Galvanize

I studied in the 6-month Web Development intensive program at the SF Galvanize in 2017. Overall, I had a very positive experience. Here's the break down:

• I started with no programming experience except for what I crammed pre-course.
• There were 13 students at the beginning of the cohort and 10 of us graduated at the end.
• We studied Javascript across the stack (React on the front-end, Node/Express on the back-end).
• Our lead instructor had 20 years of experience in the industry. A serious JavaScript expert.
• Six weeks after graduation, I had a job as a full-stack developer in San Francisco.

More than any other reason, I chose to study at Galvanize because it was a 6-month program (with excellent student/teacher ratios) and I really felt like the 3 month programs wouldn't have given me enough exposure to get to a professional level as a developer.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. Galvanize helped me reach my goal exactly as promised. The only advice I'd give to prospective students is to ask yourself these two questions:

1. Are you ready to put your life on hold and dedicate yourself to studying full time for six months? Like most things, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it.
2. Why do you want to be a web developer? The salaries sound great, but if that's your only motivation, it won't keep you in the game.

 

I rate my experience as a student and graduate of Galvanize WDI a 9 out of 10. I give Galvanize a 9 because I believed Galvanize did a great job in teaching me how to build a fullstack web app, unlocked the ability in me to learn and implement new technologies quickly, and strong career services support. Galvanize Web Development Immersive will teach you most of the basics in building a web app, including the front end and back end development. My only complaint in the curriculum was the lack of emphasis on CSS, which is really important in the real world. In the later portions, Galvanize also fostered an environment of self-learning, which is a really important skill required to make it in the real world. Galvanize also provided a strong career service department. They want you to succeed!! 

When I attended Galvanize at the Phoenix campus my experience was a rollercoaster of emotions in an awesome way of course because you are constantly being challenged and I loved that! Here are some of the top things I loved about my experience with Galvanize! First, the instructors are very knowledgeable and right away you can tell that they are passionate about their student's success and they will do anything from staying late to coming in during weekends to give their students extra help if needed. Second, the environment is very nice! I had access to tons of networking opportunities and most events provide food (lol). Third, I was able to gain many skills such as public speaking, networking, resume building, time-management, resourcefulness, branding, working under pressure and much more. Having a growth mindset is a big one at Galvanize and they helped me with. The career services manager will meet with you monthly to help you improve most of those skills, which is awesome. Fourth, I left with many long life supportive friends and with unforgettable memories.

I was amazed with how much I was able to learn in such a short amount of time.

 

Part of cohort g66,

Jessica Anais Duarte Cabrera

The Galvanize Data Science Immersive Program (DSI) was a wonderful experience to go through. I loved the structure and the content of the program. I come from the standard university background before this and comparatively, the DSI program was where I learned the most given the time. The structure was very tailored to the student actually learning as opposed to getting a grade. There were a couple times where I did not do well on an assessment and the instructors were encouraging me to not to feel bad but learn from it. The content of the program was also well made. All the instructions for assignments are clearly written and explained. Additionally, the content is open to change which means the student learns not only fundamentals but also new technology and algorithms that are cutting edge. Overall, I loved the program!

Hands down the best educators I've ever had, and the career transition support was top-notch. The greatest value of this program for me was the network of companies who were already happy with past Galvanize DSI grads they'd hired, and looking for more data scientists to grow their teams. The collaboration and friendships I forged with my fellow cohort colleagues have been great for building my network as well.    The 3 month curriculum was a great quikstart into the field of data science --- packed with fundamentals and hands-on experience through daily project work.

Prior to enrolling at Galvanize's NYC campus for their WDI immersive, I had done a fair amount of research into the various bootcamps. What mattered to me was the curriculum (was it up to date with what the NYC market demanded from developers). student to teacher ratio, and success rate in finding jobs post graduation. 

When I went on a tour of the campus, the first WDI cohort was already in session as the campus was brand new. I observed their class and felt comfortable with the environment. I also learned that they had hired a woman to lead the next cohort that began in late August 2017. That excited me the most as the other bootcamps in the city did not have any women on staff as teachers. 

As I went through the application process, it became clear to me that they were concerned with accepting students that understand foundational JavaScript and were eager to learn and learn quickly. I was accepted after 4 interviews and started on August 28th 2017. 

My experience in class was intense and challenging. The pace is extremely quick even for a 6 month course. We learned front-end development in the first quarter then went into server-side and backend development for the second quarter. The third quarter was focused on React.js and the fourth quarter we focused on interview skills, building our portfolios and finishing our capstone projects. 

The education I received was current and competitive in content. The career support I received from Arthur Chisholm was incredible. He dedicates himself to working with each student and making sure they are confident going into interviews.

When I was going through the interview process in the 4th quarter, Arthur and I had many 1:1s to go over interview questions and the ways to be a strong candidate. I ended up getting the job before I even graduated. My first day as a software developer at an advertising agency in Times Square was a week before my cohort officially graduated in February 2018. 

Now that I've been in my job for a little over a month and a half, I can say that all the principles of development that I learned in the WDI course helped me understand all that I've learned thus far in my job. It's beyond difficult and not for everyone but if you really devote yourself to furthering your education in software development then you should enroll in this course. 

Overall, I would recommend Galvanize. There are ups and downs to every bootcamp and it's ulitimately up to you on what is important and which bootcamp aligns most with what you want to get out of it. If you're going into a bootcamp thinking that you'll learn literally everything you need to know to become a software developer and have your hand held in the learning process, then it's not for you. You need to be self-sufficient to a point and not be afraid to ask for help when you need it. You get out of it what you put into it. 

I'm not even sure where to begin with this review. Attending Galvanize changed my life and it was the best possible decision I could have made. 

A bit of background: I did have a fair amount of technical training, a B.S. in a STEM field (biology) and exposure to coding/computer science from an early age. That said I never considered majoring in CS in college and definitely did not code "for fun" as a kid or young adult. 

My more recent background had me working in a retail environment where I struggled to find a challenge. After a few years working the sales floor I moved into a marketing role where I managed social media, web presence, and advertising. This role reminded me that coding was something that I kind of enjoyed, and made me think about a career switch. Fast forward a few years, I got laid off and it was the right time for me to make the switch.  

All this to say that a) I had a fair amount of background in technical areas and b) I knew that this was what I wanted to do. I would say that a coding bootcamp is not for someone who is code-curious. You should have a good amount of coding experience (side projects, Udemy or treehouse or FreeCodeCamp or whatever classes, etc) and be sure that you enjoy it. 

The curriculum focused entirely on JavaScript, which I think was a good thing as it enabled us to learn front end, back end, functional programming, and the React framework, without having to relearn syntax. I did do my capstone project in iOS/Swift, which I think significantly impacted my job prospects after graduation, as I am on an iOS team now. 

In short, I loved my 6 months at Galvanize and I'm a bit sad that it's over, but I landed a dream job at a major corporation working on an iOS application with millions of daily users, making more money than I ever thought I would.

If you're sure you want to do it, and you know that you *can* do it (impostor syndrome aside, we ALL get that) - your investment will pay off. You will have to work your butt off before, during, and after - but I think it's worth it.  

I originally started my bootcamp experience at Turing. It was a rough start and I liked it, but I struggled like hell. I refute any claims that you can walk in off the street and fly. This program is hard! Not in a bad way- I met some amazing people and found that I love this stuff. However I struggled in MOD 1 and ended up repeating it. I took the summer off for family reasons.  I then sought Galvanize to complete my journey, this time uninterrupted. I initially visited Gschool first, but didn't go. This time it all worked out. I had amazing support from teachers and staff. I got what I needed as a learner. No one said no, or was too busy. I had an incredible cohort as well. I feel like any program is as good or bad as you make it, however my experience at Galvanize changed my life and my career. I am expensively grateful.