Fullstack Academy

I just finished the first Chicago Fullstack Academy cohort, and one week later I received, and accepted, an offer to work for a very exciting startup here in Chicago. This program has completely changed my life and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

A little bit about me - prior to attending Fullstack I was a high school math teacher for 17 years. I got into coding through teaching, as there was an opportunity to teach computer science a few years ago and I jumped at the chance, even though I had very little experience coding. My teaching experience eventually developed into a passion for software development, and I saw Fullstack as a way to get me professionalized, quickly. It was absolutely worth every penny.

The instructors were extremely knowledgeable, and most important- passionate. The best part of the instruction is that they didn’t just give you a recipe to follow - they taught you how to think like a software engineer. I’ve been able to pick up new frameworks with ease because their philosophy was about understanding why you’re doing things and what was happening under the hood.

Most of the early part of the program focuses on their workshop format and pair programming, which is heavy on test-driven development and struggling through challenging problems. I really liked that the instructors didn’t shy away from letting us struggle through things, as there is so much personal growth that comes from the struggle.

The second part of the program was building real-world applications, and it was here where the program really shines. I felt completely prepared to be a contributing team member on our projects and I was thrilled with how our projects turned out.

Ultimately, as one of the “older” students in the program, the most important outcome for me was getting a job, and here again Fullstack shines. They have a team of dedicated career people ready to assist you with any questions you have and I felt completely prepared for all of the challenges that were thrown at me throughout the job hunt.

As a final note, one big concern I had going in was this- would the Chicago version of Fullstack be as successful as the New York one has been? I think I can answer that with a resounding YES.

I attended the full-time program at Fullstack Academy in NYC.  It's focused on a particular group of technologies called the MEAN stack.  I looked at the bureau of labor statistics and did some research on the most needed/hottest languages and what the outcomes were of graduates from the programs.   Read some of their posts: https://www.facebook.com/FullstackAcademy/?fref=ts    I moved to NYC for a few months and worked my tail off during the 13 or so weeks.  It was not easy, but it was a lot of fun.  I had been doing front end work prior to but wasn't getting paid anything special.  About three months after graduating I landed a dream job.  It has given me a huge opportunity for a long term upward career path, and starting somewhere rewarding (in many ways).  When I was there Fullstack guaranteed job placement within a certain number of months or you retrain and do it again on them.  I highly recommend taking the full time program. Just be relentless before, during and after to achieve.   If you are interested in software programming, take some courses online and see how you like it.  The desirable immersive programs will anyway require some level of knowledge with HTML, CSS, Javascript and/or Ruby depending on the program.  I recommend studying jQuery, html, css, and javascript on codeacademy and codeschool.  They are mostly free, or a nominal monthly membership.   https://www.codeschool.com/ https://www.codecademy.com/

I attended Fullstack Academy’s November course last year, and then stuck aroud for a few months as a teaching fellow afterward. I came in knowing very little about coding. Now that I’m out though, I see aspects that annoy me about my computer (Wunderlist’s app interface is top of my list right now), and the craziest thing happens. Before I just accepted things like this. Now I'm legitimately considering whether it’s worth leveraging their API to create my own desktop client for Wunderlist, tailored to my liking.

The curriculum is intense, rigorous and excellent. I was challenged just the right amount to grow a lot. That’s not a normal situation for me - it’s usually either too much challenge or too little. They’ve found the sweetspot. And as someone who’s seen several cohorts, it’s clear that they take feedback and industry standards very seriously and implement changes, usually immediately. One perhaps extreme example is a recent switch to SQL from MongoDB, which must have been a break from comfort for the teaching staff. But they did it because they felt that SQL would best serve their students.

 

To be clear, Fullstack’s education extends beyond the syllabus listed on their website. I mentioned earlier that I was considering making a desktop app, and their syllabus only covers web apps. But the program itself taught me how to teach myself to quickly pick up new technologies. Several people in my cohort, of their own accord during the second half of the program, taught themselves to build desktop apps and made one for their Capstone project. Several others did the same for their side projects and ‘stackathon’ projects. Personally I learnt to make mobile apps with Facebook’s React Native relatively quickly. My point is that the syllabus here is bootstrapping, and not constrained to those tools.

 

The environment is very important with things like this, and Fullstack’s atmosphere is something I’ll miss for the rest of my life. Everybody’s intelligent, passionate and interested, all the way from the instructors to the students. It’s very, very motivating to be surrounded by people like that. The instructors in particular are probably the most brilliant people I’ve ever met, and they’re able to make everything so easily relatable. I had a workshop or two (out of many, many workshops) I didn’t particularly like, but when feedback was given on it, I saw those workshops improve for the following cohorts.

I won’t talk extensively about hireability after the program - I’m personally going to school and so was not looking for a job. But at a cursory glance, the vast majority of my cohort seems to be happily employed, and the Fullstack staff dedicated to helping graduates through the hiring process are excellent and always on the ball, always ready and willing to help out and give advice on navigating different situations.

Fullstack’s a very special place that had a profound impact on my life. I can’t speak from a hiring perspective (although everything I’ve seen points to that aspect being excellent). But I can say with certainty that if you want to learn to code, you should go to Fullstack. Not just for the technical skills, but also for the culture and community, which motivate you to excel.

I am extremely glad I decided to go to Fullstack. I was hitting a dead end trying to find jobs where I could transition from being a PhD wet-bench biochemist into someone who was more computational. I looked into web development, and figured it might be something I could do on my own, following a course like The Odin Project. I eventually started looking into bootcamps, and decided that I wanted to do a full stack JavaScript bootcamp like Fullstack or Hack Reactor.

I got into Fullstack, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. The fast pace, the extremely smart and engaging instructors, and the job support was exactly what I needed and what I was looking for. It was only three months (amazing that it's already been 6 months since I graduated), but I learned an amazing amount and met some fantastic people that I still keep in touch with.

Fullstack is a cut above every other bootcamp I applied to. The pre-course (Foundations) takes the place of most other bootcamps' first 2-4 weeks, so you really can get a running start to get into the depths of JavaScript as a language. The projects/final projects are much more impressive than anything anyone else has out there (I'm currently working with a bootcamper from a different camp, and he was awestruck at my final project).

Full stack JavaScript allows you to write in the same language on the front end and the back end, and building your JS skills allows you to benefit you all over the stack. Nodejs and Express, the back end framework we learned, allows you to really understand how web requests are being passed from function to function. With this experience, you can easily pick up another framework. It's also a rarer sort of bootcamp: with the preponderance of Ruby on Rails bootcamps, there are a whole hell of a lot of people who have done RoR, but Nodejs experience is a little more rare.

Long story short, I had a lot of interest from potential employers on LinkedIn directly after I updated my profile before graduating, had an onsite interview the week after, and started at my new job the week after that. Fullstack was exactly what I was looking for!

About eight months ago, I didn't know what the command line was or what constitutes a 'for-loop'. In a few days, I'll be starting a new career in software engineering.

My background:
I have a biology degree and several years of health administration/clinical research experience. I never took a high school or college CS course and had no coding experience going into Fullstack. While working full-time at my previous job, I started learning Python and Javascript on my own using free online resources. I could only devote an hour or two each day, but started to really love how programming works and what it could do. I decided to quit my job and learn programming with Fullstack's immersive program.

I learned more in 13 weeks of hands-on workshops, projects, and hackathons than I did in my years of working in healthcare, and Fullstack more than prepared me with the skills, technologies, and network to succeed in NYC's tech world. The instructors are always available for one-on-one help and will take the time to guide you through questions and problems. Their level of engagement in each student's learning process is what sets Fullstack apart. The curriculum teaches everything you would need to know to build a strong foundation in Javascript and the MEAN stack and really prepares each student for success in their job search and starting a new career in software engineering.

 

One bit of advice if you're wrestling with the idea of going to a bootcamp - you have to really want it. It is an intense immersive program that teaches challenging stuff, and it's not like those college courses where you just show up and get an 'A'. You'll be learning a lot in a short period of time, but in the process you'll gain a great group of friends, a solid network of instructors/alumni/staff, and a strong foundation to build a software engineering career.

I highly recommend attending Fullstack if you're looking for a career change, or even if you want to learn more about programming. It is, without question, the best coding bootcamp.

I came out of college with a liberal arts degree and a lack of direction. My friend introduced me to Fullstack Academy and I decided to apply... Turns out it was the best decision I could have made. Fullstack helped me not only gain the skills I needed for a software engineering job, but gave me access to a huge network of alumni, instructors, and other students. Attending Fullstack will allow you to engrain yourself immediately in the bustling NYC tech scene.

The curriculum is right on par with what companies are looking for. The hiring managers will be at your side throughout the post-grad job search. The instructors give it their all to make sure each individual is comfortable with the fast-paced environment.

I've recommended Fullstack to many other people and I will continue to do so.

I made the decision to attend Fullstack Academy about two years ago, and it has been one of the best decisions that I have ever made. The entire process, from start to finish was absolutely amazing.  I contacted Fullstack to express my interest, and they very quickly got back to me and were very helpful and encouraging as I started the application process. 

I went through the stages of preparation and interview and was accepted.  I had no idea what to expect, but eagerly looked forward to beginning a new stage of my career and life. Fullstack provided me with a whole month's-worth of training, resources, excercises, and programs to help get me up to speed with the basics of Javascript.  (I came in with very little experience/knowledge).  Those courses prepared me for day 1 in New York City.

From the very first day, it was very intense and challenging, but also very fun.  They created a great atmosphere for learning and collaborating with teachers and fellow students. We started with an intro to some computer science fundamentals, then explored everything from jquery to Express to Node and Angular and everything in between. There was a great balance between lecture and practical application so that we were educated enough to give us direction, but then pushed to learn the javascript principles for ourselves. 

And, even though the schooling experience was great, what really matters at the end of the day is that I could get a job at the end of all of this.  After all, the schooling is costly, and New York is expensive, so I fully expected to get a job after Fullstack.  I moved back to Utah and began my search.  I started actively reaching out to companies and interviewing around November 2014. By December 2014, I had secured a developer job for Ancestry.com.  Though I didn't have the work experience or the deep knowledge that other applicants had, I had the basic concepts and the ability to continue to learn and grow.

To sum it all up... Fullstack is amazing.  I completely owe my current job to Fullstack and am extremely grateful for their assistance and care to help me get to where I am today.  I started with very very little knowledge of development, but in 3 months, I was able to learn enough to get a job in which I have gained a world of knowledge and experience.  Fullstack was really the catalyst that started the reaction that is now a great and rewarding career, and I am extremely grateful.

Thank you Fullstack.

Accepting an invitation at Fullstack Academy became one of the best decisons I've ever made. I met extremely bright and motivated people and learned an immense amount which ultimately helped me land a great position as a Software Engineer. The instructors are amazing, the staff and job placement guides are incredibly resourceful and helpful, and the cofounders David and Nimit are very welcoming. 

Was a fantastic overall experience and would recommend to all those who are considering entering the web development world.

I went to Fullstack as a career changer, having previously worked in Project Management.  I was looking for a curriculum that would help me get from a novice JavaScripter to somewhere near entry-level.  It was a big risk considering that you don't get a degree or a job at the end, but I took it because I met the instructors and felt that they were skilled, patient, and had personal stake in whether I succeeded or not.

 

At Fullstack, I received hours of 1-on-1 instruction in addition to the modules and group work.  They also set me up with a payment plan that worked for me.  Shanna Gregory gave me resume and interviewing advice, and Scott did mock interviews with us.  

 

Now having worked in full-time web development for more than a year, I am glad I chose to attend Fullstack.  The experience, along with a lot of hard work, gave me a huge boost toward being able to get a job in this field.

I came into Fullstack with virtually no programming knowledge or experience, and two months after I graduated I had a job as a software developer earning twice what I was making a year ago, and enjoying my work a whole lot more. Fullstack was the hardest I've ever worked in my life, and I went to an Ivy League University. If you think it's too late for you to change careers, it's not true.

I researched a lot of bootcamps, and I chose Fullstack because of their emphasis on JavaScript. The internet is eating the world, and the internet can't run without JavaScript. So to me, it is one of the more future proof languages to learn.

Lastly, the instructors and all my classmates were all super great, and I still keep in touch with lots of them.

Before taking the course at Fullstack Academy, I was doing photography, graphic design, marketing, and Wordpress development — it was more creative than technical. Not many creatives get into the program since the selection process is stringent and partial towards individuals who can rapidly pick up technical skills (extra emphasis on rapid and technical). My cohort was joined by physics, math, CS, and other mostly technical majors from around the world.

 

They have a respectably-sized campus in Manhattan's financial district with an interesting selection of lunch places and pubs. Getting there is easy as they have numerous subway lines that are accessible to the campus.

 

Like most bootcamps, thirteen weeks will fly by incredibly fast. You will learn at warp-speed, talk code on a daily basis, attend tech meet-ups & hackathons, and play boardgames with a group of highly motivated individuals who are kind-hearted as they are smart. While the faculty and staff are compassionate, they are serious on having the students comply academic requirements to maintain the competitiveness of senior projects. A good number of our cohort had to join succeeding cohorts because of the rigidity of the curriculum, which is build on Javascript’s MEAN Stack (MongoDB, Express, Angular, & Node). Learning Javascript, as opposed to Ruby and Python, is incredibly practical as most of the web is already written in Javascript and you can now run scalable and performant servers written in Javascript with the help of Node & Express! The key to learning rapidly in the program is getting lost in code and documentation while figuring out how to build modular, production-grade code in a small time period in a scrum/agile project framework.

 

Job support is plenty in the program. In the second half of the program, the career development team whips up your resume, LinkedIn profile, GitHub codebase, and your interview skills to a point that puts you ahead of regular CS graduates. It worked so much for me that I got hired a week before the program ended.

For someone who moved to the US five years ago, Fullstack Academy has turned my life around and gave me the tools to pursue an enjoyable career at an expanding field. It also connected me to a group of friends who are smart, fun, and motivated who continue to push me further into becoming a better developer even after the program ended. Many people have commented how much growth I’ve attained in three months based on the projects I can roll out, and tech recruiters have been sending messages on a semi-daily basis.

If you haven’t applied, make sure you’re well-prepared for the application. I’d take two months of at least two hours of consistent study from Codecademy, Codeschool, & Treehouse with supplementary practice from Code Wars if you haven’t done coding before. If you’ve been selected — make the commitment to quit whatever you’re doing and pursue the curriculum full time! Fullstack makes for a smart investment and trumps four years of college. Their graduates make a higher starting salary than Harvard so there’s a good chance you’ll earn back the tuition in less than three months with your job after the program.