Codesmith

I attended Codesmith's software engineering immersive from July to October. I began to teach myself how to code over a year ago, and decided I needed to be surrounded by like-minded individuals who are eager to plan and build applications and tools.

I had been accepted to Flatiron, Fullstack Academy and Codesmith - it was an easy decision to go with Codesmith, as I got to meet so many prospective students and staff before the program even started, and felt like I could grow as an engineer. And there was a sense of community, whereas the other two lacked such structure.

This isn't for those looking to make a quick way into software engineering - the units are intense, you'll be learning a new technology every other day. Coming from a non-technical background, I had to work harder to make sure I wasn't falling behind on units. I would spend 9am till 9pm on campus and when I'd get home at around 10pm, I'd either review the units, read documentation, build test apps until 1am. This cycle continued on for three months, and yes it's definitely challenging!

More importantly, I got to meet so many wonderful people from diverse backgrounds, which contributed to forever-learning environment at Codesmith. The staff members are also super supportive, and when I was going through difficult periods while job searching, they were always there for me, pushing me to do better.

Codesmith's program definitely works, that it has shaped my mind in a way that I can read any docs, tackle problems on my own, and collaborate to provide optimal results.

The grind doesn't stop after graduating from the three-month program. With its excellent hiring support, I was constantly receiving feedback as well as mock interview rounds to prep me for real interviews. I came from no computer science degree, nor worked in tech (I did marketing prior) and still ended up with a six-figure salary offer within a month of graduating.

Each outcome varies, but it shows that if you put all your effort into the process and make the most of it, anything is possible.

Joining Codesmith was without a doubt the best decision I've ever made. The amount of growth I had and encountered in such a welcoming environment was absolutely unheard of. The course is by far harder than most things I've ever done but equally more rewarding than anything I've ever done as well.

The greatest pros of Codesmith are:
1. Culture - the Codesmith culture is the most welcoming, supportive culture I've ever been a part of and I continue to keep up with current students, staff, and alum! Thursday nights alum gather to mingle and catch up at the facility and one night there was a representative from 10 of the 12 established cohorts - the community is incredibly close-knit.
2. No Hand-Holding  => You will learn how to learn - you will without a doubt struggle at Codesmith, but in the best way possible. The difference between my previous self and me now is insane and I credit the encouragement of learning on your own/with your partner/with your team. Learning how to learn will be the most valuable asset moving forward because the tech world is constantly evolving and the learning never stops. Deciphering how to pick up new tech is paramount to being a software engineer and Codesmith trains you for your future.
3. Job Support - Between all the instructors and staff and Eric Kirsten there is no possible way not to succeed in finding a job. The process is incredibly thorough and the support lives on well beyond what anyone would expect. There is comprehensive support (resume, online profiles, mock interviews, morale boosts) was so much more than I ever could have hoped for and I'm happy to report receiving 4 different offers by trusting in the process and working hard.
*I've only listed 3 pros but I could go on for days

Cons:
The space could be a few square feet larger.
(There aren't any cons) 

I came to Codesmith with many years in the tech industry in order to re-sharpen my coding skills and gain knowledge of a modern JavaScript based tech stack. From day one the experience exceeded my already high expectations. The lecture schedule/materials and delivery are a high quality product - but the people that surround you are the real differentiator - you are surrounded by amazing individuals with both a genuine ability and desire to help you succeed. Hiring support is exemplary and I feel I have been given valuable tools to help me get the kind of job I want. On the technical front - Codesmith understands that you need to take on a challenge and just build something rather than relying on a hand holding approach. Being at Codesmith mirrors what real work in the field feels like and as a result it develops real engineers as graduates. Amongst other things - I personally I built multiple React/Redux frontends, had the freedom to explore more exotic technologies such as graph databases, and built a tool to help examine the resiliency of GraphQL end points in distributed systems, while at the same time being able to be inspired by the creativity and work of other classmate's ideas and around me. Codesmith has huge personality and creates a collaborative environment for all. 100% recommend

CodeSmith changed my life! I want to give a big shout out to Will, Schno, Shanda & Eric. I appreciate everything they have done to create such an amazing program. I wrote a review on SwitchUp, but wanted to add one here. 

CodeSmith gives you everything you need -- starting with JS fundamentals & Algos, to a modern framework & tooling, and finally devOps and system design. 

CodeSmith job support is amazing! They will work with you to detect where things are working well and where you need more support. They give you explicit guidelines on how to approach the process and Eric even helped me negotiate a 5k increase in my salary and a nice relocation bonus. I would have had no idea how to even begin approaching that kind of thing without him.

My suggestions: 1. Prepare to live and breath code so clear out your schedule. 2. Try to learn as much as you can before entering the program (its a multiplier). 3. The job search process can be a grind if you do not have a technical background like me, so follow the guidelines outlined by CodeSmith and work with the support team to practice interviewing or resume formatting.

I hope if a prospective student reads this review, they know that this program truly is a game changer, but also keep in mind that there are no guarantees, and you must do the hard work to succeed. They can help you as much as possible, but ultimately you must do the learning & and the hard part of applying.

I would highly recommend Codesmith to all aspiring SWEs. I started off teaching myself js, css, and html earlier this year and I decided to attend Codesmith soon after. The first 6 weeks consists of multiple day sprints using the newest technologies and lectures, and then the last 6 weeks consists of projects that will help you shine once you're on the job search. 

Reasons why I would choose Codesmith:

1.Teaching style. I really enjoyed the teaching style of Codesmith, please attend their free workshops on Thursday if you're serious about it. The material you learn will definitely help during your job search in the future (I ended up rewatching some workshops via youtube before interviews to nail down js fundamentals) Hard parts with Schno was the tipping point for me to attend Codesmith over any other programs. At first it was very challenging for me to learn so much material at such a rapid pace. During the program they will not hold your hand and walk you through everything. They will teach you what you need to know and then from there it is on you to reinforce the learning through pair programming sprints and projects. This allows you to be an autonomous problem solving engineer, which is key to being a great engineer on the job. 

2. The community/network. I had an amazing cohort and we were all driven to becoming impactful engineers. If you want to be surrounded by likeminded people striving to break into this amazing industry then I would highly recommend looking into Codesmith. The results speak for themselves (check their outcomes). One thing I learned throughout my time post CS is who you know in this industry will get you a long way. I believe being part of the Codesmith family will be an amazing asset moving forward whether it is receiving referrals or advice on engineering best practices. 

If you are serious about making moves in this industry and you are just getting started I would highly recommend CS. It is definitely not for everyone. I had my doubts throughout the program, but through the help of my cohort members and CS fellows, instructors, and admin I was able to defeat that imposter syndrome and find a great job. You definitely need to be committed to spending 3 full months grinding away. 

Hey All,

I wanted to give a review of Codesmith, because I've had such an amazing experience there - completing my immersive this Friday.

I'll go into details later, but I think there are two things about Codesmith that are inarguably better than other boot camps, instructors and job assistance.

Instructors

 Your lead instructor in New York is Phil Troutman with ample lessons also provided by the founder, Will Sentance.   They are two of the most charismatic speakers I've ever listened to, and they know what they're talking about.  They're also the same two people giving hard parts talks, what I sampled for free and convinced me to join the camp is exactly what I got when I was in the immersive.  I highly recommend attending hardparts to get a feel yourself.   

Curriculum

Codesmith focused on Front-end(React, Redux), Back-end (Node, Express), Testing (Jest), Devops (Amazon).  Their technologies are chosen based on the job market, which is exactly what I wanted.  Their style of teaching is very much "hard learning", meaning they give you the 50,000ft overview of a technology and then ask you to start working in it.  The goal is push students into those corners where you need to figure things out yourself and that is... hard.  However, everytime you hit one of those blocks and push through your ability (to understand documents and programming concepts) as well as your technical skillset grows immensely.  They will finally close out a particular technology with an in-depth lesson that clarifies any of the things you weren't able to solve on your own or had an incomplete understanding of.

Job Assistance

One of the two things, I think Codesmith does incredibly well is help you get a job.  The assistance with structuring your resume, understanding how to properly interview and present yourself, those things aren't happening in the same way at other boot camps.  It's integral that you actually learn how to code, but equally important that you're able to convince others of the same once your program is complete.  The job assistance is the secret sauce that puts Codesmith over the edge, it's an entirely different skillset from coding an absolute must to be successful.  Whether you're fresh out of high-school or have 15 years of experience, they take the time to provide actionable steps to getting phone interviews and ultimately, offers (9 years of non-technical experience myself).  

Overall

I can't say enough how great the experience at Codesmith has been. I've exculsively focused on the actual work thus far, but the community is just as great.  They preach "empathetic coding" and it shows.  I've had many nights when people have stayed until midnight to help me understand concepts I've been stuck on (Redux!) and vice versa.  The instructors, curriculum, the community all top notch, my strong recommendation is to check it out yourself and see if feels right.    

I was at Cohort 9 NY (January - April 2019). I've had an Associates Degree in CS before I started the program but wanted to accelerate myself into the field, so I decided to join Codesmith. It wasn't an easy decision - $18k is A LOT of money, but I couldn't be happier about it. Studying was very hard - first half of the program you jump into a new topic every day, spending about 80 hours on campus, many including myself spend a few nights here. Still, every step of the program you feel tremendous support from every single person surrounding you: form a cohort-mate to the CEO (thanks, Will!) 

RESULT: I got my first offer precisely two weeks after graduation, two more the week after. I started my first software engineer job less than a month after finishing the program.

CONCLUSION: as for a person who only worked at the restaurants it was hard for me to imagine that in less than half a year I'd be able to turn my life upside-down: do things I enjoy every day and earn way above $100k. 

CODESMITH, THANK YOU!

As a veteran in the software industry, I'd highly recommend Codesmith's Software Engineering Immersive Program to anyone who wishes to learn more about coding. Looking back at my period there, I was able to learn more about what it means to be as a software engineer.

Before I joined the program, I had planned on enjoying while being in the program and simultaneously looking for jobs. However, throughout the program, although I had fun, it really took a lot out of me even if I were to disregard to my job as a software engineer that I attended to after everyday at Codesmith. Although the program is just 3 months, the program can be very intense if you are not fully ready to get indulged in the program. I thought it was intensive beecause of all the challenges I specifically looked for and the challenges that were unexpectedly thrown at me. BUT I enjoyed them still regardless. I enjoyed them because it was an experience that I did not encounter anywhere else and it allowed myself to grow as a more cultured software engineer. Even as a student whom with prior software engineering experience, multiple hackathon winner, and a bachelors in software engineering from a pretty prestigious university, I felt that Codesmith was a valuable experience for me. In terms of techncality and learning materials, they are pretty up to date with the technologies that are being sought to be used by a lot of companies, especially startups. You can still aim for bigger companies, but a lot of the bigger companies have slower adoptions with modern technologies (except for like the big 5 such as Google, Microsoft, and etc) that they teach. However, it really doesn't matter what technologies you use or they teach you because the main goal of this program is teach you how to think programmatically and from a software engineer's perspective. And really, this is a mandatory skill in software engineering and a lot of the big companies like Google mainly look at this and how strong you are at it during the hiring process. As well, in cultural perspective, I think Codesmith has an alright culture going on. They like to keep the atmosphere very positive and encouraging, but I think it is a good choice since they know that a lot of the students and applicants that come here are coming from a variety of background. They would like to encourage that anyone can do it, regardless of the background!

My overall suggestion is that you get what you put into this program. In my honest opinion, look for challenges that actually makes you go nuts. While being in the program, a lot of people will go crazy over a framework or library, but in my opinion that's normal. That is what the program is intended to do to their students. So that everyone can be challenged. However, if that is not enough challenge for you or you would like to add more complexity, go for it even if it is just for fun becasuse at the end, you will get more out of it in my honest opinion. Also, in the progarm, there is a portion called Production Project. I'd reccomend doing something really really crazy because this is where you will get most of it. Again just challenge youself above your limits. Overall, I think this was an interesting experience that I did go through and I wouldn't mind recommending to the readers who are reading this review right now!

About me: Prior to attending CS Prep, I had been studying Javascript, HTML, and CSS for about a year on and off. I also developed an MVP web application while working for a previous employer. I joined Codesmith’s CS Prep online course because it was recommended for preparing for Codesmith’s technical interview for their Immersive program.

The CS Prep curriculum emphasizes technical communication. It’s led by Ryan Trontz, an enthusiastic and helpful instructor. Even if you’re not planning to apply to Codesmith’s Immersive program, the practice with learning to effectively communicate with someone else should prove very helpful in an interview or other development related situations.

Each day begins with a coding challenge and a thorough explanation of the solution to each challenge is given the following day. Following that, the instructor gives a lecture. You’ll need to stay on your toes as you might be called on during the lecture. This method really helps you stay on focused and on track, which is important in an online class. In case you don’t know the answer, Ryan will help you reason through how to find the answer.

After the lecture you’re randomly paired with another student to solve problems based on the lecture. While pair programming, you’ll encounter people at various technical levels. This was helpful for me as it gave me the opportunity to teach people at times which meant that I had to think about topics at a conceptual level. At other times, I programmed with people who were more skilled than me and it was a great challenge to keep up with them.

I can’t say enough about Ryan Trontz. He’s excellent! He created and fostered a supportive environment for learning. He’s clearly enthusiastic about teaching and about teaching people about programming.

More importantly, Ryan is available for students. Although there were quite a few of us, I always felt like he was available if we had any questions or if we required guidance. He asks great leading questions instead of giving you an answer. If you have deep questions about Javascript, he’ll give an awesome, well reasoned reply.

Don’t expect that you’re going to learn everything about Javascript in a short amount of time. However, the harder parts of Javascript such as closures and objects are addressed. It trains you to develop your abilities to tackle problems that you haven’t seen before.

Even though the class is online, the amount of time that you spend together pair programming and working on projects with different partners creates a great communal atmosphere.

I’m definitely glad that I took CS Prep.

my background:

I came in with some exposure to coding: I’d finished another bootcamp that you’ve probably heard of, and had zero luck getting a job, despite the sincere efforts of said bootcamp’s career support. To give you an idea: after several months of job searching, I was on the verge of accepting an internship for $15.00/hr, and had turned down an ‘offer’ for an unpaid internship (after seriously considering taking it). Non-technical background; I’m not some sort of ‘natural’ programmer (whatever that means), and need to put in a good amount of work to learn things. I’m also someone who enjoys programming, but isn't completely obsessed with it.

pros:

    - I met some truly wonderful people who are now friends and professional contacts (the alumni network is also an amazing resource)

    - a baseline level of confidence that I lacked  (if you come in with a lowish level of confidence like I did, chances are good that you’ll basically prove yourself wrong just because you’re constantly coming up against blocks and then working through them - after a point, you’re like ‘Huh, I guess I can do this after all’)

    - the hiring program was really useful to me and helped me get

    - a job at a company I’m excited about! (the salary outcomes are real, fyi)

cons:

    - physically exhausting schedule (which makes dealing with anything/everything else harder)

    - there’s a certain amount of ambiguity built into the curriculum (which is different from the way my previous bootcamp and a lot of online resources are structured), which was challenging at times

    - dealing with imposter syndrome (to some extent worsened by above points)

other thoughts/advice:

• The material isn’t spoon-fed (it’s nothing like a JSHP, for example) and it’s fast-paced, so just be prepared for that. There’s a lot of support available and plenty of folks come in with very little experience and do fine, but everyone learns differently and only you can know if it’s right for you.

• If you’re newer to coding, you may have a harder time with the structure/pace (and potentially related impostor syndrome). It can be very (psychologically) challenging, and having a good support network/coping mechanisms can help a lot. Being okay asking for help and maintaining a positive attitude will also go a long way.

• If you already have some experience coding: no, you don’t 100% have to do a bootcamp/program to get a job, but there are some valid reasons to do one, and if you decide to go that route, I'd recommend giving strong consideration to CS

• As someone who also came here and read all the reviews as part of my decision-making process before applying, I’ll just state the obvious - don’t apply based solely on the positive reviews, but don’t NOT apply based solely on the negative ones. The best way to make an informed decision is to get more information - so spend some time doing your due diligence. Get to know the community; go to JSHP/CS-hosted events in person if you can, online if you can't (there’s one that covers the curriculum and program in detail) and talk to actual people there, including residents. Ask the questions that matter to -you-, including ones that seem uncomfortable/trivial/whatever (I met 1:1 with a grad who had a similar background as me to ask specifics about their experience). Better to have all your concerns addressed up front so you can make the most informed decision you can. Again, this all sounds really obvious, but some people don’t do this, for various reasons.

Background: absolutely no software engineering or coding background 

pros: My resume says it all. I did not have any experience in software engineering but now I have so many products on my resume. The products are not simple CRUD apps (not saying that they are bad, but it is nice to solve more developer problems), but developer tools that other developer uses. For example, our team created 1. a dedicated React IDE in VS Code, 2. Automated Containerization CLI Tool (Docker), 3. D3 Chart generator, and 4. CSS to Styled components converter. Due to the solid understanding of JavaScript that I gained through Codesmith, I easily picked up other languages along the way, such as TypeScript. 

cons: The hours might be a bit tough if you are not prepared. Mandatory hours are from 9 am to 8 pm, but no one leaves at 8 pm, by choice. That being said, if I decided to invest my time and resources to learn software engineering, I would rather be surrounded by hardworking software engineers that are willing to learn.