Makers Academy

I attended the Makers Academy Bootcamp from September to December 2019. Being in my 30s and having very little prior knowledge (a smattering of hobby coding from my teen years) I went into the course apprehensive that I wouldn't be able to keep up and end up left behind. How wrong I was! I learned a phenomenal amount in just 3 months!
The learning was approached from a bottom-up perspective with a heavy emphasis on learning the very basics of coding first and then using those basics to expand and extend the knowledge learned in a gradual and manageable way to complete more and more complex projects. In addition to the coding there was a heavy emphasis on emotional learning as well, through meditation, yoga and workshops on how to be a more well-rounded and emotionally healthy person in a tough, fast paced industry.
The only con I can think of from the whole experience was the hands-off approach to teaching. Don't get me wrong, the coaches were there to help and provide advice (and were fantastic), but the learning was not in the same vein as school or college wherein the teaching was more formalised and followed a strict curriculum. This was jarring and somewhat difficult to get used to, and at times rather frustrating, but in hindsight it was actually a positive. They gave me the tools to learn organically and on the go, which (after a month in my placement) is absolutely essential and I am definitely grateful for!

In short: the bootcamp was tough, oftentimes frustrating, but ultimately it was a fantastically valuable experience that has given me the knowledge and skills I needed to take my first steps into the Software Development industry!

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Makers is very much a self driven course. There are coaches available for classes and assistance, but most learning will be done with your peers using the Makers provided curriculum. If this suits your learning style, I would highly recommend the course. If you prefer structured learning, it might be a bit of a challenge but success is still definitely achievable. You'll get out only as much as you are prepared to commit! Be prepared to work 12 hours a day during the course, with weekend work as well. The course is intense and there's a lot to take in, but with the friendly staff and students I highly enjoyed my time and kind of wish I could do it all again!

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I started the 3 month Academy with absolutely no coding experience.

The course material is well laid out, and whilst daunting at first, the coaches are extremely supportive and  helpful. Putting emphasis on not only learning a coding language, but the principles and techniques on how to self study, assess and develop yourself. 

By the end of the 12 week Bootcamp, I had learned the fundamentals to 3 different languages and build web applications in each of them from scratch!

Being able to see the just how far I have come from the first week to the last in such a short a seemingly short space of time is an incredible feeling.
Makers has set me up with skills I can use for the rest of my life, and within a week of joining a team after the academy I am already working on active tickets and contributing to the team.

I would recommend Makers Academy to anyone looking to take the first, or next step in the coding career.

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I came into Makers having thought i knew a lot about coding and software development. However that was quickly put aside as makers also teach you other vital skills. Such as behavioral skills like pair programming and working as part of a software development team. Not only this but the emotional support that is available is good for when things got particularly stressful. Overall I would definitely recommend this course to people as they don't teach in the traditional teaching ways. They teach you how to teach your self. For example they will give you a topic and give you some resources and some activities to complete but you spend your time learning how you want to learn. They put on work shops etc to help but also give you a lot of time for you to do your own self led learning.  However being a boot camp that is specific for those with no coding experience, having already had experience the first few weeks seemed rather redundant to me. 

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A really great bootcamp, I learnt so much in 12 weeks. Everything from fundamental concepts and multiple languages to Agile processes and effective pairing techniques. All valuable skills in the workplace. The bootcamp has given me so much confidence in my decision to change career. The coaches are very approachable and always on hand should you need them. Mental health and wellbeing are also taken seriously. It's an intense 12 weeks but well worth it. You'll get out of it what you put in. Would definitely recommend.

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I've just completed the 12 week boot-camp with Makers and had a fantastic learning experience. Their style of coaching is so engaging and the tasks set were well matched to what we needed to learn. It was great to look back and realize just how much I'd learnt in those 12 weeks. The course also covered some non-coding skills like teamwork , and agile processes which was so helpful when moving into placement.
Overall has a great time, with the help of some super coaches. Didn't want it to end!

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I have just finished 3 months Coding Bootcamp with Makers. To start with I was a total beginner. After 12 weeks of intensive learning, pairing, doing challenges, projects. Yes, we had 3 projects! I feel like I have attained the tools and skills to start confidently in my role as Junior Software Developer.

Pros “+”:

— Professional coaches. Throughout the course you get to work with few coaches, and all of them have been knowledgeable and very supportive. They also will never give you the direct answer, bu help you to understand and find answer for yourself;

  — well designed course work;

  — Emotional Support. As part of course you are taught skills to manage your well-being. You learn how to meditate, how to be empathetic , how to look after yourself etc. You can do yoga too! You also can have one2one session with support coach. Take advantage of these, the coaches are amazing and really help me to get through the course, as it was quite challenging for me in all respects. And and emotional support coach was a real bonus!

—  Support after you finish!

Cons “-“ :

— some materials require update, but I think makers are working on this.

Overall, I would recommend Makers to who ever  wants to change their life and have a brilliant start in their Software Developer Career!

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The 3 month course has been really great for my career as i have furthered my coding skills significantly. The work was engaging and interesting and most importantly it was rewarding. The work is intense but gives you very good skills in how to learn by yourself and to futureproof yourself for future learning 

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Yes, I learnt to code in 3 very intensive months (be prepared for all your relationships to take a backseat!). Yes, I got a job within two weeks of graduating from Makers. But really, that doesn't even compare to what really sets Makers apart from other bootcamps - and that's their focus on emotional intelligence, self-care and diversity. I have a few examples...

1. I was meant to start at Makers in February and got struck down by a serious and chronic health condition that took me out of action for 6 months. They allowed me to keep delaying the start of my course every month, were always available for me to talk through any concerns or questions I had. When I started, they were fully supportive to provide me with what I needed to be able to manage my health whilst at the course.
2. On my first day, I had a few experiences (as a woman, and of South Asian descent) which made me feel uncomfortable. Although Makers and the rest of the tech industry have a long way to go when it comes to diversity, I was able to voice my concerns to a member of staff who then heard these concerns and took action to change the course of it. That made me feel really supported.
3. We have yoga twice a week and daily meditation! Seriously going to miss that...

In terms of 'cons', I would say that the quality of coaching could have been better at times, and it did sometimes feel that they had not been trained thoroughly or had that much experience in teaching. I would also say that some of the course material really felt like it hadn't been updated in years. Also, it would have been nice to have some more time on Javascript - we talked a lot about asynchronicity but I didn't get to really put it into practice until we decided to do a Javascript stack on our final project. However, there is flexibility from week 10 onwards to do more Javascript if you prefer.

In saying that, I don't think any course can be perfect but Makers did feel like it gets the balance right and their pedagogy is effective, and they got me a job (I still can't believe I just got a job as a Software Engineer so quickly!). A shout out to the careers team for their support too!

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I've just graduated from Makers Academy and got hired within 2 weeks. I still can't believe that after barely knowing any coding 4 months ago I became someone who can build professional apps in different languages, solve complex technical problems, quickly learn new programming languages or technologies. And become hireable as a full-stack software developer. 

If you want to become a software engineer in a short period of time, it's the best option. Makers teach you not just how to code, but how to learn anything, how to be organised and strategic about your learning, how to push yourself and persevere. They create this intense learning environment where you are constantly pushed out of your comfort zone, so you have to work much harder than you would on your own. It's tough but very effective. 

To alleviate stress and emotional pressure (imposter syndrome, overwhelm, mental fatigue), Makers create a supportive environment & help to deal with those issues. There are workshops on empathy & emotional intelligence, daily meditations, yoga, social event. You can't underestimate the importance of such support.

Another important aspect of becoming a successful software engineer is the ability to work with others. To be a part of a team, to work in pairs, to provide and received feedback. All that was an important part of the curriculum. We had daily pairing sessions in the first part of the course, followed by team projects. We learned and practiced agile, had standups, retros, brainstorming sessions, code reviews. All that can't be learned on your own.

And in the end, it was so much fun! I've met great people and enjoyed the process. I feel a bit sad that it's over, but I've excited about the next chapter. Working as a software engineer, being a coder and the Maker.

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I really enjoyed my time at makers, learned a lot and made a lot of good memories. It was extremely effective in teaching a lot of material in a relatively short time. I learnt more practical and usable skills and information in my three months at makers than I did in my time at main stream schooling. Definitely recommend Read less

I was part of a remote cohort and have recently completed the 12-week course I found that the coaches are easily reachable for advice when needed and are very supportive, they don’t immediately tell you the answer but will always push you in the right direction; I found this really pushed me to learn more and helped me remember things better. There were also other members in my cohort I could reach out to when needed and they were all really friendly. The coaches keep track of your progress and will give advice if they feel you may need more support The weeks would be spent pairing with another student on a task to learn new things, we would use GitHub to collaborate and zoom to call. We also had group calls with a coach to talk about and learn new concepts. Sometimes pairing would be difficult as you would be in different locations. On a Friday we would do an independent task to apply what we had learnt. In the last few weeks of the course you work in teams to create projects of your own choice, this was a great way to apply what had been learnt while developing teamwork skills. We were able to present it in front of the entire cohort on the last day which was really enjoyable. It was structured well and covered a range of things including the basics of ruby and applying the skills to help learn other languages like JavaScript and java as well some postgres for databases. I started this course knowing very little about programming, and have finished it with plenty of knowledge and I have developed many skills. If you are looking for a career in software development, I would thoroughly recommend this course. This is a rather intense course and I sometimes felt it moved too quickly, but I have learnt so much in a short space of time while having lots of fun! Read less

I was part of one of the remote cohorts this year. I went into this program knowing very little about coding, and have finished with the experience to begin my journey as a software developer. The syllabus includes learning the basic theory, such as conditions, loops etc. , then progressing onto more complex concepts like methods and objects. You develop these skills over time by participating in weekly challenges where you can consolidate your learning and evaluate whether you need additional help. This process is particularly helpful as, unlike in an exam, you can be less confident on a topic without being judged or feeling you have failed at it. By the end of the course, Makers students are able to effectively plan projects, work as part of a coding team, write and test drive original code, and enjoy yourself while doing it! I would highly recommend this course to those who want to learn to code or expand their skills. Read less

I have just finished my 3 month training, and honestly it has been really challenging, but I have enjoyed it thoroughly. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in getting into Software Development. My knowledge when I first started programming was pretty basic but Makers teach you Ruby. This was the main focus at the start of the course but then you progress onto Javascript. For our cohort we did Java and also SQL. Doing all of this allows you to use this knowledge to learn a completely new language by yourself. You will also learn from the start how to Test Drive code, which is a really valuable skill when programming  for your future job!

 

I think the Final project was a really good way to showcase what you have learnt over the 12 weeks You also get to present it in front of your cohort and share your experience over the 2 weeks you had to make the product.

 

Overall, be prepared to put in a lot of time into the course in order to be successful but when you reach the end of the course its the most rewarding feeling to have completed it! You don't get spoon fed answers and you will also come across a questions from your coach that make you look further and find the issue out by yourself.

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I enjoyed the course and found that by each week i was learning something new which helped move forward to the next unit to learn. I liked the way we learned not only about coding but also the way we share and collaborate code across the platform GitHub. One thing i struggled with sometimes was because the course progressed quickly in that we covered a new topic every week i would not fully understand a topic by the Friday and could have done with a second week on it to consolidate what i learned. Other than that it was a great course and very rewarding in the last few weeks where we made our own projects and presented them on the final day.

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Moving into coding was a huge career change for me, having a performing arts and retail background but Makers made finding my first job in tech feel like an inevitability rather than a pipe dream. I chose Makers because they came across as a focussed, professional operation that offered good job support.

I enjoyed the focus Makers put on writing clean, clear code and instilling you with a strong problem solving process through TDD. This, more than the actual languages taught, made me feel confident I could get a job as a software engineer because these skills can be transferred to any language.

Being responsible for my own learning while on the course was another great aspect of Makers. Self-directed learning is a big part of how you learn at Makers. There are goals for each week, typically being able to understand and explain object oriented programming concepts or other technical concepts. The projects you work on each week give you an opportunity to explore and implement these ideas, but you’re encouraged to reflect each day on your own learning so far, what you do and don’t yet know and set yourself SMART goals to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. It’s a mindset and process that helps a lot post-course as you tailor your learning towards the requirements of jobs you apply for, even in languages you haven’t studied on the course. You trust that you can pick up any language you want.

The emotional intelligence syllabus really stood out to me from my time on the course as well; learning a lot in terms of empathy, effective communication and working in a team. Makers develop you as a person as well as a programmer and prepare you for the ever-changing world of tech.

The support post-course from the careers team is also solid. For me, the careers coaching offered is very friendly and effective; they helped me extract transferable skills from my previous experience to use in applications and guide me in terms of the type of work I’d want to do, as well as offering valuable feedback on my CV and interview technique. The careers team also have a varied range of hiring partners the work with in several different and interesting fields. I would though still encourage people to apply to jobs outside of Makers too as the careers team sometimes have insight into those companies and can give you good tips on what to look for/watch out for in an employer

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Makers is an excellent place to kick-start your career in software development. As long as you commit yourself to the career change, fully commit to the work, take heed of the advice that's provided, and bring a positive energy with you, I have no doubt that you will get a great job in software development through this course.

The curriculum is heavily self-learning based, which might put some people off at first, but I have come to realise that it is this fact that actually makes the course a much stronger learning experience. The support is there, both technical and careers, but you're not going to be spoon fed, just as you wouldn't in a professional environment.

There is a lot to learn, and it can be intense, but over many iterations of students, Makers has REALLY honed the skill of taking individuals and turning them in to highly employable Software Developers. Trust the coaches and trust the careers team - they know what they're doing and are always there to help :)

As with pretty much any endeavour, you get out what you put in. As I say, no one is going to spoon feed you, so if you're not ready to fully commit and give it your all, then you risk wasting a lot of money. On the other hand, if you are ready to give it your all, you will come away with untold benefits and huge personal growth. Don't worry about your ability, Makers know what they're doing and they won't select you if you're not ready. All you need is positive energy and determination and you will succeed.

The final projects are a fantastic growth opportunity. Each team can build essentially any software they want, using any languages or frameworks they choose (as long as everyone in the team agrees). I can't tell you how much this (on top of the rest of the Makers experience) has helped me in interviews!

Finally, Dana (Chief Joy Officer) is absolutely incredible and a huge asset during your time at Makers. From meditation, to Yoga, to Emotional Intelligence workshops, she provides invaluable support throughout the entire process. You might not be someone who intuitively places a high value on these things, but trust me, they are HUGELY helpful during your time at Makers, and almost every company I have interviewed with places an extremely high value on Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, and Social Awareness. Those skills could well land you a job :)

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I’d like to start this on a simple note: I paid £8000 for this course and got a software engineering job between 30-40k per year. Regardless of what follows in this review, that alone makes this course worth the time and money. 
As I'm sure anyone looking at reviews is aware, Makers runs a 3 month boot camp course that gets you ready for work as a junior developer. It’s a great course, but I think there are a few things that stop it from being an amazing course. The first thing to know is that you are required to complete a one month precourse before you can join the main course on site. After you finish the course, expect the job search to take some time. All in all, the whole process from zero to software developer takes roughly half a year. How you choose to handle the job search is entirely up to you and Makers gives you a lot of freedom here. Some people choose to stick it out, while others go back to their previous employment while they search for a software engineering job. 
It’s a great course, but I think there are a few things that stop it from being an amazing course.

Pros:

Learning
The most valuable thing I gained from this course was the ability to learn. By the end of the main 12 week course, I truly felt that learning anything is possible. Makers also encourages you to keep your skills sharp by focusing on your process. They effectively teach you how to break down problems. Generally, it’s a very friendly and diverse community and everyone is very approachable. You’re also encouraged to take care of yourself during downtime. There’s a fully stocked kitchen, ping pong table and beer on Fridays. You’re also encouraged to participate in meditation, yoga and mindfulness in general by the Chief Joy Officer. It helps you to centre yourself and without her this course would be a lot harder. 

Hiring Partners & The Careers Team
This is without a doubt the most useful and best part of the course. Help is given for CVs, interview techniques, tech tests, and there are constantly lunchtime talks, seminars, meetups and other useful events about the industry and the best ways to get in. At the end of it all, this is what made me choose Makers; they have valuable industry connections that other boot camps don’t seem to have. 

Cons:

Self-directed learning
I think it's important to know that this course is very self driven. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing but £8000 is a lot of money to pay for a course where I mostly have to teach myself. Coaches are on site but their availability hours are rather narrow and sometimes it can be difficult to get the help you need. 

Hiring Partners
Makers have a lot of hiring partners which is great because often I found a lot of companies didn’t understand what boot camp grads did or just didn’t think we had enough experience for a junior role. Unfortunately the process isn’t perfect and I sometimes found the selection process of Makers hiring partners to be questionable; even though they had been endorsed by Makers some of them still seem not to what they require from a junior developer. Feedback from hiring partner companies also felt inconsistent.

Communication
This was probably my biggest frustration with the course as communication at Makers can range anywhere from excellent to poor. Naturally, a lot of it takes place over Slack. Sometimes you just need important information and you could either get an answer from someone instantly or not at all. I found myself frequently feeling left in the dark--I think if someone needs help with something, it would be good to just shoot them a reply with something like "I'm still looking into this but I'll get back to you soon", instead of just not replying at all.

Overall Makers was still a great experience and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in starting a career as a software developer.

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Coming from a non tech background wanting to transition into the tech industry I had explored different options including self teaching, I'm glad iI made the decision to enrol with Makers Academy as the experience has been one of a kind. Before starting I reached out to Makers Alumni and not one person had anything bad to say about the course and after completing the course I can see why. 

The great thing about the course is that it eases you into learning how to code and gradually ramps up in complexity. The coaches are always on hand to provide support and help along with the workshops, meditation and yoga is also available to all. The course offers different types of projects built through pair programming and group projects and by the end of the course you'll have a portfolio of projects. Another awesome thing is that even though we learnt Ruby and Javascript on the course as we are taught in a way that allowed us to easily pick up other programming languages, when it came to final projects some groups did theres in Python even though they hadn't written a line of code in it beforehand.

Definitely a great investment not only does Makers teach you how to code but they also have an amazing careers team that help with cv, applications and interview prep to help land you your first role in the industry.

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Makers Academy is not just for people without tech background, I chose this course being already a web developer, wanting to learn TDD and backend and more importantly learning how to teach anything to myself and it turned out to be exactly that. I was lacking progression and learning new technologies in my job and online courses wasn't enough. I wanted to gain the correct mindset and learn around the people with the same passion as mine. Makers Academy was the best education experience I've ever had and I recommend this to anyone who wants to become a software engineer with a full package. With this course you don't even need to go to University for software engineering. Also in the end of the course you have the career's team full support in finding best companies suited for Maker's students to develop their skills further.

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