iO Academy Reviews
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Marc GR
The best life changing experience
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For anyone with an interest in software design and programming, this is the course for you. I started the course with little experience, a keen interest in technology and the motivation to jump into something new.
From day 1, all the students were welcomed and fully supported in the journey to become software developers, from learning the basics of website creation through HTML & CSS, to writing complex Full-Stack applications using PHP & JavaScript frameworks and libraries. The course structure is fantastic, with one week of learning followed by one week of project work. It's a great way to learn the processes involved in software development and build a great portfolio to display your work. Towards the end of the course, we were given a crash course in the job application process, including CV writing help and interview prep, with support being given at every stage when applying for jobs.
I spent the majority of the course being taught by Charlie, who was engaging, knowledgable and would also go that extra mile to make sure the content was interesting and well understood. While the pace of learning is fast, the content is constantly reinforced so that by everything you learnt a week or two before becomes second nature. Over the duration of the course, I found great support in my fellow students and the fantastic team spirit we developed along the way enabled us to end up learning a lot from each other.
If you want to wake up every morning and be excited to learn something new, be surrounded by amazing people and create fantastic opportunities for yourself, Mayden Academy is for you!
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James T
Excellent
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I have finished the full stack course 2 days ago and it was excellent. I have never leant so much in such so quickly. Considering how technical and sometimes complicated the concepts involved are this is testament to how good the trainers are. They all know their stuff and have relevant professional experience and know how to explain it to anybody who will listen.
It felt like a big step and a big risk commiting to the course but now that it is over I do not regret it for a second. I am looking forward to moving into a job that would have been completely out of reach before I attended Mayden and with the help that they give you preparing and looking for work I am sure that it won't be long seeing as many of my classmates had a job offer before they had even finnished. I am looking for jobs in Cardiff which is outside of their usual sphere but the trainers are very knowledgable and able to help.
I cannot recomend this course enough. You will learn things every day that you would not even think to teach yourself and meet some great people along the way.
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Alex
A life-changing and heartwarming 16 weeks
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Being on the Mayden Academy bootcamp is like being welcomed into a new family. The trainers go out of their way to make themselves available for anything you might need, from technical questions about the work to any personal struggles along the way. They hunt job sites for you, give advice on CVs, put you in a room with potential employers, and all this while teaching you the skills you need to make it as an entry-level software developer with a solid foundation to build a career.
The course was life-changing and some of the best fun I've had in my life. I'd highly recommend it to anyone unreservedly who might be considering a change in their lives; there's no chance you'll regret it.
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James
James
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I applied to Mayden Academy because I was making a career change from Communications to development. I'd done some learning in my spare time but decided to kickstart my career change by taking a Bootcamp, specifically because even with the hardest work on my own, I couldn't get good first-hand experience of teamwork, or the benefit of teachers who have the knowledge to push me down the right paths and to build the confidence to make the leap into a new role.
The tutors are great - not only knowledgeable and skilled, but also good people who are good teachers with great ability to get across complex ideas.
The students in my cohort had a wide variety of skills - some people had a small amount of professional experience, some (like me) had done some amateur work and learning - and some had little to no prior experience. Everyone was able to contribute. The academy had obviously worked hard to build a good mix of people - we had a good gender mix, a variety of ethnic and nationality backgrounds which all enriched my experience there. This kind of atmosphere takes dedication and work to build and it's something the academy team have really done well.
The curriculum is really well honed to give you a set of skills that will get you a job - I was able to secure offers from 4 different companies after finishing the course - I put this down to the strength of the curriculum, combined with the CV help and tips on finding the right company from the course -
Fred
Exceptional
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Everything was absolutely brilliant. The quality of the teaching was fantastic, I felt completely supported and the environment was lovely with the academy situated in a beautiful building with a beautiful garden. The curriculum was really well designed to give us a sense of progress while building a solid foundation with which we could go in pretty much any direction, which they help you to do with all manner of help and advice in preparing CVs and playing the job market. Combining tuition with hands-on project work is one of the factors that made me decide on attending Mayden, and it proved really useful - not just for me, but each company I interviewed with were really pleased to see the things we'd created and to hear we'd been working with Scrum and getting experience of coding both individually and in teams.
Furthermore, I feel the Academy fostered a warm, welcoming, community spirit. I really enjoyed every single day of my course and I miss it enormously! -
Ross Anderson
Full stack developer training
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I really enjoyed attending the Mayden Academy, the small class sizes allow for plenty of trainer support, so nobody gets left behind.
The trainers Mike, Sam and Charlie even offer optional out of hours sessions to revisit any topics students may be struggling with.
Theory is backed up with plenty of hands on coding and mini projects.
During project weeks your group work collaboratively as a development team. This was my first experience of coding as part of a team and cannot be replicated learning to code on your own as I had done previously.
The Academy prepared me to achieve my goal of becoming a full stack software engineer.
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Audrey
A well-rounded introduction to development
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I joined Mayden Academy after ~9 months of self-teaching. The full-time and condensed workload was so much more efficient in terms of learning fullstack development. I would highly recommend Mayden for it's knowledgable and patient instructors, post-course job-hunting resources and for the wonderful friends you make along the way!!
If you're serious about moving into development, no matter where you're currently at in your programming skills, it will save you so much time and money to do a condensed bootcamp like Mayden and get into a job quicker!
I was hired at a local Bath software company before I even graduated as Mayden has many contacts in industry and Mike and the team are great at putting you in front of the right people.
If you're considering joining Mayden, just do it!
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Pete
Awesome place
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I had an awesome experience at Mayden Academy. The trainers are technically very good and have so much patience. They are brilliant at adapting their teaching methods to your needs - I've been to school, 6th form and univeristy and only worked-out my true "learning style" at the Academy.
Every student was a good egg and made it a lovely place to go every day. They continue to be very supportive after graduating.
If you are on the fence, go to Mayden Academy.
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Ariel Walker-Cochrane
Amazing experience- Life changing
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Deciding to do the full-stack track programme at Mayden Academy was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
This course was intensive, incredibly challenging and very comprehensive, everything I was looking for in a developer training course.
The teachers are really passionate and really patient which I appreciated, they had no problem going over things and explaining things multiple times.
The course was structured really well, with a good mix of theory and practical application. We worked in a scrum team and follow an agile methodology which mirrored the way software development teams work in industry as closely as possible.
Mayden Academy also engages with local industry to make sure that the curriculum they are teaching stays relevant and in keeping with what employers are looking for. This was really important to me as it meant that I knew what I was learning was valuable and useful.
I would recommend Mayden Academy and the full-stack track to anyone who is passionate about learning to code.
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Max Taylor
Great culture and a stimulating course
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I came to Mayden having worked in sales in marketing jobs for several years, and therefore was a complete beginner when it came to coding.
I really only have good things to say about my experience at Mayden, and would fully recommend it to anyone who is dedicated to becoming a developer.
The work is hard, and I probably found it harder than most others in the class. However, your teachers will fully support you and genuinely create an atmosphere where you feel no embarrassment in asking lots and lots of questions.
What you learn is of real value within the industry, which is great for getting work, and importantly with the right work ethic, you will start to really enjoy what you do.The culture is an added bonus too. The class sizes are small, so you get to know everyone well and there is a friendly atmosphere from day 1 (with Mario Kart in the lounge if things get too stressful).
I would recommend going along and having a chat with Mike or Charlie on an open day to get a feel for the place yourself. -
Daniel Hopton
Life changing
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Mayden Academy was what I wanted my university experience to be.
Before I joined the course, I was stuck in job hunting limbo. I'd learned some programming in my spare time, but the self taught nature meant that I didn't have everything employers wanted in a junior developer. It was there that I learned about Mayden and the Full Stack Track.
The course is suitable for anyone an inclination to learn. In our cohort, we had a wide range of prior experience, from those who had done some programming previously to those who hadn't done any. No matter what your previous ability was Mike and Charlie will teach you everything you need to know, and fill in any gaps in your knowledge. The small class sizes ensure that if you are having trouble with a concept, your trainer can give you the support you need to understand it.
The main two programming languages taught on the course are PHP and JavaScript, but you'll be taught other technologies and frameworks such as Node and React. You'll also learn progamming concepts that are used throughout the industry, as well as developer practices such as Agile and Git. These will help you no matter what languages or technologies you go on to work with after you graduate.
The employment support is fantastic as well. Towards the end of the course, you'll take part in a CV and interview workshop, to help you nail down what employers and recruiters are looking for. You'll also be invited to an event where you'll meet with the Academy's many hiring partners. Further support and guidance is offered after the course ends, so you aren't left hanging in the cold in the event you're initially unsuccessful.
If you're thinking of going to University as your first step into a career, seriously consider this course instead. The overall cost is much cheaper (there is interest-free finance available, which you needn't pay back until you start work), you'll learn much more industry relevant content and you'll meet and make friends with lovely people along the way.
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Imogen Hallett
A brilliant course, highly recommended
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I live in London and chose to temporarily relocate to Bath to enrol with Mayden Academy. I relocated because I felt that the Mayden curriculum was much more relevant than any other training provider I had researched.
Specifically, the Mayden curriculum covers PHP, Node and Javascript frameworks (such as React and Vue). As far as I am aware, no other intensive training provider covers this range of technologies (which are in high demand within industry).
The course itself was brilliant. Everything we covered was introduced from basic principals before more advanced concepts were introduced.
Further, the support offered whilst looking for work has been amazing.
Finally, I was delighted to meet and work with such a great group of people. Over the 16 weeks of the course we socialised and I made new friends.
It has been a great, well rounded experience. I highly recommend it.
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Rob Reeves
Lives up to the hype.
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A brilliant coding boot camp that gives you all the skills you need to become a software developer. Crucially, it focusses on replicating the professional environment as much as possible, this means 9-5 working days, sprint reviews and collaboration. Once you finish the course it's up to you what you want to do. Back end, front end or full-stack; It's your choice.
I could finish by saying that the course content has absolutely zero fat on it and is bang-on relevant but the real highlight for me has been the tuteledge from Mike and Charlie and just how much they care and the effort put into just about every aspect of the course. It is this that, for me, takes the course from being simply very good to absolutely great.
If you're looking for become a developer, I can't recommend this course enough.
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Karim Kefi
Great course
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The course has been designed to hire juniors, not just an education factory. It helped me get my first developer job!
Mayden Academy provides a good base of coding and most importantly the confidence to pick up new technologies.The practical weeks, working with a team and learning to code collaboratively was hugely beneficial. No other course that I could not find did this on the same scale as Mayden. Also the ancillary skills such as Agile, Git, Compilers, package mangers etc really meant we were learning the full bredth of programming.
I also really enjoyed the hiring partners evening that was organised and found this a really good networking opportunity.
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Ismael
A superb investment and a brilliant learning experience
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Mayden is a fantastic experience. Up to the minute content that I found was fully job-relevant. I had a stream of recruiters after me from the content on my CV, and when I started a job I found myself really well prepared, not just technically but also in terms of good practices, from git to coding standards to scrum. Left with a great community of graduates that still helps each other on Slack. Beside the great teaching and practice, there was brilliant mentoring and support with finding work - for everyone. Could not recommend more.
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Ruth
A really strong base of skills to launch your career from
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Such a great course, I really enjoyed my time learning at the academy with great trainers and lovely students. I developed valuable skills both technical and for working in a team. It has given me a really strong base of skills to launch from and an idea of how I could learn and develop more in the future.
It is a very well supported intensive course that will give you all the skills you need to go straight into a junior developer role. The trainers are encouraging, friendly and always willing to help you learn.
Really great trainers, appreciative of how to cater to different learning styles. Great at teaching structured content and practical exercises.
I really enjoyed the Node and Framework’s module because it contained so much content that was completely new to me and was exciting even if it was difficult.
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Ben Long
A fantastic fast track to a career
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Having left school at 18 and wanting to persue a career in software development, I knew university was not the best option. Mayden Academy has fast tracked my career and helped me get a job that I wouldn't have been able to get without a degree, 3 years faster and far cheaper than University could.
The most valuable things I learnt were, project estimations / planning, teamwork, many new technologies and above all the industry standard way of doing things.
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Matt Storey
ZCE Training
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Summary: I got a certification in PHP recognised globally.
Having little experience with PHP since I joined Mayden this has been extremely helpful in furthering my own knowledge in the language. The Zend Certified Engineer exam requires a lot of studying the nuances of PHP and is extremely daunting as it covers the entire language.
Thankfully the training made me more confident in developing PHP professionally as well as being prepared for the exam. Not only did I learn a lot, I also got a cerification that is recognised by industries globally.
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Ben Morris
A great way to explore php in depth.
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I joined Mayden as a software developer in september last year. It was a career change for me as I had just graduated with an MEng in structural engineering. I had good problem solving and analytical skills from, but little knowledge of PHP.
I joined the academy for one month while they were taking the PHP modules. I was very impressed with the course.
There was a really good blend of theory and practice. We would spend one week being taught course content from the front, followed by one week with a group project. We would alternate like this the whole time. To drive, you need theory but also practice on the road. This brings the same approach to programming.
The main instructor spoke clearly, and at a very good pace. He was patient and would put care answering questions thoroughly, often typing code snippets, which were projected onto the board.
I marked the curriculum as 5 stars because I found that when I started programming there are so many technologies which interact to put together a web application. HTTP, Apache, HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, Virtual Machines. When I was working here to start with I was learning PHP but I didn't know how it interacted with all the other techniologies. But the fact that the course is full stack really helped me to join the pieces together.
I also wanted to mention a couple of intangibles. The first is the quality of the other applicants. It seems they recruit on ability but also passion. This made the time spent relationally rewarding as well as technically helpful. I met some really interesting people from a variety of backgrounds who really enjoyed what they were doing.
A final thing that really stood out to me, was the support given to the academy by the company as a whole. Often we would have a guest speaker, which would be a current Mayden developer. But people would even stop by to help from other departments without being asked.
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Charlie
I got a job because of it
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If you want the quick review here it is: By attending the academy I now have a job as a software engineer.
I cannot recommend the academy enough- all learning styles are accomodated, the content is well thought out and the teaching was clear and efficient. I attempted to learn this stuff on my own before the academy and I felt like I was banging my head against a wall, not knowing where to start, what to learn and constantly getting stuck and having no one to ask. Attending the academy 9-5 Monday to Friday and treating my learning as a job really helped focus my mind, immerse myself in the topic and be part of a positive learning environment with others that had the same goal. It also stopped me being lured in by my Xbox at home when trying to teach myself!
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Rhymes Toasterface
A great foundation to build a career on
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Before joining Mayden, I had been an office administrator for around 20 years.
It wasn't fun. It wasn't well paid. Most of all, it was depressing.
I wanted a job career that I enjoyed - I wanted to be happy about getting out of bed and going to work in the morning.
Mayden offered the opportunity to achieve this - I didn't have the time left in my working life to study at OU. I didn't have the financial stability to drop out and go to Uni for 3 years. I needed a quicker solution. Enter Mike and the Mayden team...
The course was great. Tough, but great - the content is current and constantly evolving to be relevant and most of all, backed up by practical work - as Scrum teams on big, full stack projects for real World experience. Invaluable for a new portfolio of work!
It will be a long, tiring and mentally challenging four months, and you'll have to be prepared to put in the hours outside of the classroom, but it will be worth it.
Mike and the Mayden team have been as helpful as they can be in finding a job after graduating and in the other alumni from the course, I have a support network of people in the same situation, with the same experience.
Give it a try. You won't be disappointed...
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Ralph Rutter
An excellent opportunity to make a start in software
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As somebody with an academic background, but negligible experience with software, Mayden Academy was just what I needed.
The course provided me with the ability to write code in HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, and SQL in order to create interactive web applications. As well as these core technologies, we were taught many peripheral components of the development process, such as Git, making us far more than code-writing machines. This was done in an environment where questions were absolutely always welcomed, and answered thoughtfully; and if the answer wasn't known, then other's would be consulted until it was!
The learning took place in an active development environment, with the academy students forming an additional Scrum team. Doing it this way enabled us to prepare for what is ahead of us in our careers and to take examples from people who are doing it already.
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Alison
HTML & CSS workshop
I had a very basic knowledge of HTML and was keen to learn more. Mike, our trainer, was very patient and explained things clearly and when needed, was very patient.
There was a good mix of practical work and theory and I am keen to keep expanding my knowledge.
Thank you.