Tech Elevator

Before Tech Elevator, I have zero prior coding experience, but I was interested in making the career change to software development after having had the interest for a long time, but not acting on it.  I began doing research on coding bootcamps to determine if they were legitimate or not, and I heard mixed reviews.  What set Tech Elevator apart for me was the curriculum, their career services, and most importantly, their commitment to their students.

When I first started at Tech Elevator, I had no idea what to expect, but I was quickly overwhelmed by the avalanche of information that was dumped on me.  The experience is not for the faint of heart, but because of my drive to change my life and career, I embraced the challenge. 14 weeks later, I graduated, and was able to secure a position with an investment firm as an entry level developer using the tools and resources Tech Elevator provided.

If you are interested in a career in software development, I can't recommend Tech Elevator enough.  They will provide you with all the tools you need to succeed, however, it is your job to put the work in.  If you do, you will get the results you are looking for.  

I'm going to do a full breakdown below my review, because I wish someone had done that when I was researching Tech Elevator (TE). Here I'll just do a generic review: TE is incredible. Their process for admittance almost guarantees that if you are admitted, you're capable of completing the program. The instructors, pathway directors and anyone else you come into contact with are fully committed to your success. It's clear that it drives them from day one of the program. When you're in week 10 you'll think back to the questions you asked in week one and you'll be awed by how patient the instructors are, from start to finish. This is something you'll read over and over again, but it's true: the Pathway program is what separates TE. You can be the best developer in the world, but if you don't interview well, you're not going to get a job. This sentiment is important to remember, because when you start the program, most students (myself included) are so focused on learning code that the Pathway events tend to be an afterthought. This is fine for the first half of the cohort, but after that, your focus needs to shift. Which brings me to my "but..." part of the review: 

I was surprised to find that many fellow students had at least a bachelor's degree. I did not. I received and accepted a job offer two months after graduating, but I believe it would have been quicker for me if I had a degree. One issue with COVID is that less companies are hiring; so while you will be happy for your classmates that find jobs, in some cases you'll be going after the same job. In those cases, everything else being equal, if I was a company I'd choose the student who also had a degree. Something to keep in mind and a reason to push yourself harder, especially with regard to Pathway. Someone without a degree may get less interviews, so knocking those interviews out of the park is critical.

Overall going to TE was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The staff, fellow students, alumni and other partners (hiring and not hiring) are all amazing and all root for you to succeed. You come out of TE with a full blown starter kit for a tech career: technical skills, soft skills and a network. If you're thinking about doing it, do it - it was less work for me than the full time job that I left, and I got to learn new skills that I'm passionate about. The biggest determining factor for how the cohort will go for you is how quickly you "get it" - the instructors reference it early on, but some people can navigate the cohort successfully putting in 40 hours per week. Some need 60 hours per week. Some in between. The interesting thing is that you can struggle all cohort and feel like you're not getting it as fast as other people, and then it's possible to land a job immediately if you nail the interview, which is why Pathway is so critical. I cannot recommend Tech Elevator enough.



Below I will break down the cohort from my perspective to give a better idea of what you may be getting into (note: the curriculum can change, so this is just what I experienced in the Summer 2020 cohort). If you do the bootcamp, I would recommend coming back and reading this breakdown again once it starts:

It starts with attending a virtual (or in-person, without COVID) open house to learn a little about the program. From there you do a small assessment used to determine your aptitude for problem solving. If you pass that, next is a face to face interview, with a longer version of an aptitude test. If you pass those, you're in. Once accepted, you will be given some exercises to complete prior to the start of the cohort - the purpose for this is to make sure everyone starts the cohort on a level playing field (some people may have experience writing code, but most do not, so don't worry). These exercises just cover the basics. If you struggle with these, DO NOT worry - all of this is covered during the actual cohort. You will also get informed about the student book, which is a companion to the course. More on that below. You will also have a Google calendar shared with you for Pathway events and other miscellaneous events throughout the cohort.

The first week introduces the basics of coding, either in C# or Java (I did C#). If you don't know which to pick, one nice tiebreaker could be going to LinkedIn and searching for "java developer" and ".NET developer" and seeing which has more open positions. Otherwise I would tell you .NET, but that's just me. You will have lecture from 9am to anywhere between 12pm-1pm, depending on what all needs to be covered that day. The morning starts with a review of the prior day, and a quiz for you to gauge where your understanding is (this quiz does NOT impact your actual grade, it's just so you and the instructor can see how you're doing). These quizzes were one of my favorite parts of the cohort because it allowed you test the knowledge that you just learned. After the quiz it's on to new material. For COVID, these lectures are in a classroom via Zoom and were recorded - however, I found taking notes the old fashioned way helped me retain the information. Why not type them? You will have a laptop and second monitor provided by TE if you need it (I used a TV for a second monitor). You'll want the lecture on one screen, where your instructor will be sharing their screen so that you can see what they're doing and how they're doing it. You'll also want to follow along with what they're doing on your screen at the same time, so that you can get used to doing what they're doing (and what you'll need to do for your homework). For me that meant handwriting notes in a notebook, which helps me retain information anyways. Other students typed notes. Some didn't take notes. Some followed along, some didn't. Following along AND taking notes helped me, and I generally picked up on things pretty quickly, so take that for what it's worth.

Once class ends, you'll have a homework assignment and you'll want to check your calendar - there will usually be a Pathway event at 3pm. The homework assignment can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours - depends how quickly you picked up the material and how quickly you work. Once I had an assignment that took several hours, I began working on them the minute the lecture ended. One thing they caution you against is spending too much time in front of a computer - taking breaks can be good - I preferred to get everything done and then not work on anything until the next day, but I also have a 2 year old who I wanted to spend time with in the evenings. That worked for me; for others, multiple breaks helped them get through it. You'll have to figure out what works for you, and if it's in-person that probably further changes the conversation.

Remember that student book? You should read the chapter tonight or tomorrow before class for what will be covered in tomorrow's class. It helps wrap your mind around some of the concepts. Tutorials also starting coming out, and for me a good habit was book the night before, tutorial before class, class, lunch, homework, Pathway, homework, done by 5pm on most days.

I was a part of Tech Elevator's first completely remote cohort in their Cincinnati location.  It was amazing to see how quickly they became adaptable to such an unforeseeable hurdle.  The instructors are caring, passionate, and always present for help.  The curriculum is presented very professionally and covers a diverse spread of relevant technologies.  The career guidance was incredibly thorough and help was always available.  After I graduated I had regular meetings with multiple staff members who continued to do everything in their power to get me employed and connected in the tech community.  My life changed after going to Tech Elevator.

When I was getting ready to register I was reading reviews here and thinking: "This sounds too good to be true". Boy was I wrong! Tech Elevator deserves this great reputation. Everyone that works at this bootcamp is thoughtful, passionate, knowledgeable and driven to help you succeed. Every. Single. Person!! 

First: The Pathway program was helping me improve my resume, online footprint, practice interviewing as well as the Pathway directors helping find us opportunities and bringing in wonderful companies that wanted to hire us! Vinny, Ben and Katie are the kind of people you need in your corner! They're constantly looking for new opportunities for us, even after the bootcamp is over. They're always there to help or offer advice. Sometimes even after hours! and They will be looking out for you from day 1! Pathway is underrated.

Second: My instructor Steve Carmichael, is probably the best instructor I could ask for!! his teaching style was thoughtful, fun, engaging and We all found ourselves looking forward to lecture every day! Steve would always make time for me when I had more questions. He also brings a wealth of experience in the field that he so generously shared with us. I came out of this bootcamp knowing how to code. But more importantly, due to his wisdom and experience, We all left the class knowing how to continue to grow in our careers and how to continue to excel even in our first, second and third roles. This type of mentorship and wisdom is an unexpected bonus that is priceless for anyone who wants to excel! Steve is a treasure!

Third: Other instructors like Matt, Brian, John, Margaret, Rachelle and Matty were always willing to help! Even if you're not in their class, they were there for you to help you get unstuck, practice technical interviews and make sure you feel confident and prepared! 

It is obvious that Tech Elevator focuses on hiring great people. I'm happy to report that Tech Elevator also focuses on admitting great people into the program! I left the bootcamp with a huge network of talented, passionate, inspiring and dedicated peers. We worked long nights together, helped each other understand difficult concepts and became friends along the way! 

If you're reading this, please understand that you will have to work hard. However, if you are willing to do the work, this team will help you succeed. Keep in mind this all happened during COVID-19 and the odds were stacked against us. This program was worth every penny.

I have nothing but good things to say about Tech Elevator. Before enrolling, I was skeptical that you could learn a whole new career skillset with no prior experience in 3 and a half months and secure an exciting, lucrative software development position right away, but Tech Elevator proved it's totally possible. I had a high-paying job offer within 1 week after graduating from the program.

What makes Tech Elevator stand out and above any other bootcamp I looked into was their career preparation services called the Pathway Program. A lot of bootcamps give you some help changing your resume a week before you graduate. The Pathway Program however, is a whole separate curriculum beginning in Week 1 that continues until after graduation, that students go through alongside of the coding curriculum. From resume and LinkedIn profile makeover, to frequent behavioral and technical interview practice, to helping you create a winsome elevator pitch, to employer showcases and industry expert panels, to Matchmaking Days where they schedule interviews for you with multiple hiring managers in the tech field, I had interviewed with 9 tech companies before I even graduated from Tech Elevator.

The staff is amazing and makes themselves available to lend extra help with anything you need. Their 95% graduation rate and 92% job placement within 6 months, are verified by the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting - a third-party firm that gives you peace of mind that you can trust the results. They make sure you get the job of your dreams. So thankful for Tech Elevator for changing the trajectory of my career forever.

Before attending Tech Elevator, I was working as a server and in retail jobs. I never finished college and found myself in a loop of lower wage jobs and was considering going back to school, but my degree was in the arts and it didn’t seem like the most sustainable career route for me considering I had watched many of my friends graduate with BFA’s and even MFA degrees fall into the same spiral of customer service jobs. 
I wanted to enhance my career opportunities, but I did not want to get stuck in a dull job that would not allow me to be creative. I came across Tech Elevator via a friend who was attending and some online ads and thought I would look into it, so I attended an Open House in Detroit. The Open House was run by Margaret, one of the instructors and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of being back in college classes and it was very engaging. I immediately knew that I had to look more into coding. (Side note, I had very minimal coding experience prior to this bootcamp aside from making my own Tumblr themes in high school, which I didn’t even know was coding at the time lol!) When I got home, I decided to look into some free coding resources online such as freecodecamp (I would highly recommend messing around on there if you are considering Tech Elevator) and SuperHi. Shortly after this, I decided to set up my admissions interview with Tech Elevator and anxiously awaited their response. 
A few weeks later I heard back from Jeff (the campus director) that I got in and I continued to self teach until the course pre work began. 
I attended the Summer 2020 cohort of Tech Elevator, so Coronavirus did cause our entire cohort to be remote. Initially, I was a bit nervous to start remotely, since there seems to often be a “human” aspect that is missing with online classes in my experience. I was very impressed with how Tech Elevator handled the remote learning experience. Lectures were live on Zoom and the instructors made themselves CONSTANTLY available for homework after class and would hang out in their zoom “classrooms” for extra help and study questions. 
Additionally, I feel like my cohort as a whole really took advantage of the resources available to study together (Zoom, Google Hangouts, Jitsi, etc). It was surprisingly very easy to build bonds and friendships with people and every day students would spend time hanging out after class in a Zoom working on homework and helping each other with questions or just shooting the breeze. 
The Pathway Program was a huge selling point to me when deciding on this bootcamp, especially considering my background was mostly in food service and not as much in professional career-type jobs. I found this part of the program equally as challenging as the coding, but also SO BENEFICIAL. Caitie, my Pathway Director put in a lot of extra time coaching me on interview prep especially and was always there to answer any questions I had about presenting myself to possible employers. 

I am now 6 weeks post graduation from this bootcamp and I already have a job! If you had told me this would be my reality a year ago, I would not have believed you. Tech Elevator has changed the course of my life for the better and exceeded my initial expectations by helping me get a Web Developer job so shortly after graduation and during a pandemic and down trodden economy nonetheless. 
If you have the opportunity to attend Tech Elevator DO IT! It’s 4 months of forcing yourself to learn sometimes difficult concepts everyday (often for 10+ hours a day), but if you commit those 4 months to the program, it WILL pay off. 

I was sick of my job out of college, I wasn't being challenged and felt like I was stuck in the same routine. I knew I had to change course but did not have the resources to go back to a 4 year institution. Tech Elevator was the perfect middle ground to do something that could change my career and I also did not have to invest as much as college. When the pandemic hit, I was very nervous about my job prospects, and the program needed to readjust to online learning, but TE helped all the way to the end and gave me the direction needed to land several interviews and eventually a job. The combination of teaching you what you need to know, as well as landing the job switch made TE totally worth my time and money, and not only will I have a return on the money and time at my new position, I feel I have acquired new technical and life skills, which is priceless.

Prior to deciding to complete a boot camp I had no coding experience.  I mainly worked in the service industry and made this change because that industry has a pretty low ceiling if you aren't interested in continuing to live and breathe that world.  I explored many boot camp options multiple times before committing to Tech Elevator.  Overall, I found boot camps hard to judge given that many have the same number of good and bad reviews, and most offer limited or overly stipulated career placement programs.  The decision to commit to Tech Elevator was based on the following: 

1. I had a friend that successfully completed the Pittsburgh program, and was immediately hired by a global bank at 80K/year (this was my personal confirmation that the program works).
2. Tech Elevator focuses on two intense stacks that most large company platforms are built on, Java and .NET.  This is because their goal is to teach you 80% of what you need to begin in any junior software developer position. Many other boot camps I researched offered up to 12 programs (making me question the quality of all), and often left you specifically qualified for 1 role, versus generally qualified for any.
3. The style of Tech Elevator's program is friendly to those with no previous coding experience.
4. Tech Elevator has the most comprehensive job placement program (The Pathway Program).
5. Tech Elevator's reviews on all sites are 95%+ positive.  THEY GET PEOPLE HIRED.
6. (Learned during the program) Companies know Tech Elevator, and they wait for their graduating classes.  Large companies (like Chase) have hired TE grads, and are very impressed.  The network of committed and experienced hiring partners that TE has is great, and actively growing).

My experience at Tech Elevator was amazing.  I participated in the combined Phili/Detroit cohort with two teachers (Rich & Margaret), and one pathway director (Caitie).  Each were inspiring in their constant commitment and availability.  Each ensured at every level that you had everything necessary to succeed.  The program was intense, so definitely be ready for it.  I planned on 10-12 hour days for 3.5 months.  If you learn quickly and apply yourself, this is only necessary in specific sprints, but you should be ready for it regardless.  This is a 3.5 month program that nets you a new career paying the same as an experienced nurse.  Overall, Tech Elevator has put in the work to write their own text book, and design a curriculum that makes sense.  Each new module combines what was learned previously, culminating in a project at the end of each.  These projects work to solidify the information learned through each module.  

Going into this experience with no coding background, I was not sure what to expect.  It was incredibly difficult in the beginning (and admittedly at the start of each project), but I (and my team) made it through each one, proud and a bit surprised at how capable we became in such a short period of time.  I can't speak to any other programs, but I can say that Tech Elevator is 100% worth the cost and then some.  You get what you give it, so give it your all.  The pathway program is an active piece from the beginning; meeting with alumni, developers, and others from different companies, re writing your resume, and learning how to interview behaviorally and technically.  You are given an immense amount of material technically and related to hiring to ensure you are prepared.  While this program requires a lot of self teaching and discovery (similar to the real world), the staff pays attention to your progress and checks in regularly.  Your success is their success.  I thoroughly enjoyed that this program is not sold as some pseudo college experience.  This program has one goal, to get you hired.  

I was hired prior to graduation as a Software Developer for a successful investment firm.  I can state personally, the program works. 

Tech Elevator is as advertised.  It's not easy but if you stick with it, you can land your dream developer job.  

I'm not going to go into detail of what the curriculum offers, the price, or how the program is structured (all of this information is available to you when you go to their website or one of their open houses -- and I would definitely advise you to do these things first if you are considering attending).  What I will do is let you know how my personal experience was in terms of my interaction with the program through the Detroit campus in the remote version of the program.

I had a background in financial services and commercial real estate and was seeking something that would allow me to be more creative while still utilizing analytical problem solving.  So I knew computer programming was the right career path for me.  The next step was finding the right school/boot camp.  Tech Elevator reviews really jumped out to me and all the research I did told me it was a legitimate path into coding.  All my research proved true.  

I received an offer from PNC, for a Software Developer Associate role, the first day after I graduated.  I also received a testing role offer from Waymo two days after I graduated.  

Getting a job is why you sign up for the program but beyond that I can say the most impressive thing to me about Tech Elevator is how invested the staff is in its students.  The instructors and Pathway director are 100% invested in your success.  Every step of the way, they will offer guidance and support.  

Also the nature of the sacrifice it takes to put your life on hold and invest the money necessary for the program, attracts gritty, intelligent, creative, friendly people.  I genuinely believe every single one of my fellow students in my cohort exhibited these qualities.  It's not by chance.  Success in a program like this requires those qualities.  You will need to be able to collaborate to succeed especially if you are going through the program remotely.

A bit of advice for anyone who has small children or other time intensive family obligations - make arrangements so that you will have 45-50 hours a week of uninterrupted time to commit to the program.  I have two children under the age of 3 and the time constraints got to be incredibly difficult to handle.  I barely survived, literally.   

So in summary if you are ready to commit the money, a lot of uninterrupted time, and a ton of effort and have the right qualities then this is the perfect program for you.  You will have an amazing staff to support you in finding your dream job.  

I hope this review is helpful to those researching the program.

You can't put a price on bettering yourself... but if you have to: It's whatever amount Tech Elevator is charging for tuition. Taking control of my future through TE was well worth the time and money. It was the best decision I could have made. 
I specifically attended the Cleveland campus in the midst of the pandemic, when we were forced to transition to full remote learning, and even in the midst of that madness the TE experience was smooth and controlled. The instructors and staff are phenomenal and will bend over backwards to help you succeed. I can't give enough thanks to these people, they've changed the course of my professional life forever.

Tech Elevator is worth every penny. I came to this with a very unusual background (I was a university lecturer and a freelance writer) and was worried that I wouldn't be cut out for it because I'd been away from math for so long. I couldn't have been more wrong. The level of instruction is incredible, and the support I got from the instructors helped me overcome some of my early fears about whether or not I could handle the work. The professional development is equally important, perhaps moreso, and it did not disappoint. I had more instruction and support in a summer at Tech Elevator than I had in all of college and graduate school combined. Yes, it's a fair amount of work: you will be run pretty ragged for fourteen weeks. Yes, it's scary to transition from what you know to what you don't, especially when you're always taking in a lot of new information. But I also grew a lot as a person by tackling the unknown, and when it was all over, I got a job in a new career I'm happy with. If you're unhappy with your current career track and this work sounds interesting to you, it's worth taking the plunge.