Flatiron School

Enrolling in the Flatiron School boot camp was probably the best decision I've made, both financially and personally. The boot camp does cost a fair amount of money, but now I'm making way more than I would've before and earlier than if I had gone the self-paced route. I originally wanted to pursue teaching (high school English), but the education field requires a lot of work to get into for very low pay and not a ton of support. Pretty shortly after graduating, I landed a role as a Cohort Lead at Flatiron. So now I'm able to teach and code while also being on track to pay off my ISA easily. I also know plenty of others who have graduated before and after me who have landed roles at major companies like Amazon and Shopify despite even COVID-19. Overall, the best aspect of Flatiron is the community. My cohort lead and career coach both went above and beyond to help me develop my skills and land a job. Beyond that, everyone I worked with - from admissions to education to career services to alumni, and even now, the hiring and HR teams - have been absolutely wonderful. The people working at Flatiron truly want everyone who enters the boot camp to leave with a job they love and that supports them, and they work above and beyond their job responsibilities to try to get you there. Some people take longer than others, but from what I've seen personally from other cohort mates is that if you are determined/able to put the work in and love to code, you will finish the program with the skills to build beautiful and functional full-stack applications from scratch.

My experience with Flatiron is overall positive. I really enjoyed the course curriculum and the structure of course (6week online individual work, 6week online group work, 5 weeks in-person group work, 4 weeks client work, 3 weeks portfolio.)

Instructors
From my observation, Flatiron tends to hire two types of instructors - 1) notorious professors from well-known universities and 2) motivated, smart Bootcamp grads who have been in the workforce for 1-3 years.
I would say I got really lucky and had the chance to work with some great lead instructors and supporting instructors (mostly the ladder-type mentioned above.) who are very dedicated to helping students succeed and would put in extra effort and time to help you build great portfolio pieces.
Not to say the professors are bad but there is a huge difference between teaching at a University and teaching at a Bootcamp. Instructors are a huge part of this learning experience, so I would say I got pretty lucky because the cohort before me and after me both had really bad experience.
PS: also a side note: most of the instructors I worked with had already left Flatiron, so I can't speak to the new instructors.

Job Assistance
You get assigned a career coach, who you would meet with every week to give you advice and new directions. There is also the Employment Partnership team, who is supposedly setting up interviews for you. (an add on to your own career search)
Career coaches are great resources for reviewing resumes, portfolios, or simply a source of motivation.

Environment + Resources
Flatiron is owned by WeWork, so we had really great resources there. Even before our in-person phase started, my team and I worked at WeWork to collaborate. (This was before COVID as well)
We also received course material to the UI track after we have completed the course. There are a lot of resources available at Flatiron, I think it is a great plus.

Client Work
I don't know of a lot of boot camps that sets you up for client work (internship basically.) This is something that really helped with my job search - being able to say I have had the opp to work with real clients, projects, engineers? etc.
Although I have to say, my client was super flaky and we did the whole project without much communication with them. It still works experience, right?

Overall
I think Flatiron makes some excellent hires and some terrible ones in all teams and fields (not much in-betweens...) and there is no good protocols in place to ensure experience. The curriculum is great. One thing for sure is that Flatiron really is trying to find you a job, with the resources they provide and the ISA options, etc. There are some really smart people working here to help you.

I joined Flatiron School SE track with much enthusiasm. I found the instructors to be knowledgeable and willing to help you if you had questions. I completed the program on a fast track (faster than my cohort) and have my portfolio finished with top notch projects. 

The curriculum (2019-2020) seemed a bit too basic, repetitive tasks and exercises. I did raise the issue of lessons even repeating themselves and even grammatical errors/bugs in them. It also did not cover crucial software engineering concepts such as data structures and algorithms. Also the stack with a heavy focus on Ruby is a bit outdated and only cover modern frameworks in the last section. 

My major issue was with career and student services. Student services is pretty much absent. I sent an email in the middle of my program and waited over a month to only get a templated response. Career services people are willing to help you and get to the next level but the process relies on a pretty outdated structure with spreadsheets and you're required to do a lot of cold outreaching. 

As a graduate of the software engineering program, and with a background in education I felt Flatiron School is a bit overrated these days. In the past it could've been in the forefront of technology and innovation. Considering the outdated/too basic curriculum, non-responsive student services and lack of meaningful support from career services I think it needs a major overhaul to keep up with current job and tech trends.

Overall, I had a fantastic experience with Flatiron School. The program enabled me to get a data science job that ticked all my boxes. I was able to make a dramatic career transition (during a pandemic, no less!) from academia/non-profits to tech thanks to this program.

Background: When I was applying to bootcamps, I already had a PhD (in a humanities discipline) and lots of data science and programming tutorials under my belt. I chose Flatiron School because the curriculum looked good, the program was only 5 months when done full-time, and they offered an income share agreement as a payment option. 

Getting in: First I had a call with a representative to assess my interest and experience in data science. Then I got access to some preparatory materials that included basic Python and a little bit of calculus. Once these were done, I had a technical interview with a Flatiron School instructor, consisting of a few basic programming questions and a conversation about some math/calculus concepts. The preparatory materials were enough to help me be ready for this interview, but the real point of the interview is to assess whether you can learn quickly and take feedback/correction well. After this, I was accepted to the program and chose my start date.

The program: For the duration of the program, I had one instructor, an "educational coach" (to help with motivation, study skills, etc.) and a cohort of fellow bootcampers. We spent four hours per week in live lecture/office hours, and I had two half-hour one-on-ones with my instructor each week, too. My cohort had its own Slack channel where we could ask the instructor or each other questions and do daily standups. Here's a list of topics we covered (not exhaustive):

• General Python programming, with particular focus on NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib
• Git, GitHub, and principles of version control
• Basics of data visualization
• Regression (linear, logistic, multiple linear, polynomial, etc.)
• SQL and general principles of database design
• Basics of object-oriented programming
• APIs, web scraping, and working with JSON files
• A broad survey of statistical topics, including combinatorics, permutations, distributions, central limit theorem, hypothesis testing, and Bayesian stats
• Time series analysis
• Basics of linear algebra
• Survey of machine learning algorithms and techniques, including k nearest neighbors, decision trees, random forests and other ensemble methods, support vector machines, PCA, k means, and recommendation systems
• A little introduction to Spark via PySpark
• Basics of graph theory/network analysis
• Basics of NLP
• Survey of deep learning topics, including RNNs, CNNs, and transfer learning
• A little intro to AWS and how to deploy a machine learning algorithm into production.

Near the end of the program, I also got access to a career prep curriculum, which contained readings and exercises relating to résumés, LinkedIn, networking, building a professional web presence, etc. Flatiron School recently added a post-bootcamp curriculum of extra stuff to study while job-searching, including more work with SQL, and intro to R, and some guidelines for making your projects look better on GitHub. I'm really glad they created these additional resources, since these are things I went out and studied on my own because they were important for my job search. Flatiron is constantly updating the curriculum, and students are welcome to submit suggestions or corrections to be addressed by the curriculum team.

An average day of bootcamp involved a lot of independent reading and work on the labs provided in the curriculum, interrupted by a lecture/group meeting with instructor and classmates to go over the material assigned for that day. This format was great for me because I learn better when I can focus on something on my own for a while and then have a chance to ask my questions and hear other people's questions, too. Each day's meeting covered a certain chunk of the curriculum, but there was a lot of flexibility to work ahead or take more time on something if I wanted. Although you could always spend more time on things, I found it was possible to complete each week's material to my own satisfaction in 40-45 hours on average.
Overall, the curriculum prepared me well for my job search. The projects I built during bootcamp were of a high enough quality that I could present them during job interviews. The capstone project is totally open-ended, so you can design it to show off skills relevant to the types of jobs that appeal to you. For each project, I had to do both a non-technical presentation and a code review with my instructor, and these experiences were extremely helpful once I started looking for a job. This is definitely one of the reasons to do a bootcamp rather than just studying on one's own. If someone I knew were looking for a bootcamp today, I would tell them to ask whether a program includes this kind of project work, since it's the best way to prepare for/show that you're prepared for real data science work.

Career services: My experience with career services at Flatiron definitely made the program worth the cost. As soon as I graduated, I started working with a career coach who helped me with my résumé, mock interviews, web presence, and general job search strategy. My coach was amazing, especially at keeping me motivated when the pandemic brought my job search to a screeching halt. It was really helpful to have someone to talk to each week about my job search, and she was super responsive to any questions I had about how to respond to e-mails, networking tactics, etc. 

Highlights: The best parts of the bootcamp for me were my instructor, my career coach, and the projects I built.

Improvements: I would have liked to see a little more space in the curriculum given to ethics, maybe some case studies about practical applications of data ethics. There was a brief overview of data ethics in theory ("Hey, you should only make ethical use of people's personal information! There is bias in AI!"), but since this is an issue that affects all aspects of data science, it would be good to give it a little more weight.

I graduated from the online self-paced software engineering program.  To me, Flatiron's strength is its support structure.  The school bends over backwards to provide multiple channels of support.  I was originally slated to join the in person program in Seattle, but switched to the online program because it made more sense with my family.  I was nervous about a lack of support structure in the online program, but that proved far from the case.  

There was an abundance of instructor and student led Zoom sessions, focused on relevant topics throughout, including open office hours.  The curriculum resides in Flatiron's online platform called Learn.  While in the platform, there is always the option of clicking the 'ask a question' button.  Questions are displayed to other students who can answer, but Flatiron also has instructors monitoring the questions.  You're awarded 'Karma' points for answering questions.  I only was able to answer two questions because the instructors were so quick and solid.  There are multiple slack channels monitored by section leaders, depending on your place in the program. Finally, you have your educational and career coaches.  Your coaches keep tabs on your progress, well being and ultimately job search.

Everyone I worked with at Flatiron was enthusiastic, supportive and enjoyable to work with.

The curriculum was a combination of reading, videos and test driven coding exercises.  The exercises followed a logical progression from programming basics to React/Redux frontends with Rails driven APIs.  The curriculum stressed principles and problem solving over recipes.  

There were some video based walk-throughs that I was not a huge fan of, mostly because I'd rather read or work through problems.  But those were few and far between.  Most videos were recorded zoom sessions from previous cohorts.  Those were enjoyable, informative and even inspirational at times.   

I experienced a few hiccups and inconsistencies in the Learn system along the way but nothing too catastrophic.  Early on I used the 'ask a question'  button a couple times and had it figured out in minutes.  Later on I could usually work around issues.  The cool thing about Learn is that it's built upon Github.  So you can dive into the code, troubleshoot and offer up suggestions via pull request.  This ensures a pretty healthy evolution.  Most of the problems I experienced were right after a version change.  Within a couple weeks the kinks were worked out pretty well.  That version switch was optional by the way.  I actually think the option to contribute to the health of the system is a pretty valuable learning experience.

Flatiron is owned by WeWork which started experiencing problems while I was in the program.  Flatiron did a great job of communicating as the issue emerged.  I did notice some instructor shuffling and maybe an increase in time to book project reviews.  But that was a matter of book a review maybe a few days out vs next day.  I felt Flatiron was dedicated to providing quality education and honoring their commitments.  If anything, I think the WeWork issue just slowed campus expansion.  It's worth keeping an eye on, but my sense is Flatiron is fairly independent and in control of their internal affairs.  

During my time at Flatiron the COVID pandemic and protest in response to George Floyd's death emerged.  Folks at Flatiron did a fantastic job of communicating, supporting and adjusting to the uncertain times with heartfelt compassion.  The Flatiron family, both staff and students is diverse across all spectrums.  The school takes pride in its diversity, and is all the better for it.

Going into this program I had some experience coding, including a couple computer science classes in college, years ago.  My degree is in Forestry, so technical, but not rocket science.  My job leading up to this was pretty much 'the computer guy', including sys admin, configuration, help desk,  some scripting and low code development.  Before that, I was in EMS.  I'm an EMS instructor of several years, which informs my respect for Flatiron's staff.  

I took this course to fill in gaps, refine my skill-set and land a full-time coding gig.  The curriculum was challenging but digestible.  The volume of material was significant. This is not a casual endeavor.  I juggled a full-time job and raising a toddler.  There were many late nights and dark times but Flatiron folks were there for me.  

I did land a full-time gig before graduation, during the COVID lock down.  I kind of lucked out, I was finishing my final project and hadn't fully ramped my job search up yet.  The position was presented by my career coach, and seemed to be a good culture fit for me, so I applied.  I do live in Seattle, a tech hub.  The career coaching was informative, supportive and valuable.

Overall this was one of the better educational experiences of my life.  It just worked for me.  It was a good blend of prescriptive exercises, open ended portfolio work and support.  Flatiron folks just seem to care and are interested in your success.  

I had a fantastic experience at Flatiron that ended up in me receiving two job offers two days apart, a month after my graduation! They provide the necessary structure and resources to ensure your success in this field. I agree with some reviews that you could self-teach this material, but that is true for everything. The value of this bootcamp relies on these critical elements: - Its structured and comprehensive data science curriculum,- Interaction with seasoned mentors (technical coaches) as you learn the material,- Vetted outside resources to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the content on your own,- Relevant projects to build your portfolio,- WeWork membership to have a space to study and network, - An educational coach that sees to your well-being,- A community of fellow students willing to lend a hand and share experiences,- A career coach that prepares you and guides you through your entire job search, and- Access to career events and employer partnerships.As you can see, you are not just paying for the material, which you could access for free in many ways. You are paying for an entire support network and a whole learning framework that, in the end, will increase your chances of success and minimize the time it takes to transition into this growing, lucrative, and exciting field.

I joined the inaugural Data Science part-time bootcamp in October 2018 and finished in September 2019. Brace yourself, the program is no joke. You will be banging your head on a desk for the next year. If at all possible, join the full-time program, you're learning a new language and it's important that you dedicate as much time to it as possible. However, if that's not possible for you (like myself) the part-time program is still great burt requires waaaaaayyyy more discipline as it is all online.

 

They provide you with a mentor/instructor, a life coach, and a wework membership. You might think having a life coach is silly but lemme tell you, I would've dropped out of the program without Katie McKenna's encouraging words throughout the program. My mentor. Jeff Herman, is the f***ing best. All of our 1:1 meetings were super helpful. He does a great job at explaining any piece of code that isn't making sense and then providing you with extra reading material so you can really lock it in. 

Career services was also super helpful. They keep you on a track with a schedule and secure interviews for you that might otherwise be hard to get. I accepted an offer for a full-time job in under three months through a company that Flatiron School hooked me up with.

It's not all rainbows and daisies though. The nature of the tech industry is that you have to teach yourself to teach yourself. Don't expect anyone to hold your hands through this program. Expect to spend a lot of time on Stack Overflow and wondering why you're inflicting this type of torture on yourself. Reach out to your cohorts for support. Reach out to your mentors as often as you need. Getting through this program has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, but don't forget they're not kidding when they call it a 'bootcamp'. Good luck!

 

 

I attended Flatiron School's online, full-time software engineering program without any prior coding experience. I completed the program on-time, in six months. I received a job offer after five weeks from my official job search start date!

Flatiron School's career services are amazing. My career coach was extremely helpful in reviewing my resume, talking through my job search strategy, providing constructive feedback, and giving me advice regarding salary negotiation. In addition, the job search prep lessons I was given access to upon graduation were extremely helpful and comprehensive. I highly recommend following the number of networking outreaches that Flatiron encourages you to do every week of your job search!

As an online student, I never felt isolated due to the various channels Flatiron provides to get involved in the community, including Slack and Zoom. It helped to have face-to-face interaction with people throughout the week via Zoom, including weekly standups with my cohort, bi-weekly lectures, and weekly one-on-ones with my technical coach. If you get stuck on a lab, you can ask a question on the Learn platform and receive prompt responses from technical coaches. The WeWork Hot Desk membership eased my transition from working in an office five days a week to being an online student.

Overall, the online curriculum was well done. The labs are designed to stretch your existing knowledge a bit further, which helps develop your problem-solving and trouble-shooting skills. I gave the curriculum 4/5 stars because it could be cleaned up a bit. For example, the order of the lessons seemed out of order at times. I noticed this mostly in the JavaScript and React/Redux sections.

Students have the opportunity to provide feedback about the curriculum, technical coaches, etc at the end of each section. I believe Flatiron takes this feedback to heart and is constantly trying to make improvements in order to provide the best learning experience.

I had a great experience as an online student at Flatiron School, and I would highly recommend it. Just be aware that it requires a lot of self-discipline, both during the program and the job search!