Shared Review

• LearningFuze

  One of the best decisions of my life. It is difficult, but there are resources available to help you embrace the struggle and succeed!

  - 7/31/2020

  

  John Nguyen • Graduate • Course: Full-Stack Web Development Bootcamp • Campus: Orange County • Verified via LinkedIn
  One of the best decisions of my life. It is difficult, but there are resources available to help you embrace the struggle and succeed!

  Overall Experience:

  Curriculum:

  Instructors:

  Job Assistance:
  About me: I didn't know anything about coding before the program.  Graduating from the program is the most difficult but also the most rewarding thing I have done in my life.  Starting taking online prep courses in January, took the LFZ Prep Courses in March, started the full-immersion program in April, and graduated in July.  I am currently polishing up my apps for my portfolio before starting the job search process, goal is to find a job by November.  

  
  

  Bottom Line: The LearningFuze full-immersion program is the best decision I have ever made, but also know that it's the hardest thing I have ever accomplished. The instructors and lessons are TOP-NOTCH, they are all incredibly well versed in the technology and love teaching it, and they will support you!  You get out exactly as much as you put in, but you also need to take the initiative to ask for support when you need it.  The career-guidance and job-search process is baked into the program, so although instruction is only for 3 months, the program truly doesn't end until you find a job.  Also, my cohort was the first full-remote cohort due to COVID-19, but being remote wasn't even an issue in learning.  I do have to admit that building camaraderie with my cohort mates was challenging since we are not around each other all the time (they do host online social events like saturday afternoon games, and our cohort hosted lunch time games each week), but it was nice not having a 40 mile daily commute, so there are pros and cons, but I feel like I was able to learn just as effectively as an in-person program.  

  
  

  Purpose of the review:  The LFZ website does a wonderful job of informing you what the full-immersion program is like and the topics you will be learning, so instead of going over what I learned as an engineer, I want to focus on what I learned about myself and my personal journey in the program.  Mental health is a determining factor of my success.  I actually wanted to repeat the first half of the program over because I was feeling overwhelming anxiety coming into the second half, and I am so glad that LFZ provided the support I needed to change my perspective, gain confidence, and really start to think and problem solve like an engineer.  

  
  

  In writing this review, I’m taking this opportunity to reflect on my experiences and want to put in a lot of through.  So fair warning, because it’s a long one (6 pages single spaced on Google Docs)!  I will be splitting this review into several parts: before, during, and after the program, with a short TLDR (Too Long, Didn’t Read summary) starting each section.  

  
  

  1.  Before joining the program

  TLDR: If I was going to  be serious about starting and succeeding in the program, I needed to prepare the next year of my life, mentally, physically, and financially, to learn how to code and find a job.  

  
  

  Before joining LearningFuze, I knew nothing about coding.  I graduated from UCI with a degree in the Humanities and did data entry for four years.  Loved the job but it lacked career advancement opportunities, so I was ready for a change.  At a new year's eve party, my friend who is an LFZ Alum and a full-time software engineer told me about the program.  To briefly summarize, he said it was the best decision of his life because his salary is allowing him to live comfortably.  But at the same time, getting through the program was one of the hardest things he has ever done, and if I am going to succeed in the program, I need to dedicate my entire life for the next year, mentally, physically, and financially, to learn how to code and find a job.  

  
  

  2.  Preparing for the program

  TLDR: I took some online courses at CodeAcademy and WatchAndCode before taking the LFZ Prep Courses.   I attended an info session with Cody, and his energy and love for teaching was just shining through.  When I learned that he was one of the full-time instructors, I knew I was making the right choice signing up with LFZ.  

  
  

  On my friend's advice, my first priority in preparing for the program was to get my finances squared away so I can just focus on learning the material.  The program demands roughly 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, of work and practice and I needed to minimize distraction.  My plan was to quit my job at the end of March while starting the prep courses in the beginning of March, and enter the full immersion program in April.  My free time was spent on CodeAcademy and WatchAndCode absorbing as much knowledge as I can to prepare for their technical assessment (which, at that time, was actually quite difficult!).  During that time, I went to an Info Session that was led by Cody.  I have to admit, I didn't research other programs because my friend spoke so highly of the program, but Cody really sold me on it.  During the info session, his love and energy for teaching and coding really came through.  When I learned that he is one of the full-time instructors for the first half of the program, I was 100% ready to sign up, and I am so glad I did!

  
  

  Looking back on my experience with the LFZ Prep Courses, in addition to being an intro to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, what I found most valuable was that it an introduction to the kind of workflow expected of the students during the full-immersion program, the kind of problem-solving mindset of an engineer, and learning how to use Git/GitHub, which made the first few weeks of the program a lot smoother in terms of being able to address any problems I encountered when learning how to use the technology.  

  
  

  3.  First Half of the Program

  TLDR: Get ready to embrace the struggle, but also know that your cohort members, TAs, and Instructors are there to help and support you each step of the way.  

  
  

  The full-immersion is split into two halves: Junior Side and Senior Side both with their own instructors.  The Junior Side is the super positive and the guidance to the lessons begins with a hold-your-hand-through-each-step mentality that slowly transitions you to becoming an independent coder.  I actually think the Junior Side is more difficult than the Senior side because I was still getting used to thinking like an engineer.  Don't get it twisted though, Senior Side is still difficult!  For me, learning about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and working with Git/GitHub is a brand new experience, while at the same time I was going through so much material everyday.  It seemed overwhelming and intimidating!  And I was struggling with the fact that there's so much information out there and I didn't know enough.  But that's part of the struggle.  Even as a graduate, there's still so much I don't know but the difference is, I am comfortable with not knowing everything, and because of that change in perspective, I am much more confident with my ability to code and build apps.  The program teaches you how to learn on your own by working on small exercises that build upon each other until it culminates into a larger project.  And then, the program allows you to build a project on your own or in groups.  And all along the way, I walked into a ton of brick walls, but by working through the problems, either on my own, or with one of my cohort members, or with a TA or instructor, I will get that ah-hah! moment, a light bulb turns on in my head.  What I thought was once impossible to solve or understand now just makes so much sense, and it's actually really exhilarating.  

  
  

  I also have to say that while the program is difficult, the instructors and TAs are always available.  I remember at the end of my first week, I asked to talk to one of the Instructors after instruction was over because I needed help on my mental game and with processing the feelings I was experiencing, because .  And we spoke for 30 minutes on a Friday evening and he gave me some much needed insight to help me not be so anxious.  

  
  

  4.  The Second Half of the Program: Part 1.

  TLDR: My anxiety got the best of me so I reached out for support, and they made a plan of action to get the support I need by the next day.  

  
  

  The second half of the program starts to simulate an actual working environment where you have one instructor (aka your project manager) that you will turn in your assignments (aka your projects).  The mood is more serious as you are expected to be an independent coder.  Senior side is when you begin to learn more about the back-end servers and database aspect of creating an app, so there are still lots of new concepts being given to you.  It was also at this point where I really started feeling anxious because I didn't feel like my foundation wasn’t as strong as I’d like it to be from the first half.   I also had a rough experience with one of my solo projects from the first half (I had to pivot my idea half-way through, so it wasn't as developed as I'd like it to be when I presented my work), so I was thinking about going back to the junior side, or even taking a break from the program so I can have more time to prepare for the senior side.  

  
  

  So I reached out to Monique who is in charge of the mental health services, letting her know what I was thinking and asked her if it is normal for other students to feel this way?  We met the next morning and she listened to what I had to say.  She reassured me that I was not alone in thinking this way, but at the same time she recognized the anxiety I was having and we came up with a game plan.  She was thinking of giving me a tutor for a couple sessions for two weeks the next day we met for half an hour, but before making any final plans she wanted to talk to my instructors from the first and second half of the program to see if they noticed any issues I had with learning the material.  Later that same day, we met again and after speaking to my instructors, they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with me.  I was completing the lessons on time and I even completed some lessons ahead of time.  So yes, it was definitely normal for me to feel this way but I was also being too hard on myself.  

  
  

  5.  The Second Half of the Program: Part 2.  

  TLDR: The tutoring sessions helped me change my perspective and build my confidence.  Coding is still difficult, but I'm finally noticing patterns in project development allowing me to solve problems and reach my goals faster.  

  
  

  My tutor asked me what I wanted to talk about during our sessions.  I told him that I wanted to understand the thought process of how to go about solving certain problems and challenges so I can be successful.  I also asked him to explain some of the higher order javascript functions because it just wasn't making any sense to me.  So, we spent some time going over it, and even when he got stumped trying to explain it in a way that I can understand (which was understandable.  Learning how to code is one thing, but explaining how it works requires a level of expertise!) he reached out to one of the main instructors who joined our zoom call and helped explain it as well!    

  
  

  One of the breakthroughs I've had during these tutoring sessions helped me change my perspective.  For one of our exercises, we were assigned practice problems and I was having trouble completing some of the more difficult ones.  I was looking at it as one big problem that looks so difficult, but he showed me that I just needed to break it down to smaller problems and solve them step by step.  When I was able to solve one of the harder ones on my own, it was like a light switch turned on in my head, and I thought, "oh, was that it??".  It was a small but very important change in perspective and it allowed me to start feeling more confident about myself.  

  
  

  Just like in the first half, in the second half we work on smaller exercises that build upon each other that will culminate in a bigger project.  And when working on these projects, I noticed a pattern emerging when it comes to project development, so I was becoming better at planning out my steps in meeting my goals.  It was really exciting and I finally felt confident on my own because I was knocking out features for my projects at a more natural pace.  I was also finding solutions to problems I was encountering more efficiently, and the rush I would get from these ah-hah moments came more often.  There are times when coding can still be a struggle and I find myself at my wits' end, but instead of feeling anxious about being stuck, I’m gaining the confidence that I will push through.  I even messaged the instructor telling him how much fun I was having finally getting into my own groove, and he says that as long as I’m willing to stick through the really difficult and challenging topics, and take this learning process with me after the program to learn new technology on my own, then the sky's the limit.  

  
  

  And this carried me through to the final project, and my group was really fun to work with.  It was very gratifying seeing all of my hard work pay off when developing our app, and working in a group environment solidified everything I learned.  Our group ran into some challenges during this process, but we leaned on each other’s strengths to carry us through.  One of my fondest memories was that I took it upon myself to work through an entire weekend so we can meet the deadline and I was knocking out features and bug fixes left and right, even though it was my birthday one of those days.  I told my team, “nah, I’d rather work on this and be proud of our finished product.  I can celebrate my birthday any time, but I only have so much time to work on this project before the program is over.”  And as a group, we were very proud of our final product.  I can confidently say that I am a full-stack web developer.  

  
  

  (I also want to mention that coming into the final project, I was very anxious and even lost sleep the day before the final project process began because I thought it would be a repeat of my solo-project before from the first half of the program.  But that just wasn’t the case here, I felt confident every step of the way.)

  
  

  The presentations though were another thing!  On graduation day, each group presented their final project, and I was thoroughly impressed by everybody’s presentations while also being proud of my group’s app.  My group members did a fantastic job presenting the parts they worked on, but I was nervous.  Public speaking is one of the areas I need to work on, so let’s just say I was sweating bullets during my five minutes of the presentation.  However, this gave me another goal to strive for: being able to comfortably explain the technology that powers my apps.  

  
  

  But finally, we graduated!  After my presentation was over, there was a wave of feeling that came over me, and I definitely felt a kind of way about my experiences.  The first thing I thought about was I couldn’t believe I was so close to taking a break from the program or to repeating the first half of the program again.  I’m so glad I reached out to Monique and she gave me the support I need to gently push me in the right direction.  Then, the sense of supreme accomplishment of completing the most difficult thing I have ever done.  It was better than any ah-hah moment, it was actually THE ah-hah moment and I was so proud of myself.  Before this year, I knew nothing about coding.  After spending three months preparing for this program, and spending another three months in the program, and a ginormous amount of hard work, I know how to develop a full-stack app and I have the skills necessary to learn new technology.  

  
  

  So I spent the rest of the day celebrating with my cohort members playing online games, and spent the evening with my friends finally celebrating my birthday.  I took the next day off, and then went straight into working on my portfolio, because the work isn’t done until I get a job!  

  
  

  Post-Grad: Portfolio and Career Services

  TLDR: The “real” part of the program starts post-grad with completing the portfolio and preparing for the job search.  Throughout the program there are webinars and online lectures to help you prepare for this part of the process, and mock interviews to help check where your skills currently are.  It’s one thing to learn how to code, it’s a completely different thing being able to explain how it works in an interview setting, and there are resources available to help with that.  

  
  Throughout the program there are webinars and “lunch and learn” lectures focused on topics like developing our professional presence with our resumes, setting up and creating an effective LinkedIn profile, networking, the job search and the interviewing process, and what it’s like to be a developer.  The career services are baked into the program and it is a source of valuable information that is presented to us in a very concise, succinct yet thorough manner.  And these webinars are available to us after the program.  

  
  

  As a graduate, the hardest part of the program begins.  I’m not working with an instructor or in a cohort environment any longer, so I need to set my own hours everyday and determine what I need to do each day to complete my portfolio and progress in the job search.  I am still in touch with some of the instructors who are in charge of reviewing portfolio requirements, so I am currently working to complete my portfolio.  Once my final portfolio is approved, I’ll be given the go-ahead to start the job search.

  
  

  At the same time, they also give mock interviews, and for someone who is really shy and very introverted, these mock interviews are incredibly valuable.  I have developed apps that I am very proud of, and just like in the presentations, these mock interviews show how much work I need to do still to be able to present my apps and talk about my experiences technically.  I still stutter and blank out on even the easy technical questions, and when the pressure really piles on, I break pretty easily.  The great thing is that these interviews are designed to do that so they can give focused feedback on what my strengths are and what I still need to work on and what my strategy should be.  Also, when I’m under pressure, I forget the basic interview strategies like ending with a strong closer.  So it’s good that I’m breaking now and learn from the experience, cuz I can only (hopefully) get better from here!  

  
  

  There is still a lot of work I need to do.  Still working on my portfolio, I just did an app demo with my previous employer earlier this week (with guidance from the Program Director and the main career services guy, TJ) and that was a learning experience.  I did better than I did in my first mock interview, but I still have a lot of room to improve on with speaking about the technology.  And I have my second mock interview scheduled with TJ next week and I’m preparing as much as I can.  It won't be a perfect interview on my part, but I want to keep improving and keep getting better.  

  
  

  Conclusion
  LearningFuze is an amazing program that provides you the material and support necessary to soak in a TON of information and use the technology in a very short amount of time, and to find a job.  But it’s a two way street, you will also need to put in everything you got to not just succeed, but to be proud of the work you put in and the apps you developed, and then even more work on top of that to be confident in explaining how your apps work and be successful in the job search.  I’m very happy with my experiences in LearningFuze, I’m ready to keep on embracing the struggle and work on the next part of my job search process, and highly recommend this program to everyone who is on the fence of joining a web-dev boot camp.  

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