LearningFuze

     Although I had always maintained a passion for computers since my earliest days, my career path had instead taken me on a winding road into the healthcare field as a Respiratory Therapist. At dinner one night a long time friend of mine named Scott, who knew of my technical passions and who also happened to teach web development at LearningFuze, asked if I would be curious in checking out the full immersion program because he thought I would really enjoy it. I decided to take him up on the offer, quit my job a week after the info session, and turned in my application for admission. It was the greatest decision I have ever made.

     Because web development was new for me I made sure to attend the root classes which were incredibly helpful. It is a great way to get a feel for what the program will be like, and for those who like me have little to no experience in programming they are a godsend for making the material digestible. They serve as an excellent primer for people new to coding, and because the root classes are included in the tuition it is a no brainer to attend them.

     I was warned many times by the staff prior to the full immersion start date that it would be difficult and require about 60 hours a week of hard dedicated work to succeed, and the warnings were fully justified. As someone who easily scored in the top levels of my college courses I thought I would once again be “the smart guy in the room” and I could slip in under those numbers, but i quickly learned that I was surrounded by people who were much smarter than me and that I would need to squeeze in every extra moment of work I could to keep up. It was a wonderfully humbling experience.

     While it is often said that it is people that make the difference in an educational environment, nowhere is that more true than at LearningFuze. From my initial meetings with Monique, Bill, and TJ during the application process to my interactions with the instructors Dan, Tim, Collette, Andy, Cody, and of course my friend Scott (who showed no favoritism and always made sure to keep me on task), I was surrounded by a team of dedicated, knowledgeable, and most importantly, helpful people who would do anything in their collective and individual power to help me and every other student succeed. I have never been in a work environment that I enjoyed visiting so much each day.

     The curriculum hit all the bases. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, React JS, Redux JS, PHP, Node Js, APIs, AWS, Github, whiteboards, technical assessments, scrums. You name it, we were submerged in it. I must admit that often during the cohort I suffered from a feeling of being behind, which was shared universally among the students because of the deluge of information that was laid before us. But, the reality is that in a few short months the team of instructors had taken a classroom of strangers and turned them into a group of dedicated programming teams. By the end of the program every student had served an integral role in the planning and hands on development of full fledged web applications from beginning to end, a feat of which I did not believe I was capable of only a few months ago.The system of education LearningFuze has cultivated over the last several years is not flawless but I as a long time college student I can say it is head and shoulders above the educational experiences I have had previously. In a field where the principal focus is on the practical application of programming ability, LearningFuze rightly keeps its educational focus on real world development. If you put the proper time in and listen to all the advice the staff offers during the cohort, you will learn to program.

     One of the unsung heroes of LearningFuze is their extensive employment assistance. There are lectures and exercises on resume building, technical portfolio creation (from start to finish along with in-depth feedback), mock interviews, field trips to tech companies with a track record of hiring LearningFuze graduates, and all the information a junior level programmer starting in a new and competitive field needs. I have been told that many people do not fully avail themselves of this aspect of the program, but in my opinion it is instrumental to success.

     I would be remiss if my glowing review up to this point of the full immersion invited the idea that all was peace and happiness during my time at LearningFuze. I have already mentioned that my status of “smart guy” was immediately and often called into question (by myself not others, the instructors were always supportive even when I asked the same question for the hundredth time), but you must be prepared to have days where you walk away feeling beat up by logic and concepts that can only seep into one’s mind after they marinated for a week or two. We were told on the first day of class by Dan the “Yoda of Programming” (a well earned title) that this class would be the hardest thing we ever did, and he was entirely correct. The “Valley of Despair” is a real place that must be faced by all programmers, but thankfully LearningFuze provides an environment which takes at least some of the sting away.

     Perhaps the greatest measure of a person’s feeling about a decision that they have made is whether or not they would make the decision again given what they know of the decisions outcome, and in that regard I can say that I would gladly do so. During my time at LearningFuze, I not only learned the intricacies of web development and what I was capable of doing when pressed, but I met friends that I know will last a lifetime, and I finally got a chance to follow a long held dream. If you are thinking of going to a bootcamp to learn programming and change your life like I did, make sure you keep LearningFuze on your shortlist of schools, you won’t regret it.

First and foremost, attending LearningFuze was the best decision I could have ever made for my career path. Coming from a non-technical background, I came into LFZ with limited knowledge on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, prior experience in tech is not required to jumpstart your career as a developer. There are pre courses that are provided to make sure you are up to speed in regards to the technologies at the start of the full-immersion course. Throughout the course, you will learn a whole lot and feel that you have the potential to become a professional developer with job-ready skills. 

The instructors at LFZ were extremely helpful in a way that they guide you to find solutions for yourself. During my time at LFZ, not only did I learn how to build websites and web applications, but I learned how to pay attention to important details in code, how to ask questions, and how to solve problems. The staff at LFZ have shown that they really care about the success of their students and will put out a helping hand every step of the way whenever needed. 

Ultimately, I have become a professional Software Developer without prior technical experience. You can't go wrong with picking LearningFuze!

I am a recent graduate of LearningFuze and couldn't be happier with my experience. Be prepared for long hours and hard work, but also a really good time. It's safe to say that it was one of the best learning and growing experiences of my life. And the best part is you come out on the other end with a valuable skill that will help get you a job!

I come from an administrative background and was bored with my career. I had dabled in a tiny bit of HTML and CSS, but basically no programing knowledge before I entered the program. After I graduated I spent four weeks building up my portfolio and after a week and a half of appplying for jobs, I had two offers. So a month and a half after graduating I am officially a web developer.

If you want to go to a boot camp, you won't find one in Orange County better than LFZ. The instructors and staff are amazing - big shout out to Dan and Scott who teach you solid fundamentals that will guide you through not only Javascript, but help you adapt to other programing languages. The entire staff cares about the students and helping them achieve their goals. Doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

Currently I'm midway through week 3 of this course so I thought I'd share my experience thus far.  

I have never learned so much in such a small time period.  As of today I am about 1 month past the first day I wrote a line of JavaScript.  The the comparison of both my knowledge and the actual code I wrote then versus now is tantamount to that of a 10 year old's soccer team vs a high school varsity team.   Still a long way away from someone in the world cup but I certainly have a firmer grasp of the rules.  

When interviewing for this bootcamp (as well as in the info sessions) they tell you that in order to be successful in this program, and as a developer in general you have to truly commit yourself to the process of learning and applying your newfound skills.  They said the commitment generally looks like 10-12 hours a day during the week and 2-4 on weekends.  They didn't lie.  We are typically introduced to a new topic every day and then do exercises to try to understand that topic.  Unless you are already an experienced coder, the official 8 hours of class time isn't going to be enough for you to really understand all the topics and how to implement them properly.  For a frame of reference: I am not the fastest person in the world at picking up these topics but I am also not the slowest. I am usually in class 12 -13 hours a day, 15 on Thursdays.  That certainly may not be required for everybody that goes through this program (and isn't the case for some of my classmates) but it is for me.  At least in order for me to not feel like I'm lost and falling behind. 

That being said, I am enjoying most of my day, everyday.  When I don't its just because I am getting frustrated with something I'm stuck on, but thats just the nature of programming, not this course. In fact, if the instructors weren't as good as they are I'd be having a way harder time.  Fortunately, the instructors are excellent.  They are always willing to help or find someone who can if they aren't sure and aren't an expert in that area.  Dan, the lead instructor is absolutely amazing at his job.  He presents everything in a manner easy enough to understand at whatever level you are at at any given time.  His metaphors and analogies to get people to understand things are borderline art and are the most useful I've ever heard, bar none.   If a particular comparison doesn't work for you he'll use a different one that may fit more in line with your personal life experience.  All Hail Dan, King of Comparisons.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you, this is definitely the second hardest thing I've done.  I once attempted to walk across the US and the tenacity required when you are on hour 11 of that day and nothing is clicking, is nearly at that level.  That being said,  If you like problem solving (especially surrounding logic) you'd love this course.    Learning on your own online is exponentially more difficult.  I can't count the number of times since I started here that I've asked a clarifying question that completely changed the way I look at some concept.  You just simply can't do that in an online course, at least not in such detail.

$12,000ish is approximately 1 shit-ton of money to me (and probably to most people) but the teaching and support from the staff as well as the help from the senior class has made the investment worth it thus far.  As long as you put in the time and effort, this program is very effective.

I came into LearningFuze with very little knowledge of HTML, CSS and programming in general. My previous experience has been in the financial industry as an operations director and manager but I was looking for a career change after leaving my former employer.

I went to an info night expecting to receive a sales pitch to enroll but that was not the case at all. I met Dan and could see his passion for coding, teaching and helping others learn. He was very direct in describing the program and commitment required so that anyone interested really needed to understand what they were in for and if it would be the right choice for them.  I decided to take the part time classes and see how it went before making a commitment to enter the full emersion 12-week classes. Understanding and learning these new topics did not come easy to me at first but I quickly realized this would be my new path.

I am now 8 weeks into the full emersion class and cannot believe how much I have learned already in just a few Months since that info session. All the instructors have been extremely helpful and have made sure I understand and learn the fundamental concepts behind any questions I ask of them. The hours are no joke while learning here, I have spent about 12 hours a day during the week and 6 hours a day on the weekends so far.  I have been provided with a ton of information, receive daily lectures and exercises to complete also videos from previous classes to help. With the skills I am learning I am confident I am being prepared to enter the workforce again and land a great job.

Besides programming skills, we are also being taught about what to expect in the workplace and how to prepare for it by working on groups projects, GitHub workflow, whiteboards, resume building, presentations, interview preparation and portfolio building just to name a few things. I am seeing previous graduates land jobs regularly. LearningFuze also hosts local tech company speakers and meetups periodically so if you enter the course be prepared to be very busy.

I see that success is ultimately based on how hard you work at this. This is not a normal High School or College learning experience so if that’s what you are used to expect a big change. This learning is more like what I have seen in my work experiences. Coding will challenge your logic skills and is not something you can conquer with memorization. I am very happy I made the choice to enroll at LearningFuze and can’t stress enough the support I receive daily from the school’s instructors and students alike. Despite the long hours I look forward every day to learning more and am having fun doing it. LearningFuze has exceeded any expectation I had.

I came into LearningFuze with NO prior coding experience. I was looking for a change of pace career wise, and a friend recommended coding to me. Throughout my first week it was very apparent how much the lead instructor, Dan, and the rest of the instructors (Andy, Tim, Collette, Scott and TJ) cared about the students and wanted to help as much as possible. The pacing of the program is intense, given the time frame and the curriculum is centered around JavaScript and concepts that companies are focused on now. Within weeks I was able to build my first app and progress from there.

Success is ultimately based on how hard you work. The amount of hours needed to code per day just to keep up is very high, but the basic and advanced topics are taught in a fast paced, yet thorough way. All the instructors make sure everyone understands the topic before they move on and if you need more time, any one of them are willing to sit down with you to go over it until it does.

I am currently enrolled as a student in the Full Immersion program at LearningFuze, and I can say without a doubt that this is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding programs available.  Prior to starting a 'bootcamp', I had very little knowledge of web development, and constantly struggled to learn the basics of web technologies and programming in general.  As I near completion of the program, I feel I have the skills and knowledge to enter the job market.  The program at LearningFuze will also help with job assistance - from resume to interview they will prepare you for a job as a developer.

The staff at LearningFuze is incredible.  Dan, the lead instructor, is extremely passionate about what he does and goes out of his way to make sure that each and every student thinks like a developer and is ready to tackle challenging problems in the workplace.  Andy, Tim and the rest of the staff are equally dedicated and will arrive early, or stay late to meet the individual needs of each student.

LearningFuze is not an easy program, but if you are dedicated, passionate and willing to work hard, the school and staff will make sure that you are prepared for your new career as a developer. 

Spending the last 3 months at LearningFuze has been a great experience! The staff's very real passion for helping people became evident as soon as I walked in the building. LearningFuze has created an environment where you can learn at your own pace, regardless of your prior experience/knowledge. 

Everyone from fellow students, to staff and guest speakers, have been very supportive and motivating throughout the course. I'm glad I came here and completed this challenging, but very rewarding program and i would highly recommend to anyone thinking of moving into the field!

Prior to starting at LearningFuze, I only had very basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through sites like Codecademy and Udemy. With the help of the awesome instructors at LearningFuze, I am now confident in my skills as a full-stack developer.

The best part about LearningFuze is their staff. The instructors are super helpful and very passionate about programming. They are always available to help you through whatever you're working on and will stay as late as you need them to. The career help after the program is also extremely helpful. I personally had no experience with the interviewing/job search process and Bill was there every step of the way to help me through it.

The program is extremely challenging and requires your complete dedication to it but at the end of it, you'll be glad you stuck with it.

Making the decision to attend LearningFuze was one that didn't come easy but looking back was definitely the right move. With so many different bootcamps out there, a wide variety of language stacks to choose from, and the different pricing models I had a lot to factor in. My decision to attend LearningFuze came down to a combination of 3 things; the extremely high level of knowledge from the instructors, the development stack, and finally the pace at which you learn. 

To say that LearningFuze has a quality of instructors that is second to none would be an understatement. After comparing the total experience of the LFZ team to other bootcamps in the area the decision seemed easy on paper, they simply had more experience than almost everyone else. But what really set LFZ apart in my process was the love of teaching that their team brings. To give you an idea of how invested the instructors are in each and every student there were times when we asked them to give us extra help in the morning, sometimes as early as 7am, and they were willing. Oh and of course I can't forget that they are available online into the wee hours of the night to help with anything that may come up outside of class time.

The development stack taught at LearningFuze dives into one of the most versatile languages out there, Javascript, while also introducing technologies such as; HTML, CSS, React, PHP, MySQL, Node, and Jquery. While this full-stack of technologies would be impossible to master in 3 months, LearningFuze did a great job of preparing me as a front-end developer with a strong understanding of how everything needs to connect to the back as well. With that being said I had many classmates that went the back-end route and also left with a strong grasp of the front-end technologies as well.

Finally the pace and expectations that LearningFuze laid out not only created a roadmap for success but also a work ethic that would translate to any technical environment. Not only were we in class 8 hours a day but in addition to that we spent at least 4 hours working outside of class to stay ahead of the curve. This pace put me in a position to not only be a web developer after 3 months, but more importantly someone that would be able to make an impact on any team from day 1.

My journey after LearningFuze has been atypical to most of the other developers. While I wanted to find a role that allowed for continued coding I was also interested in continuing to utilize my business development background. Since graduating I have actually come back to join LearningFuze as a Program Manager as we look to expand our course offerings to include Online Marketing and ReactJS in the evenings. I am fortunate to have not only found a school that gave me the tools to propel my career, but now an employer that I whole-heartedly believe offers an education that will allow anyone to make the career change they may have been thinking about.