Curriculum Spotlight: Software Engineering at BrainStation

BrainStation’s Software Engineering Bootcamp is routinely iterated upon to ensure students are receiving the skills they need to thrive in today’s tech workplace. The BrainStation team breaks down what students can expect to learn in the Software Engineering Bootcamp and who they’ll be taught by (spoiler alert: seasoned Software Engineering pros!). Plus, learn more about the typical tech roles and companies BrainStation graduates land!

Our takeaways:

• BrainStation’s Software Engineering Bootcamp can be completed either in 12 weeks, full-time or 8 months, part-time. 
• The program is offered in person from each of BrainStation's campuses in New York, London, Miami, Toronto, Vancouver as well as fully remote.
• While it’s good to have a basic understanding of coding, BrainStation does not require its incoming students to know how to code. When reviewing applicants, BrainStation is looking for ambition, focus, and a willingness to work hard.
• The bootcamp instructors are experienced Software Engineers!
• BrainStation’s Software Engineering Bootcamp graduates typically land tech roles as Junior or Intermediate Software Developers.
• BrainStation students come from diverse and widespread backgrounds. The Software Engineering Bootcamp is designed to truly transform your career. BrainStation students join the program from all industries and walks of life.

How long has BrainStation been teaching software engineering?

BrainStation has been teaching Web Development and Software Engineering since it was founded in 2012, and the Software Engineering Bootcamp has been a core offering since we started delivering full-time programs. The bootcamp is offered in both a full-time format over the course of 12 weeks, or a part-time format which runs for 8 months.  

What goes into the Software Engineering curriculum at BrainStation? What can students expect to learn?

The Bootcamp is broken down into five main units:

1. Software Engineering Foundations is an introduction to key software engineering concepts and computer science fundamentals. Students gain hands-on experience with HTML, CSS, and Terminal and learn how to create multi-page web products from scratch.
2. JavaScript is one of the world's most popular programming languages. We put a particular emphasis here as students build foundational JavaScript programming experience and see how adding JavaScript to HTML and CSS creates dynamic, interactive experiences. 
3. In the third unit, students learn to leverage React JS – a leading front-end library and modern software development approach used by companies like Meta, Uber, and Airbnb. Students learn to build single-page applications with rich user interfaces and enormous flexibility.
4. The Back-End Development unit rounds out the foundational full-stack development experience. Students learn to use Node.JS and Express to create a custom REST API web server that can power a real, functioning web app. This unit also covers Agile collaborative methodologies and pair programming, two highly in-demand skills for a software engineering career.
5. The final unit of our Software Engineering Bootcamp is DevOps, or “Development and Operations,” where students go beyond writing code to tackle critical technology topics that they might face in their careers. The output of this is a set of best practices used to boost efficiency and quality in the software development process, and learn about the deployment process. Finally, our students will prepare for a new software engineering career path with BrainStation's Career Accelerator Program.

Who are the instructors for the bootcamp? Are they Software Engineers?

The Educators teaching BrainStation’s Software Engineering Bootcamp are all experienced developers and software engineers who have been working in the field for many years. BrainStation Educators bring extensive industry experience to the classroom, providing students with real-world examples and problems from their own careers to enrich their learning. 

Educators also play a role in curriculum development. Working with other subject matter experts, they are constantly finding ways to iterate and improve the curriculum to ensure students are learning the most industry-relevant skills.

Does an applicant need to know how to code to get into BrainStation’s Software Engineering Bootcamp?

BrainStation students come from diverse and widespread backgrounds. The Software Engineering Bootcamp is designed to truly transform your career, and we see students join the program from all industries and walks of life. The most successful applicants share an ambition, focus, and willingness to work hard, indicating their drive to complete the program. 

The BrainStation Admissions process includes a personal statement of interest, a non-technical interview, and an Admissions Challenge component which involves some basic programming. Applicants often conduct some elementary self-study to successfully complete the challenge, but it is not expected that students will already know how to code beyond this before entering the program. 

Tech is constantly evolving! How does BrainStation iterate the software engineering curriculum?

Using an Agile development methodology and approach to curriculum development, BrainStation works with subject matter experts and our Educators to constantly improve and iterate curriculum alongside the ever-changing technology ecosystem. Our Software Engineering bootcamp teaches the most industry-relevant tools, programming languages, and technologies to ensure BrainStation graduates are prepared for the workforce. 

How does BrainStation prepare its bootcamp students for the tech job hunt?

In addition to teaching all of the essential skills that employers are looking for and iterating the curriculum based on the evolution of market needs, BrainStation also offers a range of career resources. Our Career Success team supports our grads with interview prep, resume-building tips, and networking advice. Grads are also guided through our Career Accelerator Program, which provides dedicated support and programming to help them land their first role in the field. 

We also work with our students to help build their online presence, whether it be on LinkedIn, GitHub, or other relevant networking platforms. These are vital tools for getting hired in tech, and we want to ensure our students complete the bootcamp effectively showcasing all that they have accomplished to hiring partners and recruiters. 

The Software Engineering Bootcamp culminates with Demo Day, BrainStation’s Graduate Project Showcase. This is an opportunity for our students to showcase their final portfolio project to our hiring partners, opening the door for them to network, make connections, and land interviews at incredible organizations. 

BrainStation continues to develop and foster an active hiring network that today consists of 7,000+ individuals at 2,500+ companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Walmart, Lululemon, Spotify, Adidas, Samsung and Adobe.

What kinds of job titles and salaries do BrainStation students typically land? 

A typical role for a BrainStation Software Engineering Bootcamp graduate is a Junior or Intermediate Software Developer. Excitingly, we are also seeing rapid career growth from our alumni. Some alumni are two or three promotions higher after just 24 months into their new career. BrainStation graduates have been hired at world-class companies including Spotify, EA Games, Microsoft, and more.

We are proud to say that 90%+ of our graduates find rewarding roles within 180 days of their graduation from the program. The industry demand for technology skills continues to increase, and BrainStation’s graduates are set up to transition into these roles.

How can interested applicants prepare for the BrainStation bootcamp experience?

BrainStation offers a unique opportunity to experience a day in the life of the bootcamp through our Software Engineering Intro Day. This is a full-day experience where applicants and interested prospective students join us at our campuses and online globally to participate in a hands-on software engineering workshop taught by developers and software engineers working at industry-leading organizations. Throughout the event, attendees also get the opportunity to hear from bootcamp alumni about their experience in the program and attend a panel discussion featuring hiring partner organizations.

Find out more and read BrainStation reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with BrainStation.