Lighthouse Labs

As someone with very little coding experience going into this bootcamp, I don't think I got as much out of it as others. Most of the people who did well either had engineering backgrounds or spent quite a bit of time coding before starting the bootcamp. I'm not saying it's impossible to do well without that background, but it will probably be a bit of an uphill battle. Plus, there is A LOT to learn after bootcamp to get yourself ready for technical interviews. I don't understand why lighthouse can't just make the program a bit longer but actually teach us most of the stuff we need to know to get a decent job...

If you're not a fast learner and you have had very little exposure to coding, please rethink taking this bootcamp (or maybe any bootcamp). Get some more experience coding first. If you don't fit into the lighthouse educational model, you will be quickly left behind. Lighthouse actually makes you roll over into the next cohort if you don't pass the first two tests. And they don't tell you ahead of time that rolling over is a possibility or that there are tests. I found out for the first time on the first day of classes, and of course you never think that you will be one of those people.

You can get a lot out of Lighthouse if you have the right background. If all you've done to date is some codecademy courses, you need to rethink your decision to enroll. I learned a lot of awesome stuff and the TAs were great, but I probably wouldn't do it again to be honest. It's just not worth the time and money.

Light House Labs is a scam... In the 8 weeks they cover very little as far as material and what they do cover they race throgh. They are very rude and inconsiderate. Your treated as if your lucky to be there and its an honor for you to pay they money.. They staff are paid $35k/year and promise that after you graduate you will make hundreds of thousands... Its a royal joke! Be very careful!!!

May 16, 2013: Course Report Admin combined the following with a duplicative review titled "Not Satisfied! Beware!​"

I went through a rushed interview process that seemed staged. As if the company was making false barrieres to entry to seem exclusive... I didnt worry about it becuase I was drawn at the "opportunity" to get a good job in the tech sector after... I pay over $9k to take the course and they had as work off www.codeacademy.com most of the time. We learned very basic material when it was marketed as cutting edge. No employers take these guys serioustly... Shortcut ... To make things worse, next door there is code core where they get an extra month of teaching/mentorship for the same price. I got ripped off and lied to by the staff at light house labs. Be careful.
 

My overall Lighthouse Labs experience was awesome. Unlike most other reviewers here, I came to LHL with a programming background. At the beginning I wasn't too sure if LHL will be the right choice for me to update myself with the current web technologies. After I done my research for their alumni, talked to the head instructor, and saw the curriculum I was then convinced that this is the right place for me to update my web skills.

  The teaching approach they do at Lighthouse might be different from what I used to get from university. At LHL, we only have about an hour of lecture each day and focus on hands-on for the rest of the day. I actually really enjoyed this approach of learning as I got to get my hands dirty into programming and problem solving and not focus too much on spending hours of lectures.   Another unique features that LHL provide to students are the TA supports. We have about 50 TAs around for supports after lectures and until late at night. Having TAs around are really helpful especially when we need a guidance on problem solving and it also helps us to learn faster. The TAs also helped us with code review and make sure we write a maintainable code.   Aside from those above, each of us also got assigned a pod leader who will conduct a weekly technical interview and group code review. The technical interviews really help us tremendously especially we will be starting to look for jobs midway of the program. 

+ If one works hard, one shall be impressed with the projects one produces. Lighthouse does offer an environment for that.

+ One certainly is given an exposure to multiple prominent tools, frameworks etc. e.g. Sinatra, Rails and Node.

- Often the purpose or utility of the exercises / assignments was unclear; often, the assignments provided no useful knowledge / skills towards the projects; so many assignments feel of no use at the end.

+ There were some excellent TAs / assistants / mentors who helped to understand the problem and the solution.

- Sadly, they were all in the evening. The morning TA's mostly provided band-aid solutions or solved one problem only to introduce another.

+ Lighthouse encourages that relationships with it and one's cohort mates be maintained after graduation.

+ Lighthouse provides career services

- Those career services may be slow, especially on the Toronto side

May 16, 2013: Course Report Admin combined the following with a duplicative review titled "Prior exp. in design / prog. needed."

This course may be marketed to the general public but in reality the way in which Lighthouse operated requires a person to already have experience, not just familiarity, with either design or programming.

A backend developer can practise at being a full-stack, as can a front-end dev. or designer, by supplementing their existing skills in one area with the other.

If a person has no experience or only familiarity in either area then it is too difficult. It is, afterall, a bootcamp, so there is no gradual process. Often, there wasn't even a process.

It was a bit like being visually shown a parachute then being thrown out of a plane. A person has only so much time to learn to find the lever and learn to use it.

 

When I signed up for Lighthouse, I was looking for a way to get out of the career direction I was heading down and quickly acquire a new set of marketable skills. The program more than delivered on that front - I found my niche in web development, and I'm happier with my current job than I ever though I could be at work. The fantastic instructors are well supported by an increasingly impressive roster of TAs and mentors, and the curriculum seems to be consistently evolving.  Attending class every day in such a bustling entrepreneurial space (Launch Academy), with such talented and motivating people was really inspiring (and sometimes intimidating), but very beneficial when it came to pushing grads out into the workforce. It will still take a lot out of you to succeed in the bootcamp environment - hours are long, the flood of information is overwhelming and frustrations are high - but with dedication, focus, and at least a bit of a natural proclivity towards problem-solving, Lighthouse will give you the tools to get there.

Let's start with the instructors and TA's. They are working developers. They are there because they love the field of coding and development and want to help others learn and grow. Get to know your TA's, ask about their work and learn from their life experience.

The curriculum is great. It is carefully crafted to teach the principles of programming and give you a familiarity with the frameworks and tools that you'll be using in your day to day work. The days were long and the information and learning did not let up. Every day brought another nuance or layer to what you had already learned.

I was one of the fortunate ones who had a job offer before graduation. The career services is great. They help you craft your resume and get employers in to see your work and interview you. You graduate as a full-stack web developer and you will have a lot of on-the-job-learning ahead of you.

Web and Software development is a journey of continual learning. And Lighthouse Labs understands that and prepares you for it. It has the feel of a trade school apprenticeship, but it's much more.

I expected a lot going into this course, and I was not disappointed! Not only is the course amazing, but the community is amazing -- It is welcoming and active, and I quickly felt right at home. As an Alumni, they do a very good job of keeping me in the loop and in the community -- I still feel supported by all of the staff, teachers, and TAs.

The curriculum is challenging, and you should expect to be busy, but it is manageable.

The job support is great too, they organize events and interviews to connect students with employers. 

Overall, I feel they prepared me well for my current position as a developer. It was the best education decision I ever made.