Protect your data
We use cookies to provide our services, improve the user experience, for analysis and marketing purposes. By giving your consent, you also agree that your data may be transferred to the USA by the use of cookies. You can revoke your consent at any time. You can find further information in our privacy policy and cookie policy.
Tech Elevator offers both full-time and part-time coding bootcamps that prepare students for a career as a software developer, starting with an Aptitude Test. Throughout the bootcamp, students learn Java, HTML, CSS, SQL, API, and JavaScript. The full-time bootcamp runs for 14 weeks, Monday through Friday, 9-4:30 pm, and the part-time bootcamp runs for 30-weeks with a mix of independent study, live lectures and small-group programming. Both programs have a low student-to-instructor ratio to ensure the best supportive environment for participants. Tech Elevator’s instruction is delivered in-person at campuses located in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Pittsburgh. Tech Elevator offers students beyond its core markets, and throughout the U.S., class options through its National Live Remote program.
Tech Elevator’s career-readiness Pathway Program is responsible for high placement outcomes and includes personalized coaching sessions, interview practice, 12 months of placement support post-graduation, and alumni and mentor networking. Tech Elevator also offers its students and alumni direct connections to employers through employer showcases and interviewing events.
Attended: Cohort[5], May - August 2017
For those seeking to upgrade their skill set or pivot into a new career as a software developer, business analyst, or quality assurance specialist, Tech Elevator (TE) is a solid investment. If you had told me three months ago that I would end up working as an IT consultant for Fortune 1000 companies, I would have called your bluff…and yet here I am today! The company’s CEO, Mr. Anthony Hughes, likens the 14-week course to an “infl...
Attended: Cohort[5], May - August 2017
For those seeking to upgrade their skill set or pivot into a new career as a software developer, business analyst, or quality assurance specialist, Tech Elevator (TE) is a solid investment. If you had told me three months ago that I would end up working as an IT consultant for Fortune 1000 companies, I would have called your bluff…and yet here I am today! The company’s CEO, Mr. Anthony Hughes, likens the 14-week course to an “inflection point” for many of its students, and I think his description is accurate. Truthfully, I don’t think I will grasp the total significance of my decision to enroll in the boot camp for several years to come.
Why Tech Elevator?
Dedicated, Experienced Instructors – I was in the C#/.NET class, which originally wasn’t my first choice. However, I am now very glad I decided to join that group because sometimes your instructor can make or break your experience, and Josh Tucholski is one of the best instructors that I’ve ever had, period. He’s patient and humble with a good sense of humor and a passion for seeing students succeed. He’s also a vegetarian and long-distance runner, which makes him cool in my book. :D You can tell that he puts in way more than a 40- or 50-hour week just because he cares. He arrives at the building early every day and alternates between teaching, interviewing new students and faculty, developing the curriculum, assisting students and other instructors, and meeting with students one-on-one for check-in sessions. If you check the time of his emails and messages, some of them read 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. When I went to the open house and spoke with him, I could envision myself learning under him. I highly recommend going to an open house if you can just to interact with the instructors and ask them questions about what you’ll be learning.
I also had the privilege of working with Craig, an instructor available to help students individually and in small groups. Craig explains concepts very well and is an invaluable resource for those trying to master OOP. He is also a secret sketch artist and makes beautiful wireframes for our capstone projects.
Full-Stack Curriculum – I had never built a dynamic web application before the class, but I now have a better understanding of how the many components of a website fit together in the context of the browser-server relationship. I left the course excited for how I could apply my new skills and develop projects. It would have taken me many, many months to get to that point on my own.
Good Location – parking is free, and the lot is gated. I always felt safe. You receive a key fob that lets you open and close the gate and get in the building 24/7. There are several other companies in the building, which made the environment more fun. Across the hallway we had a window into a lab where technicians experimented with fruit flies and mixed chemicals with pipettes.
Talented, Kind, and Interesting Classmates – In our cohort alone, we had a magician, a PeaceCorps worker, a farmer, a high school valedictorian, an English teacher, an EPA worker, and a yoga teacher. I enjoyed getting to know everyone and hope to stay in touch after the program. There was no drama, competition, or mean-spiritedness in our .NET class; everyone got along well and frequently took breaks to talk over lunch, walk outside to food spots, or play ping pong.
Consistent Career Development Practice – At times I became frustrated because it was challenging to balance both the Pathway (career development) and class sides of the program, but I gained a lot of useful practice with behavioral and technical interviews. TE staff members practice interviewing with students, but also bring in professionals to conduct mock one-on-one interviews and provide detailed feedback. The Employer Matchmaking session, which is essentially speed-dating with eight or nine different companies over a two-day period to determine if both parties want to move ahead in the interview process, also helped me to become comfortable interviewing through its sheer repetition.
Varied Employer Network – Most of the prominent software companies and IT shops are in TE’s network, from financial services and insurance to healthcare to custom apps and consulting. Students have opportunities to network with representatives throughout the course of the program and receive assistance if they are interested in a company outside the network.
Strong Program Outcomes – In our cohort alone, I can count at least ten people including myself (we had around 25-30 people total) who had jobs before the end of the program. At the open houses, program representatives say there is a 98 percent job placement rate so many days after graduation. I was impressed when I heard that number and based on how many people have been hired already, I am hopeful that our cohort will match that statistic.
Tips for Success
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While browsing course reports earlier this year, I struggled to determine whether I was ready to invest my time and money in a boot camp and if so, how to go about selecting one. Here is a little window into my decision-making process and how I landed at Tech Elevator, in case that might be helpful to anyone:
Choosing a Coding Boot Camp
Why choose a coding boot camp compared to other forms of education like online certificates, associates programs, or second bachelor degrees? I started with "learn-to-code" websites originally, but eventually I decided to opt for an in-person experience because I knew I could accelerate my learning through:
(1) Access to experienced mentors who provide feedback, guidance, and instruction on “what you don’t know you don’t know”
(2) Larger and more complex assignments and projects
(3) A community of peers with whom I could share ideas and encouragement
(4) Total immersion
From there, I had to choose between a formal degree program and the boot camp model. I eventually settled on the latter for financial reasons. If you actually compare the total number of credit hours at a university with the total number of hours of class instruction and career support at a boot camp, you get a lot more “bang for your buck” with the boot camp. Furthermore, even though boot camps have a high flat cost, securing jobs through them can be easier because they specialize in building employment networks and are incentivized to help students find jobs in order to maintain their employment outcomes. As a consequence, you may be able to pay off your debts more quickly than going through a university.
My last step was to find the boot camp that best met my needs. I didn’t want to relocate for the program, so I looked only in the greater Cleveland area. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing research on different options available and asking as many questions as you can when speaking with representatives. One boot camp I investigated seemed very disorganized. Different recruiters contacted me and didn’t seem to communicate with each other or follow up with my messages. The recruiters also couldn’t tell me who the lead instructor of the course was, what employers were in their network, or what their program outcomes were. It was only through persistent questioning that I learned that I would be applying for the camp’s inaugural class. I backpedaled on that option and ultimately chose to apply for TE because it had established a solid reputation in the community, was open about its employer network and program outcomes, and had a transparent and rigorous application process (a sign of high-quality, in my view).
Assessing Your Interest and Readiness for the Boot Camp
Unlike other boot camps with part-time options, TE only offers full-time, intensive study. Lectures take place from 9 a.m. to noon with a mid-morning break, and then following lunch, students are expected to work on their afternoon programming assignments from 1-4:30 p.m. Career preparation events take place either over the 12-1 lunch hour or in the evening after class and have included activities like networking with recruiters and employers, formatting LinkedIn profiles and resumes, answering behavioral and technical interview questions, and participating in panel discussions with school alumni or industry professionals. (Besides the mandatory career preparation events, you have the flexibility to determine when to take your lunch break and whether you need to leave early on any given day.)
How did I gauge my level of interest and readiness for the course? Normally, I’m the type of person who agonizes over making any sort of life decision—especially one that is time-consuming and costly. Eventually, however, you have to come to the place where you feel comfortable making a calculated risk. I came to TE after graduating in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Religion and spending 2.5 years at a nonprofit teaching GED, financial literacy, and life skills courses for youth facing barriers to employment. While the work was enjoyable and very meaningful, I found myself delving more and more into programming and computer science through books, Udacity courses, and side projects during the evenings and weekends. I had an itch to further develop my programming skills and grow professionally, but I was hesitant to make the time and financial commitment. I was finally able to escape my decision paralysis and apply for the program after:
Employed in-field | 70.0% |
Full-time employee | 45.0% |
Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | 25.0% |
Short-term contract, part-time, or freelance | 0.0% |
Started a new company or venture after graduation | 0.0% |
Not seeking in-field employment | 0.0% |
Employed out-of-field | 0.0% |
Continuing to higher education | 0.0% |
Not seeking a job for health, family, or personal reasons | 0.0% |
Still seeking job in-field | 30.0% |
Could not contact | 0.0% |
How much does Tech Elevator cost?
Tech Elevator costs around $16,500.
What courses does Tech Elevator teach?
Tech Elevator offers courses like Full-Time Java Coding Bootcamp - In-person, Full-Time Java Coding Bootcamp - Remote, Full-Time .NET/C# Coding Bootcamp - In-person, Part-Time Java Coding Bootcamp - Remote.
Where does Tech Elevator have campuses?
Tech Elevator has in-person campuses in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Pittsburgh. Tech Elevator also has a remote classroom so students can learn online.
Is Tech Elevator worth it?
The data says yes! Tech Elevator reports a 93% graduation rate, a median salary of $65,000 and 88% of Tech Elevator alumni are employed. Tech Elevator hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 505 Tech Elevator alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Tech Elevator on Course Report - you should start there!
Is Tech Elevator legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 505 Tech Elevator alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Tech Elevator and rate their overall experience a 4.9 out of 5.
Does Tech Elevator offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Yes, Tech Elevator accepts the GI Bill!
Can I read Tech Elevator reviews?
You can read 505 reviews of Tech Elevator on Course Report! Tech Elevator alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Tech Elevator and rate their overall experience a 4.9 out of 5.
Is Tech Elevator accredited?
Tech Elevator is licensed under the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools, Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools and Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
Just tell us who you are and what you’re searching for, we’ll handle the rest.