Telegraph Academy is now Hack Reactor

As of 11/1/16, Hack Reactor has unified its network of schools, including MakerSquare and Telegraph Academy, under the Hack Reactor brand.

The Hack Reactor network of schools are now Hack Reactor Austin, Hack Reactor Los Angeles, Hack Reactor San Francisco, Hack Reactor New York City, and Hack Reactor Remote.

If you graduated from Telegraph Academy prior to October 2016, please leave your review for Telegraph Academy. Otherwise, please leave your review for Hack Reactor.

To view updated and accurate information, please visit the
Hack Reactor Course Report page.

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Telegraph Academy

Average Rating4.23
48 Reviews
0 Courses
Telegraph Academy is a software engineering career accelerator based out of Oakland for people of color underrepresented in tech. It was one of the first schools to launch as a part of the White House’s Tech Hire Initiative. Telegraph Academy’s curriculum was developed in partnership with Hack Reactor; and its full-time, 12-week immersive program focuses on JavaScript and related technologies. The immersive program is split into 6 weeks of technology learning and 6 we...

48 Telegraph Academy Reviews

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  • Grace
    Grace
    Student • Graduate • Telegraph Prep Onsite (4-Week, Part-Time prep class) • Oakland
    Jun 13, 2015
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    I did not get a good experience either.

    I did not get a good experience either in their PREP COURSE. I did the codecademy (Maybe that's not a hard work for some of the students ), but I thought their material are hard to understand. I did ask the mentor, but they don't explain it well.  I am sorry, but I have to say this.

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  • Anonymous
    Student • Telegraph Prep Onsite (4-Week, Part-Time prep class) • Oakland
    Dec 05, 2015
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    Ok instructors

    Instructors seem to be a bit slow in helping us to de-bug.  I feel that even though they'e just graduated, they're still don't have the full grasp.  It makes me feel uncomfortable with that style of teaching.

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  • Anonymous
    Telegraph Prep Onsite (4-Week, Part-Time prep class) • Oakland
    Sep 01, 2015
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    Good intention, bad instruction

    While the team is nice enough, no one has any idea how to teach. They don't prepare logical lesson plans, they can't answer questions clearly and simply--newbies really don't stand a chance. Some students know what they're doing and, of course, they have to let you know it by asking really granular questions that don't edify anyone. I really, really wish I could be more positive because I really believe in the mission, but I was left feeling frustrated and disappointed. For all the "assist...

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  • Anonymous
    Student • Telegraph Academy (12-Week, Full-Time Immersive Program) • Oakland
    Feb 20, 2016
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    a watered down version of hack reactor

    many of the core instructors have no real software engineer experience (take a look at linkedin for yourself). new grads from the first cohort are now teaching the curriculum which is a travesty because they barely have a grasp on what's going on and you can tell with how they answer questions. i'm worried about the future of this school. i recommend going to another one of the hack reactor schools if your going to spend $18,000 until they hire people with real experience. 

    Follo...

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  • Casey
    Casey
    Graduate • Telegraph Academy (12-Week, Full-Time Immersive Program) • Oakland
    Sep 26, 2015
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    Best 3 months of my life

    TGA challenged me everyday. They challenged me to be an awesome coder but, even more so, to prove to myself I could overcome something this difficult. Everyone in my cohort is like family to me, and 100k plus ain't bad.
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  • anon
    Anonymous
    Software Engineer • Graduate • Telegraph Academy (12-Week, Full-Time Immersive Program) • Oakland
    May 25, 2016
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    Don't believe the hype

    If I could do it over I would have just attended Hack Reactor. I'll start by saying that I am now an employed software engineer. However, this a review of the school and not my own personal outcomes. The cost of attendance is the same as hack reactor, but this equal cost does not equate to equal quality. Since it labels itself as the premier coding bootcamp for people of color and underrepresented groups, it seems as though it also lowers the standards of admission if you fit into one of t...

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    Albrey Brown of Telegraph Academy

    Cofounder

    Jun 30, 2016

    Cost, educational quality, job placement and salaries:

    Your assumptions are not based in fact. Telegraph Academy and Hack Reactor are both part of the Reactor Core network which requires its schools to uphold the same educational standards and outcomes. If we we fail to uphold these standards, past or present, we would not be allowed to be a part of such a strong network of schools. In terms of educational quality, unless you’ve gone to both Telegraph Academy and Hack Reactor, it’s very difficult for us to see how you can so confidently compare the two. 

    Highly experienced instructors: 

    Our instruction team is highly experienced and they work together to teach students the skills they need when they need them. 

    Jamil Lawrence (Head Instructor of the Junior Section) has been with us for a year and is a Cornell-trained engineer with over 9 years of relevant experience. Before joining TGA, he was a Semiconductor Engineer writing and testing semiconductor software at Samsung for over four years. He also has 5 years of classroom teaching experience, and he has more than enough experience working with the specific technologies & lessons we teach in the Junior section (the first six weeks of the program). Because the Junior section of any Reactor Core school focuses on building raw engineering skills -- debugging, jumping into a code base, picking up new technologies quickly, etc. -- and material that builds core problem solving skills, Jamil’s rare mix of skill and experience make him uniquely suited to his role as the Junior Instructor. You leave his section of the program ready for the Senior section with Marc.

    Marc Christophe (Head Instructor of the Senior Section) has been with us a year as well and is tasked with acting as your lead engineer and project manager over the last 6 weeks of the program. His 10 years of Software Engineering experience makes him especially qualified to guide you through learning advanced Software Engineering concepts (i.e. test driven development, application architecture, database scheme, etc.)  and team management skills as you build your applications. He takes those raw skills Jamil helped you build in the Junior section and translates them into professional, marketable skills that enable you to build production-grade applications like a professional software engineer in the Senior section. 

    As you can see, your claim of inexperienced instructors is weak at best. Combined, our instruction team has 20+ years of relevant experience. They work in tandem to get you ready to hit the ground running on an engineering team on day one. 

    Accessible business model:

    Again, we’re having difficulty understanding how our model, which is the same as Hack Reactor and Makersquare’s, is predatory. We have the same admissions criteria (ie. we have not lowered the bar, which is an assumption that comes eerily close to the frankly racist assumption some people in the industry make about underrepresented people of color in tech) and are held to the same outcomes standards. Look at the other reviews to see whether or not this is a predatory model. The theme that we see is that TGA is a special place that has changed the lives of many and will continue to transform the industry. 

    You characterize our mission as “kool aid,” but so many other reviewers disagree. Again, if you look closely, alums are not talking about “hype,” but about the transformative experience they've had launching their software engineering careers with us. Taken together, their reviews paint a picture of high-quality instruction, strong community and incredible investment toward their careers as Software Engineers. There is nothing predatory about TGA. 

    Come talk to us:

    Finally, it really does make us sad to see that we fallen short of your expectations because we care about all of our students/alums. We’d actually love to talk to you to figure out how we can remedy your frustration that even though you’re working as a software engineer after our program, you did not get what you expected. We would like to figure out how to better meet your expectations. 


    Thank you for your feedback. We’re looking forward to hearing from you soon. 

    - Albrey Brown, Cofounder of Telegraph Academy

  • Darryl
    Darryl
    Graduate • Telegraph Prep Livestream (4-Week, Part-Time prep class) • Oakland
    Jul 07, 2015
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    I live-streamed and...

    I live-streamed and there were some pros and cons. First, let me begin by saying this is a Beta course. I think I was the 2nd class to go through this course. What they done so far is awesome. 

    Pros: great structure, lecture material, setup, pace, pricing

    The classes are streamed via a conference room and we chat with the TA's and other students via the slack app. Each night we run through slides, then we have practice exercises that are assigned to reinforce what we ju...

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  • Darryl
    Darryl
    Graduate • Telegraph Academy (12-Week, Full-Time Immersive Program) • Oakland
    Mar 25, 2016
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    Life Changing Decision

    Before joining Telegraph Academy, I was in Chicago and had no coding experience. It was laughable by my family that I was thinking about moving 2400 miles away to go some school that would teach me how to code and make 6 figures in 12 weeks. What was even more laughable was that I was going to quit my job with a decent salary, empty my savings, and sell my belongings to do so. But I did it, and I would make the same decision if given a change to redo it. 

    Here's why: In order to ...

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous
    Telegraph Prep Livestream (4-Week, Part-Time prep class) • Oakland
    Jul 21, 2015
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    N/A

    Telegraph - Hack Reactor Partner??

    I attended their livestream prep program. I didn't care for the instructor. To me it felt like they were moving very quickly and didn't press the students who had a thumbs-down or side-thumbs enough. Even without seeing the attendees it seemed the class was confused sometimes based on their silence and lack of comments/questions.

    Also there was an instance where someone was asking questions they should have learned from codeacademy, which was required before starting. That wasted...

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  • Juan
    Juan
    Graduate • Telegraph Academy (12-Week, Full-Time Immersive Program) • Oakland
    Mar 23, 2016
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    Best learning experience I've had

    I chose to attend Telegraph Academy becuase I fully believe in the mission and wanted to learn how to code in an exclusive environment. I'm a minority, so I recognize the challenges I face entering a career in tech. I wanted to be part of the vibrant community of talented and strong engineers being built at Telegraph. I dont feel like I could have benefited from my educational experience the same way if I went to another school. I didnt want to be just another number being churned out by s...

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  • Ryan McBride
    Ryan McBride
    Software Engineer • Graduate • Telegraph Academy (12-Week, Full-Time Immersive Program) • Oakland
    Jul 01, 2016
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    TGA helped me reach the goals ive been chasing for the last 10 years.

    I was unable to get a job in software development despite majoring in CS in college, and studying all the time on the side. The best I could ever get was a QA position, because I never had the time or will to fully commit to learning. When I lost my last job to an acquisition, I finally had the opportunity to learn. TGA took my basic Javascript knowledge and turned me into a full stack engineer. I don't get intimidated by coding pro less anymore, I get excited to work on difficult things. ...
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  • Raphael
    Raphael
    Graduate • Telegraph Academy (12-Week, Full-Time Immersive Program) • Oakland
    Mar 23, 2016
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    Graduate

      Joining Telegraph Academy was the best decision I've ever made.  Reading the negative reviews on this site was surprising.  I had no idea that people felt this way it wasn't something that people brought up in any way during the bootcamp, during which, there are many oppertunities to give feedback.

      It seems to me that some of the reviewers on this site are not holding themselves accountable.  Javascript is difficult and frusterating to learn, I'm convinced that there is no wa...

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Telegraph Academy Alumni Outcomes

Recent Telegraph Academy News

Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated November 01, 2016
Have you heard the news? MakerSquare and Telegraph Academy s network of schools are rebranded as Hack Reactor Austin, Hack Reactor Los Angeles, Hack Reactor San Francisco and Hack Reactor New York City. But what exactly does this mean for MakerSquare and Telegraph Academy alumni, current students, staff, and future students? We asked the Hack Reactor team to answer our questions about how this merger will affect tuition, admissions, curriculum, culture, and reviews. FAQ ...
Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated December 28, 2020
Because Course Report is part of this growing coding bootcamp industry, we are very interested in who is attending bootcamps and what that means for the larger tech industry. The growing interest in diversity in tech has led to an ongoing conversation that has even reached the White House . Here are the facts African-Americans make up only 4% of people in software development jobs , and Latino/as make up only 5% of these jobs in the US 1% of coding bootcamp graduates are African American, ...
Harry Hantel
Harry Hantel
Updated August 06, 2015
The July News Roundup is your monthly news digest full of the most interesting articles and announcements in the coding bootcamp space. Want your bootcamp's news to be included in the next News Roundup? Submit announcements of new courses, scholarships, or open jobs at your school! This Week's Student Spotlights Rose Kohn on her first month at Turing School . Fehim Hatipoglu on his real-world project during The App Academy in Amsterdam. Jordan Kimura created Soaring Frost ...
Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated July 31, 2015
African-Americans make up only 4% of people in software development jobs, and Latino/as make up only 5% of these jobs in the US (source). Coding bootcamps will graduate over 16,000 students this year and place them into jobs as developers at startups and enterprise companies. 63% of those coding bootcamp graduates are white. In this webinar, we're joined by code schools Turing, Sabio.la, Startup Institute, and Telegraph Academy to talk about racial diversity in bootcamps, ...
Harry Hantel
Harry Hantel
Updated July 01, 2015
Welcome to the June News Roundup, your monthly news digest full of the most interesting articles and announcements in the bootcamp space. Do you want something considered for the next News Roundup? Submit announcements of new courses, scholarships, or open jobs at your school! Coding Bootcamps In The Headlines Coding Bootcamp Enrollment Soars! (via Bloomberg) Skill Distillery is the First Coding Bootcamp Approved for GI Bill. Coding Dojo spotlighted in Geekwire News. ...

Telegraph Academy Alumni Reviews Summary

Overall Experience
4.2
Instructors
4.2
Curriculum
4.3
Job Assistance
4.2
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More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
FAQs

How much does Telegraph Academy cost?

The average bootcamp costs $14,142, but Telegraph Academy does not share pricing information. You can read a cost-comparison of other popular bootcamps!

What courses does Telegraph Academy teach?

Telegraph Academy offers courses like .

Where does Telegraph Academy have campuses?

Is Telegraph Academy worth it?

Telegraph Academy hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 48 Telegraph Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Telegraph Academy on Course Report - you should start there!

Is Telegraph Academy legit?

We let alumni answer that question. 48 Telegraph Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Telegraph Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.23 out of 5.

Does Telegraph Academy offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?

Right now, it doesn't look like Telegraph Academy offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.

Can I read Telegraph Academy reviews?

You can read 48 reviews of Telegraph Academy on Course Report! Telegraph Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Telegraph Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.23 out of 5.

Is Telegraph Academy accredited?

While bootcamps must be approved to operate, accreditation is relatively rare. Telegraph Academy doesn't yet share information about their accreditation status.

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