Tech Talent & Strategy

Background
I recently graduated from the 8 week part-time code immersion November - December 2017 cohort. I had previously been learning web development using Free Code Camp, Udacity, Codeacademy, and other online resources. I was tired of jumping around and not fully understanding how everything connected so I started researching boot camps. Tech Talent South fit all of my criteria: curriculum, cost, and location. 

Overall Impressions: Code Immersion Course (Part-time)
The course does a great job of balancing content for complete beginners and somewhat knowledgeable students. With that said please make sure you complete the pre-course work before the course starts. This will make the class better for you as you won't feel completely lost on the first couple days. 

This course gives a great foundation in web development skills. You will learn some best practices in coding and how to structure your files and folders. We spent our class time following along with the teacher typing code and then after class the homework was uploaded for us to work on. The homework is not required for the course. However, if you really want to get the most out of this course you should complete it. 

I would highly recommend anyone looking at a coding boot camp to consider Tech Talent South and I would recommend that they attend. I truly enjoyed my experience and would do it again. 

Extras

Resume Review: I was able to get my resume reviewed and got advice on how I could tweak it to attract attention from tech companies. I currently have 10 years of retail sales experience so this was extremely helpful. 

Company Tours: The company tours are okay. Since I was taking the part-time course for the fact that I have a full-time job I was not able to get to many of the tours. However, the one I was able to attend was a great experience as you are able to see what real jobs look like and what the company is looking for. Attend as many of these as you can. Well worth it. 

Job Assistance: There is a job board that updates with jobs in the area. TTS is not going to hold your hand so if you have jobs that you are looking for or want help finding jobs then you need to reach out. Once you do they have done a great job with sending me jobs and highlighting what I should be looking for and what I would have the best chance of getting interviewed for. Again, they cannot promise you a job and they cannot help you get an interview but they are helpful in wanting you to get a job so reach out and help will come. 

 

I am a PhD candidate at Emory University where my focus of study centers around topics including accessibility, usability, and research design and methods. I've always been interested in making services as "easy" and accessible as possible, but also reliable and valid. Is a product or service actually doing what it sets out to do? I became interested in these sorts of topics as a teenager when I was first learning about standardized assessment, survey design, and statistics. I realized that even on the most highly regarded standardized assessments, much of the content seemed "inaccessible," or inapplicable, to large segments of the population. For example, sometimes the language used would be so theoretical or heady that it was difficult to understand a question or a concept. Other times, questions on assessments, which were theoretically "standardized" and designed to be of use by "all" people, seemed to be missing the mark. For example, a standardized body image assessment might ask about a person's experience with exercise or a healthy lifestyle--the assumption could be that someone who exercises a lot may be labeled as having a negative body image because they're "obsessive"; at the same time, someone who doesn't exercise at all may be labeled as having a negative body image with the implication that they "don't care" and are negligent of their health. These sort of discrepancies bothered me! I started noticing these things everywhere in all forms. For example, have you ever used a "handicap" bathroom? Take a look around next time! Usually, the stalls are large enough for a wheelchair to comfortably navigate the space, and oftentimes the toilet seat and countertop are lower; but so often, the paper towel dispenser is too high to reach from a seated position, or there is a step-can trashcan for waste disposal, which could be completely inaccessible for someone who uses a wheelchair.

It took me years to realize that these organic passions of mine were related to fields like human factors engineering and user experience research and design. While teaching myself some UX "basics," I realized how perfect of a fit this field was for me! I also realized that I needed (and wanted) a lot more knowledge and training! I first approached TTS because I was interested in their "UX Design for Beginners" course (which was a total blast.) On top of that, I'd always been interested in coding. I had zero experience with coding--I dabbled in things when I was a teenager, like html and silly customization (I can't be the only teenager in the early 2000's who had a bunch of different Angelfire and GeoCities (RIP) websites, am I right!?) but "coding" itself always seemed way too difficult. My friends who coded tended to be ridiculously good at math and they seemed adept at learning "foreign" concepts easily. I mean, I took Spanish for six years as a kid and can barely remember a thing--ergo, learning entire programming languages seemed impossible.

After filling out some info online, I had an initial phone interview with Meghan, which was really much more of a conversation about *me* and my goals. I really appreciated this call--initially, I thought I had to "sell myself," which made me a bit anxious since I had zero tech experience. Instead, Meghan seemed more interested in figuring out if TTS would be able to provide me with the necessary resources for me to get a step closer to *my* goals. Since I'm already a full-time doctoral student, I don't have much free time and I have basically no money, ha! Meghan assured me that even though I'd be even busier, my schedule would be doable. She also shared invaluable information with me about scholarship opportunities and discounts. When Meghan asked if I was interested in other courses that TTS offered, I think I laughed. Of course I was interested! But every coding "bootcamp" I came across was several thousand dollars, required a lot of time, and seemed to offer false promises like guaranteed job placement. I casually mentioned I might be interested in a part-time coding course but that she shouldn't go into too much detail because I knew I wouldn't have the time or the funds. She respected this, and simply mentioned that I seemed like a really good fit for TTS and so she would email me pricing information, the schedule, and information about scholarships and discounts.

Before approaching TTS, I looked into other UX and coding programs offered through competitive companies and attended some info sessions. While I'm sure that many competing programs are fantastic, they were simply too expensive for me to even consider. I found several courses that were $10,000+ for ~10 weeks and essentially required that people quit their job because of the class schedule. Many programs did offer scholarships, but they might only offer one single scholarship. One company in particular, a nationwide company, told me that they did indeed offer a scholarship but that I wouldn't be a good candidate (I appreciated their honesty!) because they only awarded ONE scholarship per cohort across the entire nation, and that these scholarships (understandably) went to people far more disadvantaged than myself. These companies also seem to prioritize job placement ratings and use that as leverage, using carefully-worded language to make it seem like a job was "guaranteed." Very few programs are in the position to guarantee anyone a job, especially in this economy, and that really concerned me. A company told me they had a 98% job placement rating within three months of graduation. When I asked probing questions, like "what percentage of these jobs are in the tech industry?" and "what percentage of graduates who became employed also had a traditional 4 year college degree?" I was met with silence. These are important questions for such an expensive investment!

TTS makes no promises or guarantees about job placement and that's honestly one of my favorite things. The people at TTS, the entire model of the school, the quality of teaching...it all speaks for itself. TTS doesn't need to offer any [false] promises--they've created an environment where 1) the employees have the best interest of the students in mind, so obviously they will assist with things like connections and networking, and 2) the students are offered such good instruction and resources that we want to do as much as possible to succeed...we don't need handholding!

To my delight, TTS helped make it possible for me to take both of the courses I wanted--UX and coding. They were incredibly responsive and I never felt any pressure. Everyone is also so accessible! For example, I kept running into a coding error while I was doing some independent pre-coursework coding exercises. We were given Zack's email and told to contact him with any questions, so I did. Little did I know that he's the CTO of the entire company! How cool is that!? I felt a little silly for asking such a basic question, but he never made me feel like I was wasting his time and he always responded with great detail, wanting to make sure I understood things.

Both of my instructors were always available for office hours, and were constantly on Slack. On days we didn't have class and I was having a hard time, I would message my instructor on Slack and know that he'd respond. I had to miss a couple of classes due to a pre-planned trip, and my instructor took it upon himself to with meet separately upon my return to ensure I wasn't too far behind. I've been in school for 23 years at this point and the attention and quality of teaching I've experienced through TTS has been among the best! Plus, all of my classmates are pretty awesome; with relatively small class sizes, we're pretty much all able to get some form of individualized instruction if we get stuck and ask for help.

The guest speakers that TTS brings in are among the best and also so accessible! None of them have a "cocky" attitude, and many of them are in high-level positions (CEOs, etc.) Atlanta has quite an impressive tech community and I was curious to see what sort of resources or connections TTS might have access to. When our first guest speaker was from MailChimp, that basically just solidified my confidence in them. Because of the guest speaker series through TTS, I've already had three separate one-on-one meetings with highly respected tech companies in the Atlanta area. I'm convinced that it's my own knowledge and drive, networking, and mentorship that will help me get a job in this industry, not a fancy "job placement rating" toted around my competitors.

I could go on and on but this is already too long. Every interaction I've had with a TTS employee (i.e. Admissions, Communications, Logistics, Community Organizing, instructors) has been enjoyable. Go to this school! It's small in a good way--you won't be overlooked; you'll have access to their resources and connections; and you'll learn a ton in a short period of time. You'll also probably keep a lot more money in your bank ;)

Tech Talent South has given me a great opportunity. I got accepted into their GAP(Graduate Accelerator Program) and got placed in their Java code immersion course! So far it has been an amazing experience. The instructor has done a great job explaining the material and makes it easy for students with no prior programming experience to understand and grasp what is being taught. He goes out of his way to help students outside of classroom hours who need extra help. Besides learning how to code, TTS also helps prepare you for the job market. They really care about your success and make sure you are getting the most out of your time at TTS by helping you achieve your goals. If you are thinking about attending a course at Tech Talent South, do it! You won't regret it.  

I have always had an interest in coding and started searching online for available options and came across Tech Talent South.
 
After submitting a request for more information on their Code Immersion Program I was contacted promptly by the staff. They answered the many questions I had and offered guidance to help me to understand what is was I was looking for.  It is a Bootcamp so it fast-paced, however many topics are covered and while it is challenging for a beginner in web-based development, it is also informative. It has helped pique my interest and has encouraged me to pursue further. At this time it is more for personal interest \ development, however, it may lead to further training in this field.  The part-time code immersion course seems to well with my full-time job, which is a plus for me.  A team environment is also encouraged in the classrooms. I would recommend this course for anyone that is interested in this field. The staff is supportive, encouraging and bring real-world experience to the classes. 

I recently completed the code immersion boot camp in CLT and would recommend this course to others seeking to break into coding or who have been out of the game a while. My instructor Phibal was amazing, framing the content in real world examples, linking learnings to how you can best demonstrate skills during interviews, and otherwise eager to help, reiterate and make you think. Shannon my Experience Director was as well most helpful, offering herself and other resources to guide you through the course and get you over learning hurdles. The course covers front end and back end, the highest-demand languages and tools/apps. Highly recommend. 

Tech Talent South Atlanta- was absolutely horrible.

My instructor was a very nice guy, but  this was his first time teaching the course. My biggest frustration with him was that he lacked the ability to make the connection between the students and the material. What do I mean? To put it simply- he was a code leader not a teacher.  That’s frustrating when learning a new topic and the person tasked to illuminate the path can’t do so because of their own limitations. About halfway into the class people just stopped coming because they felt they could do better teaching themselves. 

I reached out to the school about it. They didn’t take me seriously and we’re defensive. They talked about how they vetted him as an instructor.  Then offered me a tutor- but made no effort to truly investigate my thoughts about the instructor. The rest of my class complained but “didn’t want the headache of actually saying something about it” because of the fight they would have to go through with the school. 

I for sure thought they would be out of business by now. You can’t treat people this way- but then again, my experience is t the one being advertised. 

I have just completed the Part-Time Code Immersion course at Tech Talent South's Atlanta Campus. My experience was great! It is important to note that although I came into this course with prior knowledge and programming experience, I was still able to gain a substantial amount of new skills throughout the 8-week course. The teacher for my specific class was very eccentric and had a way of simplifying complex topics to Layman's terms, in a comical way. I would definitely recommend this to others as a way to introduce themselves to programming or just to brush up on skills.