Parsity

I enrolled in Parsity looking for some structure to my learning as I transitioned to software development from education. Of course, I found that structure in a curriculum and agenda of projects with deadlines. Perhaps more valuable than the structure, though, was the community. Mentors were eager to help out and just chat about programming and jobs. Group projects were actually a joy and perhaps the most valuable part of the learning experience. 

My main critique is that I'm not convinced that the tour through the history of web development, including a week Backbone, is necessary in a short curriculum. Also, more might be done to link students with employers. 

By the end of the program, though, I was skilled both in the MERN stack and in learning new technologies on my own. The job search is still difficult, but the career staff and mentors were great resources for questions. With a comparably low price to other bootcamps, Parsity is a solid option to start your full stack web development career. 

I was one of the oldest members of my cohort. I am a father of two, a husband, and I have bills to pay! I spent the last ten years at a job that I was growing increasingly burnt out on, and I decided it was time for a change. I didn't make a lot of money, so I was perpetually paycheck to paycheck. As gratifying as public service was, the cons were outweighing the pros, and it was just no longer sustainable. I decided to try and teach myself code. I spent the better part of a year learning web development. Things would come up, and I'd take a little break...maybe not so little, and I'd have to relearn a lot of what I was working on. Then I decided to get "serious" and started coding everyday, even if only a little. I got better, but I felt I still had a long way to go to make the career transition that I was planning.

It was then that I started researching code schools in my area. I looked at several, one "affiliated" with a local university, a couple of online bootcamps, some part time, some full-time. And then I found Project Shift. It stood out.

They focused on teaching programming fundamentals. They included some Computer Science topics in the curriculum. They purposefully kept their groups small. And they taught full stack JavaScript, which I liked. Basically, they ticked all of my boxes. They gave me the warm and fuzzies, where all of the rest seemed to fall short.

So how was I going to pay for all of this? It's not just the tuition, but also living expenses as I would have to quit my full time job. It was a tough decision. It would be (in my mind) a big gamble. 

So how did it turn out?

I'm two weeks out from graduation, and I have a wonderful job offer with a large tech company! Your mileage may vary, but for me, I nearly doubled my income. Not to mention the other great benefits. And I get to work on cool, cutting edge, technologies. It's literally everything I could have hoped for. 

The curriculum is thorough, but not exhaustive. After all, part of learning to code is learning to learn new tech, and Project Shift encourages that. 

There is a ton of mentorship. You will have an individual mentor, access to a team of mentors on a Slack group, as well as the staff; all of whom are incredibly helpful. 

There were several opportunities built in for networking with local devs like an invitation luncheon, a few panels/discussions, field trips, etc. 

The work evironment and the local scene are very conducive to being productive. You have 24 hr access to the coworking space where they are located. I spent many nights and weekends coding away at the office.

There is plenty of help if you get stuck on a problem. The onus is really on you to seek help when you need it. 

There will be boat load of career services training in addition to all the programming. This is invaluable and has played no small part in the traction I've been able to gain in the short time since I've completed the course. And it continues far beyond graduation.

There are wonderful moments of ephiphany where you accomplish more than you thought you could. 

So...the cons?

It is a lot of work. A LOT! I spent a good 70-80 hours a week most weeks. 

It moves fast. Sometimes it felt like we were moving on to an entirely new topic before I could grasp what were were just talking about. 

Some of the material starts out pretty esoteric, but becomes clearer as you progress. So it takes a bit of faith in the process, but can be a bit frustrating at times.

And of course, it isn't cheap. But what kind of value is it. Well, like I said, two weeks from graduating and I essentially doubled my salary. 

Is it for you?

You'll need to be driven and proactive. Seriously, not just buzzwords. This isn't high school, the responsibility will be solely on you.

You'll need to be humble and willing to ask for help. Throw whatever shred of ego you have out the window. It will only impede your progress.

You'll need to be able to play well with others. Much of the learning is done in a pair programming environment, and it is a small, intimate group. 

So, do I recommend it? Unabashedly YES! If you are considering investing in a code school to help you change careers, I could not recomment Project Shift any more highly.

I would like to start off by saying that this was one of the most challenging seasons of my life. Coming in with hardly any software experience, I knew there was going to be a steep learning curve. However, Aaron, Sean, Morgan, and the TA made this curve achievable. Project Shift not only taught me how to become a programmer but also how to learn and to keep learning. The approach is so much different than what I have heard about other courses. They actually care about the whole person and take time to walk with that person through the ups and downs during the course. Once that confidence was instilled, I was able to really begin applying what I was learning. If you are on the fence then you are where I was when I started this journey. As I look back, I know it was totally worth it. 

When I started looking at bootcamps, Project Shift immediately stood out to me. I was very excited about their selective admission process. I was confident that if I was accepted I would succeed.

Before I started, I was a bit worried that 3 months would not be enough time to get job-ready. The precourse work prepared me for what was a very fast paced curriculum. I worked many weekend and evening hours to make sure I got as much as I could out of each lesson. The curriculum builds at a very good pace. I was constantly challenged, but the material was never beyond my understanding. Aaron and Sean were both very easy to talk to and were always willing to answer questions and help me understand anything that I wasn't sure about.

I had a job interview on the last day of the cohort with one of Sean's connections. After a follow up interview and a code challenge, I was hired.

My experience with Project Shift has turned out better than I could have ever expected. If you are passionate about programming, and you are willing to work your butt off, you will not regret this investment in your future.

 

Like some of the other reviewers, I have not taken part in Project Shift, but I was in Aaron's first bootcamp Tel Aviv, both as a student and later as an instructor (note, I do not work or have current plans to work with Project Shift in the near future).

As a student I learned a ton from Aaron - he's got a real knack for explaining concepts at their core level - even if he doesn't understand something to its fullest (which is rare, but happens) - he will do the extra work to research and get back to you with a full answer.

Later, as an instructor I saw just how much work he was putting into the bootcamp behind the scenes. This is one passionate guy - he loves this thing, and it shows.

Again, I have not participated in Project Shift, but since Aaron is leading it I feel confident giving it my fullest, most confident, and heartfelt recommendation.

The part-time format of Parsity was a great fit for me while I was working full-time and expecting a new addition to our family.  After a long career in music, I am now a Software Engineer for a major transportation company!

The coursework was rigorous yet accessible. The mentors were a tremendous resource throughout and the program and beyond.

The curriculum has recently been revamped (after I graduated) and it is SOLID!  After graduation, Parsity maintains contact with its alumni and graduates maintain access to the curriculum and the Slack channel.

If you are looking for an affordable program that allows you to move at your own pace and prepares you to become a software engineer - stop what you are doing and sign up!

Project Shift is a great software development fellowship. Days are long (9am-5pm, M-F), and weekends are busy (eval projects pretty much every weekend), but after 12 weeks, you will be amazed at how much you learn. The instructors care about creating junior developers who have the tools to continue learning, and can contribute positively to a team/company.

There are two aspects of this program that I especially liked. Firstly, the career development and mentorship components are very good. It is a vital part to success, not just an afterthought. Secondly, the last two weeks of the program are dedicated to a final group project and an individual capstone project. These were a lot of fun, and lessons learned came up frequently during job interviews after the course was over.

I have 2 bachelor's degrees from highly regarded universities and an extremely academic family (PhD's all around); so quitting my life and opting for code school instead of grad-school was a hard sell, both to myself and my friends and family.  Still, after years of thinking about it, looking into various coding programs, I decided to go for it.

I did A LOT of research on my program options, but chose Project Shift for a few reasons:

1. small cohort - they cap each one at 10.

2. competitive program where everyone has to apply and to go in knowing some basics.

3.  teachers who are currently/had previously worked as developers.

4. there is no job guarantee 

**Now I think I should explain #4 because some people might be confused about why no job guarantee was actually not attractive.  To me, guaranteeing a job is suspicious.  I have friends who graduated from one of the best law schools in the country and have had a hard time finding a job.  Finding a job is hard work and it seems just a little too good to be true to guarantee a job.  I figured that there has to be a catch; and after some research and chatting with friends, I realized there is- a job guarantee is just that - you may have a job - but it may not be somewhere you want to work; and if a program guarantees jobs, well, you better bet that you will have some pressure to take whatever is offered, even if it's less than ideal. 

I won't say that schools offering a guarantee are bad - I am sure that there is some competitive pressure to make this type of offer and I don't have experience with them, so I can't really speak, personally, about how these promises pan out.  I can say, however, that I opted for a program that didn't make any guarantees other than giving their all to teaching you and prepping you/helping you in the job search process; and I feel like Project Shift did exactly what they promised (and more).  I recommend just doing research and asking a lot of questions - when are people getting jobs, where, do you have a list of where each student is employed that I can see?

Students should be prepared to work... A LOT.  I describe it to my friends as taking 5 college classes in a summer school session. BUT, the rewards are awesome, the people are nice, and I found a job within a month of finishing Project Shift from a connection that I made during the program.  It's work that I am interested in at a company that is really impressive.

I couldn't be more pleased with Project Shift - excellent level of education.  Awesome program where I ended up with my own final full-stack application and experience in a simulated agile environment to talk about during my interviews.

If you are like me and have been thinking about this for ages but are worried about taking the leap, I say go for it!