Orange County Code School

MY BACKGROUND

I graduated with BA in International Relations in 2010. From 2010 - 2016, I worked in the non-profit sector with community development organizations abroad. In 2016, I decided it was time to continue investing in myself and the quality of my service by learning new highly marketable skills, in an exciting sector. I dabbled on and off with Treehouse, Udacity, and CodeAcademy in vain attempts to teach myself. 

  WHY A BOOTCAMP At this time, my wife was a few months into her pregnancy, and accordingly, it was for me, a period of urgency. The full-time, immersive nature of a bootcamp and prospect of rapid skill acquisition was incredibly appealing. I couldn’t see a more effective way to equip myself with skills, and accelerate myself into competitive employment, in a field in which i had little experience, in a matter of months.     WHY I CHOSE ORANGE COUNTY CODE SCHOOL: I researched well-known California bootcamps, including App Academy, Hack Reactor, Code Smith, General Assembly, OCCS and others. I also spent two weeks in San Francisco participating in an introductory program with App Academy.    What appealed to me most about OCCS was the following: 

• Curriculum is thorough and thoughtfully put together, while changing slightly from cohort to cohort to better prepare students. At OCCS I learned: HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, Javascript, ES6, Angular, React, Redux, Node.js, Express, Mocha, Chai, Travis CI, Webpack, Git, Github, and how to deploy my projects on Heroku. 
• Quality Instruction - Ron and Tim are both exceptional teachers with deep knowledge and a lot of experience. 
• Cohort Size is small, which allows students to get targeted assistance if/when they need it.
• Hardware and Aesthetic - Students use large Apple displays in a clean, sleek, and modern setting. 
• Student Success and Reviews - OCCS students have an impeccable record finding employment, and the school has excellent reviews from former students.

THE EXPERIENCE I was a student in Cohort 6, attending OCCS from August - November 2016, and was working 20 hours/week while attending the school.    The Method of Instruction was very effective, and went something like this: 

• Introduction to new topic/concept and high-level explanation provided by Ron and/or Tim. 
• Exercises and resources for practice and deeper knowledge.
• Explanation with Q&A led by Ron and/or Tim. 

This process would continue for two weeks until we had learned enough to cement our understanding of newly acquired skills by building a project.   In this fashion, my 12-weeks culminating in my having a portfolio on Github that could stand the test of employer scrutiny.    As you might expect, learning complex skills in a matter of months would be challenging. It certainly was. But as the many successful students at OCCS can attest to, the challenge is surmountable. It may mean, however, that you’ll have to study, research, read, watch tutorials independently before and after “class.” That’s what I did whenever I had the chance.   I found Ron and Tim very accommodating and patient in situations when I couldn’t grasp the material, or if I had to miss class for doctor appointments etc.    Throughout the program, we were introduced to industry professionals, entrepreneurs, recruiters etc. For me, having had little exposure to the sector prior to attending OCCS, I learned a lot in these sessions, and got practice working on my pitch.    AFTER THE EXPERIENCE With some exception, getting a job is a time-intensive process. It’s also much less enjoyable than learning and attending class. For me, it looked like this:

• Applying
• Following up
• Phone screenings
• Interviews
• Rejections
• More of the above
• Attending meet-ups
• Studying and working on side projects

I received and accepted an offer for employment 8 weeks after completing the program, from a company that I was introduced to through Ron.    FINAL THOUGHT  If you’re interested in getting into the game, reach out to OCCS, and If you know you want to attend a bootcamp, I can confidently recommend this school. I learned the skills, got a job, and thoroughly enjoyed the process. 

I attended the 5th OCCS cohort and graduated in August 2016.  

After I had decided that I wanted to switch careers and attend a coding bootcamp, I started to research the best ones in Southern California.  A few candidates popped up and one of the most prominent was OCCS.  It claimed a 100% graduate hiring rate and had reviews across multiple sites that seemed to back that claim.  I met Ron in person and after hearing about his illustrious background in software, I decided that he was the instructor I wanted to learn programming from.  It turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made.

The pace is blistering and there will be no hand holding.  The stress will be considerable and there may be moments of self-doubt.  When you make it through the program, however, you will be equipped with the tools to become a successful developer.  You will have learned the latest and greatest when it comes to JavaScript (Mongo, Express, Angular, and Node at the time of my cohort).  You will have built legitimate projects and established your own GitHub.   

You will not walk away as some sort of JavaScript master - that would be impossible in three months.  What you will walk away with is a sold JS foundation and a tool that is considerably more valuable in the long run: the ability to solve problems on your own.

Listen to Ron.  Do not hesitate to ask questions if you get stuck.  The pace of the course is too fast to remain stuck on one thing for too long.  Sure, you might have to endure some sarcastic retorts, but his knowledge of programming and the software industry as a whole is too immense to not be utilized to its fullest.

The program does not stop at graduation.  OCCS will help you establish a clean resume and LinkedIn.  They will assist in the job hunting process and help you develop strategies that will guide your search.  This is not a feeder bootcamp where the students just end up working for the school, padding the hiring statistic.  You will be getting a real software development job.

Bottom Line - Good luck trying to find someone more qualified than Ron to teach you programming.

 

What I brought to the code school: An eagerness to learn, a passion for programming, and a history with computers, math and science.

OCCS gives you the skills to get a job. OCCS understands that ultimately this is a financial decision for us. Not only he develops you into a strong programmer, but he gets you ready for the job market. If you stay locally in Orange County, there probably isn’t a company that Ron doesn’t know personally. He is great at pairing talent with local businesses. I secured a job less than a week after graduating from the bootcamp, all started by an introduction from the school.

OCCS understands that your Github is your resume. The code doesn’t lie. From day one in the course, you are building your portfolio on Github and becoming an expert in Git. The class is built around project work. By the end of the course you will be experienced in developing and deploying full-stack software applications. This by far trumps other code schools that focus on exercise based work, and group work.

OCCS teaches the most up-to-date technologies. At OCCS I learned: HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, Javascript, ES6, Angular, React, Redux, Node.js, Express, Mocha, Chai, Travis CI, Webpack, Git, Github…I also learned a slew of API’s as well as deployment. The list goes on.

OCCS teaches a process for development. The reason I kept getting stuck in learning programming on my own is because no one teaches you how to teach yourself, and nobody shows you the process for development. OCCS teaches a structure for developing, which keeps you focused and productive with your time. Ron has the best way leading you to find the answer yourself. He inspires self teaching and creativity, all while keeping you on the path towards success.

Ron surrounds himself with wonderful people who genuinely care about you as an individual, and about your development as a programmer. I felt at home every day at the code school and continue to have a great relationship with the school. This is not a turn and burn code school, but a community you join when accepted to the school. I feel blessed to have been a part of such a wonderful experience.

If you're reading this, then you are very possibly in a similar position to where I was not too long ago. You're interested in starting a career as a developer, and those 4 years and student loans at a university just don't seem worth it. You are probably also skeptical that these coding bootcamps are legit. I mean, it does seem pretty ludicrous that after just 3 months of hard work you could be starting out at a new job as a software developer. I was incredibly skeptical about it as well, and I will say that I did a lot of shopping around and research before I was convinced that Orange County Code School was the most legit option, and my best bet at a successful career change.

You should absolutely research your options, and understand what you are getting into, but I should share what set OCCS apart from the other options for me.

All of the bootcamps I looked at (roughly 6 in the SoCal area) featured 3 month programs boasting high employment rates among their graduates. That's great! That's the goal, so any of these should work, right? Upon further research, I learned that some of these bootcamps are in the practice of hiring their own graduates as "tutors" for the next class, and so artificially inflating their statistics. That was both incredibly scummy, and a complete deal breaker. Any bootcamp that messes with it's statistics like that and lies to their applicants should be avoided. Before deciding to attend OCCS, I blatantly asked them if they ever hire any of their graduates, and they told me that they do not. Having now attended, I know all of the people involved at the Code School, and I know for a fact that they do not.

The next factor I looked at was curriculum. What am I going to learn? Is it going to be relevant technology? Or some language that is on its way out the door? If it is a solid technology, how well will I learn it? Most bootcamps I looked at have their curriculum up to date with market standards, but in my shopping, I noticed that some bootcamps teach a wider variety of languages. A bootcamp saying it will teach you 4 languages in 12 weeks... I did not believe for a second that I would come out of that truly fluent in any language. I am already looking and learning a great deal of information in a short amount of time, better to pick a widely-used and robust language, and become fluent in it. OCCS is a Javascript bootcamp, a language in vast demand, and rapidly growing.

A few factors that solidified my decision to go with OCCS were Ron's background in software development, and how selective they are with admission. At the time of my application, I believe they had a 5% acceptance rate, which, to me, only strengthened the legitimacy of their 100% hiring rate.

That's the summary of how I chose OCCS. More important than that is the actual course itself. I quit my accounting job because the bootcamp is a full-time undertaking. A goal of Ron's is to make the bootcamp itself similar to working as a software developer. You are there 5 days a week, about 8 hours a day. The course is structured with 2 weeks of skill acquisition, followed by 2 weeks of skill application. Essentially you spend two weeks learning different aspects, applications, or implementations of Javascript and the tools to go with it, and then you spend 2 weeks working on your own project, putting those concepts into form. Those 2 weeks project work are huge, because as much as you can learn from reading about something, or doing exercises on it, you will reach an entirely different level of understanding to it once you incorporate it into a project you built from scratch.

Ron proved to be an extremely knowledgeable resource, and he also brings in professionals from the field to come speak and answer questions. I will say that, even though I learned Javascript, HTML, Angular, Node, and several other skills in the bootcamp, the single most valuable skill I learned was the ability to break down a problem I know nothing about and solve it without asking someone else for help. Ron will push you to answer your own questions as much as possible, and this has proven to be invaluable in my position I am now in. Thanks to this skill, I am now primarily working in C#, a language completely different from what I learned in OCCS, and am constantly impressing my employers with my ability to tackle tasks I have no prior familiarity with.

If you are looking for a career in development, a challenging job you love, and in getting a jumpstart in a new direction, then I can not recommend Orange County Code School highly enough. It is literally one of the best decisions I ever made, and it has changed my life.

Thank you Ron.

Prior to going to Orange County Code School I had been interested in a career as a computer programmer but just could never find the time to teach myself to code. I had no college education and the thought of going to school part time for a computer science degree was pretty daunting. I had a family member who knew someone that had gone through a code school and found a job afterward so about a year after first receiving that suggestion I jumped into action and began researching “programming bootcamps”. I came across OCCS and after talking to Mike and Ron decided it would be a good fit. I went into the course with essentially zero programming experience and was fairly anxious as to whether I would be able to do it or not.

 

It’s probably important to mention that Ron is not there to be your best friend, he’s there to teach you how to code. If you’re looking for someone to tell you you’re doing great moving along at your own pace as you’re falling behind...OCCS is probably not for you (future employers probably won’t like that either). Ron did not spend a ton of time worrying about people’s feelings but he definitely taught us how to write JavaScript. It’s not easy learning how to program in three months, and after the course is finished there will be plenty more to learn, but if you think you are capable of picking things up pretty quickly and are okay with putting some work in outside of the hours you spend in the classroom, then OCCS will be a good place to begin learning to code.

 

During the course we worked on three projects, each of which expanded upon features we had used on the last and added various new technologies. It is pretty neat watching your skill set grow from project to project and feeling your confidence grow in your ability to write working code. By the end of the course you should have no problem creating a complex and functional web app.

 

Beyond learning to how to code and use various tools which are important in the day to day work of a software developer one of my favorite aspects of the program was getting to listen to Ron’s stories. He has a ton of experience in the industry and through talking to him you will definitely pick up some interesting knowledge about the field that will be good to have as you enter your career as a developer.

 

One last thing, make sure to attend your demo night! You never know where your first job as a programmer could come from and I was lucky enough to receive mine from a company I met at our demo night. There were a few people in our cohort who did not attend the demo night and who knows what opportunities you might miss out on by making that decision. OCCS was a life changing decision for me and I would recommend it to anyone who REALLY wants to learn to code, and is ready to dedicate themselves to making that happen.

 

Before I attended OCCS I was working as a manager at a retail store.  I was not making very much money and the work was not very satisfying.  I heard about OCCS from a friend of a friend who works in the software industry and he assured me that the best way to start a career as a Software Developer is to attend a bootcamp-style school and he told me about OCCS.  I went to a meetup they were having the following weekend to get a feel for it, and see how it is.  I was a little nervous, but decided to attend.

OCCS has a rigorous three months of coursework.  They teach all of the latest technologies and skills required to be successful as a Web Developer.  The instructors are there to teach and challenge you to be the best you can.  They teach you everything you need to know, and also give you the freedom to learn and grow your knowledge yourself.  During my time there, I learned multiple programming languages, many new technologies and over a dozen frameworks.

You don't graduate from OCCS when they are done teaching you, you graduate once you get a Job.  OCCS provides leads to you after you finish the course to help you get a job.  While I ended up finding my job myself, OCCS gave me three leads with companies to help me find a job.  They help you prepare your resume and LinkedIn, and prepare you for your interviews.  They will give you strategies on best ways to find a job.  

Two weeks ago I started my job as a Front-End Web Developer.  There is still alot to learn, but I feel prepared thanks to my experience at OCCS, and I am making twice as much money (not an exaggeration) as I was before attending.  More Importantly, I enjoy what I am doing.  Orange County Code School was the best decision I have ever made, and I recommend it highly to anybody looking to become a Web Developer.

I was part of the fourth cohort. For five years, I worked as a chemist before I decided I needed a change. What I was doing as a chemist, I'll leave up to your imagination (it's more fun that way).

I wrote my first line of code in February. I put in the time and effort both inside and outside of class. I completed three solo projects including a bot for Slack. And now? I'm a developer at a great company Ron introduced me to. 

What did Ron do for me? He provided everything I needed to become a developer. He gave me the knowledge, the guidance and the opportunity I needed to change careers – something I will always be grateful for. 

Then, there's Michael. During my job search, Michael checked in with me almost every day. He reached out to every company I applied to. This was on top of all the tech companies he was already trying to connect with. He let me know whenever he thought my job search was losing steam and kept it real, never sugarcoated anything. This is the guy you want when you're looking for a job.

Ultimately, I chose OCCS because of the person running it: Ron. Any program is only as good as the person teaching it. If you genuinely want become a developer, you owe it to yourself to sit down and talk to Ron, to hear his story and learn why OCCS is different than any other bootcamp.

Two bits of advice for prospective OCCS students:
1. Face a seemingly impossible problem. Struggle. Break it down into manageable parts. Research. Google. Approach the problem again without fear. Code. Debug. Realize that your code is terrible. Refactor. Learn from your successes and failures. Do it again.

Your first inclination when faced with a problem to which you don't know the answer shouldn't be to ask the guy next to you, nor should it be to ask Ron. Attempt to solve your own problems with reason and logic. You're going to be doing that when you get a job – start now. It will make you a better problem solver and a better coder.

2. Take the time to talk to Ron. Before class, during lunch, after class, whenever. You can learn so much from him outside of class. This is a guy who has worked in the tech industry at the highest levels. Talk to him, ask him questions and listen. That kind of knowledge – that kind of insight – can be more valuable than what you learn in class. I sincerely mean this. But don't be annoying.

P.S. This review has nothing to do with hamburgers. The title was irrelevant.

I am a recent graduate of Orange County Code School. I attended the bootcamp that ran from Nov 2015 to Feb 2016. In 12 weeks I went from being someone who knew very little about coding to making full apps. Was it hard? Yeah sometimes. Did I ever feel lost? Of course. Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!! 

Ron the instructor is very knowledgable and will teach you how to code. Other negative reviews you might read in here say he not a good instructor, but that is far from the truth. He's teaching you how to code so you can land a job and keep it. Take it from someone already working in the developer field, NO ONE WILL HOLD YOUR HAND AT YOUR JOB. You will have to figure things out on your own a lot. That is what Ron is also teaching you. All those negative reviews are students that just didn't understand that. 

You will have to learn things on your own. The development field is always changing, and it will continue to change long after you're done at OCCS. Could you learn coding on your own? Possibly. What you won't learn on your own is what employers are looking for and what they expect from you as a developer. Trust me all the help OCCS gives you in getting ready to search for a job helps a lot. You don't go out there completely clueless. 

If you're serious about learning to code and getting a job, OCCS is for you. 

I attended the 3rd class of Orange County Code School, and was very fortunate to have this opportunity. My background is in running a Yoga studio and teaching, so needless to say this was a huge pivot in my life - and I haven't looked back!

Walking into code boot camp on day 1 without any experience coding, it would be reasonable for anyone to doubt that I could do this. But after 3 months, I found that this was totally possible with the dedication and support of Ron and Zane.

Most people do not have the bandwidth to go back to school for a computer science degree, myeslf included. So, if you are considering making a pivot in your life, consider taking this course and learn the 3 most essential languages in Web Development today - HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.

The course covers front AND back end code, which was great since I was sure I wanted to go in the front-end direction but still wanted to know how the back-end really works. I'm definitely the kind of person to take things apart in order to understand the inner workings.

Coding was interesting since I am on the internet every day, in one form or another, and I wanted to see how the magic of any website worked under the hood! Whether you actually plan on going for a full-stack job or not, this program gave me the ability to see the big picture and to make that choice for myself.

My favorite part of the course was seeing the progress from the first project in month 1 to the final project in month 3. You will end up looking back fondly at that first month when you build your first basic site. By month 3, that final project will get you noticed by recruiters and employers - which really sets you apart from the competition.

Best of luck on your journey!

Warmly,
Jordan

I graduated with the 3rd cohort of OCCS, which ran from August 2015 to February 2016.

 

TL;DR (Too Long, Didn't Read)

• I learned to build full-stack web apps on the MEAN stack through OCCS.
   
• I was invited to several job interviews by recruiters who were attending the OCCS Demo Day, and I accepted a position as a full-time Jr. Front-End Developer at one of these companies.
   
• I believe OCCS is the best on-site bootcamp in Orange County. It provided me the guidance and environment to learn full-stack Javascript web development and helped me transition my career into web development.

 

My Background:

I have a B.S. in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering and prior to the bootcamp, I worked for several years as a Software Product Manager and UI/UX Designer in startups in Shanghai and Beijing.

My dream was to transition from product management into software development. I had gone through the HTML/CSS/Javascript curriculum on Codecademy and codeschool.com, but I couldn't seem to connect the dots from the 'code exercises' into actually 'building' a web app. I felt like I needed more guidance to transition my career into web development.

 

OCCS Experience:

I chose OCCS because I wanted to stay local in Orange County (as opposed to going to San Francisco/Los Angeles/New York/etc.), and also because OCCS' curriculum is focused on full-stack Javascript web development.

There are some great online bootcamps and remote programs out there, but I know my own learning style and I needed the on-site experience and work environment to succeed and stay focused. There are other on-site bootcamps in Orange County that teach LAMP stack web development on PHP, but the software industry trends point to full-stack Javascript (greater growth rate of JavaScript developer job postings vs others. Also, Jr. LAMP stack developers don't seem to get paid as much, on average). Anyways - do your due diligence on job postings and average salaries.

I loved my time during OCCS.

The two main points that I appreciated the most about OCCS were:

• The coding environment to 'get in the zone' and code all day.
   
• The curriculum and guidance from Ron and Zane to connect the dots between HTML, CSS, Javascript, Node.JS (and relevant libraries) to actually build stuff.

I really really value the environment that OCCS provided for me. The classroom is in a professional shared office building and the environment helped me to 'get in the zone' and focus.

I also appreciated the feedback I got from Ron and Zane about code structure/best practices. They have both worked in the software industry for several years and I appreciated their sharing of real-word experience and know-how on pointers to improve my code quality and structure.

This is a bootcamp though! So be prepared to put in 3 months of intensive learning. Make sure to sleep well (aka10:30pm latest), eat well, and most importantly, have a curious mind to take initiative and get your mindset in the industry. This means: find blogs to read, podcasts to follow, tutorials to watch, etc.

This is an industry where the more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know. I needed to (wanted to) look up terminology and technologies on my own time for things that weren’t 100% clear to me. I would read articles and watch tutorials to clarify concepts over the weekends and during the evenings.

When we were learning HTML and CSS I heard about Sass and Jade, so I read up on it.
When we were learning client-side Javascript I heard about API calls, so I read up on it.
For Git -  on the best practices of committing, branching, merging, rebasing.
For Node.js - on RESTful interfaces.
For login authentication - on the difference with JWT and Sessions.
For Angular.js - on the benefits of React.js.

You get my drift… you get out what you put into the 3 months at OCCS. If there's something that isn't covered in the curriculum, but you are hearing about it in the industry, then read about it. Be curious, and then implement those technologies in your next project.

Write code, read code, eat code, sleep code. The bootcamp environment will help you succeed if you put in the time, curiosity, focus, dedication, and work.

 

Job Search:

Towards the final weeks of class, Ron invited several speakers who are in the programming industry (CTOs, Sr. Web Developers, previous alumni) to come to class and share their experiences. It was really great to get insight on how they started coding, how the industry has changed, and what the industry is like now. I found these speakers to be really helpful on aligning my perspective for how I needed to continue to grow in my career after the bootcamp.

I interviewed with several companies that were invited to the Demo Day, and ended up taking a full-time position as a Jr. Front End Developer with one of these companies. I appreciate the effort that the OCCS team puts into connecting with the software community in Orange County, and getting us in front of recruiters at Demo Days.

Ron and Zane were also really helpful during the job search and provided post-graduation job search mentoring and advice. After week 2-3 of job searching, they set up a time for me to meet with them to go over my job search status. They acted as great sounding boards/mentors and provided advice on my resume / LinkedIn profile and also gave advice/answered questions on how I could better interview and negotiate a salary.

 

If you are looking for an on-site bootcamp in Orange County to learn Full Stack Javascript Web Development, then I highly recommend OCCS.

Hi everyone,

I decided to go to Orange County Code School (OCCS) after researching the local bootcamp programs they offer for coding around the area and decided this was the best option. After meeting Ron, I knew this was the place I would have to go. I had a little bit of experience in coding before this course, but this took my knowledge and abilities to a whole new level. I loved the three months I was able to spend coding all day, every day and if you are looking to get into a career for coding, this is absolutely the gateway in. Ron and Zane are great instructors and will really help get you ready for what will come next when pursuing your first job in the programming field.

After the program was done, I landed a job within the first month and am happily starting my new career path! Thank you OCCS!!

Orange County Code School changed my life. Before the program I was working as a bartender and making pretty good money, but new I wanted something more. After much research, I chose to attend OCCS and am glad I did! Ron and Zane are a wealth of knowlage with years of industry experience and tons of connections. The program takes you from 0-60. I had little to no knowlage of programming when I began and within one month of graduating had multiple job offers. I took a job as a developer and now have a career I am proud of. There were lost of ups and downs and frustrations in learning to code, but the instructors were there to help and push us to be the best programmers possible. I highly reccomend this program!