LearningFuze

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.

NO PRIOR SKILL REQUIRED

I am currently 7 weeks into my course at LearningFuze, and I can tell you from experience, this course is extremely comprehensive, intense, and 100% possible for anyone with a drive to succeed. I had never coded before in my life prior to deciding I wanted to take a coding bootcamp course, and I have learned more in the last 7 weeks than I had ever thought possible. Once I started considering taking a bootcamp course, I spent every day worrying if I would have what it takes to succeed. Will I be quitting my job and joining a course I'm ultimately going to not be able to grasp the material in? I was terrified. Thankfully, I'm here to tell you from experience that you don't need to know anything about coding before you start. You don't need innate talent, photographic memory, or superhuman analytic skills. You only truly need one thing: commitment.

This course is not about talent, it's about drive. Are you willing to devote twelve hours a day to learning the material? Are you prepared to challenge yourself to find new things to learn on a daily basis? Do you see yourself being passionate about solving problems and creating new things through coding? If you can answer all these questions with yes, I've got great news for you: You have what it takes to succeed at LearningFuze.

This program is not designed to cater to people with prior knowledge or a certain type of thought process. Learning starts from the ground up, and you will be supported by a welcoming, attentive staff who are always there to help you work through issues. There's quite a bit of material to work through on a daily basis, but if you put in the recommended 12 hours a day, it feels extremely doable. Everybody here has a vested interest in helping you succeed, and I can tell you from experience that they will do whatever it takes to help you reach your goal of becoming a successful web developer. And you can do it! You just have to put in the hours. 

LearningFuze sets itself apart from other bootcamps by having a curriculum that it fine-tuned to help anybody reach success, and by having a staff that understands where you're coming from, largely proven by the fact that multiple staff members are prior graduates! It's a very welcoming, supportive learning environment, and I can't recommend it enough. If you see your future in web development, this is where you should be!

So a little about myself and my previous experience so you don't think this is some fake review. I graduated from CSUF with a BA in finance, did that for several years and felt like there was something missing with my career. Being unhappy with my current heading in life I reflected on things that I enjoyed doing but for whatever reason or another never pursued as a career choice.  I always had a knack for technology and still remember the first computer my uncle brought home in my wee childhood years. This in turn lead me to programming and taking introductory courses at a nearby community college to see if this was a path I wanted to go down. After taking the courses, I found that I really did enjoy building and creating things with code, but I felt like there was something missing with that traditional college type learning. After countless of hours researching the best way to achieve my goals of being a programmer, I somehow came across an advertisement for bootcamps. Feeling that this was a bit of a scam, I added more and more hours of research and reading reviews, to finally found the right programming bootcamp for me, LearningFuze. Pretty much after the info session and root course you could say the rest was a wrap. I signed up, completed the course and feel a million times better with my career changing life choice.

This bootcamp is not some easy 12 week stroll. You'll have moments where you'll feel lost, incompetent, and stressed. Have no fear, the team and your future classmates will have your back. They will come in as early as and stay as late as you do to help you understand the material and lessons being taught. But you, also have to put 100% and more effort in to this. Be prepared to fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and do it all over again the next day. This type of learning isn't for everyone, but I know my classmates and I have overall, better our lives going through this program.

I graduated twenty years ago with a computer science degree, I never made use of it as I was simply out-dated in my knowledge before I even finished school. I have been a graphic designer for the past twenty years and, was interested enough in getting back into coding that I started learning on my own online and by reading books.

I ended up deciding to go to an accelerated web development program because I knew I had gaps in my knowledge and, wanted that extra push as well as to work with people that wanted to learn as much as I did. I did my research before choosing a program, I went to meet ups at various locations, talked to current and in one case a person that had already finished the program before making my decision about going to LearningFuze.

The result has been to solidify my knowledge in areas I know I needed help in. You definitely not just learn to code but, you spend far more time coding and doing so productively that many things become second nature. You also learn how to code which is just as important. This includes learning to find answers, learning to figure out how to solve tough problems, learning to ask questions when necessary and, how to use developer tools properly.

More than this, you also learn to work with others as several projects are done in groups. We all code and think differently and, learning to work with others of varying skill levels, communicate effectively and, still put out something that you can be proud of is an experience all in its own. For our cohort, the first group projects also helped bring us closer and, got us started in talking with each other more. You will learn real world skills that are designed to simulate a real work environment so that when you do find a job, you have the knowledge to be productive immediately.

The part that is hard to describe is the amount of effort and dedication that you will need to have as you will get from the program what you put into it. It is a rewarding experience and, there are reasons you see nothing but rave reviews for LearningFuze. It may seem like a leap of faith but, it is one I wish I had taken far sooner.

Feel free to send me a message or ask any questions... https://www.linkedin.com/in/eriknuber/

After an intense 12 weeks, I am happy with my decision to enroll and complete the Learning Fuze Web Development Program. 
I had dabbled in computer programming on my own for many years, but this program was truly the difference between "kind of programmed" and "web developer." Some of the defining moments of the program were the "hackahtons" where students had 36 hours to complete a development challenge in assigned groups. The program has taught me how to be a developer in the kind of team environment one would be expected to perform in at a place of employment. Three months ago, I would have never believed that I would be an integral part in developing a web app with client side code written using the React Javascript framework and server side code written using NodeJS, mySQL, and php.