UT Austin Boot Camps

Three months ago I quit my day job and enrolled full-time at The Coding Boot Camp at UT Austin. Yesterday, I graduated and received my certificate of completion and I wanted to share the great experience I had with anyone curious about this new and upcoming coding crash course.

The Coding Boot Camp at UT Austin is a new contender in the coding boot camp sphere, so when I enrolled the reviews were few and far between. I was extremely skeptical at first, because many other coding boot camps have been getting lots of negative attention from the tech community. Horror stories of boot camp graduates not being hired, bashing blog posts from former unhappy students, and even some of the top coding boot camps shutting down. After doing a ton of research, I bit the bullet and decided on the Coding Boot Camp at UT Austin.

I choose this particular camp because it was affordable ($11,000) and it was in Austin, so I wouldn’t have to relocate to attend. I’ve always fantasized about creating applications, and kept a running list of all my app and business ideas. This was something I always knew I wanted to do, but never had the skills or any idea how to get started. This boot camp provided everything I needed and more.

I remember about two months into the course thinking, “I’ve already learned so much, I feel like I’ve already gotten my money’s worth from this class.” I cannot express how fantastic this course was. The curriculum is rich and concise. The instructors are phenomenal. I feel like I hit the the instructor lottery when I was assigned to Jim McCoy. He taught me more practical, hands-on knowledge in 3 months than I did from 4 years of university. Before taking those course, I had no idea how to create functional web application.

Now I’m confident I can contribute real-world skills to a team or project. Here are just a few of the topics we learned:

• HTML5
• Git
• CSS3
• Twitter Bootstrap
• Javascript (So much Javascript!)
• jQuery
• RESTful APIs and using AJAX
• Firebase
• Node.js
• mySQL
• MongoDB
• Express.js and Handlebars
• Custom ORM, Sequelize, and Mongoose
• Testing
• React
• React Native
• Php and Laravel
• Authentication using Passport.js
• Intro to Computer Science and Algorithms

What all that fancy jargon translates to is we learned how to create every aspect of building a website. From styling and design, to complex login in systems, and even creating and hosting the site on our own server.

The class itself felt like a bit like a fast paced, college level course that lasted all day. The biggest difference was the teaching style. The instructor would lecture for 10–20 minutes, then we would do a 10 minute hands-on activity with the technology lectured about. I absolutely loved this format, because it forces you to get involved and really understand what you’re learning about.

Twice a week we were assigned homework assignments to solidify those concepts. The homework would take about 10 hours on average to complete. We would receive grades and comments on the homework, but only as a means for us to improve. The grading dynamic was very different than a conventional classroom, which I thought was a good thing. The homework was graded by the teacher assistants, which were usually top former students. Grades were only there as a means to provide feedback, and not to weed out or fail students. Unless you were failing to even attempt the homework, you would graduate and receive a certificate.

My advice to anyone thinking of attending this boot camp would be don’t attend a coding boot camp unless you are hungry and passionate to learn programming. This course does not guarantee a tech job after graduation, and is extremely difficult. Several of my fellow classmates ran out of steam early, and it is because they signed up for the wrong reasons. The only guarantee for a great career is a genuine interest and passion to create awesome programs. Also, future students should get some programming practice before starting this course. There are tons of free material to get started online, and coming in with some prior knowledge will pay off ten fold.

In conclusion, attending The Coding Boot Camp at UT Austin was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I’m excited I get to pursue my personal passion, and grateful I had the opportunity to attend such a fabulous program.

My experience at the UT @ Austin coding bootcamp is transformatory. The students and staff all contributed to making the experience worthwhile. From the inception of the program, the students' success manager was always there for the students. He was always avaiable to attend to our immediate and remote needs.

The career services were extremely helpful. Even though they do not guarantee you interviews and jobs but they provide you with all the necessary tools for you to succeed in the job market. Moreover, the career team is always avaiable to assist months after graduation

The instruction staff were excellent and very helpful, They answer the minutest question even though the program is quire heavily packed, Any hardworking student will find thiat this program is excellent. I will always look back to my days in the bootcamp with admiration for the great relationships developed. I will recommend  UT # Austin bootcamps for any one who wants to transit to a career in the tech space.

UT Austin Full Stack Web Development Coding Bootcamp was an amazing experience. I attended the full time course, which was 12 weeks long. The amount of learning and job preperation from this course was excellent and within the 12 weeks, my understanding of web development shot up compared to learning with self-taught route. Being in a classroom with like minded people and group projects was what really took my understanding of coding to the next level becuase of the real world team like atmosphere. The TA's were there to offer help all throughout the course and the instructors understanding of the class content was excellent and an open door policy was there for any questions or help you needed. It was very much you get out of it what you put in, the pace and content was difficult all throughout the course, but there was no lack of help when it comes to utilizing the TA's and instructor.  

Another amazing benefit of this program was the career help. All throughout the 12 weeks there was help in building your resume/portfolio/and interview prep. Resources such as posing Meetups and introducing you to local employers was amazing. The career support team truly wanted to help me get a job and working together with them has proven results of getting a job after completing the course. You have to be hungry and put in the hard work of networking and the career support definitely helps you along the way!

All in all I would recommend the course, but be ready to be challenged and put in the hard work of learning the content. To score a job in the tech industry is difficult, but with the help of this bootcamp and career support, you will be glad you took the course. 

The UT Coding Bootcamp was one of my favorite experiences! I had always been interested in the world of computer programming, but had no idea where to start until a friend showed me the bootcamp, and I am so glad that they did. 

Through out the program I not only learned how to read and write in mulitple programming languages, but I also learned how to explain my code to both industry professionals and those who have no coding experience. We also covered computer science basics to where we could seamlessly transfer our coding knowledge into multiple areas through out the technological landscape. 

Also my instructor Eric was the best! He made class fun and engaging. The enitre class got pretty close with group hangouts and multiple inside jokes!

Seriously if you are looking for a great bootcamp you need not look any further!

I was a graduate from the first cohort at the University of Texas and could not be more pleased with the experience.  As my skills and experience level have expanded, I have developed an even deeper appreciation for this bootcamp.  

What distinguishes this bootcamp from the crowd?  Passion!  Without a doubt.  All the people involved with this program are passionate about the success of their students.  From the men and women who write the curriculum, to the instructors and TA's who are in the class every day, to the career director and student success manager...the list goes on.  Every single person I came in contact with at the bootcamp seemed genuinely interested in my personal success, and that of my peers.  The energy this created was palpable every single day and drove me to try harder and do my best.

Anything else?  Yes.  All bootcamps are focused on providing a "practical and applicable" skillset, but this curriculum insists that students understand what is happening on a fundamental level.  The focus is on not just developing skills that are applicable today, but building a skillset that sets you up for success in two, five, ten years.  

Is it easy?  Ha!  Come in expecting to work.  This is a challenging program.  The pace is fast.  The workload is heavy.  Expectations are high.  But hey, if it was easy everyone would do it.  If you are willing to work, there is a support system that will get you to the finish line!  

Why did you choose this program?  Two reasons.  Number one, I'm a sucker for the University of Texas brand.  In this day and age of Trump University and fly by night "job training programs" I  wanted something that I knew was going to be there, and not some charleton that was going to cash my check and dissapear.  I knew the University of Texas would demand nothing but the highest standards.  

Number two, the part time aspect.  I was not in a position to drop 10k+ on a bootcamp program, quit my job, wait three months and hope there was an income waiting for me at the end.  This program provided me with the opportunity to keep my job while studying and job searching.  Was that easy?  No, but if it was easy everyone would do it.

I chose the UT Austin Full Stack Coding Boot Camp because it allowed me to still work full time while learning at night and on the weekends. It was tough. And it was so worth it.

I currently work with two people that were graduates of other boot camp programs.
I have compared some notes and feel that I got the better deal. Not only do I think the price point was superior but also was the overall experience and the quality of the teaching staff and career assistance. 

I was so pleased with the quality and passion of the UT staff to help place graduates, it was good to know that there was a team of people pushing for you. Their help and support was just a phone call away.

I wouldn't call myself a talented writer but the two pieces of advice that I can give are:
1. You get out what you put in to the program, don't worry about asking dumb questions or holding back questions.
2. Find a problem you are passionate about solving and let it inspire you.

The experiences and friendships that I have gained during the 24 week long program are why I was able to make a complete career change to something I really enjoy doing.

With previous experience in only sales/corporate roles, I was astounded to step into the world of web development and be both welcomed and challenged to grow more than I ever have by means of The Coding Bootcamp at UT. The standards and quality of curriculum are high and, consequently, open the door of opportunity for students of varying previous backgrounds to shift into web development and engineering positions with easiblity.

I am a strong advocate for education innovation and it makes me proud to be a graduate of this bootcamp. Furthermore, the contacts you make through the many outlets of instructional staff, student success managers, career services, guest speakers, and your own tech-driven classmates are limitless. I am happy to have built relationships with so many people I respect and that have a genuine interest in my success - several of which I now have the privilege of calling close friends.

Thank you UTCB team and a few special shoutouts to Jeremy Bergeron, Roger Le, and Lisa Battle for showing tremendous faith in me and helping support my new career in tech!

I went into the UT coding bootcamp with very little coding experience. I was previously a construction superintendant and the only coding experience I had was the intro to html, css, and javascript courses offered by codecademy. Fast forward 6 months and my dreams have come true. I'm now a full time JavaScript developer. It wouldn't have been possible without the great people and curriculum from the UT coding bootcamp. In 6 months they took me from a total beginner to feeling confident to apply for jobs that had a salary most people dream of. Whether you want to specialize in design or dive deep into the backend then the UT coding bootcamp will equip you with the skills to do.

 Also a special shoutout to my instructor Roger Le, TAs Jedd, Allen, and Josh, and career coach Jeremy Bergeron for all the effort you put into the students. You beyond showed that you really cared.

TL;DR: Yes, do it.

Verbose:

Bootcamps will never be a cure-all, so if you’re looking for that, stop reading and step off this metaphorical locomotive. If you’re looking for an invitation to join the world of programming and reignite your own curiosity, jump aboard.

My previous career was as a classical musician—opera singer in particular—so you could say that I came to software development/programming from about as far away as possible. If I can do it, so can you, and The Coding Bootcamp at UT Austin will give you the tools you need.

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already blown through some online resources, and that’s where I was. My largest problem with learning how to code was figuring out the large concepts. I wanted to learn, but I didn’t know where or HOW to look for the next step. The Coding Bootcamp at UT Austin provided that essential step. 

We covered Javascript from client side to backend, and hit most technology that’s used in shops all around Austin (Mongo, Express, React, Node.js). Pounding one language gave me the skill to look at other languages and not tremble with fear and anxiety. Likewise, everything we learned is something I use on a daily basis.

Moreover, Jim McCoy and Roger Le—our instructors—gave me enough information to take off and explore on my own. They are awesome teachers in their own right, and they’re interested in our continued success. Holly, Rob, Allen, and Jedd (our TA’s) did a stellar job of supporting us throughout the learning process. Help was never too far away, but thankfully, it wasn’t too close either. A huge part of learning how to code is learning how to solve problems on your own, and the academic team made sure our class had ample time to flex our problem solving muscles.

Another important element that differentiates the Coding Bootcamp at UT Austin from others in the area is its strong Career Services support. Jeremy Bergeron and Candace Salim helped me build my brand, hone my message, and clean up my materials to present the best version of myself. Then they introduced me to awesome companies. 

To sum up what my experience with the Coding Bootcamp at UT Austin, here’s a quote that I love (yes, it's cheesy, but it's honest): "Everybody says they're trying to get their piece of the pie. They don't realize that the world is a kitchen. You can make your own pie." - Terry Crews. They didn’t make the pie for me, but they sure gave me a good recipe.

If you’re interested in taking the next step, this is the place for you.

ABOUT ME: Just to put my experience into perspective, I came from a varied background in sales, freelance photography and videography. I loathed going into my sales job every day and wanted a career change but wasn't exactly sure how to go about it or what direction to head. I randomly came across a bootcamp, and was intrigued at the idea. Become a web developer in 24 weeks? I had taken a basic HTML/CSS class in college several years ago, and while I certainly enjoyed it, that sounds a little too good to be true. My options were to either go back to school through UT or ACC, or look more into a bootcamp, weighing the pros and cons of each. Once I decided this was certainly the direction I wanted to head, I started researching local bootcamps more in-depth, of which several exist. The Coding Bootcamp at UT Austin checked off every box I was looking for: part-time so that I could continue to work a full-time job, career services, a reasonable price, and it was backed by the UT name. 

INTERVIEW: After applying, I went through a couple of phone interviews. I was asked about my background, why I want to get into coding, and was asked to solve a couple of fairly difficult problem-solving questions. Honestly, I feel like I barely made the cut. After two phone interviews though, I was accepted!

CURRICULUM: Starting out, we learned the basics: HTML, CSS, and Javascript. The overall curriculum focused on the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js). Over the course of 6 months, we learned all sorts of other frameworks, libraries and languages too, such as Bootstrap, jQuery, and MySQL. We briefly touched on a few languages such as PHP, Ruby, and Python. The only reason I gave the curriculum a 4 star rating is because I thought we should have focused more on React and PHP, and become more "specialized" in a few areas as opposed to knowing a little about a lot. We were the very first cohort however, and their material will become even more focused and streamlined I feel as more people go through the course. I am extremely impressed at how flexible the curriculum is. It's all based on what the local companies are hiring for, and the whole team has a fantastic sense of what those are. 

CLASS: One of the things I liked most about participating in a bootcamp was just how diverse the other students are. Almost everybody is there for the same reason: a career change. I believe that because of our varied backgrounds, bootcamp grads have a more well-rounded approach to development and can draw from past experiences in other fields to help achieve goals and work on teams with other developers. My background in sales has certainly helped me, whether I like to admit it or not. Just to give you an idea of how diverse my cohort was... we had a former opera singer, a Spanish teacher, a skee ball champion, an American Sign Language interpretor, a warehouse salesman... the list goes on. 

INSTRUCTORS/TA's: I was in the Monday/Wednesday class taught by Jim McCoy, with Holly Springsteen and Rob Daly. Jim really made the course for me. He is hilarious in a no-filter kind of way, extremely intelligent and definitely cares about seeing us succeed. Holly and Rob gave up a lot of their evenings and weekends for 6 months to see us succeed, and they are equally as intelligent and helpful. I firmly believe that all of their effort was crucial to our success as a class.

CAREER SERVICES: Jeremy Bergeron and Candace Salim are the two I'm most familiar with behind Career Services, but I'm sure there were several other people behind-the-scenes that did a ton of work for us as well. Jeremy is a great guy, and his passion for landing us jobs is obvious. They helped us in optimizing resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interview techniques, and would usually bring in a speaker each Saturday to talk about various topics. One of the best things we did was mock interviews with employees from local well-known companies, followed up by a panel discussion. I used a few of the interview techniques we talked about that day, and I strongly believe that because of the things I learned then, I was able to actually receive an offer and accept it - on my very first tech interview! The dev team I interviewed with was super impressed by the questions I asked and how well I handled the whiteboard interview, and the entire team behind this bootcamp was essential to that experience. 

OTHER: The pace of the class was sometimes too fast, but it's because there's SO much material that could be covered. They constantly asked for feedback from us, and would often adjust the pace based on how we responded. Aside from the pace, one important thing I discovered is that with a lot of companies, there is a sort of stigma surrounding bootcamp graduates. What I mean by that, is that a lot of people will enter a bootcamp just for the sake of making more money. While that part is great, you have to be able to convey that you actually enjoy coding. One way of doing that is by delving into passion projects on the side or learning new technologies just for the sake of learning. I did that as much as my schedule would allow, and I believe it was ultimately another reason I was able to land a job with a great company. 

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: I was fortunate to be one of the students who got accepted into a full-time web developer role before graduation, and I can't thank the people behind The Coding Bootcamp enough. I'm now not dreading going in to work, I am doing work that I actually enjoy with awesome and intelligent coworkers, and making more money than ever on top of that. As long as you go in with realistic expectations, you understand your strengths and weaknesses as a student, and have an actual passion for coding, I believe that the curriculum and staff behind The Coding Bootcamp at UT Austin will almost certainly land you a new job.