Hack Reactor

Hi,

Although the course is 3 months, I will highlight my process that all in all encompassed about a year. Formerly a high school teacher in Computer Science (CS), I saved up money (Step 1) and made the switch at the end of 2017 academic calendar for schools. I studied for approximately 2-3 months (Step 2) through Hack Reactor's SSP program where I could ping a Teaching Assistant (TA) during class hours and we would Zoom video chat instantly over a CS concept. Hack Reactor requires a 20% level of knowledge before Day 1, hence this studying was super helpful and useful with a TA. Next, I enrolled in the program for 3 months (Step 3) and made an effort to apply as a TA once I finished (Optional Step). I was a TA for 3 more months and teaching content helped solidify my understanding and practice explaining concepts, which was very helpful practice for my job interviews. Next, alumni services at Hack Reactor give you a helpful route to navigate the job hunt (Step 5) and I found a job 1.5 months after graduation. I ended up having 3 offers across 3 different states and came up a tad short for arguably the biggest tech company out there. This program isn't for everyone as you have to dedicate a significant amount of time and energy to the learning, but you get out what you put in and the job placement rates stand as a testament for Hack Reactor. Looking back, I was a high school teacher a year ago and post Hack Reactor I've garnered a great skill set in CS for a switch into the software industry. 

If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read. I can always answer more questions through LinkedIn messaging or ask for my personal email there.

AM

I studied Finance in undergrad, but fell in love with computer science when I took my first programming course called Financial Engineering. I first learned about Coding Bootcamps back in 2015 and finally made the decision to go in 2017. During those two years, I studied on the weekends, researched my options and saved up for 9 months of unemployment (3 month immersive + 6 months of runway for the job search). When it came down to choosing a bootcamp, I was between App Academy and Hack Reactor. I ultimately chose Hack Reactor for one reason: I met somebody with a very similar background to me (same degree in Finance from the same University) and his testimony gave me the comfort I needed. At the end of the day, there are many outstanding bootcamps (Hack Reactor, AA, Rithm, GA, etc...), but success in these programs, in my opinion, will ultimately come down to your grit and interest in the subject matter.

There are three things I loved about Hack Reactor: 1) Attention to student development 2) Method of teaching 3) Relevance of curriculum

Every cohort will comprise of students with varying intellects and backgrounds. I had 10 cohort mates who had just graduated with a computer science degree from a four year university and others who taught 6th grade math and drilled into eyeballs. Every single one of these students got jobs. Regardless of your background, when it comes to succeeding in the program, you must be proactive in asking for help. I started off knowing a lot less than many of my cohort mates. I had to compensate by consistently and proactively asking for help by either scheduling 1:1 sessions with my Tech Mentor or connecting with other cohort mates after hours for further instruction. Hack Reactor's Tech Mentor team is truly unique and represent the proprietary value the bootcamp offers. These are former students who have mastered the curriculum and can teach it to you like you were a 3 year old kid. They've been in your shoes and they're patient. I can't speak for the current group of Tech Mentors, but while I was there, they were the shoulder that many of the students leaned on. 

This bridges into my second point: Hack Reactor teaches you how to learn. After several iterations of bothering the kid next to you, you'll realize you can't keep bombarding people with questions every time you're stuck. You learn to work through bugs by yourself and with your partner before raising any alarms. I learned how to learn again at Hack Reactor and although I felt like there could be more structure at times, I also feel like I wouldn't have honed my learning abilities without that particular ratio of instruction to 'greenfield'.

Lastly, the curriculum lead (Fred-ness) works very hard to iterate over the current curriculum every 6 weeks to ensure that they cover relevant material. I was hired on to be a 'Hacker In Residence' directly after my graduation so I stayed onboard for another 3 months and over the course of 6 months, 4 cohorts, I saw the curriculum change every time. The Thesis involved a microservice backend that would impress any fullstack employer. New sprints building mini-apps. 'Expired' sprints were taken out. By the time I left, the graduating class had a toolbox ready to kill any interview (so long as you put in the work).

Hack Reactor isn't perfect, but no bootcamp is. It's a relatively new industry servicing hundreds of new students every 6 weeks (in SF alone). I wasn't the smartest kid in the room so I compensated by putting in the hours. I came in at 9am and left around 12am everyday, Monday to Saturday. It was normal for me to close up the school and that was okay because I had students there with me, grinding and studying. The camaraderie was real and the environment is truly unique.

I was able to turn my life around in 3-6 months for a fraction of what I paid for college. I got multiple offers before finishing my Hacker In Residence program. I love what I do and for 3 months of hell, it was worth it. 

If you're absolutely sure that you want to eat, breathe, and live code then this can be the right decision for you. Anything less than this and your risk factor will be higher. Honestly, this may not be the right decision for some people. But for those who are really sure what they want to do and are passionate about it and willing to work hard, it can very well be the right decision.

Pros:
-A new journey 
-Coding is exciting (for some at least)
-Learning is always fun
-Challenging in a way that makes you grow

Cons:
-Very expensive
-Huge commitment
-Hard
-May not be enough time to absorb everything
-Very demanding
-Nothing is guaranteed

Hack Reactor's program is very intensive but worth the challenge. To succeed you should plan on this program being your whole life while you are attending. That's not to say you won't enjoy your time there. Every day introduces new challenges and new things to learn. The environment encourages a sense of community within your cohort. They have a great staff that cares about your success. After completing the program you will continue to receive support and assistance from their staff. If you embrace the program and everything they have to offer, it will set you up to succeed. 

My decision to attend Hack Reactor was something that I would gladly make again. It prepared me really well to start contributing to my new role as a Software Engineer. The programme itself wasn't easy. It doesn't spoonfeed you if that's what you are looking for. The path is prepared, and it is entirely up to you to work hard and be successful. One thing that made it easier for me is that the mentors and coordinators are all very approachable and always motivating. 

Now that you have decided to attend Hack Reactor make sure that you are prepared for it. Be comfortable with JavaScript and general programming at least. Practice some coding challenges, which you can find online through Leetcode, Codewars, etc. If you have more time to prepare, try to look at some framework or tools that you are interested in. Also, be very sure that you can commit 3 months of your life to Hack Reactor. The last thing you want is to start HR and have to do something else.

Hopefully, I managed to convince you to attend Hack Reactor. If you want to know more or have a specific question, feel free to reach out to me.

I'll preface by saying Hack Reactor is not for the faint of heart. I truly believe anyone can do it - but not everybody will. Some people will not have the right attitude, drive, and determination to do what needs to be done to complete the program successfully.  That being said, if you decide you want to do it and that there's nothing that can stop you, nothing will.

I did Hack Reactor after investigating a bunch of bootcamps.  I decided on Hack Reactor due to their focus on people as whole software engineers instead of just as coders. I am more than happy with my decision. I was hired on as a TA after the program. During my time at Hack Reactor I've watched the curriculum grow in ways other bootcamps have not. It is really the best program available. 

The only advice I'd give my younger pre-Hack Reactor self is do more studying before the program. Take some only CS classes from Harvard, MIT, or Stanford (they're all available online for free). Get a better solid foundation on which to build your CS knowledge. Other than that, I wouldn't have done anything differently.

I'll preface by saying Hack Reactor is not for the faint of heart. I truly believe anyone can do it - but not everybody will. Some people will not have the right attitude, drive, and determination to do what needs to be done to complete the program successfully.  That being said, if you decide you want to do it and that there's nothing that can stop you, nothing will.

I did Hack Reactor after investigating a bunch of bootcamps.  I decided on Hack Reactor due to their focus on people as whole software engineers instead of just as coders. I am more than happy with my decision. I was hired on as a TA after the program. During my time at Hack Reactor I've watched the curriculum grow in ways other bootcamps have not. It is really the best program available. 

The only advice I'd give my younger pre-Hack Reactor self is do more studying before the program. Take some only CS classes from Harvard, MIT, or Stanford (they're all available online for free). Get a better solid foundation on which to build your CS knowledge. Other than that, I wouldn't have done anything differently.

When I first heard about Hack Reactor, I was skeptical of how a 3 month program could actually help land me a career in software engineering. But now having gone through the program, I can say that it has helped me reach my goals.

The thing with Hack Reactor is that it gives back to you exactly the effort that you put into it. It provides you with amazing mentors which are the cornerstone of the success of the program. Without them, the program would not be as successful.

The curriculum is excellent as well. Without the tech mentor, you could have found other decent resources online, but the guidance from the dedicated staff makes an incredible difference. Along with that, the skills you develop socially when working with the counselor help to develop what you need to succeed at the interview and on the job.

The main draw of what you are paying for is a well designed curriculum, strong peers, mentors who care and the ability to market yourself in interviews.

I attended Hack Reactor at the SF campus from October 2017 - Jan 2018, and my overall experience was extremely positive. I got a full-time position ~2 months after graduating as a Software Engineer at a tech company in the Bay Area. 

PROS: HR will teach you what you need to know to A) get a job in Software Engineering, and B) actually do the job in Software Engineering. The curriculum was great - I was impressed that just about everything we were taught helped me on the job search / is helping me perform at a high level at my job. The first half of the course is built on teaching the fundamentals of web development/JavaScript and various front-end frameworks/backend technologies, and the second half is multiple group projects to get real experience utilizing those skills you learned in the first half (and also build out your portfolio for your GitHub/resume, which is a must-have for the job search). The staff/teachers are constantly adjusting the curriculum based on what the job market is looking for (including swapping in some of the latest frameworks), and the recent (Fall 2017) rework of the final project was extremely instrumental in me getting a job. Short summary of that project - it focused on building out a copy of the backend of a large app (my group chose Instagram), and utilizing a lot of modern technologies/methodologies to scale and deploy it. Being able to talk in-depth about database optimization techniques, horizontally/vertically scaling applications, properly implementing things like a cache and message bus/job queue, and Dockerizing and deploying my app to AWS was absolutely how I gained traction in the job search (and ultimately land a job in this field). Finally, my favorite part was the people - I moved to SF from across the country, not knowing anyone in the city....but through my time at HR I met some awesome people, and I have some extremely close friends (some students, some staff!) because of it. If you want to get 30 new friends in 3 months, then do a coding bootcamp.

CONS: The pace is very fast, and it's pretty hard too. The reason they have such fantastic job placement/salary stats and are regarded as one of the elite bootcamps (it's hard to believe, but you actually will make $100K+ when you graduate) is because learning this material in just 90 days is HARD. I put in the time required to study for the admissions exam as well as the material HR requires you to study during the 5 weeks immediately before you start...but I still struggled at times during the course, and I frequently found myself wishing I had studied a little harder before the program started. Be prepared to put in 60 hrs/week throughout the entire course; because I was scared of falling behind, I actually put in 80 hrs/week during the first half. There isn't room in the program to slack off and definitely not enough room to work part-time. It's totally worth it in the end, but if you're not prepared to give it your 100% focus then it will be frustrating and will lead to a much more difficult time during the job search.

I made the switch to software engineering from law. I was starting from scratch with no technical expertise at all. Through my research I concluded that Hack Reactor was the best coding school available, and I went to their website to figure out the steps I needed to take to get up to speed and start the immersive. By closely following the free material from Hack Reactor's website, I was quickly able to get to where I needed to be to pass the admissions interview. Given how much I learned from Hack Reactor's free content, it was an easy decision for me to accept the offer.

After completing a rigorous precourse, I arrived at Hack Reactor ready to start drinking from the firehose. Through lectures, algorithm and data structures problems, and a lot of pair programming, I was able to learn how to be an autonomous full-stack software engineer. I wasn't just exposed to the latest tech, I was put through a process that taught me how to solve problems and get up to speed on any new technology. I was also given the chance to build out my portfolio and develop my teammwork skills by creating complex applications with my fellow students. I learned how to develop using agile principles and the scrum methodology.

In addition to learning how to be a software engineer, Hack Reactor gave me support for my job search, allowing me to land multiple offers within three months of leaving the immersive. I was given help with my resume, advice on preparing for interviews, and support from actual human beings. This support extended beyond graduation to ensure that my job search went as smoothly as possible. I would strongly reccomment Hack Reactor to anyone passionate about becoming a software engineer and willing to put in the effort to make it happen.

For me, Hack Reactor was worth every penny of tuition. It is a wonderful program with an incredibly well-designed curriculum. I was previously working in corporate finance and earning six figures, so this was not a decision I took lightly. I am now working as a software engineer at a major telecommunications company, writing code to deliver video content (and working in Golang to boot!).

I was worried about the pay cut I’d take to start over in a new industry, as I have earned my MBA and was making salary in line with my credentials. The pay cut ended up being only 10% and my skills are far ahead of the <1 year engineers with whom I am competing. Factor in that I had a reduction in working hours of 25+%, I’d say I came out ahead on a net basis (yes, we only work 40 hours a week!!!).

If you’re on the fence, there are two things that you need to think long and hard about:

1) Is this the career that I want?

— Learn to code and see if you enjoy it. The curriculum (and career that follows school) will be rigorous and challenging. If you’re doing it just for the money, you will struggle (this is why I left finance in the first place). I used to compete in computer science competitions in high school and really loved solving these types of problems; that’s how I knew this is the career path upon which I wanted to embark.

2) Am I willing to put in the time and effort?

— Like many other things in life, you will get out what you put in. One of my primary reasons for choosing Hack Reactor was the rigor of the curriculum. And it did not disappoint. The program is short relative to traditional higher education, but it will consume your life for the duration. That’s what it takes if you want to be the best!! We were in class for 60+ hours per week and I studied an additional 15 hours per week on my own outside of class. My stance was that if I am quitting a high paying job to do this, I want to maximize my learning so that I can improve my starting salary.

In addition to coding, Hack Reactor also does a great job with building soft skills. You’ll spend the entire program learning how to code as part of a team. There’s also practice with speaking and giving presentations. The staff provides a great support network that you can go to when you’re feeling stressed.

Here’s a bonus: one of my classmates had actually attended another boot camp (I won’t say who) and ended up attending Hack Reactor because he wasn’t satisfied with the education he got at the other camp. His problem with the other camp was that they went too wide — covered many languages and concepts, but became experts at none. Hack Reactor focuses on using JavaScript to drive just about everything so that you can learn those deeper concepts and take them with you to other languages. I credit this as one of the key reasons that I was able to land a job where the primarily language is one that I have never touched before!!

After graduation, I met with my team and career services on a weekly basis. Hack Reactor does a great job at giving you the tools and at providing the support you need post-graduation to land that first job. I was able to lean on career services for plenty of help with mock interviews, white boarding practice, and salary negotiation strategies. My team helped me identify opportunities for networking events. Additionally there’s a very active and vibrant Hack Reactor Alumni Slack channel, where people are always talking about career advice, who’s hiring, new technologies, and a multitude of other topics!

Hack Reactor is what you make of it... but they give you all the tools and support to make it great.

There are many ways to get a job as a software engineer: one of the quickest is through Hack Reactor. I had previous coding experience (sans Javascript). Hack Reactor got me up to speed with current best practices, latest coding techniques, dramatically improved my soft skills (being able to talk code one on one or in groups), and helped me put together my javascript portfolio.

I'm based in Australia and got really lucky and landed a mid-level Frontend Engineering job with an international company during the last week of Hack Reactor. But not everyone is so lucky. You must understand that they don't hand you a job. You have to take what you've learned during the course and bash down doors until someone hires you. The course is the "easy" part.