Tech Elevator

 Prior to TE I spent 20 years in academia performing life sciences research. However, I had gotten to a point where I was no longer satisfied with the work I was doing, and I wanted to do work that had real-world applications. I had a discussion with a friend, who is a programmer/microbiologist, and he suggested that I consider learning to program through a bootcamp.  I chose Tech Elevator for a number of reasons. First, I read online reviews from former students, and they were *all* positive. Then I attended an informational open house to learn more about the program. I was particularly impressed with the depth of the Pathway Program, which runs concurrently with the technical program and teaches the soft skills that are important for maintaining a successful career.  Finally, I had the opportunity to attend a Learn To Code Meetup event that was co-hosted by Tech Elevator. At this event, I got a taste of what it would be like to be taught by one of TE’s instructors. John Fulton spent a few minutes explaining a particular concept, which many of us in attendance were confused by (despite the best efforts of the other instructor, who was not from TE). In those few minutes I was able to clearly grasp what John was explaining, and I thought to myself, “If I am going to learn programming, I want to be taught by instructors like this!” I fully expected the program to be more challenging than graduate school, and it most certainly was! Going through TE was one of the hardest things I have ever done, BUT also one of the most rewarding!!! I hadn’t been that mentally challenged in a long time, but I loved it, and importantly I learned so much. Even on the days when I was mentally and physically exhausted, I had such a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction deep inside me. The support and encouragement that I receive from the admin staff, instructors (I had Brian and Rachelle, who are fantastic), Pathway directors, and the other members of my cohort was continuous and up-lifting.  If you are ready to go all-in, work tremendously hard, and, “Trust the process,” then Tech Elevator’s program is the right one for you. I did, and I received 3 job offers before graduation. I am now almost 2 months into my new career and loving every minute of it. My education at TE has set me up with a solid foundation on which to build a software development career, and I couldn’t be happier.  Please feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn if I can help answer any questions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-moyer/  

Tech Elevator met my expectations and beyond. I pursued Tech Elevator as a way to get back into the tech industry. Prior to Tech Elevator, my background was in IT Consulting (manual software tester and BSA), and I left the industry for about 5 years. I wanted to return to tech as a software developer, so I approached Tech Elevator with technical experience.

I did extensive research on coding bootcamps and narrowed it down to three: Flatiron School, General Assembly, and Tech Elevator. My choices were based on location, cost, and what's offered in the program. My decision with Tech Elevator came down to the curriculum and the Pathway Program.

Here are some highlights from my experience at Tech Elevator:
- Community and support. This was huge for me. Everyone on staff is willing to help, give you the space you need to discuss ideas and vent frustrations, and find the clarity you need to learn and move on when you're stuck. It's fast paced and intense, and you need the support to remain clear and agile. For instance, I thrive through mentorship, so I asked my instructor if we could setup a weekly 15-20 minute touch-base to chat about anything on my mind about the course work, my career ideas, etc., and he was very receptive and helpful. As for community: all of the staff encourage and facilitate connection and getting together for homework and social time (remote at this time).
- The curriculum. In my opinion, Tech Elevator's approach is very well-rounded and not outdated. More on this in my suggestions below.
- Networking. It's pretty remarkable how much exposure you have to alumni, recruiters, and different folks from the tech industry.
- The Pathway Program. Tech Elevator does a great job at explaining what their Pathway Program entails, so reach out to them for specifics. I'll describe this highlight with an anecdote: a good friend graduated from one of General Assembly's coding programs about 6 months before I started Tech Elevator, and I picked his brain about his experience at General Assembly and his experience job hunting. After General Assembly, he spent about 2-3 months job hunting diligently, applying everything I was learning from the Pathway Program, and he landed a great job. Now, this is not meant to be a generalization of anyone's experience outside of Tech Elevator. My point is: you are going to do what the Pathway Program prepares you to do regardless of the bootcamp you attend, and to do it all as part of your bootcamp with guidance and support is extremely valuable. I landed a great job with the help of the Pathway team.

Now, some suggestions as you continue reading reviews and make a decision:
- Wherever you decide to go, the experience will only be what you make of it. Tech Elevator is a gem of a program, but if you don't show up and do the work, it is invaluable and a waste of time and money.
- Be curious, ask questions, and approach everything with beginners mind.
- Do you need to learn with others and have the accessibility of an instructor? I did, so Tech Elevator worked for me. However, there are many self-learned and self-trained developers. Think about what you need and what your turnaround time is. If you have the time and discipline to learn on your own and start your career: great! You have many free and cheaper options. But, if this not the case for you, then there is nothing wrong with pursuing a coding bootcamp. Your journey is your journey, and you have to do what you need to do in order to achieve your goals.
- In deciding on what to study: unless you're set on studying a specific coding language or working with a particular stack, the important thing is to just start learning how to code. Again, what Tech Elevator offers is very well-rounded, and you will gain the ability to learn other programming languages and frameworks outside of Tech Elevator. It will prepare you for the continuous demand of software developers. If you continue to be unsure or uncertain about what to learn, reach out to software developers and ask questions! Connect with other  developers through sites like LinkedIn, Stack Overflow, and Reddit.
- Finally: have a "self-care routine" and some balance in place, and remember to make this a fun journey.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps! Feel free to connect with me if you have more questions.

I can't speak positively enough about my experience at Tech Elevator.   Everyone at my campus was amazing, and I could tell that they were personally invested in the success of the students.  

Before attending Tech Elevator, all of my work experience was in the service industry.  I had no prior experience with programming whatsoever, but that wasn't an issue at all.  The instructors were patient, helpful, and approachable,  and were always happy to answer all if my questions (I asked a ton!).

The Pathway program was essential for me.  I was more nervous about my resume and interviews than anything else, and now I'm comfortable with both.  We had tons of interview prep, mock interviews,  resume workshops, and networking opportunities.  In the final weeks of the program, we had interview opportunities with several hiring partners, and I'm now working as a junior software developer with one of those companies! 

This was truly a life changing experience for me!

Amazing experience from the start to the finish and beyond.  The curriculum is extremely detailed and catered to becoming knowledgeable in many different aspects of web development.  On top of that, the Pathway Program laid out the necessary tools to start a new career with resume prep, LinkedIn instructions, and the ever-important mock interviews.  Coming from a non-technical background, the curriculum was a little overwhelming at first, but everybody at Tech Elevator kept the positivity going and encouraged me to stick with it.  I now am working as a software developer, where I was hired a mere 4 weeks after the completion of this course! 

I attended remote Cohort0 in Tech Elevator. Prior to start I have checked a lot of different bootcamps and I am very glad I have chosen Tech Elevator. It was my best decision ever! I had almost zero knowledge in coding. After 14 weeks program in Tech Elevator I was able to write code, test it and so much more. We have learned Java, SQL, Vue.js, REST, HTML, CSS, Scrum, and completed 4 real world projects. One of the best features of Tech Elevator is that you have a complex program learning technical side of your future profession and preparing for your job search. When I graduated I was prepared for job market. 
Instructors:
The course overall has a very good organized system and curriculum. The instructors are experienced, dedicated and extremely helpful. Our instructor Andy was always ready to help and explain everything I was struggling to understand. He was there for us even in the evenings and weekends. 
Career Program:
Also I had a great experience with Pathway Program. Our Career Coach Peggy Kachevas supported us during the cohort and helped in job search after the graduation. We had showcases with a lot of companies, that was a great chance to learn more about companies culture and meet hiring managers. 
I received an offer during first month after graduation.
I highly recommend Tech Elevator! If you are ready to put a lot of work and dedication, their team of professionals will help you to succeed.

When I started considering Tech Elevator, I wasn’t sure if I should. Even if I hated the career I was in, making a huge career change and leaving my well paying job in a pandemic was a gamble. But from the moment I even started the interview process with Tech Elevator, I knew it was a smart gamble! I was a little worried with everything being remote, but I always felt supported day and night, whether that was by my instructor, the pathway staff, or the other students!

TE really creates an environment to make people as successful as possible. They foster working relationships between students and really help you every step of the way. Whether is is a question about the material or as you start your job search, they are always there to help even after graduation! I am glad I made the choice to go there. Unlike a bootcamp that just teaches coding, TE teaches additional soft skills that leads to big payoffs for students. If you’re considering which bootcamp you should attend, I cannot recommend TE enough!

I graduated college with a degree in History, hoping to be an attorney. I worked as a legal assistant for two years under an attorney who worked long hours, was always rushing around to different appointments, was always on edge, and seemed consumed by her career and under-appreciated for it. That wasn't where I wanted to be. So after some self-exploration, remembering how much I used to love coding in html and css back in the old days, I did some research and decided to join Tech Elevator in Philadelphia as a part of Cohort[2], much to my family's horror (sort of). "Don't you need to be good at math?" they said. I, in all my spontaneous wisdom, ignored them. 

I don't know what I was expecting, but my experience at Tech Elevator almost unbelievably overshadowed those expectations. My instructor was both knowledgeable and a good communicator, who often used his great sense of humour to provide our class with comic relief whenever things got tough and overwhelming. He and the student teacher were also usually available for impromptu zoom meetings in which I stated, more often than not, that I had no idea what I was doing. My pathway director kept in touch frequently to make sure I was doing okay and, when I wasn't, was always available to help me through my roadblocks or bouts of self-doubt. To my surprise, my classmates also provided a strong support system for me. Some of them have even become my lifelong friends. Things are going to feel crazy at first, and it will be overwhelming and you will ask yourself whether you made the right choice--but don't doubt yourself. Trust the process! And if you need extra encouragement, there are always alumni events, and your pathway director will be happy to introduce you to alumni for networking and support purposes. 

In short, Tech Elevator changed my life. I learned so much, feel so accomplished, and even inspired a family member to embark on their own coding journey through the Live Remote program. I now work as a full-time software engineer making more than I ever thought possible. I no longer have to worry about money. I feel respected, appreciated, and valued as an employee. I love my co-workers and my bosses. I'm proud to introduce my profession and my place of work. One year ago, I didn't think any of this would be possible for me. Now I can't imagine how far I'll go. 

As a graduate from Cohort 9 in the .NET course from Tech Elevator, I can officially say this was the best possible move I could have made. If you are reading this, you are probably simply researching, or more likely, on the fence about applying. I myself thought about applying for 2 years, and I wish I did it sooner! I was allured by the great statistics and recognition the received. AND THEY DELIVERED. Everything 100% exceeded my expectations. The best takeaway, however, is the Pathway Program. Not only do I know tech, I now know companies, hiring partners, and colleagues in tech.