Epicodus

I started with a bit of extra web development experience compared with the majority of my classmates. Within 2 weeks I felt like I was swimming in the deep end, Epicodus is FAST at ramping up and challenging you to your fullest. I loved every moment of it. (I should mention that Epicodus does not require you to have any development experience as their courses will bring you up to speed. They do a great job at it!)

The classroom environment is set for rapid learning, the instructors were great and very knowledgeable and you are surrounded by other students who learning along with you. Sometimes asking another student for help is just as helpful as getting guidance from an instructor.  Although troubleshooting issues on your own is part of the process, this prevents you from getting stuck for too long on any one problem.

In addition to learning how to code the latest technologies, the guidance that they provided for your Linkedin, resumes, and cover letters were amazing. They helped me look like an aspiring professional with the skills and experience to back it up. Highly recommend and have already done so to a friend!

Epicodus stands out from other bootcamps because of its academic structure. It's a 6-moth, 40 hour a week program. You treat it like a job and feel like a real developer right from the start. It's roughly the same number of classroom hours as an undergrad CS degree, and since it's done in six months, students are learning the latest, most relevant technology. By the time I graduated, I had hundreds of hours in React and two Android portfolio pieces on my resume, which helped me stand out. I loved my instructors and how they taught the core principles of coding. The fact that learnhowtoprogram.com is free says a lot about Epicodus' mission to help everyone have the opportunity to learn. I would recommend Epicodus to anyone willing to work hard to change their career path.

I am very thankful for my time at Epicodus, and for the opportunities it has opened up for me. When I started, I had very little programming experience aside from a few online tutorials. I learned an amazing amount in 6 months. As a developer, you'll need to learn new skills and technologies quickly, and Epicodus gives you great practice!

I think pair programming is a very effective way to learn, and it gives you a taste of what it's like working on a development team. You get to know your classmates very well, and walk away with new friends, and a strong professional network.

Learning is self-driven, with a teacher providing support, but mostly letting you work through problems with your partner. It was definitely stressful and difficult at times, but also fun and interesting. The weekly code reviews give you a chance to assess what you understand and what you need to study. Most of the time you're creating projects from scratch, which gives you a clear understanding of what all the pieces are doing, but not a lot of experience diving into an existing codebase. I thought the curriculum taught relevant skills, with Git, JavaScript, JavaScript frameworks, and SQL being particularly valuable. 

Epicodus provides help with LinkedIn, resumes, cover letters, interview practice, and also with the demo days several times a year. You start using Git on day one, and will have a solid GitHub profile by the end of the program. I had a great internship experience, but they do seem to vary. You may not get a job through your internship, or immediately after graduation. I had to apply to a lot of jobs, and it took a few months before I got a paid development internship, but I did get there! Overall, Epicodus is a great value for your money. I highly recommend it!

Before starting at Epicodus, I knew next to nothing about programming. As I look back two years after graduating the program, I can say with full confidence that it was my decision to enroll at Epicodus that launched my fulfilling and exciting career in web development.

Epicodus teachers and staff strive to create and maintain a unique environment where students can safely learn new technologies and hone their programming skills. By pair programming with my colleagues, I learned how to verbalize concepts, collaborate with others, solve complex problems, and learn from my mistakes. After I completed all my courses, I enrolled in their internship program. During those five weeks, I gained valuable, hands-on, real-life programming experience and had the opportunity to learn from seasoned developers.

Landing a job as a programmer certainly requires training beforehand and plenty of hard work along the way. But I can honestly say that if I had not attended Epicodus, I certainly would not be doing the work I love so much today. I am grateful to the team at Epicodus for providing me with the environment, tools, and trainng I needed to jump start my career and pursue my dreams.

The Epicodus 6 month bootcamp program is for the courageous and dedicated person who desires to transition into a high tech career.

It is NOT like a college or university program with several classes and a schedule you can design for yourself.

It is like a demanding entry level job. One must be there 8 to 5, Monday to Friday week after week for 6 months.  One cannot afford to take days off.  And yes, one needs to stay dedicated and regularly study during nights and weekends.

The reward for completing this program, is knowing that you can in fact work in a fast paced software development environment.  You can in fact work well both alone and also all day with colleagues.  And you can work with a variety of modern computer languages, frameworks and tools, in a short amount of time. You know this, because this is what you have been doing for 6 months.

Proof is both in your Github portfolio and in a rigorous report of accomplishment and attendance from Epicodus.

Epicodus is a credible organization that reliably produces qualified software development and high tech workers in their 6 month program.

Epicodus was without a doubt the best career decision I have ever made. My only regret is not attending sooner. Two weeks after graduation, I accepted a job offer that was nearly double of what I was making before and had been invited to interview with 10 companies.

~*~TUITION~*~

When I enrolled, the cost of tuition was $4800; now it’s $6900. I went to Epicodus over any other bootcamp in the area because of the cost (and reviews!). $4800 was a big investment for me at the time and I would’ve gone the route of an online bootcamp if it had cost any more.

~*~ CURRICULUM~*~

I completed the CSS/Design track.

The Intro curriculum is very comprehensive but many of the videos in the Intro are long overdue for a re-recording, due to poor audio quality and errors.

Epicodus now offers CSS/Design and CSS/React tracks. CSS/React wasn’t available at the time of my enrollment. I imagine those who are taking the CSS/React track are more interested in front end development than design. My cohort was about 50/50 split of those who were interested in UX/UI Design and front end development.

The CSS/Design track needs an overhaul. I think the JavaScript module should be dropped for the CSS/Design students and replaced with more UX concepts and product design fundamentals, as the 3 weeks the Design class offers are not enough. I had graphic design experience before Epicodus which gave me an advantage, but it’s been a struggle for others to find a UX/UI job with only 3 weeks of UX/UI-related courses under their belts. There are tons of design opportunities in the Portland-area and Epicodus would be wise to invest in a stronger Design program.

Unfortunately, the current Design track offers even less design-focused coursework. It now includes only 2 weeks of Design, with 2 weeks of React. Epicodus also offers a CSS/React course, so why React is in a design course is beyond me.

The CSS module should also spend less time on floats and introduce new CSS concepts like CSS grid, as well as designing sites with accessibility in mind and cross-browser compatibility.

~*~TEACHERS~*~

Teachers vary in enthusiasm, knowledge of the concepts, and commitment. When you get stuck, you can submit a ticket and a teacher will come by to help. It generally doesn’t take more than 5 or so minutes to get help, but it can take up to an hour - in which case, you’ll be relying on your fellow students for help.

I wished my weekly code reviews included more thorough feedback and that I had more 1:1 time with a teacher to discuss my progress and struggles. 

~*~PAIR PROGRAMMING~*~

I’m very introverted, so I knew that Epicodus would be stepping outside of my comfort zone. 

Pairing was generally a positive experience. Some days I was the weak link, some days I carried my pair through the day, and on others we screamed at the computer together. I learned something new from every person I paired with, whether it was a keyboard shortcut in Chrome, Atom, Sketch or a new way of thinking about a concept. 

Generally I liked pairing because when left to my own devices, I get easily distracted, so sharing a computer with someone else all day kept me from checking Twitter.

~*~JOB ASSISTANCE~*~

When you graduate, you’ll receive weekly check ins, access to a job board for alums and weekly job digests (with opportunities that allow you to apply directly to a hiring manager). I found the weekly check ins really helpful, as I often had questions on how to phrase specific things during interviews and negotiations.

I only saw one design-related job posting in the digests and job board, though. 

~*~INTERNSHIP~*~

The internship opportunity at the end of the program is great. Most people in my class got matched with their first or second choices. Although my internship experience was not positive, I don’t think I would’ve landed the job I have now without the internship, as I was doing similar work within the same tech stack and got to talk about that experience during the interview process.

~*~HOT TIPZ FOR SUCCEEDING AT EPICODUS AND BEYOND~*~

- Make Epicodus the most important thing in your life. Be prepared to eat, sleep, and breathe Epicodus. Your friends, family, spouse, and hobbies will need to take a back seat during the program. Dive as deep as you can into the curriculum and technologies you’re learning.

- If you can swing it, don’t work while attending Epicodus. Again, everything else in your life should take a back seat.

- Create a README template and use it for at least your Friday projects. Include a detailed description for the project, along with set up/installation instructions, and screenshots.

- Create an online portfolio. Even if you’re not a designer. DO IT. It will help establish your credibility. Make a YourName.com website with a link to some of your projects, your background, and ways to contact you. When I have told non-design students this, they scoff and say “I have my GitHub, my code will speak for itself.” That’s not true.

The first person to look at your job application may be a CEO or a Recruiter who doesn’t know how to code or have time to weed through your GitHub repos. You won’t get a job right out of code school because you’re an amazing designer or developer, you’ll get a job because someone likes you, believes in your potential, and thinks you’ll fit in with their team. You’re more than just your code or designs and people want to see that.

- Start making your portfolio when you hit JavaScript class and launch it before your internship starts. If you’re a Design student, don’t even think about applying for a job unless you have a portfolio, so get on it ASAP.

- Have 1 project on your portfolio (and pinned on GitHub) that isn’t related to an Epicodus assignment. Employers who’ve interviewed other Epicodus grads are tired of seeing your Pig Dice sites.

- Familiarize yourself with Agile development and project trackers like Trello and Pivotal Tracker and use them seriously during your group weeks. Put those experiences as skills on your resume and talk about them during interviews. If you’re not working in an Agile environment or using project trackers during your internship, try to get the team on board. Employers eat this stuff up! They are looking for people who can work within a larger team. Maybe you have this fantasy about being the Lone Programmer Hero - and perhaps someday you’ll get there, but it’s not how you will get your foot in the door.

- Read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” before you go on your internship interviews. 

- Have business cards ready in time for your internship interviews and have enough to hand out at Demo Day. Make sure the cards include links to your online portfolio, GitHub, LinkedIn, and email address.

- In addition to business cards, bring printed resumes to Demo Day.

- Don’t think you need to settle for the median starting salary for grads. Your skills are worth much much more than that. SOMEONE has to be living in all those shiny new condos - why not you? Look up salaries on Glassdoor for every single company you apply to and use tools like StackOverflow’s salary calculator. Again, your skills coming out of Epicodus are highly valuable no matter what anyone may tell you, don’t forget that!

- Apply for your jobs during your internship, or even before. Get on it! Don’t wait until after the internship to start applying. 

- Don’t expect your internship to hire you after the 5 weeks are over, no matter what they promise you. Apply for other jobs.

- Think of job listing requirements as an employer’s wish list. Don’t be deterred by years of required experience. Apply for a position because it appeals to you, don’t pigeonhole yourself as a junior and only apply for jobs with junior in the title. I applied for a senior position and got an interview. I wasn’t hired but hey, they still saw something in me, despite asking for 5-7 years experience.

- I hate the expectation that designers and developers should do nothing but do work-related things in their free time, but use the time you’re attending Epicodus to invest in yourself and your future career. You’ll need to hustle hard and sell yourself to various companies when you graduate. When you get a job, you can go back to being a normal and well-rounded human being again.

- Pack a ding dang lunch. The vending machines and food carts are not worth it and will kill your wallet.

- Sign up for a Treehouse account, it complements with the curriculum (especially Intro, JavaScript, and CSS) and it’s a good place to start branching out to learn other things you’re passionate about.

- If you live in Multnomah County and have a library card, you can use Lynda.com for free.

- Go to meet ups. I went to a 2-3 meet ups a month and as much as I’d like to tell you I schmoozed and networked, I didn’t. I prefer going to workshops or specific talks rather than the ones where you have to stand around and to talk to strangers. To be honest, I often went to meet ups with fellow classmates and mostly just talked to them, but going to them helped me feel like I was part of a larger community and I usually learned something new or interesting.

- Be a resource for your classmates. You’re all in this together. 

- Your classmates are not your competition. There may be overlap when interviewing, but have some perspective: there are lots of jobs in the world. Support each other. Your classmates are your friends and future colleagues.

- When you graduate, ask the career coordinator ANYTHING. I relied on her heavily for wording things in interviews, turning opportunities down, and negotiations and it helped me immensely!

- Customize your cover letters for every single role you apply to. Be genuine, don’t be a “To Whom It May Concern, I am very interested in your firm” robot. I cold applied for about 50 jobs and had been invited to interview with 10 companies (2 were from Demo Day, 1 was a recruiter who reached out to me, but the 7 others were jobs I cold applied to online). In my cover letters, I not only mentioned what my skills were and what I’d bring to the company, but WHY I liked them and what they were doing. People LIKE when you like them!

- Be the kind of person you want to work with. Show up on time, be honest, don’t disappear on your pair without warning, and don’t sleep in just because you don’t feel like going to school that day. School will be over before you know it, make the most of the time.

~*~THINGS THAT COULD IMPROVE~*~

- The CSS/Design track often feels like the odd one out. For example, there are lunch speakers every Wednesday and none of the speakers during my stint at Epicodus were design-related. The Eventbrite invitation for Demo Day mentioned that we were CSS/React, not CSS/Design. Does that mean there were design agencies and companies in need of designers that skipped out on Demo Day because design students weren’t listed?

- Amenities. Paper towels in the cafeteria were a rare sight and it’d be great if the kitchen stocked silverware.

- The attendance policy is far too lax. 

- Code reviews from teachers should include DETAILED feedback and notes. It was disappointing to put my all into something for 9 hours and receive only “Good job!” as feedback.

- Do teachers at Epicodus use a plagiarism detector? Because they should.

- I wish online portfolios were a mandatory part of graduation, like creating a resume, cover letter, and cleaning up your GitHub.

- Companies should be required to provide more details about what they are looking for in an intern, the type of projects the interns will be working on, and if they are looking for someone with a design or development background. This would make the initial rankings and going into interviews less stressful. I felt like I was going to 5 blind dates because I had so little information about the companies and what they expected (and yes, lots of the companies had very barebones websites). It's hard to answer questions like "why do you want to intern for us?" when companies provided so little information in Epicenter and had a minimal internet presence.

- If 75% of grads are making $60k or less, the salary breakdown for employed grads should show more ranges for those making less than $60k. Also, I’d like to see salary breakdown for both Portland AND Seattle grads. And breakdowns by track.

- The graduation certificate is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. Come on, Epicodus!

Congrats on reading this whole thing! I normally am not this verbose, but I wish you the best of luck at Epicodus. Give it your all… and make a portfolio!

Epicodus was a great experience for my particular situation. I had been studying front end development on my own for about 5 months when I began attending part-time evening classes at Epicodus. The work was challenging enough to the point where I definitely gained new skills at a much quicker rate than I would've otherwise. Pair programming was also a great experiece because it taught me to see things from another point of view and how to better work in a team setting. And can we talk about that price tag for the class! So affordable! I would recommend Epicodus' part time class to anyone who's looking to jump-start his or her dive into the web development world. There is a whole lot you'll have to outside of class to become proficient but the curriculum will definitely get you on track.

I hesitated on changing careers for years, staying in something that paid the bills but wasn't what I wanted to do. Then I moved to Portland and completed the Ruby on Rails track at Epicodus. I found the fast paced course was challenging. Pair programming helped with learning concepts and keeping engaged for the full day. The instructors and my cohort were all positive influences throughout my coding journey and I learned more and faster than if I were doing this at home on my computer. My internship helped me get a feel for the real world and also were mentors be for me. The support I received after graduating was terrific. Weekly check-ins and regular job listings from companies looking for epicodus grads was another plus. If you're thinking about moving to attend Epicodus, I'm proof you can do it. Especially for the women out there, you won't find a more supportive community for women in tech than Portland.

The most important point I want to stress is that I saw far too many people enter this program without doing ANY programming experience at all. How can you know if something suits you if you've never tried it? There's no excuse, simply sign up for udacity's CS101 course and see if you're into it. If you don't find the challenge fun, do NOT sign up at any coding bootcamp. Programming jobs pay well because it's very challenging work, not because there's a shortage of entry-level programmers (there is a shortage of GOOD programmers).

With that said, my experience at Epicodus was almost entirely positive. I learned A LOT, very quickly and pair programming was a blast. If I were to recommend any changes for the curriculum, I would include 5 weeks (or more) of CS fundamentals and raise the acceptance bar.

I also want to say that the new career counselor in Seattle (Mindy) is incredible. She has been professionally trained as a career coach / interview coach and knows her stuff. Definitely utilize her knowledge if you're in the Seattle program.

 

I applied to Epicodus in October 2016 for the January - June Full Time C#/Javascript development course.

Financing was easy to obtain, staff was very helpful with any question that I had pertaining to the the enrollment process.

On the first day of class I was surprised at the classroom environment. It was very open and they were just setting up in a new building. For about a month my class was the only one in the building, but every few weeks a new class began and the empty building filled with more desks and computers.

One of the biggest perks was the pair programming environment. It really fostered effective communication--a crucial skill in any work environment. My group did not have any experienced programmers and I think that worked to our benefit.

We all worked day by day through trial and error. Not a single day I can remember was easy; the curriculum was challenging. Sometimes it was frustrating, but if you don't make any mistakes how can you learn a lesson?

There was some instruction involved, and instructors were available when pairs got stuck. Most of the time we were left to ourselves to figure everything out after a quick morning briefing on the days topic. We would ask other pairs for help before asking the instructors; this was also beneficial.

Every pair approached handling the exact same problems in different manners. Some of us had a clear understanding of object-oriented programming. Some of us understood design. Some of us understood databases. You get the point. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, good days and bad days.

I would be lying if I said you could skate by without studying at home. There is a lot to take in. I will say, however, that if you don't want to work hard to gain a new skillset why are you thinking of going through a full time course?

It is a very fast paced environment for those who want a career change quickly. If you're trying to socialize, if you're just trying to breeze through a program to get a job quick, if you're just trying to develop a new hobby, do yourself and your future classmates a favor. Stay home and study through Google, Youtube, Lynda, or an online course. 

This program requires a lot of focus, time, dedication, motivation, open-mindedness, and effort. A majority of your classmates WILL be grinding away at school and at home. Living and breathing code because they are dedicated to changing their, and their family's, lives. A handful of students dropped the course. Some due to circumstance, some because they didn't believe they could do it. 

I'm very proud to say I finished the course. It was intense. I had to work with 30 people I had never met before and I'm far from gregarious; more of a hermit, really. I learned HTML, CSS, Javascript, TypeScript, C#, Razor, SQL, Git, Firebase, ASP.NET Core 1.1, Ember.js, Angular2, and a few other technologies. All in six months.

Am I a master at any of these things? NO. Nobody in my class is, but plenty of my classmates found their niche with what they enjoyed most in class and are now employed. The job is where you'll master your skills and If you know HOW to program you will be able to find a job.

Speaking of jobs, Epicodus also offers job assistance and internships. I haven't taken advantage of this as it isn't the route I'm going down, but everyone who wanted an internship was placed with a company for a month. 

Some of my classmates have even been hired from their internships. 

Epicodus is specifically for those who don't know how to program or think like a programmer.  

Have you tried to teach yourself and failed? Have you had a desire to learn but haven't had the time to do it? 

This program offers your the opportunity to learn, and I guarantee you won't have the time to do it. You'll be scared about dropping your life for six months. If you can dispel the fear, MAKE the time, and put in the work while you're there, I believe that you will find yourself comfortably employed as a developer in a position with plenty of room for growth with a new skillset that is highly valuable.  

That's my two cents--best of luck to you.
 

I am nearing the end of my internship that caps off the 5-month bootcamp at Epicodus in Portland, OR. I have learned more than I thought possible. I have probably already forgotten more than I thought possible! The teachers were uneven, but generally good to great. The curriculum was usually very good, if occasionally a tiny bit behind the industry (they were a little slow to add CSS Grid and ES6). If you take your education seriously at Epicodus and come in with eyes wide open as to how intense/demanding it will be, you will succeed.

Not only was this a fabulous experience, I have also come away from it with 20 great friends. This seems to be common among cohorts. You spend 5 months together, day in, day out, drinking from the firehose, struggling together and you walk away best buds with people you never would have imagined being friends with.

Some takeaways:
-in-person pair programming is the way to go. It is built-in accountability, encouragement, and help. I would not have learned as much if I was doing this on my own, online.
-If you can, don't work during bootcamp. Make bootcamp your life.
-Take the time to polish your projects while they are fresh. You'll thank yourself later.

I'm a recent graduate of Epicodus's C#/.Net program and if you're serious about making a career change and doing this right, then read on. 

I was very hesitant to buy into the bootcamp hype. I spent a tremendous amount of time doing research and making sure that I was making the right decision before I decided to apply to Epicodus. Epicodus is unique in the sense that not only are you going to go through a high-intensity program, but you're also going to end up with real on-the-job experience at the end. Not only that, but the program is one of the cheapest around. 

What sold me on Epicodus was the fact that they also include an internship portion. This is absolutely the most important part of the program (apart from how you approach it; more on that below). It gives you that real experience that employers are looking for and may (when I say may, I mean don't count on it) lead to a job. It's rare for the internship to lead straight into the company that hires you, but it does happen. In my case, I didn't internship with the company that I was hired by, but they were a part of the internship program and were actively looking for motivated developers.

Epicodus's curriculum is fantastic for the most part. For the tech industry, it's extremely hard to keep up with how fast technology changes, but the instructors do a decent job of keeping the curriculum up to date and also have a good amount of experience troubleshooting through outdated lessons. During our program, Angular had just went through a major overhaul and they had new information up within the week. Similarly, Visual Studio 2017 had come out, and they immediately reacted to this by starting to update the curriculum. You'll be learning the newest and latest tech, which is what companies are looking for. 

I had mentioned above that it really depends on your approach this. Epicodus (and honestly ALL bootcamps) need a certain level of real commitment. You can't go into this and 'dabble' around. The curriculum is fast and the concepts are difficult. It's easily the hardest (and definitely most rewarding) experience I've ever had. But I went into it deciding I was going to no-life code for 6 months. Epicodus was perfect for that. You get what you put into it. And to me that means you might as well go with the bootcamp that is cheaper and includes an internship.

That's not to say that if you don't no-life it, you won't learn something. If you're passing your weekly code reviews, then you'll easily come out of this with enough to build on.