Tech Elevator

A family member had attended Tech Elevator and had highly recommended the program.  Research showed me that Tech Elevator had both a graduation rate and job placement rate of over 90%.  After taking the online and in-person aptitude tests, I was accepted into the program.  

When they tell you it will be like a full-time job and the most intense learning experience you have ever had, BELIEVE THEM.  The program is incredibly intense, but I would STILL say choosing to attend is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made.

In addition to teaching the necessary skills in order to become a full-stack developer, there is a strong focus on career preparation.  I think I may have revised my resume at least a dozen times before I graduated. All the hard work paid off, however, when I actually had a job offer in hand prior to graduation.

If you're interested in accelerating your career in software development (especially if you're impatient like I am!), this is a great way to do it. The staff is incredibly supportive not only for the 14-weeks of the boot camp, but also after the program has ended.  It is truly a life-changing experience and I would definitely recommend!

Any bootcamp can teach you to code, but Tech Elevator is the only one I found that will teach you how to get a job as a developer.

The coding education provided by TE is absolutely top-notch! Most of my cohort went in with little to no experience, but by graduation, we were all competent in multiple programming languages, and spent our last two weeks developing a fully functional web application from scratch! The coursework was challenging, but well-paced, and the instructors are all experienced, friendly, and perpetually available to help you get unstuck (and you WILL get stuck).

But the thing that truly sets TE apart from the rest is the Pathway Program. They will teach you how to tailor your LinkedIn, resume, and elevator pitch to attract and hold the attention of potential employers. They will teach you how to shine in HR, behavioral, and technical interviews, and give you practice sessions for each type of interview, both with staff and industry professionals. They have panel discussions with local developers and former students to help you understand what it's like to work as a developer. In the second half of the program, there are several employer showcases, wherein large and small tech companies give presentations and field questions about their businesses and environments. After all that, the shining jewel of the program is the Matchmaking interview process. Every student gets interviews with several local tech companies and tech recruiters!

Even after you've graduated, the TE staff is always available to help with job hunting, salary negotiation, on-the-job problems, and more. The program isn't cheap, but it would be a bargain at twice the price.

In closing, if you are serious about getting into software development ASAP, there's no better place to go than Tech Elevator!

I was not sure about the whole thing, the bootcamp etc. Well, I was wrong. This is the best investment I have ever made in my life. I wanted to change career since I have left school after graduating from a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering.

My spouse relocation gave me the opportunity to make that change and I would not trade it for anything in the world.

Tech Elevator is not just a coding bootcamp, there is a program called the pathway program that will help you network, connect and potentially interview with dozens of companies within the greater Pittsburgh Area. 

If you are unsure and you are reading this, Just Do It !

I attended Tech Elevator's Cleveland Campus and had an AMAZING experience. Perviously I worked in sales, and had little to no technical knowledge when it came to programming apart from a few very basic classes in college. When I left and got into the work place I was well prepared and armed with the tools I need to take on the challanges I face as a developer on a daily basis.

The instructors are fantastic and will take the time to make sure that you really understand concepts that you struggle with and are readily available. The Pathway program will keep you focused on finding a job and give you plenty of amazing tips and tricks for your career endevours in the future as well. 

Overall, I was blown away by my experience at Tech Elevator and more than satisfied with my new career in web development!

Tech Elevator was a great experience. I feel competent as a developer after only four months. The material was in depth and well worth my time. The technical side that you're is looking for is there. You WILL be a software developer by the end of the course.

The part that catches people off guard is the Pathway program. You expect to come into the program and just learn to code but what you don't realize is that Tech Elevator gets you a job too. Not just any job either. I was interviewing with big companies like GE Aviation and Kroger. The price of admission is almost worth it just for Pathway. I highly recommend this course for anybody looking to start or change careers. 

The only downside is the stress. Not only are you drinking from the firehose that is a coding bootcamp, but you also have zero income for about four months. You can get cost of living money from your student loan for the course, but once it runs out, you're out of money potentially with no job. This comes with any coding bootcamp though, so I can't criticize Tech Elevator for this directly. 

So yes, Tech Elevator is both a significant financial investment, as well as a risk if you have to quit your job to attend. That being said, if you're looking around for coding bootcamps, you are probably already aware and willing to take that risk. If so, read on.

Tech Elevator was a grueling, intense, challenging, experience that piles on all of the knowledge you need to get that first tech company job. This isn't a college computer science course, this is a practical, hands on bootcamp. Think of it like a job and school combined in to one. There is in class lecture, followed by hours of coding exercises in constantly growing difficulty. 

One thing of note, people will stress about whether they took the .NET or Java track when it comes to job seeking time. I would say that in my experience, it does seem that occasionally an employer will look for people that are already using the same tech stack, but I've also seen .NET students get hired into Java shops. I would say that is a small concern, just don't worry about it. There are too many elements outside of the student's control in that situation. I've seen .NET people get disheartened because company A is a Java shop and is looking for Java students, and then seen company A hire a different .NET candidate. Just focus on the job search and these things won't have to add undue stressl.

Despite this stressful, challenging, crazy amount of learning, there will be quite a bit of just hanging out and getting to know your cohortmates, instructors, and the local tech scene. You are actively encouraged to go out and network. Meet people in the local tech industry, make some friends, find a mentor, etc. You are also provided a boatload of job search advice, assistance, and resources. The job seeking aspect was the most stressful, but rewarding part of the program. Two weeks after I graduated, I landed at essentially my dream job. 

You have to put in the work to obtain this kind of outcome, and there is still a slight element of chance at play, but I can definitively say that Tech Elevator has changed my life for the better. If you have the grit to get through this program, you have the grit to land that first big tech job, and the Tech Elevator staff will be there to help.

Tech Elevator's Coding Academy was one of the highlight's of my career. I was fortunate enough to be sponsored by my employer to attend full time for the 14 weeks. The classes were extremely well taught and small enough to allow students to feel comfortable asking questions and get individual help when needed. I felt that the way that Tech Elevator teaches coding is really well done. Learning the theory and the basics bfore launching into writing lots of code - giving you the building blocks and concepts that you need to make sense of object oriented programming step by step. Classes took place in the moring with individual exercises to work on in the afternoon, later including pair programming so not only experiencing working with other people at different ability levels, but learning how pair programming works. At the end of each section of the course students worked on a mini capstone project with another student, pulling together what had been learnt in the previous weeks and challenging you beyond what had been taught in the classroom - something that every developer will need to be able to do in the workplace. At the end of 12 weeks, we worked in small 'agile' teams to create an application based on requirements provided by a product owner. Some of these were real life projects from companies outside Tech Eleveator but also projects created by the instructors. That was such fun and I had a great time working with my team to create a website for unemployed cats! For the students that were not already in a job, Tech Elevator provides an amazng 'Pathway' program to help students find developer roles, bringing in companies to hold job fairs and interviews, helping prepare linked in profles, elevator pitches and a while raft of great ideas and practise. It was all in all an increbile experience and although I was ready to return to work, I also hated to leave the academy where I had felt myself grow so much in terms of my confidence. It was *tough* and it was hard work. I put in many hours beyond those in the academy and at times pulled my hair out in frustration, but the support from my instructor Steve and the other instructors was phenomenal. I made some great friendships and learnt so much from my fellow students too - I can't tell you how amazing this place is. Take the leap - it will be worth every cent and the blood, sweat and tears

Wherever you learned about the program, everything you heard is true. The skills you learn will be extremely valuable, there will be abundant opportunities to apply them to a job, and, as others have mentioned, it will be challenging.

I couldn't be happier to have grown with the staff in Cincinnati over the few months I was there. You will face challenges, but from course instructors to career guidance, you will have a great group of people to help you succeed. 

Overall it was a fantastic experience. The cost of tuition is high but pays off many times over, and I am so happy I made the investment. I couldn't imagine not going through with it.

Attending Tech Elevator is one of the best and most important desicions I've made in my life. Prior to attending, I was a professional musician/music teacher in the New York City Area. I had moved out to Cleveland with my wife, was feeling pretty worn out on my career and looking for a change and something that was more sustainable long term. After picking up some beginner coding skills for fun, I started researching bootcamps in the Cleveland area. I ultimately decided on Tech Elevator after talking to a family friend that had attended and I sure am glad this was the program I picked.

Tech Elevator is great for 3 reasons. The first is the amazing, amazing staff. They really care and are always available to help. They take the time to get to know you, how you learn, your strengths and weaknesses and put you in the best position to succeed. My Java instructor Frank taught me so much, and was a big reason why I attended in the first place because I was so blown away by his passion and charisma in the open house I attended. Craig was always available to help students and has an incredible amount of patience and knowledge. He was always ready to talk about technology. Kelly, the Pathway director is phenomanal at her job and if you listen to her and follow what she recommends, it really, truly pays off. Marty does a great job of running the show as the campus director, and the rest of the staff is incredibly kind and makes you feel right at home. Overall, the technical instructors are so knowledgeable and passionate, it's hard not to be inspired everyday.

The second reason is the fellow students. It was so refreshing to get to learn, work and know my fellow classmates. Everyone comes from a slightly different background, but with a common goal of learning how to code and also to get a job. I made so many friends and connections in my cohort that I know will continue to last. I also learned a ton from my classmates. Every afternoon working on projects/exercises was incredibly fun and beneficial getting to help and learn from each other. 

The third reason is that Tech Elevator delivered on helping me change careers and get a new job. I was very fortunate and recieved 3 job offers prior to graduation. I accepted a job with my top choice company on graduation day. The matchmaking process is an amazing experience; exciting, stressful but ultimately delivering something great at the end. It's easy to be skeptical of TE's amazing job placement numbers, but they are 100% true.

One thing I remember asking myself is how much experience do you need? I spent about 5 months before Tech Elevator learning as much as I could through free online resources, and it did help, but it is not necessary. I do recommend it just to see if it is something you enjoy learning about, which for me it was. Some students come in with more experience, some not at all. Ultimately technical ability is not what gets you the job; it's the whole package. At a certain point in the program, things kind of level off between students. As I said before, everyone has strengths which you learn to maximize as you enter the interview process. The staff really does a great job of getting you prepared for the interview process, which really varies from job to job. If you do the program, just work as hard as you can and do what they say as best you can. 

The other question I had was how stresfull it would be. Honestly, coming from music which was filled with uncertainty, the whole process was a welcome change. I structured my days and just made a comittment. You do have to dedicate 14 weeks to the program; I did a few hours of homework every weeknight  (after being at TE all day) and definitely put in as many hours as possible on the weekends. In the end, it's really a small price to pay to enter such a great field with so many possibilities. Everyone I know in the program had their own stressful or tough times whether it was on a capstone or an interview didn't go how you wanted, etc. It always worked out as long as you just keep on plugging away. In the end it goes by so fast!

If you work hard, and have an interest in the field of tech, I can't recommend Tech Elevator highly enough. Ultimately, they are truly as advertised!

Tech Elevator Highlights:

• Solid introduction to software development fundamentals
• Instructors are there to guide you throughout activities and you'll have PLENTY of coding hours to practice
• Multiple interview opportunities with local companies 
• The Pathway Program helps you put your best foot forward with employers through interview training and job search preparation

Program Challenges:

• Large time / emotional / financial commitment - not for those who need continual encouragement and get frustrated easily
• No guarantee of a job - the program advisors will do their best to coach and guide you, but being your own brand evangelist is up to you
• Lots to learn in a short amount of time - can be frustrating for perfectionist who want to have a solid grasp before moving on

Overall Thoughts:

Deciding to work in software development is not for the faint of heart - it requires constant learning and the ability to navigate murky waters on your own. If you're the type of person who likes clear instructions and routine tasks, this line of work might not be for you. 

Furthermore, joining Tech Elevator is no guarantee of success or landing a job, but it is a tool that you can use in your endeavor to get into the industry. If you go in with the mindset that you are responsible for your own growth and development, then the program has a lot to offer. I was very happy with my decision to enroll and switch career paths.