Coder Foundry

When I went through the application process to attend Coder Foundry’s Master Class, I was required to take a programming test that consisted of 5-6 JavaScript problems. Two to three of my programs were incorrect. (At this point, I don’t remember the exact figures and I no longer have access to my test results, but I am certain that the percentage of answers correct was well below 100%.) Moreover, I had indicated that I had no actual software-developing job experience. The Coder Foundry reps evaluating my application materials had no basis to think I was some kind of coding genius. Nevertheless, during the Google Hangouts interview with Coder Foundry reps (which was the last step in the application process), I was told that I would make $70,000 per year after graduating from the Master Class. (Coder Foundry’s website at that time stated that the average starting salary for a graduate was $60,000.)  Further, I was told that it typically took three months after graduating for a new graduate to land a job. This was important information, because I was considering borrowing a CLIMB loan to assist with paying the $9900 price of the course, and part of the terms of the loan were that the borrower would be required to pay interest only for three months after the class, with full monthly payments required afterwards. I had researched other information. In particular, Coder Foundry’s website at the time stated that 95% of its graduates land jobs. All of these claims together suggested that enrolling in the Master Class would be a good investment. I thus decided to enroll and borrowed the CLIMB loan.

Unfortunately, despite my researching and asking questions, my experience has indicated that I was far too quick to trust Coder Foundry’s claims. I was not inflexible about a job’s starting salary; I was willing to go well below $70,000 per year. However, the reality of trying to land a coding position is *nowhere near* what Coder Foundry claimed *before* it had my $9900. This became apparent even before graduating from the class. I had one rep imply that I should expect a six-month period after graduation before landing a job. (I was told three months was typical during the interview, before CF had my money.) I found the placement department rather cavalier about actually helping me land a job. I was told by the first recruiter who was there that he and his assistants were going to *aggressively* market me. At the time, I replied that I would appreciate it, but I found zero evidence that any such “aggressive marketing” was ever done. I nevertheless worked to complete and successfully demonstrate all four Master Class full-stack application projects.

When I began actively searching for coding jobs, I submitted *countless* applications, both to companies seeking to hire directly and to recruiters. All of the replies I received (with the exception of one) stated essentially one thing: that lacking any coding job experience, I do not qualify for the position. (The common response to the CF projects which I offered to demonstrate is that school projects have very little weight compared to actual job experience.) In other words, something which CF claimed—before it had my money—would not be a problem, has turned out to be a major, nearly insurmountable problem. (The one exception was a company with which I landed a phone interview, and did not progress any further.) Developer positions that are truly entry-level receive hundreds of applications from applicants (mostly recent college graduates) all around the country. There is nothing that being a CF Master Class graduate has done to help me stand out among these hundreds. Further, CF’s placement department has hardly helped (and is presently not helping at all), despite the fact that I was told, before paying and enrolling, that after graduating from the Master Class, my lack of coding work experience would not be a problem.  I went through a three-month period where I received no interviews from the placement department. It wasn’t until I complained, pointing out the discrepancy between what I was told during the CF application interview before CF had my money, and what it was doing then, that the recruiter finally secured some interviews for me. But then the recruiter left CF and another was hired, and I had a similar experience with the second one, getting some interviews for me after my complaining, and afterwards getting no phone calls or emails from her, sometimes not even in reply to my messages to her. It is now getting close to one year after my finishing the Master Class, and I not only do not have a coding job, I have exactly zero leads for landing one. When I now contact the recruiter at CF, I get a reply with no specifics, such as: “I will inform you of opportunities as they become available.” Given the past behavior of the recruiters and the vagueness of these responses, it is clear that I cannot expect any further assistance from CF’s placement department, despite having been told, before CF had my money, that my lack of coding job experience would not be a problem in landing a job. And of course, if it is true that I am among only 5% of CF graduates who fail to land a job, I expect no clear explanation from them of why, or of the general discrepancy between what I was told before I paid and enrolled and the reality of the job search after having completed the course. The placement department, after I paid for the course, has been opaque, murky, and inconsistent. In terms of the big-ticket investments I’ve made in my lifetime, Coder Foundry has proved to be the worst.

If you are seeking to transition to a developer position from another field, I would not recommend attending Coder Foundry, especially if you have no prior coding job experience. There is plenty of information and evidence indicating that employers seeking to hire developers value open-source contributions very highly—perhaps even more highly than paid, on-the-job coding experience. I recommend following Aaron Boodman’s advice at http://aaronboodman-com-v1.blogspot.com/2010/10/wherein-i-help-you-get-good-job.html. There are plenty of open-source projects to choose from; it doesn’t have to be the one (Chromium) Aaron’s blog suggests. Yes, the process will be difficult, and will take years, especially if you have to do it while working to support yourself. There will be multiple, complex technologies, as well as industry standards, to learn. However, it is better to decide from the beginning to go through such a process—and eventually land a coding job—than sink $9900 in Coder Foundry’s course, go into debt, and find out it was for nothing and that you need to spend years going through the open-source-contribution process anyway.  

 

 

 

I had virtually no coding experience before this boot camp and I've just landed my first job as a Full Stack .NET Developer today, about one month after graduating! The instructors here are awesome and very patient. If you put in the work you will get the results you are after and having someone with tons of experience there to answer any question you have is beyond helpful. Our instructor, Antonio, did an amazing job explaining concepts to us and preparing us for interviews. After graduating, I received outstanding assistance from Kelly in securing a job. I cannot express how thankful I am to have found this bootcamp.

Went into the course knowing nothing about coding, accepted my first job offer as a .NET developer just a few months later. The instructors there are there the whole way, making sure to help you individually until you understand whatever you're struggling with. They stick with you after the bootcamp to continue giving guidance. The job assistance is just as great, they help you market yourself and give you many networking opportunities. Overall the course has the potential to make you a developer so long as you put in the work. 

I honestly can't say enough good things about Coder Foundry. I'm sure we all have experiences in courses or in classes where it feels like they are just pushing you toward passing a test and padding their success rate. This isn't that, at all. From the recruiter, to the instructors, and even to the founder of the program, you immediately feel a sense of welcoming, and a want to help you succeed. The instructors worked with my cohort to make sure we not only finished the projects we were given, but that we truly understood our code and knew what we were doing, line by line, so that we could thrive in the industry post-class. This wasn't a pass-or-fail, "here's the info, do this, make sure you graduate" setting. Everyone involved from the Coder Foundry team truly wants to make sure you succeed and land the career you want and watch you do great things with the knowledge they're passing on to you. I will be forever grateful for everything I've learned over this short amount of time. Shout out to Antonio and Jacob.

I built grown up apps with coder foundry. I appreciate them for the same. Compared to other bootcamps, these apps really look and feel professional. Students do great as long as they can put in the work, stay on course and ask good questions. I was comfortable with most of the content but the first c# app we built, felt overwhelming. It was a sign of growth if anything. I stayed on course, looked at problems with a small scope by breaking them down and after the second app I built,  I felt really better about the understanding. Enough that I was able to build extra functionalities with ease. 

I first found Coder Foundry 2 years before I was able to apply, I had to wait for the right time and moment to become an applicant.  I had joined another online boot camp that has gained a lot of traction since Covid first started back in 2018, and my experience was just okay to say the least.  In my heart I knew Coder Foundry was the right place to be.  I became hooked through a different lens.  You have an owner of a company putting his face on the internet, not pushing an agenda, giving an honest opinion whether you go to his school or not.  Some may say this could be a car salesman tactic, I've been bamboozled by car dealers my entire life and Bobby is not one of them.  He is genuine, he cares about everyone's success.  Once I was able to be enrolled in the 2023 cohort, it was go time!  All of the Instructors are rooting for your success, they are available, immersive and accessible pretty much at all times for 3 months during the cohort and the extended time looking for work.  There are not enough words to express my gratitude for the knowledge I have been given.  My biggest wish for Coder Foundry is for large corporations to take in the students once graduated as their employees on a contract-to-hire basis.  Coder Foundry sets the bar extremely high for junior level developers coming in.  More companies need to take a look at this and recognize that we are set apart from your "normal" junior developer looking for work.  I would highly recommend Coder Foundry to anyone stepping into the tech footprint.

I went to another bootcamp before this one and realized too late it wasn't what I was looking for even though I asked questions beforehand. They reassured me everything was going to be ok, but it wasn't. When I stumbled upon Coder Foundry on YouTube, everything they were saying resonated so greatly with what I was searching for and Coder Foundry tells you everything up front. It's going to be work and you're going to need to dedicate your time for the full 12 weeks but definitely worth it in the end!

I joined Coder Foundry for their March 2023 cohort as I was specifically looking for a course that would help me build a portfolio of work using Microsoft's .NET framework that would leave a great impression with potential employers, and one that had a dedicated job assistance program that would guide you through to breaking into the industry with your new found experience. Through my research, I found that Coder Foundry was the best choice for me, as they were one of the best reviewed bootcamps teaching the tech stack I wanted to learn the most. I chose to take part in the 3 month Intensive Virtual Full Stack Development course because I knew I would get the most out of having a structured learning schedule, along with the direct guidance and help from the course's amazing instructors, Jacob and Antonio.

Through the 12 week course, I was able to create a portfolio site along with 6 frontend web applications and 3 full stack web applications that would become the basis of my body of work. The guidance and experience of the instructors were second to none, and with their help I was able to learn concepts much quicker and with a much deeper understanding than I would have on my own. This is not to say that everything was a cake walk. The hours and dedication necessary to achieve in this course goes beyond what is spent during class time, and it will take considerable work to be successful, even with the help of the instructors. But for those that are willing to put in that work, the outcome is well worth it. The skills you will learn here are not just applicable to the tech stack that is taught at Coder Foundry, as you will gain the confidence and tools necessary to learn, and gain more skills beyond what you learnt during the course.

After completing the course I worked with Kelly, who spearheads the job assistance program. She is wonderful to work with and will never let you believe that you cannot be successful in this industry. With her help I was able to improve my online profile considerably and advertise to potential employers that I am a legitimate software developers with the knowledge and skills to show for it. You will be so thankful to have her on your side as she instills great confidence in you with her attitude and dedication to helping Coder Foundry alumni. I was able to apply to a vastly greater number of jobs due to the sheer quantity of opportunities she was sharing with me daily, as well as the considerable amount of outreach to recruiters she did on my behalf.

I can easily say that without the help and guidance of everyone at Coder Foundry, I would not be where am I today.

After a lot of research, I decided to apply for Coder Foundry and fortunately was accepted into the live instructor-led class. I definitely do not regret this decision. Jacob and Antonio were some of the best instructors I have had to date even after completion of my bachelor's degree. I can confidently say that Coder Foundry was THE reason I was offered a job. As Antonio said, the hardest part is the job application process. It took 5 months until I landed a role and during that time, I would be lying if I didn’t feel discouraged at times with countless rejection emails or no response at all. Don’t let that stop you from applying. It only takes one yes! I also would like to thank Kelly Davis for her help in remaining dedicated to forwarding all available opportunities that were to my preferences. 


I would recommend this program to anyone who is ready to put in the work and can remain dedicated to the process, both during class and afterward during the job hunt.

I have first-hand seen Coder Foundry transform people's careers! I have met a handful of Coder Foundry graduates in-person who now work as junior and mid-level developers.  I therefore became convinced that I could pursue software engineering as well, and gain strong training through CF to help me in my first developer role. I was blown away by the quality of this program and the down-to-earth attitudes of the team. I now have a modern, online portfolio, multiple sessions of interview prep with a revised resume and Linkedin portfolio, and even a recruiter to advocate for me and aid me in my career placement journey. I recommend this bootcamp to anyone who is willing and excited to dive into working with professionals, as almost an apprentice, asking questions at all times, as the teachers Jacob and Antonio are readily available. This bootcamp starts from the very basics, the foundation of great, manageable code. So do not shy away from it if you feel like you lack knowledge. The team will set you up with what you need to know to be a great, and most importantly, hirable, Junior Developer.

I conducted extensive research across various platforms, including Course Report, to find the perfect course for my needs. After careful consideration, I chose Coder Foundry for several compelling reasons. Since I couldn't attend an in-person program, I sought a course that offered a favorable teacher-to-student ratio, a well-structured plan and curriculum to enhance skills and build a portfolio that effectively showcased my abilities. Additionally, it was important to me that the instructors remained consistent throughout the entire cohort, rather than changing with each new section. Essentially, I desired a personalized experience that could closely replicate in-person learning.

Coder Foundry met all of these criteria. The class size averaged around 15 students, allowing for plenty of interaction with the two full-time instructors. They continually updated the curriculum based on valuable feedback from recruiters and hiring managers, ensuring its relevance and alignment with industry needs. The course progression commenced with building a portfolio as the foundation for establishing an online presence, followed by tackling various Javascript challenges commonly encountered during interviews to enhance programming language proficiency. Finally, the course delved into constructing at least three Full-stack .NET applications. Throughout the journey, the unwavering guidance and support from Antonio, Jacob, and Bobby proved invaluable in honing my skills within a mere 12-week timeframe.

Thanks to the exceptional staff at Coder Foundry and the rambunctious group that was the Astra Cohort, I had a remarkable experience that truly simulated an in-person learning environment to the greatest extent possible. As a result, I wholeheartedly recommend this program.