School of Code

I have nothing but good things to say about the School of Code, over the last 16 weeks I have learnt more than I could have imagined and I feel that I now have an amazing platform on which to continue building my tech skills. Going into this I knew almost nothing about coding and I now feel confident building full stack JavaScript applications and would feel comfortable learning the new syntax of a new language. I'm looking forward to an exciting career in tech. Read less

on as I could. The bootcamp met and exceeded my expectations.

The School of Code teaches the most up to date tech to prepare you for a full stack developer role. This is exactly what I wanted! We learnt basic html, css and javascript and then moved on to React. We also learnt nodejs and used express servers for the back end. We also covered testing, problem solving, AWS, design, github...the list goes on and on! Not only do you learn so much, you get to build...we made full stack apps by ourselves, in pairs and in teams.

There is a one week and final four week project in which you work in teams to produce an app to solve a problem. This is invaluable experience and will really set you apart when you're looking for a new role. I loved this experience and really enjoyed working in a team to build something we were excited about.

Throughout the bootcamp we also had numerous guest speakers that came to the School of Code to talk to us about their roles, their companies, how they use tech or to teach us about new tech. This was a great way to learn from more people but also to begin extending our network.

After the bootcamp you aren't left to go and find a job on your own...the School of Code partners with Spinks recruitment and they bring the jobs to you! Companies are vetted to ensure that they are set up and prepared to support junior developers so you can be sure that your development will continue in your first role. The companies that recruit from the School of Code pay a recruitment fee, which is one of the ways that SoC is able to provide the bootcamp free of charge to learners.

Lastly, aside from all the brilliant reasons I've just listed, the School of Code is amazing because it is run by fun, caring people who put all their effort into ensuring their bootcampers succeed and are happy. I had an amazing time and was so lucky to be with a brilliant group of bootcampers who are now friends - I would 100% recommend the School of Code bootcamp to ANYBODY who wants a career in tech. You will not regret it!

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The sixteen weeks I spent at the School of Code have been mind-blowing. It’s the most incredible opportunity, and to have it be free was the cherry on top. I’m so privileged to have had this experience. I’ve gone from being able to maybe make a basic HTML page pre-Bootcamp to designing full-stack applications in four months! Chris and the SoC staff have put their heart and soul into making this amazing, and I’ll always be grateful. It was also brilliant to hear from the guest speakers as well as we were able to experience and ask questions of people from across the spectrum of tech jobs. And of course, my fellow bootcampers have been amazing! In the least corny way, we’ve become a family. We’ve banded together, had each other’s backs no matter what, never hesitated to help each other out, and have a ton of inside jokes. Also, the School of Code connects each bootcamper with a mentor in the industry, and having someone in my corner to share insight and wisdom has been so valuable throughout the bootcamp and as I find my first tech job. 

We learned a staggering amount in four months. Not only are we now equipped with the tools to build and deploy full-stack software, but we've also studied design, UI/UX, accessibility, DevOps, testing, broader computer science topics, and so much more. Even the global pandemic couldn't stop us. The last eight weeks of the bootcamp transitioned seamlessly to fully remote working, including our four-week final projects, and the School of Code continued undaunted. 

 Before School of Code, I felt a bit adrift and stagnant career-wise. Although I learned a lot and met a lot of great people in my old jobs, I just wasn’t fulfilled.  I had always had an inkling in the back of my mind toward technology, but it seemed really daunting to get started on my own, and I didn’t really know where to start. Thanks to the School of Code, that's completely changed - I have a brilliant foundation so that I can keep building on it and learning more. I’m genuinely excited about my career and future and looking forward to what the years ahead will bring. 

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The School of Code offers everything you could want from a bootcamp, and all completely free! It's been a fantastic experience and I can't believe how much I've learned over the 16 weeks. We also had guest lectures from people in industry, so going with the SoC is a great way to get connected as well as educated. 
The bootcamp started out based in Birmingham's Custard Factory, but due to COVID 19 we had to switch to remote learning. The team handled this exceptionally well, and the transition was very smooth. 
Giving up your old life to learn code and attempt to break into Tech is a great bonding experience. I have 23 fabulous new friends now too.   Read less

School of Code was a life changing experience for me - I acquired skills that I never would have been able to get without assistance.

After completing the School of Code bootcamp, I was invited to an interview day for SoC alumni. Shortly after, I was offered an internship with a local tech company. Now, a couple of years later, I have received a promotion and I am a contributing member of my team.

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School of Code was an incredible experience- From excellent tuition, to brilliant mentorship, to regular visits from industry professionals and a visit to London to see some of the biggest tech companies like Facebook. School of Code trained us not just to become good coders, but taught us so many other important skills which made us even more employable. These were things like working on large scale projects, week long coding challenges for companies, frequent pair coding and team work, learning how to work in an agile workflow as well becoming comfortable with industry standard software tools such as git, npm, vs code etc...
By the end of the course I felt ready and confident to step into the software industry as a junior developer, and within one week landed a job as a full stack software developer securing three back to back interviews with different companies!

 

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The School of Code Bootcamp is a 16-week, full time intensive training course which I attended online. I found the teaching, resources and support to be top-notch. The course gave me a foundational knowledge of not only JavaScript, but other highly relevant technologies like Node.js, TypeScript, & React. We also covered a wide range of topics in the tech industry, including AI. 


The most important aspect of the course however was the team training. Each week I worked in a different team, learning together and delivering a coding project at the end of the week. It was a really effective way of learning to build software as part of a team, which is of course how software is developed professionally.
The employment support is comprehensive  and ongoing after the main course is over.


Overall, a fantastic experience, which I would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in coding!


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The transformation that has taken place over the last 16 weeks goes far beyond learning new skills. My entire mindset has shifted from the old me to something new. I feel ready to enter the workforce, and I could not have done that without the awesome people at the School of Code. 

The best part of the course was working in our teams to learn new skills and build stuff. Each week felt like a movie. It starts off all nice and easygoing; you meet your new teammates and get given a few tasks and problems to solve. Tuesday, things start to get harder, but you are just about hanging on. By the end of Wednesday afternoon, you are in the pit of despair. You feel like you've been fighting bears in the octagon and begin to wonder if you are even cut out to be a software developer. But somehow, at some point during Thursday, it starts to make sense, and you take this shiny sword of knowledge on your journey home to fight the final boss challenge... The Friday hackathon. Then you and your team battle it out to build some amazing thing that you never thought you could ever do. Then, you just repeat that pattern for 16 weeks. It's quite amazing, really. 

I've come to realise this is how software development works. You take on some problem that you have no idea how to solve; you struggle, there is a bit of pain. Then you figure it out, you feel amazing, you grow as a developer, and you move on to the next problem. 

I wouldn't change anything about SoC I feel very lucky to have been in cohort 16 - 2024 Read less

The School of Code has given me the skills I need to transition into a tech career.  I wouldn't have got to this point on my own.  They don't just teach you technical skills but also the soft and professional skills you need to be industry ready.  Not only that, the support throughout is immense, from the coaches, the rest of the cohort as well as the mentors and industry experts.  It's such a collaborative environment and I've met a great bunch of people.  The ongoing support after the course is also fantastic, helping us to get into our first tech roles.  I can't thank everyone enough.  The course is hard, I've never been so challenged in my life, but it's also the most rewarding thing and I've had so much fun working on projects!  Thank you School of Code! Read less

I recently completed the 16-week bootcamp at the School of Code, and it was an incredible journey. I learned to create and deploy full-stack software—from someone who had never seen a line of code before.

The course structure was brilliant, building on simple concepts and gradually expanding. Regular talks from industry experts provided valuable insights, and the Q&A sessions were gold for aspiring tech professionals.

The post-course support, especially from the employment team, was incredible. And the coaches—Tom, Cat, and Chris—were unmatched in their professionalism, energy, and passion throughout the course.

In summary, the School of Code is not just a bootcamp; it’s a life-changing experience. If you’re considering a career in tech, look no further.  Read less

School of Code is so much more than a coding bootcamp - it is a completely transformative experience. They don't just teach you to code, they teach you how to learn, how to work in teams, how to problem solve, think on your feet, adapt and grow. You emerge feeling like you haven't so much done a course as had your first full time job in tech, with all of the invaluable experience that comes with. The coaches are second to none, the amount of material covered in 16 weeks truly mind blowing. I cannot recommend SoC enough. Read less

My journey at the School of Code was a rollercoaster of learning and growth. In an extremely short period (4 months), I acquired a wealth of knowledge. The program's collaborative nature, pairing me with different individuals each week, enriched my experience, offering diverse perspectives and teamwork skills. The mentorship provided was invaluable, with consistent weekly meetings that guided me through challenges. I wholeheartedly recommend this bootcamp to anyone seeking a transformative career change into tech. Read less

School of Code taught me all of the technical knowledge and helped me to further develop the soft skills needed to propel myself into the world of tech. 

The teaching staff are great and the Job support has been amazing - There is no doubt in my mind that the SOC experience has given me the motivation and skills to pursue a career in tech.  Read less

A life changing experience that's free of charge.

Applying for this bootcamp requires a few steps but nothing too technical so the entry barrier isn't limited to people with previous experience. Should you be successful in your application then be prepared to go from 0 knowledge to having the confidence and skills to create full stack web apps within 16 weeks.

The staff are incredibly patient and always on hand to offer support in a variety of ways.
For mental wellbeing, students are assigned an enablement coach whose role is to support you mentally and help monitor your progress throughout the bootcamp.
Technical skills are taught in a variety of ways that always keeps students entertained and engaged in the learning process.

The bootcamp doesn't just learn you how to code, they make sure you learn soft skills that will assist towards finding your first position within the technology industry.  Read less

There are way more pros so will start with them first.- You get people from varying roles in different tech companies to come and give us talks about the industry and their experience.- From the beggining you get taught the importance of pair programming.- There are various coaches in the book camp so there is always someone you can reach out to.- It is an intensive bootcamp! some people might see this as a con but if you really want it then work for it.- Being national you get to connect and meet people from all over the UK, which is amazing.- You also get to connect with people already in the tech world who are open to help you out!.- There is a real sense of community.- Builds your confidence.
Some of the cons.- You don't get to choose who you work with but that's how it is in the job so it's also a pro.- With all the software you have to use you need a strong computer able to handle the video meeting plus the software to do the actual work.
This is an evolving program. They are always trying to improve it and things can get missed but if you give feedback it is taken in and used to improve the next one.
I loved my experience in the bootcamp, would not change it. Currently they are working hard to try and help us land that first tech role. Read less

The School Of Code Bootcamp is intense.  However, it is extremely satisfying because everyday you learn new things.  Moreover, you not only learn specific syntax of a particular programming language or framework.  You learn how to think computationally.  You learn about IT industry standards,  best practices and why they have been put in place.  

Very early in the course you learn how to work in pairs and groups of people because it is important to be able not only know how to code, but explain what is a problem or what you are trying to achieve with your code.

My Bootcamp was split into cohorts and every cohorts was assigned coaches to help with workshops and projects.  Plus bootcampers were encouraged to to help each other too.

Finally, bootcampers get to talk to guests such as experts from IT industry who are open to any questions that related to coding or programming. Read less

I feel immensely lucky and privileged to have had this opportunity to go through the School of Code bootcamp.
It is by far the best educational experience I've had - every side of the process is carefully considered and thought through, I felt supported every step of the way, and it has been just the right amount of challenge to be constantly switched on, but not crushed (oh yes, sometimes I felt like drowning, but then had to admit that I survived yet again).
Most importantly - we had opportunities to create achievements and build our confidence. I feel I can learn anything now - there are no limits. And I am going to continue doing just that. Read less