iO Academy

I really enjoyed my time at iO Academy. I chose this bootcamp mostly because it seemed to me that they proposed the most complete curriculum and they did not disappoint! It was a very intense learning experience, but it is delivered in the best conditions: 

• small cohorts (up to 8 students) so it is always possible to ask questions and interact with the trainers
• amazing trainers, always available and supportive 
• carefully crafted curriculum, it really felt like they refined it year after year to find the best way and timing to go through the curriculum, so I never felt overwhelmed

I also want to point out that they put a really big emphasis on how to work as a software engineer (e.g. working in an Agile team) and not just how to code. I found this extremely valuable (maybe more than the coding?) as it is a huge part of the job and I arrived in my 1st software engineer position really well prepared and knowing what to expect. On the coding side, they were dedicated to teaching us best coding practices. I am currently working in my 1st position as a software developer and so far my line manager has been pleasantly surprised by how much I've learned at iO Academy! 

It took me a 4/5 months to land a job but the job market is a bit tough at the moment. I got some valuable advice from their career consultant which helped me land my current position. I would not necessarily expect to just walk into a job straight after the bootcamp (some of the students of my cohort did though!). iO Academy was definitely worth the time and the investment, and I would totally do it again!
  

One year out from completing iO Academy’s Full Stack Track, and 10 months into a job, I feel like I'm now in a good position to reflect on how the course helped shaped the start of my career in Software Development.
I applied to join iO Academy with very little programming experience—mostly from my spare time and a bit from university—looking to gain enough skills to break into the industry. The interview process was friendly but thorough, which meant I joined feeling confident that I had met the mark that the trainers set to ensure success on the course.
The course itself takes you from basic HTML/CSS sites and programming essentials to modern frontend frameworks and backend development, including constructing RESTful APIs and managing SQL databases for a comprehensive full-stack experience. Most importantly, the course teaches you to think like a Software Developer, which has made adapting to new technologies in my current job significantly easier.
The course operates like a real-world software team; you work in teams of 5-8 on two-week sprints throughout the entire course. In these sprints, you spend one week learning, then one week applying that learning in a project, which you will present to other trainees, alumni, and staff. This, combined with the Agile training at the start of the course, has meant that I have already been able to contribute to improving how we work as a team in my first job, only a few months in.
After the 16 weeks are up, it's time to get a job, although the interview and job searching support from iO comes much sooner. Like all job hunts, it was difficult and deflating at times; however, after some persistence and finding the right company, I got an offer as a Full-Stack Developer, building APIs and user experiences for various e-commerce clients.

This was undoubtedly the hardest thing I have done, but I am so glad I took the plunge, as I couldn't be happier in my new job.
I'd recommend this course to anyone interested in building software for a living but needs an injection of practical skills and real-world development practices to aid them on that journey.

It took me about 2 years of planning to finally commit to making my career change into development, and after considerable research I desided to choose iO Academy. I have to say, it is without doubt the best educational experience I have ever had. The quality of teaching I recieved from my award winning trainer Rayna was incredible - she took real care with us as a class, and created a safe environment where I felt able to ask questions. We were a very eclectic mix of students, and she helped us all in the way that we needed individually.  The curriculum was incredibly interesting, and also completely relevent for the world of work. The job support offered by Rayna, Mike, and actually all of the trainers on site was absolutely fantastic - I was able to secure a job very quickly by following all of their advice. If you are thinking about going for it, just do it! Life changing, you won't regret it!

I came in to the Academy with practically no experience and unsure if I was going to have the aptitude to be able to pursue software development as a career. I chose Io due to the syllabus, the stats for previous graduates attaining a career and the length. I was not disappointed at all. 
Throughout the course, I felt supported by the trainer in the parts I found difficult and encouraged with those that I found simple. We were encouraged to work together as much as we were to work on our own. This approach has really helped me acclimatise to my new working environment. 
The syllabus itself has a broad range of topics that gradually introduce you to many of the topics that you might run into as a junior. The focus on theory, practical and then projects helped to ingrain the knowledge and best practices.
Near the end of the course there was a particular focus upon getting us ready for entering the professional sphere. On top of this the Academy has many industry partners that know the curriculum and are more than happy to take on the right graduate when they have places. 
I cannot recommend iO Academy highly enough and the team there has helped to make my career and life better. 

I had already been trying to learn programming in my spare time for about 6 months prior to starting the Bootcamp with iOAcademy. About halfway through I realised that I really enjoyed it and wanted to become a professional software developer. I spoke with a few colleagues at work who were developers and some of them were iOAcademy graduates. They highly recommended the Fullstack Track. I applied, got accepted on one of the in-person bootcamps and haven't regretted that decision for a single moment since graduating. Here are the reasons why:

• Well designed curriculum: They build you up from scratch. (some pre-course material is required to be completed beforehand but a lot of it is quickly recapped in the first few weeks). The curriculum is constantly being refined based on feedback from previous cohorts and trends in the industry so you are learning the most relevant skills. There are loads of really interesting Guest talks spread across the 16 weeks that cover a broad range of topics from career advice to Cyber Security.
• Focus on Industry Skills: You get one week of theory followed by a project week to apply that knowledge. This works really well and the projects are fun. The first 2 projects are individual but the remaining are all group projects. The group projects really prepare you for the real world. We are taught how to use version control (Git) and how to work in an Agile way (they teach us SCRUM). One of the projects got us working in an existing codebase which really emulates what it will be like working out in industry. The cohort sizes are limited to a maximum size of 8. This is to mimic the size of typical software development teams and it means you get to know your trainees well and get to make significant contributions during the project weeks. As a side note during the interview process they look for people who can work in a team as it's such an important skill to be able to succeed in the bootcamp and out in industry.
• Excellent Trainers: They are passionate about teaching and have many years of experience both as professional software developers and trainers. They are able to explain advanced programming concepts in simple terms and instil coding best practices. They are also patient and generous with their time. They are happy to stay on and go through material again if you feel you need it or look into something slightly outside the curriculum if you have a burning desire to learn it.

Overall, I would recommend anyone who is serious about becoming a Software developer and has the time and financial support to cover the expenses of the course to apply. It will fast track your career!

I would definitely recommend iO academy as a way to transition into a career in development. The small class sizes means you get lots of personalised support and the curriculum exposes you to a good range of front-end and back-end development. Doing projects as part of the course allows you to build up a portfolio that you can then show to potential employers. The job support at iO is really good. I got a lot of individual advise on my CV, cover letters and applying in general which helped me to feel more confident when going for jobs. I got my first junior developer role within the first month of graduating. 

The course involves a lot of team work, so it's good to have that as an expectation going in. iO teaches you to code, and it also teaches you about Agile methodologies, which is how many software development projects in the real world are structured. It's a hard course, because you learn a lot very quickly, but for me it was 100% worth it. The teacher's really care about your progress and building projects with the other students was also a lot of fun. 

When I quit my job to attend iO Academy, it felt like a huge, scary gamble. On reflection, I had nothing to worry about! By the end of the first week, not only had I learned a lot, I was confident that I was completing a well thought out and comprehensive syllabus.

Before starting the Full Stack Track, I presumed that if I wanted to graduate and get a job, I would have to learn everything there was to know about coding. The reality is that software development is an ever-expanding field, and no single developer knows everything there is to know. The important thing is that you leave iO Academy with strong fundamental knowledge in the areas that matter, and have the confidence to tackle new languages/frameworks/methodologies.

Further than just a great syllabus, I made some wonderful friends along the way, and enjoyed commuting to Bath to such a relaxed, positive, and supportive environment every day. 

On my final day at iO Academy, I accepted a job offer as a Graduate Software Developer at a local Healthcare tech company. I will be writing in C# and using the .NET framework, neither of which I know anything about yet (at the time of writing, I start my role in 2 weeks' time). Thanks to the trainers at iO Academy, I feel confident that I will pick up these technologies; many coding skills are transferable between languages, not to mention the ongoing support of the academy alumni group chat. 

I can't recommend iO Academy enough. If you're thinking of taking that leap of faith... do it!

Don't hesitate to apply for the Full Stack Track course at iO Academy! It really was a life changing 16 weeks for me. 

I was a successful graphic designer for mainly food and drink packaging for 6 years prior to starting the course. I loved design and I always will have an appreciation for it but I was starting to think that something I decided on doing at age 17 (more than 10 years ago without giving away my age ;) ) wasn't necessarily what I wanted to do for the rest of my career. After talking to a couple of iO Academy alumni (one of whom also used to be a designer) I was convinced that this course was the right thing to do. I honestly didn't research any other bootcamps other than iO Academy because I thought the curriculum looked fantastic and I really enjoyed the online taster session. Another big plus for me was the fact that I could study in person at the beautiful Bath campus as I knew I would get more out of in-person teaching.

I was in a cohort of 7 people including myself which was perfect. A small class size meant that we could work as if we were a real-life dev team, collaborating and learning from each other. It also meant that we each had a lot of attention from our trainer (Charlie) and could ask as many questions as we could! Charlie was a brilliant trainer. He made sure that everyone felt comfortable and gave us as much help as we needed. I was really struggling to understand a concept in week 3 and he was really patient with me, using physical objects, pictures and relatable metaphors to explain it to me in a way that suited my learning style.

The content of the course was really well thought out, with normally a week of theory and then a project week where we initially worked solo and then worked together as a team using the scrum agile methodology. This meant that we could get to grips with new concepts and then put them into practice making projects that we could then show off on our portfolio sites (which we built in week 2). I can't believe that in January I had no idea was the command line was and now I'm using it every day in my job! 

The course is constantly evolving with feedback from the students and industry experts to keep it up to date and relevant to the industry, ensuring that we were all as prepared as we could be to get jobs at the end. We got loads of help with developer-specific CV writing, cover letters and creating our portfolio sites which was better than any career advice or help I've ever had before! Another big plus for iO Academy is the hiring partner event. The Academy has relationships with many tech companies in the South West, and we had about 10 that came to an in-person evening networking event. This actually resulted in me landing my first job as a developer 2 weeks before the end of the course! I am now 2 weeks into my job and really loving it.

The full stack track course at iO Academy was worth every penny for me and in many ways surpasses my (much more expensive) 3 year degree. It was challenging in a good way, very fun and I will look back on it as a huge positive turning point in my life.

I've broken my review down into four parts below which represent my journey through the academy. Before I dive into that please allow me to provide some background. I left a successful 10 year career to attend the 'Full Stack Track' which commenced in Jan 2022. My trainer was Rayna. 

Why I chose iO Academy
I relocated to attend the course and therefore bootcamp options across the country were open to me. My finalists were:

• Makers Academy in London
• Nology in Bristol
• iO Academy in Bath

The selection was partly skewed southwest given I ultimately wanted to work in Bristol. Here are the reasons iO was my first choice:

1. Small classes and fully taught in person. Small classes are a big plus. There were only 6 people (including me) in my class meaning that every student had a substantial amount of one-on-one attention. People learn at different rates, there will be topics and principles that come easy to some but required a different perspective for others. All bootcamps move at a tremendous pace and you cannot afford to get behind as future principles build on what you've already been taught. The extra time from trainers in a small class mean that everyone keeps up. The other benefit is that it's less daunting to put your hand up and say you don't understand in front of a smaller group. There's more time for questions, less pressure to understand first time and it's easier to get to know your class.
   I'm sure as the pandemic passes other courses will return to being in person, but at the time iO was the only course in the country offering 100% in person attendance. Unfortunately one of our class caught covid and we worked from home for a week which reassured the decision to attend an in-person course. You miss the buzz, discussions and corridor chats that lead to moments of brilliance.
   
   
2. The curriculum and teaching. I've made it my responsibility over the years to constantly learn and attend training in the various roles I've had throughout my career. I attended a good university with world class experts in their fields. I say this to provide context when I say that the structure of the curriculum and the teaching is some of the best (if not the best I've received). The course directors take frequent structured feedback from students, teachers and industry. The modules are constantly evolving to improve the student experience and final employability. It's very evident how advanced the teaching and structure has become and the course has a beautiful flow to it. iO's course is slightly longer (and more expensive!) than other courses but this extra time gives you a chance to shake off some of your imposter syndrome and let the theory sink in a littler deeper.
   
   
3. Putting the theory into practice. In general you have a week of theory and then a project week to put it into practice. Projects follow scrum principles and by the end of the course you have a very good feel of what working in a real dev team will be like. You will write on average 5-7k words in the theory weeks and they will feel like a bit of a whirlwind but the project weeks give you a chance to put them to good use. In doing so you will consolidate the knowledge and start to feel confidence in brandishing your new skills. These were such an important part of learning and when a lot of the gains in knowledge are made. They are also good fun! The academy have designed the projects well, they bring the team together and teach you more than just the theory. A good part of being a developer is learning how to communicate effectively both in the written form (eg code reviews) and in person (eg pair programming). 
   
   
4. Getting a job. The reason we're all here! The academy have a good name among organisations in the south west. They have a list of companies they have vetted which forms their 'hiring partners'. Towards the end of your course the academy plan a hiring partner event where your details are passed to the partners and all are gathered for drinks and an evening to get to know each other. The event I attended may have been unusual but there were more jobs on offer than grads attending. The course fully support you in creating a portfolio of impressive projects (for a grad level dev) and in creating a tech CV. The percentage of students who get hired from iO was the highest out of any bootcamp at the time I reviewed them. 

It's a huge leap of faith to take on the financial and social responsibility of attending a boot camp. iO Academy will hold your hand and if you're serious about becoming a dev they will help you achieve that goal. Every member of the team has genuine care and attention for the students and my experience far exceeded my expectations. I can happily report that I was able to secure an excellent role before finishing the course.

I’ve recently completed the full stack track course at iO Academy and it has genuinely been an amazing academic experience. Having quite my job in the events industry and spending a lot of time researching bootcamps, I made the decision to apply to iO and began the course in January 2022.

The course content is so well thought out and the balance of theory to projects helped solidify learning throughout the process. There was so many occasions where myself and my classmates would joke about how the order of the course content almost seemed to be intentional - which of course it was.

The support from the trainers overall was excellent, especially Rayna who was my trainer.  She ensured we had amazingly detailed notes that I’m sure I’ll continue to use as I start my dev career and was super supportive and reassuring throughout the entire process.

Before even finishing the academy, I had already had multiple interviews and a job offer. Followed by a further 2 job offers the week following - and I’ll be starting my new job next week (2 weeks after finishing the course). 

I honestly can’t recommend iO Academy enough!

Like many people, over the last year I decided I wanted to re-train and do something that felt more stimulating and challenging. I've spent most of my working life being the unofficial resident tech support person, so it seemed a natural progression to formalise things and actually learn what makes the internet work.

I quit my job in February and was accepted into iO Academy with a scholarship to complete their four month Full Stack Track course. I had an incredible time learning the ropes with my remote scrum team (the Mountain Goats) and am so grateful to all of the trainers and staff who made 8 hours of Zoom a day feel like a breeze!

The academy teaches the fundamentals of programming which means that I have the confidence and knowledge to apply this learning to any languages that weren't covered on the course. The curriculum is comprehensive, there were plenty of challenges and stretch goals, and the balance between theory and project work kept things interesting. 

Overall, I would encourage anyone considering applying to a coding bootcamp to give iO a go!

Absolutely fantastic. From amazing teachers and supporters to outstanding and indepth content. I couldn't believe how much I have learnt within 16 weeks and how far I have come. My tutor was incredible and very knowledable and he is still available to answer any questions I might have, help out or just give me a boost of confidence when needed. The course provided me with a knowledge that gave me a strong foundation to build my career upon.
The course was very intense and coding focused, so I would recommend it to anyone who is sure that being a software engineer is what they want to do (even with no previous experience).