UCF Boot Camps

I had just graduated from a part time full stack web development bootcamp on June 2nd . I’d like to start with saying how amazing the academic team was . Our instructor, Michael , and TAs went above and beyond to make sure we not just completed the course, but actually understood the material. Here’s some pieces of advice from me , a 24yo who does not have a full time job, kids , or family. (It is important as I had a privilege of working 2-3 days a week and had freedom to study) 
- this bootcamp needs your absolute commitment. Aside from actual mandatory  classes which is 2 times a week , 2 hours each, I studied 20-30 hours a week . I personally would not have been able to keep up with course work without that time commitment .  It is a bootcamp camp for a reason . It is A LOT ! 
- as I mentioned above , it is A LOT !!! You are learning so much to the point where it feels like you had no time to “digest” the material and it’s okay . Do not be hard on yourself and keep going . This is a bootcamp, so you’re essentially just getting familiar with so much staff , you will figure out what you like most after and will be able to master whatever you like . Just . Keep . Going . 
- I personally had a very hard time mentally thought the bootcamp because I felt extremely overwhelmed with the material. My advice - start early . Request a tutor before even the first class (it might take up to a week to get assigned one) . Take advantage of those tutor sessions ,  you WILL need them . I was relying a lot on our academic team , they really are there for you . And sometimes, when you are stuck and just wanna quit , it’s always nice to have someone tell you “you’ve got this” .  

To sum up , I overall had great experience with the bootcamp. Personally, I would not consider this class as a part time cause I did put a lot of hours in . Be prepared to COMMIT and work hard . But it will pay off . I still haven’t landed a job , but looking back , I’ve learned SO MUCH . And I have that huge codebase , course work , and COMMUNITY to rely on . 

I was originally a middle school band teacher that left during COVID to make a career change based on poor work conditions and pay. I started out self-taught using freeCodeCamp and The Odin Project, but decided I needed more structure in my learning process and chose the UCF Full-Stack Flex Coding Bootcamp based on the reviews and feedback I had found online. The camp was 100% remote on Zoom due to the COVID pandemic.

Note: My self taught experience helped tremendously with the first month of the bootcamp, and I would recommend those two resources whenever you sign up and begin preparing for the camp.  

The bootcamp was a great experience and taught me a lot of what I needed to know at an accelerated pace. The homework's and group projects were great learning experiences that helped me code efficiently and with a deadline in mind. Having the ability to ask questions and receive feedback on my work was invaluable and helped me know whether I was on the right track or not in my ability to "think like a coder". I learned technologies like: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, React, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, MySQL. The first month was focused on HTML, CSS and JavaScript, the second expanded on JavaScript and added in databases, and the third month heavily focused on more JavaScript and React. Focus on JavaScript when preparing for the bootcamp. After the first few weeks, you really won't touch HTML or CSS much, but having a foundation in those languages is critical.

My instructors and TA's were great. They were always enthusiastic and would take on any question that I asked, or guide me towards finding the answer myself. The office hours before and after class were great to ask questions on topics that I didn't fully grasp, but was also most beneficial to ask questions about entering the workforce and what types of tasks I would be completing as a Junior Developer. This is also where the staff learns more about you, which really helped whenever I would ask questions later in the course -- they knew where I was coming from and didn't have to guess where I was in the learning process.

My biggest piece of advice for anyone considering joining the bootcamp is to take it 100% seriously. Signing up for a coding bootcamp is not like signing up for grade school. Although there are grades and due dates, it is more important to focus on the quality of your work and how thorough you are with your assignments -- not just writing code itself, but formatting your work, descriptive comments, and thorough readmes. It is not worth "just getting the answer" or "getting a good grade" -- it is much more important that you find the answer yourself through Googling and reading documentation and achieving understanding on the fundamentals.

If you are considering the full-time course over the part-time course, I recommend absolutely committing yourself to the camp for the 3 months, and cutting out things that will take you away from learning and practicing code. Students who missed class or went on vacation felt severely behind and were playing "catch-up" until the last day of class. Yes, you have 5 absences, but it's best not to use a single one if possible. Personally, I missed out on quite a few family events, and would have to tell family and friends "no" more than I would ever like to again. But now that it is over, I feel that it was completely worth it to engross myself in learning and my family and friends understood that.

If you choose to apply for the bootcamp, there is pre-work that walks you through setting up a web development environment on your computer and creating a basic website. Please do this before the first day of class. One, it will make your life easier and you will not struggle as many students did in the first week, but it will also make the lives of the instructional staff easier and your class will operate smoothly. In my cohort, a good percentage did not complete it before the first day which led to a frustrating first week. Don't be that person, and help your classmates by being prepared.

Please note that bootcamps are not for everyone, although I believe anyone can become a web developer. It takes time, dedication, and the motivation to learn and create. If you typically give up on a task after one or two tries, web development most likely isn't the right path for you. Many people come to bootcamps because they want to change their life, just like I did. That takes sacrifice and the willpower to push through even when you feel defeated. A job will not be handed to you after the bootcamp. If you take the camp seriously, and do your absolute best on every assignment and project, you will have most of the skills to begin applying for jobs. You will still need to work on personal projects and improve your ability to solve algorithms, interview questions, etc.

I hope this review was helpful! It is the review I wish I saw when looking for bootcamps. If you are wanting to apply, I say go for it! Anyone can code, anyone can become a web developer, anyone can have a second chance at changing their life. It will take hard work and dedication, but if I can do it, so can you.

This was a full stack web development track with an emphasis on front end Javascript.  The course included several technologies & concepts such as HTML/CSS, JQuery, MERN, GraphQL, SQL, Object oriented programming, model view controller, progressive web applications, Object–relational mapping & React.  Since recently graduating, I've begun the process of reviewing all of the information covered in the last 3 months and I am in awe of just how much there was and still is to learn!  

I would highly recommend this course, but if I had to do it over again and had more time, I may have chosen to complete the part time track instead of full time.  It's impossible to absorb everything in such a short amount of time, but the exposure to high level projects was an incredible experience anyway.  There were definitely challenges though, much of which was because our cohort was completely remote.  I thrive with social interaction, and it was more challenging for me to communicate and ask for help while we were virtual.  While this was not the university's burden, it was a huge added challenge for me personally.  As far as the curriculum, I would have preferred instead of using the technology, Handlebars.js, that we were given extra time with React.  This was something that I struggled with, and finding out that it's not often used in the field was disappointing because I worked hard to try to understand how to use it.  Also, this is of course a challenge with the time constraints, but I would have also benefited from a more in-depth introduction to logical & programmatic thinking.  These skills were developed along the way, but I could have used a stronger foundation in the beginning of the course.  

Next, I would like to commend my instructor, John Dinsmore, my TA, Dan Rosenbaum, student success manager, Gemini Sanford, & my tutor, Robby Kurle.  John provided a fun and interesting way for us to learn, keeping things lighthearted and engaging, while teaching tough and in-depth material.  Dan was very approachable and always available for help, questions and always with a kind demeanor, which helped me to feel comfortable and supported.  Gemini was very responsive with any questions and concerns I had, and responded with positivity, even if I had issues that needed to be addressed.  Finally, without Robby's help I would have struggled tremendously in the course.  He went above and beyond to help me when I was stressed out and trying to understand high-level concepts and finish assignments and kept me laughing during every session.

For students seriously considering a career in programming and/or web development, with the time to commit to it and who are willing to put in a ton of hard work, they will not be disappointed.  I grew tremendously through this process and completed projects and gained knowledge I never thought possible.  

This course has been one of the most challenging and life changing experiences I've had. The challenge: in order to get the most out of this boot camp, you must be willing to put in an immense amount of time and effort. Learning these new concepts requires that you push through frustration, distraction, and doubt while continuing to make tiny improvements that add up over time. The reward: when you finally start to understand a concept, there is no better feeling in the world. Once you write a bit of code using logic you didn't understand a week ago and it works, there is a flood of blissful elation that washes over you. Not to mention the possibility of gaining a lifelong career with endless growth potential and the ability to work remotely. 

When I joined the boot camp I had no background in coding What So Ever ! I decided it was time for a career change. My brother  kept pushing me to look into coding boot camps. While I was researching, I saw UCF had their own boot camp partnered with Trilogy. I then got this gut feeling that this is the one for me. I put my trust in UCF in the past for my Bachelor's Degree and it paid off pretty well.
 Day 1, I started class with minor knowledge due to the 40/hr pre-work that I had to complete prior to beginning this long journey. I invested lots of money and had some doubts..."three months?" Here I am today looking back and laughing about how I felt with no regrets what so ever. I was blessed to have an amazing support staff. My instructor John was super fun while he was teaching. He made the courses applicable and easy to learn. Jorge, my TA was just as amazing. He put all his time assisting us and prepping projects for us before during and even after classes with John. The career services team did not leave us and swarmed us with workshops and resources to help us reach success post graduation. The most important chess piece is YOU. If you dedicate your time and prioritize the boot camp over everything, you will succeed! Complete your assignments, utilize all the resources that they offer and DON'T give up!
You will get back in knowledge and experience what you <input/>.  This Boot Camp changed my whole course in life. I am proud to say I am a Full Stack Web Developer. We have been trained to learn how to learn knew Technologies. My horizon in this field is limitless and I can handle my own like a pro! 

Thank You UCF!
Thank You Trilogy!
Jodi, John, Jorge and Tameka you are the best ! I can not express how thankful I am!

I came into this coding boot camp with no prior tech experience but some freeCodeCamp I did prior to registering for the course. It is a very fast-paced, rigorous course and something I will definitely say is, have a solid foundation in vanilla JavaScript before even stepping foot in this program. Seriously, if you don’t know JavaScript then you will struggle the entire course. I recommend going through the freeCodeCamp JavaScript modules, as well as the paid course by Wes Bos that focuses on JavaScript fundamentals. Every other language you learn after JavaScript will be building upon/very similar in concept to it. If you do that, you’re good to go. It’s also extremely easy to fall behind in the course if you have a lot going on outside of class- me personally, I was dealing with a lot of things in my personal life that hindered my ability to focus during class. Make sure you take care of those things and place your energy on what is most important, which is your ability to master the curriculum and graduate. Also, reach out for help with homeworks from your TA’s and instructor; they will be more than happy to run you through what you need to do. They won’t do the coding for you, but they will guide you in the right direction. Take advantage of office hours and Slack messaging! And if you feel like you are falling behind in the course and certain topics are difficult to conquer, reach out to your instructional staff. They are only there to help you, that’s what they’re getting paid to do. You are never a burden, and if they see you are serious, they will go the extra mile to help you. I had Evan Klemen as my teacher, he was awesome and I’d recommend him. Also, Jennifer Ross helped me so much to break down concepts that didn’t make sense to me. Thank you! I will be graduating in June, but I wanted to go ahead and write my review, as I felt it will be helpful for anyone who is interested in making the switch to coding. I dropped out of college for this boot camp, I’ve always loved tech and I thought being a woman in tech would be an awesome achievement. I’m planning on freelancing after graduation and continuing to build my portfolio. When I feel ready, I will begin to apply for full-time work. I hope this review helps someone who is on the verge of signing up for this program! Just know your JavaScript, reduce distractions, invest time in practicing coding, reach out when you need help, and the rest will fall into place. Coding is such a useful skill that many individuals do not know how to execute, so they hire people who are logical and creative to get the job done for them. You got this! Believe in yourself, and before you know it, you’ll be a graduate, too! Also, shoutout to my brother Dimitri Denis who is in the Orlando area and graduated from UCF with his bachelor’s degree in digital media and interactive systems- he has a few friends who took the course as well and said it was great, so that’s how I discovered this program. You won’t regret it if you do your part regarding coding, coding and coding.

I was looking to make a career change and had thought about boot camps for the past several year. I didn’t have a coding background but was interested in it. Before deciding to enroll in UCF’s Web Development boot camp, I read a lot of opinions online about whether a boot camp was worth the money or is it better to study on your own. I’d had a friend who did the same program in Washington, DC, who enjoyed i. For me, having a solid structure, a quality instructor and TAs, classmates and constant assignments and projects made the boot camp the best option.

I did the full-time (12-week) course because I wanted to focus solely on learning web development and get into my new career field as soon as possible. It was incredibly fast-paced and several times I thought I wasn’t going to be able to learn it well enough, but it’s really neat to look back a few months later and see all that I accomplished. You have to give it everything you have, but if you do, you will learn a ton and leave the program with quality projects that will help you land interviews and secure your first job. But again, you have to work for it.

The curriculum was excellent, but more than that for me was the support of my instructor, TAs and classmates. If I was learning this on my own, I wouldn’t have made it. John, my instructor, was not only really knowledgeable about the material, but he was a great motivator. He’d often give us pep talks to keep going, that things would eventually click if we just kept working hard. Those pep talks kept me hopeful and moving forward when I was frustrated or discouraged. I had decided he was the expert, and I had to trust him. I’m so glad I did. Even after the class, John has been a great resource to talk to about job offers, etc.

The TAs were really knowledgeable and did a great job of giving you a boost when you were truly stuck but not just giving you answers - they made you work for it. And it helps to have classmates where you’re all in the battle together and you can commiserate when it’s rough and celebrate when you have success.

The career services was helpful initially as far as getting your resume, LinkedIn ready for applying to jobs. My initial career services contact seemed disinterested, and my first phone conversation felt like a waste of time. She moved on, however, and her replacement Deanna was excellent. I actually was not going to worry about doing anything with career services once I finished the course, but Deanna reached out to me a few times, and we ended up checking in every two weeks during my job hunt. It was helpful to talk with someone about the career steps I’d taken the past two weeks and be reassured that I was doing the right things and would eventually find the right position.

Within a week of completing the boot camp, I had received a job offer in web development but decided I wanted a culture that was a better fit and kept looking. It took another two months of diligent job searching, but I eventually was offered an entry level position that is a great fit for me. This is after having no coding experience six months prior.

I highly recommend the boot camp but just know it’s going to be a lot of work and you’re going to have to sacrifice a lot to learn enough to get that first job. It’s not easy, but it’s definitely worth it.

So let's start with the awesome stuff- the teaching team I had was awesome- our lead instructor, John, was amazing and really did everything he could for us to get jobs and learn the material. He was approachable, he was good at his job, he was knowledgable, and he really had a passion for teaching. Likewise, the TAs were excellent- Tamara and Mark did everything possible to help anyone- even if it was just being a sounding board or being available all throughout the weekend to help with homework. Teaching staff- awesome.

 

My problem is with everything else honestly- I feel like this "bootcamp" wasn't really used to it's full potential. When I signed up there seemed to be some sort of evaluation process, but ultimately when I got to class, it was obvious they jus let anyone in- this slowed down the class, and while I feel like I got a lot, I feel I would've gotten way more had it not been for people who honestly didn't care enough to do the hard work or were just not cut out for the job. 

My deepest disapointments with the company managing the bootcamp though (it's not managed by UCF, which they only tell you after you start), were the managment and the "career services". 

 

Career services was a joke- it felt like a tacked on fig leaf that the company added because other bootcamps offer it. They would send out "career advice" you can find on google easily and have useless Zoom sessions on Friday nights or during class. John the instructor actually did way more for us in terms of career services (even though that wasn't his job, setting up mock interviews, and even meetups so we can network more easily. 

Then there's managment- the first thing that seemed iffy to me was that our Student Success Manager was a student only two cohorts ago, she became a TA and then an SSM within about 6 months- doesn't reek of confidence. I would habitually write long reviews about what I though could improve in the class in our weekly surveys, and never got any replys or notices any changes. One time, after a major incident I will elaborate on later, I had a belly full to say about it but all I wrote was that the surveys felt like shouting into the void so I wasn't going to spend my time. This was the first time I recieved any sort of comment on my survey replys, which seemed rather odd- basically all the constructive critisism is useless but only saying I think you're not doing your job prompts a "let's have chat about how you feel?".

The incident, which probably pissed me off more than it should've, happened in the last third of the class, I think. For the entire course of the class the tone in class was very casual, with some swearing and innapropriate jokes. I don't feel like anything was out of line and anyone was harrased, and honestly most tech companies I had worked with (I have been in the tech scene for about 10 years) had a similar tone, if not cruder. Some of the joking was made during the showcase for our second projects, when one of the projects, a mad-libs app, was shown. Now, there were like two potential employers in the room, who were invited without lewtting us know mind you. Apperently that, combined with the conversational tone we've had in class and on Slack combined with a (pretty tame) meme I had made and posted on said Slack required an official reprimand. It started with the SSM, who for the entire time she was sitting in on the project demos was disrespectfully on her computer, calling us an embarasment. and continued with John, who seemed uncomftrable and like he was made to do this, saying we were stupid, immature, and this will not be tolerated, and then taking responsability for the casual tone we had in class.

This enraged me. If you feel the tone is too conversational- that's fine, come out and say "guys, you're being a little innapropriate let's tone it down". But I don't feel immature, I don't feel stupid, I've had professional high paying corporate jobs, I've sat across the table from C and V level executives at major companies- and they all speak that way and they all like to have a good laugh, specifically internally within teams. Calling us an embarassment was a tone def move that mis understood the point of the class- either to teach things in the easiest way possible- making a comftrable enviroment being part of it, or preparing us for tech life- which is totally as innapropriate. I think it was completelty misshandled and we were treated as elementary school kids must less adult, paying, customers. 

I can keep going but you get the picture- overall- amazing instructor and TAs, tone def company that does the minumum it feels is required from it.