The Tech Academy

I did a lot of research on the many different boot camps here in Denver and The Tech Academy stood out to me for the following reasons: 1) the curriculum covered is super up-to-date and comprehensive, plus they are always updating it to keep up with the fast-changing tech world, 2) the length of the course is 6.5 months which gives you enough time to not only learn the required information to land a job but ample time to absorb it, 3) the option to go into campus to ask the instructors questions in-person but also have the flexibility to work from anywhere at anytime if you are unable to go into the campus. 

I recently graduated from The Tech Academy's Software Development Boot Camp at the Denver, CO, location. My overall experience was great, and I managed to find an entry-level software developer job within 6 weeks of graduating. That being said, I came from a non-tech background, and it was incredibly difficult to learn a new skill and land a job so quickly. You definitely get out what you put into the boot camp. If you have the will and motivation to make it happen, you will. 

The instructors are super knowledgable & always willing to answer questions.

The job placement course at the end of the program was very thorough & supportive. If you do successful in the program & follow the advice from the job placement director, you will land a job. 

The only criticism I have of the program is I wish they exposed us to more React.js because in my job search I see that skill requested a lot on job descriptions. With this in mind, I purchased a course to learn it on my own and have had no trouble so far. The Tech Academy definitely taught me the skills to learn new languages on my own.

The Python Boot Camp is the perfect choice for students interested in learning full-stack web and software development. With Python being one of the most popular and utilized programming languages in existence, students are well-prepared for positions requiring skills in this language (many major companies use Python, including Google and YouTube). On this boot camp, students learn five of the most popular and in-demand programming languages. In addition to Python, languages covered in this boot camp include: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SQL. Graduates are well-rounded, full-stack, junior-level developers, set up for entry-level positions.

With all the coding bootcamps to consider, there is only one that you should consider, and that is the Tech Academy.  If you are reading this review, then you are already considering changing your career, or getting into software development for your own personal reasons.  Maybe you are tired of your career, maybe you want to have a trade of skill which allows you create things of value, or maybe you just want to learn software development and computer programming.  In this review, I want to provide you insight into why I chose the Tech Academy, and just how much of a positive effect going through the C#/.NET coding boot camp at the Tech Academy had on my life.  I must forewarn you, this review of the Tech Academy is detailed, extensive, and probably a little verbose…okay, maybe a lot.

But implore you, to read this entire review, because if you have any doubts about going through coding school, or if you need or want assurance on why the Tech Academy is the best choice for enrolling in coding boot camp amongst a swarm of choices in today’s world, then you really must read this review in its entirety.  Let me be frank, everything that I have written in this review is truthful, candid, and to the point.  I am an actual Tech Academy graduate who landed a full-stack web developer job after completing the boot camp.  I really do feel that the Tech Academy is the best coding school that you can choose to either start or reboot your career and become a software developer.  So, read on, and you will see why I am so content with my choice of the Tech Academy.  Have patience, and perseverance, trust me, it is worth reading this entire review!

Why I chose the Tech Academy:

I chose the Tech Academy for many reasons.  The first reason is because a very good friend of mine had gone through the C#/.NET bootcamp that I was considering.  My friend told me about his experience, and how the coding bootcamp at the Tech Academy changed his life and allowed him to start a new career as a Full-Stack Web Developer.  Second, when I was speaking to Rick Ramsey, one of the instructors and Admissions directors of the Tech Academy, I never felt like I was just a customer.  Rick took the time to answer my questions and concerns and provide me insight into the rigors that I must be prepared for when taking on such an endeavor that coding bootcamp is.  To be frank, I did research and consider other coding boot camps before I finally decided on the Tech Academy, and from my research, these are the reasons why the Tech Academy is the best choice if you are considering coding bootcamp:

1. A licensed private career school:

The Tech Academy is a licensed private career school through the Higher Education Coordinating Commission of the State of Oregon. This means that the Tech Academy is licensed by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission of Oregon to provide students with specialized training and certificates for students with specific career focuses such as computer technology. Knowing that the Tech Academy is a licensed professional technical career school gave me much more confidence in commuting my tuition, time, and hard work towards earning a certificate in software development with the Tech Academy.

1. The Cost:

There is no way around this fact, but cost is an important factor when deciding almost anything in life, and it applies to coding bootcamp as well. From the coding bootcamps that I was considering, the Tech Academy is the most affordable option for the quality of instruction and price. Most of all, the Tech Academy is very clear and transparent of exactly why you are paying the rate that you are paying for.It is completely broken down from an estimated amount of time that it would take you to complete the coding bootcamp either full-time or part-time.You are charged a specific rate for a specific amount of time. If you run over that block of time, you have the option of extending, and just need to pay a predetermined amount per week.

1. The Passion of the Co - Founder, and the Tech Academy’s Instructors:

Erik Gross is one of the co-founders of the Tech Academy.He is an excellent instructor and is clearly passionate about coding and teaching and inspiring new software developers into the field.While in the course, I watched many videos taught my Erik Gross, and he clearly explains very high-level concepts in a very clear, approachable, and understandable way.If I had any teacher like Erik Gross in my high school and college careers, I would have been a much better student! However, the other instructors of the Tech Academy are also very committed to making sure that you succeed, and that you can understand, apply, and master the concepts in the coding bootcamp.The instructors will never just give you answers, but they will guide you, and help you go in the right direction. Best of all, whether you are in-person, or studying online, the instructors are never that far away. I did the majority of the C#/.NET boot camp in Saudi Arabia while teaching overseas. Even though I dealt with a huge time difference, I was able to email, call, and video-chat with the instructors of the Tech Academy.I never felt like I was 100% on my own, but also, I was never spoon-fed information or just given the answers.The instructors of the Tech Academy scaffolded my learning to enable me to become an independent software developer.

1. The Live Project:

A good friend of mine put it very simply when I was considering different coding boot camps before I finalized my decision of choosing the Tech Academy.He said it very simply and elegantly:

“Well, if I were you, I would go with the one that gives me the opportunity to gain actual practical experience while in the program. Practical experience speaks volumes”

And the Tech Academy is a coding school that does just that.At the end of the coding bootcamp, you will have the opportunity of doing a live project.This live project is an opportunity of a lifetime.You are working on a live project for a real client.Most of all, this is when you must apply what you have learned in the boot camp and solve real problems.This is what will make you into a software developer.

What I learned at the Tech Academy:

I enrolled in the C#/.NET boot camp. The primary focus of this boot camp is to be able to be a full-stack web developer building web applications in the C#/.NET MVC Framework.  However, this is not only thing that you will learn in this coding boot camp.  While in the boot camp, I learned how to think like a software developer, and how to break problems down to solve them.  The coding bootcamp gave me strong fundamentals of being software developer.  From the boot camp, I learned how programming languages are structured.  This aided me in learning HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, SQL, and finally C#.  Further, I learned how applications are built.  This helped me understand the overall picture when developing programs as a software developer.  Finally, I learned about project management and working on an Agile/Scrum methodology.  But most of all, I learned that being able to communicate technical concepts and ideas in a clear and digestible manner.  When you are working as a software developer, you may be speaking to clients who don’t have the same technical vocabulary or understanding that you do.  So, it is important to be able to express these concepts in a clear and understandable manner. 

How the Tech Academy prepared me for a new career in software development:

Let me be frank about this point.  The Tech Academy is the best decision that I have made in both my professional and academic career.  The Tech Academy prepared me for the challenges ahead when starting a new career in the software development field.  Everything you learn at the Tech Academy is related to the software development field, and you will most probably use all of it on your first job!  Whether it is front-end development, back-end development, or database development and maintenance, the Tech Academy curriculum will prepare you for the new challenges waiting for you in your future job.  But most of all, the Tech Academy prepares you to be independent and shows you how to address software development hurdles.  Without a doubt, the Tech Academy prepared me for a new career in software development.  Finally, academically, completing the Tech Academy is an impressive feat, and not for the faint-hearted.  I am considering graduate school, and when I speak about my experience at the Tech Academy to admission recruiters, they are quite impressed with the fact that I went through a coding bootcamp with such a coding school like the Tech Academy.

What I would do differently with the Tech Academy if I had the chance:

While I am very content with my decision to do coding bootcamp with the Tech Academy, there are a few things that I would have done differently if I had the chance.  Here are some of things that I would have done differently if I could.

1. Do the Software Developer Boot Camp:

While I learned a lot through the C#/.NET bootcamp, if I could go back, I would have done the most comprehensive course at the Tech Academy, the Software Developer Boot Camp.  The reason being, the Software Developer Boot Camp covers all aspects in software development that are in demand right now, and you do two live projects. It was not until I finished the Tech Academy and started applying for jobs, did I realize just how important those live projects are.  The live project is your chance to apply what you have learned from the Tech Academy on a live project for a real client.  You will be working on real software development user stories, resolving real bugs, and solving real client needs.  On a job interview, the more examples of what you did regarding software development that was not learned in school or at boot camp, the better. Most of all, especially in today’s software developer market, it is important to diversify your programming languages.  In the Software Developer Boot Camp, you will learn both C# and Python.  Having coding examples, two live projects, and exposure to two different programming languages makes you a more diverse and well-rounded software developer and allows you to apply for more jobs.

1. Do a live project in Portland, or attend a Tech Talk in Portland:

One of the great things about the Tech Academy, is that the Tech Academy has actual brick and mortar buildings in which the programs run out of!You know that it is not a fly-by-night establishment when the Tech Academy has a campus in Portland, Denver, and Utah. If I could have had the chance, I would have loved to do a live project in Portland, one of the fastest growing tech hubs in the U.S. Another aspect about the Tech Academy is the fact that the Tech Academy really fosters community. Once you are enrolled in the Tech Academy, you will be notified about events and Tech Talks that take place in the Portland campus. I am sure that these are great ways to not only learn something new in the technical field, but also meet up with individuals with the same like-mindedness.

3.)  Started Sooner:

The biggest thing that I would change if I could, I would have started the Tech Academy sooner than I did.  Before the Tech Academy, I struggled to learn coding on my own.  I even tried enrolling in community college classes online to learn computer programming.  While both ways provided me with knowledge of programming, there was a lack in guidance and support.  I never got the same level of support and guidance, nor sheer plethora of materials and substance as I did at the Tech Academy from any of my previous learning experiences with software development and coding.  From day one, it was clear to me that the Tech Academy was determined to make me a self-sufficient software developer ready for the first entry-level developer position.  And the Tech Academy succeeded in that mission.  If I had known of the quality training and experience that I would gain from the Tech Academy, I would have done it much, much sooner.  It is worth the financial investment, time commitment, and personal sacrifice that you will make to become a graduate of the Tech Academy.  Completing a Tech Academy boot camp is no simplistic task.  But you will emerge from it changed, and you will know that you have accomplished something that proves your ability to be software developer and prepare for a fruitful career or open new opportunities that were not there before.

Conclusion:

So, there you have it.  While this review of my experience of the Tech Academy is long, and probably a little verbose…okay a lot.  I hope that you can see, that I write this review as genuine and sincere as possible. I am actual Tech Academy graduate, who has gone through what you are considering before, and I have completed boot camp, and have lived to find a job, and start a new career in software development. The Tech Academy really did change my life, and I am still in contact with instructors from the Tech Academy, because they showed me that I am capable of much more than I have ever realized through my experiences in the Tech Academy.  If you are really considering  making a change, and you want to do software development, then I sincerely hope that you will see why the Tech Academy is the best choice for enrolling in coding school amongst the sea of coding boot camps out there.  I would not be working as a full-stack web developer today if I did not go through coding boot camp through the Tech Academy.  Further, I would not even be able to dream about pursuing a graduate degree in programming without having enrolled the Tech Academy. The Tech Academy did much more than just prepare me for an entry-level software developer job.  It made me realize, that yes, I can be a software developer, and I can develop web pages, games, databases, and even web applications! My experience at the Tech Academy made this all possible, and for that, I can never thank the Tech Academy enough.  If you are considering coding boot camp, and you are tired of your current career like I was, and you are tired of not being in charge of your own destiny, then you really must consider the Tech Academy, and enroll in one of their coding boot camps.  You will not regret your decision.  The Tech Academy will make a positive impact on your life that you can only begin to imagine.

Even with a large background on mainframe development, the Boot Camp provide me with a better understanding for lot of concepts needed to navigate on modern technologies. The curriculum is extended, easy to follow and instructors are always available when needed as well as everyone from The Tech Academy. You could think that 15 weeks is not enough, but the foundations you acquire will be the starting point for a career in development, you could be studding for years but knowledge must be apply to the daily work and grow up with the experience.

The online web works perfect to follow the training, the software used do not add any cost and it will be the software used on most of the companies. I would like to repeat the experience on the future.

The Tech Academy's C# and .NET program offers a comprehensive way to get started coding.  The program starts with the basics of computers and was an excellent way to refresh on the hardware and inner workings of computers as well as gaining an understanding of the terminology needed in the software industry.  Some of the terms were very basic but in the end I appreciated that the courses were designed to ensure everyone had a solid understanding of the basics. 

That said it is definitely helpful to have some kind of background in coding.  I had been out of IT for several years and my skills were very outdated.  I chose to do a bootcamp because it offered a structured program and I didn't know what I didn't know until I began the program.  I completed the program online but I was within driving distance to the Denver campus if I wanted to meet with an instructor in person.  Cole Dixon at the Denver campus was always willing to help.  The instructors at Tech Academy also responded quickly to any questions I submitted online. 

The curriculum was very thorough and gave me a great understanding of the tools and techniques needed to get an entry level position in the IT industry.  I continued to develop my skills as I searched for a job and eventually the knowledge I had gained from this bootcamp was instumental in obtaining a position in the IT industry. 

I just got a great job a couple months after finishing The Tech Academy's C# and .NET Framework course, and a huge part of that was due to the continuous support from the job placement program.

I signed up for TTA after studying programming on my own intensely for about 5 months, and wanted to use a guided course to really solidify and hone the parts of my knowledge that were lacking. I found that the subjects that I knew very little about were explained in a very intuitive way, and the material that I had a previously studied became solidified. The program is a bottom up approach that doesn't require any experience, but I would still recommend doing some practice ahead of time to ease the strain of racking your brain around programming in a short time. 

The people working the job placement course were exceptional. My background included the last 5 years of my life recording rappers as a freelancer, and as such, no one wanted to touch my resume. The job placement team helped me formulate a powerful (and honest) resume that allowed me to get my foot in the door.

I highly recommend The Tech Academy. Getting a job in tech (especially development jobs) will most likely require extra studying to flush out your knowledge, but it is an extremely satisfying journey if you enjoy the basics programming.

The biggest thing to note about The Tech Academy is that it mostly working on your own. The curriculum is easy to understand and if you ever need help instructor are available to help usually right away. No experience is needed, however having a basic knowledge of at least one coding language will be a big help. They offer help with job placement and are very good at communicating with you whether that be in person or via email or phone. 

Solid bootcamp experience.  You will have to do a lot of individual research to supplement the course but this helps prepare you for what you will be doing in a job, so this can be a good thing. The instructors are always avalible and will help you through any project or exercise.  I really appreciated that there is no assumed knowledge necessary and starts very basic.  They do not talk over your head.  The final project gave me the confidence I needed to know I could code well enough to get a job!  Job placement personel are very helpful for preparing for interviews and keeping your spirits up during the job search.  Lots of support here.

I had a good experience at The Tech Academy. The coursework is challenging but doable with the assistance of the TA's and pushes you to learn. I personally liked the self paced layout with instructors available to answer questions. The live project at the end gives you "work experience" you can talk about in interviews. The Job assistance was very helpful for helping me actually get a job afterwards. 

I attended The Tech Academy and completed the full-stack software developer course. I would highly recommend this code school. You will get loads of hands-on experience in their courses and live projects. I had some experience with coding before I signed up, though I didn't know much. The Tech Academy is a great choice for those with no coding or little coding experience. The curriculum works you up from the ground up with a lot of definitions of terms used in the tech industry. If you do know some code, the live projects are a great transition from making small solo projects to working on a team in a professional environment. The website is minimalist and easy to use. Everything can be done remotely (that is how I studied). The school also seems to be flexible with the hours you can commit and they worked around my busy schedule.

I do not typically write reviews on anything. However, I do believe that The Tech Academy deserves one. This may be long.

I started at The Tech Academy a long time (more than 4 years) ago. I signed up before it was a requirement to get it done in a certain amount of time. During this time I had a lot of personal issues happen as well as raising a son and finishing my college degree as well. I have to say that the staff at The Tech Academy is AMAZING!!! They are some of the nicest people I’ve worked with and are super understanding with what I was going through. With that being said I do have some pros and cons and I’m sure some of it is due to the amount of time that I took to complete. I am not blaming The Tech Academy in any way. This is just what I experienced.

I will start with the cons because everyone wants to know those first anyways.

After I started the curriculum changed and I didn’t get to do some of the courses that were offered when I started. Which I think they shouldn’t have been taken away since it is what I paid for. But once again I won’t blame that all on them. If I had gotten done on time I probably would have had access to them.

The courses. C# is an amazing language but I have found that there are more job offerings for Java and other languages than C# and .NET available. But C# is an object oriented language that makes learning other languages not too hard.

The program and the Live Project isn’t as user friendly for the people who work full time jobs and have a family as well. I wasn’t able to participate as much as I wanted as I was at work when the tasks were put up and they were taken by people who don’t work. Also, waiting for responses from the instructors is a pain because you only get to submit it when you have a chance and sometimes it takes 24-48 hours to get a reply back because you’re not in person and can’t always make the phone call because of work hours and so on.

I also wish that they showed us more on the user interface portion of designing and had us create apps as well.

The pros are as follows.

The staff is FABULOUS!! There was a couple times where I needed some serious help. I ended up calling the instructors and they were willing to walk me through some stuff. Sometimes they weren’t able to help me fix it and had to get back to me. Which is amazing that they didn’t make me sit on the phone with them while they were figuring it out as well.

The courses are easy to follow. I do wish that there were transcripts to read instead of videos just in case someone isn’t available to watch the videos (I did a lot of it at work).

Live project allows you to work with other people and teaches you that sometimes it’s frustrating working with other people and teaches you how to handle it.

Overall:

It was worth it and I think it gave me a lot of information that I will be using. I just wish that I felt more confident in my abilities and knew more languages. But I’m sure that comes with time and experience. I don’t think that if you have the right attitude, drive and desire that you would ever regret going to The Tech Academy.

The Tech Academy is a great fast-paced software developer bootcamp for those who are interested in learning many in demand programming languages. They have a flexible full-time schedule that can be completed in 15-weeks or longer. I had job while I attended so I chose the 20-week program. I did most of it online, but when I needed help I could go over to the campus site or call/email an Instructor who is always available to help.

Following and completing each exercise really helps anyone who knows nothing to learning all the fundametals of programming. During my time at The Tech Academy I learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript, C#, Git/GitHub, Frameworks, MVC, API, Databases, and much more.

The Instructors are really helpful when you need help with anything. They are always there and stay in contact at all times. When you reach the Job Placement Course the Director will send you weekly job offers that are available to apply for and keeps in touch with you to be updated on how your job search is going until you get your first job. They give you all the tools you need for everything and keep contacting you to help and make sure you graduate. I enjoyed taking the courses and recommend it to anyone who can be comitted and finds a passion in programming.

The Tech Academy’s boot camps include fast-paced, intensive, portfolio-focused courses. Over the three month C# / .NET program I completed, I learned all of the essential tools to land myself a job in the tech industry as a software developer.

One of the primary reasons I chose to educate myself at The Tech Academy was the flexible schedule. In order to complete the program, you should expect to be putting in around 40 hours of study a week, but the Portland campus is open from early in the morning to late in the evening, meaning assistance is constantly available for those who need it.

Another reason to choose The Tech Academy was affordability. Compared to the other programs I looked at, The Tech Academy was certainly the cheapest but I feel that this in no way reflected poorly on the value of the education that I received.

These programs are certainly challenging, but are good at pushing you to develop the skills and traits needed to succeed in the tech industry, and I’d highly recommend the programs to those who are interested in becoming a programmer.

I joined the Tech Academy after having worked on an indie game project by myself for 2.5 years. The game alone was not enough to get me a job in software; I didn't get a single interview despite applying all around.

After a couple months of intensive online coursework I understood how computers work a lot better, plus added a lot more programming languages and frameworks to my resume. This allowed me to finally start getting interviews from software companies in Denver and guess what? I nailed my very first one and received a job offer with an excellent salary for an entry level position before I even finished the live project exercise. 

Tech Academy was absolutely worth it for me. Does that guarantee it will be worth it for you too? If you only do the minimum amount of coursework and have no background in software to begin with then maybe not, but if you're motivated enough to go the extra mile and put the skills they teach you to use then it will serve you well. They teach everything you need to know to get started in IT.

The Tech Academy brought me from knowing essentially nothing about programming to landing a junior developer job in NYC in a matter of months.

One of the best parts about the academy is lifetime access to the learning modules. To prepare for recent interviews I revisited the SQL course, did some JavaScript review and went over a large portion of the C# course long after I completed them. This helped tremendously to keep my knowledge fresh so I could perform strongly during interviews.

The most valuable thing I learned is the ability to find the answer to pretty much anything. I have a totally different mindset when presented with a problem, both inside and outside of technology. Due to the way the course is set up in preparing us to "think like programmers," I am much more adept at solving issues than previously.

It took longer to land a job than I anticipated. I guess I was one of the late bloomers, having graduated just over 6 months ago. Nevertheless, I didn't despair but kept moving forward, continuing to gain knowledge and experience. It has sure paid off!

If I had the chance to do it again and the full Software Developer Bootcamp (with 4 live projects) was available, I would definitely choose that one. There is absolutely no substitute for producing your own code and contributing in a team environment.

I recently graduated from The Tech Academy's C# Bootcamp and today I received my first job offer in NYC!

Like you, I read a ton of reviews before deciding to go with Tech Academy. But I was fortunate to also have friends who had attended and gotten jobs. In other words, I had a handful of personal referrals.

Sure, The Tech Academy is typically more affordable than other bootcamps, but don't make that your reason to attend. 

I chose The Tech Academy because:

• The staff are friendly, supportive, and typically, very knowledgeable.
• The program is broad and provides a lot of valuable information giving you a solid foundation to learn more as a developer.
• You can attend on a hybrid basis (study in one of their many campuses AND online).

Sure, it was still a risk. I didn't know if results were typical. I read one review stating that the bootcamp was pretty darn tough. So I went in expecting complexity, grueling work, and little social interaction.

I was fortunate to have a mother-in-law who lives right by the HQ in Portland who offered to let me stay at her place. She showed me how to get around and so I was able to take advantage of all the HQ has to offer (highly recommended).

Getting started felt slow. In fact, I felt like I was dragging my behind. Chatting and connecting with other students who were ahead of me incentivized me to push on and get through. You actually start programming on the second course, and doing that felt incredible.

I have experience in HTML and CSS, so that course was relatively easy for me. But JavaScript was a bit tough for me. The course was easy. But retaining the concepts was tough.

The final course was C#. I got halfway through the course before I finally understood what object-oriented-programming was. Let me give this advice now, comprehend that concept before and during the course. If you can get the relationship between objects and classes, you'll have a much better time on it.

I actually saw one student leave while at the very end of C#, her final course. Wow! What a waste of time and effort. She was so close to completing and getting to job placement. I'm willing to bet she didn't understand the concept, "object-oriented-programming".

The funny thing is, the bootcamp was the easiest part for me. Finding a job took massive amounts of persistence. Here are some statistics:

• I used 6-7 of the top job search websites
• I sent out at least 495 resumes (those were the ones I kept track of)
• I got my job from on the 415th resume I sent out. But, it wasn't the resume that did the trick, I followed up and that got the Tech Lead's attention.

Once I got the Tech Lead's attention, I was immediately given a coding challenge: Convert a PSD into a WordPress Theme. Wuuuuuut...

I spent the next 3 days researching and trying it out. I watched loads of YouTube videos and read a ton of instructional articles.

That's what The Tech Academy does, it sets you up so you can do the research and coding by yourself. It sets you up so you can learn.

That weekend I completed the coding challenge.

A few days later I had a face-to-face interview. My new boss said I passed the challenge with flying colors!

I followed up a few days later with some references (as instructed by the Job Placement course). I had recently completed an additional coding project and added that to my resume giving him a link.

And here I am today. I can confidently say, I would not have gotten this job or even known how to find this opportunity without The Tech Academy.

They will help you put on your developer boots. But you have to be a big boy (or girl) and take your own steps as a developer.

You'll be scared while sending out resumes. You'll get turned down. I've had at least 15 interviews, and I failed 14 out of them!

But I learned from each and got better. I was constantly testing and improving. I'm not the smartest guy. I don't have a ton of experience.

But if I can do it, you can too.

I am 32 years old. Within 6 months, I went from not knowing much to landing a job on my 2nd job interview with a starting salary of 50k a year as a junior .NET developer. They are great and will do whatever it takes to help you accomplish what you need. Listen to their advice, and apply it. The boot camp really is what you make of it, and you get what you put into it. I highly recommend this Bootcamp for its support and interview assistance. I literally emailed Tyler the day before my interview and he followed up with me THAT day and we practiced a mock interview, anytime I would need it. I literally had ON CALL interview practice when I needed it most. I would highly recommend doing exactly what they tell you, and also working on personal projects as much as you can to apply what they are teaching you. Don't be scared of the time limit. Just go for it and learn as hard as you can. They are there for you, they are not going to let you fail as long as you are trying your best!

I graduated from the Tech Academy as of January 1st. I attended the Tech Academy for 3.5 months, I was in the Full Stack program which I believe is now called C# and .NET course. In that time a learned everything I needed to know to land myself a job in the tech industry. I attended the Tech Academy completely online. I think I only made it into the campus in Denver twice. I was working while I was attending the academy so it was difficult for me to make it to the campus since it wasn't close by for me. However, this didn't matter. The Tech Academy made it very easy to get ahold of instructors when I needed them to help me through a difficult problem. 

One reason I chose the Tech Academy out of the many boot camps available to me in the Denver area was first the cost. The Tech Academy was by far the cheapest coding boot camp but that does not reflect the worth of the education they've given me. The education was far more valuable than the price tag. This education was by FAR the cheapest I've ever paid for but is only education that actually paid off as well.

The second reason and most important was the flexibility. I was not in a position where I could completely stop working. While I was attending I was still working. The course I took was completely self-paced which allowed me to finish my education while still working. I also did not have to be at a campus every day which also would have been impossible with my work schedule so I completed it entirely remotely.

The third reason was the importance of building a good portfolio. I had no prior experience in the tech industry. My knowledge of coding was very limited and I do not have a degree which made having a great portfolio to show potential employers extremely important to me. I met with Denver's campus dean and we talked about what the Tech Academy does to help build a great portfolio. After attending the course I can assure you they will put building a great portfolio as one of their top priorities.

After graduating from the Tech Academy I spent about a month on the job hunt before landing my first job as a software developer.

Before you get too excited just a warning. This was NOT easy. I received a lot of rejections before getting my first offer. This was an absolute grind trying to learn all of the skills needed to be a software developer but the Tech Academy will help get you there. 

From the beginnining to the end of the curriculum, there wasn't a moment I wasn't learning. Even though I already have a background in technology and have taken classes in programming I learned a whole lot within my 20 weeks. 

I was enrolled into the Seattle campus but I did all of my studying remotely at my home or at a nearby coffee shop. When I had any questions I was able to get ahold of an instructor quickly. Mike S, Lindsay and Zach were my instructors at the time and played in a big role for me finishing out strong. 

At the time I enrolled there weren't any other courses except for the C# and .NET Framework course. I'm glad to see that they released three new ones and that Web Development is one of those. 

My favorite part of the whole course that differs from other bootcamps is the Live Project. You work in a small team on a project that others have previously worked on. You use the SCRUM methodology which is widely used. Mike Strunk was my lead on that project and I couldn't thank him enough. He made the whole experience wonderful and got to know how it would be to work in the industry.

I would reccomend this to anyone who is looking to break into the tech industry. 

Also they do a good job of keeping in touch with you after finishing to make sure you find a job. Tyler Helm was done a wonderful job on making sure that I finished out and graduated!