Parsity

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.

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!