned at Hack Reactor.  The really amazing part of it is the compact amount of time it all happened in.  The way the curriculum is structured just worked for me.  You would be introduced to a new topic and get some high-level concepts and best practices that apply to it.  At the same time, you would be assigned a "sprint" on that topic with some vague instructions and some features or functionality to implement.  I think they struck a great balance in providing just enough of a nudge to set you down a good path at the start.  From there it was on you to research the technologies/patterns/libraries being used and develop your solution to the prompt.  It really allowed for a lot of ground to be covered very quickly.

***ACCOUNTABILITY***

There are extremely strict attendance guidelines at Hack Reactor.  They make sure to keep you engaged from 9am-8pm, 6 days a week, for 12 weeks straight.   I definitely would not have been able to maintain that consistent schedule if I was trying to study on my own.  Conservatively I would estimate that what I learned in 12 weeks at Hack Reactor would have taken a minimum of 30 weeks of self-teaching.  That's assuming I was able to stick it out for that whole time.  Also, if I went the self-taught route I would not have had the chance to interact with subject matter experts and develop team-based development skills like pair-programming.

***AUTONOMY***

I cannot stress enough the importance of developing autonomy while at Hack Reactor.  If you want someone to tell you the correct answer or the definitive way to solve problems.... you are in the wrong place.  This program is really about giving you the tools and the mindset to solve the problems yourself.   You will feel incredibly lost again and again while in this program.  This can be incredibly discouraging and frustrating for people.  The key is to develop a sense of autonomy and the skills to seek out and find the answers yourself.  Eventually, that sense of discomfort will become the welcome precedent to finding the solution you were in search of.

The assignments you will receive have some vague requirements to complete.  That said no one will look at your work and say "you didn't do x, y, and z, shame on you".  Conversely, they will also not say "good job doing all that stuff!".  I remember finding this infuriating for the first few weeks.  The lack of direct/pointed feedback was hard to digest.   Eventually, though I saw it as a great parallel for the work I would do as a professional developer.  No one is going to look over your shoulder and police you while you write your code.... except for you.  In this way, I became the judge of my own work.  I was able to identify my weak points and identify any anti-patterns in my code.  This sense of autonomy was the greatest lesson I got out of the whole program.

***COMMUNITY***

When I attended Hack Reactor all classes were remote via zoom due to COVID-19.  I remember being extremely worried that I would feel very disconnected from the community due to the remote nature of the course.  It's crazy how wrong I was.  I felt so welcomed by the staff, senior students, and my cohort mates from day one.  My campus did an amazing job creating community among everyone in the program.  There were weekly social/game nights and tons of mixers so everyone could get to know each other.  My cohort ended up being very close and we even met up for drinks in person a couple of times.  I have no doubt I will be friends/colleagues with the people I met at Hack Reactor for years to come.

***JOB HUNT***

I don't think Hack Reactor advertises much if any assistance with actually finding a job after the program, but either way, don't expect much here.  It is 100% on YOU to find a job after you graduate.  Of course, they will give you plenty of tools and strategies to set you up for success in accomplishing your goals.  You will get help building your resume and online presence as well as how you present yourself in interviews.  That is about the extent of it though.  A major benefit is access to a massive network of alumni that can help you get your foot in the door at a lot of companies.

***GRIPES***

I only have one real gripe which is that this is simultaneously one of the most expensive programs like this out there while also being one of the shortest.  It really is a ton of material to cover in the amount of time and I think it would really benefit everyone to stretch out the program a bit to give some more time to absorb the material.