Redwood Code Academy

I attended the Summer-Fall Cohort of 2018 as part of the Full Stack Immersion course. I had graduated from UCLA with a degree in Aerospace Engineering so I a little bit of experience in coding (took one basic C++ course and mostly coded mathematical computations using Matlab).

Before I started, I went into it knowing it was going to be very difficult and worried a lot whether or not I could keep up with my cohort members. I was so worried that I had gone over the required section of the prework about 4-5 times over until I had a sense that I had grasped the basics in javascript, html, css. I didn't even try to get to the intermediate and advanced sections of the prework until felt like I had fully understood the basics. I also finished some of the certifications from freeCodeCamp to prepare myself. From my whole experience, I would say that my preparation helped build a foundation that I could work from and would really recommend going over the prework meticulously (maybe not as much as me).

Overall, like most of the other reviewers had said, you really do get as much as you put into it. The instructors at Redwood try to help you to the best of their abilities and provide you the resources to become a better developer, but at the end of the day, it wholly depends on how much of an effort you put into it.

Pros:

• Instructors were great, Patrick was extremely knowledgeable with every question that I asked him and would give me extra resources if I wanted to know more about something. Taylor was also very great, he was extremely patient and kind to all the cohort members especially if you were at a roadblock. Harrison was also great as he was especially knowledgeable of the industry and with most of the holistic aspects.
• Loved the atmosphere as everyone in the cohort was extremely friendly and just fun to be around.
• The after hour lessons were extremely helpful as they went over concepts that we did not have time to cover in normal class hours. (Would highly recommend you stay for the after hour lessons for at least the first half of the course).
• I also gained a lot of insight about the job market as guest speakers came and answered any questions about the hiring process.
• We also participated in a group project (optional) for after hours in hopes that we would develop a deployable application. This was extremely fun and rewarding as I had learned a lot from this experience. Sadly, we were not able to finish it as we had gotten too busy with the externship and personal projects.

Cons:

• The first few couple of weeks were a little slow for my pace, but I decided that take that as an opportunity to hone my skills further by assigning myself extra goals or finish more of the curriculum from freeCodeCamp to prepare myself for the upcoming weeks.
• As the 12 weeks were coming to a close, I still felt like there was so much to learn and I was still not that confident in my coding skills. After all, I was competing in the job market against 4 year CS degree students. It still felt like I had a long way to go before I was ready for my first job.
• Overall, I did not have too many gripes about the curriculum as whatever I believed they were lacking, I took it upon myself that it was my responsibility to ask for resources and do independent studying.

I don't really have any input in terms of job assistance; I got sick on the day of the mock interview (which I really regret missing). I would recommend attending this academy only if you have the motivation to learn. After the cohort ended, I took job searching a little slowly (tried to make it a goal to get at least 7-10 job applications a week). After about 3 months, I was finally able to get my first job offer which I gratefully accepted.

All in all, I really am thankful of the instructors of Redwood Code Academy for helping me achieve my goal of landing a job as a developer!

I would like to preface this review with a disclaimer that this review was not meant to attack the school itself, but instead provide an honest review on how I experienced the program. I hope that my readers will take these points into consideration instead of meeting this review with anger.  I also want to give "Overall Experience" 3.5 stars since I did enjoy parts of the cohort (but there aren't half stars!).

I'll start with the cons:

• Job assistance: going into this program, I really wish that the recruitment process would have been a lot more transparent in terms of job outlook. If it will take an average of three months to find a job, please make students aware of it. I was very unhappy to learn that months into the program, considering I was encouraged to leave my full time job for the full time cohort, with the push of "You'll make [the 13k tuition] back in two paychecks." With interest piling up, I don't quite think so. Job prep definitely should have been more hands on- resume help should be in person and not over Slack. I had to seek assistance from my classmates to turn my less than stellar resume into something that really showcased my professional experience. It is also worth noting that interview prep and "recruitment" only took place over two days during an optional week. Please prepare students with more information on the computer science side of interviews. Integrate more concepts into lessons. I can code, yes, but can I explain it? Not really.
• C# and .NET: For technologies so marketable in the area, I was hoping that this portion of the cohort would be more comprehensive and involved. Instead, I didn't feel that I got the most out of this portion. It felt disorganized and rushed. Trying to study C# outside of the program really emphasized how little I knew about the language. 
• Externship: Our capstone project. I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, it was a really neat experience getting to "work" in the industry, but was it really work? There was no code review for our work - after the presentation, we instructed to just zipped our code up and ship it to, what I will assume is, our client. Nothing else was mentioned or said about the project. There needed to be more transparency and more professionalism with this project. There is no paper trail of our having done work for our clients, yet we were instructed to list the externship as work experience. I want to know what our project became since my group and I worked extremely hard on it. Also, there was very little communication with our client. 

The pros:

• The instructors: The instructors were absolutely fantastic. Super supportive, and fun to be around. There was no such thing as a stupid question to them, and I really appreciated how open they were to helping students to make sure nobody falls behind.
• The culture: Speaking from the perspective of the only female in the cohort. Everyone here was very inclusive. Not once was my gender made salient. The school was awesome in that regard.
• As I've mentioned above, there were parts I really enjoyed about the program. The first half of the program was very informative, and I learned a lot during my time here. But the second half of the program really could've used some fine-tuning. First half had really good pacing; second half was rushed. 

So, you might be asking why this stuff is being addressed here. Well, I think when you've initially graduated, the thrill and enthusiasm from accomplishing something big really fills you with positive feelings, but as I started to recap as I am preparing to get out there, I began to realize parts that were really lacking. 

I loved the school, honestly. I hope that this review doesn't discourage you from applying,as there were good parts, but instead helps you to really think about it. It's a huge life decision, so having both sides of the coin is helpful, in my honest opinion.

Congrats on your decision to attend a coding bootcamp! I absolutely recommend to take the bootcamp route. Although I know a few self taught developers, I personally feel much more prepared and skilled having attended Redwood Code Academy. I graduated in the April 2018 cohort and landed a job just 3 weeks after graduating! What I learned at Redwood thoroughly prepared me for my position with a small start up working with React Native. At Redwood I learned various languages and frameworks. Redwood is one of the only bootcamps in the area that teaches React, which I think is the best framework to know when getting into the job market! We learned Vanilla JavaScript, JQuery, React, React Native, and some Angular. I appreciate the instruction I received while learning .NET, because I learned a lot about MVC frameworks. It was especially great that we got exposure to Node.js as well. At Redwood you will get a taste of everything you need to become a succesful developer. As with any bootcamp, at Redwood you will get the foundation you need to effectively learn any language or framework and build your skills to become advanced in your preferred stack(s). Harrison offers great advice regarding getting your first job. He keeps it 100% real as he was responsible for hiring many developers throughout his career, and he knows what he's talking about. I'm so grateful for my time at Redwood and helping me change my life by becoming a software engineer.

Initial impression...

When I arrived for an info session at Redwood I exprected to be ushered into a room full of people for a typical hour of power point slides and a general sales pitchy type session.  Instead I was welcomed by Harrison, Redwood's Founder and Karim, Redwood's Program Director who sat me down for an individual interview which I appreciated. This allowed me to get better insight for the program and allowed me to ask questions I would've been hesitant to ask in a group setting.  The transparency was present from the beginning and reassuring when making a big decision like this.  It truly set them apart from the options in OC.

Cohort 

Got nothing but respect for everyone in my Cohort.  We all put in hard work, long hours, coded together and on most Fridays had a student podcast. Friends were made and I would be happy to work with any of my fellow RCA alum knowing they have the skills and programming thought process required to make software. 

Technologies 

My Cohort covered HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AngularJS, Git, Node, API’s (used after I understood API’s PostmarkApp, Optical Character Recognition OCR, Walmart Search API) & C# & Azure SQL Database)  I knew Harrison would not be teaching something that did not have value and man was I right. 

Things move fast in development and the technology stack that was covered was a great starting point for my foundation of knowledge. I left knowing I would need to continue to evolve over the next few months and years to come. 

Instructions 

All instructors Harrison, Billy and Taylor we’re always professional accessible at any point of my frustration or confusion and I knew that help was only one slack message, "Hey Billy, or help me.. I don’t get it. " 

In the end.. 

My personal limits were the only boundary… RCA might teach programming but they teach a skill even more valuable and that’s the ability to think like a programmer. To me, programming is a thought process and I can confirm that the RCA instructors can teach one to become a developer if the student is willing to be taught. 

After Graduation:

Updated my resume with my newly acquired software development skills and had no issues finding work with in the software industry. Happily coding most days.

I did a lot of research before I picked a coding school and these guys lived up to their online representation. This review is for the Full Immersion program. 

The professors are dedicated to the students, the curriculum is relevant and up-to-date, and Harrison is pretty much a genius and can solve any issue that comes your way when working through labs or projects. 

It is absolutely true that you get what you put in, but the professors are right there with you and always providing support and encouragement while keeping expectations realistic when it comes to projects.

They don't overly micromanage your time, so your lunches are yours and if you're done with all labs etc. for the day sometimes people would leave early, but most of the time there is a stretch lab so you can keep going to learn more, again you get out what you put in.

Great career advice and prep and had industry speakers come in and share their knowledge the last couple weeks.

Would highly recommend this school. 

Hit me up @codernoon on Instagram if you have any specific questions or contact the school directly, Karim is super helpful.

Anyone that is on the fence about whether or not to attend a bootcamp - stop debating. If you’re researching the code schools to death and still feel unsure of where to go - stop looking. My only regret is not starting this sooner. I researched a ton of camps before deciding to attend Redwood, and I am so thankful that I made this decision. The curriculum is current and relevant to the job market. The content is challenging and intense, but you can still feel comfortable asking questions and seeking help when you need it. If your curiosity of a particular technology takes you somewhere beyond what the course curriculum entails, the instructors are more than willing to work with you on whatever your interests are in their free time. You have 24/7 access to the truly brilliant minds of the leader and instructors, which is an invaluable resource. What sets Redwood apart from the rest is the obvious dedication, brilliance, and enthusiasm that exudes from their staff. It’s apparent that they eat, sleep, and breath code. The instructors are excited about development and dedicated to your success as a developer. They provide you with the knowledge, training, and resources that it takes to secure that dream job. I have no complaints about this program and would highly recommend it to absolutely anyone. Don’t just take my word for it though...contact Harrison with any questions, concerns, or thoughts you may have about the program. I assure you he will respond in a timely manner with all of the info you’ll need! 

I came into this course not knowing anything in regards to coding. I had my doubts and had visited several boot camps before making a decision. The first impression is always the most crucial and Harrison Spain blew me out of the water. He walked me through how this course works and what the expectations are. He put my mind at ease. Over the past 3 months, i have had ups and downs, I have felt completely lost and each time something connected the feeling of accomplishment was amazing. Several fully functional apps later I have a solid grasp on coding for the languages that we have learned and full confidence in learning new ones with ease. 10/10 would absolutely go through this experience again. The teachers were awesome, the students were great and I am all the better having gone through this class!!!

This decision changed my life. Before I decided to embark on this journey, I was completely miserable. Even though I was doing well career-wise, I absolutely despised my job! My experience here has been rewarding, challenging, and WORTH EVERY PENNY!

Curriculum:

So far, we've gone over Javascript, JQuery, Angular JS, C#, SQL, and various industry best practices and operational frameworks such as Agile which includes SCRUM.  The curriculum is very robust and fast-paced. It is tailored to the increasing job demands of the Orange County market. 

Instructors:

Harrison, Billy, and Taylor are the most knowledgeable and patient instructors I've ever had the pleasure of working with. The structure of the class is small so that each student has the opportunity to obtain personal instruction should they need to.

Job Assistance:

N/A

Overall, my experience has exceeded my expectations, and I am excited to finish this journey and see where this path leads me!

After watching "Silicon Valley" on HBO one sunday night, I was inspired, and wanted to learn how to code, and  be able to create things, as part of a team, or on my own. Before enrolling into Redwood Code Academy, I was in the medical field as a Respiratory Therapist, with no experience in coding. I started teaching myself code by trying out free courses online, and did that for a month. While I was self teaching, I found myself learning at a slow pace, and needed to go somewhere that would push me to learn.. 

MAN!!!, did I get what I was asking for.. At Redwood Code Academy each day would start off with a lesson, and after lunch would be a lab. The lab would take up the rest of the day. It would make me think, and occasionally frustrate me. The thing is, they dont always expect you to finish the lab, but understanding the concept from the lesson prior, is what they are really trying to push.

 The instructors: Harrison, Billy, and Taylor are very knowledgable know their stuff, when it comes to making RPG games,  teaching, and what jobs will be looking for during an interview. There will be days when you feel like you hit a wall, but the instructors are there to help and point you to the right direction.

I am 6 weeks in, and half way through the program. My experience so far at Redwood Code Academy has been nothing but challenging, and  I wouldn't have it any other way! I have learned so much these past 6 weeks, than I would have on my own. My colleagues in my cohort, come in all different ages, from their mid teens to their late 30's! I say this because, it's never too early, or too late! If you have been considering to learn to code, and want to go to a place that will give you that push! Redwood Code Academy is the place to be!

I always wanted to pursue a career in coding but after graduating with a Marketing degree I thought it was too late. I had watched quiet a few youtube videos about HTML, CSS and Javascript as well as took a few courses on code academy but my coding experience and knowledge was very limited. After working in the Marketing field for a year I decided to take a leap of faith and pursue coding. I googled coding bootcamps and realized there were quiet a few in the LA/ Orange County area as well as online. I talked to many of the bootcamps but soon realized Redwood was the choice for me. The class size is small which I loved because I was already intimated coming in with such little experience. The professor to student ratio is perfect. In my cohort there were 3 professors and 15 students. There was always someone to answer your questions or help you catch up if you had fallen behind. The professors are amazing and willing to go the extra mile for students. If they could tell we were struggling they would hold extra study sessions after class and review the material as many times as we asked. Redwood goes above and beyond for their students. Not only do they provide an incredible curriculum that will prepare you for a job but they also give students an awesome learning enviorment. I would reccommend Redwood to anyone interested in pursuing a career in coding. It was the best decision I ever made!

This is a comprehensive review of Redwood Code Academy.

About me: before Redwood, I was a student looking to develop my understanding of programming so I could better contribute to an app development project at Stanford University. I specifically sought to increase my skills and understanding of front-end design using HTML and CSS, while simultaneously getting to know how code works. These goals, along with my schedule and financial situation, led me to take the part-time class at Redwood Code which runs in the evenings from 6:30 to 9:30PM.

Content/Course: the course is fast-paced! Do your homework and pay attention while the instructor talks. Billy, the lead instructor,  is very funny and personable and is there 24/7 to answer any concerns and issues. If you get stuck while he is lecturing, Taylor, another kind instructor, walks around the room to help debug and resolve any issues. Throughout the course you learn CSS, HTML, Java and more and the languages’ application in the real-world is tested in your homework. Homework ranges from review to challenges so you have plenty to do after class! You are provided with resources to review content before and after class and additional material to supplement your understanding, but as with all coding bootcamps, what you get is what you put out. The structure of the class goes from learning in lectures, a short break, to practicing in the lab time where you can do homework with guidance from the instructors. My advice: definitely come in with snacks on your break as it may get tiring at night, give yourself enough time to learn before and after class, and be patient! Learning a new skill is not easy, but with practice you will find yourself feeling more and more versed.  

Instruction:

Billy and Taylor (did not experience Harrison) were generous, light-hearted and knowledgeable instructors, you felt at the same time safe and challenged asking questions, providing input, and also working in the class while doing the lab. I got to witness Harrison lead other classes and noticed his calm demeanor and confidence in teaching as well!

Community:

• You work in a small cohort

• There are many OC locals and everyone has a story, so you can always relate.

• Doesn’t feel too technical nor impersonal at this academy unlike some larger academies.

• There is always one-on-one help whether in-person or via a Slack channel.

• Billy was thoughtful to put a dongle on my desk every day knowing I had a Mac that only had a USB port.

• It is a very cool and chill working space-- I liked having the choice to work in the office spaces and classroom. There’s even ping-pong and VR for a mental break!

Job prospects:

• I wasn’t searching for a job, but I could see that the team here was intent on sourcing their students.

• There were side projects and hackathons suggested for students to develop their programming skills outside of the classroom for cash prizes, and portfolio and skill development.

Finances:

I was able to work on the Redwood Code Team as an intern, which reduced my cost of attending the part-time class. Harrison was very intent on providing an opportunity for me to learn despite my financial constraints.