Meet Our Review Sweepstakes Winner: Jordan of Codesmith

Over 1,200 tech bootcamp graduates wrote a Verified review for their school on Course Report and went into the draw to win a $500 Amazon gift card! Jordan, a graduate of Codesmith, wrote a Verified review of his bootcamp experience and won our latest sweepstakes! Jordan shares his advice for future bootcampers and how Codesmith helped him land a job as a Software Engineer at NPR!

Want to win $500 in our next Reviews Sweepstakes? Write a Verified review of your coding bootcamp experience – we’ll pick the next winner on July 31st, 2022.

When did you graduate from Codesmith?

I graduated from Codesmith in January 2021. I decided to stay on as a hired teaching Fellow with the full-time remote program for an additional 5 months, which brought my job search to May 2021.

What did you do before attending Codesmith? Why did you choose to enroll at Codesmith?

I had zero prior technical background before Codesmith. I was a Broadway performer, having been in shows like "Groundhog Day," and more recently, "Spongebob Squarepants.” When the pandemic initially hit, it was an exceedingly scary time for theatre everywhere. Shows closed left and right. Auditions came to a grinding halt. My partner and I had to leave NY to move home with my family for 9 months because we no longer could afford our rent. Per a friend's suggestion, I joined a group of fellow artists who had recently transitioned to software engineering. 

I began studying JavaScript fundamentals and in narrowing down my choices of tech immersives, landed on Codesmith. I was initially attracted to their program because of three main things: their culture, median salary for grads, and career support — all of which lived up to my expectations. To this day, I still remain in touch with many of my fellow cohort-mates. Everyone in my final project group, myself included, moved onto six-figure jobs within 3 months post-grad. Other programs barely scratch the surface on resume-building, interview prep, and salary negotiations, but the final two weeks of Codesmith's program set you up with success in all these areas.

How difficult was the Codesmith application process? Do you need to know anything about coding to get into the bootcamp? 

Codesmith's interview process is a step above the average program in terms of difficulty. It took me multiple interviews until I received an acceptance call. As a teaching fellow, I conducted interviews for prospective residents, so I've experienced this process from both ends:

• Before you schedule an initial interview, I strongly suggest having a solid foundation in JavaScript fundamentals, including but not limited to basic methods, recursion, and higher-order functions. Weekly, Codesmith offers an assortment of valuable remote workshops and events on their website. The best part is most of them are free! These events run the gamut from data structures & algorithms to whiteboarding for job interviews. They also host remote pair programming sessions where you can hone your skills on sample algos. As a starting point, I would suggest you attend their JavaScript: The Easy Parts series, graduating onto their Hard Parts series, respectively. 
• Codesmith also offers free CSX and paid CS-Prep programs which prepare you for their admissions interview. If you decide to enroll in Codesmith after taking CS-Prep, the money you spend goes directly to your tuition, which is a nice perk. If you utilize all these programs, you'll be in fantastic shape. 

Where do you work now? 

I'm currently a Software Engineer at National Public Radio (NPR), working on their podcast team! We recently launched NPR+, which is an ad-free experience for select podcasts. I would be very remiss if I didn't tell you to subscribe today!

What is your advice to someone considering Codesmith?

The technical elements, commitment to diversity and inclusion, community, and median salary for grads sets Codesmith apart from the rest. However, I wouldn't suggest committing to the full-time immersive program unless you're willing to put everything else in your life on hold to study and work on projects. Besides one day off per week, you won't find time to do much else. If you don't think you can make that kind of time commitment but are still interested in a career in software engineering, explore Codesmith's Part-Time Immersive; it's still a great option and covers the same curriculum over a longer timeframe.

Real talk: I would not consider myself a quick learner. I struggled the first few weeks at Codesmith as a resident and almost considered dropping out within the first 4 weeks. However, with the support of my fellow cohort and teachers, I was able to push past my imposter syndrome and come out of the program with a skillset which changed my life. I landed my current job via a Codesmith networking day with a fellow alumnus. I'm proof their system does, in fact, work. There aren't enough good things I can say about the program. If you are lucky enough to attend, I can vouch that the work you give comes back to you ten-fold.

Congrats Jordan! Want a chance to win the next sweepstakes? Write a verified review of your coding bootcamp experience!