Rithm School offers a full-time, 16-week, full stack web development immersion bootcamp in San Francisco, California and will be conducting cohorts remotely through the end of 2020. Their curriculum is centered around JavaScript and Python, and also covers PostgreSQL, Flask, Node, Express, React, Redux, and computer science fundamentals. Rithm School aims to help students to not only gain a deep understanding of the industry but also graduate with a portfolio of re...
Rithm School offers a full-time, 16-week, full stack web development immersion bootcamp in San Francisco, California and will be conducting cohorts remotely through the end of 2020. Their curriculum is centered around JavaScript and Python, and also covers PostgreSQL, Flask, Node, Express, React, Redux, and computer science fundamentals. Rithm School aims to help students to not only gain a deep understanding of the industry but also graduate with a portfolio of real-world projects in which they have been involved. Rithm School was founded in 2016 in San Francisco, California to provide access to a full-time accelerated learning program, with class sizes small enough to provide one-on-one instruction with instructors who have experience in both teaching and web development.
The application process is multi-step, including an online application; a phone call with the Director of Admissions; preparation for the technical interview using a free JavaScript prep course; and a visit to the campus for the problem-solving-focused technical interview. Rithm School will notify students if they are accepted, or suggest more study and a repeat interview.
The final weeks of the Rithm School program involves job readiness preparation and real-time practice. Upon graduation, students receive mentorship from a career coach who can help with connections to companies requiring tech skills, including open opportunities with partner companies, including Slow Ventures network.
Before joining Rithm, I was a restaurant manager. I had absolutely zero technical background. Now I am a backend engineer at one of cloud native database company. Rithm school made this switch possible! There are so many bootcamp options but I will tell you why you have to choose Rithm school.
1. Curriculum
Rithm school teach full stack web development. They teach frontend development in Javascript and backend development in Javascript and Python. Which are pret...
Before joining Rithm, I was a restaurant manager. I had absolutely zero technical background. Now I am a backend engineer at one of cloud native database company. Rithm school made this switch possible! There are so many bootcamp options but I will tell you why you have to choose Rithm school.
1. Curriculum
Rithm school teach full stack web development. They teach frontend development in Javascript and backend development in Javascript and Python. Which are pretty similar with other bootcamp. However, MAJOR DIFFERENCE is that they teach not only practical knowledge but also fundamental concepts behind the practical knowledge. This makes students to adapt new technologies and language easier and effectively. They also spend quite some time on CS fundamental and data structure which are often neglected by the other bootcamp. It is very possible that you have to do your interview or new job with unfamiliar language and technologies. The combination of practical knowledge and fundamental concepts that Rithm school teach you will definitely help to adapt them much more effectively.
2. Class size
Rithm school cohort is very small. My cohort was only 11 students. And we had 2 instructors and a lab instructor. Bootcamp moves very fast. We were introduced new concepts and technologies every day. This can be overwhelming and hard to catch up if you fall behind. However, thank to the RIthm small class size, we were able to get personal help from instructors and lab instructor one on one. This is very very variable advantage that Rithm school can offer you. You will never be left behind in Rithm school.
3. Instructors
Knowing technologies and languages and teaching them are totally different skill set. Rithm school's instructors are teachers as well as engineers. They are very passionate about teaching and helping students and trained to teach. This makes huge different how much you can learn from their lectures. They really care about students. Time during bootcamp can be stressful, but instructors at Rithm will definitely help you to get through that.
4. Support
Rithm school supports students many ways. They support you on technically and emotionally. Whenever you need support during bootcamp and job search, they are there to help you.
At the end of days, you as student have to put effort and work to learn. But with Rithm school, you can learn everything you need to know in order to start new career as software engineer.
I highly recommend Rithm school.
I recently completed the full-time immersive program at Rithm and strongly endorse the bootcamp. As most of the other reviews have positively note, Rithm places a critical emphasis on student learning. Small class sizes are tremendous and the low student-to-teacher ratio gave us all plenty of one-on-one time to ask directed questions and ensure understanding of the day's lecture or exercise. Additionally, instructors often stayed late with students and were easily accessible if needed.
...I recently completed the full-time immersive program at Rithm and strongly endorse the bootcamp. As most of the other reviews have positively note, Rithm places a critical emphasis on student learning. Small class sizes are tremendous and the low student-to-teacher ratio gave us all plenty of one-on-one time to ask directed questions and ensure understanding of the day's lecture or exercise. Additionally, instructors often stayed late with students and were easily accessible if needed.
Choosing a bootcamp wasn't a decision I took lightly. I attended info sessions, interviewed, and researched all of the top programs in SF. Larger programs (not be named) seemed to be operating a business model of churning out students--this is especially true where students from a prior cohort (often only a couple months of finishing the program themselves) were tapped to teach the incoming class. This was a redline for me. I'm happy to report that the Rithm instructors each have years of instruction and job experience as software engineers.
What happened to me? I leveraged the program's curriculum and my product background to get a techical product management role at Hulu.
Again, I strongly recommend the Rithm program. Comprehensive curriculum with quality instructors who care about your learning. Get in the Rithm!
Read the reviews posted by others. Rithm school is as good (and maybe even better) than they say.
Rithm focuses on small class sizes. They teach the newest technologies. As part of their curriculum, they also feature 'company projects' - this sets them apart from other bootcamps.
I was able to land a job as a Engineer a few short months after I attended Rithm.
If I could do it all over again, I would choose Rithm in a heartbeat.
If you've researched Rithm School as much as I had across Course Report, SwitchUp and Yelp, you probably had the same questions I did. Let me put your mind at ease; no these reviews are not from bots, yes they are all posted by real graduates, and yes Rithm School is just that amazing! I can only reiterate on all the advantages that make Rithm stand out that have been hammered in by so many reviews below:
Company Projects
If you've researched Rithm School as much as I had across Course Report, SwitchUp and Yelp, you probably had the same questions I did. Let me put your mind at ease; no these reviews are not from bots, yes they are all posted by real graduates, and yes Rithm School is just that amazing! I can only reiterate on all the advantages that make Rithm stand out that have been hammered in by so many reviews below:
Company Projects: In terms of the post-grad job search, this matters - a lot. Having real experience in a live production codebase that is magnitudes larger than personal apps and small projects counts for so much in the eyes of recruiters and engineering teams. Most entry-level engineering roles involve less of creating things from scratch and more of going into an existing codebase blind, learning and navigating the code structure, and making tweaks and changes to improve the final product in a way that complements the existing methodology. Being able to put this experience in your resume, and more importantly talk it up during interviews, puts you light-years ahead of most self-taught curriculums.
Instructor Quality: While company projects help to get your foot in the door for a new job, it's really the learning and retention that keep you there and allow you to thrive in your career. The instructors at Rithm are all top-notch in their knowledge of technical concepts, working methodology, and modern topics in the engineering industry. However, it's really their focus and experience as educators that set them apart from those at other bootcamps. They continuously consider and tweak the material and teaching styles to ensure that each student comprehends the most relevant portions of each concept, and at the very least has an avenue to pursue further learning. They genuinely want each person to succeed in their own personal goals, and will work alongside them to help navigate that path to success. That also means they are willing to call out areas that you may need improvement on, or if you're going down an irrelevant, tangential path. They're also hilarious.
Small Class Size: Class sizes generally range from 12-18 students, a far cry from the 30+ you'll find at other bootcamps. The high teacher-to-student ratio allows for more dedicated time for each student to ask questions, receive more help, and pursue advanced topics if desired. You'll also get closer to your classmates than you would expect as you struggle and bond together. The alumni network at Rithm is ever-growing, and genuinely looks out for one another.
These are the big three stand-out features I felt really distinguishes Rithm School from other bootcamps. Other aspects that are also high-quality are their focus on pair programming and learning collaboration, their late-stage and post-grad guidance and connections for job-searching, and a truly social and welcoming environment to build your network and friendships.
Absolutely attend one of their many free evening meetups just to experience their teaching style, talk to the instructors, and ask a million detailed questions of every concern you might have. Reach out to myself or the many Rithm alumni that will be happy and excited to talk to you about their experiences. And do that with any other bootcamp you're considering so you can make the best decision for yourself. Transitioning careers is never easy, and while Rithm School will provide you with the best tools and mindset for making that change, in the end it will be up to you to push for what you want to achieve
This review is not short! But I wrote the novel I wish I could have read when I was gathering data on which boot camp to enroll in.
A little of my background/coding journey: Prior to enrolling in Rithm school, I was a music teacher and band director in San Francisco for 3 years. I had no prior experience coding. I spent many hours scouring the internet looking for others with non-traditional backgrounds being successful after a c...
This review is not short! But I wrote the novel I wish I could have read when I was gathering data on which boot camp to enroll in.
A little of my background/coding journey: Prior to enrolling in Rithm school, I was a music teacher and band director in San Francisco for 3 years. I had no prior experience coding. I spent many hours scouring the internet looking for others with non-traditional backgrounds being successful after a coding boot camp. I failed the Hack Reactor interview twice, I failed the Rithm school interview twice, completed First Step Coding, and finally passed my third try at the Rithm school interview. However, I was the first in my class to get hired as a software engineer, just two weeks after graduation. The skills Rithm school taught me have allowed me to survive in thrive in my new role!
PSA for any boot camp - do not expect to be spoon-fed a job offer, just as having a college degree does not guarantee you a job in your field of study. I frame this review as “for 24k, will Rithm school efficiently teach you skills that set you up for success for a career in software engineering?” tl;dr is YES.
Rithm school is professional and transparent from end to end. It is very hip nowadays to say “everyone can learn to code,” and some bootcamps, unfortunately, have a business model based on “everyone can pay to learn to code”. A lucrative career in a job market that isn’t going anywhere is a sweet dream to sell. Some bootcamps I interviewed at were more than happy to accept me on the sole basis that I could kinda write a for loop, as long as I could foot the bill. Rithm school does NOT give off this vibe. They are clear on the educational objectives of their program as well as expectations for students. The top two things I was willing to shell out 24K for was the opportunity to add a highly marketable skill to my existing skill set and the internship to work on the codebase of a real-life company.
I felt supported ramping up to a career pivot by Rithm school prior to even enrolling. Their material and exercises that are free to access online proved to be an excellent source for me as I began my self-study during my teaching career. They offer free in-person evening classes, which I was able to attend while working full time to get a sense of the instructors, their teaching style, and the Rithm space in FiDi. Angelina was thorough in answering my many questions about the program. The work and time that the people at Rithm put into these components were miles beyond anything that other boot camps I was considering demonstrated.
The interview process helped me refine the objectives of my self-study. Having a set of Javascript “toy” problems to complete before the technical interview was really helpful. Additionally, the instructor Matt went out of his way to give me specific feedback to improve my skills for my next Rithm interview attempt.
Small cohort size was a huge part of my choosing Rithm school. I had toured Hack Reactor (since acquired by Galvanize) and was immediately put off by the 80+ students per lecture. I was horrified by the Hack Reactor practice of throwing a pillow microphone to any student who wanted to ask a question during the lecture. I am not a shy person, but I know the way I learn new material best is to ask lots of good questions. My cohort had 12 students, including myself. I felt SO so comfortable raising my hand to ask a clarifying question. My instructors Matt and Micheal never shot me down and took the time to answer. My quality of learning would have suffered if I didn’t have the intimate learning environment Rithm provides.
My instructors Matt and Michael were stellar. There was never a time where I felt the “uuuuuuuh what’s next” - I’ve seen many a teacher - myself included- fall into this, and I appreciated the professionalism that Matt and Michael showed up with every day. I feel fortunate that my personality and learning style meshed well with their personalities and teaching style. It’s always tricky when it comes to teacher preferences, as everyone responds differently to different personalities and teaching styles. Any instructor you have at Rithm will give you a quality experience, but I highly recommend dropping in a free evening class to get a feel of each instructors’ style. Matt was my assigned advisor, who I was able to meet with in a 1:1 every other week. This individualized attention, among many other things, is what I was willing to pay half my teacher salary for. From a pedagogical standpoint, getting a teacher’s undivided attention and support is invaluable to learning. I utilized this time to go over concepts I was having trouble with, battle imposter syndrome, and get my resume and cover letter critiqued.
The first 12 weeks of the program are what people usually think when they think “coding bootcamp”- learning many concepts in a short period of time. However, Rithm has struck the balance of lecture time and hands-on learning to accelerate your understanding. Yeah, you could sit in your house in the mornings and evenings and hack through a course on Treehouse/Udacity etc, but having experienced instructors to guide you through the nuts and bolts towards a tangible lesson objective is so powerful. If you are a band nerd/orch dork like me, it will feel like one of those multi-day high school band festivals, where you work your butt off for hours every day, but the infectious energy from your peers keeps you going. As a former teacher, I appreciate the organization and though they put into their curriculum. I had access to a google doc that detailed hour by hour what material and exercises we would be completed in the coming weeks. I had access to the lecture notes the night before, so I could read it then, take notes on it in the morning, hear it in lecture, and practice it in the lab. This focussed structure and organization allowed me to thrive and learn quickly.
The labs were a good balance of lecture vs hands on learning time (“I do, we do, you do” teaching model). None of the labs felt like “busy work”, they lined up well with the concepts that were taught in the lecture. Written instructions for labs well written and organized - a clear goal for each one. There was a good starting code provided, clear and organized steps for the exercises. Sprints were multi-day labs working on a larger project, which could be featured in your portfolio. Having these jumping off points to build my portfolio was invaluable.
Sidenote: I LOVED the space available to students. The office was clean, great couches and study lap things. I especially loved the whiteboard tables and walls! Writing out material in an organized way is a huge part of my learning style, I used the whiteboard tables daily in the morning to go over the lecture notes for the day. The lecture halls have excellent projectors that make it easy to follow along with the material. There are nice office chairs to sit in both the lecture halls and labs, with proper whiteboard tables. I mention this because I noticed that both Hackbright and Hack Reactor had students sit on the floor to take notes, and I couldn’t fathom being able to focus in that environment.
Company projects were perhaps the biggest deciding factor in choosing Rithm school. I knew that coming from a nontraditional background I was going to need something tangible to add to my resume. I know other boot camps have you build things for a portfolio, and that pales in comparison to Rithm’s offering to be able to work on a real-life company code base. For three weeks I was able to work on team of 6 of my classmates to contribute in a meaningful way to a company codebase. The experience of having morning standup (checking in with the team), learning a git workflow, writing tests, and adjusting to a large codebase were all factors that gave me a huge leg up in the job hunt.
In terms of job hunting support, I will reiterate what I mentioned before - I went in knowing I was paying 24k for individual attention, a small cohort size, a well-organized curriculum, the office space, and company projects. I 100% received what I expected for the price. I knew that I would need to be proactive in my job search and to take what skills they taught me and run like mad. That being said, Rithm still does provide some basic job hunting support - resume work, time to work on your portfolio and website, mock interviews. It is more passive support than aggressive support. I am happy to hear that they have recently hired a career coach, who advises students to use many of the strategies that I myself used to get hired two weeks after I graduated.
Having worked full time as a full-stack engineer for nearly two months now, I can say that Rithm truly prepared me well for my role. Although my company's stack is in Ruby/Ruby on Rails, the solid tenants of professional programming that the instructors instilled in me serve me every day. From test-driven development to pair programming to problem-solving, I feel prepared for whatever my job throws at me. This is an incredible feeling, especially thinking about how I was a k-8 music and band teacher just a year ago.
The Rithm alumni network is an amazing resource to be able to tap into. When I was scouring for reviews about a year ago, the number of alumni was smaller, and I am thrilled to see it continue to grow. A fellow Rithm alumn who was also a teacher in a former career works just down the street from my office, and we communicate near daily our experiences in our job.
I love talking about my experience at Rithm school as well as job hunting strategies. Please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn if you would like to learn more about my experience at Rithm! I am happy to help the next person into this exciting career from a non-traditional background.
In short, Rithm was a truly incredible educational experience that allowed me to transition from my previous job as a high school math teacher to a full-fledged software engineer. It’s hard to write something that hasn’t been already covered in depth below, but let me reiterate on two main points that make Rithm unique: the learning experience at Rithm, and the company projects.
Rithm is an amazing place to learn full stack web development....
In short, Rithm was a truly incredible educational experience that allowed me to transition from my previous job as a high school math teacher to a full-fledged software engineer. It’s hard to write something that hasn’t been already covered in depth below, but let me reiterate on two main points that make Rithm unique: the learning experience at Rithm, and the company projects.
Rithm is an amazing place to learn full stack web development. The small class sizes make asking questions or getting feedback on your code a breeze. The lectures and exercises are of high quality and carefully structured to build on each other. They also constantly incorporate feedback into their lectures to make them more effective. My last note on this are the incredible teachers. I know what it looks like when a teacher is there just for a paycheck, and when a teacher is passionate about teaching and working with students. Without a doubt, the teachers at Rithm love teaching, and want to see you succeed.
The company projects are one of the highlights of being at Rithm. Not only does it give you a feel of actually working on production level code, but it differentiates you from the other bootcamp grads out there (and there are a lot). It also gives you something concrete to talk about with recruiters and other engineers. I talked about my company project in every single interview. It showed how I could take project specs, break them down, work with others and deliver under a deadline. Which is what you do every day as an engineer.
I was very fortunate in my job search and received two job offers in two months after graduating. I couldn’t have done it without Rithm and can’t recommend the school enough.
How much does Rithm School cost?
Rithm School costs around $24,000.
What courses does Rithm School teach?
Rithm School offers courses like Full-Time Web Development.
Where does Rithm School have campuses?
Rithm School has an in-person campus in San Francisco.
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