Launch Academy

**This review is a work in progress as I'm currently going through the program**   I am part of the first cohort for Launch Academy's new Online bootcamp (which launched on 1/11/16). To date, I haven't found any reviews about this particular program (there are many for the On Campus bootcamp), so I wanted to share my experience thus far, in case you were considering this as an option.   Review #2 As of 7/29/2016

TLDR: I completed 1/2 of the program between January-March (averaging ~28 hours/ week). I've been working abroad since April (paused the program), and am learning on my own. LA helped me get started with a strong foundation. I would recommend it to others, particularly under specific circumstances (see below).


Updated Review:

• Prior to Launch Academy, my main challenge in learning to code was simply garnering enough knowledge, skill, and practice to 1) start building actual code on my own and 2) cultivate a base of understanding. LA's structured curriculum, mentorship, fellow students, forum, etc. were really helpful for getting over the initial hurdles, and helped to build my foundation.
• Presently, I'm learning on my own (with acquired knowledge via LA that lets me: Break down problems; Perspective and experience to evaluate potential solutions; Ability to troubleshoot; Know-how for finding resources online, and again, the ability to assess their merit (to some extent), etc.), which I hadn't really been able to do previously.
• As I progressed beyond Phase 5, the curriculum forced you to stretch a bit more (partly because there were small gaps in the material, and partly, I presume, to push you out of your comfort zone). The material was still strong, but it wasn't as polished as the earlier Phases.
• The mentors were probably the best part of the program. They are all very friendly, supportive, and knowledgeable. Additionally, experienced developers offer insights that you simply cannot get from tutorials or videos; They often can help you cut through some of the noise, look at problems from a different angle, and share tribal knowledge/ industry practices (which is hard to capture in guides, etc.)
• On the job front, I don't feel confident that I can get a job as a dev right now (based on only completing half the program). I do feel that I can learn what is required to become job ready, and I believe the program will get you sufficiently technically advanced.

Learnings:

• I found that trying to hammer away at challenges for periods longer than 2-4 hours at a time had greatly diminishing returns. Now I do “deep work” for 2-3 hours, then take a break, and completely separate from the problem. I can come back refreshed and be much more effective. When I was paying for the program, I felt constant self-imposed pressure to keep at it, because it was an on-going consideration of ROI.
• One unexpected challenge was the feeling of isolation on a day-to-day basis. I was coding at home, often alone, so the environment had a clear impact. To switch it up, I would go to coffee shops, spent a few days in co-working spaces, and did a few “hack sessions” with friends, which did help. Saying this, I can see the value of an in-person bootcamp, surrounded by other people working through the same challenges and towards a shared end-goal. The Slack channel helped, but obviously has its limitations.

Suggestions:

Disclosure: I'm not sure what has been added/ changed about the program, so below are some ideas from my experience.

• To further prep for the real world, I would have liked built-in group projects/ peer programming/ peer review sessions. This would simulate working on a team.
• Share real-world processes for project planning/ outlining builds. Again, with the intent of demonstrating how projects are planned and implemented at a company. Maybe one way to do this would be to have a consistent, additive project throughout the course (which grows in complexity and features as you learn more).
• Incorporation of more real-world tools, like bug-tracking software and user story creation.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in the program and would highly recommend it to others for specific use cases: 1) You've tried learning on your own in the past, and struggled; 2) You need the flexibility of a self-paced program; 3) You're testing the waters of a career switch/ seeing if you actually like to code (it's a relatively cheap test, and it substantially lowers the friction to actually start coding); 4) You're really self-motivated and have a large chunk of time to devote to it.

For perspective, here's another online review:

• http://codedoll.com/review-launch-academy-online/

  Review #1 As of 1/24/16:   TLDR: I highly recommend the course so far. I've found the guided material and gradual progression immensely helpful for learning, while having mentors and other students persistently "around" allows for more rapid problem solving, less frustration, and very little of the isolated feeling I experienced while self-teaching.   To begin, I have wanted to learn how to code for a few years now. In November of 2015, I made the decision to pursue learning to code as a full-time endeavor, with the aim of making  a career switch (my background is in startups in sales/ marketing roles). I began by self-teaching Ruby for about 6 weeks, and dabbled with JS for  2; I have been coding each day, treating it much like a FT job. Very quickly, I realized this journey is fraught with challenges, which I'll elaborate on below. However, through this experience (and struggle),I've come to a profound realization: I love coding!*   (*And I was able to learn this directly without first ponying up money, hurray internet!)   So, why did I decide to do Launch Academy Online? Well, it starts with some of the challenges I faced in self-teaching. I'll boil these down to the top 3 (for me):

• Progress is inconsistent: I found many (free) online guides/ courses had inconsistent jumps in the progression of material. Things would be humming along, then I'd reach something that would be way over my head. I'd spend hours, or days, learning about the concept, looking to Stack Overflow or other guides/ tutorials, etc. to help fill in the gaps... I'd eventually figure it out, and then go back to the original course. I understand this emulates real world problem solving, but in trying to learn the fundamentals, this was incredibly taxing and consistently halted momentum.
• Overwhelming amount of material: There are A TON of guides/ courses/ tutorials online; It is hard to know what works well for your learning style without trying it. I found I don't like video-based lectures or in-browser coding, I'd rather "build things," and emulate real programming (I liked "Learn Ruby The Hard Way" a lot). Likewise, I spent much time trying different options. I also had to force myself to trust some of the magic of Ruby, because otherwise I would spend way too much time on things that weren't that important to understand at this stage of learning.
• Isolating: I underestimated how lonely it would feel to go on the journey alone. While I tried The Odin Project and FreeCode Camp (for my foray into JS), and knew there were other students working on the material at the same time, it was rare to find people at the same stage as you to converse with/ who could help answer your questions. To be clear, I think these are great courses with a robust and growing community, but with everyone being at different stages and doing it for varying reasons, it didn't have a team-like environment (which I guess I'm looking for).

From there, I decided to do a coding bootcamp. I researched different On Campus options in NYC, Boulder, Portland (OR), Boston, etc. (cities where I'm interested in working), and online options such as Bloc, Thinkful, and others. I did my due diligence of reading reviews, talking with alumni and teachers, developed my own grading rubric, and weighed the pros and cons of time and cost requirements. After all was said and done, I chose Launch Academy Online for a few reasons:

• On Campus had great reviews, and the two alums I spoke with raved about it (I figured the curriculum, and teaching methodology would translate well online).
• Dan Pickett (Co-Founder) answered all the questions I had, was responsive to my emails, offered a lot of support while I was self-teaching, shared resources, etc. (all prior to my signing up)
• I would be a part of the first cohort, and figured they'd want to make sure we were successful.
• Much cheaper than on campus options, and allowed me more flexibility to do the work when I want/ am available.

Here's my experience so far:

• The curriculum is great! There are 11 Phases in total, each focused on discrete, related concepts. In each Phase, there are 30-40 exercises, which incrementally progress in complexity, which means you are learning by doing, and consistently reinforcing themes.
• Mentors are generally available during the day via Slack, and there is a designated Office Hour period each day specifically staffed by a Mentor. Additionally, fellow students are online, who you can chat with throughout the day.
• As a bonus, every day there is a live workshop led by Dan, where he does a deeper dive into a concept. These are supplemental, and generally offer helpful tidbits, as well as insight into how an experienced coder thinks about approaching problems.
• Weekly 1-on-1's with designated mentor is helpful. I've only had 1 so far, but in the future, I plan on discussing alternate ways of solving exercises, discussing concepts not covered/ more advanced material, using the time to peer program, etc.
• Fellow students are engaged, active, and very willing to help.
• The program is very new, so they are constantly seeking feedback in order to make updates/ improvements. I've seen minor changes so far, and am curious to see how this translates as the program progresses.

I was skeptical about going to a bootcamp, but I had a good experience with Launch. They just switched to also teaching a full stack in Node.js which was good to learn. The environment of learning remotely worked really well for me, and learning in an Agile environment was very helpful as well. Post grad can be really difficult because it seems like you are spinning your wheels, but after much despair on my part, it only took me 2 months to find a great job! What ended up being really helpful to me was the fact that Launch has been around for around 8 - 10 years and has a deep alumni network who you can communicate with and will post jobs for you to checkout when you graduate and make themselves available to help you etc. Corrine in Career services also has a lot of experience and has been working there for a long time. She really helped me figure out what was the right role for me being a person transitioning into a new career and moving to Atlanta. Good stuff

My thoughts about my time at Launch Academy. I thought the experience was great overall. This course was taken during the pandemic so it was mostly done online. There was an option to go in the classroom but it was the middle of winter and leaving the house didn't seem as appealing. All of the instructors were great. They did a good job of explaining the concepts and helping you if you needed it. You will not be spoon-fed information. There is a level of expectation for you to put in some work so be prepared to spend some of your own time to figure things out. Make sure you go into the program with a good basic foundation (html, css, javascript). We had a really good group within my cohort. Everyone was helpful and wanted to be better. I enjoyed my time at Launch Academy and will never forget the experience. 

Couldn't recommend this place enough for anyone looking to get into the world of coding/tech. All the teachers are wonderful people that are attentive and thorough with explaining crucial concepts of coding, and they're always there if you need things explained more, or just need some advice on something you're working on! I was also lucky to have a cohort filled with other awesome and inspiring students that were constantly lifting each other up. Now that it's over I feel like I am equipped with the proper tools to take my coding journey to the next level and turn it into a career.

I couldn't recommend Launch Academy enough! This program really can get you where you want to go if you put in the work, and the team there are so compassionate, caring, and genuinely invested in your success. It is a difficult program, but well worth the investment. They have great connections, an amazing list of hiring partners, a robust alumni network, and will teach you both the hard and the soft skills of being a software engineer. I went in with really no technical background, and I got a job offer within a week of finishing the program :) 

I went in to Launch Academy a little hesitant. I didn't think a short 18 weeks would give me enough time to learn what I needed to land a web developer role. Turns out I was pretty wrong. 

The first few months of ignition totally helped me get over those fears. I learned at a very rapid pace, and I quickly understood that Launch Academy's style of teaching is very similar to how an actual developer job would be. I learned the basics of ruby, javascript, HTML, CSS, and principles of object oriented programming in the first 8 weeks. Those initial weeks really fostered a strong foundation for what I would need to know for the much more intense on campus portion. It is worth noting that ignition is tough, but some people were able to hold down part time jobs as they completed that experience. Ignition is also a great experience for total beginners, and it will provide a super strong foundation for what you'll need to know for the on campus experience. 

The on campus experience is much, much tougher than ignition and quite different. I would say the on campus portion was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. If you are considering Launch Academy, just know that the amount of work is no joke - you may even wish to consider somewhere else if you aren't going to dedicate at least 60-70 hours of work per week for 10 weeks straight. With that said, the instructors were almost always available to assist in our learning experience even when they technically weren't on the clock. And my cohort was a fantastic group of people, so I really, really enjoyed going in to the space every single day. I didn't miss a single day. 

When on campus, you'll learn a lot more practical skills, like moreso the relationships between the things you learned in ignition and various frameworks that people use to make working with those languages more streamlined. You'll also learn how databases work, specifically how information is stored in and access from them, and how they communicate with a Rails backend and React front end. You'll of course learn React.js, Ruby on Rails, and how you can build a full stack application by the final two weeks of your cohort. 

If all of this sounds promising and realistic to you, I say go for it! Attending Launch Academy has been one of the greatest descisions I've ever made and would do it 1000 times over. 

Just a few weeks after graduation, I am happy to have landed a role at a small company in Boston with good pay, good benefits, and a similar code stack to what I learned at Launch. I couldn't have done it without the amazing team at Launch Academy and my fellow launchers!

Special shoutouts to Dan, Nick, Pat, Cassie, Brianna, AmyLynn, Alex, and Corinne for making it all possible!!

I attended Launch Academy in the fall of 2019 and have nothing but good things to say. My cohort learned Ruby on Rails and React.js over a period of 18 weeks, with the first 8 being part time off campus and the final 10 being full time on campus. The mentors/teachers at Launch were all very dedicated to my success and were extremely capable at communicating complex ideas in an understandable manner. 

Additionally, Launch Academy has two full time staff members who run their Career Services department and who work very hard to make sure you get a job post graduation. They work with you on interview prep, resume writing, cover letter writing, and even help facilitate some initial meetings with companies that are currently hiring junior developers. 

Pros:
- Full support from staff throughout admissions, during the program itself, and post-graduation
- Informative staff with relevant industry experience and passion with many professional connections
- Small class size (~23 students)
- Budget friendly compared to a computer science degree
- Great location in the heart of Boston
- Positive atmosphere and safe space for all learning types
- Lots of support from alumni, including alumni network events hosted on-campus
- Emphasis on best practices in the industry, including technical and "soft" skills
- Access to hiring partners and other professional help through Career Services
- Constantly updating the curriculum to reflect needed skills in the field

I looked at other boot camps and felt that Launch Academy had the most human-friendly approach. They have created a boot camp that teaches the technical and problem-solving skills needed in a high-demand industry, yet have pinpointed the importance of collaboration, teamwork, and taking care of yourself with concerns of mental and physical health. As someone who came from a non-technical background, it felt daunting to come into a completely new world with completely new people. The staff at Launch Academy welcomed all of us with open arms and embraced us as individuals, while tailoring guidance to ensure that we are successful. Some of us needed more time than others, more support than others, and the staff took no hesitation to ensure that we understood the material.

Cons:
- Intensive material in a short period of time

This is very important for anyone who's coming into a program like this: Boot camps like Launch Academy are designed to be short so there's A LOT of information being taught. This may be particularly difficult for students who are new to programming in general, unfamiliar with time management and/or their own work style, and those who are not serious about finding a job in the industry post-graduation. This is not a program meant for the casual learner, but for someone who's looking more for a career change. Due to the rigorous nature and short time, it's also important to note that asking for help is CRITICAL. (This part in general isn't a con about the program - More like a recommendation for those who are on the fence about programming boot camps.)

Hello!

I write this for you, the prospective tech bootcamp shopper, from my cushy reclining chair behind the desk of my sparkly new junior developer job. I can genuinely say that if I didn't sign up for Launch Academy, then I would not be sitting here writing this review, off-task from the awesome tech work that I was trained to do so very well at Launch Academy.

Before I touch on 3 reasons why Launch Academy is as awesome as it is, I'll say that for a while I tried to get into tech, and it was difficult to do on my own! All in all, I needed structure and support that my 2-D MacBook Pro screen wasn't giving me.

In doing some reading, I read from some (only those that haven't done a bootcamp, mind you) that bootcamps aren't worth it because they are too expensive and you can do all the learning with online resources. Yes, it costs and yes you can theoretically learn everythiing you'd need online, but if you want a junior developer role in the next 6-8 months, doing a bootcamp will push you in ways that you could NEVERRRRR do on your own. It gives you ALL the material you need to go from beginner to junior developer and the inspiration, motivation, technical/social/emotional and all the above support you can't get from staring at a computer screen by yourself or even at a meetup a few times a week. That, I would say, is the most important part of choosing a bootcamp - the quality, passion and drive of the people around you. That's why Launch stands out to me.

Here are the 3 reasons why I HIGHLY recommend Launch if you want to be a junior developer in the next 6-8 months:

The Experience Engineers (or teachers or TAs, etc)

These individuals make the experience what it is and one you can't get anywhere else. These individuals live and breath the tech that they are teaching you. They are animated, hilarious, and supportive presenters and teachers that encourage any and all questions any time you have one. They will collaborate with you on ideas, help you with bug fixes, give you the WHYs behind your questions, and importantly help you develop your questions and your ability to become more and more self-reliant so that you can begin to answer them on your own. Go ahead and see: call them up, chat, or go to Launch and see for yourself!

The Other Bootcampers

Prior to Launch Academy I was searching for a job in tech because, with a bit of experience under my belt, I was seeing if I could get a job on my own. I remember having a conversation with a recruiter about bootcamps and he said that he saw many applicants coming from Launch, moreso than other bootcamps, that were younger and had more relevant backgrounds than he saw at other bootcamps. This was a positive indicator - this told me that I could learn more and I'd be around higher caliber students coming into Launch.

Demographics aside, the individuals at Launch all were motivated to do really well and aspire to grow every day. I was inspired to learn from and teach what I learned to others. Launch does a fantastic job at cultivating a culture of growth and support amongst its students and very quickly you form lasting bonds that go beyond the length of the program.

The Curriculum and Structure of the Day

The curriculum at Launch has been through many iterations over 5 years. It's a living thing that is constantly being updated and made better as newer technologies become more relevant in the job market. I can tell you that in the 1.5 months since I've graduated, signifcant parts to the curriculum have been amended or added (Redux, Jest, ... these may not mean much to you now but a quick search on Google will prove that they're important to know as a full stack developer). This is great for students: relevant skills = relevant job applicants!!!

It's also a really well done curriculum! Prior to the intensive, in-person period of the bootcamp, everyone goes througn 8 weeks of remote work that preps you with fundamentals so that you can come in (like a b****s) and learn higher level, frameworks and concepts. Everyone comes into the intensive at a similar level and with the ability to digest more advanced concepts.

Another great thing about the curriculum and the structure of the day-to-day at Launch is that if you're falling behind, you have the time and space to ask questions to your fellow students or to teachers to get help. Alternatively, if you're feeling confident, you can move ahead - there's always more work in the curriculum than you can actually finish so there's always room to do more and continuing challenging yourself if you're a rockstar!!

There are many, many great things that I haven't mentioned about Launch Academy:

• Working on your Breakable Toy (or capstone project) that you get to think up and design yourself, with support as needed from teachers and other students, and then go sprint for two weeks bringing it to life

• Getting tons of practice learning to pitch yourself to employers, which helps wildly with engaging others at networking events post graduation

• Extremely entertaining lectures filled with engaging content and sprinkled with humorous and relevant (I promise) memes

• Hanging out/celebrating on Fridays with your fellow cohort-mates and simultaneously dreading and anticipating the learning and material to come the following week

• The post-grad support and currriculum that helps keet you on track towards getting a job.This includes continued access to the curriclulum for life.

One last thing that was a real positive for me about Launch, and that should be a positive sign for you, is that they keep alumni engaged with the community. Many events and panels are held through your time as a student there that invite alumni that have JUST graduated or recently gotten hired. It's really encouraging and supportive to be able to ask individuals that were previously (like weeks to months prior) in your shoes, facing the same challenges as you. And it's a sign that people have been so moved by their experience at Launch that they want to continue coming back and continue giving to the community.

All in all, DO IT!!! If you want a job in tech, this is the fastest, most enjoyable way I know.

YOU GOT THIS!!!

Launch Academy changed my life. It is what you look for in a boot camp. The instructors are super helpful, career services is great and helps you out even after you graduate, and the launch alumni is always trying to help one another. Before going to Launch I didn't have a clear path for myself. I had a full time job but I wanted a career that was more rewarding and something that I could feel proud to be a part of. If you are setting your sights on becoming a software developer, I would highly recommend this course. Keep in mind this is no walk in the park. You must be 100% committed to the task at hand to truly succeed. If you are driven and passionate and ready to take the leap to jumpstart your career in the world of software development then Launch is for you.

Launch Academy was an excellent experience, and I highly recommend it for folks looking to enter the Web Development profession. Be aware that this is not something that you can do by halves. It requires your full attention and participation every day to really drill in the technical aspects of Web Development. While the laungages and frameworks learned are modern and well taught, I see it as more of a roadmap to future endeavours and it has given me the resources and direction to better improve on existing skills and develop new ones without extensive assistance. There is a stellar alumni network, and good help from the career services team to help you prepare for the job search. 

All the instructors at Launch Academy were fantastic! They were always incredibly helpful and never got frustrated no matter how much help we needed. The curriculum is well written and very modern. The career services department works very hard to make sure you get job placement after you graduate. I believe that the Ignition program they implement before coming on campus greatly sets them apart from other camps and will assist all newcomers in being able to digest such a large amount of information. A wonderful experience that I would recommend to anyone looking at a bootcamp!

I'm a graduate of Launch Academy's [LA] 5th and final Philadelphia cohort. During my time, LA was able to deliver a comprehensive plan to develop my foundational development knowledge. At first, you will be taken for a whirlwind of courses designed to instill a deeper responsibility of writing code; writing for other developers to understand your intentions. We are encouraged to practice DRY, test-driven programming in two languages. There is a context switch mid-course that will break any syntax habits you may have which drives the point of understanding the reason behind the code and refrain from 'commanding' the CPU. *It is very important to have an obsession with technology, compulsive curiosity, and a growth mindset. you will not make it in the SWE world if you do not possess these 3 traits.*

This is a revised review, as initially, I had been less than happy with the job prospects given to me. By communicating my frustration with the LA team, I had begun to understand that there may have been internal issues, given the fact that LA Philly was an expansion. There may or may not have been internal strife, but the compassionate leaders Dan and Corinne have done their best to resolve any concerns that I had. I understand owning a business is not easy, but in my prior review, I had let my anger get the best of me. Working more closely with the LA team, I've been able to get further in my job search, and have been given two separate opportunities to begin my career as a direct result from LA.

In conclusion, you must understand that, as a junior developer, your entire career will be an unquenchable thirst for more knowledge of underlying technologies. Nobody will hold you accountable except for yourself. You have to strive to be the best version of yourself. LA promised me a career change, and while a little bumpy, they never broke their promise. I'm not going to discredit the invaluable knowledge that a CS degree provides, but for 15,000, I had doubled my earning potential in less than a year. That's one hell of a RoI.