Kenzie Academy

My overall experience was a mixed bag. The positivity and the open arms of the staff and students is incredible. But no level of positivity will help you understand the content and ultimately help you land a job. I personally know of several people that have graduated from this school to of gone on to get a Developer job. So this is a legitimate school that will teach you the basics of what you need to know. But there is a lot more work you need to put in to even get to a point that you're getting your resume looked at by employers. And in that aspect I wouldn't recommend Kenzie. They teach you valuable stuff, there is no denying that, just not enough of it to actually make you employable. Their JavaScript/React Front-End Course is outdated. And their Python/Django Back-End Course leaves a lot to be desired.

In the end, I did enjoy my time at Kenzie, but I wish I would've gone to a different school. Especially one that won't start taking a percentage of my income once I make $40k/yr. even if it is NOT a Developer job. I knew the details of the ISA agreement that I signed. So it is my fault that I find myself in this situation. But also be skeptical of the potential outcome. When I started there was about 150+ students. A year later only about 50 or so actually graduated. With only about a 33% graduation rate, and out of those 33% only a few actually getting a job soon after graduating. Though they do have a placement team, it is rather small and to my experience, unorganized.

That's the problem I'm running into. I can find a job making well over $40k/yr., but I won't be a Developer job. I've gotten and continue to get offers to go back to the industry that I left. I need to continue learning and honing my Developer skills, but after a year of not making a decent paycheck like I was before Kenzie, I might just have to give in and go back to the industry that I left and start paying for an education that didn't amount to anything didn't help land me the job that I hoped for.

Given the current state of affairs, I will update this review in 6 months if I land a development job. If however, I haven't updated it by then, assume my prospects of getting a Developer job to be low to non-existent. And I have since given up and gone back to my previous line of work.

Good luck, I hope this review helps you make an informed decision about your future.

Kenzie was an amazing experience, the work can be challenging, and time-consuming at times. But they give you the tools and support you need to see it through. They are VERY concerned with the well-being of their students and no matter what you're going through they'll work with you to see that you can still come out on top. The instructors, facilitators, and coaches are great and have a lot of empathy for what you're going through, many of them have been through Kenzie themselves and come back after gaining experience in jobs outside of Kenzie to help give back and teach others from their experience. Unity is highly emphasized and you do feel like you are part of a family that cares about you and what you're going through. Everyone has different ideas and opinions, but Kenzie tries to make everyone feel safe and welcome, no matter their background. I was part of the recent Full-Stack SE program that just graduated and there is a lot to learn, but more than just teaching you the skills you need they teach you how to develop your skills and how to learn so no matter what path you pick after you can know the steps you need to complete to become adept at the form of coding you are going into.

There are a lot of bootcamps that just want to teach you what you need to know to get your foot in the door, then you are on your own. Kenzie is not a "bootcamp", but actually is far from that. Kenzie builds critical thinkers and strategists, not just those that can study a few languages and just build based on tutorials and videos. Every single assessment at Kenzie is project-based and you have the opportunity to take your skills and enhance them as you go along the program. There are too many programs out there that state that they will give you all the tools and people go in there thinking that they will have everything handed to them. Kenzie does not work like that. At Kenzie, you are given the resources to put the pieces together or get started, but it is up to you where you want to go from there. On top of that, the instructors, the staff, and the entire community are hands down one of the most supportive communities I have ever been a part of. It doesn't matter what walk of life you come from, you are welcome. Never feel as though you will not make it because they will do everything in their power to help you along if you feel stuck or discouraged. I can truly say that personally, they helped me so many times when I wanted to quit that if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have the confidence that I've developed today. If you truly want an immersive real-world job experience that will help you to truly open the road to those first solid steps for you in tech, please consider Kenzie Academy.

Kenzie Academy and the software engineering program has been an incredible experience. I feel like they fully prepared me for a new role in the software engineering industry. I saw a couple reviews on Kenzie that these people did not learn anything, the instructors were poor, and was a complete waste of money and time.... I could see this happening if they were not paying attention in class which I noticed was hard for a lot of people as they had short attention spans and acted like they were in preschool and not a higher educational program. They looked to the coaching staff to help them through every piece of curriculum without putting forth any effort. Being that I was a coach for 9 months with Kenzi during my program I could see that the people that truly put forth the effort were rewarded with good grades and solid knowledge of software engineering concepts and those that don't complain about how they wasted their time and money. I believe it was the other way around of them wasting the time of the instructional staff and coaching staff at Kenzie. If you have a priority of learning these concepts, and more importantly open to learning how to learn, you will kill it. I recommend this course to all that are interested in the industry as being one of the best programs available.

I've done a lot of different things in my life, choosing to come to Kenzie Academy was one of the best decisions that I've made in a very long time. I recently graduated and I've already applied to several positions and I have an interview coming up.  I'm not going to lie and say it was easy all the time, because it wasn't. 

I've dealt with a lot in my time at Kenzie as a student, but the staff was always there for me and helpful in pointing me in the direction to be successful

To start, I might as well mention that I already had a little bit of prior coding experience coming into Kenzie Academy, as I took a class in Computer Programming at my high school (Carmel High) and a few classes at my previous college (IUPUI).  That said, all of those experiences took several school years to complete, and I ended up getting an English major at IUPUI which didn't exactly get me anywhere I wanted to be in the job market.  

So, last year, roughly half a year after graduating from IUPUI, I was running out of money and my parents were getting ready to kick me out, when someone recommended Kenzie Academy.  Put simply, I made a MASSIVE leap of faith going there, as I wasn't entirely sure, despite my prior experience, I'd be a good programmer.  Not to mention that the coursework was full-time and I needed to be making money working instead of spending more money on school tuition.  

Well, Kenzie hasn't disappointed so far-- I'm currently less than two months away from getting my first of two degrees (Front-End Software Development).  So far I think I've learned and retained more programming knowledge in these short four months than in the rest of my life, as crazy as that seems.  The school really is that great at teaching coding to students, and I'm still learning more and more every day.  At this rate, I'm hopeful that I'll get a great job in the near future!  Not to mention the countless opportunities they give you to network and support your own learning process.  The teachers are good at working with you to support your own learning pace.

As for my income issues I mentioned, I opted to utilize Kenzie's super-useful Income Share Agreement (ISA) program, which has helped immensely.  I'm glad to say I'm not broke or in debt right now.  

On top of that, the school has a really talented staff who are passionate about what they do.  Chok Ooi, the CEO of Kenzie, is an awesome guy who constantly keeps all of his students in the know about what's going on at Kenzie via video chats even when he's somewhere out of state (or in some cases, country).  The community at Kenzie has been really welcoming and I have found myself fitting in pretty quickly despite having some issues with fitting in sometimes since I have high-functioning autism; I have already made plenty of friends and think the more intimate community and workspace at Kenzie's campus as opposed to a massive public campus full of tens of thousands of students that you'll likely never get to know the majority of just works better for me in general.

Some things worth knowing if you're an on-campus student-- you'll want to either live near campus or find an apartment.  Kenzie doesn't have campus housing since its campus is basically just one building.  Kenzie has a kitchen where you can bring your own food and eat it at during lunch hours, but like I said, you'll want to bring your own food or eat out (Indianapolis has some great restaurants though, so the latter won't be a problem).  Finding good parking options is important too if you don't live close enough to bike or walk to class.  With all that said, the building's pretty cozy and is similar to that of a tech startup company location, so don't worry about it being crowded.  

And the 12-month program is not like a typical school in that there is no summer break and a slightly shorter Christmas break.  Despite there being a few other holiday breaks here and there, it's more like a job than a school in terms of scheduling, so be prepared to work hard.  And most of all, be consistent.  Not showing up to class is the main thing that causes Kenzie students to fail to get their degree, and the majority of the Kenzie students so far have graduated.  Then the majority of Kenzie graduates have gone on to get great-paying jobs in the industry (and I've seen that myself due to my connections with some of them on LinkedIn).

Also, there's also the option of being an online student, and, provided you have a computer with Internet, you'll still be able to participate in lectures and projects with the rest of the on-campus students as well as be able to get help from the instructors, facilitators, and coaches.  The resources they have are immense and will be everything you need regardless of whether you're an online or on-campus student. 

All in all, I have really enjoyed going to Kenzie so far and don't plan to stop until I get my degree.  If this review hasn't convinced you to try enrolling at Kenzie, check out their website, or go to one of their Open Houses.  Their website even has some free online courses that help you get started with coding; it's kind of like a taste-test for a little of what you'll be doing in the first few months at Kenzie.  You won't be disappointed.

Kenzie literally saved my life. I was in college and the unnamed school wasn’t offering what I needed to learn to be successful in today’s industry. I found out about Kenzie through Nextech and I’m so glad I made the decision to drop out of college and come to Kenzie Academy. Not only is the curriculum compact and filled with knowledge that can lead to only the most top level jobs in the country, but the culture at Kenzie is like no other. My kidneys failed completely and I was in a coma on 03/01/2019 and I remember Chok Ooi, David Michael Gregg, Matt Cummings, and Gabe Wright all coming to visit me. My cohort also came to see me and support me as well. #UX1 #UXWON I will never forget how much love Kenzie has shown me and my fellow classmates. Always remember to pay it forward

Best Decision I Ever Made!!  I enrolled in October 2019, and LOVE the program.  Kenzie provides so much support and mentorships that it feels very empowering.  They really strive to help us all succeed.  Like Dean, our facilitator, provided me with a 2nd monitor when I just mentioned how helpful it would be for me.  He is the best!  Matt, our director, stepped up when I needed help on-boarding me with Earn & Learn.  

The ISA & Earn & Learn programs have enabled me to attend without feeling stressed over finances.  Such an Amazing school, Students & Staff !!

 

The program is very hands-on and more about critical thinking. It's not a place that teaches to the test. All the content is curated for students to self-pace themselves. Everyone is accessible, professional, and transparent from top down which is very rare for an organization. The level of access to resources and assistance is top notch. They want you to succeed and are invested in you. I would highly recommend this as an option for people to consider taking. The instructors are industry professionals which helps create a culture that reflects the work place. They help you be more than just coders and try to make you well rounded.

I am so thankful to Kenzie for giving me the opportunity to break into a career I can be successful in. As a stay at home mom for the past 3 years and only a high school diploma, I am limited in what jobs I am qualified to do. Kenzie actually made it possible that I don't have to work at McDonalds for the rest of my life. I live in CA and I love that I can go to Kenzie remotely and I love how everything is structured. I really appreciate that it's NOT self-paced, which makes it so that everyone can be in the same place (albeit remotely) at the same time. We check-in at 6AM locally for me in CA, and we're done by noon! That's very useful for me as a stay at home mom because a good chunk of that time my son is asleep. My husband is also a student at Kenzie and he really enjoys it too. Plus, there is an emphasis on communication and inclusion which is very good for someone like me who is naturally shy. You are a part of a family at Kenzie. I also love that they help you beef up your resume and linkedin profile to give you the best chance of succeeding. But by far the biggest plus to Kenzie is the income share agreement. I would never be able to pay for tuition up front, but Kenzie understands that after we graduate, our earning potential is much higher and for someone like me in CA, jobs in the field can earn you upwards of $100,000 per year. It means a lot that they are willing to invest in us, and makes me motivated to invest in my future. Thank you Kenzie!