Tech Elevator

INTRO/BACKGROUND
I came to the conclusion that I needed a career change, and that coding was what I wanted to pursue. My background was in purchasing and supply for 8 years, with very minimal HTML experience. After attending a few open houses and doing research on full time bootcamps in the Detroit area, it was clear Tech Elevator was a cut above the rest and had more to offer, especially with their Pathway program. After acceptance, I decided to attend the Winter 2020 Java bootcamp.


 CURRICULUM
I am SO happy I chose this route. The curriculum covered more than what I could have ever done on my own. Both instructors (shout out to Andy and Margaret!) are amazing instructors and awesome people. They put in so much time to help each one of us and devoted so much of their energy to their students. Both of them are very passionate about Java. They always pushed me to believe in myself, and helped me realize how much I really learned and understood programming. With their course being a full stack program, I was finally able to understand how the different pieces (server side / client side, backend / frontend) all worked together. Whereas before TE I was only understanding bits and pieces but not how they all fit together. We also covered many industry standards like Agile methodology, Pair programming, and TDD (test driven development). The curriculum also teaches you to continuously push to learn and improve. This is an ever-changing industry, and it is such an important mindset to have. The curriculum is HARD, but when you put in your time (this could and will probably include some extra time on weekends) and energy into it you will benefit so much from it. 

PATHWAY

Pathway is an amazing program and I have never seen any other bootcamp offer one that is as in depth as Tech Elevator. We had a Pathway Director who was dedicated to helping us craft our resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interview prep to showcase our newfound technical skills and experience. As someone who had worked in recruiting (first job out of college) I had some basic knowledge how to present myself and considered myself pretty skilled at this, but it was daunting to do this task while searching for a career in technology. Pathway really prepped us with technical mock interviews with real professionals in various development / engineering industry. TE also held panels, showcases, and an event for us to interview with some of the top employers in Metro Detroit to really give you an opportunity to hit the ground running in the industry.

 

OUTCOME
My cohort had a huge curveball thrown at us, with COVID-19 mandating a switch to virtual classes for the last module and for graduation. Tech Elevator did a seamless job with this transition. I did not think it was possible for our instructors to put more into the classroom, and they did! They had made extra notes, recorded sessions, and anything you could think of to make everything accessible to everyone as we all navigated our different situations at home. Within a week of graduation, I was offered a position at a digital consulting firm, as an Associate Technical Consultant. It is exactly where I wanted to land in my new career, and I would have never been able achieve this without Tech Elevator. I have also made some life-long friends who shared all the laughs, struggles with homework, confusion, success, coding jokes, and much more during this journey. Tech Elevator is a great investment, and they will also be invested in you. I am so happy to be a TE alumni and could not recommend it enough!

If you have any other questions or want to know more about my experience please feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn.

I graduated from the Tech Elevator Cincinnati coding bootcamp in April 2020 as part of the .NET class under the instruction of Katie D.  The first 10 weeks of the cohort were done in person and then, due to covid-19, the last 4 weeks were done remotely.  I strongly recommend this program to anyone who is willing to put in the hard work and dedicate the necessary time needed to give their full attention to this program for 14 weeks.  Katie, David, and Joe were an amazing resource of knowledge and instruction for the program and will always be willing to help you when you get stuck and can't figure things out by yourself or with your classmates.  They also are very selective with who they accept into the program and it shows - I made friends for life and worked with some amazing people that all seemed like they were in the right place.  

The Pathway program is an incredible resource and helped me get a job within 2 weeks of graduation.  If you follow their advice, even on the stuff that may seem odd or uncomfortable to you, you will land a job.   I went through many interviews and it is very apparent to me that Tech Elevator had me well prepared on the technical and on the soft skills side.  Jessica H. was the Pathway director in Cincinnati and working with her will get you where you want to be.  

It isn't a cheap program but I assure you that if you put in the work, it will be well worth it.

I had been trying to break into the programming field for several years by the time I started seriously considering bootcamps. Stagnant office jobs that paid the bills but left me bored were all I could seem to find. I was caught in the old catch-22 of needing experience to get experience. Knowing that programming bootcamps were focused on getting entry-level positions for their students, I came to the decision that I'd give one a go. After doing several weeks of research, including open houses and reading plenty of reviews, I finally decided to apply to TE's Cleveland campus, and joined the Fall 2019 class. The technical instruction was stellar, and thanks to Mike, Josh, and Craig I learned more about programming in a few months than I had in the prior eight years. 

But the real ace up TE's sleeve is their Pathway program, which was ultimately the reason I went with them over similar bootcamps (including the one from my alma mater). They focus on the soft-skill portion of job hunting, with a laser focus on the tech industry in particular. Resume crafting, interviewing, social media profile building, and pitching yourself--all things I kind of hate doing, but that are vital to actually landing a job, no matter your technical skills. Val, Marty, and Kelly are some of the most dedicated people I've ever met, always available to help and eager to push their students into improving those sometimes-uncomfortable areas. Not only do they arm you with the skills (and practice!) to sail through interviews, they've built up a wide network of contacts with the northeast Ohio tech community, and use those connections to help you get a foot in the door. Easily the most important factor in choosing TE over others.

Over three quarters of my class including me were placed with jobs before the bootcamp had even ended, and after four months in my new career I'm still having a great time. I'd highly recommend the program to anyone who's looking to get started in programming.

I found Tech Elevator Detroit through a relative who took the program in Pittsburgh during the summer of 2019.  I had just graduated college with degrees in physics and music performance, but I didn't know what to do or how to get a job with them.

After my relative showed me the Tech Elevator program, I signed up for the winter of 2020 to take the 14-week course.  Truth be told, I nearly waited to take the course until the summer of 2020, but with encouragement from the instructors I managed to take the assessment, interview, receive a spot in the winter course, and complete all of the prework in a matter of a week.  Although I wouldn't recommend waiting that late to start the prework, know that the instructors at the Detroit campus helped me to navigate and complete all of the material before it was due to at least give myself one day to relax before starting class the following day.  

In my physics work, I had done some data analysis before, but nothing more.  Now, I am able to create interactive websites and small projects in Java that I never thought I would have been able to before.  Comparing the work I did for the prework to the final project I completed, I would never have though I would have made such huge improvements and strides in my learning and application of skills.

While Tech Elevator is a software development bootcamp on paper, the Pathway program they offer was also the biggest boost I could have gotten to start my career in IT.  Not only did the program help me formulate a stunning resume and LinkedIn profile, but they also worked to bring in companies from around the community to showcase their work and also arranged both mock AND actual interviews for us with them.

As a result of the help I received from the instructors and coaches from Tech Elevator, I am now working at Perficient Consulting as a technical consultant when less than a year ago I was still in college finishing my tenure there.  Tech Elevator boasts that their employed graduates receive on average a $54,000 salary as their base pay, and I can attest that I never thought I would be able to negotiate for a salary higher than that in my 20's!

If you would like to ask me any questions regarding the program, please don't hesitate to reach out to me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-c-germaine/ .

I cannot do a deep and honest comparison against Tech Elevator and other coding bootcamps because I didn't attend other bootcamps. However, what I can say is that prior to attending Tech Elevator in Columbus, Ohio I was living in North Carolina and had done months, yes MONTHS of research into dozens of coding bootcamps. I was already in the process of collecting stats on grad school programs and their various metrics such as acceptance rates, investment of time,, placement rates, cost, perceived value from employers, and so on. I even went as far as taking the GRE (Graduate Record Examination a $160 6 hour exam). That's how close I was to going to grad school to pursue a master's vs. going to a coding bootcamp.

But like I said, I already had a ton of stats on grad schools, and some call it providence, others serendipity however one day I ran across a coding bootcamp ad. I checked it out and was highly impressed by the placement rates. They were higher than the average placement rates of grad schools. I then began a rigorous study of all the best coding bootcamps, in person and on line, and settled on 4. Tech Elevator was one of the four. That was in April of 2019. And now here I am today, less than a year later (I wouldn't even be HALF WAY done with a masters program by now if I had gone that route) full fledged, full stack software engineer at JP Morgan in their Asset and Wealth Management Division. Indeed contributing code and making a difference.

You may be thinking, "Oh well you were a college graduate of course you'd be successful." Do not be so quick to judge. My family came to America when I was 5 from Nicaragua. As a consequence I didn't speak English and had learning difficulties. I failed Kindergarten and had to take ESL throughout elementary school. Eventually I would drop out of high school after the 10th grade. But obviously I eventually got my GED and realized education was the way of the future. I only mentioned this to show I'm not particularly bright or intelligent, I just put in the effort. And that's all you need to be successful here. Effort is free.

Give Tech Elevator a thorough, thoughtful and careful review. Their instructors, Steve, Andrew, John and Brian are incredible people and equally incredible teachers. They will challenge you, push you, and set you up for success. And Tech Elevator provides, bar none, the best recruitment ecosystem and team to support you. 

Attending Tech Elevator was the best career choice I ever made. I had been an attorney for about 5 years, and was feeling stagnant and dissatisfied. I became interested in software development through some friends, and started doing basic coding tutorials and web-based projects for fun. I found myself much more interested in those projects than in my work, and on the advice of some family and friends, decided to make the career switch. After researching schools in Cleveland, I landed on Tech Elevator based on its reviews and reputation. It certainly lived up to the hype! The instructors were knowledgeable and helpful, and the career support team was completely dedicated to making sure everyone put their best foot forward. The pace of the course was tough at times, but never overwhelming. And, in the moments where I did feel like I was falling behind, there was always someone to turn to ( an instructor, a TA, a fellow student, or even another staff member) who could get me past the point I was hung up on. In the end, I had an offer at my dream job shortly before graduation, and was working in the field a few weeks later. My advice to anyone considering Tech Elevator would be that, as long as you are willing to put the work in, it is a wonderful experience and THE best way to kick off a career in software development.

Short VersionAttending Tech Elevator is the best decision I could have made for my career, and it could be yours too! Read my long version below for more details, and feel free to reach out on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyledthomas/ if you have any questions for me!
 

Long Version

Attending the Tech Elevator Coding Bootcamp was the best investment of time and money I have made for my career. Because of this program, I was able to transition to a career that allows me to challenge myself, continually learn new skills and technologies, and work with some of the most intelligent and hard-working people I have ever met. I wake up genuinely excited every day to go to work and build software that makes a difference in people’s lives. I could not have gotten to this point without Tech Elevator. What makes this bootcamp so unique is what I think of as the “3 Ps”: Process, Preparation, and People. ProcessOver the course of 14 weeks, I learned more than I thought was possible in such a brief time frame. You don’t need to walk in with much experience in programming, but some exposure does help due to the fast pace of the curriculum. We started off by learning the basics of programming (“if else” statements, loops, object-oriented programming, file reading/writing, etc.) in .NET/C#. Next, we moved on to data security and relational database development and querying using SQL. After that, we started learning about client-side programming, covering topics such as HTML, CSS, MVC, and networks (servers, hosting, and requests and responses). The last module focused on JavaScript, the Vue.js front-end framework, and APIs. Tech Elevator has chosen relevant technologies based on input from local employers to ensure they are up-to-date with what companies are actually using for their software development. While graduates may not end up working in the exact same technology stack that the curriculum teaches, the program does an excellent job of teaching students to teach themselves new technologies that they may use after they start their jobs. In general, the days tend to follow a similar pattern. A morning lecture starts off with a brief review of what was learned the day before and and the instructor answers any questions the students have, followed by a short online quiz to make sure everyone understands the main concepts of the previous day’s lecture. The instructor views the results immediately, and takes a few minutes to reinforce any concepts that the class may have struggled with on the quiz. After review is over, the instructor launches into the next topic. After teaching new information, the instructor will typically walk through a code example of what was just taught and encourage students to code along to reinforce their learning. After lecture ends, most students will take a lunch break, then get started on their assignments if there is not a Pathway event scheduled that afternoon (more on the Pathway program in the next section). Most days, there is at least one individual or pair-programming assignment (sometimes both). Some students are able to finish assignments within an hour or two, and some take longer. You are welcome to stay on campus for as long as you like, but everyone in my class was usually done and headed home by 5:00 PM. At the end of each of the first three modules, students complete a mini-capstone project with a partner over the course of several days. During mini-capstone project days, there are no lectures so that students are free to spend their entire days working on the assignment. Teams are given a list of “user stories” (actions that the end user of the software should be able to perform), and then are turned loose to use all they have learned so far to complete their objectives. These were the times when I experienced the most technical growth during the program because while the daily assignments are fairly specific in how to solve a problem, capstones leave the planning up to the student, forcing them to think through how they will implement all the functions before they start to write the code. In addition, each team sits down with their instructor after completing each capstone for a code review, in which instructors will ask students to justify programming decisions, provide constructive feedback, and discuss what the students did well. It can seem overwhelming to think about the sheer volume of information that is yet to be covered while in the beginning or middle of the curriculum. My best advice is to take the program one day at a time and trust the process. It works. PreparationWhile I think that Tech Elevator does an exceptional job of teaching students the technical skills they need to secure jobs in development, teaching programming is a minimum requirement for any coding bootcamp. Where Tech Elevator really begins to elevate itself above the competition is in its resources for career preparation. Through workshops, individual mentoring, and networking opportunities, this program excels at preparing students for the job market. Each Tech Elevator campus has Pathway Directors, full-time staff members who are dedicated to preparing students for the job market. They lead workshops on resume writing and refining, interviewing, networking, comparing different types of work environments (like a startup vs. a large enterprise corporation), different types of work arrangements (like permanent employment at a company vs. working as a contractor), salary negotiation, and job application strategies, among other areas. They also sit down with each student individually several times throughout the cohort to advise them on resume edits, companies to apply to based on students’ interests, and anything else that will help students succeed in the job search. Pathway Directors bring in community members to assist with career preparation as well. The staff organizes panels of volunteers to share experiences and advice. Just a few of the panels that were the most impactful to me consisted of Tech Elevator alumni sharing their perspective on working after graduating from a bootcamp, senior developers sharing their experiences on how they were able to advance in their careers, and HR professionals sharing tips on how to best navigate relationships with recruiters. Pathway Directors also plan Employer Showcases, in which local employers will present information about working at their companies and answer students’ questions. Interviewing can be a daunting step in the application process, and Pathway Directors ensure the students are prepared by requiring students to complete several rounds of mock interviews. Community recruiters conduct mock interviews that simulate first-round general HR interviews and behavioral-based interviews. Instructors and volunteer developers in the community conduct mock technical interviews that consists of both answering technical questions and white-boarding solutions. Every cohort has a large Matchmaking Event, in which employers come to Tech Elevator so each student has the opportunity to have a first-round interview with seven or eight companies over the course of two days. Matchmaking is the pinnacle of the Pathway Program, and was one of the most exciting events of the cohort. When students begin to receive job offers, Pathway Directors are there to help navigate job offers and give negotiation advice. If students are having a hard time securing an offer, the staff does a great job of encouraging them to keep trying, no matter how hard it gets. While other bootcamps might end their career preparation services after the program ends, Tech Elevator takes pride in working with every student until they land a job. The staff even helps out with alumni who need advice on advancing to more senior jobs long after they have graduated from Tech Elevator. I felt extremely well-prepared to begin working in development after Tech Elevator thanks to the strong curriculum. However, it was the Pathway Program that helped me to land my first development role. The knowledge I gathered from the panels and workshops helped me to know where to focus my application efforts and how to tailor my applications to those employers, and the mock interviews gave me the confidence to excel in my interviews. PeopleTech Elevator has a fantastic curriculum, and the Pathway Program really begins to differentiate it from other bootcamps. However, the people are what distinguish Tech Elevator as a superior bootcamp – specifically, the staff. Completing this program will introduce you to some of the most incredible people you have ever met. Between the time I applied and when I started, the admissions coordinators were my main points of contact. They were extremely helpful and patient with me every step of the way through the admissions process, even when I was taking up a lot of their time with questions. I already explained a lot of what the Pathway Directors do in the previous section, but Tech Elevator really does an fantastic job of choosing them based on their passion for helping students to develop their soft skills and their ability to communicate. Many of them are former recruiters or HR professionals, so their perspective is invaluable to students. The Tech Elevator instructors are the staff who interact most frequently with the students, and definitely had the biggest impact on me. All the instructors are very experienced senior developers who have spent years honing their programming and communication skills. They all could be working very high-paying senior developer jobs, but they choose to spend their hours helping people transition into junior developer roles. Andrew Frank is a wealth of knowledge, and was always our favorite to go to with individual questions because of his awesome communication skills. I count John Fulton among the teachers who have impacted me most in life, which is telling since he knew me for the shortest amount of time of all the teachers I’ve ever had. The passion he has for teaching is unparalleled. I would recommend the .NET/C# path simply to develop a relationship with him. All the staff are incredible, and the Campus Director Katie Detore is the glue who holds it all together. She works tirelessly to keep the campus running, grow the network of community partners, and develop a relationship with each and every student in every cohort. She is always trying to think of ways to improve the Tech Elevator experience, and consistently meets with students to solicit their feedback. Without her, things would not operate as seamlessly as they do. Tech Elevator does a great job of teaching programming and preparing students for interviews, but I know that the relationships with the staff members will last me for my entire career. ConclusionIf you have made it to the end of this review, you can see how passionate I am about my experience at Tech Elevator. I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t attending this bootcamp. If you are thinking about this program but aren’t quite sure if it’s a smart decision because of the time and financial commitment, I hope this review alleviates your hesitation. If you would like to ask me any additional questions, please feel free to reach out on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyledthomas/

Making a career change at 35 was a very scary choice. After years of juggling multiple part-time jobs in education and the restaurant industry, I had worked my way up to a project coordinator role at a well respected university. My job was really good. I had a steady schedule, health benefits, great co-workers, and work I believed in. But for me, something was still missing. I wasn’t being challenged or pushed to my full potential, which ultimately left me feeling unfulfilled. 
It felt a little crazy to walk away from a steady career and quit my job to attend a bootcamp. I agonized over the decision for months, comparing different options. I researched the heck out of Tech Elevator, just like you’re doing now! I was skeptical of all the positive reviews, and wary of it being a scam. I’m here to add my voice and story to the others posted here and tell you that it’s true. All of it. 
Tech Elevator’s program is extremely well structured. The education focuses on core software development concepts, coupled with practical real-world skills needed on the job such as how to work with a team together on the same code using github. By the time you graduate you literally have all the skills you need to create a web application. The career readiness program preps you for success in your job hunt through mock interviews, resume critiques, and networking and public speaking skills. And finally, TE brings in several companies for an event they call “Matchmaking”, giving you six 20-minute interviews with local companies.
I can’t stress enough how important and valuable Matchmaking is. If you’ve ever experienced the nightmare which is applying for a job, you know how difficult it is to get someone to even LOOK at your resume, let alone call you in for an initial interview. Tech Elevator gives you face-to-face interviews with companies who are eager to hire junior developers. Several of them have hired TE grads in the past and are so happy with the quality of those employees that they can’t wait to hire more. My six interviews led to four onsite interviews, which led to three job offers, all $15-20k more than I was making at my old job.
Lastly, I just have to talk about the instructors and staff at Tech Elevator. They are all so dedicated to your success and they truly believe in you. This program is really hard. You will be pushed to the limits of what you’re capable of achieving. I personally struggled a lot the first couple of weeks, but the instructors were available until late in the day to answer my questions. They reassured me that it was okay to struggle and never made me feel bad for asking them questions - and oh boy, I asked a LOT of questions! They really stuck with me until the concepts finally clicked, and I’m grateful that they put so much time into making sure my foundation was completely solid before moving on to more complex topics. 
As you can tell from this novel I’ve written, I am so passionate about Tech Elevator. It was the best decision I’ve ever made, and if you’re considering enrolling, DO IT. This program gives you everything you need to start a career as a software developer, you just have to want it. So if you have that drive, you will come out of this program with a new career.

Prior to enrolling at Tech Elevator I had no formal coding experience. I had been working mostly in customer service without a degree. I had created some small personal projects and websites so I knew coding was something that interested me, but getting a 4 year computer science degree wasn’t practical for me. After reading the glowing reviews from alumni I decided to attend an open house at the Detroit location of Tech Elevator and after hearing about their mission and path for students I knew this was the bootcamp for me. One thing that really sets Tech Elevator apart from other bootcamps is their Pathway Program. After all, you don’t just need technical skills to get a job! Throughout the program I leaned how to write a technical resume, how to use LinkedIn effectively and how to ace behavioral and technical interviews. Additionally, I was able to make many connections in the tech industry during the showcase and matchmaking events, which lead to me getting my first job in tech before I even graduated. Make no mistake, the program isn’t easy! Every day I was learning and implementing new coding skills so having a strong work ethic and ability to commit yourself totally to the program for 14 weeks is fundamental for success. However, the staff was always there to support me along the way. Anytime I needed help understanding a concept, practicing my whiteboarding skills, or assistance with my job hunt my instructors were always more than willing to help me. Throughout my 14 weeks at Tech Elevator my coding skills grew more than I could have possibly imagined. I gained the soft skills and confidence to truly sell myself in an interview, and now have a career as a Junior Developer in the eSports industry. All together, attending Tech Elevator was the best choice I could have made for myself and my career. I was able to more than double my income and improve my life significantly thanks to the hard work I put in and the staff and instructors at Tech Elevator. 

Invest in your future. 

They trust you. And you trust the process.

They give the education you need to be in the tech market and be successful. 

They care about you and will be your family.

They are honest about everything. 

Before Tech Elevator, I was a math teacher in a middle school with a little coding experience. TE helped me to get my first professional full-time job in tech. It is an intense program. Be ready for it. Knowing at least a little programming fundamentals will put you in a good position in the process and helped you to pick up the things faster. 

I admired the Pathway(Career) Program, and it plays an essential role in your job interviews(prepares you for both technical and behavioral interview) and job searches(crafting your resume). Bringing companies in, having you learn about the top tech companies in the area, and giving you a chance to interview them face-to-face without wasting your time sending job applications everywhere is the big plus. 

Long story short, you will be satisfied. TE is the best! GO Java!