Blaizing Academy

When I had lost my job do to the pandemic, I wasn't sure what was going to be next for me. During this time I decided to do a career change and sign up for Eleven Fifty's Web Development Bootcamp. I came in with no previous coding experience and by the end of the 12 weeks, I was able to build an entire website. I never even imagined that this was possible for me until I began my course and had amazing instructors and learning assistance who helped me exceed my own expectations. It was through Eleven Fifty that I realized just how vast and amazing the tech industry is! While I did not pursue a job as a coder, my education through Eleven Fifty helped me gain the tech knowledge I needed to get a great job in tech! I highly encourage anyone who wants to continue to grow and learn new skills, that can help you no matter what your career is, to sign up for Eleven Fifty.

I was apart of an online part time course for software development. Learning online isn’t always the easiest with unknown subjects.  Eleven Fifty was able to provide knowledgeable teachers, learning videos/walkthroughs and good assignments. They taught in a way that made you search first for your question, than ask the teacher if the problem could. It be found. This can make the class frustrating, but it has been my best attribute in my new place of employment. As with employment, EFA’s career services is amazing. They met with me outside of normal business hours and worked hard to recommend jobs for me. I worked with them closely and was able to start a job the week after graduation. 

Eleven Fifty Academy is a wonderful coding bootcamp for those wanting to transition into tech. I was fortunate to attend their 6 months part-time Web Development course this past year to a learn a full-stack package that is highly sought out in the workforce (PostgreSQL, Express.JS, React.JS, Node.JS & Html/Css, Git, Firebase & Heroku deployment, Boostrap, Reactstrap, API's and more!).

I'm confident that these skills will land me a job in the near future, with interviews starting to line up . I have included the pro's and con's about the program below as someone that went from working in the nonprofit and education world to becoming a developer in 6 months:

Pros: 
1. Flexibility! The part time course allowed me to balance my family life, attend class virtually, and reach out for help/questions during non class hours. I had class two nights a week (5-9pm) and occasional Saturdays(8-5).  There was a lot of independent work outside of class as well, so be prepared to spend 20+ hours outside of class a week.
2. Instructors!  The instructors and learning assistants were fantastic and super helpful. You also have a mentor that you meet with weekly during the first part of the program. 
3. Full Stack program!  As a non tech person going into the program, I didn't fully understand how valuable being a full-stack developer was. I am forever grateful they approach it this way. It helped me realize strengths I didn't know I had that are incredibly valuable in the tech world. I'm also finding so many jobs to apply for that are seeking this skill set. 
4. Portfolio: By the end of the program, you'll have a large portfolio of projects to showcase to potential employers that reflect the skills learned. 
5. Community!  My cohort was super supportive of each other and we built a sense of community through the zoom chat feature during class. It really helped to have that comradery that is often absent in online courses. I went away from the course with fellow coding friends and a network I feel comfortable reaching out to. We also had opportunities to present our projects to the class virtually. That was a motivating factor to do your best with the awareness that your peers will see it :) We also used Slack to communicate during non class hours. 
6. Career Assistance: they offer job search assistance and resume review sessions. They regularly post entry level jobs and connect with employers interested in their graduates. And, they cheer you on and stay connected with you through LinkedIn! If you follow their recommended steps, you'll be successful. The career services team is awesome! 
7. Grading: They used rubrics for most assigned projects. This really helped me set realistic goals based on my available time so that I could reach MVP (minimum viable product) . You do have to maintain a certain GPA to stay in the course. 
8. Cost: I was able to receive a grant they have to help pay for the tuition. They have various funding sources to help subsidize cost and financing options as well. You also get a tuition credit following the program to apply to another course if interested. 
9. Values: They have a strong set of values and diversity is one of them. They commit fully to ensuring everyone feels welcome in the course, is supported and respected. They also have connections for women in tech to help increase representation in the tech world. 

Cons: 
1. Prework:  They assign prework before the course. I didn't mind the pre-work and it was great prep, but make sure you sign up for the course a few weeks in advance to give you time to complete it. I signed up about a week before it started and spent a good part of the week completing it.  My recommendation is pre-work should be sent out as soon as a student registers. 
2. Pace: The pace during live class was often too fast for me and I would need to go back and watch the recordings later. Don't hesitate to ask them to slow down and go back to a specific topic. Fully understand your learning style and find the resources you need to fully absorb the information. I learned quickly that the recordings worked better for me because I could pause them and take notes/look up additional resources at my own pace. 

In conclusion: Put in the effort. When they say network on LinkedIN, DO IT! Everyday. After graduating from this program, networking several hours a day on LinkedIN (post, comment, share, message people directly), I have my first interview lined up and recruiters are sending me job postings. Continue to work on projects after graduation as well. The learning doesn't stop after Red Badge :)

Pros:

• Well rounded approach to curriculum. Learned about the variety of applications of Python. Learned how to read documentation, ask questions of google, and start solving issues/questions for myself. "Teach a man to fish."
• Invest in additional educational opportunities as they arise. E.g. A local conference, testing opportunities.
• Instructors knowledgeable about a wide range of computer science related items.
• Staff top to bottom are personable, and approachable.
• Lunches and snacks are provided, and are tasty and well stocked.

Mixed pro/con:

• Curriculum: Network+, while miserable in a condensed bootcamp, was highly applicable and worth the energy.
• Half the workshops with industry guests were valuable, the other half were either redundant or didn't advance our education.

Cons (as of my time there):

• I never received a 1-on-1 code review. Just group instruction.
• No intentional or systematic way of regularly gathering feedback from students or industry hiring managers.
• The only resources available from career services were the personnel themselves and ad hoc opportunities provided through them. No tools, list of companies in the area, organized events to engage industry hiring managers, etc.
• I don't believe companies in Indianapolis have sufficient demand for Python, for entry-level developers. Do some homework/jobhunting first, and consider their .NET or Javascript courses. I found an administrative job in tech, but not as a developer.