Techtonica

Attending Techtonica has been one of the most challenging, rewarding, and educational experiences I've ever had.  Prepare to spend 6 months absolutely IMMERSED in code.  Not only does Techtonica teach you how to be a full-stack developer, it also teaches you how to lead meetings, be accountable to your team, and in the end sets you up for success.  

There were a few hiccups where a lot of us felt very overwhelmed and triggered, because many of us come from non-traditional, under-represented backgrounds with a lot of trauma.  Techtonica has stepped up and started taking that into account, and I think with every cohort they will get better.  

Also, they don't just release you into the world with a polite "Good luck" like most bootcamps, they teach you how to interview, set you up with multiple interviews with sponsor companies, and assign you an apprenticeship.  You will likely leave with almost a full year of coding experience under your belt.  :) 

I had a great, positive experience with Techtonica. I joined Techtonica last year (2021), because of some family issues, I thought about quitting the program with a broken heart. But Techtonica gave me an opportunity to work as a curriculum developer(part-time). It really helped me to keep in touch with folks at Techtonica and resume the course the following year. The staff at Techtonica are awesome and available to help throughout and after graduation. Techtoncia has a good work culture, they are friendly,  transparent, motivating, collaborative and empathetic. They helped me to get a paid internship. I am alway grateful to Techtonica.
Pros: 1. Techtonica is a free, software engineering program for women and non-binary adults.2. They will assign you  a mentor, who is going to help you learn programming, code debugging, and review your PRs.3. They will help in Interview preparation (Weekly knowledge check, mock interviews with volunteers)4. Placement with sponsor company

Techtonica was life-changing. I have never experienced a community so supportive, so knowledgeable, and so caring as the cohort and staff at Techtonica. The program includes 6 months of weekly 1:1’s with the Software Training Engineering Manager (STEM), and weekly pair programming sessions with the Technical Associate Program Manager (TAPM). In addition, during the first 13+ weeks, there are weekly knowledge checks and quizzes to make sure that participants are staying on track. Unlike other boot camps, Techtonica does not threaten cohort participants with removal after a failed quiz or knowledge check, they instead make sure that the participants have the resources they need to succeed. The success and well-being of cohort participants are prioritized over profit or reputation and the staff is transparent and supportive when life events come up in the lives of participants.

The program is supportive and makes sure that participants gain the skills and tools needed to succeed as software engineers. Aside from 1:1’s, weekly check-ins, and daily rose/bud/thorn, Techtonica provides cohort participants with a personal mentor and access to a tech-help Slack channel. If a participant ever has questions during the program, they can ask in the tech-help Slack channel, and receive responses from professional software engineers, including senior software engineers (sometimes within five minutes or less). The program gives you the resources you need to succeed and allows you to build the skills necessary to learn how to learn: how to find answers to technical questions online, how to stay calm while debugging, how to accurately gauge what your knowledge level is and when to reach out to help. Although there is a surplus of support and many resources at Techtonica, there is an emphasis on making sure that ALL participants are prepared to succeed in software engineering interviews, which includes making sure that participants are at or above the critical skill level of their 4-year degree and technical boot camp counterparts. Participants are required to learn and speak comfortably with technical language and are taught to communicate complex ideas using technical terms. In addition to weekly projects, participants are also required to build a capstone project, which includes idea generation, database and UI planning, and MVP completion (requirements include two external APIs, multiple database tables, and complete implementation of the PERN stack). Participants are made aware that their tech journey may be more challenging than that of their college degree-educated peers but are given the skills and tools to succeed. 

Techtonica actively works to consistently improve and better the program and curriculum. The entire curriculum is open source and can be found on GitHub. The program includes weekly surveys with ratings in over 10 categories, to make sure that staff and the program are providing adequate support. The staff welcomes feedback and the feedback framework is taught to all participants in one of the first weeks of the cohort, and participants are encouraged to use it with staff, each other, and mentors. 

Although I haven’t attended other boot camps, I can confidently say that the Techtonica application process is better in multiple respects than that of other boot camps, and I would venture a guess that the support and curriculum are more comprehensive than other tech boot camps. Throughout the application process, Techtonica offered free support sessions, with 1:1 office hours with past grads and engineers. The staff at Techtonica held office hours during the application process and offered their time to go through questions about the program and coding in general. In addition, through each step of the application process, there was feedback given about how participants could have improved, and the applicants who were not selected are encouraged to continue to work on coding skills, and to reapply. I would venture a guess that Techtonica is better than other boot camps from a soft skills perspective. Techtonica provides soft skills weekly training on various topics which include but are not limited to personal branding, bias testing, burnout, imposter syndrome, microaggressions, building confidence/ talking to managers, career advice, and professionalism. The technical support, interview prep (in both soft skills, and technical language), and mentorship, coupled with caring staff, and a supportive and kind environment, leads me to say that Techtonica is the best upskilling option for women and non-binary people in tech.

Techtonica is a software engineering program that aims to provide a supportive community for participants and prioritize their success and well-being. The program includes weekly 1:1 sessions, pair programming, knowledge checks, and quizzes, as well as access to a tech-help Slack channel and a personal mentor. The program also focuses on preparing participants for software engineering interviews and requires them to build a capstone project using the PERN stack. Techtonica is committed to improving and updating their curriculum, which is open source, and actively seeks feedback from participants through surveys and a feedback framework. The application process for Techtonica is also highly supportive, with free support sessions, office hours, and individualized feedback for applicants. Overall, Techtonica is a comprehensive and supportive program for those looking to enter the field of software engineering.

Techtonica wants its participants to be successful. The staff is incredibly supportive and realistic, even when you have full-blown imposter syndrome. They are trying to #BridgeTheTechGap and help low-income women and nonbinary folks (everybody but cis-men) get into tech. Also, because the program lasts 6 months, you can still have a life outside of your computer (extra great for parents, people with other obligations, people who are trying to not burn out in tech before even getting started). In fact, they encourage you to have a work-life balance and to know what you deserve in your upcoming tech career. A year ago, I was doing something else entirely, not at all related to tech, and now I'm a Software Engineer at Sony. All you really need is to be ready and willing to work with others, to not be afraid of independent learning, and to be able to ask questions (especially when you're confused!).

  My overall message to people about Techtonica (women, non-binary, femme identity) is that this is a great way to get your foot in the door in tech!  There are many coding bootcamps, many of which charge *a lot* of money with no meaningful job opportunities. This does not describe Techtonica. Techtonica is not a cookie cutter academic course/bootcamp, it is a very practical preparation for the actual job. You will need to be able to self-learn with the help of the engineering manager, volunteer mentors, cohort mates, & free online resources/Etc.

    You will be guided to learn the fundamentals of software development, practice coding challenges(leading up to leetcode), and will build up a portfolio of projects!!!

PROS 

• Free of charge. Yes, you do not pay a dime...and they even offer monthly stipends/equipment for those who qualify.

•  Internship. Every member of my cohort all got 6 month internships! I believe the previous cohort all received internships and subsequently offered full time jobs! However, the program stated initially that the internship wasn't guaranteed. Also, there is an interview process for the internship. This internship could potentially turn into your first job in tech!

• Excellent mentorship program. I was assigned an incredible mentor with FAANG experience who was supportive and awesome.
  Also, we had "super mentors" that offered regular assistance, all had extensive industry expertise.

• Flexibility. The program staff wants feedback, they want to improve, they want to do better...this is very meaningful to me.

• However, you must communicate/advocate for yourself if there is something you need or would like to see changed(Just like anywhere else).

•  Network/support. Fellow cohort mates become your network and support! Some even become dear friends <3. Staff is very supportive and continues to offer support/guidance even after graduation! Industry professionals come in frequently to give talks about software development and other related roles in tech.

• Hands on experience/projects for your portfolio. The cohort participants are guided to build a collection of projects to display on GitHub. You will build a portfolio of work to showcase! Also, learning how to work with Git/GitHub/CLI(the command line) was a huge plus for me.

CONS 

• The curriculum.  Many of the curriculum materials were broken links, poor in quality, or presented in a non-sequential way (this was very frustrating when trying to learn for the first time).   

• HOWEVER, they hired someone to fix this upon receiving feedback and made needed changes to the structure of the program to address the issues: implemented more study groups, course pre-reqs, and encouraged us to find better learning materials. 

• In Hindsight, the ability to independently google/find learning resources is a valuable job skill. Not all resources are great, thus you take it upon yourself to find ones that meet your needs. This is part of the "learning to learn" and will continue throughout your software development career.

NOTE: This is a very fast paced & intensive program. If you apply and are accepted--- some of your cohort mates are coming in with more programming experience and code challenge fluency, so ideally you should know/learn as much as you can beforehand.

To some of the advanced cohort mates the curriculum topics were just a review, but for others (like myself), it was the first time being introduced. In order to stay on track I had to deeply study/work after hours, get extra help, and really put in the effort to learn...it was challenging but worth it. You will learn how to prioritize your time. Familiarize yourself before the program starts with software development fundamentals/code challenges, it will be very helpful. 

Also, I think it would be good to clarify from the start: 

By the time of the internship interviews, you should be prepared to solve Javascript leetcode-easy level problems... because it was what most of the internship interviews consisted of (a couple didn't...and seemed more like practical code challenges...AND one was definitely a leetcode-medium level). Be prepared. Practice daily. Your code challenge fluency may possibly determine if you get the internship that you want (aka some internships pay significantly more than others or have the culture you want).

If you are a motivated woman or a non-binary adult trying to break into tech, this is the program for you! Techtonica is a free remote program that may offer a small stipend for living expenses and a computer to borrow. The program is a full-stack software engineering program consisting of 6 months of very intense self-taught learning with lots of mentor support and collaboration. Then another 6 months working as an apprentice/intern software engineer at a sponsor company. There is a possibility of conversion to full time employment after the internship. What you put in is what you get out. 

PROS:  A FREE complete learning experience with lots of support, "family friendly", speaker series( tech workers with different roles speak about their careers), and you can connect with the speakers directly on LinkedIn, amazing networking opportunities, in addition to programming skills/languages/technologies there is a focus on diversity and inclusion, and soft skills. The staff at Techtonica are very transparent, proactive, personable and responsive.

CONS: none

My Story: I quit my teaching career after 15 years. I went back to school and earned a Bachelors of Science in IT.  Unfortunately, the degree didn't give me the tech/programming skills that are needed to become a software engineer. ( I realize now that you can have a non-traditional background without a degree and still become a software engineer.)   I spent another 4 years coding in my spare time.  It was painstakingly slow. I would get stuck in my code and didn't know anyone that could help me. I didn't have a mentor and I wasn't successful learning alone. Finally, at a Node SF meetup, I heard about a program for women called Techtonica. It took me a year to get up the courage to apply. I applied and wasn't accepted. I kept coding and practicing for 5 more months, applied again and was accepted!  I practiced using Techtonica's open source curriculum, Free Code Camp, Wes Bos videos, and  Angela Yu's Udemy web development course. Once accepted into the program, I took advantage of every opportunity that was offered by the program. Techtonica changed my life. I now have connections that I can reach out to, soft skills to navigate this demanding field,  a solid full-stack programming foundation and two outstanding mentors that I can reach out to anytime. I have an internship that helps pay the bills and I will be learning even more. I feel that my software engineer career is finally taking off! 

Here is the formula: 
 Put in the work + Maintain your growth mindset + Give it 6 months 
 === 
 You will be gain the confidence and skills to be a software engineer. 
 
 Before Techtonica, I was independently learning to program, applying to jobs with no ends in sight and found lots of rejection. This organization afforded me the opportunity of a stipend (to support myself), gave me a curriculum, gave me structure, introduced me to people in the field, and helped me prepare for my role as a software engineer. The whole program is 6 months and I had confidence and stronger technical skills to show at the end of it. This organization changed my life by helping me make a successful career transition into Tech and I cannot recommend this program enough. Thanks Michelle and the countless mentors that helped me get here today.  Pros: Assigned mentors while attending Techtonica, 6 months of stipend, camaraderie with fellow women and nonbinary people, community, job placement, emotional support, post-placement support, and a new lease on life.
 
 Cons: 1.) Depends on who you ask, "gating exams" were stated in the contracts but not something my cohort openly addressed and it caught a few folks off guard. You are asked to leave if you cannot pass the exams, so work hard! Nothing is free. I recently volunteered with the org and was happy to see the mention of "gating exams" mentions in the forefront. Kudos! 2.) No instructor(s) during my cohort, but I think that might have changed. 3.) It is not highly stressed, but I feel like it should be: you should have done your fair share of learning the fundamentals of web development before joining Techtonica. Fact. It will greatly benefit you if you're not doing everything for the first time during the program; having due diligence means going through a (free/open-source) beginner’s course on CodeAcademy; FreeCodeCamp; and discovering your personal interests in software development are all good things. 

This apprenticeship is truly life changing, I have heard others say it, but experiencing it was something else. One of the best experiences of my life. In 6 months I was able to build full stack apps, I feel I left there with a great foundation to keep learning and growing. Techtonica is extremely supportive from giving me a mentor to work with, 1-1 meetings, feedbacks, plenty of soft skills like advocating for ourselves, thinking about what it means to be a woman/non-binary/minority in the tech world, mock interviews. They really go above and beyond to set you up for success not just to learn how to code but how to think like a Software Engineer, how to feel confident in doing that, collaborating with others, cultivating a growth-mindset. Being a part of Techtonica has shown me that safe spaces like this do exist and I am currently in an internship now thanks to Techtonica that is equally as supportive and very committed to my growth. Besides the technical aspects, I really enjoyed all of the guest speakers who came to talk with us about different topics to teach us about the tech world but also to help us think about ourselves in a more empowering way. Very valuable.

I started coding just half a year before joining Techtonica. My coding experience was limited to writing loops, creating functions, and solving some algorithms. I had never created any applications and didn't know what front-end, back-end, API and databases are. 

The competition to get into the program was big. There were multiple steps: completing a long application, finishing a small JavaScript tutorial, two 3-hour pair programming sessions with other applicants, where we were observed by volunteers, and the last step - a 1:1 with a Techtonica staff (writing a code) . Luckily, I was accepted.

The program was very intense. Almost every week we would cover a new topic and we would practice the new skills by completing weekly projects. At the end of each week we had knowledge assessment. The best part of the program is that each student gets matched with a personal technical mentor, who helps with the weekly projects, answer technical questions and help to debug.  Techtonica staff was also very supportive, and students could address any problems/issues they had. 

Another great thing about Techtonica, is that the program does not only teach coding but also trains students for behavioral interviews and develop soft skills. Every week we had mock interviews with Techtonica staff, and we had a lot of opportunities to practice interviewing with volunteers from tech companies. 

Techtonica doesn't have instructors, so I put 4 stars for instructors in my rating, just because it's not applicable. It's a self learning program. Students pair program, can teach and learn from each other as well as ask questions from mentors.

I am so happy that I got to know about this amazing program and decided to join. Next week, I am going to graduate from Techtonica, and I got a paid internship for a back-end role in one of the Techtonica sponsor companies!

Techtonica is an exceptional program for women and non-binary individuals looking to break into the tech industry.  Pros:

1. Affordable: Techtonica is affordable, with the added benefit of monthly stipends and equipment for those who qualify.
2. Internships: High probability to secure a 6-month internship. 
3. Excellent Mentorship: Mentors with industry experience provide invaluable guidance.
4. Strong Network and Support: The network of fellow cohort members, supportive staff, and industry professionals who give talks create a robust support system that extends beyond graduation.

Overall Experience: Techtonica’s program is fast-paced and challenging, requiring dedication and self-learning skills. Participants are guided to learn web development fundamentals and build a portfolio of projects. It’s crucial to prepare before starting the program. In summary, Techtonica is a life-changing program that offers immense value and opportunity for those willing to put in the effort. It stands out for its comprehensive support, excellent mentorship, and commitment to participant success.

Each day brings new concepts and terms to self-learn, followed by weekly assessments that test your understanding.

There are weekly projects that require pushing work to GitHub. This is more beneficial if you have prior experience, but if you are a beginner you will build simple projects.
To thrive in this program, being a strong self-learner is essential. 

Overall, Techtonica presents an opportunity for gaining project experience. Not everyone is guaranteed a placement.