App Academy

App Academy is a great program for those who haven't had too much experience in software development. The whole course goes through Ruby, Rails, JS, React, then a full stack project and a MERN stack project. There's also a vanilla JS project at the end. You'll learn a ton from the projects and TAs are always around to help you if you have any questions.

Some warnings though, the program is no joke. You'll be spending around 100 hours a week sometimes just working on your projects, and projects are expected to be completed over weekends as well. In addition, the last couple weeks which are dedicated to projects are not as structured as the first 9 or so weeks. This means that you'll have to make sure you're organized enough to keep yourself on schedule since there's always a new topic every day.

App Academy is great, but the results depend on the amount of work you are willing to put in.  The pace is rigorous, and it gets more rigorous from day one.  Do not expect to get through a/A without significant effort. 

If you have a habit of procrastination, don’t worry.  You won’t have enough time to procrastinate at App Academy.  

Your instructors are, friendly, knowledgeable, and fantastic at explaining the material.  Your peers are some of the most talented and hard-working people you will ever meet.  And if you’ve done the work, by the end of the program you will be a software developer.

Let me first start with this... this boot camp IS NOT for everyone. What I mean by that is that IT IS intense. You will be stressed out by the amount of work you have to do, the lack of time (or at least the feeling of it) and ultimately the strictness that is enforced.

There is a device & attendance strike system (that could lead to dismissal) to make sure people aren't being distracted by their phones, laptops, whatever instead of doing their work. This can be a pro or a con depending on your perspective. They WILL dismiss you if you fail 2 of the 6 assessments that happen within the first 5-1/2 weeks. Curriculum topics change every 1 to 1.5 weeks. If you're completely new to programming, there isn't much time to deeply absorb the topics before moving on to another one.

From a materials standpoint, some of the videos, articles, and information that they use is between 3-5 years old. That's ancient in the world of tech. At times, the instructions used in pair programming or for the projects (or the homework) can be vague & unintentionally (or intentionally?) misleading. Often times I was frustrated by how little focus the work presented seemed to have.

There were a few times where it felt less like inspiration/motivation and more like scare-tactics were used to get people to do their work. The assessments carry so much weight that a few of my classmates failed because they freaked out during the test and couldn't recover. The instructors tell you to "make sure you sleep", "take care of yourself", etc. But then there's a timed assessment that basically dictates your future looming over your head. And every day is regimented, scheduled, lectured and pre-determined for you, that there isn't time to catch up from anything in the previous days.

This all may sound scary, and intimidating or more like a military boot camp, than a coding one (I sometimes wonder if that's really what they're going for), but after the assessments are done, and the weight of dismissal has been lifted, things start to make sense. Around Week 7/8 is when you start to build your fullstack project. For me at least, this is where all the pieces began to come together. Each of the topics that we learned finally had a place, and while you still don't know everything about any of it all, you have at least a base understanding that you can build from. You can start to ask questions about where to begin, where to go, what you want to do, etc.

To be clear, the level of knowledge that you gain once the first 9 weeks are done WILL allow you to build a fullstack, fully working app. Will it be the next Facebook, Google, Instagram or Snapchat? Highly unlikely, but you now have a solid foundation that could possibly get you there.

All in all, my outlook on the program is that I didn't much care for certain portions of it while going through it, but I am thankful for being shown the frustrations, intricacies and the BS that comes with web development. As they say, "what doesn't dismiss you from bootcamp, only makes you a stronger software dev" (or something like that ;-) ).

So to conclude, this school isn't for everyone, it doesn't need to be. If you thrive in pressure or at least know yourself well enough to be able to work through intense situations, then this may be for you. Just know that it's not going to be pretty. It's not going to be easy. But if you make it through, you should feel rewarded.

DISCLAIMER: I'm currently in the job search portion of the curriculum, so I cannot fully give an opinion on this piece yet. I will update this review (if I can) once I've had some exposure to that side of things.

App Academy has been a great experience! It's a tough, fast Bootcamp and it's extremely rewarding. The instructors are awesome and the curriculum moves at a rapid pace. After a few months, you'll be surprised at how much you've learned. I tried tesching myself (to no avail) and had already surpassed my prior knowledge within the first week in class.

On top of that, they dedicate a good portion of your time in class to building up your portfolio and skills for the job search.

worth it if you're interested in web development. Although it is quite difficult, it is very rewarding if you put in the time to study. I came in with little to no experience in coding. But after going through the curriculum and studying for at least 80 hours a week, I have learned the tools and gained the skills to build a webpage. The instructors are great at teaching the material, and they are always more than willing to help. Overall, I am very glad I decided to attend App Academy.

The most intensive coding experience you can have, even for someone with previous coding experience!
A lot to learn, ruby rails javascript react and a lot of pair programming. 
In addition to learning to code you will learn how to communicate your ideas, how to study for a do or die test under a lot of pressure, and how to survive and thrive with a 100+ hours a week workload.
Pros:
* A lot of pair programming with awesome people
* Top notch training for algorithms and user authentication
* Rewarding and expansive final projects
* Any other challenge will pale in comparison
* You will be pushed to become amazing
* Bonding with classmates

Cons:
* Some people don't make it! (Don't pass the assessments)
* Its TOO intense maybe. You will suffer! (but worth it)

This bootcamp starts you off right out of the gate sprinting. It can be really intense especially in the first few weeks. However there is a fantastic staff set in place to help you out with everything. You can really tell the TA's truly care about your development and as long as you're putting in the work they're willing to help you. It can be hard in the beginning and you'll start each week learning something new  and feel a little lost but usually by the end of the week you'll pick it up. The most rewarding part about  the program are the projects at the end. While you're going through the program it can be hard to see how all of the material you're learning comes together but when you finally implement them all into a functional web app, it truly is an incredible experience and as long as you follow the program and do the things they tell you to do, you'll do well. They spend a ton of time and effort into creating the best program possible and I wouldn't trade my time here for anything else. Overall an amazing program run by fantastic people that truly care about your development and you can't really ask for much more than that

Intense, but worth it.

If you want to build a solid foundation in software development, App Academy has a great curriculum for you. It's called a bootcamp for a reason - it is extremely fast-paced and challenging. They have set up a great environment for learning (with staff that really cares about our development). The culture here is great too - open, fun, and hard-working. Each cohort is filled with people from all walks of life, and you will make some great connections.

If you are serious about becoming a full-stack developer, go to App Academy.

Those with zero coding experience will really benefit from attending the bootcamp prep, especially if the idea of teaching yourself seems daunting or there is a time constraint. The material is challenging and fast paced but the instructors guide you every step of the way. The instructors are your best asset and are always willing to help you, should you ask. Be prepared to dedicate a portion of your hours outside of the class to studying, otherwise you are not taking full advantage of the course. People who attend the prep course come from all different walks of life, whether it's a career change or because they prefer the fast paced learning as opposed to attending college. It's a very welcoming environment that fosters a desire to grow together as a group.