Ironhack

Trabajaba en una consultora Accenture, estuve allí 5 años. En uno de los proyectos en los que trabajé descubrí el mundo de UX/UI y no dudé ni un momento que tenía que dirigir mi carrera hacía ahí. Lo he disfrutado todo de principio a fin. Han sido 8 semanas muy intensas, en las que me he volcado 100%, cada día me despertaba con ganas de llegar a clase y seguir aprendiendo. Todo lo que me interesaba de UX/UI al ser cada semana un módulo he aprendido de todo. Lo que más me ha gustado es el ambiente en clase, somos como una gran familia al estar cada día aprendiendo y trabajando en los proyectos la experiencia ha sido genial!

When I joined Ironhack, I had some doubts about the quality of the teaching, since it is only two months of course. But nothing is further from reality, are two super intense months that make you go to the limit in both stress and learning, making you discover that you can give more than you had imagined.

After two months of course, you will be able to defend yourself as a web developer perfectly, and not only that, your desire for learning will probably increase and you will realize that there is nothing impossible to learn

If you are reading this and you have not signed up for Ironhack, if you have the opportunity, I strongly recommend you try it. You will not regret!.

How should I describe my experience while attending Ironhack? It was simply GREAT.

In order to give you, my fellow reader, some insight about what was this bootcamp for me, I'll tell you that I am a Civil Engineer who decided to make a career change into Web Development. With no much knowledge about programming before Ironhack, I decided to prepare for some months before applying (something that you should try doing, because the bootcamp is freaking hard!), and then got into it.

The results? I can truly tell you that after finishing the Web Development bootcamp, I CAN perfectly work as a programmer, and feel really prepared for whatever comes in the future, because after this, you will feel that you can learn anything and will face challenges with no problem at all.

There is still a long way to go, but trust me when I say that Ironhack feels like the best educative experience I've ever had and wouldn't hesitate to repeat again.

I've started this bootcamp with the intention of pivoting from digital marketing to UX/UI design. After completing it, I feel ready to start a career as a designer! I have acquired skills in applying UX methodologies and design thinking to various cases, and know how to make great wireframes in order to create a functional prototype. I still have a lot to learn abour UX / UI, of course. Even after several years in the field you are still learning about new practises. But while talking to professionals outside the bootcamp, I was told I progressed a lot in just 8 weeks and am really able to work on a professional project.

The teachers all come from a professional background so it's has been great to be taught by skilled people who are aware or the trends and best practices of their own field. The whole Ironhack team has been very welcoming and organized events related to our studies regularly.

As we were all together during the program, the other students became like a second family. Let's say that we had our load of joy and pain together! And since we are located in the WeWork Paris, building, we had access to very nice facilities.

These 8 weeks has been really intense so the ones who are enrolled in this program must be mentally ready to give a lot personal investment. But it's really worth it.

IronHack has been an amazing journey for me. With amazing instructors and incredible people around you, IronHack is worth it. If you are thinking of doing it (if you have the passion and willing to work hard), then don't think about it. Just do it.

We had an amazing instructor Nizar. He is truely gem. He knows in and out of the content he is teaching. He spots the errors in our code in just seconds. We were very lucky to have him as our instructor. He was very patient enough to help us understand the concepts. We were also well supported by our T.A Dapper Dan. 

If you are looking for job after Ironhack, Brito (Our Placements Manager) is the man you should be in touch. He always pushes us to work hard. He knows almost everyone in Miami tech community. He brings amazing guest speakers during cohort. Just listen to his advice. If you put in your work, he will get you where you need to be.

Overall, IronHack has been an awesome journey for me. There is still so much to learn but IronHack has provided us the base to get started with it.

WARNING: This is the longest review ever.    All right. I've been pretty excited to write this review. Honestly, these reviews were what helped me make a decision and although I’ve never written a review before for anything, I knew this one I had to write. I wondered what I would be writing once I finished the course; and I have to say that probably midway through the course I already knew: Just do it.    So, this review has two parts two it: Before Ironhack and During Ironhack. I wanted to give my story so that you have some context and maybe it’s similar to your own story and helps you make a decision. And if that doesn’t matter to you, then just scroll down to the second part :)   BEFORE IRONHACK   Upon my college graduation (earning a degree in communications — so not technical at all), I found a job for a small company located in a WeWork while still holding a part-time job at a restaurant. At WeWork, naturally, the job feed was filled with posts for developers. I saw how much opportunity there was and I decided to play around with programming with many of the free resources online. After realizing that it was something I could pursue professionally, I decided to quit my job at the small company so that I can work full-time at the restaurant and study so that I can become a developer. (Working for a restaurant is not as mentally strenuous as an office, so I figured I can at least make a living and study.)   Fast-forward a year.   I was still working at the restaurant and I was still studying. I missed my personal deadlines and extended deadlines before I thought going to a bootcamp would be a good choice. I was really reluctant to do a bootcamp because, honestly, the information is freely available out there so why should anyone pay for it. But I realized that the money that I would have saved by studying on my own, I already lost. If I had done the camp sooner, I could have had a job in tech sooner and I could have made back my investment already. Granted, some people can study this own their own and that’s awesome; I, however, am not one of these people. I could say that my only regret is that I didn’t do this sooner, but, honestly, I’m glad I ended up in the cohort I did because I met some amazing people that greatly impacted my experience.    DURING IRONHACK   Oh man. The first week wasn’t bad. We went over material that I had covered on my own so I felt pretty confident. The week after that? Yeah, things got harder. What’s interesting about the experience is that some concepts will just click and you’ll feel good about what you learned that day. Other days, some concepts just won’t click and you’ll leave with a pounding headache and feeling defeated. But you’ll come back the next day. You’ll go over that concept again — while learning a new one — and you’ll keep doing that. Eventually, it just clicks — but I really have to give thanks to Nizar, our instructor, for helping that happen. Nizar knew our weak points and knew what he was going to have to go over and over again. Sometimes he sounded repetitive, but the man knew what he was doing.   A little more about Nizar — he is an incredibly talented teacher. When you ask him questions, he won’t just give you the answer. He’ll guide you so that you arrive to the answer. And like I mentioned before, he knows students’ trouble spots. Sometimes he would jump through certain bits of the curriculum because he knew it would be better for our learning. He was even willing to give us extra time — during our final project week, we stayed with some of us until midnight helping put out all our fires. He didn’t have to do that. And I think the other amazing thing is that he was always encouraging you. He could tell that sometimes I would get frustrated, and he would just remind me kindly/matter-of-factly, “It’s going to get easier with time.”   The rest of the staff at Ironhack is amazing too. They’re all so interested in making sure that you have the best possible experience; granted, it's in their best interest to put out the best quality product, but they work hard at it and they know you’re here to change your life and they don’t take that lightly. They do weekly surveys so that they can constantly improve. They don’t just treat you like customers but like friends, sharing with you about their lives and experiences. And overall, they’re just genuine people which adds positivity to the environment.   Another staff member you’ll be interacting a lot with is Brito. He’s going to become more important later on in the course as you start getting ready to go to market. And, of course, he becomes really important as you actually go to market. The guy has a ton of connections (and he wants you to exploit them) and he is there to help you (and he will help you) — you just have to do your homework. (Some students got hired before we even graduated because of his contacts.) He is also the guy to tell it like it is — and that’s exactly what you want with someone who is supposed to help you land a job.   Another amazing thing about Ironhack is the environment. But again, the environment is founded on the people. You get to go everyday to this awesome co-working space surrounded by like-minded individuals. People who have decided to make a change in their lives and just go for it. That momentum is was catapulted my learning. I had peers who I could turn to when I needed help or they turned to me for help. You have an amazing support group for when you’re down and wonderful people to laugh with when you need a little break when you’re staying until 10 or 11 pm coding away. It’s really hard to find that and Ironhack has found it.   Overall, I wouldn’t trade my experience at Ironhack for anything. The environment is awesome, the staff is awesome, and the material is awesome. But the most important thing I learned (and I know you’ve already read this) is how to learn. Even with that year that I spent learning on my own and even taking a paid course at MDC, I learned more at Ironhack after the first week. This is just the tip of the iceberg and there is so much more to learn, but now I can build and learn while I do it. Do research, make a change, and give it your all. Wherever you decide to go - just do it. 

Honestly since day one Ironhack takes it to the next level , with everyone in the staff. the detail content that i learned is beyond my expectentions I know for a fact that the knowledge I gained is going to help me in the future.

When it comes to Maite (Instructor)  I'm extremely grateful of her passion for UX/UI and how she pushed us everyday, every hour to be better user friendly designers even at points of frustration and exhaustion the motivation was still strong. Everyday she came up with beautiful slides and sources of motivation for our cohort.

Our good cop Keri (TA) with her im just speechless, for a recent graduate Keri is an example of good designer and a beautiful human being .

Brito, if you just listen to this guy's directions you'll be extactly where you want to be in your career path in no time. Overall words can't really emphasize the support, good quality of content and amazing staff Ironhack has prepared for future alumni.

Why I Did the Bootcamp

I have a business background and decided to get into UX earlier this year.  If you look me up in Medium, over the holidays I will be posting a much longer post on how I made the decision to get into UX.  

Many folks have learned and practiced design and web development on their own.  Make no mistake, it can be done - but since I don't have a design background, I wanted a program that could guide my learning.  But guess what - all of the other 8 students in the class had a design background of some sort and they found it worth to take the course as well.

The thing about design is that it's more than just making something look good.  It's about knowing how to solve a specific problem, applying best practices, AND making it look good.  And you can't do that in a vacuum, you need others to critique your work, you need to know how to work with clients and you need to know how to work with developers.  And that's what Ironhack exposes you too.

Before taking the course I read reviews not just about Ironhack, but about coding and design bootcamps in general, and some of the reviews were pretty bad.  Some said they didn't prepare you for an actual job in the real world, that they were just diploma mills and wanted your money.  I can't speak for the other bootcamps out there, but Ironhack is ballin'.

Finally, I am from Washington, D.C., relocating to Miami.  Getting into Miami Tech seemed daunting; I didn't know anyone, didn't know what companies were hiring, didn't know any contacts.  And now that I've just graduated, I can say while looking for a job is still a challenge, it is in no way daunting.  I know my stuff and I know what's out there.

About Ironhack

Before applying for the course, I visited Ironhack and one other bootcamp in Miami in person.  Irohnack is located at Building.co, a coworking space in Brickell (downtown Miami).  Right now I'm typing this to you from the rooftop patio on the third floor.  It's baller.  More importantly, our classrooms are nestled in between real tech companies that occupy space in the building.  At least once a week I run into the startup founder that won Refresh Miami's Tech Demo Day in October.  I'm not just learning about tech, I'm bathing in it.  Further more, the vibe here is just different.  I feel like I'm wanted here, like I belong here.  I've made what I think will be lifelong friends.  

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the staff here is just... the real deal.  Really.  And they're respected in Miami Tech - I know this from attending networking events and mentioning that I'm an Ironhack student.  I've only gotten positive responses from saying that.

Alia, the GM, personally called me to congratulate me on getting into the program.  When my wife came to visit the course one day, she welcomed her as if she was another student.  You can't fake that.

Brito, the placements manager, is so well connected he probably knows Barack Obama and Obama doesn't even live in Miami.  And he's sincerely interested in our success.

Marisa, the program manager, and Pat, the admissions manager, are similarly supportive and friendly.  

And finally, for the UX/UI fulltime bootcamp this past fall, we had the most amazing Instructors, Maite and Kerri.  Maite had done UX in Paris, London and I think New York and is world class.  Seriously.  She eats, sleeps, drinks UX.  Like I'm almost worried for her sometime that she needs to get to the beach more.  :-) . She pushed us very hard to be our best, yet I knew everyday she cared for us.  You can't fake that.

Keri, our TA, had completed the course previously and was the cheerleader we all need when completing a program like this.  It's hard.  If you give it the level of effort you need to be a great designer, it's even harder.  And she was always there, answering our questions and encouraging us through frustration.  

In Conclusion

I don't know what the future holds.  There are no guarantees.  I know it's hard out there.  But as far as it relates to my professional life, where we all spend the majority of our days, I'm more hopeful than I've been in a long time.

Whether you choose to do a bootcamp or not or Ironhack or not, if you're reading this I hope you find peace and meaning in whatever you do, and live courageously enough to work through fear and pain to better yourself and others.

"Don't ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

Before I started Ironhack I did not know how to build a web page or even understand code. But after a 9 week course with an amazing instructor ("Nizar") and a great aid ("Dapper Dan"), I have learned many valuable skills and can create a webpage and/or site, as well as understand code in general.

I believe the most important thing I learned at Ironhack would be learning how to read code and debug issue's that I may come accross in my future while as a developer. Along with the help of a great placement manager ("Brito"), the future has many doors that will surely open up for my career change into the tech industry. 

The staff at Ironhack is very pationate and always willing to help or give advice if needed. Ironhack is by far one of the better life choices I have made in my life and I would reccomend it to anyone looking to learn how to code. The entire staff deserves an award for the amazing work they do here at the school.

If you're wondering whether you should join a coding bootcamp (and you are GENUINELY interested in pursuing it), stop what you're doing and APPLY RIGHT NOW. 

The reason I write the above first is because that is what I saw in several reviews I had read when searching for the right bootcamp. Yet, every time I would always think to myself, "Is that really the truth, though? Will I regret making the jump?" So before I write the rest of my review, I can tell you that those reviews were right!

Before joining Ironhack, I was working at a digital marketing company in operations and product development (and before then I had just graduated with a bachelor in Architecture), so clearly I had zero coding experience prior to Ironhack. After about a year of debating whether I wanted to make a career change, I found Ironhack. I put my fear aside and reached out to ask for a campus tour here in Miami to get the ball rolling.

Application Process: The first person I met at Ironhack was Alia, and Alia does NOT dissapoint! I felt such a great energy from her and genuine interest in getting to know me and understanding why I wanted to join their program. Shortly after, I applied and scheduled my three interviews (general interview with admissions, career interview with Brito, and a technical interview where you must solve a coding challenge). All three interviews went great (again...the only experience I had was working with developers, but never the actual coding aspect). The moment I received a phone call from Alia that I was accepted into the program I immediately felt two things: extreme excitement with a side of fear of "what did I just get myself into."

Cohort (9 weeks): The structure of the class is exactly as they describe it on the site. Grab your coffee in the morning, learn, code, lunch, learn and code (did I mention the coffee is free and unlimited?!). What really made the course, though, was our instructor Nizar and we were so lucky to have him! The way he explains the concepts is very clear for the most part and, to someone with no coding experience, I was able to understand what he was teaching. He never says no when you need help, and what's great about it is that he doesn't just hand the answers to you. He makes you think about what it is you're doing and what you need to do to get there. Now, I'm not saying your journey will be easy, because it won't be. You need to put in the time inside and outside of class to make sure you're not falling behind. The course moves quickly, so it's very easy to fall behind if you're not keeping up. You will feel like (and I can only speak from the perspective of someone with zero coding experience), "Holy crap, there is an entire universe of coding that I did not know about," but don't get overwhelmed! Don't let it discourage you, but do expect to be learning for the rest of your life as we all know how quickly technology can change. 

Finding a job: Brito, the recruitment manager at Ironhack, is also someone you will meet and never forget. Keep in mind, he is not there to hand you a guaranteed job on a silver platter at the end of the cohort - and he will make that very clear. He does a great job of coaching you on what networking events you should attend, what you need in your LinkedIn and in your resume, and is available whenever if you have any questions or need help. There is also a hiring fair where companies come in to sit and interview with you, I have yet to experience it as our fair is not until January, but it's great to know that we get the opportunity (thanks to Brito) to have that chance of "speed-dating" with several companies who are looking to hire.

Overall, my experience was amazing. I don't regret making the jump and am lucky to have been able to attend Ironhack. For the past 9 weeks it never felt like I was going to "school" and I was always excited to go in the next day to learn something new. The environment, staff and vibe of Ironhack was the cherry on top and I'm so glad that I chose to stay in Miami and attend their course. If you're reading this and you're still wondering whether you should apply....just do yourself a favor and do it already :).