Learn to learn how to make anything, that's a tall order!  However, it's a great goal and Makers definitely meets that challenge with an agile approach.  The bootcamp was a hard journey that I value highly and I feel empowered to be able to make anything.

Sometimes it didn't feel straightforward how each particular lesson or exercise on the course fit into the big picture, however perhaps that's the nature of tackling as abstract and complex of a problem as learning to learn!  You learn it's best to fail quickly and often, that pair programming and talking out your logic is sometimes invaluable, and about a myriad of topics that nascent experience can only skim the surface of.  There are plenty of workshops offered as well as one-off workshops when a group of Makers all have similar needs.  Technical support in the form of coaches is available and helpful, but you're also learning to de-bug your problems yourself.

The end of the program was a little unsettling by the very nature of stopping an intensive 3 month structure and then preparing to apply for jobs.  The careers support side of the program has a strong emphasis on learning your own effective process for meeting the challenge.  The coaching available during this time is incredibly helpful and prepared me with confidence in an approach to job hunting that I'd never had before.  Additionally, the roles available to apply to, from companies recruiting through Makers directly, are high quality opportunities.

Community is also emphasised during the program, looking to bring people together in new ways, encouraging communication and relationship development.  Even though I was on the remote program, my cohort was extremely cohesive, supportive, and energising.  I can only imagine that the bootcamp in person is an elevated experience of what Makers manages to pull off remotely.

Well done to Makers Academy and their incredible staff!

Makers Academy takes you from zero knowledge of web development to being able to plan, create and host your own web apps using the most in-demand languages and technologies. Through the use of instructional seminars and regimented pair programming sessions - daily - you quickly learn whilst sharing your knowledge with the rest of your cohort and this only compounds the rate at which your skills develop. There are challenges at the end of each segment that showcase just how much you've learned, to yourself more so than anyone else. At the end of the course, I found myself employment ready. Making the most of the post-course support to build a competitive CV and hone the art of writing a cover letter, I found myself on the end of a job offer within a couple of months. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to make a career change!

The course teaches you how to work in the tech industry, but not just by teaching you to code. You are taught good conventions and practices and are supported on the journey very well, having a peer group to talk about how everyone was coping really helped. The only negative I took from the course was when it ended, I struggled to keep the structure that I had built, however, the coaches recognised this and gave me the support I needed.

Makers teaches you how to be a good software engineer no matter what language you use. This doesn't just include technical skills like object-oriented design, test-driven development and problem-solving. It also includes "soft" skills like emotional intelligence, working in a development team and managing your own wellbeing. Makers also instils a mindset of self-directed learning and development, which is important for developers who always want to keep progressing.

Makers was a great experience to not only learn to code and explore different tech stacks, but also to gain experience working as a developer in agile teams and through pair programming. It really teaches you a lot about test driving your programs and how to debug. Both internal and External code reviews are available so you can keep track on your progress. 
The thing that separates Makers from other bootcamps is the wellbeing aspect (meditation, yoga and workshops) and the career support after you graduate.

Pros: 
- A well-rounded overview of many aspects of coding you can't get from a solo course. 
- You make many websites in teams, and pick up the exact kind of workflow you need for a job.
- Great way to create a portfolio
- The coaches are very invested, pay attention to you, give great feedback. Ditto for the hiring team at the end of the course. 
- Good job support for those willing to engage with it. 

Cons: 
- The pace is very fast, so burnout risk is potentially high for coding newcomers. I would strongly recommend doing extra work online before applying, so that the transition to JavaScript doesn't come as a shock. I did a The Modern Javascript Bootcamp Course (2021) by Colt Steele and Stephen Grider and I think it made my life a lot easier. 
- Ruby is less popular than it used to be, so if you want more job options, be prepared to explore other languages or learn them on the job.

This has been a once in a lifetime experience and was not just about the code but more about understanding what you are writing in a meaningful way. The approach to emotional intelligence was also something new for me to take in and has now become the baseline for how I take on most challenges in my life (professional and personal). One of the draw backs in the beginning of the course is when you are stuck on a problem a coach will not simply give you the answer but rather try and point you in the right direction which was a bit of an adjustment in the early days as I have never experienced this way of teaching but ultimately this is much more meaning full. 

Makers was one of the most challenging things I did in my life, and so worth it. I went from being a waitress to a software developer in 10 months. 
I found a job at a company I really like and I am now on my first weeks of being a software developer. Looking back I would do it all over again. 

This course is intense but will prepare you for the real world of development. It changed the way i aproach problems, interact with people, etc.
The weekly challenges are amazing, great support from the coaches!
I may say this where the best 16 weeks that i had i  a long time.

Pros: While the entire bootcamp was completely remote, I had never felt isolated from day 1 because it's been a jam packed learning schedule right from the very beginning with a huge emphasis on pair programming and team work. The three months were undoubtedly intense and not for the uncommitted. While it wasn't uncommon to code 10-12 hours a day because you just want to learn as much as you can after the day ends,  the makers team encouraged students to make sure they take time to unwind and there are daily meditation sessions facilitated by the Chief Joy Officer, Dana. Personally I enjoyed the bootcamp for its ways of teaching us 'how to learn', rather than spoon-feeding us information or tutorials to follow. That meant at the end of it all, I am now confident I can pick up any new framework or language by referring to documentation and any resources out there. The technical coaches at Makers ensure this by being available to students at all times, however their method is always to guide you to find the solution yourself, rather than giving it straight to you. 7 weeks from graduation I have received two offers from non-Makers partners and will be starting my new career in a week. When the course ended there are ongoing support from the career coaches and partnerships team to help with job applications and if appropriate, being introduced to Makers' hiring partners.  Cons: As I wasn't based in London, the partners weren't right for me even if the opportunities were part-remote. I felt it was harder for me to find the right roles than others in my cohort due to my location in the midlands. However like any job, in the end I was able to find the right opportunity by persevering and speaking to quite a few companies. Ultimately I felt what Makers instilled in me prepared me well for the interviews.

The experience at Makers taught me a lot about not only how to code but also about myself. I developed lots of soft skills and made some great friendships as well as became good at coding. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to become a developer.

I highly recommend Makers! The course is focused on building tech skills, coding best practices, emotional intelligence, teamwork skills and independent learning and research skills which you can take forwards into your career. I was worried that the course only covered 2 languages compared to other courses which list loads, but I actually think that this has been hugely beneficial - I am really confident that I can apply the skills I learned on the course to learn and pick up a new language quickly. It hasn't been a problem when job hunting either.

Support from coaches is amazing and their post course careers support is also outstanding. I have really appreciated the code reviews with external professionals, swift feedback from coaches on weekend challenges, overnight feedback on job applications and the community both on the course and as an Alumni is superb. You need to be prepared to lead your own learning, work hard and reach out to the friendly and helpful coaches to get the most out of it, so if you're someone who prefers spoon feeding this probably isn't the course for you. Otherwise, go for it!