Flatiron School

The Bootcamp Prep Course of the Flatiron School provides an excellent transition between having no idea about coding and an actual ability to attend a professional course aimed at highly paid employment in a completely new field. Even without any previous knowledge or computer science background, the Prep Course allows you to hit the ground running and go through the actual curriculum of the course at a reasonable pace. For those with some previous experience, the Prep Course helps to streamline and organize already existing knowledge in a way which is conducive to fast, profound and permanent internalization of the materials of the actual course and, eventually, successful completion of the portfolio projects and graduation.

Two months ago I started "shopping" for web developer bootcamp schools. When I ran onto FlatironSchool, I immediately realized they stood out from the rest but I didn't know what then.

I later started their FREE Bootcamp Prep course and I realized what it was: An immense passion for teaching and making this complicated task as easy as possible. Their learning platform is like no other! Everything is integrated; lessons have a built in text editor built around ATOM, they have live Q&A chat also built in onto the platform, so no external chat apps are needed. Within this chat you can share your code with instructors, and have 1:1 screen-shares to go deeper into topics you struggles with.   Lessons are profound and you have challenging coding labs you must pass in order to progress into the next lesson. They also update your GitHub profile seamlessly with every code submission!

I loved their prep program so much that I decided to enroll in their Full Stack Online Web Developer program. They use the same learning platform and include additional features not offered in the prep course; study groups, live lessons, portfolio projects, etc...

Overall, I highly recommend it to anyone out there looking into an immersive programming course.

I was recently accepted into Flatiron's Software Engineering program and will be starting in a few weeks. I had very little prior experience coding and wasn't sure where to begin, so I started off with completing some tracks on Codecademy and then made my way through Flatiron's free bootcamp prep courses. I highly recommend the prep courses for anyone looking to get their feet wet and see if the program is right for them. You work your way through a number of lessons in JavaScript and Ruby that are clear and easy to follow, and there is a ton of support if you ever get stuck. Just from completing the prep courses and going through the application process, it's clear that Flatiron places an emphasis on making sure you really understand the material as you progress. 

The Bootcamp prep course that Flatiron offers is easy to follow, while still providing the necessary information to build your foundation for coding. The frequent labs help solidify and consolidate knowledge from previous lessons, and in the occasion that you need help, you can simply post what is troubling you and technical coaches, or even other students, will be there to answer your questions. And if you feel like the messaging is insufficicent, a technical coach will set up a screenshare to give you further help on your problem.

Having developed before, I did not expect any great ah-ha moments in the bootcamp prep course.  I was wrong.  Yes - the program taught coding skills.  More importantly, it changed my development philosophy.  I used build things and then test them.  That is not the Flatiron way.

At Flatiron, you write the test cases - thoroughly.  Then you build to satisfy the test case library.  It is a great way to do things and I am a convert.

I have worked through the Bootcamp Prep material and enrolled in the Flatiron online web development bootcamp - starting in a few weeks.  I expect it to be a great learning relationship.

Regarding the ONLINE option.  Take note - if you move a good pace and complete the course in a timely manner.  You will save a lot of money.  Give it a good look.

I'm new to coding, and while it can be frustrating learning so much so quickly, Flatiron's Learn system is amazing at getting you support from their technical coaches to help you. They can even screen-share if needed!

From my research, there are plenty of great coding bootcamps, but Flatiron is set apart because they stress community and working together, as well as treating coding like a craft, not just a means to an end.

I'm currently in my application process, and everything I've experienced so far makes me super excited to start this new career with Flatiron.

I have been more than satsified with the quality of Flariron's Bootcamp Prep Course. The Live Chat was the most surprising attribute of the whole experience; within minutes a kind instructor/fellow student would be offering to video chat and help me work through a problem that had me stuck previously. 

Unlike, say Freecodecamp.org - although still a great free onilne resource - Flatiron's prep work is a bit more challenging and offers more of an immersive experience, utlizing features like 'testing' your code to see not only if it works but why, specifically, it is not working. This was immensely helpful when more complicated challenges were put fourth. 

Everything flows very smoothly and there is a lax background to all the labs making them very easy to read through. Offering material on JavaScript, Ruby and some HTML there is some density to the curriculum and a cool game for you to code and look forward to at the end!    

Overall, I have definately benefited greatly from Flatiron's Prerp Course, much recommended! 

Since January, 2018, I have been learning how to code through Flatiron’s Bootcamp Prep course. In taking this prep course, I have become intrigued by code and all of the possibilities that can be made with it. What I like about the Bootcamp Prep course is that it has been allowing me to practice writing code on Flatiron’s own Learn IDE terminal, which gives me the most insight into what the coding process is really like. Being able to test different programs, debug errors, and learn different coding methods all on one platform is a fascinating experience. Additionally, having an Ask Questions feature to ask staff questions at any time of day is exceptionally helpful in the event that I need help to figure a problem out, or even if I am just curious about how the code I wrote can be applied in other situations. I am really glad that Flatiron provides the opportunity to gain that tangible experience that anyone can have access to and try out for themselves.

If you're reading this, there's a huge chance you're considering doing one of the prep programs Flatiron has to offer. Here's a quick word of advice from someone who was in your shoes not too long ago-- just do it. 

I started the bootcamp prep program a complete code newbie, I had no idea what a function was or how to set a variable but Flatiron educated me quicker than I would have ever believed possible. A few months later, I applied to and been accepted to most of the elite bootcamp programs including Flatiron. It was tough learning so much in such a short period of time, but what I've gained so far has been truly rewarding. I look forward to doing the actual bootcamp program!

In short, before Flatiron I had no way to get a job as a developer. Now I have a job as a developer. Wasn't easy, and I'm still struggling to learn and catch up to everyone else in the office, but I'm in the game now. Content for the course isn't perfect and labs break sometimes, but the people were very responsive to any problems and never left me hanging for more that a day. The point is, they have a curriculum that really organizes what you need to know and gives you a direction to work in. An unhelpful technical coach sneaks in here, or there, but they're the exception. Most of the technical coaches are great, very patient and tencacious in helping you solve a problem. The job coaching is a big part of the value of the course. Be prepared to make job hunting a full-time job. I learned a lot about how to get in front of people; there's no way I would have gotten my current job just by sending in an application, it takes much more than that. They work hard to keep the curriculum current, and actually swapped out a huge chunk of it while I was in the program; I was pretty impressed. I'm in a junior front-end position now, making 50 grand to start, but I have huge potential to grow if I don't screw it up. Be sure you understand the conditions of the job offer guarantee - if you don't want to look for work in your local area, if you don't have a college degree, or if you don't live in the states, you might not be eligible for a tuition refund. I didn't want to look for work in my hometown, I wanted to leave - so I couldn't have gotten a refund if I didn't get a job. But they still worked with me very closely until I did. Full disclosure, I was asked by the school to leave a review here after I found a job, and I'm assuming the others here were too, so that might skew things on this site in a positive light. Nonetheless, I honestly love what Flatiron's done for me, and I feel like they completely held up their end of the deal. The school does what it says on the tin - it gets you a job.