DevPoint Labs

I had first started looking into bootcamps back in 2018 and spent months researching bootcamps - even going as far as to reach out to their former alumni. DevPoint Labs and their alumni were, as others have mentioned, very honest and upfront about what they could do for you and whatever they couldn’t do (mostly a job guarantee) they very much made up for in allowing plenty of other opportunities for networking and resources. Once I had decided on DPL as the bootcamp of my choice, I roped my husband into it as well knowing that he was tired of doing manual labor. And so, we packed up and set out from Florida to Utah and the rest was history.             Walking away from DPL what I can tell you is that the program is only as challenging as you want it to be and you definitely will only take away the amount that you put in. We could have stopped at the minimal requirements for assignments and finished right at the end of the day, but we found ourselves (and our classmates) eager to learn and would often stay well after or stay up late programming until midnight to try and tackle those bonus challenges. (Seriously, do them)           The TAs and staff are so incredibly helpful and patient too and were able to assist us in whatever crazy ideas we had for a coding project. If they didn’t know something, they were also eager to figure it out along with us. It really made the learning experience unique and by the end of the cohort, it felt like one big coding family.             Fast-forward nearly a year after DPL, I still think it is one of the best decisions we could have ever made for ourselves and for our future. With the programming skills and logic that I acquired from DPL, I was fortunate enough to land myself in an administrative role in Texas as an Application and Program Specialist for an entire district just 3 months after graduating. It has opened our eyes to see that DPL didn’t just prepare us for a Web Dev role, they provided us with the foundational skills we needed to get into any role we desired in IT, whether it be IT administration or development. Any bootcamp that can offer that much is time and money well spent in my opinion. 

**Obligatory "you get what you put in"
I came in with minimal frontend experience. Three months after graduation I got my first dev job working for a company in Tokyo.

What originally attracted me to DevPoint was their honesty. They were the only bootcamp in my area I spoke with that didn't give a sales pitch, and I very much appreciated that. The faculty was knowledgable and the staff, with their easy-going attitudes, helped relieve the stress of an intense curriculum by organizing many events throughout the program.

I was part of a very motivated and talented cohort that helped me push through. When you see the people around you poring over the workload, it makes it easier to do the same.

As for job assistance, they don't guarantee you a job after graduation, but they do a good job preparing you for entering the job market and setting expectations.
** Obligatory keep practicing and learning.

Less than a year after graduation I find myself in Tokyo doing what I love. It's safe to say attending DevPoint was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I felt lost on where I wanted to do with my career path then I came across DevPoints Labs through recommendations from alumni's. They all advise in what you put in is what you will get back in returning and that is true. It's a super friendly environment. The course is not a easy but with the help of the wonderful TA's they do their best to guide you in the right direction on helping you learn and progress in coding. If you are feeling lost don't just up in quit push yourself to keep moving forward and the TA's and rest of the staff will be there to help you. One of the best things that i've done in my life and wouldn't mind doing it over again! 

I'm a graduate of DevPoint's Full Time Full-Stack Web Dev Bootcamp and it was a really great experience for me in every metric. I took a leap with this camp to make a career change and having come into the program with no coding background, I feel the team at DevPoint has prepared me for a great start in Software Engineering. I'm building great things on the web now and have a very marketable new skill set. Plus, I love the work I'm doing! This is a tough course but its also a stellar learning environment and an amazing culture. Couldn't be more grateful to DevPoint and I'm happy to be part of this network of people! Thanks, Nhi

If you are feeling like you can't get ahead in your current job position, this bootcamp is for you!! Coming in I had a slight background in coding, but even with that experience everything was completely foreign and new to me. The learning environment is open and friendly, the teachers and TA's are awesome, and also they are upfront and honest with you about this program. This means, just because you show up doesn't mean you are automatically guaranteed a job... you need to put in the time and effort in order to continue on this path is what is taught to us. It is TRULY a bootcamp though, if you are behind you need to put in the work to catch yourself up and it is very fast paced. I went in and met with TA's if I was lost and needed extra help... they go above and beyond for their students!

I enjoyed my experience 100% and would do it again! 

This course was like a roller coaster with so many bumps and turns you wouldn't believe it! My time here amounted to one of the most challenging times in my life. But the payoff was worth it, I feel like I learned so much in such a short amount of time and it's unbelievable. Not just that but the people here are amazing, they will help you in any way they can and be your friend the whole way and afterwards. If you want to gain experience, learn something new, get skills for the future, and have a good time, then this is the place to do it. I highly recommend to check this place out.

Prepare yourself for a lot of preeminent content! Devpoint labs will challenge you in so many ways. This course mad everything I learned before in computer science a complete joke! This was by far the best and hardest learning curve I have ever experienced. There plan is for you to succeed! as long as you do your absolute best it's unlimited on what you can build. The instructors were phenomenal and they really cared about what I'm learning. They will make things make sense in-depth with understanding. The more you build the more bridges you will cross and that's what I learned here with the series of obstacles I faced. If you want to level up your skills in writing software. I highly recommend Devpoint Labs!

My time at DevPoint Labs was one of the most difficult, exciting, fun and greatest educational experiences I have ever been through. I highly recommend this coding bootcamp. The diverse and fun culture they have makes school, not seem like school. The staff are all personable and they really do care about making sure you do well in the course. They all want to see you succeed and the motivation they provide makes you feel like you can accomplish anything. If you are looking to dabble in the developing/engineering industry I highly recommend checking out DevPoint Labs. 

I recently graduated from the full-time web development cohort at DevPoint Labs, and I of course wanted to write a review about my experience.

Before the cohort started, we got some instructive preparation work to do to get us into the basics of programming. We also got the task to do a basic website about ourselves, which we then got to present in front of our classmates on the first day.

The schedule was straightforward – in the mornings we had lectures and after lunch we got assignments to do. I liked this setup, as it allowed me to first gain theoretical knowledge about the specific subject, and thereafter practical experience when trying to do the coding by myself. The teachers and staff at DevPoint are really amazing people. They were always helpful, nice and friendly, and I am already missing all of them. There are also amazing TAs that help out with correcting the assignments as well as giving support and help in the afternoons. In the back of the classroom they offer fresh fruit, cereal, milk and snacks.

We had two Hackathons, which I really liked. We got divided into groups where everyone had to build a website with predetermined goals. The more tasks you completed, the more points you earned, and in the end the team with the most points won. These Hackathons were for sure stressful, but they were also very exciting and fun, and helped us practice working and coding together in teams.

There were two separate interviews, which would mimic real job interviews where we had to answer questions and solve whiteboard problems. The last couple of weeks we were also trained in building a resume, as well as marketing ourselves on LinkedIn. We also got professional photos taken that we could use for the resumes and on LinkedIn. I liked all of these parts and I am glad that they put in all of this in the cohort. I am sure that I will benefit from it for my future job applications.

We had two events outside of class; a barbecue and a game night. I definitely enjoyed both of these ones and I would have loved to see more events like this. The staff had also planned a bowling night, but because there were too many people that could not join, it was unfortunately cancelled.

The last weeks we were working on a huge final project, where we first got to choose out of several different options and then got divided into groups, where every group was assigned one project. I think this was the highlight of the cohort for me. I loved having one big project to work on together in a team, after all of the small ones we had had earlier. It really motivated me, and every day I was excited to continue working on it. It all ended with the big graduation day, where we had a pleasant mingle and got to present our projects.

There are a few things that hold me back from giving the highest rating. First, there was a lack of communication throughout the cohort. Many times, we were informed that we were going to have the interviews that day, but then the day passed, and no interviews were held. And then the next day, it was the same thing. Other times we were informed that the teacher was going to come back in one hour to check up on us and release the assignments, but then the teacher never came back.

I also wish that we would have gotten more feedback. In the first half of the cohort, the TAs gave out feedback for our daily assignments, which I appreciated. However, in the second half of the cohort, we for some reason no longer received any feedback – only notifications that the assignments had been graded. I really would have wanted the staff to give more feedback about the assignments, as well as more personal feedback; i.e. how we are doing with the coding, what we are doing good and what we need to work more with. Furthermore, especially in the beginning it felt a bit like we should only ask the TAs for help as a last resort.

A final concern is the curriculum. It is without doubt impressive, and it is unbelievable how much you can learn in these 11 weeks (React was my favorite part). However, there were several things in the curriculum that we did not go through at all, which I find a bit odd. I am also carefully questioning that we spent so much time with the Ruby programming language. I agree that it is a good language to start with as it is both user friendly and intuitive, but to me it seems like Ruby is only decreasing in popularity out in the “real world”. I have barely ever seen a job advertisement where they are looking for Ruby backend developers; they are almost always looking for developers in either Java, Python, C/C++ or C#. Moreover, we did not at all go through mobile responsiveness, which I think is a really important part of building a thorough and competent website.

To try to sum up: I have learned so much during these 11 weeks, and I have gained many good experiences, memories and friends. I am thankful to DevPoint and its staff for giving me this opportunity. As DevPoint is only several years old, it is understandable that there are parts that can be improved. I believe that the communication and feedback will improve with experience, and if the curriculum gets updated to better reflect today’s needs in the job market, the bootcamps at DevPoint Labs will only get better with time.

My experience at DevPoint Labs was phenomenal. I graduated from the 11-week part-time web developer bootcamp just a few weeks ago and it was hard but 100% worth it. I had been teaching myself to code for about 6 months before deciding to attend a bootcamp. I also work full time, 10 hour days, and have a family. It wasn't easy to balance everything but it's possible! It was a huge sacrifice but I'm so happy I did it.

The cohort really helped me establish a solid foundation of web development. We learned Ruby, Ruby on Rails, ReactJS, testing, PostgreSQL, and SO much more.  I was really sad when it was over because they made me feel at home.  The instructor, Henry, really knew his stuff. The TA’s were always really helpful and knowledgeable. The DPL founders also provided workshops for things like resume building and social network. They also have alumni come in and talk with us about meetups, post bootcamp, jobs, and interviewing. I also still have access to all the course materials which has been really helpful. I would recommend doing all the pre-course work before you start. Get a good foundation beforehand of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (which is provided in the pre-course work).

 It’s impossible to expect leaving a web development bootcamp knowing everything you need to know but  DevPoint Labs will give you the foundation and tools you need for continuous learning! 

My time at DevPoint Labs was an excellent experience! All of the people in the staff are of the highest quality. The full time instructor, Spencer, is a top notch teacher. Although coding is a difficult subject, he is able to keep you engaged in the information by creating a fun and exciting learning environement. I came into the course with absolutely no prior experience, and I left after 3 months as a certified full stack developer! Without having the wonderful community support from the staff and other students I don't think I ever would have been able to learn coding as effectively. I would recommend DevPoint Labs to anybody who is interested in learning web development!

Course: Full Stack Web Development Part-Time
Schedule: Mon-Thurs 6-9 PM

Q/A

I'm a parent & work during the day, should I go to a Bootcamp?
Yes! I work 8-5 pm & then went to DPL from 6-9. I did have to invest time in the course and saw less of the daughter & wife during the course. The majority of our cohort was all moms & dads. Friends in the cohort had graveyard shifts after class or left home to go to work then straight to DPL in the evenings. To have this structured dedicated time with assignments & being able to ask every question is worth it! I would absolutely choose the same course again. The immersion into code in a classroom compared to now and then at home is worth it. I learned more in the 3 months about development than a year on my own. 

Why DPL?
It came down to scheduling more than costs. Other courses in the area had schedules of M/W/Sat for 6 months, but I really needed to have family time during the weekends. Mon-Thurs worked best for 3 months for my schedule. The focus is more functionality & development more than the design which is ok! You will learn design frameworks like Bootstrap, materialize, semantic, etc but focus more on functionality also. Anyone can make a page look pretty but to make it functional is more important!  

2 Saturdays are required for Hackathons during the course, but that is easier than 6 months of Saturdays.

What should I know prior?
Be decent with HTML/CSS with at least some JS. Going through the prep work for Javascript & Ruby really helps. Finish the prep work, you will thank yourself! 

Can't I just learn this all on Udemy?

Yes, but chances are you likely won't. Over the years I've picked up a few Udemy courses for code, but never really went through them & simply didn't prioritize them even after paying for them. To be in an environment where everyone has questions and to learn tons of new functional concepts with the teachers at DPL was exactly what my career needs. To be able to put together Ruby, SQL, Rails, React, ES6, with user Authentication or APIs I would have ever been able to learn on my own as quick as I was taught. 

Do they guarantee jobs?
No, but you do get resume workshops & they introduce you to where to find/present your self at networking opportunities. Courses that guarantee placement do exist, they cost more or usually take a % of your wages once you get a job. DPL gives you the education & details on how to connect here in SLC/Lehi. After the cohort, there is a community of developers in many offices around the valley you can reach out to. 

You will get out what you put in, even if you're getting into code for your first time choose one language to be good at. You can have a job for life if Javascript is your best/focus language. If you have a few years in design or development before coming in this will, of course, make your resume stronger. If you go through all the lectures & complete all the projects you will feel confident applying shortly after the cohort. I got an interview within 2 weeks of graduation with a small dev studio because I'd been applying during the 3rd month. During my interview, the company opened up the DPL website and was happy to see the extensive list of subjects covered!  Listen & Study as your career depends on it during the cohort! 
 

Examples of what you will build a few weeks into the program**

I have many more apps on my Github & have more projects in the works. 

https://bautista-target-app.herokuapp.com/

https://imperial-database.herokuapp.com/

https://notes-dpl.herokuapp.com/notes

https://bautista-react-store-bestbuy.netlify.com/

** on herokuapp.com give it a second to load since it is a free service. 
 

Final thoughts

Do it! Go to DPL learn to code, get a better career!