Hackbright Academy

From December 2022 to March 2023, I attended Hackbright Academy, a software engineering bootcamp designed to empower women+ in the tech industry and change the ratio. Overall, my experience was positive, but there were some things that met my expectations, others that exceeded them, and others that were not met.



Regarding the expectations that were met, I feel like I had a firehose shot at me and I definitely couldn't drink from it. It was what I expected it to be like.



However, my expectations were exceeded in some areas. At first, I was worried that I wouldn't feel tight/connected with my cohort mates, but that wasn't the case. Over time, we got pretty close and have real plans for staying connected post-course. The group at large was non-competitive, supportive, and kind. While everyone had differing levels of understanding and background with coding, those who were ahead did not appear to be impatient with those who were not at their level. Instead they were kind, patient, understanding and helpful. We all seemed to have the attitude of 'no one left behind' which was immeasurably comforting. In an often-times competitive field, I did not feel that here. (If you are seeking to avoid the 'tech bro' culture, this is the place to be!)

The weekly check-ins with staff were nice to have, and our socials were fun. The love, kindness, and gentleness of the group at large, including the staff, were wonderful.


On the other hand, there were some expectations that were not met. There needs to be more consistent, guided reviews, and spaced repetition is crucial to learning. More could be done to build regular check-ups on material into the schedule/curriculum. I think this would be helpful so we don't hear about it on one lecture, do its related skills assessment that weekend (expect to carve out at least 6-12 hours of your weekend to complete!), and then forget about it, only to be expected to remember it for a white-boarding session some weeks later.


The cost of the program was also a concern for many students, who felt that the amount of independent work required did not justify the price (nearly $13,000). During project season, some felt lost, and generally, more support was needed throughout the course. Although the instructors were good, the structure was not always what students expected. I personally benefited from a full scholarship that made the cost negligible for me (I still had to survive months without income and paid $250 for the prep course). But had I not had the benefit of the scholarship and had I been relying on an ISA, I would feel similarly. That being said, if one were able to afford the cost and wanted to be in this type of environment I think it is worth it but if one cannot afford it, I would recommend researching other schools that may cost much less and may have similar community aspects. 
Anyone without a Mac will also need to figure out how to set up Windows, which can be challenging as the staff had limited knowledge to support them with environment set up. 

More support on weekends/non school hours would have been appreciated. 

Some students felt that outcomes laid it on thick about being overtly extroverted to get the job, which was not inclusive of introverts. Some students were triggered by this and felt the need to avoid masking, which affected their experience in the program.
With regards to the curriculum, when I was initially inquiring about it, it was stated that the curriculum isn't updated very frequently so I would suggest that if you are looking into Hackbright you inquire as well about the last time it was updated. It is my opinion that given the speed at which tech progresses, the curriculum needs to be adjusted frequently to keep up. The fundamentals may stay the same but one would expect regular check-ups on the relevancy of the materials for a $12,900 price tag. 

I think it is worth saying that the instructor team is pretty awesome in most regards. However, I would note that there are instructors who were relatively recent Hackbright grads. I personally feel this is a mistake, and that it is better to hire experienced engineers with teaching expertise and if they were a Hackbrighter they should have had at least a couple years in the field before being allowed to teach. There is a benefit though where you know they understand what you are going through and can sympathize with your struggles. Their kindness and patience and emotional support was extremely appreciated.

I will come back to this and update when I have had time to job hunt and experience the job assistance from outcomes post course. 
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Despite these challenges, the community at Hackbright was seen as supportive and kind, and many students were grateful to have met each other. The call to change the ratio in the tech industry was echoed, and efforts to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all students were encouraged. There is a huge alumni network and many are responsive and kind, ready to jump on a half hour call to chat about their experience and offer some amount of mentorship, there's definitely a feeling of those who are willing to reach back behind them to help others up. I intend to be a part of this chain. Please come find me on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat more about my experience.  

It should be noted that I attended the school online and not in person, there are no in person options anymore. So the form for Course Report is outdated and needs fixing. I put that I was at their SF campus just to be able to submit. 

I'm writing this review as someone that has been through multiple programs.  (Dev Bootcamp (3 months), then Holberton School (1-2 years), finally here at HackBright (3 months)).  Although I enjoyed my time with each school and each was great in different ways, the sense of camaraderie and support (both educational and personal) that I experienced here felt greatly amplified compared to my previous experiences.

In terms of the course material, I'm comparing this with other 3 months programs; but the fact that fundamental skills such as data structure & algorithms, big O and whiteboarding (for interviews) are taught place it ahead of other schools that just teach you how to make web apps and that's it.   The only area that I felt that could use improvements was to possibly add in at least 1 or 2 group projects (there are frequent partnered assignments, but those are usually 1 day and with only 1 other person.)  Having gone through group projects with more people for extended days, those opportunities allowed us to practice project management skills and gave a feel for what it's like working in an actual team, plus it resulted in multiple projects to put on our resume.

The emphasis on building espirit de corps through weekly socials and checkins also resulted in a tighter knit group socially.  I feel much more connected to and supported by my cohort-mates as a group than I did in my previous experiences.  

Lastly, I was lucky enough to be in a sponsored cohort (walmart).  So for us, the job outcome was amazing.  I've been struggling to get my foot in the door for years now (maybe age is a factor? I was close to ~40 when I completed the other programs) but this was the school that actually helped me get my first engineering job.  Hackbright changed my life, thank you! <3

Hackbright is an amazing academy that takes you from writing some of your first lines of code to building out apps and learning in-demand technologies. Becoming a student was an amazing decision and I was taught not only how to code but how to continue my education on my own. I love the ability to come back, audit classes, join seminars, and job fairs, and forever be a part of this wonderful and welcoming community. Every teacher was patient, informative, and determined to help students to reach deeper levels of understanding. I loved the homework, labs, and pair programming that led to me landing an intern position that already triples any salary I've ever made. With hard work and effort on my part and guidance from Hackbright, my life has forever changed for the better.

Some background info on me that could be important:
I'm a professional with 5+ years of experience but not in software engineering. I had wanted to go into software engineering for 2+ years (went to meetups, applied to other bootcamps, tried some self-learning). I did not have the internal structure, dedication, patience, nor time to self/community-learn.

With that information, here's my review:
I went through the 12-week full-stack remote software engineering program. Hackbright is amazing, and they changed my life.

Interview process:
I interviewed once in Javascript, and it was a good challenge. Other classmates may have had to interview more times. (So there are standards for being admitted, if you are worried about that). I don't think I would have passed the interview if I hadn't had practice interviewing beforehand.

Structure:
Hackbright runs a tight ship and packs in time for learning, practice, career coaching, projects, and more. They stick to the schedule as much as possible. They provide structured time for breaks and treat you like human beings, not robots.

Curriculum:
Hackbright's curriculum/tech stack is good.

* Languages & tools: Python, Flask, Javascript, Postgres, SQLAlchemy, SQL, React, HTML, CSS, etc.
* Computer science fundamentals: Data structures, algorithms, boolean logic, system architecture (one lecture)

The curriculum was key in attracting me to the bootcamp - you can see it on their website. It is designed provide foundations. They strike an excellent balance between teaching a range of people with different experiences and not being condescending while doing so (can be very hard to do in tech).

They also keep the curriculum updated: We were one of the first cohorts that was not taught jQuery.

Projects:
This was by far the best part of the program from the point of view of synthesizing learning, practice, and real-world applications.

You will come out of this bootcamp having developed a full-stack web application that is demonstrated to employers at a Demo Night.

Career outcomes/coaching:
Hackbright's career outcomes lectures are comprehensive and empowering. They cover everything from networking to salary negotiation for all areas of expertise.

Support:
There is excellent, enthusiastic support throughout the program from advisors, instructors, and peers through a Discord channel. Questions are welcomed and frequently prompted/encouraged.

You should have access to materials after the bootcamp to maintain coding proficiency and review.

Overall:

Hackbright is a safe, welcoming, nurturing place that aims to bridge the gender gap in tech. I think they are succeeding in this.

I am graduating as a  junior software engineer exposed to key computer science and modern web dev foundations that has developed and deployed a full-stack web application. There are bootcamps who advertise that you can graduate as a mid-level or senior-level dev. I personally think that is only possible with prior software and technical experience, but that's just me and how I approached things.

As usual, Hackbright may not be the right choice for everyone based on life experience, coding experience, current situations, and more. What I know is that Hackbright was the right choice for me; it felt like I was coming home. 

Also, as with all experiences, it is what you make of it.

Thank you, team <3. You gave me the confidence I needed to make my way as a software engineer.

Hackbright is a quality, full-stack software engineering bootcamp exclusively for women. The curriculum is clear, comprehensive, and well organized. The instructors are excellent! They have actual work history in the tech industry and strive to teach you the things that will most likely help you to succeed in the industry. In my experience, the instructors go above and beyond to help. Several have spent time after classroom hours to help me out. This was not something I expected from them, but it shows how dedicated to their students they are. By graduation, you have created a fully operational app, and you understand all the workings of it, so you can develop more apps on your own. Hackbright provides TONS of support to help you get connected with the tech community to find a job. Even before graduation, I had recruiters from well-respected companies contacting me. I wholeheartedly recommend Hackbright Academy!

Hackbright delivered on their promise. 3 months of education. Continued job search support. Three months later I landed the Twitter apprenticeship. As 3-month programs go, it is really tops. I couldn't ask for a more caring, supportive environment to help me get through the rigorous curriculum they provide. It was a terrifying amount of material and they got us through it while honoring our feelings about how truly difficult it was. I have had a lot of education in my life, but I have never seen the kind of concern for my success that the instructors and job coaches at Hackbright provided. I will never forget this experience as long as I live. I am a proud Hackbright graduate.

I really loved my time at Hackbright Academy. Before applying, I had looked into local bootcamps in the Minneapolis area but none of them seemed like a good fit for me. When I learned Hackbright was having a cohort in Minnesota I applied immediately! I remember reading all of the glowing reviews on course report and other sites and thinking it was too good to be true. I spent a good deal of the program thinking it was too good to be true. As a new grad, I still am looking back thinking it was too good to be true. But it is true! 

Here's 3 reasons why I enjoyed the program:
--My instructor and TA were awesome. The first week of class, my instructor made it clear Hackbright wants its students to have a healthy work-life balance. All of the horror stories you've read about bootcamps that require their students to have 60+ hour work weeks don't apply here. I know a few folks that went to bootcamps where they felt like they taught themselves more than instructors. I didn't have that experience at Hackbright either. I regularly went to the gym, attended community events, and overall had a life outside of the program. I didn't need to do a ton of googling to complete assignments because the lectures contained most of the information I needed to have a good grasp of the material. 

--During the first half of the program, Hackbright has a schedule with morning lecture, morning lab and an afternoon lecture followed by an afternoon lab. All of the labs practiced pair programming. It was challenging working with different personalities (some people are shy while others are more assertive). Pair programming taught me a lot about how to use "tech speak" and I'm excited to use these skills in my first job. 

--I had two mentors who taught me a lot about what its like to be a women in the tech industry. I hadn't had a professional mentor before and really appreciate how much care they showed me. Some people in my cohort used their mentors for practice with whiteboarding interviews, others asked their mentors for advice with their final projects. If you get into Hackbright and commit to the fullstack program, I encourage you to use your mentors as a resource! They are there to help you succeed!

I wish we could have covered testing and deployment a little bit more, but we did have lectures (and labs) on the topics and the course is only 12 weeks. I know I have enough knowledge to dig into these topics on my own post Hackbright.

I chose this bootcamp because of the comfortable atmostphere and focus on work-life balance, which other bootcamps seem to lack. I had gone through the prep program and knew the quality of instructor and the environment.

I found the curriculum to be very well thought-out and organized. My software-engineering friends were often surprised and impressed by the topics covered - "Wow, you're learning that?!". During my very first onsite interview a CEO of a tech company was looking through my capstone project and expressed his shock that I was able to learn the concepts to complete such a robust project, and complete the project itself, within such a short time span. The curriculum itself is constantly being updated and refined based on what is going on out in the field and feedback, but the great thing is that all the old lectures are available as a resource, even as an alum. I used some of these as extra resources while completing my project and while preparing for interviews.

The lecture followed by lab format was invaluable in cementing the concepts covered, and the pair-programming in labs helped us to get comfortable talking in 'tech-speak', a valuable skill for interviewing. Not to mention helping each other over stumbling blocks! I loved the back half of the program which focused more on building our projects. We would have a comp science lecture in the morning followed by open project time. The instructors were available for help during that period and were always patient and knowledgeable. I learned a great deal during this period as it was almost like having a one-on-one tutor. And when the projects were done we had the opportunity to present in front of several companies, which was excellent practice as well as an invaluable networking opportunity. 

The career support was also incredible and well-balanced. There was a career lecture once a week focusing on a new topic throughout the entire program. These included small weekly assignments (such as practicing our stories, revising our resumes, how to research companies, and updating our LinkedIn profile) to prepare us for the job hunt in a calm and methodical manner. We had two one-on-one strategy sessions with the career services staff during the program and one after graduation to figure out what types of companies might suit us best and to help us strategize how to find a job. The last two weeks were almost entirely focused on the career journey. Lectures focused on different aspects of the interview process, fieldtrips were organized to practice whiteboarding with engineers in the 'real' world and gain exposure to different environments, we even got a practice take-home coding challenge which was then reviewed with tips and tricks on tackling these problems (which severely reduced my anxiety about them), and we learned tips for applying to positions. 

Perhaps the coolest thing was the mentor program. All of us were assigned two mentors. Our mentors were able to help us with our projects, provide career advice, and be there for anything we needed. I found it helpful to talk with mine about their 'real-world' experiences in software engineering, particularly when it came to things to consider while designing a webapp. Most mentors are willing to continue the relationship beyond the program end too!

I'm so glad I chose Hackbright as my bootcamp. It was an amazing, supportive environment, my cohort-mates are amazing people I am proud to call my friends, and the quality of education is top-notch.

I wish we'd gotten to dive deeper into some of the topics and covered some others, but at the end of the day it's a 12-week bootcamp, not a 4 year comp science degree! I would not hesitate to recommend this program to anyone considering a bootcamp.

I took the part time program while I was working. The classes are Tuesday and Thursday 6-9pm and Saturday 10-6pm. We pair programmed for the first half of the class and the second half we worked on building a full stack program. Python, JS, Flask, Bootstrap, jquery, PostgreSQL and SQL are some of the things we learned during the course. Lectures are given at the beginning of the course and labs exercises are given after to practice what we learned. There are also career lectures, field trips to companies and endless amout of support from the staff and classmates, not to mention we get assigned two mentors!