Mobile Makers Academy

We were trained over the course of 8 weeks to build a solid foundation in iOS development. We covered a range of topics from the fundamentals of iOS controls to views, and tying them with code to functions involving everything from segues, to Core Data, Parse, and NSUserDefaults. We also covered non-technical aspects of programming such as MVC design patterns, daily standups, and Agile delivery methodology. Both the technical and non-technical prepared us to be thorough and independent-research driven iOS developers. 

Overall, I found my experience at Mobile Makers was very good. The only thing I would really change is how the peer coding in the afternoons is done. During my cohort, many people would do all of the coding while another member in the group would just watch and simultaneously be left behind. I think it's important that Mobile Makers puts more of an emphasis on correctness and full understanding within all members of the afternoon challenges, rather than finishing for the next day. 

Although it wasn't perfect, I had a fantastic experience at Mobile Makers. The same is true for any boot camp, though: You get out of it what you put into it. Say goodbye to your close friends and family, expect to spend 12+ hours/day in the classroom, and keep weekend plans to a minimum. (Though I did manage to sneak in the occassional concert or night out on the city.)

They will push you, guide you, and stretch you to become a proficient iOS developer, and after the program their job support was a nice addition to my own search. I am not the norm, but was given a job offer just after the program, and after a few weeks of searching found a position that suited my skills. That said, don't expect your certificate to equal a job offer. Come here for the skills you will acquire and the supportive environment ... graduation alone won't be enough and you'll need to prove yourself to potential employers.

Mobile Makers is a solid program, but is best suited for someone with at least a little bit of programming experience. Before starting your cohort, make sure you understand the basics of variables, if statements, for loops, logic, etc. Pre-coursework is provided to get you up to speed on these concepts, and I strongly recommend setting time aside to become comfortable with these aspects of coding before starting the program.

A few things to keep in mind:

If you're not a self-directed learner and need hand-holding, this program is not for you. Most often when you ask a question, the instructors will answer with another question. This worked out great for me because I love problem-solving, but is not so great if you need a lot of guidance.

I do wish they focused as much or more on Swift than Objective C. Although not yet the gold standard, MM could have done a better job of preparing students for the future of iOS by spending more than one week on Swift.

Mobile Makers is not a large, popular school. They are small and scrappy, which makes it a close-knit group. If you want to get lost in the crowd, don't sign up for MM. However, if you want to learn alongside other passionate developers hungry for knowledge, I can't recommend this program strongly enough.

My learning experience at Mobile Makers Academy, simply put, challenging, daily and weekly, minimum 12hrs per day for the duration of the bootcamp. What kept me going(aside from my desire to finish the course, excel, and my competitive, goal oriented nature) was the compassion and ability of each and every instructor at Mobile Makers Academy to connect with and ensure success with every student that enrolls in this intensive, blood, sweet and tears program. Mobile Makers Academy sets it's cohorts up for success from day 1 by providing a unique learning experience to each and every student entolled. 

I loved my experience at Mobile Makers. The most important thing I learned there is how to learn more effectively. Of course, I learned how to make iOS apps, and that gave me very valuable skills I am now able to use on my own. I can now proudly say that I can make most of, if not all of, the apps I see and use. I am currently a college student, and I do not have time for full-time employment. That being said, I applied to Mobile Makers looking to learn how to make iOS apps, but I came out of the experience with much more. I am now a full-fledged developer, with an app in the App Store that I developed on my own. But enough about me, I want to speak to the excellence of the program.

Like I said, I am a college student now. Having experienced many styles of teaching, I can say without a doubt in my mind that Mobile Makers takes the cake for giving me the most value. There are two parts of the Mobile Makers process that I think play really key roles in adding that value: observation and intuition/knowledge.

As for the observation part of the equation, I was very impressed when I saw that the instructors were being observed in an environment where the focus of the instructors was not some pressure to teach well, but instead was the students' learning processes and how to tailor the teaching styles to fit every individual students' needs. In other words, there was not an idea of making the best one-size-fits-all treaching style, but instead there was a concerted effort to individualize the learning experience from the student's perspectives. To tie that back to observation, it is important to know that the quality of the learning experiences of students made up a large part of the criteria that was used to give feedback to the instructors, or at least that's what it seemed like from my perspective. This is unlike what I have heard from my parents (both teachers) about other reviewing and feedback-giving processes. Some institutions try to give teachers feedback on attributes of the teacher. Instead, Mobile Makers seems to give a lot of attention to the teachers' actions, empowering them to change what they do, not who they are.

The intuitive and knowledge-based design of the curriculum is what allows for the above interactions to happen between instructors and education scientists. Instant feedback seemed to me like an important way to implement these kinds of interactions. The whole process of giving feedback and having the instructors revise their teaching styles reminds me a lot of the agile development style Mobile Makers emphasized for us, the students.

One last thing I would like to mention is that it seemed like everyone had a stake in our learning. It really felt like everyone cared about our improvement and was there to help us help ourselves.

I was halfway through college looking for something that was a little more bang for buck. College is okay, but you feel like the internet could teach you way more in a shorter amount of time.

Enter Mobile Makers!

Now I lived in the Chicagoland area, which was the only Mobile Makers location at the time, but I was amazed that people all over the world came to Mobile Makers. The first day we go through an orientation of sorts, and people were from Miami to Sweden to Philly.

You hit the ground running after the first day, but they make sure your keeping up. If you did the 40 hours of pre-course work, then it shouldn't be a problem. You spend each day learning something completely new, then you practice that with other classmates. I found the lessons challenging and rewarding, and most people were open to working beyond the expectation. From the 9 to 5 work schedule, I never once got bored or exhausted. 

On top of that, they try to provide services to help you get to know the rest of the community. The founders also run dev shops, so most of their employees volunteered to be mentors. If that doesn't work, you can find meetups where people like to discuss anything or work on weekend projects.

The final project is a three-man, two-week asignment where your allowed to make whatever challenges your creativity. I had some great friends that had a cool idea, so we excuted that as fast as we could. Unfortunately, some people did not finish the class, but that was beyond Mobile Makers control. The final event is a graduation where people come in to see your apps.

So as for job placement, I can safely say that it's not guarunteed for most. But that's the risk you get coming in, I know other schools take a cut of your salary, which is not fair to most. Some people get hired by the Mobile Makers staff, some find work back home. I was not hired by anyone imediately, but I attended the meetups and founds some cleints there. 

Now the staff and CEO has changed since I graduated, but I was happy with the quality of people at that time. I attend their events when I can, and it's great to meet newcomers. My only complaint was that my mentor did not have time during class to meetup, my only option was 8AM.

Prior to my bootcamp experience at Mobile Makers, I spent two years teaching myself how to develop iOS apps. It was hard, exhausting, and time consuming. When I got the opportunity to attend Mobile Makers, I jumped at the opportunity and haven't once regretted my decision to do so. After two years of teaching myself, I was blown away at how fast I was able to learn new material at Mobile Makers. There's a great staff there, and they are always willing to do whatever they can to provide a better experience for students. With their help, I tackled many concepts I struggled with alone, and overcame obstacles that seemed impossible before. Determination and hard work was enough to get me started, but having knowledgable people to enhance my learning made a huge difference. I'm now working as an iOS developer, and I couldn't have gotten this far, this fast alone. Mobile Makers has literally transformed my life. 

From a military career, to the FBI, to spy planes in Afghanistan, to a 180 degree life decision that led me to Mobile Makers Academy's 8-week iOS Immersive Bootcamp.  Now I am in Denver, and have taken an idea to a commercially selling enterprise workflow accelerator workflow effiency solution as the Lead iOS Developer for a funded startup named, Flowhub.  I began building out this idea when I was found at an iOS Developer Meetup event in Denver 13 days after I graduated the program.  It has been 1 incredible ride thus far.

I also mentor students who go through the same bootcamp at Mobile Makers Academy as I and I am also the iOS / Swift / Xcode support resource for Mobile Makers Academy's high school integration program.  This is 1 of the coolest thing I do daily.  I love helping others "see the light" just as I did when I decided to give up an 8 year career pursuit for a career in iOS Development.  I love everything I get to do every day now. Mobile Makers Academy really set me up for success and I have great pride in the school so much that I have decided to aim a fair portion of my efforts in this field back towards the school that has given me so much.  I remember how excited and scared I felt beginning with my iOS cohort and I want to help show others brave enough to venture into this awesome field that, we all start at the same level.  We all started with Hello World.  It's amazing how far you can go from there in just 8 short weeks.

Mobile Makers Academy is an incredible school that will provide the atmoshere, instruction, support, and pathway for someone who is very determined and will to put the time/effort into the program.  If you give it every thing you have for the full 8 weeks, you will graduate at a skill level that will allow you to apply for junior iOS Developer positions.  In this world, that title doesn't have to stick around long if you continue to push hard and learn as much as you can along the way.  Luckily, if you make it this far, learning is one of the most fun parts about this field.  iOS Developers will never stop learning because there is always something else to know which is part of the awesomeness that is iOS Development.  If you want to code for Apple devices, Mobile Makers Academy is a fantastic choice to aim towards for a solid start into this awesome journey.