UNH Coding Boot Camp

For someone who had little to no knowledge about coding before enrolling, I am so happy with the result of my decision to enroll in the UNH Coding Bootcamp. I was definitely nervous going into the first week of class but everyone from my classmates to my instructor and teaching assistant to my Student Success Manager and Career Services team were nothing but extremely helpful, encouraging and supportive every step along the way. The course can feel fast paced at times but there was never a time that I didn't feel like I didn't have support. If anybody is considering this bootcamp and has the time and commitment to dedicate 6 months of hard work, I have nothing but good things to say and highly recommend taking this next step! 

Before I began this 6 month journey, it was tough to conceive how we would learn 'enough' in that relatively short amount of time, to begin a career as a viable coder. While there was an immense amount of material covered, it was done in a very methodical way -- covering the basics of how to think like a computer programmer, as well as running through the fundamental technologies of web development as it currently stands, in an intuitive order that would build on prior units of material. This doesn't go into immense detail for any one technology (not enough time), but it gives you the groundwork upon which to build your technical skills, and links you to a supportive network which will help you build the other (non-technical) pieces of being an attractive job candidate.

Our instructional team was an excellent combination of personalities, both extremely generous with their time and patience. I would take a class with these two (or either one) again if I was looking to.

Make sure you have enough free time carved out (like 20-40 hours a week) so you both don't get too far behind or psychologically 'lose it'! This is an extremely intense 24-week class -- but if you're willing to put the time in -- even if you don't fully 'get it' yet -- you will pass the class. The good news is this isn't graded like a 'weed out' class -- they want you to succeed and they know it takes a while before you're actually 'good' at coding. As long as you submit enough assignments, participate in the three big projects, and attend enough classes, you will pass, even if you aren't fully grasping what is going on. With time and more practice, you will eventually grasp it -- thinking in this particular way is very difficult, thus takes a lot of time for it to become 'easy' -- no wonder it pays well!

I joined this online coding bootcamp in June, 2022. My overall experience with this bootcamp has been amazing! I'm going to give a brief detail of each question that you may have.

You may feel unsure about a few things as I have listed below:

• I don't know if this is what I want?

It is normal to feel that way, because I was actually a bit concerned in the first and second week. But soon I learned to give a bit more patience to get to know my teacher- Mohammed, my TA- Bobby and my student success manager- Jeanna (SSM) (warm up a relationship!), once I feel more natural in a few classes, I definitely open myself up to ask questions during class or at before and after office hours. I showed up in the office hours every time, and most of time, I'm the only one who's there, so you can be the same to take advantage of this great one-on-one opportunity. Just you and your teach and TA! And they want to see you there!

• I don't know if this is going to be worth my time?

Learning a new skill is definitely not an easy task! Especially for those who has busy work life and family. Time management is very important! From my own experience with this coding bootcamp, I can tell you, don't feel like you don't know anything compared to those students show up with more confidence than you. Keep doing each week in-class activities and assigned weekly challenge, you will see how much you are building each day. At least, I feel learning so much by keep doing it. This is a fast-pace class, and it's going to be hard no matter what, but the truth is- The teacher and the TA team are trying to show us how to solve the problem by finding the solution on own own, so we can feel less fear not to understand everything, (No one understand everything!) 

My advice for you here- You can always say coding is not for you, but Give yourself some time to learn a skill, to get to know a new skill first! 

• I don't know if I am going to get help if I get stuck with my assignments?

I got a lot of extra help during in and before office hours. Like I said above, I showed up in the office hours to take advantages of working with my teacher and TA, they provided a demo of the part that I got stuck or other students got stuck, and we can even send requests in the Slack channel to inform them that I want to go over some topic from yesterday or last week during the office hours, and they will surely say YES!

Besides, my teacher and the TA.  I used tutoring sessions regularly, meaning- my coding bootcamp was part-time, so I was allowed to book a tutoring session with a tutor 1/week. I noticed that some students were not happy with their tutor, but I was lucky because I found a great tutor working with me through my coding bootcamp journey. 

The solution I'm going to share with you here- you can also request for a different tutor, but once you find one that you'd like to work with, you should make sure to bookmark their personal Calendly, so you can book a session with them!

• I don't know who can answer my struggles and concerns or can provide me with any possible support in the bootcamp?

I was very concerned in the first and second week. I talked to my student success manager- Jeanna (SSM) very often, more than you can't image. I explained why I need help with tutoring, I let her know I was struggled with what week's class material. She was the one who always responded and provided some good feedbacks. I booked a call with her via Calendly, so it became more personal once you can actually talk on the phone to express a feeling or a concern. 

My advice for you here- get to know your SSM, they are here for you, they won't know you need them if you don't reach out to them. They are on Slack every day except weekend, I didn't wait till last minute to reach for support, contact them as soon as you notice you need support, and you can actually start getting support in your bootcamp!

• I don't know if I am going to get a career coach to work with me to be more employee-ready?

There will be a career coach team for you once you graduate from the bootcamp. You can also start working with a career coach before the bootcamp ends. I started working with a career coach after my bootcamp, there will 4 things I need to complete before receiving on-one-on coaching session. My career coach provided back with very constructive feedbacks and great resources to each item I have submitted. 

4 things you need prior to get a one-one-one coach session:

1. Resume + Cover Letter
2. LinkedIn Portfolio
3. Profession Website
4. GitHub

My advice for you here- taking time to complete what you can first and keep building your stuff in a professional way with their useful tips. 

I can describe my UNH Coding Boot Camp experience in one word---Transformative! 
 When I think back to my coding knowledge, skills, and abilities at the beginning of boot camp and where they are today, just 6 months later, I am amazed. I’ve learned a lot. While I have a lot more to learn, I’m confident that I’ll be able to secure an entry level web development job and add value to a team. 
   I expected the pace to be fast (and it certainly was) since there are many topics to cover in a full stack program. The program was rigorous and most weeks I spent 15-20+ hours outside of class on homework and review.  
  
 The curriculum was well-designed and full of hands-on activities that reinforced the lessons, weekly homework assignments and three team projects. The instructional team was knowledgeable, experienced, and supportive. My classmates were of various ages and backgrounds and getting to know them throughout the course was a highlight. We worked hard, encouraged each other, and had fun. 
  
 I had almost no coding experience prior to the boot camp, and I felt overwhelmed at times. However, there was a lot of support available to students: Instructor and TA Office Hours (before and after class), tutors, online support, and a Student Success Manager. The Student Success Manager took feedback from the weekly surveys seriously and worked hard to ensure students had the support they needed and had a positive and meaningful learning experience. 
   The program was well worth the investment (tuition, time, and effort). The program left me energized and inspired to continue my web development journey. Plus, I have a portfolio of projects that I am proud to share with prospective employers.

I can describe my UNH Coding Bootcamp experience in one word---Transformative! 

When I think of my coding knowledge, skills, and abilities at the beginning of boot camp and where they are today, just 6 months later, I am amazed. I’ve learned a lot. While I have a lot more to learn, I’m confident that I’ll be able to secure an entry level web development job and add value to a team. 

I expected the pace to be fast (and it certainly was) since there are many topics to cover in a full stack program. The program was rigorous and most weeks I spent 15-20+ hours outside of class on homework and review.  

The curriculum was well-designed and full of hands-on activities that reinforced the lessons, weekly homework assignments and three team projects. The instructional team was knowledgeable, experienced, and supportive. My classmates were of various ages and backgrounds and getting to know them throughout the course was a highlight. We worked hard, encouraged each other, and had fun. 

I had no coding experience prior to the boot camp, and I felt overwhelmed at times. However, there was a lot of support available to students: Instructor and Teaching Assistant office hours (before and after class), tutors, online support, and a Student Success Manager. The Student Success Manager took feedback from the weekly surveys seriously and worked hard to ensure students had the support they needed and had a positive and meaningful learning experience. 

The program was well worth the tuition and the significant time and effort. The program left me energized and inspired to continue my web development journey. Plus, I have a portfolio of projects that I am proud to share with prospective employers.

You will learn a lot. Not just HTML and CSS but JS, Node, express, react, performance, storage, how to deploy and databases as well. That being said you will have access to your teacher, teacher assistant, student success manager, career services (take advantage) and a tutor session which help the learning process so much. I know so much more now than when I started the class. The knowledge you gained will make it possible for you to create and deploy a MERN stack application on the web & phone across OS as well. My classmates were a great group of people and you will gain some friends as well. Take advantage of this opportunity. 

Six months ago, I may have looked just like you do right now. I was contemplating joining this camp, but the leap was so scary. Will the time and investment be worth it? I had never coded a day in my life. 

Today, I am graduating and very happy with the program. 

Instructors: The main teacher has been in the industry for many years and had did a great job explaining complex concepts in simple terms. On top of that, he constantly offered real world advice and really helped us experience what the industry is like and what we need to do to be part of it. The assistant teacher worked with people well outside of office hours and really cared about helping everyone reach their full potential. 

Content: They update the content every couple of months to make sure they are teaching the cutting edge. It comes at you fast, but you will get it if you practice daily and ask for help when you don't get it. Be aware, that even though this course is "part time",  you need to treat it like a full time job. Many of my peers and I studied well over 20 hours per week on top of jobs and family. It can be hard, but its also fun and worth it.

Career Services: For those willing to go the extra mile, the career services team really steps up. The whole department's goal is to make you employable and help you get a good job. They helped me update my resume multiple times, get a professional linked in profile, and much more. More importantly, they stay with you months after you graduate as a resource. 

To summarize, this course was everything I was hoping it would be. I recommend it to my friends in person, and hope that if you are on the edge right now, it helps you rest at ease that you are making the right choice. 

I am so happy I decided to enroll in this boot camp. I had little to no experience in programming before starting. I now have a portfolio of apps and projects that I can show to potential employers as well as a great programming foundation to continue learning upon. 

The instructional and support staff were incredible. I was amazed by their intelligence, knowledge, and how they made difficult concepts easier to understand. However, this program is rigorous and difficult. The more you put into the program, the more you will get out of it. 

I have learned so many new skills from taking this program. I would recommend it to anyone!

Everyone I worked with from enrollment through graduation was engaging, knowledgeable, and helpful. 

I entered the program with very little programming knowledge, but that didn't hold me back. The program provides resources to help get you up to speed before classes begin, and once classes begin the instructors are so thorough that you don't need to worry about being left behind.

The projects we worked on helped me build a portfolio that I am proud to present to recruiters and employers.

I cannot recommend this BootCamp enough.

At first I was very nervous and had little idea what I was getting myself into. I knew i wanted a career change and to better myself. But after six months of the course i will say i didn't realize how much I would change. Not only did the instructors, TA's, and tutors go above and beyond to help me at any time, but the "guidance counselor" was always there to talk and help me walk back off the edge so to speak. They helped put things into perspective and were always there to help build a game plan to conquer the homework's and projects. They are there to educate and 100% see you succeed. 

It's crazy how much you can learn in such a short time! Things that used to seem completely foreign are now second nature. Documentation explaining how Javascript or some related technology, used to be impossible to read, and now it's my go-to for a clear-cut explanation. It wasn't easy but it was worth it. I'm someone who didn't have any post-secondary education and was tired of working jobs where I wasn't appreciated unless I worked myself like crazy. Who wants that?

My recommendation when taking this course is to use your time during class to do what is best for your education. All classes are recorded and available for viewing afterward so don't worry if you didn't understand something because you can always go back and watch it again. Sometimes something will make sense during a lecture-like session but then when it comes time for the activity you will feel lost. It happens to the best of us. 

• My preferred method of note-taking is taking my notes directly in the code in the form of "comments". Code comments will not affect your code when it's running. Comments will be ignored by whatever is running it (web browser, hosting platform, etc.). Leaving notes in the form of comments makes it easy to know what code you're referring to because you can leave a comment right next to code in reference
• In-class activities will sometimes be too challenging to do, or just plain won't make sense to you. They do provide the completed code and I recommend you utilize that if you need to. If needed I would go through the completed code and research what I didn't understand and leave notes in the code (as comments) explaining what is happening. Each activity builds off the previous and getting lost on one activity will keep you lost on the next. Do what works best for you so you don't get lost. If you didn't get the last activity then go back to it until you get it. You can always complete any missed activities on your own time.
• To avoid the above from happening, you could get a jump start on the new week's lesson by utilizing the resources provided to you in an email at the beginning of each week. Sometimes life gets busy and you're not able to do so, then refer to the above recommendation
• Homework doesn't always have to look pretty. Your code should be clean but websites don't have to look pretty. Focus on functionality and user experience. Take the time you would have used to make it look pretty and instead work on other projects or some form of coding/programming. If you want to be more of a visual designer (web designer) then focus on that. Though, it is easier to learn design concepts than it is to learn cleanly coded, functional, and easy to use applications. MVP is something you'll learn about. MVP stands for Minimal Viable Product. An MVP application is functional and gets the job done. Anything not considered essential can be added later. Following the "user story", "acceptance criteria", and the grading rubric will result in an MVP style application. The only exception to this is group-projects, there will be enough people working on the application that this is achievable and worth it. Group projects will be a nice addition to your resume so a good looking website is a win. 
• You'll be in a Slack workspace (like DIscord) with your teacher, teacher assistants, and other classmates. Teachers and TA's are available through this so don't be afraid to ask questions during non-class hours. Here you can message with classmates and create study groups or just talk about random stuff in the Random chatroom (we posted a lot of memes and nonsense, I totally recommend it!)
• Overall try to have with your code. The chances are you won't be using homework assignments on your resume or portfolio page at the end of the class. You can be silly in these, give things funny names, use memes instead of other photos, whatever you need to laugh. Homework is designed to give you practice using the technology you learned, as long as you're doing the MVP you have leeway for some ridiculousness. 
• Sticky notes are awesome for terminal commands you'll use often as they can be easily accessible when you need them. 

Hope this was helpful!
- Brendan