Flatiron School

Definitely one of the best online, learn-at-your-own-pace, coding courses I've taken. I did a good deal of codeacademy courses before doing the Bootcamp Prep Course and while they were great for learning coding concepts and syntax, I never felt like I knew what to do to actually launch my own project because all the coding is done on the codeacademy site.

I loved the Flatiron Bootcamp Prep Course because they immediately get you using an IDE to write code in. It's a great introduction to what it's actually like to be a developer and by the end of the Javascript section I was writing my own simple, one-page web applications. It doesn't teach you everything but it puts you on the right track and sets you up to ask the right questions to progress past the program. It also gives you a taste of what you don't know and how much more there is to learn. It naturally leaves you asking "But how would you do x?" which made me really excited to start their Engineering Immersive program.

Overall, the Flatiron School's online Bootcamp Prep Course got me into programming like never before. I have been on and off when it comes to programming. I tried Codecademy, Udacity, and another bootcamp's free prep material.

The greatest advantage of their Bootcamp Prep Course is their Ask a Question feature. It summons almost immediate help from their tech coaches or fellow applicants. I also get the opportunity to return the favor. One night, I ended up working with someone else stuck on the same material. We finished it together.

I feel like the Javascript curriculum could be improved a little bit because the last lab at the end is overwhelming. It would be nice if it built up to it like it does in the Ruby curriculum. However, I get the sense that their team is always finding ways to improve the course. (I did get help from their tech coaches and finished the overwhelming lab.)

I am now going to start the Flatiron School’s NYC Software Engineering Immersive in January 2018. The Bootcamp Prep gave me a taste of their teaching style and convinced me that I would love to learn code from the Flatiron community.

Background: CPA, 10-year tax consultant/accountant, BS Physics & BBA Accounting, Mother of an infant and a toddler, super supportive family.

Timeline:

• 2015-2016 - Thinking about changes and looking for different options
• Jan 2017 - Enrolled at Flatiron online web developer program
• Aug 2017 - Graduated
• Oct 2017 - got an offer
• Nov 2017 - Started the new life as a software developer

School:

1. Great curriculum: Study materials are comprehensive and organized in an intuitive way to lead students from entry to complicated concepts.
2. Live tutors and study groups: readily available daily. I didn’t utilize those resources much b/c I learn at odd hours like Midnight - 4am and whenever kids are napping.
3. Instructors: led study groups and reviewed portfolio projects. they were super knowledgeable and gave constructive reviews and suggestions. I reached out on Slack from time to time to ask about personal career questions and other random questions and always have support.
4. Lectures are recorded videos: The videos were fantastic! I watched all of them and learn a lot more than just reading alone.
5. Career services were top-notch:  Everyone gets a designated coach who will work with you on cover letter, resume, online presences, interview skills, mock interviews, networking tips and more. They have a great network of employers meaning lots of opportunities to get interviews. All of my interviews came from campus recruiting.
6. Time & Cost: online course tuition is paid monthly. The faster you learn, the lesser the tuition.  I was fortunate to be got a scholarship that paid half of the tuition. (There are scholarships from time to time and make sure to take advantage of it.) My total cost was $4500.

Overall: I highly recommend Flatiron school.  It is a great school with very dedicated individuals who are passionate about their missions and skillful at what they do.

Personal Tips: 

Online classes are convenient and cost effective only if you are super motivated and dedicated. Check out the free pre-bootcamp class and see if you like the course materials and learning styles at Flatiron.  If you can focus and finish the pre-bootcamp under a month (20-30 hr a week), that's a good indication that you can focus and finish the whole program.  And almost all of pre-bootcamp materials are part of the actual curriculum, so it's to your advantage to finish it before you begin the full program, that'll save you time and $$.

Also, note that there wasn't any technical interview to get into the online program. There was only a cultural interview. The entry barrier may look like lower than the regular in-person bootcamp where acceptance rate is in single digit and often requires rigorous technical interviews, however that means you really have to be motivated, otherwise it's easy to slack off once you are in the online program.

I am by no means an expert at anything just because I attended a bootcamp and switched career. I am happy to share my own experiences. Feel free to reach out to me on Linkedin if you want to chat more.  

Have fun and enjoy life!

Experience at Flatiron It was hard and overwhelming. It was also encouraging to see other people in the same boat as me. We had all wanted a career change and everyone was determined to do well in school.   Basically, what you put into your work is what you'll end up getting out of it. It's easy for someone to go through the 'labs' and make things work but really understanding why it works is all up to you. At times, it felt discouraging seeing other students finishing tasks that were taking a while for me but in the end, since I took more time to try to know what's going on, I feel I got more out of it.   The people that were in my cohort were all really great people. They were accepted into the school for a reason - the determination and drive. During the bootcamp, it's an experience that is hard to emulate outside of bootcamp. Everyone feels pressured, everyone feels like they have to be the best, and that's how it should be. People learn through motivation and drive.   There are many events that Flatiron hosts or tells you about so that you can engage in the tech community. They also have happy hours every couple of weeks to encourage relationships to grow among the students.    Post Experience The career team has helped connect me to companies that are looking for students like those that attend bootcamps. There were times when I was contacted by companies mainly because they have a relationship with flatiron. It's really helpful.   BUT, be warned. It's going to take time and it's definitely stressful. When you finish school, you feel ready and want to land a job asap but most of the time, it takes at least a month to 6 months to land your first job. It's all a waiting and interviewing game. During this time, practicing interviewing skills and working on side projects to keep your curiosity up is crucial.   TL;DR I had decided on a career switch, went to Flatiron School, worked really hard and made lots of new friends along the way, graduated at end of June, and accepted an offer in October. I don't regret anything and am super excited to dive into a new career.

Flatiron School's Bootcamp Prep course was a great place to start for me, as someone new to coding.  The course was easy to use and broke down new concepts into manageable pieces, you can easily ask and see questions from other learners if you get stuck, and it provided numerous opportunities to practice developing new skills.  I would recommend this as a wonderful place to start learning to code.  A few months ago, I knew nothing about coding and now have been accepted into Flatiron School's in-person web development class. On that note, completing the Bootcamp Prep course was a great way to prepare to apply for the Development program, which had an efficient and straight-forward application process.  

Originally, joining Flatiron's Online web-dev course was the second choice for me, I took it because I couldn't afford to take three months off work. In retrospect, I couldn't be happier with my decision.

The curriculum is excellent, the support from the instructors and the community is unparalleled, I can not imagine where I would be today without the support from Flatiron.

For more about my experience feel free to check out these two blog posts I wrote:

https://blog.yechiel.me/learning-with-learn-9ac69c2d854f

https://blog.yechiel.me/learn-co-vs-immersive-a-review-ab1d485baeee

Feel free to contact me through my blog with any questions about my experience, I'm always happy to share.

I graduated from Flatiron's online program in April and am about to start my career as a software developer, earning +25k more than my previous job in accounting. Going through Flatiron was the best decision I ever made, but it was also extremely challenging. Becomming a software developer isn't easy, and neither is finding your first job in the field, but Flatiron provides with every possible resource for you to succeed. The curriculum is great, and teaches you the skills you need, and also the mindset needed to learn on your own. After graduating you'll have to put tons of work in, but the career coaches are absolutely amazing.

I graduated from The Flatiron School last December 2016. I was granted a full scholarship and participated in the Mobile Dev Corp program. It was a 20-week immersive course that focused on Swift (iOS) development. I have a Computer Science degree and used to work as a Software Engineer (SAP) for 8 years. My family moved to the United States and I had to stop working for 2 years. The Flatiron School gave me the opportunity to restart my career in Software Engineering. 

Our cohort was a mix of amazing people who came from different backgrounds. The program was intense. But with hard work, dedication, and passion to code, you'll get the most out of the program. Each student had to complete labs, maintain a technical blog, present in front of an audience and attend workshops for your soft skills. The instructors were very helpful in understanding concepts that we have. By the end of the program, our team built an app that is available in the app store.

It took me almost 6 months before I got a job, which is normal in a competitive NYC tech market. The career services were very supportive throughout the job search. Each student has a dedicated career coach. She reviewed my resume, my communication, and outreach emails that I sent to companies. She also helped me manage my time and energy while interviews pour in. I had multiple offers towards the end of my job search. I landed my current job as an iOS Engineer for an awesome startup through the program.

I'm a recent graduate of the Flatiron School's remote immersive program.  The program prepared me for an entry level position as a fullstack software engineer.  I completed the program in about 5 months, working on it full time.

I had earned a degree in Computer Science over ten years ago, but never got the chance to apply the knowledge.  Shortly after earning the degree I got involved in the aviation industry.  The previous experience in Computer Science definitely gave me an advantage in completing Flatiron's program.  The program was difficult, but would have been that much more challenging without the CS background.  This is a good thing, you will be better prepared for the real world when you graduate.

The curriculum is good and constantly being improved.  All lessons are test driven, giving you real world experience with TDD.  Shortly after graduating the school added computer science/algorithm lessons, something very few of the bootcamps teach.  The main complaint I have with respect to the curriculum is that parts seemed to be outdated.  This is simply a side effect of the industry moving at light speed and likely can't be helped.

Instructors were good, and easy to communicate with if the need ever came up, although it rarely did.  

The biggest benefit of the program for me was the career assistance after graduation.  I was assigned a career coach who helped me in every aspect of the job search.  She held me accountable, reviewed communcations with prospective employers, suggested networking ideas, and provided much needed motivation when the job search became tedious or frustrating.

All in all, would highly recommend.  I came away with both a full time job as a contractor for a former employer and a part time job as Software Engineer at an up and coming startup.  

I recently finished the free online boot camp prep course.  I had been learning to code online and was trying to decide if a boot camp was the right fit for me.  

This course was very helpful and it was great to be able to try it for free!  The Learn.co website and Learn IDE that it operates through are easy to use and provide great feedback as you are working.  

The course introduces you to HTML/CSS, Javascript and Ruby in a style that is both intuitive and challenging and also offers a section on how to prepare for interviews.  

One of the best parts of the experience is how the Learn website allows you to interact with other students working on the same course.  There is a help section where you can both ask and answer questions and you have the ability to set up study groups with other students working on the same material.

Having now completed both the course and the boot camp interview process, I feel that this course prepared me extremely well for my interviews.