Deciding to do an intensive program for career/life change was an important/stressful decision. And choosing Wyncode was the best decision I could have made, I’m so happy I did. Gessica, my head instructor, is an expert in the field - not all experts know how to teach and this one does. We had long days in front of our screens and she kept the content always interesting and applicable. I feel empowered and prepared for my new career with a solid base of knowledge/skills. Plus the learning culture at Wyncode is unique and I believe how more schools/traditional schools need to become. We learn soft skills, we learn to think positively and expect the best from ourselves, and we receive concrete career assistance post graduation. Love this place. 

Hello Everyone,

I'd like to share this in-depth review of my experience with Wyncode's Online Full Stack Development Bootcamp. Sections are bolded to highlight different topics.  Feel free to skip to the one of your interest.

Why did I choose Wyncode?

I was first exposed to Wyncode when I was working for MagicLeap as a contracted content manager. I really wanted to stay at the company but I wanted to move into a developer role. My boss recommended I take the bootcamp because of the fact that Magic Leap is an active recruiter of Wyncode alumni. I then spoke to a couple of employees at MagicLeap and they confirmed their success with the program and how it helped them pivot their career. They both stated it was challenging and consuming but highly rewarding. I decided to set up a tour after this confirmation.

Tour and Interview

When I went to tour the schooI Linda received me with great energy.  I really loved the space and location. The environment was very welcoming and the staff were very nice. I went ahead and interviewed with Francis. She was very real about the expectations, but was personable and really took the time to get to know me. The interview is a form of getting to know who you are, what your background is, and if you would be a good fit for the program. Francis mentioned she would get back to me in a couple of days with her decision and also let me know I could apply for an internal scholarship Wyncode offers based on need. A couple days later I got accepted and was granted a partial scholarship. At this point I had done my research and realized that Wyncode was going to be the school for me, based on the initial recommendation from my boss, the real life success stories, and my first impression of the school and staff it just made sense.

Tuition

A quick note on Tuition. After price checking different programs, Wyncode has a very competitive tuition considering everything they offer. They will offer you a partial scholarship if you need it and if you need more they can lead you in the right direction for more financial aid. They are also partners with a education loan company called Climb up. I paid my tuition with Climb-up and was able to get an affordable monthly payback rate with low interest.

COVID-19

In the midst of this admissions process, Covid-19 hit hard and suddenly things started to seem a little unclear for me. I wasn't sure if this was going to be the best decision. I wasn't sure how I was going to afford this financially anymore. Magic Leap suddenly started laying people off left and right. At this point I doubted I was going to be able to return. After the initial stress and overthinking I had a moment of clarity and realized that if I was going to do this it would be now or never. Francis and Linda were very communicative along the way and extra helpful when I needed it. I was informed that my cohort was going to start remotely until it was safe to reopen the school. They also pushed back the start date given the circumstances.

Pre-Course Work

The pre course work is mainly setting up your computer, reading specific articles, and taking codecademy classes so that you get exposure to the different languages and tech you're going to be learning. I 100% recommend trying to get as much of it done as you can. Things pick up quick and so the more exposure you have the easier it will be for you to stay up to pace. If you don't have enough time to complete it then focus on learning javascript before hand. This is the bulk of what you will be learning.

The actual course. Weeks 1 - 11.

There's a lot that can be said here but I will try my best summarize. It is CHALLENGING. It's not easy. It will test you and it will consume you. You will be tested in a lot of ways. You will have homework, group projects, you will speak in front of the class. You will grow as a person and as a professional. You will learn so much. It will be overwhelming at times. Your time management skills and focus will be key to your success.

The structure of the program is well thought out. Vasti, the program manager is excellent. She will be very clear of how the program works, what is expected, where you can get help, and what is expected of you on a daily basis.  She will hold you accountable. Your team mates will also hold you accountable.

The professors and TA's are awesome. Their patience is incredible and they truly care about your progress. They hold it down for you even after hours they are happy to help. They each have their own teaching style so try to connect with the ones that you learn from the best. Overall they all want you to succeed and you can tell they all have a passion for student progress and education.

Our cohort mainly learned the MERN Stack along with a ton of tools that developers use in a real work scenario.

Work-Life Balance

There will be some weeks where you have some afternoons that are not that busy and some weekends where you will have a day off, but technically you could always be using that free time to learn something in better detail or working with another student or a TA on difficult subject. The reason I mention this is because you really have to go into the program choosing to make this your priority. We lost 22% of the students that started with us due to personal reasons so make sure you are 100% ready to commit most of your time to this. Don't plan any vacations or long weekend escapes. It's simply not worth your investment if you're going to do that. 12 weeks fly by so take advantage of the course to the max.

Remote Experience

Pros: To be honest I loved the remote experience. Zoom is a great tool. I actually ended up making strong connections with a few students and with most of the staff. Working from home is comfortable, and the fact that  I didn't have to dress up or drive 45 minutes to and from Wyncode every day is priceless. This time I was able to leverage it by putting it into studying or getting an extra few minutes of sleep when I needed it. You also save money on food as you aren't tempted to go out to eat that much during lunch breaks.

Cons: I wish during projects that we could of have gone to the school to work because working with other people can be challenging in different ways and being in person sometimes makes communication a little easier. However, because of Covid it just wasn't a possibility and most places were closed for social gatherings so we really had to learn how to work remotely. In a way this turns into a PRO because the challenges you face from working solely online lie in the fact that you have to learn to be an excellent communicator and become really proficient at using tools that other remote companies use. So overall I think it challenged us but allowed us to become better candidates for remote work opportunities.


Career Week

Career week is no joke. Wyncode's success relies on your success so they have a dedicated week to helping you become job ready. You will still be working with people through resume building and conversations about different topics. Beto, the one in charge of this week is well educated on hiring trends and what works, so make sure you take notes and put into action his recommendations. They seem to have really strong partnerships with a ton of companies and the Wyncode alum is growing fast and strong.

Where I am at?

I am currently in the middle of career week. I am fixing up my resume, github, portfolio, and will be applying to 15-20 jobs a week and attending their weekly "wynwork" meetings where they announce the latest opportunities in their hiring partner network. Their lifetime job support was a huge relief for me after I saw what happened with MagicLeap. If I don't return to that company I know there are still tons of opportunities. I  have already seen many different success stories with different backgrounds from Wyncode and I am sure I will continue to learn more about them. The Wyncode alumni is strong and they are represented in different parts of the country and the world so Wyncode's ties are now global. As side note, if I remember correctly most Wyncode Alum are able to land a job with 3 months of graduating.

My goals

I plan to apply, apply, apply,  keep my coding skills sharp, and work on more independent projects or hackathons. I'm setting up a study plan to learn more about algorithms and data structures so I'll be able to compete against candidates with CS backgrounds. The game now is about HUSTLE. I know I will be able to land a job as a software developer sooner than later if I put in the work. Graduating is just the beginning. 

I hope this helps everyone considering Wyncode. I am highly satisfied with the program and I hope to update everyone once I land my dream job. 

This course was very intensive but instructed very well. Each week built on the last one and was well designed to help me grow into being a junior web-developer. All of the instructors were motivational and did a phenomenal job instructing us given the circumstances of COVID-19. 

Our classroom became very tight-knit group out of this bootcamp and we are already working on team-based networking along with pursuing projects and job opportunities. 

The ENTIRE staff at Wyncode is an amazing bunch of individuals that will stop at nothing to make sure that you get the help that you need. Doesn't matter if its academic, financial, or emotional. the team at Wyncode always has your back. The instructors Ernie, Leo, and Laz, along with all of the TA's are super passionate and skilled at what they do and it shows in the amount of effort they put forth in their jobs. The experience of going through a coding bootcamp is a grueling one, but if you put your head down and apply yourself then I absolutely believe that it is a worthwhile endeavor that will change your life.

I am an industrial designer with over 10 + years of experience and I came into the UX/UI immersive class to increase my value as a designer in the digital realm. I was worried that the content might be a bit too rudimentary after all of my experience, but I was thoroughly challenged throughout the course and learned all of the tools and methodologies to succeed in this field. Not only did I gain a wealth of knowledge, but also friendships with many like minded and talented people as well as a supportive career network. In the past, I've attended University at one of the top rated schools in the country, but I found my Wyncode instructor Gessica was one of the best instructors I've ever had! I have so much respect for her patience and knowledge and ability to always keep class interesting and fun day in and day out! She goes above and beyond all expectations! So if you are considering taking this course, I wouldn't think twice, just do it! You won't regret it! I promise. If I could stay in that class for couple years,  I would!! 

I had an interview with the wyncode manager ( Francis  Martinez) about financing for wyncode and she says we have ISA but kept pushing me to finance with climb credit.   By the Way,  the interview wasn't even an interview. There was no technical challenge (which all coding bootcamps i applied to asked for me to do a techinal challenge)  so that was very questionable for me.  After I got accepted to the program (First week of March), every week leading to the curriculum shes asking me about applying to climb credit when I told her ill do the ISA. On April 10th  I put in a lot of applications for climb credit and on the deadline before the curriculum she then tells me there is no ISA option after I didn't get accepted for the credit option.  When I kept saying ill DO THE ISA OPTION. I wasted a lot of time. Also, their curriculum is 9 weeks accelerated which is pretty fast for a new person just getting started with javascript. The pre-work to get started with the Bootcamp isn't the best way to grasp the material before class either. They don't cover data structures and algorithm technical interview questions either. It was literally all over the place. I usually don't do reviews for companies but this Bootcamp was a mess. Please Don't ATTEND THIS SCHOOL. Go to any other Bootcamp that offers ISA and gives a clear responses. 

Proud to have had the opportunity to be part of the Wynfam and develop the skills needed to be a Full Stack Developer. One of the core values they taught was to Never Stop Learning, which I will forever keep with me throughout my career in the tech industry. 

Definitely recommend. I was very thorough in my research when I was looking into bootcamps although I was on the fence between which program I wanted to do I knew it was either web dev or UX/UI, I knew I wanted to attend one. I am so happy with the decision I made to go to wyncode. My instructor, Gessica is amazing and the whole wyn fam is so supportive through everything. 

Coming into this course with little to no experience the staff helped in any way they could to make sure that I succeeded. Recommendations for the upcoming student don't stop at the pre - work learn as mush as you can to give yourself a leg up in the class. Make the TA's your best - friends they are always will to help and sign up for as many one - on -one as you can.