Coding Dojo

I attended Coding Dojo 4 months ago and it was absolutely amazing!!! I looked around all other bootcamps in the area and ended up choosing this one based off of the fact that we would be learning 3 full-stack languages in total. Halfway through the program I got to meet an instructor who graduated from a different bootcamp, and I asked him what we all are thinking before joining a bootcamp. What are the advantages of learning only 1 language in3 months or 3 languages in 3 months. He told me he didn't learn anything important that we are missing out on at Coding Dojo, he just had more time to get comfortable with one stack / framework, at the cost of not learning multiple stacks and having the concepts reinforced in each stack.

During my time at the Dojo I heard several people badmouth the place because it wasn't giving them what they wanted or it was inconveniencing them in some way. And in general I found that these people who spoke ill of the Dojo were expecting things to be given to them, rather than having to work for themselves or put in more effort than they wanted. And that's not what this program is about. This program is about literally immersing yourself in code. It's about putting aside all the other things in your life for 14 weeks so that you can create a better future for yourself. And if you're not ready to work, and if you're not ready to put off playing that video game or miss out on some nights out with friends or lose sleep trying to get ready for the belt exam tomorrow, then this place is not for you. 

That said, when you DO give it your all, when you do spend your nights mulling over why that bug is happening in your code, and you go home and you whiteboard out that algorithm you weren't getting in the morning, and you find yourself saying "I'm sorry, I can't go to the movies tonight, I really have to work on this project," then you'll be surprised at the end when you look back and see the sheer mountain of knowledge you've just accumulated over a short amount of time. 

I won't sugarcoat it. It's tough. Especially if you're walking in with zero experience. Day one thrusts you right into so much information your head will spin. But just keep going. Next thing you know it'll be 8 weeks later and you'll be looking at the newest cohort starting web fundamentals and think "God, I wish things were still as easy as web fund."

The truly great thing about Coding Dojo is the fact that you learn 3 full stack languages. It sounds daunting, and it sounds like you can't possibly learn everything you need in such a short amount of time, but just be patient. By the time you hit stack 3 you'll have noticed how similarly each language is built, and now it's less about learning the WHY it works and more about remembering "is it console.log in this language or Console.WriteLine?"

I walked in with some prior knowledge of code, but that prior knowledge was a drop in the bucket compared to what I learned in 14 weeks at the Dojo. It truly prepares you to not only be able to say "yeah, I can code in that language," but to be able to say "yeah, I understand the basic principles languages are built upon, so I can learn ANY language." And that, to me, is more valuable than just saying "I'm really good at one language." Because as I've experienced in the job hunt, people aren't looking for the guy who only knows one language, they want the guy who's got a broad range of experience, and that's what the Coding Dojo offers.

All of that said, I'll be realistic.
One, this is not for everyone. Expose yourself to a bit of coding before you start this, and if it makes any amount of sense on your own, then you'll probably do even better with an actual teacher helping you out and a platform to work from.
Two, the platform is NOT a spoon-feeding system. Some people complain after getting in that they get lost in the material. And yes, I will concede that sometimes something just isn't explained properly or there's too big a leap in logic, but Coding Dojo has set up tons of ways for you to voice when something isn't being communicated right and the staff will actively do their part to make sure the information is coming across well. But you have to understand that there are some things purposefully omitted in order to encourage critical thinking, which is a proven way to make people learn over just giving them some knowledge to regurgitate for a test like everyone remembers doing to pass history or science. Coding Dojo wants you to learn, not recite. 
Three, Google is your friend. Let's be realistic here, our instructors are humans. They cannot have all the answers to life's coding questions, and they cannot always be there to help you. (They do need to sleep.) And while some people may think this is a failing on the instructor's part, it's really not. In the real world you'll be faced with these situations, and you're not always going to have someone there to hold your hand. So developing your skills in finding answers on the internet now will save you a lot of time and grief later. (And unwarranted anger towards your instructors.) 

In short, how well this program serves you is all up to you. If you're not ready to commit, you're not ready for this program. If you're not willing to engage during group algorithm sessions (which, I and my classmates can attest, the questions the Dojo gives you during these sessions ARE asked during technical interviews. So morning algorithms are the absolute best time to try and fail at these things and prepare you for interviews), then you're not ready for this program. If you're ready to commit, if you're ready to work as hard as you need to succeed, and if you're ready to learn something that will potentially change your whole life, then come to the Coding Dojo. 

I graduated from Coding Dojo since July. Their tuition is very reasonable comparing to other bootcamps, and they offer plenty of options for scholarship too. According to my classmates, for people who apply for it, we all got the scholarship(I got $1000 off and some classmates got $3000).

Besides the tuition, the content they taught there is what I care about the most. The courses are well designed in the way of their materials and the learning platform. As for the materials, Coding Dojo makes sure the content that we learn is what job market demands most at the time for Web Development. During my study there, I saw how they make effort on improving their curriculum through meetings and students reviews. The platform is very well built by their team and easy to learn materials through videos and text, although the text sometimes is written in a not very explicit way. The materials are categorized by what you’re learning and it will automatically record where you’re currently at. That’s also where you upload your everyday assignment. Good tool for reviewing for exam.

The course is very compact, and you need to be ready to commit your time in it. At least 70 hours per week. No kidding. But it will pay off at the end, and you will be surprised by how much you learned. Never had I learned so much through such short period of time(except exam week in college, lol). Believe that you’re capable of completing if you commit.

The ambience of the studying is good too. Teachers and TAs are nice and from about the same generation as me(am 24). There was not much student-teacher hierarchy. There will always be someone answering your question. I used to teach myself programming at home and I always wasted time struggling with bugs.

I had ten cohorts to start the program with me and they’re very nice people. We helped each other out. At the same time, competition was there to push us moving forward faster together. It has been 3 months that I graduated, and we still keep in touch. I know one of them is already starting a career at a cloud service company now. I think the skills your learn here is sufficient enough to get a job! As long as you keep it through(practice interview questions, build clickable project, practice algos, build a presentable portfolio, etc.).

The career service there is what’s valuable too. You will get a one-day career training from their career coach to learn about tech interview and preparation. They will also have a mock interview set up for you from real tech company. My cohort actually get a interview-offer from people who mock-interviewed her.

Overall it is a good program. I am thankful for the things I learned here and people I’ve met :). It’s not like it doesn’t have any cons, but the pros override all :)

Coding Dojo is a rewarding experience for the beginner to intermediate programmer who has a strong sense of work ethic and can fully commit to the rapid pace of learning.

The instructors are very smart, helpful, and informative. The learning platform gives you moderate to advanced introduction to the three stacks taught from wireframes through deployment. They have a 20 minute rule that you should try to problem solve on your own before asking for help, which teaches you self-sufficiency and resourcefulness. The algorithm sessions will introduce you to the basics of the major data structures, and the learning platform will get you up to speed on creating a web app in all three stacks; however, the recommended 70-90 hour commitment a week will only be beneficial if you sumpliment the course by both deep diving into documentation for each language and beginning to work on more complex algorithms than covered by the instructors.

That said, the job assistance currently leaves much to be desired as not every campus has a Career Services advisor, and each graduating cohort seems to receive different information and assistance. I do think this is being overhauled and will change for the better in the near future.

One final note to prospective students: the fundamentals of front end development are covered, but you would do well to fully prep yourself in the basics of JavaScript, CSS, & HTML prior to attending as the learning curve after the fundamentals is steep (I recommend Khan Academy's free and fun intro courses). The bootcamp will cover front end frameworks (currently teaching Angular), though it is not the primary focus.

With absolutely no experience in or knowledge of the tech industry, Coding Dojo opened a new door for me to head in a different direction. During my 14 weeks, I experienced a lot of frustration as I was learning to code from scratch. Despite the struggle, I always knew that I had the support and encouragement of instructors to keep moving forward. Though the nature of the program is very challenging and fast paced, as each week passed, I was impressed by how much I was learning and what I was capable of doing. Coding Dojo's curriculum allows students to learn how to learn, particularly within the tech industry. Because the industry is constantly changing, it's crucial to know how to be able to pick up new knowledge of the various technologies that already exist along with new technologies that will come to life in the future. Learning the three stacks that I did at Coding Dojo, I feel confident that I can keep pushing myself to continue honing my skills and paving my own path. I am excited to see what my future as a developer holds! 

This bootcamp is great for beginners to start learning how to code. I started this program with little to no experience in coding. My only experience with coding was when i changed html during the MySpace era. Through-out the curriculum, i've learned alot from building the front end to the logic of the database. I decided to do this course to open more doors for opportunities in the future. The instructor - Vinson - is very kowledgeable and helpful when we run into problems. He is also very engaging which made the learning environment very welcoming and at home. The TA - Drue - is also very helpful with my time in the bootcamp. He got many of us out of bugs and helped expand on out ideas with suggestions. The Program Manager - David - was open and willing to listen to suggestions and comments. He is on top of his job and was helpful during the bootcamp move and to help accommodate with all the roadblocks that we had. 

TLDR:

My overall experience of this course has been very positive and will suggest this to anyone who is dedicated and wants to start learning Coding for the first time. The Staff are very helpful and great working environment. 

Coding Dojo provided a well rounded curriculum that enabled students to become immersed into a variety of technology. Due to the fast pace of the program, you are forced to learn technological concepts, methodologies, and syntax. At times, the pace can be quite ovewhelming, but the curriculum is built in a way to help reinforce past concepts ontop of new. In addition to the curriculum, I feel that the support that the instructor and the T.A provide has been of extraodinary help. They provided plenty of advice that it crucial to the development of an individual's ability to work efficienty!

I’m a recent graduate of Coding Dojo and had a great overall experience during the program. I was very new to programing and I was able to transform myself in to an entry level programmer by the time of graduation. Finishing this boot camp was hardest thing I’ve done in my life so far. Please be prepared to put your hours in during the camp. The only thing I would do differently if I were to go thought this again would be to put more hours in. Also I really enjoyed working with the instructors Sadie and Min. I did get a job as a junior full stack developer before I graduated at a small company in Fremont, CA.

I got introduced to here by a friend, and I have got expreince way better than I thought. Coding Dojo has a great learning platform and a great program for me to learn web development. It took me five months to complete the classes and learned many useful programming languaegs including HTML5, CSS,Javsscript, Python, Flask, Django, SQL, C#, ASP.net and etc. Instructors are excellent, as they know what they are teaching, and they are caring for providng help even after the courses end. TA are also nice, as they are responsive in the Coding Dojo forum and they can help to resolve tricky technical questiosn. In general, a great place to get education for web development

I had tried to learn web development by myself through some free online tutorials as well as multiple resources I had came across. While this was helpful in building some basic programming skills, I quickly learned that I needed a better learning platform that is structured and proven to produce succesful software developers. Coding dojo provided a pacakage of an environment that matched my needs to be a proficient web developer. One thing I really appreciate from the bootcamp is the way they have creately designed their curriculum so that concepts are introduced step by step with an aim of finally embeding key skills for web development. Algorithm challenges, and how difficult concepts are introduced in bits is just top notch. Tutors are very supportive and have a deep understanding of latest technologies out there. The online program that I took sets expectations from the onset. It took me a lot of hardwork and I had to put  enough time into the program, as it should, but the avalance of resources just made it easier than it could have been. The bootcamp also works to build the personality of a typical programmer able to do some research, is patient, and approaches software development from a solid perspective. By the end of the bootcamp I was able to build very interesting applications and my capacity to build more on what I know appears limitless. I am curently getting plenty of support on career development from the bootcamp and will have acess to the coding dojo community and resources as long as I need. At one point I was struggling but found a lot of encouragement from tutors, who I must say, were very patient and supportive. If you are passionate about becoming a software developer, are willing to allocate enough time for learning, and are ready to take advantage of massive resources at the bootcamp, then coding dojo would be a place that I would highly reccomend.