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Prime Digital Academy offers an intensive, 20-week full-stack coding bootcamp and an 18-week UX design bootcamp in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Working directly with Twin Cities tech employers, Prime Digital Academy has created programs that equip emerging engineers and designers with the skills they need to make immediate contributions. Prime students learn modern technologies, practical methodologies, and critical behavioral skills through carefully crafted curriculum and real-world projects for pro-bono clients in the community. Prime’s immersive programs empower learners from diverse backgrounds to begin their new careers in months, not years.Prime’s full-stack engineering course prepares students with the skills and hands-on experience to develop complex software to solve businesses problems. Prime’s user experience design curriculum prepares students with professional practice in research, design and prototype software that is usable and meaningful. Prime graduates have been hired by nearly 200 companies in Minnesota, and the tight-knit learning community continues long after graduation, with students participating in mentorship, community education and ongoing alumni career support.
I graduated from Prime in January 2016. My experience at Prime was absolutely exceptional. Cohorts are 20-22 people with 2 instructors and a floating TA for the whole school. As I was somewhat early on in the program (fiifth cohort) they were still working the kinks out of the curriculum, but I thought it was fantastic. Like all other programs, like life really, you get out of it what you put into it, but I felt like the atmosphere was set up so well that it was nearly impossible not to th...
I graduated from Prime in January 2016. My experience at Prime was absolutely exceptional. Cohorts are 20-22 people with 2 instructors and a floating TA for the whole school. As I was somewhat early on in the program (fiifth cohort) they were still working the kinks out of the curriculum, but I thought it was fantastic. Like all other programs, like life really, you get out of it what you put into it, but I felt like the atmosphere was set up so well that it was nearly impossible not to throw a lot of energy into the program.
I found the instructors totally capable and enthusiastic, though sometimes unwilling to answer questions which strayed too far outside of the curriculum. Most of them are young and come from a variety of backgrounds (UX, Angular, Game Design, et c.) with (from what I could tell) 8-15 years of experience each. From what I could tell most of the staff there did not have traditional CS backgrounds, for what it is worth. At least a few had outside projects that they were getting off the ground at the same time as teaching.
The curriculum is 18 weeks total: 6 weeks of guided (and required) pre-work, they essentially give you a log-in to Code School and give you weekly assignments. The pre-work period is pretty laid-back and meant for students to complete while still working or preparing for the in-class portion.
The in-class portion (currently located in Bloomington, MN just south of Minneapolis) is twelve weeks. There is a heavy emphasis on soft skills: public speaking, working in teams, simulating working in large groups and with clients that change their minds. It seems that the curriculum is changing with every cohort but my cohort spend two weeks rehashing HTML/CSS and vanilla Javascript. The third week we went through the full stack, building out a basic app from front to back with Angular, Node.js/Express and Mongo. They have also started teachiing Post-GreSQL. The next three weeks are solidifying the basics of full stack programming. There is generally a decent sized assignment (6-12hrs) over the weekend which incorporates whatever was learned over the week. One or two nights a week there are small assignments, but there were very few nights where I felt rushed for time. One of my few complaints with the program was that there was very little feedback on assignments or progress, though all the intructors and staff seem very open to suggestion and resonsive to any big concerns.
After the in-class learning portion there was a two week personal project. This time was fairly hands off for the instructors, though they are always around to help. They 'Okay' a scope of work then send you on your way. I found this to be a great way to learn, but this might not work for everyone.
The last 3-4 weeks are spent on a group project doing pro-bono work building a full stack app for a non-profit client. This is a real project with a real deadline and expectations and while it is demanding there is a lot of support provided. They put a lot of work picking high quality clients and you can see that these folks tend to be very responsive and helpful (we calculated the value and the project would cost something like $70,000+ if done by an agency).
The last week is spent wrapping up any loose ends of projects, doing interviews with hiring partners and working though common interview questions.
Prime is closely linked to the Nerdery and there is some cross talk between students and Nerdery folks. The nerdery has only hired a handful of grads though and this is more a friendly connection than a direct pipeline.
I like to think that I could have learned all the tech stuff on my own, but it would have taken a year rather than four months. The emphasis at Prime on people is massive, though. They make sure the cohorts are diverse (in gender, race as well as backgrounds) and it is a great way to network and make friends.
I found a range of reactions to Prime in the Twin Cities tech community, many postive and exciting reactions and some who had not heard of Prime. I have yet to hear any substantive negative feedback or poor opinions yet, though they may be out there.
Placement rates as reported to us are very good, but also vary by cohort. They make this clear, though not till the end of the program. It seems like 75% of grads get jobs by three or four months post gradutation, and 95% have jobs by six months out though these numbers will probably get even better as Prime's name gets more recognition. It has been about a week since i have graduated and I have three in-person interviews and have been recieving contacts from recruiters at the rate of about one every other day. Reported salaries out of Prime are 42k-68k/yr and while they don't say anything specific they recommend asking for 50-60k, more if you have relevant experience. They do make it pretty clear (again, at the end of the program) that it is much easier to get a position within the Twin Cities than outside. So don't expect to come to Prime then go off and get a 120k job in the Bay.
Overall the experiance was great. There were some pretty tough parts, and I definitely have a few criticisms of the program and staff, but overall I'm super greatful I got to go through it.
How much does Prime Digital Academy cost?
Prime Digital Academy costs around $17,000. On the lower end, some Prime Digital Academy courses like Full Stack Engineering - Full Time cost $15,500.
What courses does Prime Digital Academy teach?
Prime Digital Academy offers courses like Full Stack Engineering - Full Time, Full Stack Engineering - Part-Time, User Experience Design.
Where does Prime Digital Academy have campuses?
Prime Digital Academy has in-person campuses in Minneapolis. Prime Digital Academy also has a remote classroom so students can learn online.
Is Prime Digital Academy worth it?
Prime Digital Academy hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 121 Prime Digital Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Prime Digital Academy on Course Report - you should start there!
Is Prime Digital Academy legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 121 Prime Digital Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Prime Digital Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.88 out of 5.
Does Prime Digital Academy offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Prime Digital Academy offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.
Can I read Prime Digital Academy reviews?
You can read 121 reviews of Prime Digital Academy on Course Report! Prime Digital Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Prime Digital Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.88 out of 5.
Is Prime Digital Academy accredited?
Prime Digital Academy is licensed as a private career school with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pursuant to Minnesota Statutes.
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