The Tech Academy
The Tech Academy is a trade school headquartered in Portland, Oregon that offers full-time and part-time bootcamps online and in-person at their Portland campus. The Tech Academy offers part-time and full-time bootcamps in computer programming, website development, cybersecurity, game development, mobile development, data science, front-end development, tech marketing, and tech sales. The immersive experience aims to create well-rounded technology professionals, and also gives students the option to take the course at their own pace. There are also no set starts dates or rigid scheduling. Students can enroll at any time, study from home, and choose whatever study schedule they would like.
The Tech Academy’s bootcamps cover topics including computer science fundamentals, programming basics, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, C#, Python, Bootstrap, jQuery, React.js, project management, Agile, Scrum, MVC, version control, Java, and more. Each bootcamp also includes a Live Project, where students gain real-life experience to add to their resume as well as job placement assistance.
None of The Tech Academy's bootcamps require any tech background or experience. To apply, applicants need to take an IQ test with logic-based questions (to ensure applicants can read, write and perform basic math), followed by an admissions interview.
The final part of every The Tech Academy bootcamp is the Job Placement Course which covers interviewing skills, resume writing, where to find tech jobs, and gives students access to job placement staff who assist students in landing technical positions.
412 The Tech Academy Reviews
Sylvia MGraduate • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandFeb 24, 2016Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceMy experience
Wow, where do I start?
I joined the Tech Academy in June 2015, while still working full-time at my job at a start-up company. That start-up was shortly acquired and I was left with two choices: work with the new ownership or commit full-time with my studies. I chose to commit to the bootcamp and I’m glad I did.
Along the way, I learned a lot of the fundamentals of software development that I will carry with me going forward. I can no...Wow, where do I start?
I joined the Tech Academy in June 2015, while still working full-time at my job at a start-up company. That start-up was shortly acquired and I was left with two choices: work with the new ownership or commit full-time with my studies. I chose to commit to the bootcamp and I’m glad I did.
Along the way, I learned a lot of the fundamentals of software development that I will carry with me going forward. I can now say that learning a new language or technology is something I am confident in doing within a short period of time. I’m now ready to start my new career as a full-time web developer for a Fortune 1000 company in a small, fast paced team next Monday.
I don’t think this would be possible had I not joined the Tech Academy and was taught the array of front-end/back-end languages, database structures, and the ability to work on a live project team. These are highly valuable technical skills that I feel have prepared me to be competitive in the marketplace.
There is only one coding boot camp in my city and so, I was very grateful to find a solution to study self-paced online while I was also working full-time when I joined.
Thank you Tech Academy, you were the perfect fit! Otherwise, I don’t think my career transition would have happened the way it did without me inconveniently relocating somewhere temporarily just to make the leap into web development. Although my leap took months, every day I did something to progress forward in my skills, projects, and study. It is true that what you put into your studies is what you get out of it. I also had accountability each week from my job placement coach which was very helpful in keeping me on track. He would always make sure I was preparing myself. Whether that meant mock interviewing me the day of my interviews or applying to jobs, I think the overall accountability and consistency is what brought me confidence that it was just a matter of time for the right opportunity to present itself. And that is exactly what happened!
Thank you Tech Academy staff for the support and education! I look forward to a successful career in web development and I am happy to start seeing the fruits of my labor! This is just the beginning.- HLGStudentFeb 09, 2016Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
The Curriculum is Amazing!
I absolutely love the Computer Basics Course. I thought it was very well laid out and easily explained. I already had experience in the field but I actually got a lot out of it. Also, the Javascript Course was awesome! I enjoyed that a lot. Overall, I find that the content of the courses are nice and I like it. The learning experience has proven itself to be amazing! I know once I am finished with the school, I'll be able to professionally code.
- D.M.StudentFeb 09, 2016Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Thorough Curriculum
Although I haven't yet completed the program, so far I have really understood what I am studying. Sometimes I can forget what I was reading when I intake too much data at once, but there are coding challenges that have let me practice and thus retain what I have learned.
- AndrewGraduate • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandFeb 04, 2016Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Exceeded Expectations
To start things off, I would like to say that the experience here has been phenomenal. The entire staff, the flexible scheduling, course work layout, lessons, and teaching style has been nothing short of great.
I came to this school with zero prior knowledge on sofware development. I came from a dental background. Starting off with computer basics, it was a good course for me to get my feet wet within the computer world. They have laid out the courses in a great way that makes s...
To start things off, I would like to say that the experience here has been phenomenal. The entire staff, the flexible scheduling, course work layout, lessons, and teaching style has been nothing short of great.
I came to this school with zero prior knowledge on sofware development. I came from a dental background. Starting off with computer basics, it was a good course for me to get my feet wet within the computer world. They have laid out the courses in a great way that makes sense and logical for the students to learn.
Moving through the courses in succession is a great sensation. I never would have thought I'd learn this much about software development. Definitely not possible on my own without The Tech Academy. Learning both front-end and back-end development is a great way to make yourself a well-rounded developer.
Funny thing is, I landed a job at a fantastic location before even finishing the entire program. Now I am making a salary for the first time in my life and taking over my household as the main income provider (I'm only 24 years old). I couldn't have been more thankful for enrolling here. It is life changing and great relationships were built.
- Perspective Student EvaluationApplicant • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandFeb 01, 2016Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
BEWARE of mind games they don't play nice
I made my appointment to interview the staff and experience their learning environment and take their phony "entrance exam" which consists of a IQ & personality test.
They claimed their test results revealed that I would need to sign a wavier because the personality test revealed a red-flag which they said means that I do not "play nice with instructors".....???? I asked why an exception is being made for me and they responded that because I passed their IQ exam with a reason...
I made my appointment to interview the staff and experience their learning environment and take their phony "entrance exam" which consists of a IQ & personality test.
They claimed their test results revealed that I would need to sign a wavier because the personality test revealed a red-flag which they said means that I do not "play nice with instructors".....???? I asked why an exception is being made for me and they responded that because I passed their IQ exam with a reasonably high score, that they would, "love to have me as a student". I asked to retake the personality evaluation due to botched initial answersheet during first attempt. When I completed the retake evaluation, they sent me a copy of their wavier. **It had nothing to do with "playing nice" -which was explained to me earlier, that if I should encounter any conflict during my program, that I would follow a structured channel/chain of command to resolve any conflicts that may arise between students, faculty and insturctors" In reality, the waiver was simply a form requesting several disturbing things:
1. I would agree to relinquish all of my legal rights to ask for refunds on tuition or any legal/litigious recourse to protect my investment in the school.
2. That I would not speak negatively of the shool on any social media. (there were more bullet items, but those are the two red-flags for me.)
Why would anybody invest in or take on intellectual debt in a rigged deal where the school has absolutely no responsibiltiy or accountability to your success or even your satisfaction? evidently people do sign and relinquish their legal rights under the guise of some false behavior exam with a supposed "red flag"...... don't be taken advantage of here -I won't do it. Any shool that genuinely cares about your success is not going to ask you to put yourself in such a vulnerable position.
Moving on and you should too! This after narrowly surviving Portland Code School who also tried to rip me off to the tune of $1,000. in tuition as the result of a secretive backdoor business transaction and abrupt school closure with strong resistance to do the right thing and provide refunds. In my case fortunately, PayPal automatically recovered my tuition money for me and Oregon Department of Justice is still investigating the loss of opportunity.
Play nicely with your students and you won't have to worry about lawsuits and headgames.
- MontrellStudent • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandDec 18, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
joinUP!
I'm not done with the training yet, but I must admit that I have learned more (in such a short time) than any class that I have ever taken. This atmosphere is electric and there are so many people to meet and draw from. If you are looking to join a community of developers, this is the right place to start. On that note, let me get back to my studies! ; ) joinUP!...
- Kent GraySoftware Developer • Student • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandDec 16, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Tech Academy
As a student here at The Tech Academy, I couldn't be more pleased. The academy covers every aspect of teaching with a very high standard. The instructors here go out of their way to make sure I am understanding the content. I never feel like they look down upon my work nor my questions.
The content in the coursework is wonderful and is designed to help students progress as fast or as slow as they need to. In addition to the course program, Tech Academy'...
As a student here at The Tech Academy, I couldn't be more pleased. The academy covers every aspect of teaching with a very high standard. The instructors here go out of their way to make sure I am understanding the content. I never feel like they look down upon my work nor my questions.
The content in the coursework is wonderful and is designed to help students progress as fast or as slow as they need to. In addition to the course program, Tech Academy's job placement strategy is bar none. They provide two full time staff that daily assist with any job placement needs, questions, concerns, follow-ups.
They also have a sister company that has live projects from jobs that need to be done within the greater Portland community. Every student is assigned to at least one live project where they have hands on working experience that no only builds their resume but helps prepare them for any future work.
In summation, I feel that when I leave this program I will be fully prepared to take on work situations that are thrown my way. I wish that my undergraduate and master's degrees were taught in this format. I will have learned and developed more skils in 15 weeks than an entire year of coursework at major universities.
- PComputer Instructor • Graduate • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandNov 06, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
I am happy that I gained the knowledge as well as received a job.
I was looking for .NET boot-camp in Portland and when came to know about Tech Academy, the first thing that impressed me was 100% job placement. I have a computer background, so I only wanted to take the .NET course, but the software developer boot camp was like a package, so I started from the computer basics course. As I moved on to the successive courses, I realized just how important it was to start at the basics and progress forward through each course.
The main th...I was looking for .NET boot-camp in Portland and when came to know about Tech Academy, the first thing that impressed me was 100% job placement. I have a computer background, so I only wanted to take the .NET course, but the software developer boot camp was like a package, so I started from the computer basics course. As I moved on to the successive courses, I realized just how important it was to start at the basics and progress forward through each course.
The main thing that was helpful for me was the self paced learning curriculum and that I would be able take the course online. The curriculum was very comprehensive and the drills were challenging particularly the python drills which was helpful in developing my logic. Instructors were helpful and I got immediate response/help from them. The live project and job placement courses are definitely highlights in the boot-camp. In the live project, I had an opportunity to work in a real world website and was able to contribute to the website. The job placement course helped me prepare for the interview. The Tech Academy taught me the skills that are necessary for my career.
I am happy that I gained the knowledge as well as received a job.I'll take this opportunity to thank Adam, Tony and Danny and all the other staff in Tech Academy for their support and motivation! I am now employed in technology!
- Neil BlitsteinContract development • Graduate • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandNov 02, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Thank you Tech Academy for teaching this old dog a tremendous amount of new tricks
Whoever said "You can't teach an old dog new tricks", never went to the Tech Academy. At the ripe age of 53, I have taken thousands of hours of programming, development and design classes. The Tech Academy has managed to design a curriculum that far surpasses any of those hours.
As a Veteran, I'm always on the lookout for organizations that proclaim great and wonderful things for Vets, but deliver less than stellar produc...Whoever said "You can't teach an old dog new tricks", never went to the Tech Academy. At the ripe age of 53, I have taken thousands of hours of programming, development and design classes. The Tech Academy has managed to design a curriculum that far surpasses any of those hours.
As a Veteran, I'm always on the lookout for organizations that proclaim great and wonderful things for Vets, but deliver less than stellar products and seem more interested in getting the GI Bill money than educating us. The Tech Academy is not one of those schools. I would, and I have recommended them to other Vets I know.
At first I was very skeptical about all "Boot Camp" style courses mainly because of the rigorous pace and wealth of knowledge you're expected to absorb in such a short period of time. After researching the Tech Academy, along with many other schools, I was first and foremost impressed with the choice I was given to either follow a self paced program, a more structured in classroom setting or a combination of both. The combination was perfect.
This "Old dog" was taught more in the 5-6 months of real education than I was in years of instruction, and there is a difference in the two. I was very concerned that the beginning classes were too "Basic" for me. I have my A+, Network+, Security+, several Microsoft certifications and started my programming career in Visual Basic 3.0. My first computer ran DOS and windows 3.0 had just been released. I received my computer science degree in 1985 before it was called that and when the horse and buggy was the preferred way to get around. To say the least, my education was dated and needed a serious facelift.
Starting with the very first course, the most basic level, I was reminded of many terms and definitions I had forgot. I was also taught many I had never heard of before. This is a great foundation that makes the rest of the course fall into a cohesive order.
With each course, I learned something new. With most, I learned everything new. The order in which each subject is taught and presented makes perfect sense and builds on the previous subject. With each new language, I was taught the mechanics, strengths and purpose of the language. Something lacking in most other schools. Other schools never seem to teach you the "why" part, only the "how" part. The Tech Academy teaches both. This way you can make an educated decision as to what language to use for the job, why you're using that language and whether or not you are going to inject several other languages to comprise a single project. Most projects will use multiple languages, but knowing why and which ones to use is the important part.
Progressing through each course I was constantly tutored and mentored by a very knowledgeable and competent instructor staff. This includes the "Student" instructors. I was always impressed by their honesty and ability to say, "I don't know that. Let me do some research and get back to you", instead of trying to fumble their way through pretending to know but only confusing me more. Then they would actually get back to me. In most cases in minutes but always the same day. No time was ever wasted unless it was wasted by me.
Most notable of all the staff is Adam Smith. He is in my opinion, the best instructor at the Academy. He never once gave me an answer, instead, he always pointed me in the direction to where I could find the answer but more importantly, he would follow up to make sure I understood the answer, as did all the instructors no matter which one was helping me. He never made me feel I was imposing on him with questions I probably should have already known the answer to. But most impressive is his ability to help me understand the problem I was having, not the problem I thought I was having. Most other teachers I have encountered are not as gifted in this area of education.
When it comes to having a competitive edge, education is always that edge. Any institution can teach anyone, but not very many can educate. The Tech Academy, starting with the first class to the final class, makes sure you understand what you are learning before having you start the next subject. There is an old saying, "Teach to standard, not to time." The Tech Academy teaches to above standard and ensures you have all the time you need to fully understand.
For me, I chose the Tech Academy to refresh my skills and hopefully learn something new to make me more competitive in the market place. I received much more. I received an education and a hard, wide firm foundation which made it possible for me to start my own small software consulting firm before I finished the school.
My first client called me to ask a simple question, but one that is becoming the most important question for all firms, "Do you know how to upgrade our old software to something more dynamic, can handle hundreds of users at the same time and capable of utilizing the different languages that have to run on both Windows and Linux operating systems?"
Because of the education I received from the Tech Academy, I was able to give an answer that impressed them. I said, "Depending on what language your old program is written in and if you have the source code, would depend on whether or not it would be less expensive for you to rewrite the software or just buy an off the shelf tool that will do what you want and then build customized tools to fill in the gaps." I was hired as their consultant before the conversation ended and subsequently was asked to help write the tools to fill in the gaps. None of this would have ever been made possible without the education I received from the Tech Academy.
Thank you Tech Academy for teaching this old dog a tremendous amount of new tricks. - John StrongDeveloper • Graduate • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandOct 23, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Gave me skills and experience to land my current job
First off, I would like to recommend every person looking at coding schools take a good look at the Tech Academy. I have been very happy with all my experiences there. I was a process engineer looking to make a career change and move into the software industry and the Tech Academy gave me the skills I needed to do a mid-career pivot at my own pace. But no matter the stage of your career or level of experience, I saw students from all skill levels and backgrounds succeed i...
First off, I would like to recommend every person looking at coding schools take a good look at the Tech Academy. I have been very happy with all my experiences there. I was a process engineer looking to make a career change and move into the software industry and the Tech Academy gave me the skills I needed to do a mid-career pivot at my own pace. But no matter the stage of your career or level of experience, I saw students from all skill levels and backgrounds succeed in the program. Throughout my time with the Tech Academy they have been supportive, helpful and very keen on helping me succeed even when I wasn’t as motivated as I should have been. The instructors and staff never wavered in their support or professionalism. The Tech Academy gave me skills and experience to land job interviews and even when I didn’t get the job, employers were always impressed with the what I learned in a short period of time and with the live projects. I can’t stress enough how helpful having the live project experience is when you are actually interviewing.
In my current position at Shiftwise, I use my sql, c# and xml skills to help customers and account managers get the data they need from our software and databases. The c# helps me read and understand our codebase. The sql helps me build the actual queries needed which can get pretty complicated, some of our previous queries are several hundred lines long. My knowledge of xml helps me format our output so it is easy to read and parse by our end users.
The knowledge and skills I learned at the Tech Academy gave me a great foundation to build off of as I start my new career as a software developer.
Thank you Adam, Danny, Alem, Brett, Cole, Clifford, Kendra, Emily, Jack, Erik and everyone else at the Tech Academy!
- JerryProgrammer • Graduate • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandOct 23, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
I feel truly lucky that I have discovered this company
The context:
I have been working with electronics and PC hardware/software since the early 90's. Refurbishing computers for my High School; Community College electronics courses; phone support for Windows 95, and other techie roles. Up until April 2015 I was at McAfee/Intel Security for over 17 years, working as a black box (mostly manual) QA Engineer.
The problem:
Having been reorganized out of a job, I survey...The context:
I picked The Tech Academy from the list of boot camp choices in Portland, because of the sheer number of subjects that they cover. When I met with them for a tour, I had many questions about their approach to teaching, and how they would overcome barriers that may have held me back in the past.
I have been working with electronics and PC hardware/software since the early 90's. Refurbishing computers for my High School; Community College electronics courses; phone support for Windows 95, and other techie roles. Up until April 2015 I was at McAfee/Intel Security for over 17 years, working as a black box (mostly manual) QA Engineer.
The problem:
Having been reorganized out of a job, I surveyed the employment landscape and found most new QA roles to be automation centric or defined more as a hybrid development role (e.g. Agile Tester). Breaking into this paradigm without some coding and scripting experience is worse odds then a Shetland pony in a Gygax dungeon (yes, nerdy D&D reference, but truth none the less).
The challenge:
Let's take an old-school black box QA, and skill'em up into a QA Automation, or a Junior Developer role, shall we? This wouldn't be the first time that I tried my hand at development. I have taken compressed courses in Visual Basic, and C over the years, but nothing ever stuck because those class environments assumed a prior computer sciencey background that I did not possess.
I needed something structured, from the ground up approach, which avoided using all the abstruse terminology that can be a barrier into the field.
The solution:
With all my new found spare cycles, I attempted to do some learning on my own. A video course here, or a library run there... I was getting nowhere fast, but it did lead me to the concept of coding boot camps, so I started to dig into that more.
The courses are designed from the beginning with no foreknowledge of computer science, or computers in general. They take the complex words/concepts, and break them down into a level of understanding that you don't even get in the "for dummies" books. Sure, some of the beginning bits were review for me, but even basics helped me build confidence in my understanding, and my resolve to see this through, and I may just have learned a few things better than I had understood them before.
The Result:
Not everything was easy, boy howdy. There were days that I had wondered what I had gotten myself into. With the effort that I put in on the coursework, the mentoring of the instructors, and the encouragement of The Tech Academy staff, I was able to find that next job. Maybe not exactly in the direction that I was expecting, but that has been the way that my career has worked. Open mind's lead to open doors, is the fortune cookie of my life.
All in all, I feel truly lucky that I have discovered this company, and fortunate to have spent the last 6 months with this quality team of people. - RWDeveloper and Debugger • Graduate • Software Developer Bootcamp • PortlandOct 21, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Was hired as a developer at Salesforce
I have no doubt that the Portland Tech Academy is the reason I am starting a new job with Salesforce on Monday. When I started, technology was a large, overwhelming field of information. I felt bombarded with opinions and potential directions to move: Should I learn Java right away? What about Ruby? I’ve heard Python is easy…
An argument I often hear against technology bootcamps is that the information is (mostly) available for free or f...I have no doubt that the Portland Tech Academy is the reason I am starting a new job with Salesforce on Monday. When I started, technology was a large, overwhelming field of information. I felt bombarded with opinions and potential directions to move: Should I learn Java right away? What about Ruby? I’ve heard Python is easy…
An argument I often hear against technology bootcamps is that the information is (mostly) available for free or for a fraction of the cost of a bootcamp. I used to think that I could become a developer on my own, but I realized after a year of studying independently that I was nowhere closer to where I wanted to be than when I started. The Tech Academy provided a linear path forward, complete with projects, objectives, and checkpoints for me to step back and appreciate the progress I had made. In addition to giving me a clear direction, the Tech Academy provided me an opportunity to join a community, and to be held accountable for my studying time every week. I made more progress working with the Tech Academy’s specific curriculum in half a year than I could have in three years of independent study. The Tech Academy is also unique in that they were flexible and willing to work with my schedule, allowing me to make progress toward a new career while also keeping my day job. For me, this was invaluable, and the Tech Academy was the obvious bootcamp of choice in the Portland market.
Finally, while the program the Tech Academy offers is officially termed a ‘software developer bootcamp’, there are also many other careers that you can pursue after completing this program. I will be working as a customer success agent for developers, helping to debug code and recommend programming best practices. There are many companies out there looking for energetic coders to fill jobs outside of the software developer role, from QA to customer service to product management. For myself, I’m thankful that the Tech Academy has helped me land this new opportunity with such a large company, and I hope to continue growing as a software developer for my own side projects.
The Tech Academy Alumni Outcomes
| Employed in-field | 70.1% |
| Full-time employee | 70.1% |
| Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | 0.0% |
| Short-term contract, part-time, or freelance | 0.0% |
| Started a new company or venture after graduation | 0.0% |
| Not seeking in-field employment | 11.2% |
| Employed out-of-field | 2.8% |
| Continuing to higher education | 4.7% |
| Not seeking a job for health, family, or personal reasons | 3.8% |
| Still seeking job in-field | 8.5% |
| Could not contact | 10.2% |
Recent The Tech Academy News
The Tech Academy Alumni Reviews Summary
How much does The Tech Academy cost?
The Tech Academy costs around $14,000. On the lower end, some The Tech Academy courses like Self-Paced Front-End Web Developer Boot Camp cost $1,800.
What courses does The Tech Academy teach?
The Tech Academy offers courses like Online C# and .NET Framework Boot Camp (full-time), Online C# and .NET Framework Boot Camp (part-time), Online Cyber Security Boot Camp (full-time), Online Cyber Security Boot Camp (part-time) and 35 more.
Where does The Tech Academy have campuses?
The Tech Academy has in-person campuses in Portland. The Tech Academy also has a remote classroom so students can learn online.
Is The Tech Academy worth it?
The data says yes! The Tech Academy reports a 72% graduation rate, a median salary of $54,000 and 85% of The Tech Academy alumni are employed. The Tech Academy hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 412 The Tech Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed The Tech Academy on Course Report - you should start there!
Is The Tech Academy legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 412 The Tech Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed The Tech Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.85 out of 5.
Does The Tech Academy offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like The Tech 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 The Tech Academy reviews?
You can read 412 reviews of The Tech Academy on Course Report! The Tech Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed The Tech Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.85 out of 5.
Is The Tech Academy accredited?
We are a licensed trade school through the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (and other state licensing bodies), authorized to certify students in coding and other technical professions.