Hackbright Academy

The program's structure is designed to build your skills from the ground up, starting with the fundamentals of programming and advancing to more complex concepts. I was amazed at how much I learned in such a short time - from Python programming, web development, and software engineering principles to data structures and algorithms.
From day one, I was immersed in a supportive, engaging, and challenging environment that was tailored to help women and non-binary individuals break into the tech industry.
What I cherish most from my time at Hackbright is the community I've become a part of. is the sense of solidarity, encouragement, and friendship among my peers.

As a recent graduate of Hackbright Academy, I can only describe my experience as amazing. I've been truly inspired by the staff, curriculum, and the community, all of which have played instrumental roles in my development as a professional software engineer.

Before joining Hackbright, the world of tech and coding seemed formidable, like a mountain too steep to climb. The thought of switching careers and learning an entirely new discipline was daunting, but with the outcomes and learning teams I feel heaps better than I would've if I was simply a CS graduate coming out of school. 


The career support from Outcomes was nothing short of phenomenal. They guided us on how to navigate the tech industry. They provided resources for job searching, resume building, interview preparation, and even salary negotiation. Even after graduation, the support continues, making me feel that Hackbright is commited to my long-term success.


I would also like to take a moment to appreciate the exceptional instructors (Jared & Drue). They were not only incredibly knowledgeable but were also patient, approachable, and genuinely invested in our learning. Their willingness to go the extra mile to ensure our understanding is something that I will always remember and appreciate. The one on ones with them were particularly useful and helpful as I decide what my next steps in tech may be. 

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. 
---
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. 

Amazing experience!  I've tried learning to code on my own with online tutorials and always got stuck.  It turns out pair programming-working with a partner on progressively harder problems was the key to accelerating my learning and keeping me motivated.  The instructors truly care and went above and beyond to answer questions.  It is difficult and ton of time, but if you are willing to put in the work this course can get you there.  

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.

From the application process, to being accepted, to graduating, I have absolutely no complaints or crticisms. Hackbright offers support in every dimension and the curriculum is geared towards success. I felt comfortable asking questions everyday, the staff was unbelievably open/accepting, and we worked with relevant technologies that prepared us immensely for any industry. Highly suggest for anyone that wants to jumpstart their career in software engineering!

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!

You can do impossible when you have passion and are supported by a great learning environment.

Hackbright helped me to make my dream come true.

After 12 years in Technical Recruiting and hiring hundreds of software engineers I decided to give myself a chance to become a software engineer myself. When I was looking for a software engineering bootcamp, I was super picky as I wanted to choose the best one and I ended up with Hackbright. They met all my requirements:

1. Curriculum.  - during the course, we covered most critical skills and tools required to be a software engineer, including version control, the Linux command line, relational databases, web frameworks, AJAX/JQuery, and front-end frameworks. We also covered broader essential software engineering topics like debugging, pair programming, code reviews, core computer science concepts (including runtime analysis, recursion, and advanced data structures, such as linked lists, graphs, and trees), and technical whiteboarding.

2. Practical skills - each student was working on her project. Each of us built her web-application from scratch. By doing that we went through each step of Product Life-Cycle Development - DB design, back-end, front-end, implementation, debugging, testing, UX-design. During the project time, our instructors used Agile software development approach - we had two sprints, MVP and daily scrums.

3. Learning environment - supportive, encouraging, motivational and has a lot of fun! Our instructors created an open and collaborative environment. Sometimes I didn't feel I am on a lecture; it was more like a team discussion. New topics were clearly explained and questions were patiently answered. 

4. Success stories -  I carefully reviewed the Hackbright job report. I was impressed by the program completion rate  ( 99%) and average time to land the first job after the program. Last two weeks of the program are focused on job search techniques and tools. Hackbright also gave us a great tool of how to live after Hackbright :) (sounds funny, but so relevant) - how to organize your daily routine to keep learning, practicing and job searching. For me, it took two months to land a software engineer job. 

It was challenging and fun, and a piece of my heart will always stay with this fantastic school.  I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is looking for a way to become a software engineer. 

Coming from an education background (HS science teacher) Hackbright Academy was an easy choice. When I was weighing my options for bootcamp programs, there were some I came across that threatened to kick student's out based on repeated low assessment scores. A concept that seemed very possible for me at the time. When I inquired about Hackbright's policy on low assessment scores, I was told that their approach was to initiate a conversation about what could be improved upon (whether that be more frequent advisor check-ins, modifying study habits, making better use of mentors, etc). Hackbright's student centered program made it the easy and right choice for me.

 I was so impressed with the quality of instruction throughout the course. My instructors were passionate, knowledgable, and open to feedback. Their patience for questions seemed never-ending. As for the greater Hackbright community, I was encouraged and supported throughout the 12 weeks and beyond. The career services Hackbright provides really prepared me to enter the post-Hackbright abyss, and I actually ended up landing a job through their internal job board. I would highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to transition to a career in Software Engineering.

Before I started Hackbright, I was skeptical. It seemed like a lot of money with no guarantee of successfully landing a job. However, I stuck with the program and graduated about three months ago. It paid off - I was hired as a software engineer several weeks ago!

For me, the most valuable aspect of Hackbright is the community. The staff, instructors, fellow students, mentors, and alumnae are incredible. The alum network is amazing, and the staff really does their best to support you. I loved everyone in my cohort and I know I've made friends for life! 

Pros:
The Curriculum: Python, Javascript, SQL, Git and a great selection of frameworks! There is also a good amount of interview prep and whiteboarding practice.
The Community: Instructors and mentors are amazing, the staff is supportive, fellow students and alumnae are incredible! 
Hackbright Connections: Companies love Hackbright! There are many events, study sessions, interview prep discounts, hack-a-thons, networking opportunities, and job opportunities that are exclusive to Hackbright Alum! 

Cons: 
Cost: It's expensive! However, there are some scholarships available: https://hackbrightacademy.com/blog/announcing-the-code-reddit-scholarship/
Pace: If you have prior coding experience, the pace of the program might feel slow. If you are brand new, it will feel fast and overwhelming. Also, Pair Programming is a huge part of Hackbright, so you will occasionally work with people who are not at the same skill level as you
Bay Area Only: If you want to work outside the Bay Area after Hackbright, you will greatly limit your network and job opportunities

General Expectations:
If you are considering attending a coding boot camp, you should:
1) Have enough money for the program, money for housing and food during the program, and money for housing and food for possibly up to 6+ months to a year after the program ends while you are searching for a job.
2) Genuinely LOVE to code - you should have 20+ hours coding experience before applying to the full-time program. You don't have to be an expert, but you need some experience. 
3) Realize that graduating from a boot camp is NOT a job guarantee - you will need to spend a lot of time and energy post-program networking, refining and developing skills to get a job. It could take up to a year! In my experience, the post-Hackbright work was more challenging than the program itself. 
4) Understand your first job probably will NOT be your dream job! I know several Hackbrighters that have ended up at companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google, but they were either accepted to an apprentice program, had prior experience, or they worked at other jobs first. The first job you get might not be at your dream company, but it will be a great experience! 
5) Know that there is a lot of competition for entry-level jobs and apprentice positions! Hackbright does post apprentice and junior level positions on the job portal, but there are a lot of people applying to jobs that require less than experience.
6) Accept that you will not have a social life for 3 months - Personally, I spent 40 hours a week at Hackbright, 1-3 hours doing homework and working on my project each night, and occasionally up to 10 hours every weekend working on assessments or your project.
7) Acknowledge that you will keep learning after Hackbright and continue to learn on the job. The learning never stops!

I honestly believe Hackbright is the best decision I've ever made - If you want to be a software engineer, GO TO HACKBRIGHT!

 

Attending Hackbright Academy was the best decision I have made (besides getting my dogs, of course). I had tried going back to university in Florida to pursue a degree in software engineering--I got through a year of taking classes part-time before becoming fed up with how little useful information I had learned and how long it had taken. I heard about Hackbright and was impressed with their curriculum, reviews, and graduate statistics, so I quit my job and moved across the country to attend.

While attending Hackbright, I was continuously blown away by the amount of practical information they were able to instill in us in such a short amount of time. The biggest learning tool for me was the individual project that each student creates. Developing a web application from scratch was an exciting way to go over the technologies and tools we had learned while also exploring new ones.

The education team and support staff are some of the most knowledgeable, genuinely helpful people I've ever met in an education environment. Everyone is super accessable and really seems to care about the success of each student. I was offered a software engineering position very quickly after graduation because Hackbright's curriculum really does make its students competitive in the job market, and they also spend a good amount of time preparing its students for the ever-daunting technical interviews. I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in a software engineering/web development career.

I came to Hackbright with some experience with coding and computer science. I had dabbled in many different programming languages and technical applications through working at a couple tech startups, online tutorials, and a CS class in college.

I was initially attracted to the curriculum. Bottom line, it’s legit! Hackbright teaches Python as the core language and Javascript second. Hackbright was the only program I found that focused on backend and full-stack web development which aligns with my career interests. I had already started learning Python and wanted to continue to master it. Another aspect of the curriculum that stood out as unique was that we covered more typical CS concepts such as data structures and algorithms that someone would learn as a CS major. I think this puts me on a more equal playing field with CS majors during interviews and on the job. We also covered a bunch of “need to knows” for the software engineering industry like:how the web works, version control, testing, React, and machine learning.

The other main factor in my decision was the schedule. I wanted to do a part-time program. From my past experiences, I knew that I learn best if there is time between classes to allow information to soak in before moving on to the next topic (especially if the topics build on each other!). Since I was in no rush to complete my program, this worked for me.

Although I was in the inaugural cohort in this 24-week format, I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly the program ran. The instructors were accommodating to our schedules with assessments, advising meetings, and additional office hours during project time (especially since all of us were working full-time).

It was a very collaborative and supportive learning environment among my classmates and instructors. Everyone there genuinely wants to see you succeed (throughout the program and beyond)! It was great to have an advisor who is aware of how things are going. There are also assessments twice a month to help solidify your understanding and identify gaps in knowledge. Hackbright takes feedback seriously. They have a survey after every lecture to let them know what worked and what didn’t. You also receive feedback on your assessments based on your understanding of concepts and your coding style.

After each lecture, there are lab exercises completed in pairs. What’s great is that you get to apply the concepts right away and are able to ask questions about things you thought you understood. Beyond checking your understanding of concepts, through pair programming I learned skills in technical communication, working with others, self-confidence, and was exposed to different problem-solving strategies and programming styles. I think these are all important skills for the workplace since you’ll likely be working as part of an engineering team.

During the second half of the program you build your own web app. Having a project that you can say, “I designed and built this whole thing” gave me a sense of accomplishment and allowed me to see firsthand how much I had learned over the six months. Plus, since I made every decision and wrote every line of code I now have a project in my portfolio that I can explain in depth to a future employer.

Overall, I loved my Hackbright experience. I definitely learned the skills to be a successful software engineer. I am proud to be part of a group of diverse, intelligent and driven female software engineers.

I have a non-traditional, non-traditional background, graduating with a CS degree and then deciding to go into a bootcamp, but I can honestly say that Hackbright has made the decision worth it. Hackbright gave me what my CS department at uni couldn't, a supportive and empowering network meant for my growth and post-graduation success.

In terms of content, Hackbright focuses on the prepping women to be full-stack engineers so you learn both backend and frontend concepts. It is a little more focused on the backend as the first half of the program is spent learning Python and databases with frontend Javascript lectures nearing the busy project weeks.

Lectures are packed with information and well laid out. Instructors are friendly, encouraging, and always open to questions. Instrcutors also hold plenty of office hours to answer any questions, programming related or not. They provide an enormous amount of technical and moral support. Hackbright also has field trips for their students and has plenty of opportunities to network with engineers in the field. They have designated "Career Coffee" lectures every week to help you with the not-so intuitive skills and resources needed to be successful during your job search post-bootcamp.

All in all, I felt like Hackbright had an incredibly wholesome approach to the "software engineering bootcamp" and I came out of the camp feeling well-prepared and ready to tackle the job search with an added bonus of an incredible group of like-minded and supportive friends.

I enrolled in Hackbright's full-stack bootcamp after completing their Python prep course. I had done some self-learning prior to that but the prep course gave me the confidence in their curriculum and their guidance to dive into a job transition that I had been hesitant about prior to that. A bootcamp is a big investment both financially and in terms of the time and energy required, but after testing the waters with Hackbright's prep course, I was completelly sold.

With Hackbright, I found that coding could be fun and done in a supportive, non-competitive environment where everyone was excited to share ideas and see one another succeed. I also felt confident enough in my newfound skills to start applying them at work almost as soon as we covered them in class (I was enrolled in the 24-week Part-Time Bootcamp, so I was employed full-time throughout), which meant I got to have some real-world experience of writing code and seeing it work in a job environment even before I graduated.

Some elements of the bootcamp did feel a bit awkward; for example the instructors were relatively junior, and not all had much direct experience either as instructors or working as professional software developers or engineers themselves. I think this was largely because of the challenge of finding instructors whose schedules could work around the odd hours of the Part-Time Bootcamp may have limited the pool of instructors who were available. That said, they were all lovely, personable people who were willing to go above and beyond to find the answers to questions if they didn't immediately know them, and I think the curriculum was sufficiently solidly constructed that the material we covered did not suffer overmuch. Another (possible) negative was that some of the job-hunting resources and events felt a little cookie-cutter and poorly timed. However, I think this was largely because they were still figuring out how to adjust the syllabus to make sense in the brand new 24-week format (e.g., our project demo night happened long before we were ready to start seriously networking or applying for anything). Regardless, I felt that the majority of the career-support resources, such as site visits, guest speakers, and whiteboarding with real live engineers in real live partner company offices were by far the most helpful aspects of the bootcamp, as they gave us the chance to interact with potential future colleagues and be treated as peers, which was tremendously confidence-boosting.

The place where Hackbright really shines, however, is in the community of women who surround it. Every single alumna we spoke to, every single current student we interacted with (across all courses and campuses), and every single instructor or admin at Hackbright (many of whom are alumnae themselves), was thoughtful, encouraging, and frankly, loving. I am not normally a very sentimental person, but the community of women at Hackbright is the perfect antidote to much of the negativity around tech and diversity initiatives that has been in the public dialogue lately. I feel inspired to give back as much as I have gotten, and hope to stay involved with the great work Hackbright is doing moving forward.

I won't beat around the bush--completing a bootcamp is HARD, especially if you have a life or a job outside of class that you can't step away from. But if you have the passion and the discipline to get yourself ready, ask for the help and resources you need, and to keep knocking away at it week after week, you will be amazed at how quickly you can learn and the awesome things you can build. There are many ways to learn coding, but there are not very many ways to connect yourself with an amazing community that can help you carry yourself forward at every stage of your engineering career. Hackbright is both!

I absolutely loved my time at Hackbright. It was a unique experience to be in a room full of inspiring women who enjoyed solving problems as much as I do. The instructors really cared about their students' success, and would consistently go the extra mile to make sure you mastered a concept. Above all - it was fun! I looked forward to coming to class everyday. 

The curriculum is good, but what's even better is the emphasis on grooming you for the work force as a software engineer. At Hackbright you learn things you never even thought about during your self study, such as testing and following style guides. Going into Hackbright, you vaguely understand the importance of good variable names and writing notes. After Hackbright you can't help but cringe when you see a function with a missing docstring. 

Another reason I would recommend Hackbright over many other bootcamps is because of their superb mentor matching program. Each student gets paired with two mentors. Each mentor has agreed to donate at least 1 hour/week of their time to the student, and must have person software engineering job experience. My mentors proved invaluable in solidifying some of the more abstract concepts. They also practiced whiteboarding with me, helped me plan my project, and offered suggestions and inspiration. Both of them kept working with me for months after Hackbright ended, which kept my moral high during the difficult job hunt period. Whether you decide to go with Hackbright or not, make sure you choose a program that offers this type of mentorship! A lot can be learned through diligent self-study, but there are so many items that are made 100x easier by having a good mentor.

Hackbright offers an incredibly supportive environment, and this doesn't stop after graduation. The career team schedules one-on-one meetings with each student, and encourage you to schedule as many meetings with them as you want. There definitely is a lot self-motivation needed to keep up with the work necessary to find a job after graduating, but they are there with you every step of the way. Hackbright also sets up various networking events to help the students meet the right people to get them jobs.

Hackbright gives enough foundation and exposure to concepts to teach its students how to continue their education. Even before you secure a job as one, you leave Hackbright a software engineer.

 

Prior to attending Hackbright, I had been at a co-ed (mainly male) coding program that lacked the education and career support I needed to succeed as a software engineer. I ended up choosing Hackbright because of the post-grad support and emphasis on balance. There is a technical mentor on staff twice a week, career staff available to help, study sessions every month to continue learning, an amazing alumnae, and many career events. The importance of balance in the program was huge, because I truly believe you cannot learn without some type of balance. We were often told not to stay up until the crack of dawn cramming CS topics. I found their way of teaching most effective for myself to solidify web development and computer science.

I did not realize until during the program, I would make long-lasting connections with my cohort mates and staff. I always had someone from the ed staff to turn to for technical issues and emotional support during this hard journey. I was able to go to my advisor for any questions or concerns related to curriculum, personal matters, imposter syndrome, and career advice. The career team was able to help us prepare during the program and after on the job hunt. The field trips we were able to attend really helped solidify what I was looking for in a company and what the industry was like by meeting many other engineers, particularly women in the industry. The mentorship program is not perfect, but I was lucky to have an amazing mentor that provided technical and emotional support. Overall, I would highly suggest Hackbright to someone looking to break into the industry who knows they need support during/after the program and balance/guidance. 

 

Hackbright surpassed my expectations in all aspects. The curriculum was well developed, giving us a solid understanding of Python, JavaScript, and CS fundamentals that can be built upon later after graduating and while studying for job interviews. We each built impressive projects that could be put on our resume and discussed during interviews, which definitely helps since we don't have prior software engineering work experience.

 

Hackbright took us on company visits, which helped to give us insights into what it would be like to work in tech and also helped expand our professional network. We were also matched with mentors who work in the tech industry to help us throughout and even after the program. 

 

Career support was more than I expected, more than I recieved in the two universities I had attended previously. Additionally, the alumni network is large, pretty spread out (not just restricted to the Bay Area), and super helpful. Every alum I have contacted to ask about job opportunities has been responsive, encouraging and supportive. I graduated Hackbright with a strong sense of what my next steps should be in terms of how to approach the job search and what projects/technologies to work on next. Thanks to the amazing career support, I was able to receive my first job offer less than a month after graduating.

 

At the beginning of the year, I decided to leave my decade-long career in Customer Support and attempt a transition to Software Engineering. I considered multiple bootcamps but ultimately settled on Hackbright Academy after the admissions interview.

The main thing that stood out to me in the admissions interview was that the questions focused on how I might support my cohort throughout the program. What I took from that conversation was that Hackbright uniquely cares for its students and aim to provide as many avenues of support as possible. That feeling was reinforced time and time again as I was going through the program. The instructors and extended faculty support their students every step of the way, positive affirmations written on post-its adorn the walls of the school, and if a student has a bad day, the whole cohort gets together to support them. In addition, a couple of weeks in, each student is matched with two volunteer mentors from the industry who dedicate an hour per week to offer advice and support.

The curriculum is very well-paced for students who have had a prior introduction to programming. More advanced students may find some of the material in the first five weeks to be a review; however, every lecture and exercise comes with additional material for further study which I found to be invaluable.

After the first five weeks, the cohort breaks apart into individual projects. Students pick their project with assistance and guidance from their advisor, then start development from scratch. Independent projects cover database design, to back-end server development, all the way through front-end design and deployment. The purpose is to reinforce the skills developed in the first five weeks through practical implementation. In the end, students demo their projects in front of a visiting panel of companies followed by an evening of networking.

Finally, the last two weeks are focused on career development. Cohorts visit tech companies in the area, practice interview skills and get guest lectures from hiring managers and alum.

Throughout the program, Hackbright staff asks for frequent feedback. Feedback forms are sent out after every lecture, the data from which is used to help tailor future lectures.

Upon completion of the program, the school continues to support students through the job search. Career development staff will check in with students to offer advice and assist with connecting to hiring managers. Instructors host bi-weekly study sessions for alum and can provide additional practice interviews.

Circling back on my personal experience, I found several companies from our project demo night reached out to me to offer interviews. After interviewing with several companies, I ultimately chose to accept a job offer from one of the companies who visited our demo night.

I honestly couldn't be happier with my choice to attend Hackbright Academy. Everyone from the instructors and career development team to the extended faculty genuinely cares for their students and are passionate to #changetheratio. My experience was a transformative one that couldn't possibly repay. I can't recommend the school enough to anyone looking to make a positive change in their life.

The most valuable resources you need making a major career switch is a strong network and support system. The community at Hackbright is unbelievable. I started school with a competitive mindset and just wanted to make a quick career switch and get sh-t done. At Hackbright, I learned how to build community and what it means to empower others, especially women. I felt more accepted than I ever had by a group of peers (besides my best friends from childhood). My incredible cohortmates inspired me daily, and the alumni network was very supportive in my job search. Hackbright also has an excellent mentorship program (2 mentors : 1 student ratio), and a network of industry partners that regularly host job fairs and whiteboarding sessions to help you shine in the job market.

I could easily write 20 pages about how much I loved Hackbright but I’ll try to keep this a little shorter than that. Just as a background, I might not be the traditional Hackbright student in that I came to Hackbright directly after getting my degree from UC Berkeley.

 

Overview:

The program starts off with two lectures and two labs per day. You give anonymous feedback after every lecture which they use to improve the course. Then there’s a few weeks to work on a final project and the last two weeks are career focused. You get an advising group where you and three other students have a specific advisor who helps guide you in your quest. Fridays are fun.

 

Instructors:

I have never seen such dedicated and caring instructors. All of the instructors went way out of their way to help me. On several occasions I had instructors send me a follow up email to something I had asked them about with more information and sources. During project season I got so much help and always felt so encouraged by them. They’d also do that thing that really great teachers do where you ask a question and then somehow they make it so that you figure out the answer yourself like I don't know how they do it but it's magical.

 

Career Services:

At first I was very overwhelmed by anything career related. I came in totally clueless when it came to that area. However, in the last two weeks (that were totally career focused) that changed. They set up guest speakers, workshops, field trips, taught us how to network with other people (so scary!) and more. I always felt like they were there to support me and help me with everything I needed help with whether it was with my resume or just a pep talk. Finding a job is a lot of hard work but they don’t just send you out into the wild. You can talk to career services at anytime after you graduate and they also send out weekly check in emails as well as emails that have all the future events, alumn talks, etc. I never would have imagined that I would successfully negotiate my salary offer over the phone (it was so scary!) but career services gave me the help and confidence I needed to do that.

 

Lastly, here are just some of my favorite parts of the program:

1) Turns out your brain actually functions better when you get a full night sleep (who would have guessed…). Hackbright’s mission is to make you learn a ton of stuff in a short period of time so they encouraged us to get a full night sleep and make an effort to take care of ourselves. It worked.

2) There was no competition. I felt like every student wanted to help each other and build each other up. It was so great to learn in an environment when nobody was trying to prove they were smarter than you (cough, uc berkeley)

3) I felt supported by students and staff. During the program I had two close family members pass away within a day of each other and Hackbright was such a comfortable and supportive environment that I was able to get through it. 

4) And for my favorite part of Hackbright: All the confidence I came out with.

I had very little, if any, confidence going into this program. I never would have imagined that going to Hackbright would change that. And unlike while I was at Berkeley, I was able to gain confidence without desperately trying to compare myself to other people. In just 3 months, Hackbright was able to build me up and give me confidence I never would have thought I could have.

 

Conclusion:

I went into this program thinking I’d learn how to code better and yeah I came out with all these sweet coding skills but I also came out with a huge support network, a good understanding of the industry and interview process, I learned how to talk to strangers, and I have more self confidence than I’ve had in my entire life. I’m now doing things I would have never imagined I could do before.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is willing to put in the effort and work hard.

       

I applied for engineering roles before Hackbright, but I rarely heard back from recruiters, and I couldn't succeed in on-site interviews.

Hackbright Academy gave me the skills, confidence, vocabulary, and connections to excel at interviews and land my first software engineering role!

The atmosphere at Hackbright was superb. I felt supported every step of the way—by the instructors, by career development, by my mentors, and most of all, by my cohort! Even the learning areas are fantastic, as they're not a row of desks but fluffy soft shaggy carpeting, floor seats, and generous couch seating, in addition to a row of tables and chairs. Support staff (i.e., stuffed animals) are spread throughout the room, and named adorably.

Hackbright gave me the opportunity to pair program with my colleagues, which not only reinforced the exercises, but it helped us learn to verbalize our ideas about the functions and algorithms we wrote. Hackbright also matched each of us with two mentors, who met with us weekly to reassure us, build our confidence, teach us, and help us practice to prepare for interviews.

Hackbright's alumnae network is invaluable for mentorship and for networking throughout my career, and probably the most valuable part of Hackbright.

After having worked in semi-technical field for a couple of years, I wanted to move my career forward and learn programming. I began with online javascript courses, and one fine day bumped into a Hackbright ad online! I was amazed with the #changetheratio mission, and the academy's purpose of empowering women via Tech education.

  I was new to Python, hence I joined the part-time program first, to get a feel of the culture and curriculum (and I wasn't disappointed at all!). From the takeaways that I got during part-time education, it was easier for me to decide that pursuing a full-time program at Hackbright was  the way to go forward. This was indeed one of the best decisions I've made for my career advancement.The teaching style of having theory and lab assignments together in each session helped me remember the concepts clearly. I was able to apply them practically in my take-home assignment as well as my project. The staff and lab instructors were quite knowledgeable, and provided answers to our queries, both in theory class as well as in the labs, with a smile!    Throughout the program, I got to interact with every fellow student from my cohort, and was inspired by how women across different backgrounds could motivate and help each other learn and grow! Because of the friendly and supportive environment, I felt encouraged to persist in an attempt to learn something totally new as Python programming, and ended up successfully building a web app and deploy it. Also, the field trips and various talks from the industry experts / volunteers (organized by the career team) helped gain more practical insights into the industry. I learnt a great deal of soft skills and networking skills which I was able to apply during my job search.    The Hackbright community also values your personal time, and ensures that you get a balance in between the intense nature of the program. The schedule and the program structure is very flexibly designed (with no compromise on the quality / content of the curriculum) and that helped me complete the program successfully, despite every day commute all the way from South bay.    Also, both the ed team and career team take your feedback very seriously, and you could see them constantly working on making their process better. Even after graduating, the team has been welcoming, and helpful with your queries. With Hackbright, I was exposed to a very open network of women willing to help you anytime. The 12-week immersive program at Hackbright was definitely an all-round personality development experience, than just a curriculum-driven educational program.

Like any bootcamp you will not leave as a Senior Software Engineer. But you will be a proficient Python/Javascript web developer. And have the tools you need to learn any programming technology.

The first five weeks you will learn Python, Javascript/jQuery, Flask web framework and Jinja (templating), HTML/CSS/Bootstrap, SQL/SQL Alchemy and other technologies you will need on the job.

The second five weeks you will work on your capstone project and present it on Demo Night, in front of prospective employers and other people. Here you will all about MVP (Minimum Viable Product), debugging, testing and researching APIs and other issues that come up when trying to meet a deadline.

The final two weeks are spent with the Career Development team. You actually work them every week thoughout the program, but the last two weeks you get them fulltime. You will go out and do white boarding and technical interviewing at tech companies in San Francisco. You will learn about networking, salary neogiation, interviewing skills and much more.

The 12-week fulltime program is expensive, tough, but rewarding. They have a great Alumae network that you can plug into and scheduled Alumni events (think networking). The women you go though the program with will be your friends/network for life. As one of the instructors said, "you will get your first job, but the women you graduate with will get up your next job."

Before I found Hackbright, I never considered being a software engineer. That option was never offered to me in high school or college, and by the time I decided to study it on my own, I immediately regretted not starting sooner and taking CS classes in college. Luckily, Hackbright quickly entered the scene and showed me that my chance wasn't over. By taking me on and feeding my desire to enter a technical field, Hackbright ignited a fire in me that I doubt will ever go out. I learned so much in my 12-week program, and I haven't stopped seeking out new things to learn since.

To give more specifics...

Things I found that Hackbright excelled in:

• Teaching a tech stack that is growing in the industry. In my current position, I use Python every day and I love it! Not to mention, Hackbright was the first to teach me how a computer works in the first place. :)
• Structuring our time together efficiently. Given the mountain of material we learned in 3 months, I was constantly impressed that I never felt overwhelmed. Lectures always contained the right level of depth into each subject, and the corresponding lab sessions were perfectly tuned to train us in the concepts we had just learned. The program leaders clearly listen to past cohorts (taking surveys after every lecture and checking in every week), and implement changes to the structure that greatly benefit the students.
• Kickstarting our professional network with a mentorship program. Each student was paired with 2-3 local working professionals in the industry. These mentors were volunteers, drawn to Hackbright's mentor program with desires to guide the next generation of engineers! I was given 3 completely awesome mentors who continued to help me well into my job search.
• Nurturing a safe, fun, encouraging environment. Weekly check-ins and evening socials provided time for both students and staff to relax and get to know one another. Unfriendly competition was never welcome in our cohort, as was evident by our frequent pair programming sessions and supportive demo-night practices. The bonds we created allowed us to flourish in our time there, and we frequently reconnect and remain a strong network of support.
• Providing tools and techniques to help with the job search. Weeks 11-12 were entirely devoted to career services, and I felt well-equipped for my job search. Most of the benefits I received came later, however. Hackbright offers discounts for its alumni to use a variety of study tools, and I took advantage of several that really made a difference in my job search. In particular, my cohort was given beta access to Interviewing.io, a platform that conducts technical phone interviews between anonymized participants. It was a fantastic opportunity to get interview practice in a low-stakes environment, and potentially make new contacts!

Things I think Hackbright could approach better:

• Project guidance. At the culmination of 10 weeks, each of us had built a coding project that was entirely her own, and Demo Night was a chance for us to show it to enthusiastic representitives from leading Bay Area tech companies. Planning for that project began around week 3, and each project idea had to be approved by one's appointed project advisor. However, I feel that the project I chose, while interesting and fun, didn't allow me to showcase all of the tools I learned at Hackbright. I didn't know this at week 3, but by week 10 I had a few regrets. I wish I had been advised to change my project concept a bit earlier on.
• Being a better representative to partner companies. At several points in my job search, I found a favorable job listing at a company that was in partnership with Hackbright. I sent a request to our Career Services for a formal introduction to the company (as is procedure), but each time, there was a holdup—either Hackbright had since lost their contact at the company, or Career Services advised me to approach the company myself. I felt unsupported and didn't end up getting any facetime with those companies.

After experiencing Hackbright, I was ready to face the industry with staff, company partners, and 600+ alumni at my disposal. But regardless of the resources I was given, I am still most grateful to Hackbright for taking a chance on me and nurturing my curiosity into the behemoth it is today. Now I know that I will never stop learning, and I never want to!

I've written a post on Hackbright's blog with more information on my experience and my current position as an engineer. If you have any questions for me, please reach out on LinkedIn—I'd love to help! Cheers, and good luck!

Coming from a nursing background, I had zero coding experience prior to attending Hackbright's prep course (and onto the fellowship). After talking to tech recruiters regarding what bootcamp to attend, they all unanimously pointed towards Hackbright.

There are 4 dinstinct qualities about Hackbright that make it stand out from the rest: the transparency, continuous passion for improvement, support system, and alumnae network.

Transparency - They held info sessions for prospective students, were timely with email exchanges, and are part of a 3rd party outcomes report. Just looking at the website, you know exactly what you're getting into, up to the day-to-day schedule of the program.

Continuous passion for improvement: During the prep and fellowship program, every lecture was paired with a feedback survey, as well as the TA writing notes in the back for potential powerpoint typos, areas of clarifications, etc. They also restructure the curriculum from time to time to keep up with the latest versions of programming languages / if a certain technology is starting to be prevalent in the job market.

Support system: When you're attending a lecture and look back, seeing all the other instructors/TAs literally attending the lecture WITH you, you know you are in the right place. What an amazing staff. I never once felt insecure about asking a question, and never once had no one available to ask the question to.

Alumnae network: Hackbright continously hosts events where alum and students connect with one another, as well as the career services team being more than happy to introduce you to previous graduates. It's by far the strongest community I've seen. We are all proud Hackbrighters, easily spotted in the city with our red jackets.

My only room of improvement would be the tech stack they teach. It's a carefully curated one, intended for pedagogical reasons. However, in terms of the job market and what's prevalent out there, it does not exactly align. But, this bootcamp above all else taught me HOW to learn new frameworks/languages in a short amount of time, which is absolutely the most important skill you can have going into the tech industry.

I began my coding journey by following along MIT's introduction to programming course and various Codecademy courses here and there. A few weeks later, I decided to check out Hackbright's fellowship application. It was a day before the deadline for the next cohort, so I stopped halfway through the application. I figured that there's no way I could complete the whole process in one day. Then I got a call from Victoria from Admissions, who encouraged me to submit my application since the deadline had moved back by 2 weeks. I got accepted within the month, and it's surreal how much my life has changed. 

I absolutely loved the program. A drawback I read online before was that an all-women bootcamp doesn't prepare you for a male-dominated workplace. I can say that that is untrue. The environment simply provided the women with a safe place to focus on learning. 

Pros (+):

- Energetic staff and knowledgeable instructors who revamp the curriculum based on feedback

- Study/life balance for student's ability to decide how to spend time after 6pm

- Exposure to full-stack webapp development. The individual projects are so each student can fully own her idea/execution

- Mentorship program is careful curated - I had three mentors: a frontend engineer at mid-sized startup, an engineer at a small VC, and a backend engineer at a large-sized company. They all used different languages and were available for support on project and whiteboarding. 

Cons (-): 

- Pace was slower than I would have liked, but in a way it forced me to absorb the information deeper

- Algorithm is taught mostly with whiteboarding, but I think it's important to instill the importance of logic & algorithms early on. I studied algorithms on my own time after class ended for the day.

Overall, I met really great people and found my job ( which I love ) within two weeks of graduating. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to change industries and needs a structured path. 

I had a positive experience at Hackbright Academy. Hackbright was a supportive and positive environment for me to learn how to code and prepare for the job search.

First of all, I was super impressed with the collaboration environment among the students. It did not feel like a competition where there is a sole "winner" of Hackbright. I feel like we ALL came out as winners at the end and we all helped each other in our own way, whether it was emotional support or help and ideas technically. I definitely got that "these are my people" feeling!

There was a lot of support and encouragement from the educational staff and career services team as well. The quality of my instructors was excellent as well as the TA's and lab instructor. The instructors were great about checking in with the students making sure we were understanding the material and encouraged us to ask questions. They were also very good about requesting feedback after each lecture. A school that takes feedback seriously is a good sign in my opinion!

Hackbright tries hard to set you up for success, already connecting each student with 3 mentors that work in the tech industry. All three of my mentors were helpful and involved. I still communicate and meet with them even though the fellowship is over. I have a much bigger network now than I did before Hackbright!

Career services were also strong. Very organized and thought out material. The last two weeks of the fellowship was career services focused, bringing in people from the industry to talk to us and give us a wealth of advice for the job search.

Of course, make sure to put in the hard work, time, and dedication to make the most of Hackbright! 

As you can tell from the ratings, I really enjoyed my time at Hackbright. I'm more of a list person, so let's make some lists.

Pros:

• Excellent structure. First five weeks: lecture in the morning, lab, lunch, lecture in the afternoon, lab. Homework. Weekend assessments. Weeks six through ten: lecture in the morning, work on your projects the rest of the time. Weeks eleven and twelve: lectures and guest speakers on career things (interviewing tips, negotiations, whiteboarding, field trips). It's a very professional setup and I felt well cared for. [Side note: I also felt like I probably could have learned all the things I learned at HB on my own, but it would have taken at least 4x longer and be much more frustrating, so that alone justifies the tuition for me.]
• Lots of feedback mechanisms in place. After every lecture / talk / event, there's a survey. And they take the survey results seriously and implement your feedback (if warranted). HB is not perfect, but they sure do work hard and constant improvement.
• The network. Besides the people who work at HB, you become a part of this amazingly supportive alumnae community. I was actually really afraid of being with the same classmates all the time and also with a lot of women who may want to socialize a lot, but the end result was that I could put in however much effort into socialization as I wanted. I didn't feel pressured to grab lunch or talk. And regardless of my lack of socialization investment, I still felt like one of the team. And it was a great team. I really miss my cohort. And HB. 
• The mentors. I had varying degrees of closeness with my mentors but they were all amaizing and oh-so helpful! So cool that HB has this in place to further support us.
• Career support. The career services team is resourceful, encouraging, and supportive. We updated our resumes, LinkedIn, wrote cover letters, ... we basically had everything in place to hit the ground running for the job search as soon as the program was over. I lucked out and landed a job with a partner company about a month after the program ended. I was prepared to allot myself 3 - 6 months for the job hunt, as that is a more reasonable / likely amount of time.

Cons:

• It's not cheap. Plus, you'll be doing it full time (plus!) so you won't be able to get a job. I feel really privileged to be able to take this leap, but I understand that not everyone can do it. Definitely consider your personal financial situation thoroughly before leaping.
• It's tough. The program is tough. Software development is not easy work. It requires attention to detail, problem solving skills, patience, teamwork. This is a double-edged sword because I was thinking back on my old job where I knew most of the things to know and was not very challenged and made decent money. I definitely could've stayed on that trajectory. But I love challenges, so I went to HB and I know now that I'll be challenged for the rest of my life. Know this before you choose this path. :)

If you have any questions about my experience, feel free to read my blog post on it and reach out to me with questions. Happy to answer them!

My instructors were excellent.  There were some issues with the mentor program and some support services for our cohort. Career assistance was slightly wonky for our cohort (the main outcomes person left but a couple of great ladies stepped into her role and are super helpful). Some of the course content is better than others but overall a good experience where you can learn a lot in a short period of time. 

As someone who already had a job in tech and knew a fair bit about some of the topics, it was still a fantastic learning experience. 

There's lots of material out there, but it's very hard to assemble it into a sequence that results in a fully-functioning app this fast. I was consistently impressed that each lab asked us to do something I had no idea how to do and at the end of the hour, I could do it. Making the project forced me to understand how it all worked together. On top of that, there was a lot of time practicing white-boarding and computer science concepts--things I didn't realize I needed before enrolling. I was truly blown away by the apps the women in my cohort built in such a short time. 

It's incredibly difficult to create a curriculum that supports and challenges students from so many different backgrounds and experience levels, let alone one that gets every student in a cohort across the finish line. I've done a fair number of courses and certifications (~seven) and I would unhesitatingly recommend this one as forcing me to learn more than I would have been able to get through on my own in twice the time. It's possible to get through exercises and memorizing flashcards on your own, but it takes a carefully scaffolded set of challenges with quick feedback to build ability.

Students of any bootcamp should expect to spend six months on average after the camp building skills and projects while they conduct a job search. Hackbright is no different. They force you to update your resume, linkedin, github, etc. and help link you up with companies open to hiring bootcamp grads, but there's still a lot to learn to get to the level of a software engineer. Hackbright gives you the schema and support to be successful in getting there. 

Working in healthcare and information technology I wasn't challenged and looking for a new career path. I have a very demanding job and personal schedule,  and 5 kids so you can imagine how busy my life is. I had been interested in learning more about technology, specifically coding and software engineering. I decided to take the leap and in March of 2021, I applied for the Hackbright Academy Prep Course. This was my way of knowing this was the right program for me. Being with other women made the experience fun, engaging, and not as intimidating as being in a male-dominated Bootcamp. After completing the HB Prep Course I knew I wanted to apply for the Part-Time Software Engineering program - I just didn't know how I was going to manage the next 6 months of work, class, and kids. Well - I am glad I took the leap with the support of my family and can proudly say I graduated on January 13, 2022. 

The program was 3 days a week, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 PM-9 PM and Saturday from 10 AM-6 PM. We had several Saturdays off and due to our program running during the holidays we had several weekdays off as well. Which was big for me. You are allowed 3 missed days - which is also great. 

How it went - Ups and downs, at times I felt like I wasn't sure this was the path for me but that's only because what we were learning was so new to me and I didn't understand it. But ASK QUESTIONS! Make sure if you decide to take this leap you are not afraid to ask for help, clarification, or more details so you get the most out of your learning. The instructors and TA's won't know how to support you if you never raise your hand for help. And lean on your cohort mates, you spend 3 days a week with them, get to know them, engage with them and you will find that they are more than willing to help you succeed than you think. I was able to build positive relationships with all of my cohort mates through pair programming, mock interviews, coding challenges, and queue. The network of people I have been able to build from this experience will be integral to my future success. 

Plus - Hackbright Academy is one of the only accredited Software Engineering Bootcamps out there.  

What do you have to lose? If you have been thinking about applying - DO IT! 

I came here hoping to find a quality educative experience which would get me set up for software engineering. I quit my decent paying job doing very repetitive html work to learn software engineering. I ignored my gut instincts of good sense to join this program lol.

A few pros:
- if you need any guidance to keep you on track with learning, it’s great to a have A program to help you with it. I know I needed a program.
- we got to meet a few select companies that were “interested” in hiring Hackbright grads. Few of us were competitively ready enough for even apprentice positions.
- people are nice

Cons:
- a lot of cash to pay for dull PowerPoint slides and a handful of checked assignments. I have adhd though so it was hard to sit still for 2-3 hour segments of slides without getting to practice hands on.
- the teachers did not seem to take it seriously enough, a lot of toxic positivity when i could sense the quality of material was not up to par.
- the frameworks used are not what will help you get in the door of most companies. They are not modern. They act like it’s not important to have to learn a specific library but to show that you are a good learner. We all know that that is not a plight every single person can use to squeeze by to get a job.
- overall they did not respect the fact that people quit their jobs to take this class, and they could barely get any of our graduates into companies. I think a few of us had to give up. We just simply were not taught in depth enough or the right things to get us into companies, which SHOULD be the ultimate goal to getting us back on our feet.

I felt slightly taken advantage of, knowing this is a for profit company and that it has stripped all of my savings and I had to take out a private loan (which are the most difficult) instead of any kind of educative loan.

Luckily enough, I had a connection from BEFORE the program who was able to get me into a job using a strong amount of skills I had before the program. 

This program isn’t competitive enough. the economy isn’t THAT desperate for entry level eager-to-learn newbie engineers expecting 80k+ comp. This program is just not it. If you’re reading this, move on!