Chegg Skills

I came in with the goal of admission to a bootcamp.  When I left I had admission to RefactorU, MakerSquare, and Hack Reactor.  So I accomplished my goal. 

I started out in their Front End Development course, but switched about halfway though to their MakerSquare Bootcamp Prep Course as it was more in line with my goal of admission to a fullstack javascript bootcamp.  Both expereinces were good.  I would recommend Thinkful, if you have a goal and want help getting there.  I took the Javascript codeacdemy course before entering and as a result I think I got more out of the javscript aspects of the course.  Along those lines I regret not also doing the HTML/CSS codeacdemy course beforehand, as I would have gotten more out of my thinkful course and my time with my mentor. 

One of the best parts of thinkful is their indivudualized approach to customer service.  When you need help with anything and they email you back, its not a auto-generated email, its a real person.  I moved once in the middle of a course and there were very accompodating.  Other little things popped up throughout my time with them and it was always handled painlessly, logically, and to my satisfaction.

When shopping for bootcamps, I was looking primarily at in-person programs, as I learn better in social situations. The cost of these programs were prohibitively high for me though. Thinkful seemed to offer a nice compromise with their mix of online cirriculum and weekly google hangouts with a mentor. The price point ($500 at the time, though they've changed up their programs/prices a bit since I began), delivered good value for the money. 

I did the Python program, which has a focus on backend web development. The cirriculum was decent. On par with Google's online Python classes- my only point of comparison for purely online courses. I didn't spend much time in the Slack channels or online workshops, though I did find them useful. Several times I got blocked and posted a question in the Python Slack channel. Each time someone from Slack answered my questions and unblocked me with a response time averaging ~1-15 mins. The real value of the program though came from my mentor (Tudor), who was excellent. In our always-too-short 45 min weekly sessions, I learned exponentially more per minute than when I was learning on my own. Also, having another human to meet with regularly held me accountable and kept me motivated. 

The average time it takes to finish the course is three months. I ended up taking four (for a grand total of $2,000), mainly because I chose a fairly ambitious capstone project (a Django site), which took much longer than expected (Django is awesome but hard!).

I feel this course could get you within "striking distance" of a junior software development position, if that's your goal. It teaches you enough about some fundamental technologies (Python, Flask, databases (Postgres), Heroku, basic front end stuff (html, css)), that you can build real-world applications. I didn't take advantage of their career services, so can't review those. I'm currently doing some basic freelance web development work I got through a friend and looking to keep building and learning.

Would (and have) recommend Thinkful to people looking to pursue coding without quitting their day job, or just looking for a more economical learning experience. 

A good overview of what the world of Data Science is like. This is a great course for someone looking for beginners' knowledge with a little extra. The plan to finish within the recommended time frame (12 weeks) is a little unrealistic, especially if you have other commitments, such as full time work. However, it is absolutely worth it to invest the extra time. The mentorship you get is invaluable as being introduced to coding for the first time can be overwhelming and a more hands on approach by a mentor can make this seem less daunting.

Keep pushing through the content! The last unit will introduce machine learning, which is very interesting. Don't get burned out at this point, it is a LOT to go through!

My background: Degree in Comp Sci 6 years prior to starting the course. Acquainted with HTML, CSS, JS.

My goal: To gain relevant skills so I can get a job in web development.

My reason: Thinkful offers flexible, self-paced, and guided curriculum which fits my schedule since I have a full-time job.

My result: Gained a full-time job as a developer before finishing the Front-End Career Path Course

My experience (in summary):

I had a great learning experience with Thinkful. Your experience will depend a great deal on your mentor. So if you think you're not paired with the right mentor, ask for a change as soon as possible. Fortunately, my mentors were great developers. Like everything else, just because you can do it, doesn't mean you can teach it. The same applies to Thinkful mentors. It's up to you to pick their brain. Be proactive by asking questions, explanations, helps, and clarifications.

One notable mention is Derek. Derek's not my mentor, though I wish he was. There is hardly anybody as interested or as hard working in helping me as Derek. From advice, to extra mentor sessions, to extra curriculum. Anything that will aid me in accomplishing my goal.

I highly recommend Thinkful, but please realize that it's not a utopia for dev bootcamps (I can bet you that no place is). You'll learn to think and solve problem as a developer.

My time at Thinkful started when I was quite aware that to pursue a career in Freelance Web Development I needed a reputable institution as a reference point to future employers. I had some previous experience coding, intermediate HTML & CSS skills, but no javascript knowledge - even said that javascript was uneccesary and too complicated to implement in my, then, web projects. By the end of this course I thought I'd never say the words: "Javascript IS necessary and fun!" I had a great mentor, a guide along the dark alleyways fo learning a new language, and a fantastic, closely-knit, community of fellow classmates, coders, and eventually friends. Within two months I had grasped not only an advanced level of Javascript, but honed my HTML & CSS skills to the MAX (yes I know, my name is Max, pun intended)! By now I'm a season programmer, with many projects under my belt, a whole new skillset, and the ability of utilizing this new found knowledge to pursue that Freelance Web Developement that I was so desperately in search of! Come one, come all, join me at Thinkful!

My background includes more than two years of QA and Test Automation experience working as a contractor for various companies in northern Colorado. My focus had been to write software that would test against web sites, meant to ensure sites wouldn't break and user experience remained high. My goal with Thinkful's FEWD career path was to help me transition into the development side of things and not remain just a tester. 

Success with education is always left up to the student, whether you go to a university or choose Thinkful, it is up to you the student to get what you want out of the experience. If you intend to get a junior or entry-level web developer role then Thinkful's FEWD career path is a great option considering they will show you what web developers go through on a day-by-day basis (yes this includes - using Google, StackOverflow, code reviews, debugging, test-driven development *hopefully*, refactoring). 

Every concept you will use as a web developer is taught in this curriculum, so my advice would be to not focus so much on the tools being used but rather the concepts and reasons for using the tools (version control, build processes, testing, design, MVC frameworks). Learn and practice daily even if for only 20 minutes - it adds up over the 4 to 6 months you're in the program.

The frontend developer Career Path program created by Thinkful is an excellent program for the aspiring developer. After 6 months working one on one with a professional developer, I was able to land a job almost immediately after completing the program. Thinkful's modern curriculum and professional mentors create a unique and effective learning experience. The Career Path is project-based and each project addresses a different real-world programming challenge. Whenever I hit a wall or had a question, I had immediate access to a professional mentor who would  answer my questions and provide valuable feedback on my work. I would recommend this program for anyone who is interested in starting a career in web development.

The front end career path at Thinkful is exactly what it sounds like: a course intended to help you land a job via tech skills. Thinkful recommends allowing six months to complete the course with a mentor. By explaining to my mentor what I wanted, and by dedicating myself to the course, I landed a job within a month of starting the front end career path!

I currently teach AP programming ,created a "Start Up" course based on tech innovation, and I'm designing the school's computer science curriculum (hello oculus rift programming!). I also have the fun title of Director of Academic Technology, and I am currently helping the school build an innovation building. I get to seek out edtech pitch competitions, go to them, and work with a startups to push the school to frontier.

I was able to shift the course to my needs, interests, and projects. This was critical in the learning process. My mentor was key in helping me succeed. I loved the one-on-one aspect of the course- rather than committing to a physical space and inflexible times. I treated this course like I was designing and attending my own coding bootcamp. If you are a hard worker, and are serious about learning to code, you will. If you depended on others as your driving force, I would not recommend. I like being in charge of my learning, and having a course that adapts to my life and needs, rather than the other way around.

I'm currently working on my own side project of creating a native app (can't spill the beans on it!), and looking at accelerators to fund my own edtech startup. The key is that Thinkful empowered me to enter the tech workforce, and has shown me that I can learn whatever it is I need to do what I want. Thinkful offers a monthly subscription to partake in as many side courses as you like. This is nice, because a little help goes a long way. Plus, the price is right.

My only regret is not starting this course earlier. I love Thinkful and taking this course has given me the knowledge, skills and portfolio to work as a developer. I still talk to my mentors, refer back to my course curriculum, and hangout in the Slack community. Since I graduated I will be able to pay off the course cost at the end of October - 2 months all with side code projects I've booked in the last few months. It takes a lot of commitment and time, more for total newbies like myself, but it has been worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

The quality of mentors here are not that great . They might be good developers but definitely are not good teachers . Unable to explain concepts well.

I needed to switch out my mentor and a month later they had not yet assigned me a mentor and kept billing me . I was so frustrated

Also cutomer service is horrible. No punctual replies at all , no matter who you contacted to sort out the whole mess. 

NOT RECOMENDED !!