Learn Node.js at These 325 Node.js Bootcamps

Hello review seeker, I just finished DevLeague a couple weeks ago… be prepared for a long but genuine review of Hawaii’s only coding bootcamp. Let me also preface this review by stating that other than knowing a bit of HTML / CSS, I have absolutely no coding knowledge or experience.

Before enrolling myself in their immersive full-time program, like you and many others… I did my research and tried to find any review or resource I could get my hands on about this school. When I stumbled upon CourseReport and saw all their 5 star reviews, the cynic in me couldn’t believe this boot camp (let alone one all the way in Hawaii) could achieve so many positive reviews, so naturally I assumed most were fake.  It wasn’t until I personally met (or saw around school)  a lot of these “rando” names that were being used on CourseReport, did in fact belong to actual people and these are genuine reviews from real DevLeague alumni.

Taking the plunge with DevLeague as my sidekick was a huge risk for me as I was working full-time in a non-tech job but one of the major deciding factors in choosing this coding bootcamp was the fact that I would be able to make this big career switch in just a few short months and I didn’t have to step foot out of Hawaii.

Being the premature baby dev that I was with no coding background, I enrolled in their JavaScript prep course so I could gain enough knowledge to submit my coding challenge entry. Vic was our main instructor during the 4-week prep course and he was (and still remains) one of my favorite people I’ve met through DevLeague. It’s hard to say *favorite* because honestly,  pretty much everyone at DevLeague was awesome and I’m really glad to be a part of this community.

I remember when I first started attending prep class, I was really shocked (but impressed) with the sense of support and community from everyone at DL.  Previous graduates would come back to help out or various alumni popped in to give some advice, even students from other classes would stop by to see how we were doing. Needless to say, I really felt the support system there and it’s obvious it trickled down from the top.

I wouldn’t be sitting here today, a DL graduate, if it weren’t for the help and support from Russel and Jason. I can’t count how many emails were passed between Russel and I before I started DevLeague. He was incredibly responsive and resourceful especially when I was going through the process to apply for scholarship, which I was generously awarded. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity they’ve given me.

It’s clearly impossible for me to write a shorter review, especially on something that has had such a big impact, but I’ll try to summarize my experience of the actual bootcamp program:

If you’re looking at the full-time program of 11 hour days, 6 days a week… it seems long, yes, but honestly it passes by pretty quickly especially since you’re jamming on code 70% of the time. My other classmates have the same view as me in this regard.

It’s extremely challenging. I felt so overloaded with information at times that I barely felt like I actually retained anything. That led to me asking myself “Did I make the right decision going through this program?” or “Maybe I’m not meant to be a developer?”

In the beginning, I felt like nothing made sense and it wasn’t until towards the tail end of bootcamp that the pieces started coming together to form a whole picture.

The curriculum is well thought out, projects on point for the topic and I enjoyed the humor in the slideshows. The readme docs are at times confusing (probably getting us used to reading real docs, lol) and some needed updates.

In the end, I wholeheartedly join in and agree with the others in saying “It was the best decision I made” career-wise and if you’re on fence about taking the course or want to ask me for more details about my experience, I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you… shoot me an email jennahscriptAToutlookDOTcom

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I was doing my masters' degree in Space engineering and I was unhappy as I didn't find anything that kept me interested and devoted. I had tried a few things in data science and tried to self-learn but I  realized quickly that the initial learning curve in this was really steep.  I have heard people use the phrase for data science - "It's easy, It's not Rocket science", but having studied rocket science as well,  i found out that data science was not easy.  
Browsing through hundreds of online courses and trying to learn from thousands of resources I was overwhelmed by the ever-changing and ever upgrading field of Data Science.
I needed some structure and a beginners level course which was a challenge to find.
I came across the data science course offered by Ubiqum and decided to enroll in it. 
Their  “learn by doing”methodology really focused on the practical aspects of data science which helped in greatly reducing the steep initial learning curve. Having said about the practical aspects, theoretical aspects are not forgotten either and the mentors discuss all the theory before, during and after every task.  
The projects are designed in such a way that the difficulty levels up with every subsequent project and this helped me build up a very strong base.
I now have completed many projects at Ubiqum and ventured deep into the domain of data science and I would like to thank Ubiqum to provide me with the catapult which helped me launch myself into a career in data science. 

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This 12 week bootcamp provided me with full stack development skills to continue my education in coding. I am grateful for this program in Albuquerque. The instructors are excellent and helpful even outside of the class time. I had 0 knowledge of coding going into this and was able to keep up and learn in the class and on my own. I will continue to use the skills that I have learned in my next job.

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The Instructor, Jason, was so helpful and patient with all of my questions. He made sure I understood everything clearly and made the course fun and interesting. He provided helpful tools for me to use to practice my skills. I would definitely recommend. 

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• I don't know if this is what I want?

It is normal to feel that way, because I was actually a bit concerned in the first and second week. But soon I learned to give a bit more patience to get to know my teacher- Mohammed, my TA- Bobby and my student success manager- Jeanna (SSM) (warm up a relationship!), once I feel more natural in a few classes, I definitely open myself up to ask questions during class or at before and after office hours. I showed up in the office hours every time, and most of time, I'm the only one who's there, so you can be the same to take advantage of this great one-on-one opportunity. Just you and your teach and TA! And they want to see you there!

• I don't know if this is going to be worth my time?

Learning a new skill is definitely not an easy task! Especially for those who has busy work life and family. Time management is very important! From my own experience with this coding bootcamp, I can tell you, don't feel like you don't know anything compared to those students show up with more confidence than you. Keep doing each week in-class activities and assigned weekly challenge, you will see how much you are building each day. At least, I feel learning so much by keep doing it. This is a fast-pace class, and it's going to be hard no matter what, but the truth is- The teacher and the TA team are trying to show us how to solve the problem by finding the solution on own own, so we can feel less fear not to understand everything, (No one understand everything!) 

My advice for you here- You can always say coding is not for you, but Give yourself some time to learn a skill, to get to know a new skill first! 

• I don't know if I am going to get help if I get stuck with my assignments?

I got a lot of extra help during in and before office hours. Like I said above, I showed up in the office hours to take advantages of working with my teacher and TA, they provided a demo of the part that I got stuck or other students got stuck, and we can even send requests in the Slack channel to inform them that I want to go over some topic from yesterday or last week during the office hours, and they will surely say YES!

Besides, my teacher and the TA.  I used tutoring sessions regularly, meaning- my coding bootcamp was part-time, so I was allowed to book a tutoring session with a tutor 1/week. I noticed that some students were not happy with their tutor, but I was lucky because I found a great tutor working with me through my coding bootcamp journey. 

The solution I'm going to share with you here- you can also request for a different tutor, but once you find one that you'd like to work with, you should make sure to bookmark their personal Calendly, so you can book a session with them!

• I don't know who can answer my struggles and concerns or can provide me with any possible support in the bootcamp?

I was very concerned in the first and second week. I talked to my student success manager- Jeanna (SSM) very often, more than you can't image. I explained why I need help with tutoring, I let her know I was struggled with what week's class material. She was the one who always responded and provided some good feedbacks. I booked a call with her via Calendly, so it became more personal once you can actually talk on the phone to express a feeling or a concern. 

My advice for you here- get to know your SSM, they are here for you, they won't know you need them if you don't reach out to them. They are on Slack every day except weekend, I didn't wait till last minute to reach for support, contact them as soon as you notice you need support, and you can actually start getting support in your bootcamp!

• I don't know if I am going to get a career coach to work with me to be more employee-ready?

There will be a career coach team for you once you graduate from the bootcamp. You can also start working with a career coach before the bootcamp ends. I started working with a career coach after my bootcamp, there will 4 things I need to complete before receiving on-one-on coaching session. My career coach provided back with very constructive feedbacks and great resources to each item I have submitted. 

4 things you need prior to get a one-one-one coach session:

1. Resume + Cover Letter
2. LinkedIn Portfolio
3. Profession Website
4. GitHub

My advice for you here- taking time to complete what you can first and keep building your stuff in a professional way with their useful tips. ... Read Less