UNH Coding Boot Camp

• My preferred method of note-taking is taking my notes directly in the code in the form of "comments". Code comments will not affect your code when it's running. Comments will be ignored by whatever is running it (web browser, hosting platform, etc.). Leaving notes in the form of comments makes it easy to know what code you're referring to because you can leave a comment right next to code in reference
• In-class activities will sometimes be too challenging to do, or just plain won't make sense to you. They do provide the completed code and I recommend you utilize that if you need to. If needed I would go through the completed code and research what I didn't understand and leave notes in the code (as comments) explaining what is happening. Each activity builds off the previous and getting lost on one activity will keep you lost on the next. Do what works best for you so you don't get lost. If you didn't get the last activity then go back to it until you get it. You can always complete any missed activities on your own time.
• To avoid the above from happening, you could get a jump start on the new week's lesson by utilizing the resources provided to you in an email at the beginning of each week. Sometimes life gets busy and you're not able to do so, then refer to the above recommendation
• Homework doesn't always have to look pretty. Your code should be clean but websites don't have to look pretty. Focus on functionality and user experience. Take the time you would have used to make it look pretty and instead work on other projects or some form of coding/programming. If you want to be more of a visual designer (web designer) then focus on that. Though, it is easier to learn design concepts than it is to learn cleanly coded, functional, and easy to use applications. MVP is something you'll learn about. MVP stands for Minimal Viable Product. An MVP application is functional and gets the job done. Anything not considered essential can be added later. Following the "user story", "acceptance criteria", and the grading rubric will result in an MVP style application. The only exception to this is group-projects, there will be enough people working on the application that this is achievable and worth it. Group projects will be a nice addition to your resume so a good looking website is a win. 
• You'll be in a Slack workspace (like DIscord) with your teacher, teacher assistants, and other classmates. Teachers and TA's are available through this so don't be afraid to ask questions during non-class hours. Here you can message with classmates and create study groups or just talk about random stuff in the Random chatroom (we posted a lot of memes and nonsense, I totally recommend it!)
• Overall try to have with your code. The chances are you won't be using homework assignments on your resume or portfolio page at the end of the class. You can be silly in these, give things funny names, use memes instead of other photos, whatever you need to laugh. Homework is designed to give you practice using the technology you learned, as long as you're doing the MVP you have leeway for some ridiculousness. 
• Sticky notes are awesome for terminal commands you'll use often as they can be easily accessible when you need them. 

I was enrolled in this class for the June-December 2018 cohort, and I learned more in those 6 months than I ever could have learned on my own! I went in knowing little about HTML and nothing about JavaScript, and I now have a job as a Lead Frontend Developer, only 3 months after graduating. I would reccommend this course to anyone that learns better in person in a classroom setting as opposed to online/self taught.

The instructor was very clear and excellent at explaining difficult to understand concepts, and the TA's and instructor were always happy to help or clarify anything you didn't understand.

You have lots of hands-on coding time every session, you will certainly learn a lot form this course. If you're looking to get into Web Development, or even just coding in general, I would reccommend this class every time!

Background: I spent close to ten years implementing, supporting, and maintaining clinical systems but did not have a technical background. In fact, I had majored in Anthropology and Justice Studies at UNH. I wanted a better understanding of the systems that I was working with and knew that many clinical systems were going to Web Application route. This program seemed like a great choice because of its Web focus and partnership with UNH which I trusted based on my undergraduate experience. I also liked the fact that Trilogy partnered with companies in the industry to determine their technical needs and built a program that would provide students with those same technical skills.

Curriculum: The curriculum is a great combination of technologies that are currently in demand in the development world. You also touch briefly on larger topics such as Computer Science and Java. The pace is fast and the material you cover is vast. It can often feel like you’re attempting to drink from a firehose. Your focus is to try and absorb what you can in the moment so that you are able to do a more in-depth dive during your homework and projects. Ultimately the goal of this program is to provide you with the tools you need to begin your journey as a developer.

Instructors: This is where the program really shines. Our instructor and our teaching assistants (TAs) were absolutely phenomenal. It was great to have industry professionals reviewing the material and adding additional insight to areas they felt were important. They were always available to review material, answer questions, and provide guidance. I can’t speak to the tutoring Trilogy provided additionally, as I didn’t use it. The teaching staff were available enough that I was able to get everything I needed from them in person.

Job Assistance: The career development portion of the program was great. They help with resume building, interview prep, etc. The whole team was instrumental in helping me to secure my current position. Aubrey was there every step of way, helping to provide me with additional resume review, answering my interview etiquette questions, and following up throughout the interview process with recommendations on follow-up. I will forever be grateful for the help that she and the rest of the Trilogy team provided.

Overall Experience: My overall experience was incredibly positive. The program does a wonderful job of setting you up to be as successful as you want to be. The more time, dedication, and attention you provide to this program, the more successful you will be within the course and in your job search. I take recommendations very seriously and have recommended this program to multiple friends and family members. It, without a doubt, changed my life.

Prior to enrolling in the UNH Full-Stack Flex Bootcamp, I was, like many others I'm sure, just another student looking to obtain a four-year degree. In the early stages of that process, I found the manner in which the university system is administered to be convoluted and fundamentally flawed. So, I took a step back from the pursuit of a bachelor's degree and instead focused on trying to pinpoint what industries naturally interest me and what skills I have a natural propensity for. I visualized those in a venn-diagram kind of way, and found that the overlap pointed directly to programming. I took what seemed like a big risk in tabling my pursuit of a degree ( for now ) and instead enrolling in the bootcamp. Best. Decision. Ever.

In my eyes, there are two major value propositions that this course offers over a more traditional associate's or bachelor's track. The first value added is an ever-strengthening economic one. Proficient developers in web technologies are in very high demand. With so much of the modern world now reliant on the internet, the labor market is starved for people who are able to develop new applications or maintain and improve existing ones, and that demand is reflected in the prospective salary of web developer. Combine that with the course's price tag, which is pennies compared to that of a bachelor's degree, and you get the "high R.O.I." education that Trilogy and UNH offer with this course.

The other value this course created, for me at least, was in regards to time and scope. The amount of time it takes to become industry-ready as a software engineer is drastically shortened for anyone willing to fully commit to this bootcamp. A typical four-year computer science degree covers computer theory in great detail, which is certainly of value; those curricula, however, frequently do not provide any interaction with modern web technologies outside of a rudimentary introduction to HTML, CSS, and javascript. This bootcamp, conversely, affords students the oppourtunity to get familiar with leveraging these technologies (plus many more), and encourages them to do so at length. In this way, I found myself being exposed to many of the same theories taught to computer science students simply by learning to implement them. All while continually refining those skills in said technologies and working towards becoming a proficient developer.

To speak more to the nature of the class itself, I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to learn from and learn with. The staff here all know what they're doing, no doubt, and, even more notably, they are extremely effective in communicating what tends to be rather abstract material. The teacher and teaching assistants, as well as the coordinator, all had a very evident passion for the material we covered, and, morever, clearly took great joy in sharing their knowledge. That sort of passion is contagious. I feel comfortable speaking for my entire class when I say that we got just as much joy out of learning from the Trilogy staff as they got out of teaching us.

I will never look back on this class with anything but appreciation. I consider this bootcamp a metaphorical seed more than anything. You will not learn everything there is to know here. You will, however, learn everything you need to know to plant that metaphorical seed, and you will leave with the tools to nourish that seed into a full grown passion for the challenging, sometimes frustrating, but truly rewarding wolrd of code.

Many thanks to everyone at Trilogy who helped to make this one of the best years of school yet.  

I was enrolled in this bootcamp from June 2018 - Dec 2018. It really changed my life in many ways. it is a fast paced program with a endless amount of knowledge to consume. The instructional and support team is extremely helpful, they truly care if you understand the material. Everyone involved in this bootcamp wants to see ever student succeed. The course material is new cutting edge technology. Before the bootcamp I was always into tech and computers and general but never got into code, but after the six months of class I can now create Full Stack websites with ease. I will say you must go into this knowing that it is a lot of work, but it is very much worth it. If you put the time into to learning it, it will pay off. Not only does it teach you how to use MERN stack but it just overall helps you know how to go about learning. As I said the intructional team truly cares and that is what I liked most, they were always available to answer questions and explain things more throughly if needed. They go above and beyond the expectations. 

TLDR:

PROS:

• Newer Technologies
• Amazing Staff
• Always there to answer questions
• Price is lower then other bootcamps
• Smaller class
• Again the staff is the best.
• 1 hour tutor seshion every week (optional)

CONS:

• I really can't think of any

This program truly does a great job of taking any individual from spinning up their first simple HTML "Hello World" page, to spinning up server-side JavaScript applications, all in 6-months. 

The pace is fast, but the instructional staff provides an exceptional level of support and opportunity for catching up/ extra learning. The most impressive part is how well of a job the instructor/ TA's do at breaking down complicated concepts or even logistics, and applying in it the right way to an audience who (for the most part) is learning programming for the first time. 

The technology learned is very modern and coveted by employers. Walking away from this course, you will have the ability to really go in any direction with your career. You will have the ability to devleop full stack apps (everything from server-side to front-end), using the most up-to-date frameworks/methods. There is an added upside in that you work on three group projects, giving you experience in an agile-scrum like environment. Working in that type of environment alone is a huge plus for your career/ overall way of accomplishing tasks. 

For me personally, the main benefit of this bootcamp aside from self-teaching online was the overall knowledge obtained from the class involved smaller, but important logistical skills. Becoming a power user of the command line, understanding version controling such as Git, deployment best practices, are all skills learned throughout the program that make you a much better developer. 

I highly recommend this bootcamp for anyone who has an affinity for technology and is willing to put in the time (both in class and out). You won't regret it! 

I just completed the UNH Full Stack Web Development Bootcamp and it was a very positive experience.  I have 20 years of developer experience working at a large corporation, but I felt stale in my job and wanted to learn some newer technologies.  This bootcamp really did the trick as it re-lit my passion for coding, so I am really glad that I took the course!

When I was deciding if I wanted to enroll or not, I had 2 issues that I worried about.  One was the time commitment, especially committing to every Saturday for 6 months.  The other was the instructors; I wondered if UNH could get qualified instructors because  some of the technologies are so new that not a lot of people have expertise with them.

The time commitment is significant - I spent about 25 hours a week during the first half of the class, and about 40 hours a week during the second half of the class on class time and homework.  But it is for a finite amount of time so it is do-able.  Make sure you are prepared to put in the time, because you get out of the course what you put into it.

The instructional staff was excellent so I worried for nothing on that one.  The Instructor and Teaching Assistants were all knowledgeable and able to communicate difficult concepts to a class with a wide diversity of backgrounds.  Also, they encouraged collaboration rather than competition between students, so that made the whole experience a lot more fun and was a huge benefit to learning.  If I had a question on homework, I could put it out to the class and someone would help within a few hours, either another student or the teaching staff.  And this collaboration reflects the open source culture and a real work place, because wherever you end up working you will probably be part of a team, so to learn how to operate within a team is an important skill.

UNH partners with Trilogy Education for this Bootcamp.  Although the program is new to UNH, Trilogy has been doing it at other Universities for a long time so the curriculum is pretty well nailed down.  It is very fast paced and challenging and you learn a lot of information in a relatively short time.  However, you don’t learn Java in this course.  It is misleading for UNH to mention Java in the course description because we only spent 3 hours on Java.  You could easily dedicate an entire bootcamp to learning Java and object oriented concepts, and if that is what you want to learn this is not the right program for you.

There is a career services component to the course also, since most people will be looking for a job when they complete the bootcamp.  I found this helpful because I haven’t looked for a job in about 15 years, and the job search process has changed in that time.  There is a Trilogy career curriculum which I found very helpful.  However there was a lot of turnover in the career counselors, so that was a disappointment because you were working with strangers and never really had a chance for them to get to know you.  I would rather have had 1 or 2 people helping me, rather than the 5 or 6 different career counselors that we ended up having, as a result of turnover.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course and got a lot out of it.  I have already recommended it to friends and mention how great it is to everyone who asks.