DigitalCrafts

I graduated from DigitalCrafts about two weeks ago, and have already had multiple interviews, one job offer (which I accepted), and for the first time in my professional life feel like I have options and control of my career. 

I have been interested in coding and software development for a long time but never pursued it in earnest. I spent about two years trying to teach myself with various online resources, but whenever I exhausted all available answers and still couldn't solve a certain problem, I had no one to turn to for assistance. I checked out various coding bootcamps, and ultimately decided on DigitalCrafts because of their robust curriculum, the fact that their class sizes were capped at 15-16 students, and because of their excellent location and supporting staff. 

Despite my long time interest in software development, I came into this program with barely any coding knowledge. I could write "Hello World!" in Python and knew that something called the command line existed and that it looked cool. I can't say I knew much more than that. Now, however, I can produce fully functioning full-stack websites and feel that I have the knowledge foundation to learn whatever I set my mind to. And I think that is the most important takeaway I had from this experience, the ability to learn and troubleshoot for myself. 

I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone who wants to break into software development, but know that it will not be a walk in the park. The instructors will work with you at your own pace (as much as is realistically possible), but it is still like drinking from a firehose of coding knowledge; the class moves at a frenetic pace, and it can feel overwhelming at times. Additionally, as someone who hated college because it felt like a lot of jumping through hoops without actually learning anything substantive, I can say with all certainty that this was the most positive experience with education I have ever had because I feel like I came out of the program with real-world, career applicable skills that were so often lacking in my experience with traditional college settings. 

I am officially an alumni of DigitalCrafts and I am beyond pleased with my experience.

I graduated from DigitalCrafts almost two months ago and I can honestly say that enrolling this immersive coding school was one of the best decisions I've made in my adult life.

After teaching for eight years, I decided that I didn't want to teach for the rest of my life and I was looking for something more lucrative with endless learning opportunities and would give me the opportunity to work wherever I want. Being driven by my passion to create something and see it become available for other people to use, I applied to, and enrolled in, DigitalCrafts, an immersive Full-Stack web development course that lasts for 4 months.

When choosing the coding school that would be suitable to my needs, DigitalCrafts stood out because of the programming languages that would be taught, the length of time that the program would last, the location of the school, and the ability to take electives. Over the course of 4 months I learned the full MEAN stack, as well as Python and MySQL, from and amazing and experienced instructor while also gaining experience in UX/UI design through the elective course that was offered. Throughout the program I was immersed in an environment of entrepreneurs of the tech startup industry at the Atlanta Tech Village and had the opportunity to meet and interact with many individuals that encouraged my learning as well as my passion to be apart of the tech world.

On the first day when I met in the lobby with the other students, I did notice that there were more men than women (5 women and 10 men), which was expected, but I was extremely happy with my class. No one was treated differently because of their gender or race and we all got along very well.  I didn't even really think about the male to female ratio because it didn't affect the dynamics of the classroom to the point of discomfort. We were all learning, sharing the experience of becoming a web developer, and we were all enjoying our time together. The staff is amazing!!! They are very supportive and eager to help you reach your goal.  Currently there are two women on staff who make the experience more inviting for other women.

I was concerned about being a woman in the Tech industry and how that would affect me during coding school and I honestly do believe that DigitalCrafts is THE best coding school/bootcamp in Atlanta. I can confidently say that as a result of talking to other women who have been students with other bootcamps in the area versue my own personal experience. I also appreciate the extra effort that DC makes in supporting women in the tech industry and being active in reaching out to more women to participate in their coding school in an effort to close the gender gap.

ATV, itself, has a wide variety of individual who come in and out on a daily basis.  From what I've noticed, there is a significant female presence in the building and even if it seems that more men are visible, there's never been a moment where I felt uncomfortable or unwelcome as a female, nor as a minority.  Everyone there is friendly, like-minded and supportive. Overall it's a great opportunity to meet all sorts of people who share common interests, as well as people who can give you insight into things you've never heard of.  I've had nothing but positive experiences with DigitalCrafts and with ATV. ATV became my second home and DigitalCrafts has become my new family and I looked forward to each day of learning.

Another deciding factor were the reviews that I read for the other programs I was considering versus the reviews that I read for digital crafts. The overall experiences that students were having at other schools swayed me more to choosing DigitalCrafts. For anyone who is thinking of going to an immersive coding school, I encourage you to read the reviews with an open mind and also reach out to the alumni of the coding schools you're interested in with any questions that you may have.

You will often hear and read about the intensity of a coding school and about how fast it will be, but it does not compare to actually being in class. You will absolutely hit the ground running sprints. Be as prepare as possible. Do all the pre-work and then some. I definitely wish that I had spent more time practicing javascript, but I make it a point to go back through my code, the resources provided from the instructor and the videos from class to solidify my learning. Going through coding school has been the most difficult learning experience I've ever completed I came out victorious. I finished my course Nov. 2nd, was worried about the transition time between finishing the program and being hired, interviewed recently (almost didn't show up because I'm so hard on myself), and received an offer that day. I received a NodeJS/Backend developer position with a company that handles merchant sales. I'm so excited about where I'm heading in life.

A quote to keep in mind as you go through this journey and make a decision:

“99% of learning to code is learning not to judge yourself harshly, and understanding nobody knows everything and that's OK. You got this!” ~Eric Elliott

It’s been a little over a month since I graduated from DigitalCrafts and I just landed my first developer position. I can definitely thank DigitalCrafts for that.

I decided to attend DigitalCrafts after visiting and interviewing with all the other major coding bootcamps in the Atlanta area.  I really liked the length of their program and the focus on Javascript and the MEAN stack.  I also liked that they were located in Atlanta Tech Village and I was able to mingle and network with the other startups in the building. Rob and Toby are both fantastic teachers who are extremely knowledgable and happy to work with you until you understand the concepts.  Max, Jake, and Natalie make you feel part of the family and do a great job coaching you and helping you with job placement.  By the end of the program I felt a real kinship with my classmates.  Everyone was happy to help one another whenever someone got stuck.

It was definitely challenging and a there was a ton of information to process but in the end it was certainly worth it.  I was in the process of selling my business and making a career change and after doing a bunch of research, coding bootcamp is what I settled on.  Going the route of a CS degree or teaching myself seemed like it would take too long.  I am very happy with my decision and would recommend DigitalCrafts to anyone considering going to a coding bootcamp.

I just recently finished up my time at DigitalCrafts and felt that I should share my experience.  I came into the course with essentially zero knowledge of programming.  I decided on DigitalCrafts, among other reasons, because the reviews spoke highly of it, the instructor, Rob, made a good impression on me when i visited the campus, and the curriculum was more comprehensive than other programs around the area.  Plus, at four months, you are getting more for your money than the standard 3 month programs that are out there and trust me, you will want that extra month.

The pace can be intense at times, you will have to let go of the need to complete everything 100% and know everything about a subject before moving on.  The course is not designed that way, nor is it ultimately necessary.  The repitition and constant immersion in the subject is the real value in the course, another reason why the extra month is important.  Also, utilize your fellow developers as much as you can while in the course, that is a resource that is not available to most coming into the industry, just being in a room with 15 other people everyday who are just as eager to learn the same things you are trying to learn. Do these things, remember to enjoy yourself, and you will do fine in the course.

The course was great for me. Really enjoyed the instructor and my classmates.  Felt like I came a very long way in a short amount of time and I would recommend this program to anyone else looking for a crash course into web development.

I had a fantastic experience with DigitalCrafts. It's the most intense 16-week course I've ever taken, but I'm so glad I did. I'd been contemplating going to code school for about six months before I finally took the plunge and joined DC, and in my previous life I was a digital marketer and strategist, so believe me, this was a big departure from what I'd done before. I did my research, talked to the other coding schools in Atlanta, and ultimately, decided I liked the fact that DC was small and scrappy, and that the founders Max and Jake and their chief instructor Rob cared so much about their students' success. Honestly, everyone at DigitalCrafts cares so much about current and former students' success, it's amazing to me.

So here's what happened for 16 weeks. We learned HTML, CSS, Sass, JavaScript, jQuery, AngularJS, JSON, Ajax, Node.js, Express, Socket.io, MongoDB, Python, Flask and MySQL. Yes, all of that. Our class started out with 15 (they cap the class size to make sure everyone gets enough quality time with the instructor who sticks with them for the whole course), and it ended up shrinking to 12 by the time we graduated. 

Which is a brilliant segue to the biggest drawback of this course (if you can even call it that). It is a big, big commitment - in every way. Your time will not be your own, your brain will constantly be buzzing with code (you'll even start dreaming in code, believe me), and your nights and weekends will be spent working on projects you built during the week or otherwise trying to improve your burgeoning skills. From the first week my brain was overflowing with knowledge and my head hurt by the end of each week, there was more than one day when I came home and wasn't sure I could hack it, wasn't sure if this was for me, but I kept on going. The best advice I can give is to keep going, keep trying and don't try and understand everything - you won't and there's not nearly enough time in the course for this kind of in depth understanding. Just keep going and understand that later things that didn't make sense before will start to make sense. 

And that's what's also so great about DC - the instructors and staff are super smart, and encouraging and everything a company like this should be. The Developers in Residence (the TAs) are former students so they know exactly what you're going through when you're struggling. The former students (most of whom are gainfully employed in the technology field, I might add), are super nice and more than willing to give advice, share what they know and try to help current students. And the current students are all motivated, energetic and eager people - DC carefully screens to make sure the people who want to join them are serious about this. Plus, they're all going through the exact same mind blowing experience, so there's a strong sense of camaraderie that's forged when going through such trials by fire together.

DigitalCrafts is also doing a great job of making a name for itself within the Atlanta tech community. One of founders Jake, is making connections to companies and staffing agencies left, right and center, so when it comes time to start applying for jobs, students are armed with example resumes, LinkedIn profiles, portfolio sites and mock interview experience to help set them apart from the competition. And not only do they host a demo day at the end of the class for students to show off their final projects, but they bring in speakers from recruiting agencies and developers from the Atlanta area to talk about their own experience getting a developer job and what to be aware of going along. It's all extremely valuable, useful opportunities.

So if you're considering a web development boot camp in Atlanta, and you're ready to have your grit tested in a big way, I 100% recommend DigitalCrafts. It's worth every penny, every hour and every ounce of blood, sweat and tears you'll put in. I know it's a business, but these people are changing people's lives for the better, and if I had it to do all over again, I would absolutely choose DigitalCrafts without hesitation. 

My employer sponsored me to go to go to DigitalCrafts as part of a new internal program they launched. I couldn't be happier with the experience. The instruction, material, and DigitalCrafts staff were all top notch. I came in having a little programming knowledge with PHP and MySQL. We learned Nodejs, AngularJS, PostgreSQL, Python, and JavaScript. The projects that we worked on throughout the class were both fun and provided great learning opportunities. Having a CS background, I was very impressed to see DigitalCrafts also covered common CS data structures, algorithms, and BigO notation. Even though I wasn't looking for a job, I was impressed with how DigitalCrafts continually gave students insights, tips, and training on how to land their next job. I really can't say enough good things about this program. If you're looking for a web immersive coding bootcamp, look no further!

I'm currently 8 weeks into the DigitalCrafts 16 week Immersive Program, and I'm convinced it is one of the best decisions I have made. I did a little bit of self-teaching through CodeAcademy, W3Schools, and Eloquent Javascript, and even though I felt like I understood it; I didnt feel like it was enough. When I enrolled, all of resources were actually in the prework; reaffirming that this course was going to be intense and solid. The instructor is extremely knowledgable and his insights into the languages he teaches are valuable. I can ask whys and hows and he is able to help me understand it better. An added plus, he has a great personality and makes class enjoyable; which is very appreciated with the intensity being what it is. We are getting into the backend portion currently, and all the work we did with exploring and learning front-end has made me feel prepared for learning newer languages; which is an incredible feeling. I am given the tools to not only be an excellent web developer, but the confidence to move in any direction I want with this. Great investment, and highly recommended to anyone looking to get into this career.

I just finished DigitalCrafts 16 week immersive bootcamp, and it was a great experience! Prior to DigitalCrafts, I had very little coding experience. I had taken a part-time course at another Atlanta code school and done a little bit of self study, so when I was looking for a career switch I decided to come to DigitalCrafts. I chose DigitalCrafts over other code schools in Atlanta (even outside of Atlanta as well) because it was a longer program than the others, focused on skills I was more interested in learning, and the administrators seem to really care about the success of their students. I can say that I was not disappointed! 

In the 16 weeks here, I learned so much more than I ever could have imagined. Sometimes it was extremely overwhelming, but by the end of the week you would be building a project using the new languages and realize how much you actually know. Also, it taught you how to be able to pick up new things extremely quickly. I thought the instructor was great and really made sure that we were all up to speed and that no one was left feeling confused or left behind. Also, he introduced a decent amount of computer science basics, which I think is something that sets DigitalCrafts graduates apart from other code school students. 

Also, the administration was extremely helpful in the job search. They really helped give us all the tools to have our portfolios up quickly, made sure that we always knew about the most recent job postings, and helped us network. They seem to genuinely care about the success of their students, and not just because it makes their numbers look better! They are passionate people and it really shows in what they've done with the school!

All in all, I had a great experience at DigitalCrafts and feel ready to start my career as a software developer very shortly!

DigitalCrafts, for me, has been a tremendous experience! Although the long days and nights were rough, I would do it again! I had very little programming experience when I first came to DigitalCrafts. I now feel like I will be able to go find a career in Web Development. The most important skill I have now is how to learn, quickly and efficiently. The staff at DigitalCrafts are awesome. They care about the student's success as much as the student. They are encouraging and a big support during the program. My instructor was great!. He was focused on what the students learned more than if they just completed a project. I would highly recommend DigitalCrafts! 

Going to DigitalCrafts was one of my best choices I have made for my career. Going to DigitalCrafts honestly is a complete life changer for me. I have never been more motivated to continue learning and improving my skills in Web Development. DigitalCrafts’ staff works really hard to find the right approach to teach the course and are always improving the course from feedback from the students. I never have seen the passion from individuals that really want you to succeed and always help push you to create even better projects throughout the class.

In the past year, I was transitioning out of Retail and pursing a career in the IT field. After a few months of IT training and certificates, I attended a few IT job fairs in the Atlanta metro area. At one of the job fairs I attended was the DigitalCrafts booth. That was the start of my journey of becoming a fullstack web developer. Before attending DigitalCrafts, I did tons of research to compare other coding bootcamps. 16 Weeks to learn two web stacks and cost the same as programs that are half the time? That’s a no brainer! But, I had to make sure that the program was right for me. Talking to Jake and Max from DigitalCrafts during the in-person interview answered a lot of my questions. I could honestly feel the passion which led me to believe the students from their school will not just learn to code, but students will become great developers and be successful in developer world. When I finally met my instructor Rob, I knew 150% I found an outstanding Bootcamp to mold me into a great developer. Rob is an amazing individual, he is lovable, kind, outgoing and just super passionate to share all his years of experience as a developer into each student. He was the heart of taking the course and always helped me stay on course when I stumbled in the course and would get frustrated. He taught me so many things, and I can’t thank him enough.

Overview of the course:

Going to a immersive bootcamp Monday – Friday for 40 hours a week is not a simple task. If you plan to attend DigitalCrafts for the 16-week program, then this should be your only commitment during the four months. I worked my ass off everyday, I came in early and I stayed late after class. I even came in on the weekends to stay focused and continue to improve my craft. If you just work really hard for those 4 months I can honestly tell you it pay off! I enjoyed that the course was 16 weeks, because I had more time to make an outstanding final project and make my portfolio site stand out. DigitalCrafts doesn’t just educate you on coding, they also help you prepare for technical interviews, interviews in general, how to display yourself and standout from others.

Final note:

Deciding to go to DigitalCrafts was the best choice I could have ever made. I’m not working retail anymore, I’m a junior full stack developer at a company in the same building as DigitalCrafts. I’m making 3 times more than I ever have and what did I have to do? I just invested all my effort in 16 weeks to be where I’m at now. Just remember keep coding after you finish! Keep challenging yourself and don’t stop your thirst for learning new things in the development world. After you learn key principles you learn and pickup new things very easily. I can’t express anymore the fact that I get to code and build things and get paid to do so now! (It’s like playing and I get reward with $$$).

Article about me attending DigitalCrafts:
http://www.hypepotamus.com/people/joshua-ciaralli/