Coding Dojo

So I waited to write this review until after I had been out looking for a job for awhile post graduation. I didn't feel comfortable really putting together my thoughts on the program until my knowledge was put in context of the broader professional world.

I graduated from the program in late November of 2019. I successfully completed all three of the stacks(C#, Python/Django, and MEAN). The coursework itself gets you up and running in each stack and as they do so you really start to understand the interconnection of the peices at a more fundamental level. The course itself will not make you a Software Engineer, it will however get you to a great place to jump into a Junior Web Developer position.

The "platform" as they call it is the meat of their program, mostly guided learning through the progressive steps of developing in each stack. The brevity of the platform topics is GENERALLY a plus but in some instances is quite frustrating as they can leave you somewhat in the dark as to the inner workings of some more abstract concepts. They also implement a style of teaching they refer to as "gap" learning. The platformw ill sometimes withold some critical information in an effort to develop the student in terms of being self sufficient. In most stakes this approach was great, but in others the gaps were a tad large. 

The onsite instructors are awesome, very knowledgable at what they are teaching and passionate about coding and web dev. Many of them are graduates of the Coding Dojo program. I had some reservations regarding this when I enrolled, but quickly came to realize that they know their shit and know how to get you thinking like a dev.

The career services in the post course period are "okay" i would not rate them as excellent though I do feel the contact I had was great. In general I got the impression they were just stretched beyond capacity. The best guidance they gave was in terms of my resumes structure/style, how I should approach my github, and what my linkedin should look like. 

In the end Coding Dojo is not without flaw but it 100% got me from 0 to employed in the industry in 6 months.

So much drama happened in my cohort, that the bootcamp changed my life in a negative way.  I now owe so much money that I am living in a shed with no electricity, barely able to pay my bills and do not wish to enter an office environment where I will be trapped in a building with mentors who show up late to work every day and that tell you, "They can't teach you everything (Obviously).  Don't blame others for your failures. (Which I didn't do.  I just started taking online courses during the bootcamp to answer the questions that they couldn't answer)". Ended up having the top 2 students doing all the teaching there. Also had demonstrations that were slapped together and failed from our backup instructor after the other 3 left during our bootcamp.  I only have internet while I visit family for the holidays to study again.  Then I go back to my shed and an old career.  Don't do this unless you already have lots of money and a contact to get you into the industry.  They were a nightmare for me even though I put in the most time in that dojo out of everyone in my cohort and was helping most of the cohort.  The only thing they did right was hire the top student from our cohort.  He actually liked teaching.

As the title would imply, this review is based on my boot camp experience. The bootcamp curriculum is intense and extensive. Your cohortmates are your team and if you try to deal with the struggle alone, you will fail or give yourself a head of grey with no sleep. It is also a crystal clear example of "you get out what you put in."  I had a great cohort and will look back on my bootcamp experience fondly. The work was hard but I worked harder and I succeeded. Plus there is free coffee and other snacks.

I am an IT professional who wanted to pivot my career a bit my getting a better foundation in programming.  After researching various schools, I felt that Coding Dojo would be the best match and I think I was right.  I had tried to learn some programming, such as Python, on my own and always struggled to get past the initial steps.  Being in a classroom environment really helped me and I feel confident with the foundation I now have.

All of my instructors were great and all willing to meet and discuss any area I was having a problem with.  I also know as an alumni I can swing by and pick their brains on any personal projects I have questions on.

I thought the curriculum was very good.  Yes, some of it was a little outdated, but this was often called out to us.  The parts that were outdated usually had to do with some installation instructions where the original source had been changed.  I know they try to keep up with this and if you mention it the instructors will help.  Also, if you find something out of date PLEASE report it.  There are ways right on the curriculum page to do that very easily.

As far as job assistance, this is an area that I think the student must take the lead on.  In my Dojo in LA the job assistance person is great and available.  However, I noticed a HUGE number of people did not schedule one-on-ones with her, which was a mistake on their part.  I have had multiple one-on-ones with her and I know her guidance has helped with improving my resume, cover letters and LinkedIn Profile.  No, getting a job is NOT automatic if you pass the course, there are multiple factors, and everyone's experience is going to be difference.  If you need guidance, CALL THEM.  They'll do what they can.  The rest HAS to be up to you.

The best part of the course was my classmates.  I am still close to them and they made it fun.  They also helped me a lot.  It is a TON of work and I might have dropped without them.

If you do this, put the hours in and grind.  It is easy to fall behind, but if you want it, put your head down and work.  And follow their 20 minute rule.  Struggle for 20 minutes on a problem, if you can't crack it, ask for help.  Do NOT fall behind over pride that you think you should figure out something yourself.  The course is too much information too fast, you have to keep it going.

I would definitely recommend this course.  It's expensive, it's hard, there is NO guarantee of a job when you're done.  But for me it was worth it and I am glad I have the skills and foundation in full stack that I now have.

Overall, I liked my experience with Coding Dojo. There are pros and cons to it, but a good place to start in the IT industry if you are a beginner.

Career Services: At the time of when I signed up, I was promised career services but we did not have a designated career service person to work with until one of my cohort mates was accepted for that position the week of graduation. I think going on Indeed and LinkedIn everyday and searching for jobs is more beneficial, but it depends on if you need help on your resume or job profiles. 

Coursework: The is tons of good information on the platform but I think some of it needs to be updated and in the beginning there are videos, but as you get into the full stacks there aren't so much which isn't helpful. Usually, there is 1 lecture a day, but sometimes you can have two depending on how fast you need to get through the material. Don't expect to complete every assignment because some of them can take a longggg time depending on your skill set. If you are a true beginner like me, you're more at a disadvantage because it is a lot of new information to take in, however I think this is a good place to start your IT career. It's fun completing a full stack project, but unfortunately due to the schedule and pace of the course you can't get in the nitty gritty of everything. Also, some of the assignments are individual and others you can do as a group which is always fun! I think there should definitely be more videos as a reference and an example of how to build something than just reading material. 

Instructors: All of my instructors were friendly and easy to get along with. They were very helpful if you were stuck on a project and willing to stay later to help students. However, with my cohort they were short-staffed and my instructor had to take on two cohorts and split his time between groups which was difficult if you were stuck. Also, the instructors have lots of meetings which could take a 2 hour chunk of their time away from helping students. But overall, they gave the attention and help I needed to make it through and they are all very knowledgeable of the material. They present it in an easy way and record the lectures to refer back to or to build along with them. 

i really did enjoy this bootcamp and learned more than i ever thought possible. If you put in the hours like they say and work long days and devote all your time to this you will be successful. I would highly recommend this bootcamp for someone with little to no experience who wants to break into the tech world. The entire time we had ta's available to us to help us with anything which was amazing to have and they really make a huge difference. They do not always have them so if you are going to sign up i would make sure that there are ta's otherwise maybe rethink it or wait until they do. the instructors are great but when theres 30-40 people and only 3 instructors who are not always going to be sitting waiting for you at their desk it can be a lot harder. so just make sure they have the ta's because they helped out so much and make things go a lot better. 

Also i would suggest that they update their platform on java. every other stack was great and i have zero complaints and really enjoyed it but their java stack they have needs a little work and i would talk to people currently in school and see what they say about it and if it has been updated before signing up or making any commitments to it because thats one thing that was a bit frustrating. besides that everything else was great and if those two things were fixed i would recomment this course to every person i know or met who is looking for a bootcamp to attend.