Rithm School

I'm a graduate of Rithm School's 3rd cohort. Having done a lot of research about bootcamps before I decided to attend one, I'm convinced that Rithm School is either the best or at least at the same level as the best programs in the city. And I would wholeheartedly recommend Rithm School to anyone considering learning full-stack web development in SF.  

Here are my top 4 reasons why I think so:

1. Company projects - 

As far as I am aware, there is no other bootcamp that offers all graduates the opportunity to work on two full-stack, real-world projects that for external companies. This is a huge deal and something that I did not initially fully internalize. It's incredibly rewarding to be able to learn the fundamentals of web development whilst building personal web apps or small fun projects but it's even more remarkable when you can see the results of your efforts being applied to a real-world problem faced by an existing company. It's just a higher level of accountability and responsibility. You might even get the chance to interact with external developers and designers . But crucuially, this is something that recruiters will love to hear. 

Once you've had some experience working on external company projects then recruiters would be more likely to think of you as a developer who can produce tangible results for their company. 

2. Small class sizes

Rithm School is committed to never having class sizes greater than 15 or 16 and given they currently have 3 instructors, this works out to be roughly 5 students per instuctor. This is significantly better than all other bootcamps that I'm personally aware of. This personal touch means that you will be heard more often and you can overcome annoying stumbling blocks quicker and because each instructor has a a different background, you can often get different perspectives for solving challenging problems. 

3.  Curriculum + Warm ups -  

Rithm school teaches fullstack JavaScript as well as Python. Crucically, they spend a lot of time ensuring that you develop your skills mastering the fundamentals of the language (JavaScript or Python) before you get to work with frameworks or technologies (React, Redux, Flask etc.). One reason for this is that web development is a rapidly changing field and there will be new hot frameworks in the future that will be released. But if you know the basics of the language then you can always learn the new frameworks that will inevitably be created.

Every morning at Rithm, you are given 1hour to solve a tightly-scoped technical problem. These are called warm ups. After the hour, students as well as an instructor debrief and discuss different approaches to solving this problem. I found it really useful to analyse different approaches to solving problems. This foundational training was ultimately invaluable for me when I started to work on whiteboarding problems and technical screens whilst I was interviewing!

4. The instructors

It was refreshing to be taught by developers who clearly enjoy teaching. Moreover, all students are encouraged to raise their hands to ask questions as much as possible. If asking a question in a class full of 10 people is not your style, then you can always Slack one of the instructors for 1-on-1 explanations or reviews. Furthermore, Rithm often runs part-time classes on Saturdays so if you need some additional review, then you're welcome to attend a Saturday class or meet one of the instructors during breaks. 

Like any program, you will get out what you put in but the instructors are really invested in ensuring that you are more supported throughtout the course. 

Overall, Rithm School provided a fantastic foundation for me enter the world of software engineering. And I'm excited to be taking those skills onto my next job at Pinterest.

I'm happy to provide more info as an alumni so feel free to reach me on LinkedIn/Twitter if you have any more questions!

I was part of Rithm’s third cohort, completing both the 6-week part-time and 13-week full-time programs. Prior to deciding to join the third cohort, I also attended a large number of Rithm’s free coding workshops.

My experience was fantastic, and I would highly recommend Rithm to anyone looking to learn more about coding and get career-ready for a job as a software engineer. Thanks to the program and all that I learned (in addition to a lot of hard work), I transitioned from a career in a completely different industry and achieved my goal of becoming a software engineer in SF!

Here are some highlights:

1) The instructors are amazing! The instructors (Elie, Matt, and Tim) are not only passionate about what they do, but they also truly care about the students and go above and beyond to help you learn. Their energy and enthusiasm comes through while they are teaching, and they explain things in a way that is very easy to understand. I always felt comfortable to ask questions, and the instructors are super knowledgeable and will support, as well as guide, you to be the best you can.

2) The class sizes are small, & it’s a great environment! One thing that really sets Rithm apart from other bootcamps is the instructor-to-student ratio, which in our class was 1:3 (i.e., 3 instructors for 9 students). Our cohort learned a ton but also had fun doing so. My experience included lots of laughing, making friends with my classmates, and fun events hosted by Rithm (like Fourth Fridays pizza social).

3) Rithm ensures you are career-ready for a job as a software engineer (e.g., through company projects)! The quality of instruction and projects during the program is top-notch, and in an industry that is ever-changing, the instructors ensure that the curriculum is up-to-date and relevant. But, one thing that makes Rithm amazing is the opportunity to apply your learning and gain invaluable real-world software engineering experience through working in teams on projects for actual companies in the final stage of the program.

If you are considering Rithm, check out their free online-content and/or attend one of their free coding workshops. Originally I was planning to only do self-study and not go to a coding school, but after testing the waters and exploring some of Rithm’s free events and curriculum, I was hooked! I am so grateful for Rithm and how much I’ve been able to learn in such a short amount of time, while having a good experience doing so.

I am a Product Manager who came to Rithm School looking to improve my technical skills.  Originally, I came considered doing a full-time bootcamp.  If I did decide on that route, Rithm would be one of my top choices.  

The instructors are very knowledgeable about programming and are very patient with students such as myself who are not originally wired to think the way most developers do.  The support I received outside of class definitely enriched my learning experience.  I appreciate the instructors' teaching style where they would ask questions, so that I can work my way to the answer.  This is more conducive to my learning than just giving me the answer.

The curriculum also changes based on the feedback of the students.  If we wanted to spend more time on a particular topic, the instructors would adjust their lesson plan for the day.

I was fortunate enough to attend the full-time web development course at Rithm School as a part of their third cohort.  I can say, with full confidence, that this was one of the best learning experiences that I've had to date.  And here's why.

Learning how to learn

At Rithm, I learnt a whole slew of programming languages (Javascript, Python, Ruby) and their corresponding libraries and frameworks.  But the most important skill that I learnt at Rithm was learning how to learn.  Bare with me, this concept takes a while to explain.

If you haven't done any programming in the past, you will find out that it's exceptionally difficult to learn a new programming language.  In addition to this, you will have to learn how to use libraries and frameworks to make life easier when you're developing an app.  Rithm's curriculum makes it much easier to pick up languages because it challenges you to think about how the language works under the hood (e.g. 'what does the "reduce" function actually do') and why it works that way.  This is drilled into you in the first month of the program (along with how to debug properly) and by the end of it, I was confident enough to pick up languages, libraries and frameworks in my own time and learn them without any assistance.

Smaller class sizes

Rithm has a policy of keeping class sizes small so that there are enough instructors to help out students at all times.  My cohort had 10 students and the difference was noticeable.  I had heard horror stories of students at other boot camps needing to submit support requests online and having to wait for a long while before any help was given.  That's not the case at Rithm.  If you're stuck you can walk up to an instructor and ask for help and guidance at any time.

Company projects

Nothing is learnt well unless it is applied.  This rings true for programming.  You can learn how to program by yourself and build your own projects but that doesn't prepare you for the reality of working at a company.  That's where Rithm's company projects come in to bridged that gap.  Not only will you be working with seasoned software engineers at companies, you will also be tasked with making design/structure decisions as well as planning and executing certain workflows for the company projects.

I personally found that working on these projects helped me discover and evaluate what type of software engineer I wanted to be and the types of workflows that I enjoyed in software development.  This helped shaped my career aspirations and goals.

Great mentors

Elie, Matt and Tim are some of the best instructors that you will come across.  They explain and demonstrate concepts well and take time out to ensure that information is properly absorbed before moving on.  In addition, they are extremely dedicated to keeping the curriculum up-to-date to ensure that you are learning the most relevant material.

All in all, you can't go wrong if you choose Rithm.  Yes, the price is a bit steep in comparison to most other boot camps but the quality of instruction that you will receive is unparalleled.

I attended Rithm as part of its third cohort, and I am so glad I did. I landed a great job offer within a month of graduating! It's amazing to me how fast I was able to make such a big pivot in my career.

I also applied to and was accepted at Hackbright, which has an excellent reputation, but several key differences led me to choose Rithm.

Small class sizes

Rithm classes are capped at about 12-16 students per class. My cohort had 10 students, and there were 3 instructors (though they've recently added a 4th). That ratio was incredible. I almost never had to wait to get an answer to a question. I could (and did) raise my hand and ask any question I had during lectures. And there was only one cohort at a time, so we really were a small and tight-knit group. I worried I would feel lost in the crowd at one of the bigger schools that is pushing several (much larger) cohorts through at the same time. I cannot emphasize enough how valuable the small class size was.

Excellent instructors

When I decided to attend Rithm, it felt like a bit of a gamble since there weren't really any "outcomes" or reviews to report yet - their second cohort was still in session. But I knew from poking around online that the instructors had all taught at other bootcamps in the past and had outstanding reviews. I also went to one of Rithm's many free lectures (a 6-hour JavaScript clas on a Saturday - totally free!) and had the opportunity to meet and learn from Elie, one of the cofounders and instructors. He really is such an incredible teacher, and that helped seal the deal for me. The instructors were not only incredibly smart but also incredibly kind and patient. Their lectures were well prepared and entertaining. Because of the excellent instructors and the small class sizes, I feel I was able to learn and understand better than I would have in a different environment.

Substantial prework

Rithm requires around 100 hours of prework before day 1 of the class. I really valued that because I felt it meant we would hit the ground running and be able to get further in our 13 weeks than we would have without the prework. And I was right! And they were available to answer questions in the weeks leading up to our class. Combine this with the fact that their program is a bit on the longer side (13 weeks compared to 10 weeks at Hackbright), and I feel like I got so much additional value.

Company projects

One of the biggest differentiators of Rithm is the fact that students work on two company projects in addition to the more standard solo project that most bootcamps require. These two company projects were not only great learning opportunities, but they were also incredibly valuable during my job search. They gave me real-world experience that potential employers really valued.

Great content available online for free

Rithm also has so much great content online for free. I still refer back to it, and I find it incredibly clear and easy to understand compared to a lot of the information out there.

Outco - job search support

Rithm partners with a great job search support program aimed specifically at software engineers called Outco. Check out their Yelp reviews - they are outstanding. Let's face it, the job search sucks, especially in software. But Outco helped me get my resume in great shape in just a few days, gave me lots of practice with the advanced data structures and algorithms commonly asked about in interviews, and gave me a bunch of nontechnical advice that helped me feel better prepared for phone screens and more. It is a 5 week program immediately after Rithm, and it was a super valuable addition. I got tons of traction, and I landed my first job offer before finishing Outco. (Experiences will of course vary; I have a STEM background, which goes a long ways.)

Short commute

For me, it was a much easier location to get to than most of the other bootcamps in the city. So, that was icing on the cake.

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Summary

Overall, I can't recommend Rithm highly enough. If you're at all curious, I highly recommend checking out one of their free evening classes or poking around their online content. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I took the Rithm School part-time JavaScript intermediate course. It is a six week (one day a week) course that goes over basic JavaScript (primitives, objects, arrays, etc.) foundations all the way up to advance topics such as recursion, the keyword 'this' (a confusing topic before taking this class), prototype, DOM Manipulation etc. The instructors Elie, Matt and Tim (experienced professional developers and teachers) are not only passionate about teaching but are amazing at breaking down difficult topics (ie: closure, bind, apply etc.) with ease and disseminating those topics in a digestible manner. If you are thinking of attending, I would advise you attend one of their meetups taught by them. The curriculum and instruction persuaded me to apply/interview for their full-time July cohort, I can't wait to start. Do yourself a favor and checkout the free courses on their website. 

Hi.

My name is Aric, and I graduated from Rithm 2 weeks ago.

As a 19 year old freshman majoring in Computer Science at Azusa Pacific University, I discovered that the higher education system was not for me. I quickly lost interest in my classes because quite frankly, I didn't care about what they had to offer. I wanted to go to school to learn how to code, not spend 60% of my time on Gen Eds.

Needless to say, I didn't take college seriously at all and began looking into bootcamps. At first, my goal was to go to Hack Reactor due to the flashy outcomes statistics, credibility, and overall star power that they have as a bootcamp. Everything went as planned, and I ended up getting into Hack Reactor, as well as Dev Bootcamp and Galvanize(my two backup plans).

I was feeling great, but as soon as I got in contact with these bootcamps my optimism began to fade. They seemed pushy, like they just wanted me to sign the papers and take my money, and it didn't seem like they cared about my best interest as a student. Hack Reactor was calling me almost every other day to check on the status of my decision, and when I asked more questions about the program, the admissions people were not able to answer them or fulfill my request to speak to an instructor who could.

I decided to dig around a little more online, and that's when I found Rithm. It seemed too good to be true, the small class size, experienced instructors, and amazing outcomes program through Outco. It was everything I wanted in a bootcamp, but I was unsure because Rithm was brand new at the time. 

My uncertainty began to fade after my first phone call with Elie. Elie seemed like a nice guy, and he was able to answer all the questions I had about the program. I was amazed that after my previous struggles, I was able to get directly on the phone with a Lead Instructor. We scheduled a technical interview, and after the technical interview I was feeling even better. It was much more involved than the one I had done with Hack Reactor, and the fact that the Lead Instructors do the interviews shows that they really care about the quality of the students that are getting into the program. This was also my first taste of what it's like to be taught by Elie, as the interview has some pairing involved if you get caught up on a problem or can't think of a method.

When I got accepted to Rithm, I had already made the decision that it was my top choice, and I'm so glad things turned out the way they did. My time at Rithm exceeded my expectations. The small class size makes it so that it's kind of like a hybrid between a classroom experience and a mentorship, and whenever lectures weren't going on I was able to get 1 on 1 time with one of the instructors. Not to mention, these guys are the best teachers I've ever had, hands down. They all have years of experience, and it really shows through their extensive knowledge of computer science and web deveopment.

I was worried before the bootcamp that I would struggle, as I heard it can be a very difficult experience, but even though it was challenging these guys made it easily digestible by breaking down complex topics and explaining them using more 'human' terminology. Even when I didn't completely understand a new topic, I was able to go through the curriculum on my own and figure things out, or get 1 on 1 help. This was the first time in my life that I really felt challenged by education, and I fed off of the challenge and friendly competition that the bootcamp environment provides. The instructors really pushed me to become the best version of myself.

I have now built multiple Full-Stack web applications that I am extremely proud of, and I have no doubt in my mind that as I enter into Outco I will land a job and be able to contribute to a team in a big way.

Overall, choosing Rithm was the best decision of my life, and I would do things again the same way given the opportunity.

https://aricwl.github.io/Portfolio-Site/

Above is my personal site, from there you can find my email, Github, and LinkedIn. Feel free to email me any specific questions you have for someone who has already gone through the program, and I will answer them as honestly as I can.

Best, 

Aric