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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 bootcamps in computer programming, website development, cybersecurity, game development, mobile development, data science, and front-end development. 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.
I went into this bootcamp having had some experience with coding in the past and with a grasp of some of the concepts and thought processes requisite for coding. I found that the beginning of the course, taught by Erik Gross, was engaging, easy to follow and interesting (I was... engrossed... if you will). Much of the middle of the course is videos made by someone else at the Tech Academy which were also informative and helpful, but didn't carry quite the same quality.
When the c...
I went into this bootcamp having had some experience with coding in the past and with a grasp of some of the concepts and thought processes requisite for coding. I found that the beginning of the course, taught by Erik Gross, was engaging, easy to follow and interesting (I was... engrossed... if you will). Much of the middle of the course is videos made by someone else at the Tech Academy which were also informative and helpful, but didn't carry quite the same quality.
When the curriculum moves to C# and ASP.NET, you are forwarded to a video series at DevU.com, which you could easily purchase yourself for $80 or so. During the curriculum--learning the different languages--I don't think the value is in the material itself, it is in the support and the environment. When you get stuck or have a question, there is someone to ask about it, be it another student if you are studying locally, or one of the instructors (of which I think there are plenty and they're all nice, smart and approachable). There are a ton of tutorials online to teach you what you want to know, what you're paying for here is support and accountability.
When you finish the curriculum, you go into two weeks of the Live Project. This part, I thought, was really cool. It is essentially an internship in which you are working on a product in a team with a project manager. You will take little chunks of work and do them in a real-world-ish environment. When you get stuck, you need to fix it--either by asking for help from the team or working through it. At no point do you feel left out on a limb, but you will get experience working through things on your own.
Finally, you enter the Job Placement section in which you watch a selection of kind of redundant and common sense videos (though they are probably not common sense for many of the less socially inclined students which is why I think they are included). You will read advice on creating a resume and cover letter. After you do that, you'll receive copy/pasted advice on refining them. You'll get added to a mailing list and you'll receive dozens of emails per day containing job listings, some (but few) of which are relevant. The value in this step that I could find is the mock interviews. The placement Director is great at taking you through what to expect at an interview (in fact there are weekly roundtables throughout your time there in which you can do both softskills interviews and technical interviews: I recommend attending all of them).
In all, I think it's a good experience and worth the money. If I suddenly found myself in the owners' shoes, here's what I would change:
First, the in-house curriculum is rife with little errors. None of which affect the students' understanding of concepts at the end of the day, but they're distracting and they sap the students' confidence in the program.
Second, I would overhaul the job placement program which felt very under-resourced to me. The Job Placement Director clearly knows what he's doing, but I think his plate is too full to offer the kind of hands-on attention that would be a true value. Looking for a job is, for many people, completely demoralizing, and if you had a weekly meeting in which you discussed which specific jobs you're targeting and how you're building your skills, etc, I think it would feel less lonely and less daunting. If the daily emails students received each had a short preamble specifying which of the listed jobs are good jobs to apply for, I think the emails would feel less like a jumble of wires to be untangled and more like a helpful starting point.
Finally, I think the transfer between the curriculum and the live project, and the live project and the job placement section could be smoother. When I finished the curriculum on a Monday, I was told that the live project was on hold for the week and to come back in a week. When I finished the live project, it took me a week and a half or so to get feedback on my resume and get started in earnest with the job placement. This was a little frustrating when I was burning $750 a week or so while jobless. I think the student care dept should be looking ahead at when a student is ready to finish a section and make sure that he or she will be ready to make a smooth transition and have expectations clearly communicated.
All in all, this place is filled with great people and this was a positive experience for me, and I know this place is getting better constantly. If you're thinking of starting a new career in coding, this is a good place to do it.
Danny Condon of The Tech Academy
VP for Quality
Jul 30, 2018
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% |
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 29 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. 407 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. 407 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 407 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.
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