Concordia Bootcamps

After over 3 years working as an industrial engineer I decided to become a developer. It was hard for me to imagine how we could become a developer in 3 months but I decided to trust decode and see what would be the result after working hard all summer. And surprisingly all the teaching tools provided were so well thought out. Even though the rhythm was fast-paced I felt that it was a perfectly timed course. The instructor Jacques is passionate and really smart, he knows how to communicate and explain new concepts. The TAs were so helpful technically and psychological and I learned a lot from them, they tried to mentor us and not only find bugs in our code. In summary after finishing the bootcamp, I received support from Natasha and my career coach and within 6 weeks of job hunting I got 3 offers and I chose to work for one of the companies that I met during the career event organized by Concordia Bootcamps. I am now a full-stack developer very happy to start my new career! I would like to say THANK YOU to all the team

I joined the bootcamp because I wanted a career change quickly. At first, I was a little skeptical about the program but on my first day, I was already impressed by Jacques’ (head of education and instructor) knowledge and teaching approach. Personally, I would have appreciated a little more documentation to support the theory learned in class but that is probably just me. The teaching assistants were also very highly skilled and to see them so passionate and efficient at their job was very inspiring. Did I mention that they were all ex-Concordia bootcamp students?    The bootcamp is intensive. Its curriculum is relevant and focuses on the trends of the software industry. Their approach is less lecture and more lab time, so if you are not comfortable with this learning method, you will have a hard time. I would be the first to admit that I felt really overwhelmed in the beginning.   They also offer an amazing career consultation service. Natasha (director of operations) and her team helped me secure 2 offers within a month after the bootcamp and even advised me in the decision making and negociation process. I believe that I now have all the knowledge necessary to take my coding skills to the next level.   In summary, don’t expect to become a senior programmer in 3 months, because I do not think that any bootcamp can do that. But if you are committed and ready to do nothing else but to only code for the length of the bootcamp, you will definitely come away with a good understanding of web development.    At the end of the day, the bootcamp delivered what they promised: to equip us with the right skills to get started in the software industry.  

I decided to join DecodeMtl Bootcamp because their tech stack is nowadays highly demanded in the industry which increases the probability to find a job.

If you are reluctant of self-learning, and you need some motivation, this boot camp is perfect for you, because you are not going to be alone, you will meet incredible classmates and instructors that motivates you during the learning process.

The instructor, Jordan, is well-prepared, he not only explains the material but also challenged us with questions. The TAs were excellent, they were very patient answering all our questions. They make sure you learn how coding works not only what the syntaxis is.

In addition, at the end of the course, we were assigned a career coach.

Overall, I would recommend this course!!

Concordia bootcamps effectively teaches you exactly what you need to know to be relevant in the growing software industry.  It might be hard to believe in the beginning, but you will gain the skills required to enter the industry.  

The course instructor, Jacques, is passionate about being an effective teacher.  He knows javascript like the back of his hand, and also cares a lot about the learning process.  He used his knowledge of effective learning strategies to create a web application called Wakata, which hammers the javascript fundamentals into you.  The reason my cohort found React intuitive to learn was because Jacques’ method focuses heavily on developing solid fundamentals first.

The teaching assistants were ex-concordia bootcamp students, and seeing them at such a high skill level was very inspiring.  Their ability to quickly assess and troubleshoot problems gave me the belief that with effort, I could also become awesome at coding.

After finishing the course, the career services were able to set up a bunch of interviews for us. I was able to get a position within a month, and am now starting my journey as a full stack developer.

 

Decode was definitely the right choice for me. I do think that it's possible to teach yourself coding and get a job so Decode is not your only option if the money is a deterrence. For me though, I knew that I needed a supportive environment and a structured path to get me where I needed to be. Decode was definitely this and seeing as I got a job within 2 months and really enjoyed my time, was worth the money to me. 

I gave the course 5 stars not because it's perfect, there is always room for improvement, but because Jacques, the instructor, knows this. He was always very curious as to whether we liked what he was teaching and the tools he was using to do so, and that's probably one of the most important qualities in an instructor. I think this course is only going to keep iimproving as he gets feedback. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this course if you're looking for a career change!

Decode was by far the best choice I've made in my life thus far. Jacques is an amazing instructor, and all of the TCs were super helpful. It will be one of the most challenging things that you will ever do. I learned a lot about myself personally and professionally during the 8 weeks, but it was 100% worth it ! They also care to keep mentoring you once the bootcamp is over, something I didn't know when I applied but I really appreciated afterwards.

I found a job after 1 1/2 months and would recommened this course to everyone!

I'm very new in Canada. In the middle of 2018 me and wife understood that we are going to live in Montreal for real. We have been waiting for 6 years of that moment in the immigration process. All my life I worked in accounting. That was a chance to restart my career. It was a bit scary moment to restart from zero but on the other hand it opens some new bright perspectives.

I had a dream to be a coder. I implemented a lot of software during accounting career and always envy developers who could create and improve that software. So my choice was defined.

Even before arriving in Montreal I started to search for a way to become a developer in Quebec. A university - long and very expensive. Cegeps - 2 years and the quality couldn't be good. I need something intense with job opportunity just after. A codecamp. It's a revolutionary way to get into a profession especially with high demand domain like software development. I believe that's the future of modern educational system.

I arrived at Montreal in November 2018. I visited all three most famous codecamps in the city and their final project presentations. I compared their programmes. The price I found almost the same. Those were my arguments for DecodeMTL:

1. People.

  Kevin and Jaques are serious and very reliable persons. I talked to them personally and understand them clearly.

2. Modern stack.

  React and Nodejs are the most popular and trendy in modern web development. No php and jquery - old stuff. Just what I needed.

3. Entering test.

  That showed that You have to be committed and motivated to start with DecodeMTL.

  I applied at the end of November and passed entering challenge at the beginning of December. I was astonished when Kevin told me that next cohort starts at January is already full. I had nothing than to beg and convince him to take me on. Fortunately, he did.

From day one of the the codecamp I had feeling that I'm in the exact right place to study how to code. People in the cohort were awesome. We communicated a lot, shared our previous experience and brainstormed challenges.

First month was a bit unexpected for those of us who had absolutely no experience in web development. But Jacques assured us many times that we need just continue to do our work to keep progressing. Here I highly recommend for those who have no idea about HTML and CSS just go to youtube and find the best crash course about before You start DecodeMTL.

But anyways as Jaques said at the end of first month everyone of us was pretty confident about basics of JavaScript, HTML and CSS.

Second month we dived into React. In less than a month we made huge progress from zero in React to redux state management.

Jacques is amazing professor. He found a way to explain very advanced topics in simple way. He worked for Google and that fact makes You trust him from day one which is very important. But not least. As You know him better he start to like him more and more. Jacques communicated with us in very cosy and friendly way. We discuss a lot with him during our lunches. Jacques found the best way to communicate with each of us. Jacques has very thin sense of humor and use it in appropriate moment. My picture of Jacques was like this: somewhere in between weird geek with crazy ideas and smart uncle who knows how the world works.

Our general day was divided into two parts. First part is for learning something new with Jaques and second part is practicing that new by doing small projects with the help of teaching assistants(TA). We were lucky to have Scott, Richard, Cristian and magic Josh. Each of them is super nice person. They explained to us many nuances of code. It's very important and makes a huge difference between codecamp and online course when You have an opportunity to show your code and ask a question at any moment. Especially when You stacked. They shared with us real experience from there jobs and assured us that we will become at least middle devs in one year or so.

Unfortunately, the course war 8 weeks only for us and I envy new decoders who have 12 weeks long.

At the end of the course we made two full-stack projects in teams. Final project we presented on special event with HR from many Montreal companies. Our team Konrad, Jonathan and me created a site www.movielists.ca. We used git and profited real teamwork techniques during the projects. It was an amazing experience.

Next week was devoted to job search technique under Kevin management. Kevin has profound understanding of labour market: the needs of most companies in Montreal. Kevin took care of everyone of us and his goal is that we all get jobs. Kevin knows a lot of people in Montreal and many people know Kevin well. Decoders are profiting that situation. After DecodeMTL You are part of alumni and can reach everyone from there just by slack him/her. Those people work for many companies and can present You to their companies.

Personally, I felt like I was in big family for those 8 weeks.

After one month after I finished DecodeMTL I was presented by Elisa - another DecodeMTL graduated to a big international company and got the job after two week of entering process.

I want to say to DecodeMTL team again: Thank You So Very Much!

It took me a while before finally taking the jump and applying to Decode; even though it had been personally recommended to me, I just wasn't sure if I was ready not only for the time commitment but also the investment. I went for it and I have absolutely no regrets; in fact I miss it and wish it had gone longer! It was a rollercoaster and you go through all of the ups and downs with your fellow classmates, and everyone is there to support each other.

By week 1, I didn't know what I was doing. By week 4, I didn't know how in the world anyone would want to hire me. But you gotta keep going and by week 7 and 8, working on the final projects, the confidence i had was day and night compared to the very beginning and that was only during the course of two months.

Jacques, the instructor, and the TAs are amazing, really care and are there to help you, even when you feel like the dumbest person in the room sometimes. It is hard work and you have to give it your all, you have to be there both physically and mentally. Would I do it all over again? Absolutely.

My journey with Concordia Bootcamps was amazing! I was skeptical at the beginning because I couldn’t imagine being able to code after only 8 weeks especially considering the fact that I never coded before. The pre-bootcamp preparation proposed was very helpful and I managed to pass the admission test quite easily. I felt confident with my basic knowledge of JavaScript at this point but I still had a lot to learn.

8 weeks later, 3 colleagues and myself managed to build a mobile app using React Native. We were all surprised by the incredible evolution we went through.

Then the job searching process began and believe it or not, after only 2 weeks and a half, I had two job offers on the table. I accepted an amazing offer, better than I could’ve imagined when I started all this, better than the conditions I had working as a Senior Digital Marketing Specialist! I will be forever grateful to Concordia Bootcamps for giving me a better life. As a new mom, I didn’t think I could still change my career path and I was happy to be proven wrong. I discovered a field I’m passionate about, I met amazing people and I evolved as a person.

Thank you so much!

I decided to join DecodeMTL because I wanted to change careers. I come from the food industry and was worried at first that this dramatic change would be too difficult. However, the minute I started the bootcamp, all my fears immediately dissipated. Right away I felt like I was in good hands. Jacques is an amazing instructor who cares about his students and their learning progress. We were also very lucky to have a fantastic TA. But what is especially great about DecodeMTL is that they really care about your success after the bootcamp is over. Kevin goes above and beyond to help you with your job hunt and you really feel like DecodeMTL is not just a money maker but really a community of people who help and support each other.

If you’re looking to become a web developer, I highly recommend DecodeMTL. I landed a great job with amazing working conditions after the bootcamp. It’s hard work and you need to be 100% committed, but it’s worth it.

 

I was really hesitant to apply for the boot camp, as a software developer myself, having more that 10 years of experience in .NET and C++, I never worked in developing full-stack web application using JavaScript, but as this skill was highly in demand, I took the decision to do it anyways.

during the boot camp I was amazed by the quality and quantity of the information you learn in such a small time, I learnt a lot of new things that give me the skills and the confidence to apply for any job.

As soon as I finished the boot camp and did my final project presentation, I got three interviews with the companies' recruiters who attended the last hiring event, was able to get three offers and chose the best one. 

 

In summary, Decodemtl was a great combination of education, networking, good people and a very good recruiting agency.

So i started the bootcamp in October 2018 and i can honestly say it was one of the best desicions i have ever made! When i started this bootcamp, I had no experience in computer science whatsover, apart from doing a few small online courses on HTML and CSS.It is really intense but i feel like it covers everything in order to prepare you for a job. After the 8 weeks of intense coding, i got a job(with good benefits and good pay) in less than two weeks!  So i can definetly say that it was worth it! Jacques explains everything really well, and him and Jordan were extremely helpful anytime i have a question, i was NEVER shy to ask a question, no matter how stupid it was sometimes (lol). Also, Kevin really helps with the Job Assistance, he really cares and always checks up on you to make sure you are on the right track to get interviews. Overall i would definitely recommend this bootcamp!!