Code Fellows is closed
This school is now closed. Although Code Fellows is no longer accepting students or running its program, you can still see historical information and Code Fellows alumni reviews on the school page.
Code Fellows
Code Fellows is a technical skills training academy in the Pacific Northwest that offers full- and part-time software development, ops and cybersecurity courses online and in-person from their Seattle, Washington location. Code Fellows guides people from all backgrounds to change their lives through fast-paced, career-focused education. Since their first cohort in 2013, Code Fellows has taught over 1,600 graduates and iterated on their curriculum and format to ensure students receive the most industry-relevant training as effectively and efficiently as possible. Code Fellows shapes passionate learners with immersive training to meet industry needs and improve diversity. Students are immersed in their learning with daily lectures, pair programming, weekly presentations from full-time instructional staff who are seasoned industry professionals, one-week project sprints, and more. Code Fellows graduates work at Amazon, Microsoft, Zillow, Expedia, XBOX, NIKE, Amazon, Starbucks, Nordstrom, and over 800 other companies.
The modular style of the Code Fellows program allows students to test into the course level that is most appropriate for their current skill level. In addition, the modular class structure allows students to choose the schedule and timing that meets their needs.
Code Fellows believes everyone should have the opportunity to succeed. Code Fellows offers scholarships to help individuals who come from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds find rewarding careers in tech. They are committed to breaking down systemic barriers and ensuring all people are treated with respect and dignity. They are united with their staff, students, alumni, and partners in the fight against systemic racism and injustice.
Code Fellows supports both domestic and international licensing partners through its Powered by Code Fellows program. Code Fellows also offers a tutoring program and platform to both students and non-students, technical instructor certification, and corporate training.
229 Code Fellows Reviews
AnonymousStudent • OnlineAug 17, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceCode Fellows Bootcamp review
Three levels of classrooms and labs near the Amazon campus in South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington. It was a hard class but the instruction was great and so was the support and help from teachers, ta's and students as well. Lecture in the morning, lab in the afternoon. Reading or tutorials at home each night. I think immediate level of understanding varies according to your experience previously, but they really want you to succeed and they will help you as lo...
Three levels of classrooms and labs near the Amazon campus in South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington. It was a hard class but the instruction was great and so was the support and help from teachers, ta's and students as well. Lecture in the morning, lab in the afternoon. Reading or tutorials at home each night. I think immediate level of understanding varies according to your experience previously, but they really want you to succeed and they will help you as long as you help yourself. The experience was invaluable to me. I have a lot to learn btu I know I can get there with Code Fellows.
- RandyScientist • Graduate • OnlineAug 16, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Got my moneys worth in questions alone!
Greetings,
I have recently graduated from the iOS dev accelerator at Code Fellows (Seattle). The course was awesome, demanding, and inspiring. There is absolutely NO WAY I could have or would have learned all that on my own in 8 weeks or even likely in 6 months. I am switching careers from biotech and had spent the past 2 years attending university part time. I was told about Code Fellows and bootcamps in general and after interviewing both grads and...
Greetings,
I have recently graduated from the iOS dev accelerator at Code Fellows (Seattle). The course was awesome, demanding, and inspiring. There is absolutely NO WAY I could have or would have learned all that on my own in 8 weeks or even likely in 6 months. I am switching careers from biotech and had spent the past 2 years attending university part time. I was told about Code Fellows and bootcamps in general and after interviewing both grads and developers in the industry who had not attended a boot camp I decided that getting a certificate like this and spend the next 2 years in the industry would be a much better education compared to just attending classes at university and earning a second bachelor's degree.
Fast forward to the Dev Accelerator (DA). I would recommend spending minimum 6 months on the stack you are thinking about taking before you jump in. I was woefully underprepared but I figure at $5 per question I got my tuitions worth from the instructor over the 8 weeks. He was patient, very knowledgable, probably 10 years my junior ;) but I honestly cant say enough good about him (Go Brad!), To be successful in the DA, really have nothing else going on during this time in your life, be passionate about coding and learning, dont sweat the small stuff, and work your tail off. Dont quit, just drink more caffine!
There was a good amount of job search guidance in the program but they dont give you a job, just like everything else in the course you need to earn it. You do the work, they provide support, guidance, and some leads. If you are looking for rescuing from your current dead end job (like I was) you will need to break out of your own shell and put yourself out there.
Would I do it all over again? After preparing more, you bet I would!
- Sarah HermannsStudent • OnlineAug 16, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
IOS Development Accelerator
We are learning how to create mobile apps in Objective-C and Swift. We use industry tools and frameworks such as Cocoa, Xcode, UIKit, Git, and more. The class will dive deep into UIKit, asynchronous code, CoreImage, NSURLSession and JSON, MapKit and CoreLocation, AutoLayout, Source Control, Core Data, Animation, and the app submission process. I also took the computer science bootcamp as well as the Foundations II workshop for IOS.
- Tim MillerStudent • OnlineAug 15, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Great Start to My Professional Career
It was after a lot of consideration and researching that I decided to quit my job in retail to attend classes at Code Fellows. The only exposure to programming I had was free online courses, and I knew I would need something in person to take the next step. I spoke with alumni from seveal coding academy's in and around Seattle. And after weighing all options I knew if I wanted complete caree change my best option would be Code Fellows. I've started with just the Foundations 1 ...
It was after a lot of consideration and researching that I decided to quit my job in retail to attend classes at Code Fellows. The only exposure to programming I had was free online courses, and I knew I would need something in person to take the next step. I spoke with alumni from seveal coding academy's in and around Seattle. And after weighing all options I knew if I wanted complete caree change my best option would be Code Fellows. I've started with just the Foundations 1 course and am completely loving it. I plan to take several more courses finally ending with one of the many development accelorators they offer. I have no question in my mind that I will be ready to enter the work force as a computer developer.
- EfrainSoftware Dev • Graduate • OnlineAug 14, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Python - Dev From Scratch
Seattle Code Fellows is a great little code school right in the heart of downtown. Its literally next door to Amazon headquarters so you really get the feeling of being part of the tech community even as a student. The best part of the school is its focus on taking raw talent into developers.
They practice a methodolgy of having you start with a night course or two to make sure you have solids basics. The instructors at least for the python class (Cris Ewing) really care ab...
Seattle Code Fellows is a great little code school right in the heart of downtown. Its literally next door to Amazon headquarters so you really get the feeling of being part of the tech community even as a student. The best part of the school is its focus on taking raw talent into developers.
They practice a methodolgy of having you start with a night course or two to make sure you have solids basics. The instructors at least for the python class (Cris Ewing) really care about the students.
They do a decent job on job placement but I think they could probably improve with some internship opportinites right out of the gates.
Over all strongly recomend!
- AnonymousGraduate • OnlineAug 14, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Great starting point, focused on shipping products out
In my Yelp review, I compared an investment in Code Fellows accelerator program to an investment in a classic Burberry trench coat. To continue that analogy, let's say that a few months later, I discovered that the lining on my coat started unraveling, which is unexpected for such a pricey item. I was part of the iOS Development accelerator program at CF and while there are things that could be improved, I would go through the program again. ...
In my Yelp review, I compared an investment in Code Fellows accelerator program to an investment in a classic Burberry trench coat. To continue that analogy, let's say that a few months later, I discovered that the lining on my coat started unraveling, which is unexpected for such a pricey item. I was part of the iOS Development accelerator program at CF and while there are things that could be improved, I would go through the program again.
The Cliff Notes version: CF will teach you how to ship apps and how to ship them fast. It will not teach you how to be a good engineer. It will take you about 25% of the way to getting a job, the rest is up to you.
What Code Fellows does well (from my experience within the iOS Dev accelerator):
- Teach you how ship apps and how to ship them fast (we made 8 apps in 8 weeks, all of them are quite impressive and varied in functionality and types)
- Give you a taste of what's it like to work as a developer (sort of). I learned a lot working with other developer wannabes and also with backend developers.
- Expose you to these things called data structures, algorithms, memory management, and blah blah... other skills that you don't necessarily need to ship apps fast, but you actually need to build good, sustainable products.
- And most importantly, they still treat you as if you're a student, even after you've long graduated. It's like the good ol' pension plan. It's a little too good to be true and probably not sustainable if poorly managed.
- Give you the most up to date tools. Brad, the iOS instructor, is super passionate about his craft, so we learned the latest and greatest (WatchKit, Parse iOS SDK, etc).
- Screen incoming students well. I really liked the people in my development accelerator. Great diversity too.
What CF does not do:
- It doesn't have a strong network... yet. If you ask most CF alumni, you'll rarely find that they got their job from CF. CF is still a young company, establishing and expanding their networks in multiple cities. I think it would've been better if they had partnered with companies to get students working on real-world projects (like GA does) or to get students hired as interns or apprentice (like Ada Developer Academy).
- It doesn't teach you how to be a good engineer. The old project management adage is true: fast, cheap or good, pick two. In this case, pick one (fast). There needs to be a bit more structure in the lab/homework part of the course. I wish I'd been tested on my knowledge of the topics discussed in lectures, either through an online quiz, HackerRank puzzle, etc. When I went to school here, the lab portion is pretty open: 4 hours to work on homework (with assistance from TA and instructor) or do whatever you want.
- It doesn't train you to write beautiful code. This goes hand in hand with the previous point. I had a senior engineer look at my code, and it was embarrassing and insightful (thanks Aaron). I wish they'd put more emphasis on incorporating coding style guidelines when we were learning, but I'm not sure how much more stuff they could've crammed into our brain. It would also be helpful to learn about how to think like an engineer in a bit more systematic detail.
- Again, it's a young company, so they're still working kinks out. There are some things they could be a bit more buttoned up about. Unfortunately at $10k a class, I don't think people are willing to tolerate much.
So there, my two cents on my classic Burberry trench coat. Would I do it again? Yes. - Truyen NguyenGraduate • OnlineAug 14, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Software Engineer
The student needs should have a basic background in Computer Science before apply for a bootcamp program.
- AnonymousUnemployed • Graduate • OnlineAug 14, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Experience is advisable
My overall experience at Code Fellows is a positive one. The staff are incredibly helpful and very good at their jobs. The curriculum is a tough thing to rate due to the fast pace at which the industry can change. That being said what we learned was pretty excellent stuff! Having had zero experience with code before starting Code Fellows, I would strongly advise that a prospective student take a CS100 class somewhere to begin wrapping your head around the concepts that you will encoun...
My overall experience at Code Fellows is a positive one. The staff are incredibly helpful and very good at their jobs. The curriculum is a tough thing to rate due to the fast pace at which the industry can change. That being said what we learned was pretty excellent stuff! Having had zero experience with code before starting Code Fellows, I would strongly advise that a prospective student take a CS100 class somewhere to begin wrapping your head around the concepts that you will encounter. For instance, I spent two months after the accelerator learning how to code and not job searching... Which leads me to the job assistance. During the program you have at least one half of a day set aside for guest lecturers or staff to talk to your class about the best processes for getting a job. Which is helpful. But the "job assistance" that you get is two mass emails sent at the end of your program to their partners. Which isn't helpful. Outside of that you're pretty much on your own, you must complete a survey once a week describing your actions towards landing a job, which is fair. The problem with the process is that you quickly run out of companies that you would actually like to work for in the state that you would like to work. Its been five months and change since I finished my program, I have zero prospects and have had three responses to my applications. Total. So in sum, the course work was awesome, the instructors are awesome and the staff is awesome. I just wish they were more honest about how much experience you should have and what they really do to help you land a job.
- AnonymousGraduate • OnlineAug 14, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Ruby on Rails Development Accelerator
I took the Foundations 2: Ruby course, then the Ruby on Rails Development Accelerator. I'm very good at self-directed learning, and have been a hobby-level programmer for several years, but I felt like I needed an extra boost to get an actual job.
In hindsight, I think I would skip the F2 course, becuase you can learn the basics of Ruby elsewhere for much cheaper (Codecademy, Code School, or Treehouse). The instructor was great, but I found I spent most of my time helping oth...
I took the Foundations 2: Ruby course, then the Ruby on Rails Development Accelerator. I'm very good at self-directed learning, and have been a hobby-level programmer for several years, but I felt like I needed an extra boost to get an actual job.
In hindsight, I think I would skip the F2 course, becuase you can learn the basics of Ruby elsewhere for much cheaper (Codecademy, Code School, or Treehouse). The instructor was great, but I found I spent most of my time helping other classmates because I already knew the concepts. However, doing the F2 course "got my foot in the door" at Code Fellows, and made my enrollment process for the DA a bit easier.
The DA was very intense. Thankfully, our class was very small, so we got lots of one-on-one time with the instructor and the TA, which helped a lot. Just like other reviewers have said, what you get out of it depends on how much you put in. We were all very dedicated, and spent well over 60 hours a week working...but even still, some of us fell behind by the end of the course.
Their philosophy of teaching is called stacked learning, which takes some getting used to. It takes a week or two to "click" into that mode, but it's much easier once you do! Lectures are 3 hours a day Monday thru Thursday, with lab time the other part of the day. Friday mornings are for the "Professional Development Curriculum", and the rest of the day is more lab time.
Honestly, I don't feel like I got much out of the Professional Development Curriculum. I came from another part of the IT industry, so most of my resume still applies, but I can see how it would be more helpful for people coming out of completely unrelated industries. But a word of caution: they don't provide much in the way of "job placement", it's more along the lines of "job-search assistance". I was assuming that since they've got the job guarantee, they would be actively trying to get us in the door with their business partners, but all they do is give their partners access to our resumes before we graduate. I was not contacted by any of their partners. However, when I had questions specific to my application process with other companies, they were very happy to answer questions, and were very excited for me when I finally got a job.
If I had to do it all over again, I would go to one of their quarterly info sessions and talk with some of their instructors then. I would also try to stop by during one of their weekly "Open Houses" to get a better feel for what it feels like during the day, and talk with more instructors and staff then. Since I had previous programming experience, I would skip the F1 and F2 classes, and apply directly for the DA.
- AnonymousStudent • OnlineAug 14, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Code Fellows - Javascript Development Accelerator
I think Code Fellows has done a really good job of getting us prepared for skills that we will need to be contributing members in the job market today. Each class is constantly being updated to reflect the frameworks and libraries currently being used and making sure best practices are taught.
- AnonymousStudent • OnlineAug 14, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Try Again..
This bootcamp had a lot of potential and came with the right goals but the implementation and day to day classes were poorly planned. I believe having had better instructors that have a broader perspective, longer backgrounds, and overall understanding of all aspects of programming is necessary to have a conducive learning environement and that was, unfortunately, not present in this bootcamp.
- AnonymousSoftware Engineer • Graduate • OnlineAug 14, 2015Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Excellent instructors, laser focus on skills you will use
The class format has changed since I attended, but when I went it was 8 weeks of intense instruction with lots of hands-on practice, talks by successful developers and entrepreneurs, and opportunities to network with local startups. I already had some dev experience so I think I had an easier time than some, but everyone got enough instruction to make a career change. It definitely felt like Code Fellows was located at the epicenter of the local startup scene.
The one a...
The class format has changed since I attended, but when I went it was 8 weeks of intense instruction with lots of hands-on practice, talks by successful developers and entrepreneurs, and opportunities to network with local startups. I already had some dev experience so I think I had an easier time than some, but everyone got enough instruction to make a career change. It definitely felt like Code Fellows was located at the epicenter of the local startup scene.
The one area I wish had been stronger was individual help on getting a job. My mentor was pretty hands-off and offered generalities and the job development position at the school was in flux while I was there. From what I hear, it has improved since then. I successfully transitioned to a full-time ruby on rails software engineer from a previous career as a project manager and credit Code Fellows with making that happen.
Code Fellows Alumni Outcomes
| Description | Percentage |
| Full Time, In-Field Employee | 81.7% |
| Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | 12.1% |
| Short-term contract, part-time position, freelance | N/A |
| Employed out-of-field | N/A |
Recent Code Fellows News
Code Fellows Alumni Reviews Summary
How much does Code Fellows cost?
Code Fellows costs around $12,000. On the lower end, some Code Fellows courses like Ops 101: Explore Ethical Hacking & Cybersecurity Careers (Full-Time, In-Person) cost $99.
What courses does Code Fellows teach?
Code Fellows offers courses like Code 101: Explore Software Development (Full-Time, In-Person), Code 101: Explore Software Development (Full-Time, Online), Code 102: Intro to Software Development (Full-Time, In-Person), Code 102: Intro to Software Development (Full-Time, Online) and 45 more.
Where does Code Fellows have campuses?
Code Fellows has in-person campuses in Seattle. Code Fellows also has a remote classroom so students can learn online.
Is Code Fellows worth it?
The data says yes! In 2019, Code Fellows reported a 100% graduation rate, a median salary of $72,500, and 98% of Code Fellows alumni are employed.
Is Code Fellows legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 229 Code Fellows alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Code Fellows and rate their overall experience a 4.47 out of 5.
Does Code Fellows offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Yes, Code Fellows accepts the GI Bill!
Can I read Code Fellows reviews?
You can read 229 reviews of Code Fellows on Course Report! Code Fellows alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Code Fellows and rate their overall experience a 4.47 out of 5.
Is Code Fellows accredited?
Code Fellows is a private vocational school licensed by the State of Washington. Code Fellows was the first code school in Washington State to be approved by the Veterans Association to receive the GI Bill. Learn more at www.codefellows.org/gi-bill