Fullstack Academy

Fullstack took me from having no knowledge of coding to being able to land a job as a software engineer. From starting prep courses in Nov 2018 to graduating in April 2019 to finishing my teaching fellowship in July 2019 Fullstack has been supportive, helpful, and a fantastic experience every step of the way. Before fullstack I was a directionless college grad saddened by my employment prospects. Now, I'm on my way to forging a promising, interesting, and rewarding career in a burgeoning new field. I would recommend to all with an interest in logical thinking, problem solving, and design, and who want an invigorating experience. 

My experience at Fullstack was amazing. Completing the course made me a more skilled & confident engineer. The instructors were great, knowledgeable and ready to help whenever you needed. The material we covered and the approach we took prepared me for my technical interviews. The help provided by the career success team was amazing. I will recommend Fullstack to anyone who is looking to improve or gain engineering skills. The people in my cohort were amazing and we all grew and learned together.

Attending to Fullstack Academy was the best decision of my life. I have found my true passion and gained a lot of valuable skills. Besides that, I also had the best friendships during my time at Fullstack.

I attended Fullstack from September to December in 2018 at Chicago Campus. Then, I was hired by Fullstack as a Teaching Fellow where I worked there for 3 months. About 2 months after the end of my fellowship, I found a job at my dream company, Google, as a Web Solutions Engineer.

Before Fullstack, I was a PhD student in Molecular Biology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I had interest to coding before; but it was always like a hobby. After I quit grad school, the best thing I know was coding (seriously, I didn’t have skills in any area besides biology) and I wanted to turn this hobby into a career. I looked at the best coding bootcamps around Chicago and Fullstack was one of the first ones that came up through my searches. I talked to many grads before convincing myself that this will worth the money. After the first week at Fullstack, I already knew it’s worth it!

Let me talk a little bit about specifics. Curriculum! There are tons of materials out there and other teaching methods where you can learn coding. Some of them are good for some students and some students might feel like a total loss amongst all these materials. The key point here is consistency. Fullstack has consistent track of success where graduates coming from different backgrounds who achieve at the end. And Fullstack has been doing this quite a while. Fullstack developed one of the best curriculums out there and they are constantly developing it to make it better. They adjust the curriculum based on the industry’s needs and these changes can be documented by the success of their graduates. Another thing is that they know the best how to teach that curriculum. So, instructors! Instructors in Chicago are really good! My instructors were Collin, Finn, and Ben and they were all amazing! Due to their technical work history, they know the ins and outs of the internet for a long time. When you ask a question outside of the curriculum, you see their expertise on many other topics. Besides their knowledge, they really care about the students. There were multiple times when an instructor helped us after hours or even during lunch sacrificing their free time. I will give a specific example: One time, we were debugging really hard and it was about 4:45. Collin was passing behind us, and we didn’t call for his help as it was late already. But he saw that we are struggling a lot and he offered help. Then, he helped us debug for about an hour straight. He was passionate about finding the bug (more like helping the students actually) and he found it at the end. Another thing I want to mention is job search and career development. Fullstack does not only teach you the skills you need but also teaches you how to present them in a best way while you are applying, at the interviews, after the interviews, at the offer stage, negotiating, and even accepting the offer (Sounds exciting, huh? You all will get there 😊 ). Chicago’s career success counselor, Holly, is great as she is super helpful. She helps you at every stage of your job hunt which is while you are at Fullstack and after you leave until you sign the offer. I think this is a really good opportunity for people like us who learned bunch of new skills recently but don’t know how exactly to present them. The last thing I want to talk about is Fullstack’s special way of teaching Data Structures and Algorithms. As you might already know, most of the big tech companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft asks a lot of data structures problems at the interviews. They are like the fundamentals of the computer science and these companies want to make sure you know them really well. Not all companies ask these questions and when they ask, they don’t ask as hard as the other bug ones. Fullstack teaches data structures really well at an introductory level. In junior phase, you got some data structures lectures to kick off. Every week, there is an optional meetup where you can study more of these kind of questions after school. And at senior phase, students have 1-hour morning session where they either learn a new data structure or an algorithm taught by an instructor or they are given a question to solve followed by explanations by teaching fellows. I think this is a great opportunity as you get to deal with these hard topics every day and after 6 weeks, they do accumulate. As I mentioned before, it is still like an introductory to data structures. It’s more than enough for most of the interviews. It is also a great start if you want to study more and try one of the big tech companies.  

Overall, my experience with Fullstack was excellent! I strongly recommend Fullstack to anyone who will be devoting their time and effort to become a Software Engineer. I know it’s not so simple but it’s doable with Fullstack.

I’m gonna try a Q&A interview style here.

Q. What were you doing before?

A. I majored in business for my undergrad degree. Worked in finance for several years, then joined a startup company doing marketing.

Q. How did you become interested in coding?

A. Throughout my career, and many of you will or already may have experienced is that companies are continuously trying to automate workflows. Who plays the crucial role? Developers! To even work as a project manager role, you can no longer be in the dark of all the technical side. I believed that it was a must-have-skillset.

Q. Why did you decide to go to Fullstack?

A. The coding bootcamp industry has been around for almost a decade already. Big companies are recognizing this and acquiring the bootcamps. It is no longer a matter of being a scam or not. We are in a very lucky era. We now can get a good job in a good cultured company without the degree. No matter what your age is or what academic or career background you come from, you still have another chance to make the transition. We ALL still have an opportunity to get back up and try something else! And thanks to coding bootcamps, it’s even easier.

That being said, like all schools and companies, there are top-tiered bootcamps right now. Since all the rankings and data are available online, I’m just going to share a personal opinion, or more like a word on the street from bootcamp grads. Before I say it, let me emphasize that this might be biased and is not a fact. It’s just what I’ve gathered from several people around me before deciding. The top bootcamps with the strongest alumni network were the following at the time: Fullstack Academy and HackReactor. So I only considered these two schools. The final decision was made corresponding to my personal circumstances (tuition, living cost, and location). I chose Fullstack’s Chicago campus.    

Q. What did you think about the curriculum / structure of Fullstack?

A. Junior Phase (6 weeks): I was really impressed with Fullstack’s learning platform. The topics you learn will be popular ones that you actually see on many real life job descriptions. You will experience solo labs and pair programming workshops everyday. Frankly, most of you will prefer solo labs, but thanks to the forced pair programming style Fullstack provides, you WILL get better. And you need to! Pair programming is a skillset that really does help coding and I’ve been asked a bunch of times on actual interviews what I thought about pair programming. FYI - junior phase is very very intense and fast-paced but don’t give up! You will get all the support and help needed.

Senior Phase (6 weeks): One thing I love about Fullstack’s senior phase is that you will have three projects out of this program that could be added on your portfolio and resume which is CRUCIAL during job hunt. An excellent part of Fullstack’s curriculum is that it gets you to be trained and disciplined on learning new libraries and frameworks on your own. You will have this experience and be amazed how much you have grown at the end. It’s just an amazing feeling.

Q. How are the instructors?

A. AMAZING! They really do care about you. They know you’ve come to the program very determined. So they take it very seriously, like a mission. They are very clear on explaining topics and very good on debugging your code as well. It’s like magic when you go up to them and ask for help. If you do get in to the program, learn and absorb from them as much as possible!

Q. How was career success support and the job hunt?

A. They have an amazing career success coach always at your service. She will well prepare you on your resume and cover letter. She is an action taker which is why the network with companies are growing rapidly in Chicago too. At the end of the program, you will have ‘launch day’ which is like a ‘career fair’ but you will be guaranteed to have a one-on-one conversation with the companies. This won’t guarantee you a job, but many did get jobs from this event. At worst, it gives you actual experience to practice interviewing.

Q. What do you think about our alumni community?

A. As mentioned earlier, the alumni network is one of the main reasons choosing Fullstack. See for yourself. Look up bootcamps on LinkedIn and see where the alums are currently working. Also, whenever I reached out to them personally and I’m not going to lie, not all of them but most of them do reply and are so willing to help you! I’m honestly very proud to be a Fullstack alum.

Q. How were your classmates?

A. As I mentioned, word on the street goes that Fullstack is considered a top-tier bootcamp. And I wasn’t the only one hearing about it. That’s why so many students apply and put Fullstack as their top choice. This leads to competition and the ones that do get accepted are the more prepared. As a result, your colleagues will not only be smart and intelligent but disciplined and persistent individuals. Most of all, I don’t know if this was intentional but somehow most students in Fullstack are generous and warm-hearted human beings. I made so many great friends here. This kind of environment is what keeps you motivated.

Q. Anything else you wanna say?

A. It seems like I’ve said a lot of good things. Am I biased? Absolutely. But that’s what Fullstack has done to me. I love it and so darn proud to be a part of it. Of course there’s always pros and cons, but I’m also adding my word on the street, Fullstack is definitely worth it.  

And just one more thing. Fullstack is great, but you yourself need to work hard! It's not going to be easy at all.. But do NOT give up. 

I could not be happier with my decision to attend the Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy. In two weeks, I will be starting my first job as a Software Engineer, and I am tremendously grateful for the instructors, career success team, and wonderful peers that all helped me get where I am today. This curriculum truly synthesizes everything you need, and only what you need, to get up and running as a modern developer. As a person who has gone through traditional Computer Science education in the past, and struggled immensely, the education style at Fullstack / Grace Hopper emphasizes learning-by-doing in the most effective way. Most of all, the genuinely lifelong friendships and now massive professional network I gained here are nothing short of invaluable. As a cherry on top, the all-female learning environment, something I'd never experienced before, was a gorgeous community that championed validation, respect, and inclusivity. The culture here is not one of "if you're not good enough, you don't belong here," it's "we will do whatever it takes to help you succeed." This is everything I could have ever wanted in a computer science education and more — 100% worth the investment. My time at Grace Hopper was absolutely stellar and I cannot restate enough how grateful I am.

Fullstack was great! One of the best educational experiences of my life. The instructors are clear, approachable, and genuinely care about their students. It's hard to believe how much I learned in such a short period of time. (My background had nothing to do with comp sci.) I went in knowing only basic javascript, and some html/css, and came out knowing how to do fullstack development, with a greater understanding of the internet, and computer science fandmentals.

One of the main reasons I chose Fullstack was because of what I read about their career services. It delivered! Fullstack has many mechanisms in place designed to help students find employment post graduation. As a student you get training in computer science fundamentals (e.g., data structures, solving algorithms) that help you on the job hunt. And you also get paired with a remote career counselor who helps you refine your resume and behavioral interview persona. There are workshops to help with your pitch, resume, and strategies for a job hunt. And finally, at the end of your time as a student, Fullstack invites in a number of companies looking to hire students. In addition to all of this, career counselors are also very helpful with everything just mentioned and more. Career counselors put me in contact with Fullstack alum, sent me job postings they thought I'd be a good fit for, and were supportive throughout my job search. (Make sure to keep in contact with your career counselor throughout your search!)

I took the Bootcamp Prep in a Month course back in August to see what FullStack Academy was all about.  I had no real knowleged of JavaScript or coding beforhand.  This course taught me so much is so little time.  It gave me the foundations that I needed to know to better understand the Javascript language and it gave me the tools to pass the test to get into the Immersive Progame. 

The Prep in the month is fun, challenging at times, and the teachers are amazing.  I am very gladd I attended the course becuase I start FullStack Academy Immersive in Feb. 2019!  

Going to Fullstack in Chicago changed my life.  I went from zero technical ability (I was formally a chef), to employed at a great company as a full stack software engineer in less than a year.  

I actually struggled through the program in the beginning.  I had many resources available to help: teaching fellows, incredible instructors, supplemental material, and my fellow classmates.  The senior phase will give you exposure to working on agile teams, and you are going to get some great portfolio pieces. My only suggestion to the program would be to find a way to extend the time to work on the capstone project.  

The faculty is phenomenal in Chicago.  Ben, Priti, Collin, and Fin are all so knowledgeable and are obsessed with being quality educators.  They provide the most up to date curriculum - they continuously update lectures and workshops as needed.  Each one has his or her own passion for different aspects of development and a unique personality. Inevitably you will find one that suits your particular learning needs.  Together they could probably teach a really smart dog to code. All of their work is supplemented by the teaching fellows, who will spend as much time as you need going over concepts, code, and answering questions.  The atmosphere of learning is painstakingly iterated upon at all levels and it really shows.

You will need: a positive attitude, a growth mindset, and the ability to put in hard work to get through this program.  What you make of your time at Fullstack with be entirely up to you - don’t squander it. If you can become a teaching fellow DO IT.  That extra time spent teaching and leading the student agile teams will make you a better developer, give you perspective, and it will do wonders for your resume.  Being a fellow gives you extra time with the material, access to the faculty and staff, and you will be challenged every day to be confident in your technical knowledge and abilities.

The journey concludes with the job search.  This portion of the program is really different depending on the individual.  For me, it was a three month emotional rollercoaster resulting in a dream job.  Fullstack provides so many resources to help you land the right position. Again, it’s up to you to take advantage of these resources.   You get assigned a remote career counselor who will go over your resume and tease the professional out of you with practice interviews, and pitch reviews.  There are mock technical and behavioral interviews, alumni panels, workshops, sample resumes, cover letters, lectures on how to look for jobs, follow up, interview behavior, even how to write thank you notes and negotiate for a better salary.  Launch day gives you the opportunity to have several very real interviews, which at worst are great practice, and at best could result in continuing the interview process or even a job offer.

The most valuable resource, however, is Holly the career success counselor.  This woman will provide professional help on things like your emails, resumes, cover letters, how to word a LinkedIn message - literally anything that you need help on.  On top of that she is there to talk, vent to, or cheer you on or up depending on the situation. I could have never gotten through the job search without her. She was the one holding my hand the whole way.  In my previous career an interview involved showing up with a sharp knife - so clearly I needed a lot of guidance. The help she provided was invaluable.

Lastly, shout out to Bret for keeping the whole place together.

Fullstack was a really good experience, I got a job and would definitely do it again and would recommend to a friend. That said, I'm going to focus in this review on a couple of specific areas where I think they can improve.

I intensly disliked the 'sit in a circle and discuss your feelings' aspect of the program. It was clear to me that FSA is dedicated to continuously updating their cirriculum to current technologies and trends. Which is, of course, awesome and exactly what they should do. That acknowledged, it becomes hard for me to understand why they feel it necessary to use what could be valuable learning time to have students sit around and listen to what other students are feeling, or how the students feel the program can improve, without having much knowledge of the big picture that is a profession in programming.

Now this could be great and valuable (for the instructors) once or twice, but as a student it gets tiring fast and becomes hard to see the utility. The (relatively) low score I gave the instructors is not due to what I saw as far as lack of empathy, knowledge, or dedication, but more towards what I saw as a misguided directive to ask for feedback basically all the time. Ideally, if I'm paying you a large sum of money to be taught a specific cirriculum, what I really want is to be taught by someone who's confident. 

My impression is that they do have smart teachers who possess all of the qualities listed above, but that the constant grading by students of coursework (yes), the constant asking for feedback, the weekly sharing of usually panic-y and burned out emotions, etc., does not serve the teachers or students well. 

And as a definitely less important, but perhaps somewhat related, second point- I'd suggest to cool it on the social justice stuff. Now, as far as class time spent on the topic, it's admittedly (thankfully) minimal- the social justice lecture only took an hour of class time. But, it focused heavily on several easily disproven items, such as the Harvard Implicit Bias Test, on which even extreme left wing publications like Vox have published articles pointing out that the test has no real scientific value, and produces no sustained measurement. Another is the idea that women are systematically oppressed in the field of tech, as evidenced solely by enrollment numbers in the tech work force. Sexism, of course, does exist, but this particular line of logic has been repeatedly disproven, quite recently by studies in the London Times and also Nature magazine, who did a study on a sample size of 1.6 million students progressing through STEM education and into the workforce, both published in Sept 2018. I won't link here but encourage you to google them.

If you really must have this as a part of your cirriculum, I suggest you treat it as you treat the rest of the topics you cover. Constantly check your assumptions, consult multiple sources by publications of different ideological stripes, don't get carried away by confirmation biases, and keep updating the course based on the best available data.

You have a bunch of advantages over colleges when it comes to attracting students. The course is fast moving, transparent, has a low acceptance rate, values real-world practicality, is comparitively very cheap, etc. Another advantage you could have is that you can be a place of learning where facts and data are not repressed by a disproven, yet oft-repeated ideology. 

Thanks for reading, the staff and class helped me tremendously, and I wish for nothing but the continued success of Fullstack.

Fullstack Academy is a real investment. You will invest your time, your mind, and ofcourse your cash. While doing my search for a bootcamp to attend Fullstack stood out as an intense and effective option. If you are serious about your investment this will yield serious results. If you are not in a place where you can devote your whole attention and effort to something you may struggle here.

Fullstack has a rigorous application process and certainly doesnt just accept anyone. This is a sign of things to come, as the course work and material is extremely challenging.

Some folks think the only way to succeed is already having computer science experience or a degree. I came into the bootcamp with absolutely 0 knowledge of coding. I am now employed (after only spending a few weeks in the active job hunt) making nearly double what my previous salary was.

Fullstack can open the door to a new exciting and challenging career in tech. But, only if you are truly ready. Get your game face on and get what you're after.

I attended Bootcamp Prep in a week and had a very positive experience. The class definitely moved fast and covered a lot, but not superficially--a good introduction to the basics of JavaScript, I felt. Using a concept in an exercise right after it had been introducted in lecture helped to reinforce it, and the exercises were a thorough mental workout without being impossible, especially with teaching fellows who were mostly very patient, helpful, and generous with their time. I would recommend this course for a quick, intense JS intro, whether or not you are considering applying to an immersive bootcamp afterwards.