Hackbright Academy is a software engineering school for gender equality founded in 2012 that offers online courses. The school offers a 12-week, immersive full-time software engineering program and a 26-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, pair programming, SQL/ORMS, 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.
Prospective applicants will need to fill out an online application detailing their interests and background, then complete an interview with the admissions team and a technical assessment. 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. Hackbright Academy offers deferred tuition, limited scholarships, and payment plans for qualified students.
If you look closely at their statistics of "90% employed", they are actually from 2014. I graduated from Hackbright in June 2016, and almost 4 months later, I would say about a quarter of my group of 43 is employed. So simply, those statistics don't apply anymore, and sadly that 'quarter' of our group would include internships, non-software tech roles (like support engineer), those who went back to their old jobs, and those who had years of experience in the indu...
If you look closely at their statistics of "90% employed", they are actually from 2014. I graduated from Hackbright in June 2016, and almost 4 months later, I would say about a quarter of my group of 43 is employed. So simply, those statistics don't apply anymore, and sadly that 'quarter' of our group would include internships, non-software tech roles (like support engineer), those who went back to their old jobs, and those who had years of experience in the industry already.
Hackbright sold out to Capella, and now the VP of education, the only truly experienced software engineer out of all the education staff, is leaving at the end of this year. All the TAs, Lab Instructors, and basically all the teachers are Hackbright graduates with no real world experience as software engineers. They only know what they've been taught at Hackbright, and when you need your questions answered, they will tell you your questions are outside of the current project or lecture. It seems a little silly to pay $16,500 for a program where the education staff can't answer your questions, which is the point of paying for more experienced mentors/teachers.
Another thing to note is that what Hackbright teaches are some of the easier languages/techs to learn. Python, Flask, jQuery, HTML, CSS, Bootstrap - these you can learn on your own with all of the free resources online.
Here are some resources for learning (there are dozens more, these are simply what I’ve used):
https://www.codecademy.com/
https://www.udacity.com/
https://teamtreehouse.com/
For learning about Computer Science Fundamentals, I recommend MIT OpenCourseWare (https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm), and 'Cracking the Coding Interview' (you can find it on Amazon). For MIT OCW, you can scan through their list of courses, but going through their intro and algorithms classes are all you need. 'Cracking the Coding Interview' will teach/review all the Computer Science Fundamentals, give you problems to practice on, and it has great interview advice. It is considered to be THE book for beginners and experienced engineers who are trying to get a software job.
Here are a couple websites where you can practice coding:
https://www.hackerrank.com/
https://www.interviewcake.com/
If you are studying on your own and you think going to Hackbright will get you a job, that is simply not true - or at least it is not anymore since they sold out to Capella. For my cohort, it will probably take more than 6 months for most to get jobs, if they can even find a job within tech that is remotely connected to software. And I mean that seriously. We are all out of a lot of money, most quit their jobs and/or moved to SF for this bootcamp, and now most of us can't find a job. Paying this much money for a bootcamp is a huge decision, and can be crippling for many if it doesn't payout. And sadly, Hackbright hasn't paid out for most of us.
Sharon Wienbar of Hackbright Academy
CEO
Oct 27, 2016
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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