Makers Academy

Have you ever wanted to learn something, but you just can't fathom how to begin learning?

I doubt I will ever face this problem again thanks to the self learning skills that Makers Academy has set me up with.

The holistic approach to their learning is simply refreshing, and effective. Equipping you with no only the skills and tools needed to secure a career in Software, but also the roadmap to becoming a more balanced and emotionally intelligent person. Equipping you with the skills to learn independently and effectively.

This truly has been an amazing experience, One I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone interesting in forging a career in tech.

Just do it!

Having had limited tech experience before Makers, I found  the interview and the pre-course really helped prepare me for the course. While it is a lot of work, the coaches, projects and reviews help prepare us for what it's like working in the tech field.

I had a truly fantastic experience at Makers. The support from staff from getting on the course all the way to finding a job made a huge impact on my time here. For anyone who can put in the time and make the commitment I think it's a fantastic opportunity but it is important to keep in mind that it is a self-lead journey and you get out what you put in. 

For anyone looking to make the career change into software I would definitely recommend this course!

Taking the plunge into a new career can be extremely daunting, but Makers made my transition from IT consultant to Software engineer near to seamless and enjoyable. From as early as the pre-course Makers encourage you to work with your peers, this was something that didn't come naturally to me but was something that I have been wanting to work on for a long time so I embraced it. You will pair on a daily basis and learn to work with every personality type, and you are guaranteed to make some lasting connections.

I never felt too comfortable, which is a good thing, I was always challenged and felt like I was learning something new every day. You will learn not only how to be a great dev in 12 weeks, but you will be given the tools to continually learn and code anything you can imagine.

The fact that Makers place soft skills on the same level as tech skills was refreshing. Not only did I learn a lot about coding best practices but I learnt a whole heap about myself throughout the process.

I can honestly say that Makers has changed my life, I am starting a dream job and have all the tools to make it an enjoyable experience.

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!

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!

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.

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. 

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.