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Hackbright Academy is a software engineering school for gender equality in San Francisco, Dallas, and Lehi founded in 2012. In addition to in-person classrooms in the US, Hackbright Academy also offers their courses online. The school offers a 12-week, immersive full-time software engineering program and a 43-week, part-time program, both of which cover the fundamentals of computer science and modern web development such as the command line, Python, JavaScript, HTML & CSS, Git, Flask, Django, pair programming, SQL/ORMS/NoSQL, and deployment. The part-time program covers the same content as the immersive program, but is designed for students who want to maintain their jobs. Hackbright also offers a 4-week part-time prep course, which teaches the foundations of programming; and a week-long immersive prep course.
Prospective applicants will need to fill out an online application detailing their interests and personality, then complete a coding challenge and two interviews. Hackbright's ideal candidate has a desire to learn software development and has prior exposure to programming.
Hackbright Academy provides students with mentorship, tech talks, and career services. After graduation, Hackbright Academy connects graduates with Silicon Valley companies looking to expand their engineering teams as alumnae work at companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Slack. Hackbright Academy offers deferred tuition, limited scholarships, and payment plans for qualified students.
I attended Hackbright Academy this summer, graduating in the fall. I really loved the experience!
I came into Hackbright with programming experience from being self-taught and building complex Flash applications for my job. I had written vanilla JavaScript for about two years prior to starting. I was lucky to come in with that experience, as it made the whole bootcamp process a lot easier. I had some applied experience to draw on and it made it easier to digest the material. I ha...
I attended Hackbright Academy this summer, graduating in the fall. I really loved the experience!
I came into Hackbright with programming experience from being self-taught and building complex Flash applications for my job. I had written vanilla JavaScript for about two years prior to starting. I was lucky to come in with that experience, as it made the whole bootcamp process a lot easier. I had some applied experience to draw on and it made it easier to digest the material. I had never done anything with the backend and had never done any web app development prior to starting the course. If you don't have any programming experience, I would suggest taking their prep course to get your feet wet or you will likely feel really underwater once the coursework gets going. Even if you have experience, keep practicing up until you start - you won't regret it!
There is no way I could have learned everything I did in 12 weeks on my own! It was great to fully immerse myself in programming instead of continuting to try and learn it on the side. The staff is incredibly knowledgable, helpful, and supportive. They will answer a question three different ways if it means you understand. No question is too simple and they foster an environment where everyone can be heard. It kind of feels like going to a really nerdy summer camp. I can't stress enough what a unique opportunity an all-female program offers. There are few great aspects of the program I can't envision working in a co-ed space. The best way to sum up the environment is, there is no winning at Hackbright. No one is crowned the best Hackbrighter. Everyone is learning their own way with their own goals and supporting one another on their path.
I like the way the course is structured. The first half you will be focusing on labs building up your foundational skills. The second half is called "Project Season" and you will be building an app from scratch. It is an incredibly exciting experience to see something complex come together. You learn so much in those four weeks! You get to pick and choose what web services you want to use, what libraries of tools to implement, and you get to see your idea come to life. In the end, I was able to build something even better than I could have imagined when I started. Start thinking of ideas now!
All of that said, there is still a lot to learn once the program is complete. The program doesn't have time to expand on some of the core computer science topics that you will need to know for interviews, so prepare to spend some more time studying once the course is over. That is true of any bootcamp - but just something that you should know up front! Hackbright will teach you how to learn a language, so ideally you can find a role even if you don't know the languages the company uses.
I am really happy with my decision to attend Hackbright. I was able to lock down a job about a month after graduation. That said, the job market has changed and there are a lot of bootcampers out there right now and only so many junior roles. I was lucky to have some programming job experience, which helped in my search. So be prepared financially for your job search to take 3-6 months. I would also recommend going to meetups (PyLadies has a lot of HB alum) and tech events to start networking as early as possible, don't wait until you have graduated. It is the best way to get your foot in the door after a bootcamp! I ended up getting my job thanks to a referral from a woman in my cohort! There is a great alumni network and most people are happy to help another Hackbright woman!
The main stack you learn is Python | Flask | JavaScript (they just switched to ES6) | PostgreSQL
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 t...
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.
How much does Hackbright Academy cost?
Hackbright Academy costs around $12,900. On the lower end, some Hackbright Academy courses like Hackbright Prep Course cost $249.
What courses does Hackbright Academy teach?
Hackbright Academy offers courses like Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program, Hackbright Prep Course, Part-Time (24-week) Software Engineering Program.
Where does Hackbright Academy have campuses?
Hackbright Academy has an in-person campus in San Francisco.
Is Hackbright Academy worth it?
Hackbright Academy hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 108 Hackbright Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Hackbright Academy on Course Report - you should start there!
Is Hackbright Academy legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 108 Hackbright Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Hackbright Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.51 out of 5.
Does Hackbright Academy offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Hackbright Academy offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.
Can I read Hackbright Academy reviews?
You can read 108 reviews of Hackbright Academy on Course Report! Hackbright Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Hackbright Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.51 out of 5.
Is Hackbright Academy accredited?
While bootcamps must be approved to operate, accreditation is relatively rare. Hackbright Academy doesn't yet share information about their accreditation status.
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