Coding Dojo

Before starting the Coding Dojo online bootcamp, I was on my final year of studies for Computer Sciences. I was interested on learning other programming languages and that is when I decided to apply for the full-stack web developer course at Coding Dojo.

The curriculum was just what I wanted. It contained the front end part of web developing, and two stacks for the back end development, Python and MEAN. The instructors were very dedicated on teaching us the best practices and get the most out of the online bootcamp experience, including here the online meetings, the assignments, the algorithm challenges etc. And what is more important, they were very determined to watch us succeed that they were willing to hold one-on-one online meetings and help us with whatever difficulty we had.

The knowledge that I gained during the Coding Dojo course has helped my carieer. Since then, I have worked as a web developer.

What did you do before Coding Dojo?

I was a CNC operator at a architectural designs shop creating parts for homes.

Why did you decide to join Coding Dojo?

I wanted a change and a challenge of learning something new and I found a coding boot route and from there lead me to Coding Dojo where they had a huge amount of alumni that have jobs across the board in the tech field that was one plus for me then I did the tour and met the instructors and then i was ready to make that career change.

What did you get out of Coding Dojo?

I got the base knowledge to learn any programing languages and how to attack any problem that arises from being a self-sufficient developer which is the best trait that team leads are looking for. I’m also at program language number 6 working on C as my 7.

What do you do now?

I’m working as a Full stack Web Dev at AT&T creating telecom and business applications . It's been a blast never not a day of learning with a great senior dev environment to learn from and to hone my skills.

Before I started Coding Dojo, I was pursuing my last year of bachelor studies in Computer Science. During that time I was looking for an Internship programme. Meanwhile, I saw the announcement from Coding Dojo for their call for the new cohort and I immediately applied and luckily I've got accepted.

Being part of Coding Dojo was the best part of my career seeking phase. I pleasantly would say that it was the most beautiful thing that could happen to me! The curriculum seemed pretty comprehensive, I liked how it really covered the full stack.

During this boot camp, I developed projects in a vast range of technologies, starting with front-end development and the Python stack, then moved on to MEAN stack. Instructors and TAs were willing to help at any time and I really appreciate it. I've noticed how my confidence increased in programming, every time I passed the exams and that was the best feeling ever! 

Now, I lead my own tech startup which I co-founded with a friend from this boot camp except this, I also work as a freelance developer in a tech company.
 
I would recommend every girl to be part of Coding Dojo, to be more inspired than ever to give coding a shot and learn the feeling of building something. I promise you won’t regret it! :)

My time at Coding Dojo was definitely well-spent from the first school day to the time I got my first job offer. The curriculum never failed to have enough material to learn and my instructors were always very supportive of my growth and work throughout the course. It helped me transition my career into the technical field and provided me guidance to stay the course. 

One thing that I wish could improve is the transparency in what courses were available to us throughout our times as students. When finished with a stack, I was often unaware of the option of stacks to choose from moving forward. I hope that the Coding Dojo aims to provide an even more expansive range of stacks to choose from, and maybe host a few tech seminars to describe and delve into more software frameworks.

I look back at my time at Coding Dojo with great gratitude. Three and a half month bootcamp starting out with a Web Fundamentals course. I then moved on to Python, followed by C# and finished with my favorite, the MEAN stack. I went in with ZERO experience, computers and I did not get along. I left coding dojo as a self sufficient developer.

My cohort in all 3 stacks were amazing people, eager to learn and put in the hard work (A lot of hours!). Those that did not succeed, or had a hard time with the program where usually ones that you would find talking about irrelevent topics throughout the day, or would complain that the work was too complicated. On the other hand, I surrounded myself with what I termed "the winners". Those people were determined, and didn't allow a bug to ruin their day or have the thought cross their mind "this is impossible". They worked through it, searched through stack overflow, and grinded to find a way to make it work... Many people will complain that the TA's don't give much help, but, that's the point, at Coding Dojo the TA's are there to guide you, not give you the answer. Maybe, they don't know the answer, but, they will tell you the keys in uncovering possibilities to FIND the answer.

The struggle will lead to growth, and you will have many "uh huh" moments, where you uncover a bug, or find a new way of doing things. It is very difficult, but, if you are willing to put in the hours. I would recommend between 70-90 hours a week, then you will become a self-sufficient developer in due time. You are going to want to quit sometimes, but, just fight through it...

I really wish I could go back and do the bootcamp now, with the knowledge I have now. It was just an amazing experience. The first hour of the morning is spent doing algorithms. DO NOT be afraid to ask questions, many people around you are thinking the same thing. ASK ASK ASK! Don't be embarrased. It is complicated stuff, but, the more you immerse yourself in this program and ask what you think might be 'dumb' questions, the more you will grow. PUT THE WORK IN! The staff is great, they are there to guide you, and want to see you grow! 

Before Coding Dojo, I worked a part-time retail job. I decided to go to Coding Dojo because I had a strong passion for coding but wanted a better understanding of how people in the real world do it. They taught me me how to code on my own, by pushing me to learn in a way that would sustain me for my life-long career. Now I work as a front-end developer for ABI Insurance. I do meaningful work everyday that allows me to feel accomplished and I never get bored. I no longer work a dead end job, and work doing something I truly enjoy doing becuase I learned to code at coding dojo. 

I didn't come with much of a computer science background. In fact I was a project manager for tech companies (never coded). I liked Coding Dojo because they covered multiple different languages when so many of these schools only seemed to cover JavaScript. Also, tuition was cheaper than most other I've seen so that was super nice.

Yes, job hunt will be rough. Luckily, I actually found an internship right after school to get some experience and just recently landed a full time job ~3 months months after graduation. If I could do it, anyone could do it.

A year after graduating with a finance degree and working as  investment analyst, I knew I had made the wrong choice in respect to a career path (to be completely honest, I knew I made the wrong choice in my penultimate semester). I always had a passion for technology and computers, and after taking some courses during college that required some light programming, I fell in love with coding. I began trying to learn to code on my own and quickly realized with an abundance of information that was avaialbe to me from all sources, I needed some structure. That is when I began researching coding bootcamps and came across Coding Dojo. After reading plenty of reviews and success stories, along witht  the great curriculum that Coding Dojo offers, I decided to apply and enroll in the online program (as I was workign full-time). BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE!

The online program offered the flexibility that I needed as welll as not breaking the bank (Did I mention scholarships?). The instructors were amazing at breaking down concepts in laymans terms. The amount of resources Coding Dojo provides is fantastic. The online program course was mostly self-driven but instructors were always availble to help outside of lectures. In addition, you are connected with the dojo community (instructors, students, and alumni) so there is always someone to help you when you're struggling. The career services Coding Dojo offers really prepares you for your job search as well as offers assitance in landing a position. 

YOU WILL LEARN A LOT...NOT EVERYTHING...BUT A LOT. By the end of this program, you will be a self-sufficient FULL-STACK developer able to create your own websites, applications, etc. That being said, this program isn't a walk in the park, especially the online program. You really need to have a passion for coding as well as good discipline to keep up with assignments and projects.  My most memorable quote from my first lecture was "You will get out of this program what you put in". Truer words could not have been spoken. If coding is something you really want to do, whether your an existing programmer looking to learn new technologies or someone like me who had little-to-no prior programming experience, I wouldn't go any other way but with Coding Dojo. 

Nine months later from the start of the program, I was offered my first developer postion. Currently, I absolutely love my job and love what I do.  Looking back at the start of my journey and the transformation I made is mind-blowing. I am proficient in multiple technologies and built my own websites and applications from scratch. Now at my job I am learning a new technology stack and I can't even begin to tell you how well Coding Dojo has prepared me for this role. 

Coding Dojo is the way to go! You'll be a Ninja before you know it!

Before Coding Dojo, I was attended a public college to learn coding. In addition, I was trying to learn myself and was assisting a friend of mine who is a freelance developer in simple tasks. I knew about Coding Dojo, but I always thought the self-studying and the college classes were enough for improvement. In contrast, my expectations did not become reality as I was not improving and was continuing doing simple tasks. After carefully examining the Coding Dojo`s curriculum, I applied for Coding Dojo in October 2017. Even after the first belt exam, I had a deep understanding of how full stack development works. Now not only can I work with the tools that I was taught at Coding Dojo, but also with tools that I have never used before. This is possible because I know the concepts of full stack development which was provided by Coding Dojo. 

At the beginning of taking the course I was excited and eager to learn but didn’t know exactly what to expect. The teaching approach was the most impactful because it taught me how to learn rather than just the abc building blocks and be on your way. This changed the way I evaluate and learn new things. I was able to take my python skills that I was taught and apply them to finance and the stock market (with additional study for that specific area) and apply simple to more complex algorithms in quantitative analysis. Also Wes’s extra walkthrough’s of the algo book they recommend was incredibly helpful in understanding new concepts. They have some good people who care and I thank the team for their time with me.