The Tech Academy

 

I have gained a lot of experience from my live project. I have modified most of the webpages in the Tech Academy’s website to be more attractive and functional using JavaScript, PHP, Bootstrap and CSS methods in HTML. Solving issues with xamp port setting by myself was an awesome experience. I have got experience with both group project environment and working independently to find solutions. Continuously monitoring our progress in shared work sheet and using version control in GitHub improved our overall productivity. The experience I have gained through the live project will be very beneficial in my future career as a software developer. Even though I am looking forward to a career concentrating in data analysis sector, the experience I acquired from the website development and Live Project overall is directly applicable to any field related to a programming career. 

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To be competitive as a Senior Sales or Account person you need to distinguish yourself from all the other Sales people.  I decided to take the Tech Academy training to do just that.  In my 30 years in this business it was always apparent that Software Sales People lacked the background to effectively communicate with Software Engineers.  If you just take orders and don't really sell anything your technical acumen does not matter.  If you really have to execute a sales process to win business you need to establish credibility and rapport with Software Developers.  You can have technical people help you but to find and initiate new business you need to engage on their level.  I've managed to do this for years but as this business evolved my knowledge is dated, and it showed.  
  I have completed all the courses up through Java Script and found them to be helpful in many ways. First of all I always thought I knew the basics of the business quite well.  Wrong.  I maybe had 50% of the basics info and quickly discovered that I really lacked fundamental knowledge and so many things have changed.  I was able to boost my knowledge in this area to 99%.  This and all the subsequent courses have increased my confidence and it really paid off.

My job category is that of a Senior person and interviews for jobs like this go on for months.  I may not have ever applied for a Sales Engineering job without the coursework I have under my belt.  I did apply for one with the help of Danny and Michael.  Part of the interview process was a presentation in front of the VP.  Michael and Danny made a suggestion about standing up and using a laser pointer and it worked so well that after 10 min they had seen enough and put me through the rest of the process.  Thanks to the Tech Academy coursework and Michael and Danny's idea I will be starting my new job on Monday the 11th.

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I served both as a team member and a scrum master during my live project experience, and gained a multitude of valuable team development work perspectives to describe to prospective employers during my job search. I learned how to use Bootstrap and MVC for web development – both skills which have impressed the recruiters to whom I have spoken – and gained extra practice reading and writing in C#. This will help me as I complete the remainder of my C# course at the Tech Academy.

To my credit, I was able to solve a number of challenging issues, especially during my second live project. I was happy to be able to contribute by, among other things, fixing the scroll bar issue on the Bewander home page, improving the home page and review creation pages' formats, and cosmetically brushing up the whole site.

Overall, I am glad to be able to use this teamwork experience, both in my coding work and on my resume, going forward.

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I joined The Tech Academy in November 2015 aiming to switch my career to software development from a background in Electrical Engineering and many long years of voluntary work. I had sensed that the growing tech community in the city would be a great opportunity to be hired as a Software Developer. I had been checking out several options and ultimately decided to join Tech Academy because of the curriculum that covered web development using Microsoft Technologies. The self-paced learning environment was another selling point. Although I was aware of some aspects of software development, it was during the bootcamp training that I got to learn and understand a lot more. I believe I gained a solid foundation on the basics as a result of my training at The Tech Academy.

The way the course is designed was of great benefit to me as it helped me to get a firm grip on programming basics starting with terms and abbreviations and then moving on to more complex topics such as databases, data structures, Object Oriented Programming concepts and layered architecture. The video tutorials, starting from WordPress and version control to actual full-stack development using .NET, the follow-along exercises and the short drills at the end of each topic also were very helpful.

The job placement course with the short videos on etiquette and soft skills, resume and cover letter preparation and mock-interview drills helped me to be interview-ready.

Working on live projects was very useful for me, as it prepared me to get a foretaste of what to expect in the real world of programming. In addition to practice in solving technical challenges, I experienced how it would be to work in a team, collaborate, communicate status, and complete tasks in a deadline-driven environment. In fact, in my job interview the focus was on the live project and my contribution in it which eventually helped me get hired!

I want to express my gratitude to the team of instructors at Tech Academy who helped me throughout the course and for encouraging me to never give up but keep on persevering. The journey was long and hard but it was worth the whole time. My experience here taught me a lot that has, I believe, helped me not only secure my first programming job, but will also help in building a career in software development.

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I had been working in the semiconductor industry for most of a decade when I learned about The Tech Academy. I had known about code schools for a couple of years and was intrigued by the idea, but I didn't know that they had begun opening inPortland. I had become dissatisfied with my career and I have always enjoyed working with computers, so after researching some of the local schools I chose to quit my job and enroll in The Tech Academy. I chose The Tech Academy because of its focus on the .NET framework and the flexibility of its schedule.

The Tech Academy's curriculum is very well thought out because it does not assume a student has a background in computer science or programming. Although a lot of the Computer Basics Course was a review for me, it was a useful review that I needed. Each course in the program builds on what a student has already learned. Along with all the computer languages and database work, students also learn the basics of project management as well as the skills they need to write a quality resume and stand out during a job interview.

All of the instructors I met were friendly and wanted me to succeed. If I asked a question they did not know the answer to, they admitted it instead of telling me something that was wrong. They also encourage students to attend Meetups so we can meet people that are working in the industry and learn about all of the different kinds of work in which we can get involved.

I have accepted a job offer as a web developer for one of Portland's largest employers and it was only possible with the skills I learned at The Tech Academy. For the first time in a while, I feel positive about my future. Thank you.

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The Tech Academy has been one of the best choices that I could have made for furthering my education. Going through multiple jobs in multiple fields really put a perspective on what I wanted to do for a career and I know It was with coding and software developing. With The Tech Academy I was able to accomplish this in a faster, more cost effective way without the extra classes that didn't relate to my studies! I was able to go through the courses at my own fast pace and really get a true understanding for the fundamentals. Each course that you go through gives incorporates the past ones so you don't forget and you see real life applications of using it. Completing this program has landed me a job with a well known company making an awesome salary! It even gave me the knowledge to start my own business on the side to help other business owners with their websites! Many thanks to The Tech Academy for doing what they do with highly qualified instructors that help you along every step of the way.

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Twelve weeks ago, I began my studies at The Tech Academy­­and next week I begin an intellectually challenging job, developing software for one of the biggest names in I.T.!

Software development is a great field to be a part of: it is creative, intellectually rich, full of dynamic people, and in high demand. Plus it's fun! Changing careers has been an exciting process, and I can now say that my training at The Tech Academy has clearly given me the foundation I need to be successful.

The three greatest merits of The Tech Academy are the Job Placement resources, the Live Project experience, and the self­paced structure. When I refer to Job Placement resources, I don't mean that The Tech Academy sets you up with prospective employers—which will be a disappointment to some prospective students. But the Academy brings in speakers each week, which introduced me to the recruiter who worked so amazingly to place me. I also got great advice in the Job Placement course, which gave me a terrific­ looking resume and got me in the right forums. Most importantly, the weekly technical Round Tables prepared me specifically for my interview, which was quite technical.

The Live Project gave me the crucial experience I could point to, using the very technologies that are most in-­demand. That, of course, is by its design, because the projects are real contracts from the I .T. marketplace. And unlike an internship, where one could potentially be placed in a niche doing entry-­level tasks, I worked on the full functional breadth of a large website.

The self­paced structure of The Tech Academy is its great two­-edged sword. It allowed me to start immediately, and to devote myself fully to progressing. In the time­frame that I would be waiting to start the next course at another bootcamp, I was able to complete the Tech Academy curriculum and move on to putting my skills to work.

The self-­pacing also allowed me to take side­trips for a few minutes­­or a few days­­to more fully understand various concepts that I was introduced to in the courses. I would not have passed my technical interview if I had not done this. Although we covered the concept early on, I revisited database normalization repeatedly throughout my training before I really understood it. I spent an extra hour studying garbage collection in .NET, and I spent two days understanding delegates, event handling and the associated Observer Pattern. I was quizzed on all of these topics, so that was certainly time well spent! 

To make the curriculum at The Tech Academy work, though, students have to be self­motivated to a great degree. You will get out what you put in. One of the beautiful things about a self­-paced program is that it accommodates competing priorities in peoples' lives—but it is also possible to lose momentum. So you have to maintain the energy. You also have the responsibility for really learning the material. The Tech Academy curriculum is like a freeway—it will get you across the country, but if you just race across the freeway as fast as you can, you haven't seen the country.

You have to pull over at the historical markers and read the plaques. It certainly worked for me, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at The Tech Academy for all their hard work and their assistance! It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun. 

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Everything up to this point at The Tech Academy has prepared me for this language. The progression of the previous courses gave me a better understanding of the C# and .Net programming. It's a functional style program easy to wrap your head around and incredibly useful. With gaining the knowledge of C# basics in the beginning; identifiers, keywords, literals, how to declare variables, and constants. To the program structure of main methods, namespaces, statements and operators the language gave me the confidence to code. After the completion of this course and with a greater understanding of languages, I can now say that I have the knowledge that most languages have the same platform but different syntax and having that understanding for me is amazing. To think, a few months ago I had never written any code. I've since completed the full boot camp and now am working in tech.   -Adam Read less

 

Prior to The Tech Academy, I could operate a computer alright. Type documents, send emails, use Facebook, etc. I never considered myself a nerd and when I heard programmers talking I wanted to fall asleep. 

But I was attracted to learning coding because I thought I could do well at it and it pays well. I tried some self-training and crashed and burned. The data was way over my head and I didn't know what to study. 

My friend told me about boot camps and I researched a few. I chose The Tech Academy for two reasons: 1. Their staff was friendly, helpful and nice and 2. Their curriculum looked more thorough than other schools. 

Four months later, I can now code in seven languages and I have my highest ever paying job.

The program was laid out in a great sequence so nothing was too over my head but at the same time it was challenging. The Instructors and job placement staff were amazing and I couldn't have finished without them.

I'm now working in tech and totally couldn't have done it without these guys. Anyways, that's my story - hope it helps

 

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I was introduced to programming 4 years ago when I was studying Business Analysis. Although coding was only a small part of the curriculum, I ended up enjoying it the most. Since then I learned some programming on my own, during my free time until last year when I decided that I wanted to take it up full time and become a software developer. As a result, I enrolled at The Tech Academy.

The courses at The Tech Academy are structured in a way that allows students to build their technical skills from the ground up by starting with computer science fundamentals. I never felt like there were concepts or terminology that I was required to learn about prior to the program, because they were all introduced throughout the courses and explained in a way that was easy for a beginner like myself to understand. The course material covers software development in detail, but also maps out the bigger picture. As you progress through the curriculum, you cultivate your own knowledge base of software tools, OOP concepts, database technologies and programming languages while also developing a portfolio of work to apply that knowledge.

There were plenty of assignments and projects to work on for each of the courses, plus a live project towards the end of the program, and the instructors at The Tech Academy were available every step of the way. Although I was a remote student, they always responded quickly to any questions I had and the constructive feedback they provided was an immense help. In regards to my career, enrolling at The Tech Academy was the best decision I have made because it gave me the technical skills needed to start a career in software development, but also helped me build my confidence and ultimately land a job as a Junior .NET Developer.

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I am a recent graduate of The Tech Academy and my experience there was fantastic. I signed up for their software boot camp in December and by April I was hired with no prior experience in I.T. The knowledge I gained from doing the course work at the boot camp was invaluable. It didn’t just teach me about programming, but it taught me how to think like a software developer. One of the best experiences of the boot camp was the live project. This entailed working with a team using Agile/Scrum methodologies to complete a two week long sprint. It was very rewarding being able to put what I learned to use in a real world project.

I studied remotely from Maryland and then came out to Portland to work on the live project and search for a job. I was able to find employment promptly with the help of The Tech Academy’s job placement crew. Overall, my experience at The Tech Academy was great and I would recommend it to anyone trying to break into the field of software development.

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I am very grateful to the Tech Academy. My life is complete. I was trying to find what I wanted to

do with my life. I always enjoyed learning new things. I get that with programming. There's

always something new. It's just mind­blowing. My brain feels alive solving problems and applying

my knowledge. It's just continuous growth in the world of programming. There was a time in my

life when everything seemed familiar from Biology to TV shows. There was no more novelty.

With programming, that sense of newness and curiosity came back. I used to just watch movies

and surf the internet when using a laptop. Now, the possibilities are endless. You can do robotics,

statistics, art, etc.

 

Before the Tech Academy, I was looking for answers like how does a computer really work. The

answer I got from Google was lacking for me. The Computer Basics Course opened up a whole

new world for me. I think you can't find everything on the internet. Some of it is through people's

experience. Erik Gross clearly has experienced how to teach what programmers should know.

Going through the course will certainly prepare anyone for a career in programming. I would hire

anyone who graduates from the Tech Academy. I know they have put in the time and the repetition

to be able to do the job.

 

I am really glad I took the leap. I could still be stuck in the past and not be part of the future.

Programming is the future. Maybe we're heading towards a world like Star Wars where most of the

jobs are “Luke Skywalker” jobs, you can either fix machines or program them. To any prospect

who's reading this, be part of the future, enroll at The Tech Academy. Thank you.

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I really began getting into programming about a year and half ago by watching

YouTube videos and reading a few beginners books, but within just a few months, I

hit a wall. I had no sense of direction in my studies and was trying to jump so many

steps without learning core programming concepts. I soon realized I needed formal

training if I was going to get where I wanted to go. After doing some research I

found The Tech Academy and its study program was exactly what I needed!

 

From day 1, The Tech Academy was very helpful with any questions I had and

because the boot camp is self-paced, it allowed me to work as fast as I wanted and to

set my own schedule to fit my needs. Right from the get go, the courses helped clear

up a lot of core concepts that I had been struggling with on my own and

progressively gave me the tools I needed to become a junior developer. After

finishing all of the course work, I can proudly say I have the knowledge I need to

begin my career as software developer and it’s all thanks to The Tech Academy. I

would personally like to thank all of the staff for all of their help and getting me to

this point of my career.

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I moved to Portland four years ago with the intention of moving into the Tech Industry. I have always been interested in Computer Networking and Mobile Technology so I took a job with Sprint Wireless which I did enjoy. After working in the Mobile industry for a couple of years I wanted to move more into the engineering side of things so I started looking into schooling and Networking Certification. That’s when I came across the Tech Academy Website and submitted for more information. Software development had always intrigued me but I thought it was only for computer science majors. 

I had a few email communications with the Academy and set an appointment to meet Erik and tour the facility. On the day I came in I was still thinking networking would be my career of choice. When I met Erik his passion for software came across right away and I was impressed. I then toured the facility and got a really good feeling for The Tech Academy’s vision and goals for their students. Having an understanding of where jobs of the future are going and not wanting to spend two more years in college the Tech Academy became a top consideration. 

With the decision made to come to the Academy after another good meeting with Erik and passing the prerequisites I began my basic training for software development. Not having previous coding experience made the experience a little daunting at the beginning but with a great course curriculum and great instructors I was able to get myself rolling through the program.  I enjoyed coming to the downtown campus daily and found the Instructors and entire staff very helpful and accommodating. 

After a few months on the program I was given the opportunity to become an instructor with the Academy which I accepted happily. I know the best way to learn something is to teach it and I really enjoy being around other students so It was great to become part of the Tech Academy team. This is also a great way to give back for the opportunities I am thankful for. Learning to be a software developer is not easy and does take a lot of work but if you stay focused and work hard you will be successful. The Tech Academy genuinely cares and wants to have successful graduates and is a great place to learn coding. I want to thank everyone at the Academy for the passion and guidance that has got me through the program. You are all awesome!

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I had the exact same experience as the other person that spoke of the mind games. However I left a review several months back that appears to have been deleted. So I will repost. You are given a Scientology personality test (first red flag) and also an IQ test. They then call you back and tell you you have a personality flaw but did great on the IQ test, so they are willing to make an exception so long as you sign their waiver. The basics of the waiver are that you cannot ask for a refund of any amount, which actually violates Oregon law, and that you cannot in any way speak negatively about the company or the program on any social media. Just as the other person said, this basically means the school has zero responsibility to the student, and should things not go well, for whatever reason, tough luck. And if you speak negatively about us in any way, expect a lawsuit. I obviously cannot speak to the actual program because I wasn't in any way willing to play their game or sign such a ridiculous contract. No one in their right mind would sign such a document. Caveat emptor. Let's see how long it takes for this review to be deleted. Read less

Attending The Tech Academy was one of the best decisions of my life. I learn a lot about what this industry wants in a candidate. The Tech Academy guided me on the path to understanding these industry-valued-wants. The technologies I studied included but not limited to: CSS, HTML, JavaScript, C#, SQL, Python, People-Skills and Culture. I feel a special attachment to each person that I meet at The Tech Academy and I am happy to be a new addition to this family! The instructors were with me every step of the way during this journey and I am grateful. The Tech Talks, and Meet-ups were very informative, and it gave us perspective. Thanks. Lastly, I am sure that many of us will meet again in the job market and we will talk about the special times we had while learning to code at The Tech Academy! Read less

Wow, where do I start? 
I joined the Tech Academy in June 2015, while still working full-time at my job at a start-up company. That start-up was shortly acquired and I was left with two choices: work with the new ownership or commit full-time with my studies. I chose to commit to the bootcamp and I’m glad I did. 
Along the way, I learned a lot of the fundamentals of software development that I will carry with me going forward. I can now say that learning a new language or technology is something I am confident in doing within a short period of time. I’m now ready to start my new career as a full-time web developer for a Fortune 1000 company in a small, fast paced team next Monday. 
I don’t think this would be possible had I not joined the Tech Academy and was taught the array of front-end/back-end languages, database structures, and the ability to work on a live project team. These are highly valuable technical skills that I feel have prepared me to be competitive in the marketplace. 
There is only one coding boot camp in my city and so, I was very grateful to find a solution to study self-paced online while I was also working full-time when I joined. 
Thank you Tech Academy, you were the perfect fit! Otherwise, I don’t think my career transition would have happened the way it did without me inconveniently relocating somewhere temporarily just to make the leap into web development. Although my leap took months, every day I did something to progress forward in my skills, projects, and study. It is true that what you put into your studies is what you get out of it. I also had accountability each week from my job placement coach which was very helpful in keeping me on track. He would always make sure I was preparing myself. Whether that meant mock interviewing me the day of my interviews or applying to jobs, I think the overall accountability and consistency is what brought me confidence that it was just a matter of time for the right opportunity to present itself. And that is exactly what happened! 
Thank you Tech Academy staff for the support and education! I look forward to a successful career in web development and I am happy to start seeing the fruits of my labor! This is just the beginning.

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I absolutely love the Computer Basics Course. I thought it was very well laid out and easily explained. I already had experience in the field but I actually got a lot out of it. Also, the Javascript Course was awesome! I enjoyed that a lot. Overall, I find that the content of the courses are nice and I like it. The learning experience has proven itself to be amazing! I know once I am finished with the school, I'll be able to professionally code.

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Although I haven't yet completed the program, so far I have really understood what I am studying. Sometimes I can forget what I was reading when I intake too much data at once, but there are coding challenges that have let me practice and thus retain what I have learned.

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To start things off, I would like to say that the experience here has been phenomenal. The entire staff, the flexible scheduling, course work layout, lessons, and teaching style has been nothing short of great. 

I came to this school with zero prior knowledge on sofware development. I came from a dental background. Starting off with computer basics, it was a good course for me to get my feet wet within the computer world. They have laid out the courses in a great way that makes sense and logical for the students to learn. 

Moving through the courses in succession is a great sensation. I never would have thought I'd learn this much about software development. Definitely not possible on my own without The Tech Academy. Learning both front-end and back-end development is a great way to make yourself a well-rounded developer.

Funny thing is, I landed a job at a fantastic location before even finishing the entire program. Now I am making a salary for the first time in my life and taking over my household as the main income provider (I'm only 24 years old). I couldn't have been more thankful for enrolling here. It is life changing and great relationships were built. 

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