Fullstack Academy

I'd like to start out by saying FullStack Javascript is awesome, and attending Fullstack was the best decision I've made in both my professional career and my education. My investment in the program is paying dividends and I have been expanding upon the foundation built during those 12 weeks every day since April. It might sound like I'm blowing smoke here but seriously, I'm not.

Motivation
My lifelong interest has been learning about useful, versatile and in-demand technologies. What I had failed to do was to devote myself to a computer language, or any formal technical skill, and gain a level of fluency to build things.

Prior to Fullstack, a significant portion of my career was spent working in a Unix environment, but I wanted to build applications to solve real world problems. I attempted to learn some basic scripting by using resources on the web, but I needed a more formal experience to really start making compelling apps. 

After surveying technical bootcamps I came to the conclusion the best curriculum for me would be Fullstack Javascript. Node.js can be used in a wide variety of applications, and I would be able to use the same JavaScript knowledge in the browser to build web applications. Since Fullstack Academy was a pioneer of the immersive Fullstack JavaScript curriculum in New York, my decision was clear. 

During the admission process I completed a multi-question technical challenge in Python, and an in person technical interview with Fullstack Co-Founder Nimit Maru. When I was accepted into the program I was ecstatic, which made the awkward process of leaving my comfortable job, and my colleagues, a little less painful.
 
Experience
Fullstack set me up with 100 hours of preparatory work before day 1. This work was focused on javascript and DOM fundamentals. On the first day it was clear I was joining a diverse and intelligent group of students along with some very technically savvy, and friendly instructors. For the first 7 weeks of the program I spent 10-12 hours a day working on my Javascript fundamentals, while building apps with Mongo, Express, Angular, Node.js, HTML5, and CSS3.

Each day we started with JavaScript challenges, then transitioned into modular lectures. The lectures were jammed with valuable information, they were recorded, and I am glad I still have access to them for review. At the conclusion of the lecture we would break into groups and work with the components or javascript libraries that were introduced. Each day built upon the last, and every Friday I felt I needed another day of work to assimilate everything and complete my mental model of the concepts.

The best part of the program is that everyone, including the instructors, are engaging in the learning process together. When one person is struggling with a technical problem or a bug, they feel bad. Once they realize fifteen other people are stuck on the same issue, the frustration turns into constructive problem solving and learning.
 
Results
I completed FullStack academy in July 2014. My group project, which comprised the final four weeks of the program, was the development ofhttp://postermuseum.com, which I completed with a fellow Fullstack student. 

Since Fullstack I've worked on numerous development projects. My skills feel more relevant and well rounded than ever. I've had a steady stream of very compelling jobs, and I've been working nearly 7 days a week to keep up with the workload. My earning potential has increased substantially, but most importantly, I'm finally doing work that I truly enjoy. I don't feel trapped in a job anymore, and I feel like I have options to work on exciting projects, and in any industry I choose. 

Thank you Fullstack Academy - you changed my life.

I first realized that I had a passion for coding when working with Excel macros as a Business Analyst. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I had no idea that I could actually pursue a career change into the development field. I figured that most professional developers had been coding since childhood and that companies wouldn't hire someone with little to no experience. This all changed when I came across the hot new trend in the development world: immersive software bootcamps.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn about these programs that help non-developers become developers. While I was intrigued by the bootcamps, I felt that the price tags were quite steep, and figured that I would be able to teach myself. I then spent my days working full-time and nights studying as much as I could, but quickly realized that while I was making progress with my studies, it would take forever to learn enough to apply for a job. Although I was concerned that these bootcamps seemed "too good to be true," I was eager to learn more about them, and decided to apply to a few in NYC. I also relished the challenge of putting my new coding skills to test throughout the competitive admissions processes :-P.

Upon being accepted to Fullstack Academy, Nimit reached out to me and spent over an hour answering my questions and addressing any concerns I had. He was extremely candid and helped me assess the pros and cons of attending a bootcamp vs. continuing to learn on my own. I was very impressed with Nimit's patience throughout the conversation as well as the lack of any "sales pitch." After our call, I reached out to some Fullstack alumni to gain students' perspectives and was blown away by the overwhelming praise of Nimit and David. Every single student recommended Fullstack and many claimed that enrolling there was the best decision of their lives.

Fast forward six months and I couldn't agree more. As an employed software developer at an exciting company in NYC (I got a job less than 2 weeks after my program ended), it's hard to imagine that I was struggling to find time to learn the basics of coding only a few months ago. Although I felt that I was capable of learning on my own, there was simply so much to learn and not enough time in the day to view a career change as anything more than a distant possibility. I'm still amazed at how much I've learned and how far I've come in such a short amount of time, and I can say without a doubt that I have Fullstack to thank. I know that all my classmates feel the same way about their experiences as well.

Fullstack offers a unique learning environment that combines a rigorous and challenging hands-on curriculum with a driven, intelligent, and collaborative student body. The pace is quick and intense but also fun and exciting. Nimit, David, and the TAs are all wonderful teachers and always eager to help with any challenges/bugs that students encounter. They care deeply about their students and you can see their enthusiasm and joy as they're teaching. 

I highly recommend Fullstack Academy for anyone considering a bootcamp. The excellent curriculum, mentorship and guidance of Nimit/David/TAs, and great friends (and professional contacts) you make throughout the program are truly unique. My time there was easily the most intellectually stimulating and rewarding three months of my life, and I couldn't have asked for more.

I graduated from the summer 2014 class at Fullstack and I am now working there as a Teaching Fellow. Based on my time here I can confidently say that if you want to quickly learn the skills needed to become a professional software developer, Fullstack Academy is the best resource you will find.

The program is a unique combination of guided workshops, group and individual projects (in which you build your own apps). This provides just the right combination of fundamentals and practical skills training.

Having also gone through traditional academic channels (undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees from Columbia University), I found this approach much more efficient than that of a typical degree program. Fullstack's approach and exceptional staff were essential to rapidly learning the skills that matter in a job as a developer.

A year ago, I was laid off from my previous job not under the best circumstances and now I am working as a Software Engineer at a promising startup making more than twice the amount I did at my previous job. I would say that qualifies as having a pretty good year and a lot of it is due to Fullstack Academy.

After my layoff,  I knew that I wanted to get into tech and learn coding so I tried to teach it to myself using tools like CodeAcademy, CodeSchool, TreeHouse, various tutorials I found here and there. But I knew that I needed a bit of guidance because the biggest thing holding me back was that I didn't know what I didn't know.

To be honest, I got accepted into quite a few bootcamps including DevBootcamp, General Assembly, and App Academy and the only reason I chose Fullstack was that it started the earliest and I figured the earlier I joined the earlier I would get a job. But I am lucky that I did. Fullstack Academy was great in guiding me and helping me learn the basics of Web Development. And it was truly an environment where you got out as much as you put in.

And I would like to think I put in quite a few hours (I spent close to 80 hours a week at Fullstack) and I learned more than I ever did in a span of 12 weeks. And the best part about it was that I was learning by doing. 

I agree with everything that the glowing reviews have said here about David and Nimit. Nimit is probably the most patient human being I've ever seen when dealing with sleepless-crazed people trying to learn to code, while David is one of the most skilled debuggers and knowledgable fullstack developer that I've met. They genuinely care about your success and how to make your experience the best.

But the thing with any of these bootcamps is really the amount of effort you keep exerting after you leave Fullstack. It's been about 5 months since I've left Fullstack and I would say I am probably lightyears better as a developer than I was then. But I really can't say that I would not get to where I am without the jolt star that Fullstack gave me.

I also wrote a much longer review about Fullstack in my blog, if you care to read:superjisan.org/devblog/m…

During my coding bootcamp search, my main goals were to become extremely proficient in programming, learn from great mentors, and land a great job once I was done. I'll assess my experience based on these three criteria.

Coding

Thanks to Fullstack, I can now have an intelligent conversation about the pros and cons of SQL vs. NoSQL databases, explain what $watch and $digest are in AngularJS, build apps from scratch, and show you how to do three-way data binding with AngularJS and Firebase. I have a Github repo full of code that I can explain, and projects that I was able to show employers during interiews. I definitely felt like I got my money's worth here.

Mentors

David and Nimit, the co-founders, have pretty impressive backgrounds. David was a former early employee at Gilt Groupe & RecycleBank. Both worked at Yahoo! together (and have the stories to prove it). Nimit was the co-founder of Bloomspot (acquired by J.P. Morgan Chase in 2010), and a Wharton grad. I didn't just want to learn from someone who was good at teaching, I also wanted to learn from someone who has been in and understands the startup world. They did -- they made the coding real by peppering in stories about how things were done at Gilt, Bloomspot, etc.

Job Prospects

The market is extremely hot for developers. The 2 weeks after graduating, I ended up having about 6 to 8 interviews, and ended up landing a position at a great startup which I am loving.

If you are serious about becoming a professional developer, I'd highly recommend attending Fullstack. If interested, I wrote a a more extended review on my blog here.

Prior to attending FullStack, I spent over a year and a half learning web development independently through the usual suspects of free and paid online channels. However, despite all the invested time, I still felt woefully unprepared to move beyond 'hobbyist' mode and into production-grade development. I applied to FullStack with that intention -- to become a professional grade developer and synthesize all the concepts I had learned online and in my undergrad electrical engineering days (many many many moons ago). It's a big investment of time and money, but well worth it -- in saved opportunity cost (of not having to learn concepts in isolation), high quality of instruction (the lead instructors are fantastic!), and network of other students. I came into the school with a decent amount of prior experience compared to some of the other students, and still felt that I couldn't learn enough. You learn things that there is no way you could learn on your own -- the latest technologies, deployment, working with other developers in a simulated production environment. Plus, you have a whole classroom of potential hackathon partners! You basically learn how to learn, and once you have a solid foundation of web development principles, you're on the path after graduation to continue to learn on your own and find a job, which many of my fellow students did quite quickly post-graduation. I highly recommend FullStack (and learning to code in general!) to anyone -- it will pay off in spades in any field you are currently in or decide to enter in the future.

I attended Fullstack in the beginning of 2014, and after my experience, I truly believe that Fullstack Academy is the fastest and most effective way to learn to code today. Your learning is accelerated by great teaching/teachers, but also by a great program design and structure, which includes plenty of struggling, helping and getting helped by 20 other students with same goal: to learn how to be a competent developer fast. I know that acquiring the same knowledge would have taken at least 5X longer without Fullstack, if not more. 

And besides the technical stuff, I had a blast for almost the entire three months, including making connections with really smart people that will definitely serve me well throughout much of my lifetime.

I chose Fullstack because it was evident that David and Nimit were very knowledgable and passionate about their teaching and their students.  Additionally they are great guys and have highly reputable backgrounds in the software industry and entrepreneurship.  Every day at Fullstack was challenging and fun, the staff was great and always helpful, and all of the students got along in our class really well.  If you ever there late late studying or working on your project, there are usually a handful of other students and even instructors staying late doing the same.

  The first six weeks are spent learning the fundamentals of programming through interactive and challenging learning modules.  During the final six weeks we built a personal and a group project which was a lot of fun.  The environment that Fullstack provides is great for building that cool project you've always wanted to code up.  With the momentum from the learning phase and the instructors, who are there to provide advice and support when you get stuck you can really do something cool.  I was definitely surprised and impressed by what my group and the others were able to create for our group projects.   You can learn a lot at Fullstack but the most important thing to remember is that the more effort you put into learning the more you will get out of the course.  Attending was a great decision and one of the best learning and overall experiences I've ever had.  If you are looking to attend a bootcamp and you want to get a lot of knowledge and value out the program, seriously consider Fullstack Academy.  

I found the world of code bootcamps enticing and suspect with their promise of "12 weeks from amateur to pro." Given that they all pretty much make this claim alongside the assurance you'll be learning the latest in web development, some research was in order.

My three criteria in finding the best fit were:

1. The curriculum truly had to be of the moment. This meant learning the MEAN stack.
2. The pace and scope had to be geared towards someone that's more than a beginner.
3. The people running the place had to be great teachers, not just great developers.

After reading numerous reviews, reaching out to alumni, and speaking with school reps, Fullstack became the clear choice. The knowledge, connections, and opportunities I've gained from the experience well exceeded my expectations, but it's a get-what-you-give situation. If you put in the time/effort to master the material, David, Nimit, and the rest of the team are more than supportive.

In short, Fullstack was one of the best professional decisions I've ever made. I think anyone considering a code bootcamp ought to give them a serious look.

I’m confident that everyone who attended Fullstack Academy has mostly good things to say about it. In fact, most of them would probably claim that it was the “best decision of their life.” It may seem like hyperbole, but personally, it was one of the best decisions of my life.

In terms of cost and time invested, Fullstack Academy was one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my life. I learned and did more in those 13 weeks than in any other 13 week period.

- The class size is kept small (around 20 students) so enough attention is given to everyone.

- David and Nimit are amazing instructors, mentors, and engineers. They’re extremely passionate about teaching and helping you succeed too.

- The TAs are all super smart, knowledgable, and helpful.

- The curriculum is well-thought-out and designed. It has a focus on the JavaScript (MEAN) stack so there’s less language context-switching (as opposed to other bootcamps that use say Rails). This way you can become extremely proficient with one language yet also focus on fundamentals and concepts. It was awesome to see how far everyone in the class had progressed by the end of the program.

- Projects are super fun and you’re pretty much free to do whatever you want, with any language, libraries, frameworks, technologies, etc. I made a Wafels & Dinges locator, a chat-roulette battle Tetris game, and a prototype mobile app for a company (which my team and I got paid for). I also participated in and won my first hackathon with two other classmates.

You’ll learn how to learn but you should be a perpetual learner -- the journey has only just begun by the time you graduate. If you put in the effort, David, Nimit and the rest of the staff will do everything they can to help you succeed. You’ll make new friends and professional connections. You’ll gain confidence in your abilities as a software engineer.

Oh yeah, like me and most of my classmates, you’ll probably land some cool job opportunities too.

I really enjoyed my time at Fullstack Academy. It gave me the skillset and confidence to land a dream job at a growing startup! Here are my pro’s and con’s of my time at Fullstack.

 

Pros:

• David and Nimit are both amazing teachers. Their teaching styles and backgrounds complement each other and provide diverse perspectives on the course material. They’ve known each other for years and have experience teaching together.
• The TA’s are all very smart and willing to help whenever you need them.
• The curriculum is well designed and logically progresses from foundations to theories to individual technologies to complete projects (which tie all prior topics together).
• Every single student in my cohort reached something called “escape velocity”, or the ability to quickly teach yourself new technologies as needed.

 

Cons:

• In my cohort we had one guest lecturer for a few days who was very knowledgeable but not a good teacher.
• Fullstack Academy is a newer school so their brand is limited, however those who have heard of it are usually very impressed.

 

Advice to Management:

• Be careful to maintain the integrity of the program as you grow: this’ll be hard but you can do it!
• Make sure that guest lecturers are knowledgeable and good teacher.

 

Going through Fullstack was one of the most empowering and liberating experiences of my life—academic, professional, or otherwise. I’d never heard of a learning environment like this before, and I’d certainly never had the pleasure of being a part of one. My classmates, as diverse a group as any, were smart, capable, motivated, and most importantly generous—you’ll find no shortage of new friends eager to help you squash bugs when you (inevitably) run into them. By the time I left Fullstack, I felt like I’d fast-tracked my way into an elite professional network of ridiculously skilled developers. You will learn many of the latest and most in-demand web development technologies during the course of your 13 weeks with David, Nimit, and the rest of Fullstack’s warm and highly capable staff.
 
I graduated Fullstack confident in my abilities as a software developer. Within four weeks, I accepted a competitive front-end position at a startup here in New York, and I couldn’t be happier.  
 
Deciding whether a bootcamp is right for you is obviously an important choice—for one thing, they’re not cheap. But my final bit of wisdom is that you should pick your bootcamp (should you decide to attend one) based not on the technologies you’ll be learning, but instead on the quality of the instructors and your fellow students. There’s nowhere I would have rather enrolled than Fullstack.