Tech Talent & Strategy

I'd like to break this review into a few topics in particular. Having a sponsor for the camp, Curriculum, Instructor, Support, Classmates, and ultimate finishing with overall experience.

Having a sponsor for this camp was amazing. Getting this high of a value item and such an industry important curriculum because it was catored to them was absolutely amazing. The problems with it lied in having far too many people in the room where they decided how much we should know and what topics to cover. Sometimes we had super intense classes where the topics couldn't go on long enough. Other times we had classes that just dragged on and on because my poor instructor had to slug through boring slides about topics we had no business worrying about as newbies. Overall, the sponsor was great. They provided me something that I will always be grateful for. They also may or may not give me a job. Still waiting to hear. (it's been just a week)

Curriculum was rough and amazing all at once. There were long days that were awful, and there were some days where I wish I could have stayed longer and gotten to know more about a particular topic. I think there were far too many people involved in making decisions about what to learn, how we learn it, and ultimately whether or not there were realistic expectations around getting it done. Curriculum was over a "meh...glad I learned Java and Spring! That's for sure!"

My instructor was out of this world phenomenal. This section will have ZERO downsides other than him not being able to have more freedom to expand on topics he knew we needed more of. The instructor? Gregory Testo. He's amazing. I cannot recommend him enough. Charismatic, funny, attentive, unique, and so knowledgable. He had to learn with us on certain topics as things changed from the corporate sponsor and he didn't miss a beat. He dedicated saturdays to coming in for 4 hours to help other students who wanted it. Seriously cannot be any more thankful for him and I absolutely love this man.

Support and Classmates. TTS had amazing support, especially in the hands of Tanny Men. I spoke with her mostly and she provided us with far more than I ever knew possible. Even when TTS higher ups gave us answers on questions we got ANGRY about...she was there to back us up and try to fight for us. I cannot say more good things about her as well, because she particularly cared for me very well as I faced numberous stressors outside of class. My classmates were insanely cool. I got along with almost everyone and had zero hatred for a single person. We were all super close at the end and I walked away with more than knowledge and skills...I gained friends. I was so lucky to have these people by my side. We acted like a rugby team on the line and huddled together, keeping everyone afloat and running at the goal of getting hired by our sponsor as a team. We openly talked about how no one was in competition and everyone was willing to help.

Ultimately this experience was overall a phenomenal time. I was tested in so many ways by the need to grow and learn material quickly, and I walked away being able to build a full stack application from scratch. I walked away with friends and a great chance at finding my way into the industry so that I can provide for my family and have my dream career. The camp provided me with one of the greatest crucibles I've ever faced, stretching me so thin that I almost broke at times. (I drove an hour to get into class and walked 15 minutes every day to have free parking in Downtown PHX). I'm so thankful I got the camp free, although it ultimately cost my home 3-4 months of no income and having to run our credit cards through the roof to make it work. My only big complaints, since I feel I have to provide some of them, would be that the corporate sponsors and TTS did not communicate well. There was a lot to learn and not enough time, while also having huge expectations. We got a visit from one of the sponsor company's higher ups and he devastated most of us with rude and awful news half way through the camp. Confusion, changes, rough slides to learn from, and a lack of coding along or building projects from the first week were also in my list of complaints. I wish I had spent more time coding, using github, making projects, and less time talking theory while staring at slides. Ultimately, I'm a driven person who made this an "I cannot and will not fail or be unprepared" venture, so I did everything I had to in order to succeed, even when that meant taking an hour from my 5 hours of sleep each night.

Greg Testo is amazing, I'm so happy I know Java and Spring, as well as using Test Driven Development to program, and I have new friends I love. I'm happy and thankful. 

I am a developer that already had some experience, but wanted to learn a bit more about other aspects of the software stack that I haven't touched in some time. I have to say, this experiment was worth the investment. While it's possible to learn at home from a tutorial, learning along with other people in a classroom is a lot more fun, and having a regular schedule for class time can be motivating. TTS also does a fantastic job with placement assistance. Their network of local connections is impressive, and they put a lot of time and effort into connecting students with jobs that are a good match for their skills.

The thing that sets TTS apart is the personal approach to job connections - students are sent to opportunities that are right for them, rather than just sent to the same catch-all place as the rest of their peers. Their classes are also a bit more affordable than other local options, and shorter, so students can combine the coursework that they need while still potentially holding down a full-time job. TTS is also generous with scholarship options, which makes this program more accessible to nontraditional students.

Overall, it's a great option, and I highly recommend it.

Fast paced and great environment to learn. The talented staff and instructors here care about you, your success, and your learning process. Especially with the pair programming (meaning getting to couple up with your classmates and learn code from your peers as well). This Tech Talent South Select program is ideal for anyone who wants to brake into Full Stack Web Development or just wanting to know how to build an app for your very on ideas. I will recommend that anyone and everyone sign up today for Full Stack Code Immersion classes today in your area. Visit https://www.techtalentsouth.com/ and do something BIG.

Overall Experience: 
The staff of Tech Talent South have been incredibly supportive and welcoming. Tech Talent South's approach helps foster passion and enthusiasm for learning and development. 

Curriculum:
The curriculum is exactly what I expect to be covered in a Full-Stack Development boot camp.

Instructors:
Greg is excellent at adapting the curriculm and classroom activities to suite each students learning needs.

Job Assistance:
TTS has offered resume writing 1-on-1's, networking events, and with the coporate training weekly meetings with the company sponser. 

HTML/CSS/JavaScript/Linux/Ruby on Rails/Git/Testing/Cloud-Distributed Systems/SQL

Lots of classroom instruction, but also ample lab time supervised by instructor. Instruction professional and competent, but also engaging and personable. Pre-course study requirements and materiel requirements very modest. Excellent facilities, physical environment, amenities, and digital resources for study. I went into the course with a little used Associate's degree in Programming, but this course provided very practical instruction on how to actually use the technology in a very well-rounded stack.  I strongly recommend this program to anyone who has the opportunity to take it and is willing to put in the work.

When you think of the concept of a coding bootcamp, often a picture of strict and grueling execise regimen and drilling over the basics and terminology over and over may come to mind. With Tech Talent South, it feels like such preconception is absent! The friendly, jovial atmosphere and unbridled dedication to learning and improving shines brightly with this particular course. Backed by a corporate-sponsored organization dedicated purely to the success of our cohort, it's easy to feel confident and secure knowing we have a web of support anywhere we turn. I don't think I could turn anywhere else when it comes to coding bootcamps.