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Launch Academy is a full-time, 18-week program with a part-time, 8-week online phase and then a full-time, 10-week course in Boston, Massachusetts. After this immersive learning experience, aspiring software developers will be transformed into contributing members of the development community. The core curriculum is built on JavaScript, React, Ruby on Rails, HTML, and CSS. Students learn from building real products under the guidance of experienced software engineers. "Breakable toys" are at the core of the learning experience at Launch Academy. Students conceptualize products they always wanted to use and over the course of the program learn the technical skills they need to build and improve upon their "breakable toy". Launchers complete the program with a workable product they can present to companies at career day where they meet with hiring managers from tech companies all over the country.
Graduates receive lifetime access to post-grad support including regularly updated curriculum and career services. Launch Academy is looking for highly motivated and naturally curious students driven to create things that help other people.
I attended Launch Academy two years ago, so some of what you’re about to read may not be current. Proceed at your own caution.
I have mixed feelings about my experience there. On the one hand I did end up getting several job interviews, out of the deal so I consider them to have fulfilled their part of our bargain. On the other, I’m not completely convinced that anything in particular about the course helped me get to that point. ...
I attended Launch Academy two years ago, so some of what you’re about to read may not be current. Proceed at your own caution.
I have mixed feelings about my experience there. On the one hand I did end up getting several job interviews, out of the deal so I consider them to have fulfilled their part of our bargain. On the other, I’m not completely convinced that anything in particular about the course helped me get to that point.
Let me explain.
The employees at launch - at least the ones you will mainly interact with - are called ‘experience engineers’. The (large) majority of these people are Launch graduates, and recent graduates at that. It’s very possible that your ‘mentor’ will be a person who has quite literally been programming three months longer than you have. Out of the ones who have been there longer, precious few have any industry experience to speak of. As many here have mentioned, it’s not at all uncommon to be directed to Google upon presenting a problem. This is only after entering your question in on online queue and waiting (sometimes quite a while) to get one of the engineers to help you out. As absurd as it seems, they have set up a system where you can’t just ask a quick question of an experience engineer without being told to put it in the queue (even if the queue is empty).
Of course once you are able to get the attention of an ‘EE’, you are almost always underwhelmed by the help they are able to give. There were a couple who were very smart, capable problem solvers (people I would work with in the future without hesitation), but if they weren’t on duty then there was basically no point in even entering the queue. I hate to say it, but that old saw “those who can’t do, teach” seems depressingly apt here. The EEs are also responsible for development of the academy website, which is of dubious quality and speaks for itself.
At the end of the course all students who are able to accumulate the number of points deemed necessary to graduate, give 2 minute presentations of capstone projects to hiring partners on two nights. My cohort was fortunate in that we had a fair number of companies show up. We were unfortunate in that a number of them were not hiring junior developers (or at all). There are miniature ‘networking’ sessions throughout the evening, and on several occasions I worked my hardest at presenting a good front to a prospective employer only to be told afterward that they aren’t there looking to hire anyone. I’d like to point out the distinction here between not wanting to hire ‘me’ (which I was also told at various points in the evening) and not wanting to hire ‘anyone’. Again, I guess I can’t really complain since I’ve heard that Launch has been having a hard time getting any hiring partners to show up to more recent cohorts.
After the career nights, you may get some interview requests trickling in as companies that couldn’t attend go over the student projects and profiles. They don’t tell you this, but they rank students and give the rankings to the hiring partners. So when you’re told that companies flip through all the launcher profiles and choose the ones they like, I don’t think they’re being totally honest.
I hate that I have to do this, but I really feel like the political climate at Launch Academy in Boston needs to be known. It is extremely and unapologetically hard left, and if that’s your bag you will be like a fish in water and likely won’t notice anything amiss. Time will be made during coding lessons for political speeches. Political opinions will be inserted as fact into mentoring sessions. Not a big deal if you agree with the politics, but I can imagine it would get old to those who don’t. I graduated before the most recent election, and I can only guess it’s gotten much worse since then.
Unfortunately some of the identity politics of the more extreme end of the modern left have really taken hold of the culture there. There was an incident in my cohort where two young men were punished after being accused of harassment by a young woman. I wasn’t there for the incident, so I can’t comment on it, but I had had previous conversations with the woman in question where I came away with the impression that she was looking for a confrontation. Of course, if she really was harassed, her attitude doesn’t matter and they deserve (more than) what they got. However, the day after the incident, she proudly wore an “I bathe in male tears” shirt (that was clearly in violation of community guidelines, for what it’s worth), and I highly doubt it was a fresh purchase. I should say that the conversation I had with her included a third person who was the director of engineering of the school and a political fellow traveler (and extremely unpopular for separate reasons - mostly personality based). He was the one driving the ultimate investigation and punishment, and there wasn’t any reason to think he was in any way objective about it.
I may be emphasizing the above incident too much. One of the men was basically ‘suspended’ for a couple weeks, and the other ended up attending and graduating from the following cohort. I hope if they were perpetrators of violent assault that Launch Academy would have ended their association with them. The fact that they didn’t makes me think (hope?) there wasn’t much to the incident in the first place.
What I really want to make clear here is that if you are not a political progressive, be prepared to be the only one. If you can handle that, then don’t worry...but you should keep your views to yourself. And make sure to say “y’all” in place of “you guys”.
I’m getting tired of writing this review, so I’m going to finish up by saying Launch Academy is expensive. You can learn everything they teach on your own though numerous cheaper (and free) resources, so the real question is whether or not it’s going to lead to a job. All in all, I do think it’s one way of getting your foot in the door to start a new career. My advice would be to try to get some assurance that there will be companies actually attending the career days at the end of the cohort. They probably won’t give you any, but I don’t know what else to tell you. Without hiring partners interested in taking on junior developers (and there are less and less as the market is saturated with them), I can’t recommend you attend Launch Academy.
I went in to Launch Academy a little hesitant. I didn't think a short 18 weeks would give me enough time to learn what I needed to land a web developer role. Turns out I was pretty wrong.
The first few months of ignition totally helped me get over those fears. I learned at a very rapid pace, and I quickly understood that Launch Academy's style of teaching is very similar to how an actual developer job would be. I learned the basics of ruby, javascript, HTML, CSS, and principles ...
I went in to Launch Academy a little hesitant. I didn't think a short 18 weeks would give me enough time to learn what I needed to land a web developer role. Turns out I was pretty wrong.
The first few months of ignition totally helped me get over those fears. I learned at a very rapid pace, and I quickly understood that Launch Academy's style of teaching is very similar to how an actual developer job would be. I learned the basics of ruby, javascript, HTML, CSS, and principles of object oriented programming in the first 8 weeks. Those initial weeks really fostered a strong foundation for what I would need to know for the much more intense on campus portion. It is worth noting that ignition is tough, but some people were able to hold down part time jobs as they completed that experience. Ignition is also a great experience for total beginners, and it will provide a super strong foundation for what you'll need to know for the on campus experience.
The on campus experience is much, much tougher than ignition and quite different. I would say the on campus portion was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. If you are considering Launch Academy, just know that the amount of work is no joke - you may even wish to consider somewhere else if you aren't going to dedicate at least 60-70 hours of work per week for 10 weeks straight. With that said, the instructors were almost always available to assist in our learning experience even when they technically weren't on the clock. And my cohort was a fantastic group of people, so I really, really enjoyed going in to the space every single day. I didn't miss a single day.
When on campus, you'll learn a lot more practical skills, like moreso the relationships between the things you learned in ignition and various frameworks that people use to make working with those languages more streamlined. You'll also learn how databases work, specifically how information is stored in and access from them, and how they communicate with a Rails backend and React front end. You'll of course learn React.js, Ruby on Rails, and how you can build a full stack application by the final two weeks of your cohort.
If all of this sounds promising and realistic to you, I say go for it! Attending Launch Academy has been one of the greatest descisions I've ever made and would do it 1000 times over.
Just a few weeks after graduation, I am happy to have landed a role at a small company in Boston with good pay, good benefits, and a similar code stack to what I learned at Launch. I couldn't have done it without the amazing team at Launch Academy and my fellow launchers!
Special shoutouts to Dan, Nick, Pat, Cassie, Brianna, AmyLynn, Alex, and Corinne for making it all possible!!
I attended Launch Academy in the fall of 2019 and have nothing but good things to say. My cohort learned Ruby on Rails and React.js over a period of 18 weeks, with the first 8 being part time off campus and the final 10 being full time on campus. The mentors/teachers at Launch were all very dedicated to my success and were extremely capable at communicating complex ideas in an understandable manner.
Additionally, Launch Academy has two full time staff members who run their Caree...
I attended Launch Academy in the fall of 2019 and have nothing but good things to say. My cohort learned Ruby on Rails and React.js over a period of 18 weeks, with the first 8 being part time off campus and the final 10 being full time on campus. The mentors/teachers at Launch were all very dedicated to my success and were extremely capable at communicating complex ideas in an understandable manner.
Additionally, Launch Academy has two full time staff members who run their Career Services department and who work very hard to make sure you get a job post graduation. They work with you on interview prep, resume writing, cover letter writing, and even help facilitate some initial meetings with companies that are currently hiring junior developers.
Pros:
- Full support from staff throughout admissions, during the program itself, and post-graduation
- Informative staff with relevant industry experience and passion with many professional connections
- Small class size (~23 students)
- Budget friendly compared to a computer science degree
- Great location in the heart of Boston
- Positive atmosphere and safe space for all learning types
- Lots of support from alumni, including alumni n...
Pros:
- Full support from staff throughout admissions, during the program itself, and post-graduation
- Informative staff with relevant industry experience and passion with many professional connections
- Small class size (~23 students)
- Budget friendly compared to a computer science degree
- Great location in the heart of Boston
- Positive atmosphere and safe space for all learning types
- Lots of support from alumni, including alumni network events hosted on-campus
- Emphasis on best practices in the industry, including technical and "soft" skills
- Access to hiring partners and other professional help through Career Services
- Constantly updating the curriculum to reflect needed skills in the field
I looked at other boot camps and felt that Launch Academy had the most human-friendly approach. They have created a boot camp that teaches the technical and problem-solving skills needed in a high-demand industry, yet have pinpointed the importance of collaboration, teamwork, and taking care of yourself with concerns of mental and physical health. As someone who came from a non-technical background, it felt daunting to come into a completely new world with completely new people. The staff at Launch Academy welcomed all of us with open arms and embraced us as individuals, while tailoring guidance to ensure that we are successful. Some of us needed more time than others, more support than others, and the staff took no hesitation to ensure that we understood the material.
Cons:
- Intensive material in a short period of time
This is very important for anyone who's coming into a program like this: Boot camps like Launch Academy are designed to be short so there's A LOT of information being taught. This may be particularly difficult for students who are new to programming in general, unfamiliar with time management and/or their own work style, and those who are not serious about finding a job in the industry post-graduation. This is not a program meant for the casual learner, but for someone who's looking more for a career change. Due to the rigorous nature and short time, it's also important to note that asking for help is CRITICAL. (This part in general isn't a con about the program - More like a recommendation for those who are on the fence about programming boot camps.)
Hello!
I write this for you, the prospective tech bootcamp shopper, from my cushy reclining chair behind the desk of my sparkly new junior developer job. I can genuinely say that if I didn't sign up for Launch Academy, then I would not be sitting here writing this review, off-task from the awesome tech work that I was trained to do so very well at Launch Academy.
Before I touch on 3 reasons why Launch Academy is as awesome as it is, I'll say that for a while I tried to ...
Hello!
I write this for you, the prospective tech bootcamp shopper, from my cushy reclining chair behind the desk of my sparkly new junior developer job. I can genuinely say that if I didn't sign up for Launch Academy, then I would not be sitting here writing this review, off-task from the awesome tech work that I was trained to do so very well at Launch Academy.
Before I touch on 3 reasons why Launch Academy is as awesome as it is, I'll say that for a while I tried to get into tech, and it was difficult to do on my own! All in all, I needed structure and support that my 2-D MacBook Pro screen wasn't giving me.
In doing some reading, I read from some (only those that haven't done a bootcamp, mind you) that bootcamps aren't worth it because they are too expensive and you can do all the learning with online resources. Yes, it costs and yes you can theoretically learn everythiing you'd need online, but if you want a junior developer role in the next 6-8 months, doing a bootcamp will push you in ways that you could NEVERRRRR do on your own. It gives you ALL the material you need to go from beginner to junior developer and the inspiration, motivation, technical/social/emotional and all the above support you can't get from staring at a computer screen by yourself or even at a meetup a few times a week. That, I would say, is the most important part of choosing a bootcamp - the quality, passion and drive of the people around you. That's why Launch stands out to me.
Here are the 3 reasons why I HIGHLY recommend Launch if you want to be a junior developer in the next 6-8 months:
The Experience Engineers (or teachers or TAs, etc)
These individuals make the experience what it is and one you can't get anywhere else. These individuals live and breath the tech that they are teaching you. They are animated, hilarious, and supportive presenters and teachers that encourage any and all questions any time you have one. They will collaborate with you on ideas, help you with bug fixes, give you the WHYs behind your questions, and importantly help you develop your questions and your ability to become more and more self-reliant so that you can begin to answer them on your own. Go ahead and see: call them up, chat, or go to Launch and see for yourself!
The Other Bootcampers
Prior to Launch Academy I was searching for a job in tech because, with a bit of experience under my belt, I was seeing if I could get a job on my own. I remember having a conversation with a recruiter about bootcamps and he said that he saw many applicants coming from Launch, moreso than other bootcamps, that were younger and had more relevant backgrounds than he saw at other bootcamps. This was a positive indicator - this told me that I could learn more and I'd be around higher caliber students coming into Launch.
Demographics aside, the individuals at Launch all were motivated to do really well and aspire to grow every day. I was inspired to learn from and teach what I learned to others. Launch does a fantastic job at cultivating a culture of growth and support amongst its students and very quickly you form lasting bonds that go beyond the length of the program.
The Curriculum and Structure of the Day
The curriculum at Launch has been through many iterations over 5 years. It's a living thing that is constantly being updated and made better as newer technologies become more relevant in the job market. I can tell you that in the 1.5 months since I've graduated, signifcant parts to the curriculum have been amended or added (Redux, Jest, ... these may not mean much to you now but a quick search on Google will prove that they're important to know as a full stack developer). This is great for students: relevant skills = relevant job applicants!!!
It's also a really well done curriculum! Prior to the intensive, in-person period of the bootcamp, everyone goes througn 8 weeks of remote work that preps you with fundamentals so that you can come in (like a b****s) and learn higher level, frameworks and concepts. Everyone comes into the intensive at a similar level and with the ability to digest more advanced concepts.
Another great thing about the curriculum and the structure of the day-to-day at Launch is that if you're falling behind, you have the time and space to ask questions to your fellow students or to teachers to get help. Alternatively, if you're feeling confident, you can move ahead - there's always more work in the curriculum than you can actually finish so there's always room to do more and continuing challenging yourself if you're a rockstar!!
There are many, many great things that I haven't mentioned about Launch Academy:
• Working on your Breakable Toy (or capstone project) that you get to think up and design yourself, with support as needed from teachers and other students, and then go sprint for two weeks bringing it to life
• Getting tons of practice learning to pitch yourself to employers, which helps wildly with engaging others at networking events post graduation
• Extremely entertaining lectures filled with engaging content and sprinkled with humorous and relevant (I promise) memes
• Hanging out/celebrating on Fridays with your fellow cohort-mates and simultaneously dreading and anticipating the learning and material to come the following week
• The post-grad support and currriculum that helps keet you on track towards getting a job.This includes continued access to the curriclulum for life.
One last thing that was a real positive for me about Launch, and that should be a positive sign for you, is that they keep alumni engaged with the community. Many events and panels are held through your time as a student there that invite alumni that have JUST graduated or recently gotten hired. It's really encouraging and supportive to be able to ask individuals that were previously (like weeks to months prior) in your shoes, facing the same challenges as you. And it's a sign that people have been so moved by their experience at Launch that they want to continue coming back and continue giving to the community.
All in all, DO IT!!! If you want a job in tech, this is the fastest, most enjoyable way I know.
YOU GOT THIS!!!
Launch Academy was an excellent experience, and I highly recommend it for folks looking to enter the Web Development profession. Be aware that this is not something that you can do by halves. It requires your full attention and participation every day to really drill in the technical aspects of Web Development. While the laungages and frameworks learned are modern and well taught, I see it as more of a roadmap to future endeavours and it has given me the resources and direction to better i...
Launch Academy was an excellent experience, and I highly recommend it for folks looking to enter the Web Development profession. Be aware that this is not something that you can do by halves. It requires your full attention and participation every day to really drill in the technical aspects of Web Development. While the laungages and frameworks learned are modern and well taught, I see it as more of a roadmap to future endeavours and it has given me the resources and direction to better improve on existing skills and develop new ones without extensive assistance. There is a stellar alumni network, and good help from the career services team to help you prepare for the job search.
All the instructors at Launch Academy were fantastic! They were always incredibly helpful and never got frustrated no matter how much help we needed. The curriculum is well written and very modern. The career services department works very hard to make sure you get job placement after you graduate. I believe that the Ignition program they implement before coming on campus greatly sets them apart from other camps and will assist all newcomers in being able to digest such a large amount of i...
All the instructors at Launch Academy were fantastic! They were always incredibly helpful and never got frustrated no matter how much help we needed. The curriculum is well written and very modern. The career services department works very hard to make sure you get job placement after you graduate. I believe that the Ignition program they implement before coming on campus greatly sets them apart from other camps and will assist all newcomers in being able to digest such a large amount of information. A wonderful experience that I would recommend to anyone looking at a bootcamp!
I'm a graduate of Launch Academy's [LA] 5th and final Philadelphia cohort. During my time, LA was able to deliver a comprehensive plan to develop my foundational development knowledge. At first, you will be taken for a whirlwind of courses designed to instill a deeper responsibility of writing code; writing for other developers to understand your intentions. We are encouraged to practice DRY, test-driven programming in two languages. There is a context switch mid-course that will break any...
I'm a graduate of Launch Academy's [LA] 5th and final Philadelphia cohort. During my time, LA was able to deliver a comprehensive plan to develop my foundational development knowledge. At first, you will be taken for a whirlwind of courses designed to instill a deeper responsibility of writing code; writing for other developers to understand your intentions. We are encouraged to practice DRY, test-driven programming in two languages. There is a context switch mid-course that will break any syntax habits you may have which drives the point of understanding the reason behind the code and refrain from 'commanding' the CPU. *It is very important to have an obsession with technology, compulsive curiosity, and a growth mindset. you will not make it in the SWE world if you do not possess these 3 traits.*
This is a revised review, as initially, I had been less than happy with the job prospects given to me. By communicating my frustration with the LA team, I had begun to understand that there may have been internal issues, given the fact that LA Philly was an expansion. There may or may not have been internal strife, but the compassionate leaders Dan and Corinne have done their best to resolve any concerns that I had. I understand owning a business is not easy, but in my prior review, I had let my anger get the best of me. Working more closely with the LA team, I've been able to get further in my job search, and have been given two separate opportunities to begin my career as a direct result from LA.
In conclusion, you must understand that, as a junior developer, your entire career will be an unquenchable thirst for more knowledge of underlying technologies. Nobody will hold you accountable except for yourself. You have to strive to be the best version of yourself. LA promised me a career change, and while a little bumpy, they never broke their promise. I'm not going to discredit the invaluable knowledge that a CS degree provides, but for 15,000, I had doubled my earning potential in less than a year. That's one hell of a RoI.
Employed in-field | 96.7% |
Full-time employee | 73.3% |
Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | 23.3% |
Short-term contract, part-time, or freelance | 0.0% |
Started a new company or venture after graduation | 0.0% |
Not seeking in-field employment | 3.3% |
Employed out-of-field | 0.0% |
Continuing to higher education | 0.0% |
Not seeking a job for health, family, or personal reasons | 3.3% |
Still seeking job in-field | 0.0% |
Could not contact | 0.0% |
How much does Launch Academy cost?
Launch Academy costs around $17,500.
What courses does Launch Academy teach?
Launch Academy offers courses like Immersive Full Stack Software Engineering Program.
Where does Launch Academy have campuses?
Launch Academy has an in-person campus in Boston.
Is Launch Academy worth it?
The data says yes! In 2020, Launch Academy reported a 58% graduation rate, a median salary of $70,000, and 97% of Launch Academy alumni are employed. Launch Academy hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 54 Launch Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Launch Academy on Course Report - you should start there!
Is Launch Academy legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 54 Launch Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Launch Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.63 out of 5.
Does Launch Academy offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Launch 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 Launch Academy reviews?
You can read 54 reviews of Launch Academy on Course Report! Launch Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Launch Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.63 out of 5.
Is Launch Academy accredited?
Licensed by the State of Massachusetts.
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