Rutgers Bootcamps

I believe this course was a huge help. I went in with very minimal coding experience and left with a vast expense of knowledge. If you stay on top of assignments, use your tutor, go to help period, study outside of class hours, and the like, then you will pass this for sure! Additionally, holding study groups with your classmates helps a lot! 

However, this does not mean the course is for everyone. It takes up a lot of time and can be stressful sometimes. Be sure you have the proper amount of time to put into this course and that you like coding or else joining it will be a regret. 

I will go into some specifics of everything below:

• Instructors: 
  • I had an instructor who was incredibly experienced in coding. However, because of that experience he sometimes forgot that we wouldn't always understand him. Overall, he was a pretty good teacher but he had his confusing moments. Thankfully, our TA helped us figure things out.
• Curriculum:
  • You will learn a lot (and I mean A LOT) in this boot camp, to the point that it can be overwhelming. However, it all is incredibly helpful and useful! I do not believe we learned one unimportant thing. Admittedly, there were some things we won't use all of the time, but having experience with them is still helpful in the long run of things.
• Job Assistance:
  • As of me writing this, I have job assistance as 'Not Applicable.' However, I will change this after I finish using the career services. As of right now, they regularly send me sessions I could go to and learn things at. One main thing they do is have you to do is read how to create career-necessary resources (such as a resume) and then submit what you create after reading how to do so. Then, they go over those resources and let you know how to improve them. This has been incredibly helpful so far even though I have yet to finish them (we are given some time after the BootCamp to continue to use career services, I believe 90 days). Additionally, you can have meetings with your career coach after creating a resume (I have yet to attend a meeting despite being invited to). Overall, I believe the career services are great! Just be aware they do not guarantee you a job.
• Scholarships:
  • Please be aware that scholarships do not stack (at least in my case). I was eligible for an alumni scholarship (so long as you are a college graduate you can get this) and for an early registration scholarship (enroll by the early registration deadline). Both were $500 scholarships, however, I only found out after registering that they did not stack. Thus instead of getting $1000 off, I only got $500. I felt this is a necessary thing to know since the $1000 off is what convinced me to take the plunge to do this. 
• Tutors:
  • I only used my tutor one time, so I do not have much to say in this regard from personal experience. However, I did hear great things from my peers about their tutors. So, I recommend using them!
• Time Outside Class:
  • Spend time studying and doing homework! Studying helps a lot, especially when in a study group. It is a lot easier to figure things out when there are others to help. If you're shy like me, then it isn't always easy to start one but try your best! If you can't but someone offers to have you join theirs, then definitely go for it! As for homework, you will definitely want to stay on top of it! You can fall behind really fast in this course. Make sure you leave enough time for homework.
  • Another thing to mention is to make sure you make time for yourself! This class can be super stressful, so remember to take time to relax. Sometimes the best way to solve a coding problem is to step away and come back later with fresh eyes. Taking care of yourself is incredibly important and is admittedly something I struggled with during this program a bit. However, if I had managed my time better then things would've gone better. Thus, be sure to take a break and manage your time well so that you can actually relax!

I am new to this site, but if there is a way to ask me questions then please feel free to!

I completed the Full Stack bootcamp in August 2022. Overall, I was pleased  with the course and thought it was worthwhile. I opted to take the full time version over 12 weeks, as opposed to the part-time/24 week option. A few takeaways:
1) The full time program is pretty difficult, as you have tons of new technologies thrown at you over such a short period of time. The flip side of that is that it is more immersive than a part-time program, so you really feel your attention is 100% focused on the bootcamp. I thought this was good, if more challenging, but maybe some people would prefer the pace of the part-time class. I would not recommend trying to work full time while taking the full time bootcamp, it would be very, very difficult.
2) Our instructor Mr Han was extremely knowledgeable. I could not be happier with the quality of the instructor. In addition to in-depth knowledge of dozens of different languages and packages we cover in the course, he was always willing to spend extra time with us to work through issues and get to a deployable final product. I got the sense the instructor was genuinely interested in seeing everyone succeed, learn, and complete the course.
3) This bootcamp is a starting point for a career as a web developer. If you don't have prior experience or credentials, I would not expect to complete the bootcamp and land a job right away developing new languages at Google or Facebook etc. But if you are looking for a starting point to launch or pivot your career in that direction, this is a good fit. It will be up to you after you graduate to continue learning and applying what you learn every day.
4) My only gripe is with the curriculum (not the instructors). I thought that in the second half of the class we had too many technologies, frameworks, and packages thrown at us. I felt I was not grasping things 100% as I was at the beginning of the class. I would have preferred going more in-depth but with fewer technologies, but that is my personal preference. Some who might want a more basic level of understanding while getting exposure to more technologies might think otherwise.
5) To get through the class, most people will have to lean heavily on extra support - office hours and tutors. The tutors and TAs were great. I don't think I would have completed the course without using the tutor appointments. You are given 2 tutor appts per week for the full time course (1 per week for part time), and for most of the class you will probably need to use them each week or risk falling behind. Additionally, you will have to make sure you keep up with the pace of the class and don't fall behind on coursework. If you fall behind, it is easy to get so backlogged you won't be able to complete the class. In addition, everything in this class builds on what you have just learned, so if you are behind by a week or two you will start to become completely lost and unable to function in the class. 
6) This program, like many bootcamps, is expensive. Looking around, it doesn't seem to be too far off from other bootcamps, but still it is a lot of money for a certificate. You can break it up into monthly payments over the course. I think it is up to the individual to decide what is right for them in terms of expenditure. I think what you are paying for is the support and leadership of learning from an experienced professional, with support of your classmates and tutors. Working in a collaborative setting is also something valuable you get from the course, and something employers like to see. Not much in this course is proprietary information - you can find answers on how to code or create almost anything on the web just by searching Google. The difference is that I felt that I probably got in 2-3 years worth of Google-then-test-stuff in over the course of 3 months. I think that the leveling up there was worth it, but if you have patience and don't mind taking a much longer path to a career in development, maybe try to get started on your own with some small projects and free online lessons/tutorials before shelling out over $12k.
7) Career services - I am still going through the process of solidifying career materials to be able to use career services fully, so will update this review if anything changes. All I know as of now is there are advisors who will help you improve your materials (LinkedIn, resume, portfolio, Github, etc) to be ready to go out and apply for developer jobs. There is a job board you get access to with jobs that seemed to mostly be aimed at bootcamp grads. So far I am neutral on career services, as I haven't really finished that process yet.

To summarize, I thought the class was a good use of my time and money. The instructors and support staff were really great (noticeably better than when I was a full-time student at Rutgers), the class size was smaller than I thought (a good thing), and you really do learn some cool things that allow you to go out and start building websites and applications during the class and right after you finish. Learning from someone like our instructor Mr Han was a great experience - he had a solution for any problem or answer for any question. It helps knocks down many barriers beginner developers might run into. Downsides are it is expensive (though perhaps in line with the bootcamp market), and it is difficult as there is a ton of information thrown at you. However, if you were really interested in turning to a career in web development, I think this is a great starting point for most people (if you're ok spending the money).

Rutgers Bootcamps work if you work it. The professors and teaching assistants were very knowledgeable and always willing to take their time to work with you. The course is fast-paced and can definitely feel overwhelming at times, especially the later you get into the course. However, there are so many ways to reach out for help; the instructors, your classmates, tutors, the internet... 
As someone with no coding experience prior to enrolling I would definitely recommend this course!

The program was packed with everything which they advertise at the beginning; “fasted-paced, challenging, covers wide range of technologies, requires extensive time both inside and outside of the classroom and your commitment." (should be extraordinary) All this was true. 

But it also presented a wide range of possibilities to work with data exploring, seeing new trends, and touching upon new ways to visualize data. Best of all were the great resources which were provided to achieve success! 

It was an amazing experience; I wish I had some background in coding to be able to pick up much more in class for the very first time. The tutors are very knowledgeable, not to mention their incredible patience and understanding to help us out! I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this Bootcamp program! 

I wanted to reset  my career after being let go by my former company after 14 years. I carefully considered switching over to data science as that field has been growing rapidly in the last few years. Taking this course seemed to be the best and quickest way to get me there.

This Data Science course is the part-time 24 week program.  Upfront the the bootcamp and instructor informs you to expect a minimum of 20+ hours outside of scheduled in-class hours working on homework and projects in order to succeed.  The homeworks/projects are all challenging especially if you have not had exposure to the skill sets that you will learn in class.  Expect to have two to three class sessions on each new skill set so the pace is incredibly fast.  Almost each week you will have a new challenging homework assigned so expect to be pushed keeping up with the new skill being learned while also working on homework.  

I found our instructional staff to be very knowledgeable and willing to help. The classes were held via Zoom.  Initially I was concerned as I am an older student and used to the old-school classroom settings.  However, I quickly adapted and did not feel I was lacking  knowledge transfer from our instruction staff or dealing with other team members on projects. If unexpected life events occur outside of class that may effect school, you should not be afraid to speak with your instructor.  They are there and want to help you!

You are encouraged to take tutoring as this is part of the curriculum.  Originally I did not take a tutor for probably the first 10 weeks but I encourage anyone to take a tutor out-of-the-gate as that gives you an opportunity to ask questions.  I found my tutors energetic and wanting to help and I was satisfied with them.  I know that other students had mixed reviews depending on their tutors.  You have an option to change tutors if it is not working out for you.  I had an excellent tutor who left to take a new position and was reassigned a new one.  Thankfully the new tutor was also excellent.

I am amazed how much I learned over the last 24 weeks. While I gained a lot of business knowledge over the last 10 years, I probably picked up more technical skills in the past 24 weeks than I had in the past 10 years.

So is this class right for you?  I can't answer that for you but for me I never would have picked up as many new skill sets this quickly and find particular parts of the data science curriculum that I like and want to pursue. 

Rutgers Coding Bootcamp Full Stack Development is an incredible Bootcamp program. The program teaches you the most important and influential programming languages. From JavaSript, NodeJs, MySQL, and GraphQL you learn all these programs from the very educational and informative Instructional staff. They go above and beyond to make sure you not only learn the material but have a clear understanding of what the languages are doing and why. A truly amazing Bootcamp in which you are not left behind as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort and ask for help.

Making the decision to join the Rutgers Coding Bootcamp over 6 months ago felt haste and a little reckless at the time. I was confused about what I wanted to do career wise and was in too deep to change my major, again. I felt completely lost and decided to embark on this coding journey because I saw how my brother's life changed for the better once he finished his coding bootcamp. But I still wasn't sure if I was doing it for the sake of others or to satisfy my own needs and wants.
Once classes began, I felt like I was only pretending to enjoy coding and just going through the motions. Imposter syndrome really started to kick in when we started learning about backend coding and I felt even more lost. But then, I realized I was the problem; I had all of these resources and I was still letting myself drown.
Towards the end of the bootcamp, I started going to more office hours and connecting with Anthony and Vanessa more. I started to speak up about my problems and not let them belittle myself any longer. That was the pivotal point of bootcamp for me. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy coding, it was that I let my mind become clouded with self-doubt and frustration for too long. As cliche as this is gonna sound, Anthony and Vanessa were the lights at the end of the tunnel and when I finally reached out to them, I began gaining more and more hope. I began to work 100 times harder and work through the frustration. 
There really aren't enough words to describe how truly amazing Anthony and Vanessa are, how passionate they are to be there for their students. Even though Anthony is a tech lead at a multi billion dollar company and Vanessa is juggling work and a child, they still made me feel like a priority. Of course I'm proud of myself for finishing this bootcamp, but my feelings of love and gratitude towards Anthony and Vanessa outweigh that by a ton.
But I think another great part about bootcamp is the connection I've built with just about every student in this class. They have also been a great motivation and built my confidence from the ground up. I could not be happier about the outcome of this bootcamp nor could I have imagined building great connections with such talented and wonderful people.
If there is any advice I can give future bootcamp students, it would be to take advantage of your resources. Everyone in your class is learning as well and it may feel like you're the only one falling apart, but trust me you're all in it together. Reaching out to fellow classmates, my amazing instructional team, and trusting the process really pulled me out of the rut I put myself in and was what pushed me to finish bootcamp on a high note and graduate. 

This online coding Bootcamp is the most intense class you will ever take in your life.  I learned a lot and am confident to apply to jobs as an entry-level software engineer, HOWEVER, I was coding every single day a minimum of 8 hours a day.  I took 6 days off in the 12-week period.  Two homework assignments a week plus four hours of new material Mon-Fri was overwhelming at times.  It was a lot to learn, a lot to study, and a lot to master in such a short period of time.  I recommend at least one month of prep before attending this Bootcamp.  Become familiar with JavaScript, watch youtube videos, practice some basic coding.  This course is fast-paced.  We covered JavaScript in 3 days.  I was so grateful that I had two months of self-study under my belt, I think it is the reason I excelled in the class.  Do not take this course if you do not have the time to dedicate to it.  A lot of students dropped out or switched to part-time because full-time was too intense.  This was a great Bootcamp to do during quarantine and I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about changing their career and is ready to set aside three months of their life to learning.