Bottega University

I love technology and always wanted to code. I went to a university to learn how to code but I wasn't getting anywhere. I wasn't understanding, and the classes had 80% fail rates every semester. There were so many students who, like me, were so hungry... Read More to learn to code but the college curriculum wasn't helping students learn. I gave up after 2 years because I was getting more and more in debt with tuition. I ran into an old friend who graduated from Bottega University and told me all about it. I gave it a shot! The hands on experience was exactly what I needed! Bottega teaches in a way that all types of learners can learn effectively. College was never hands on, but this is nothing but hands on. I completed the program in 3 months, and just a month after that I was an online mentor for other Bottega students and now I'm teaching students how to code. All under a year. This is exactly what I needed. I knew I had potential, and Bottega got me to find it and start me off on my career on doing the thing that I'm passionate about; coding.

People need to remember that a boot camp is not intended to teach you everything you need to know. Its all in what you put in.

I came in with zero coding experience and by the end of the 13 weeks can do things I didnt think I would be able to.

Cons: Its... Read More a boot camp things move quick, there are a lot of videos that you watch

Pros: Endless mentorship, great staff. Bottega has a huge network they are aligned with.

Advice:
Do the prework! I did my prework 3 months before class and had forgotten a lot of stuff so I had to play catch up.

MEET OTHER STUDENTS! Literally yesterday I reached out to a student I met and asked if she could put in a good word for me and within 2 hours the hiring manager had sent me an email asking for more info from me. If you want to find a job you need to put in the work too!

Tell Bottega where you are applying and give them updates. You will be surprised who they know and what they can do but it also shows them you are doing the work too.

Make goals! Apply to 3 jobs a day minimum. Used linkedin to reach out to people that may work at the company. Keep Coding! These are things Bottega told me to do and its working!

When you have an interview learn from it! Ask them why you weren't selected, talk to Andrew at Bottega about technical questions you know you missed on. Use Shayne as a sounding board when you are frustated or need to critique an interview skill or just need advice.

Do what the job placement team asks. Literally on the 2nd day they want your resume. If you think you are paying for a school to get you a job after completion you are wrong. I know this sounds harsh but why should they put time and effort into a student that is giving 60% effort trying to find a job when some are putting in 110%. If you commit to doing your part they definitely do theirs.

Overall: You need to pay attention in class, do things after class and after the course is over continue to build skills. Bottega has lined up almost an interview a week for me. The issue is that I am still learning and the right fit doesnt always come along as companies dont hire brand new developers everyday. I have realistic expectations of gaining employment. If you are willing to do what bottega asks (attend practice interviews, submit your resume to them many times for input, call them for advice, set up a linkedin profile etc) they will support you along the way. I get weekly calls and emails from their job assistance to guide me where to apply or to tell me they set something up for me.

As for development Its up to me to become a better developer every day. When I work on a project even now I have help at my finger tips. Its great!

I have received a phone call or emails from Erika and Trissa the job placement team all within the last week. Then there is Andrew who is there for me when I have an interview and get asked a question I don't know how to answer. Its a process and its nice having people helping a long the way.

I know a lot of students that have graduated. Some found jobs some have not. There will be some self reflection and some self doubt for anyone attending a bootcamp. At the end of the day its up to me to control my future. Bottega has helped me be able to go into an interview and connect with people and then when needed show them what I know as a developer. And when I fail they are there to help me correct the mistake and do better.

Bottega is a great educational experience. I am very impressed with the professors level of knowledge, the skill of the teaching and the care with which we were are taught.

Additionally, Bottega seeks a fit for graduates in the job market. They try to... Read More personalize placements for everyone.

I am very impressed.

This is the worst boot camp you can pick. They do not help you much. I completed my course online and got it done in 3 months, it took 2 if not more months for them to even review my final project. The person responsible for helping me with my resume... Read More did very poorly at helping me. This company does not have your best interest in mind. They claim that they are willing to support you but have people working for them that can’t event relate a message to the right people. DO NOT GO WITH THEM. If you want to be in debt go for it but I strongly suggest you don’t because the agreement states that I was not going to be charge until I found a job in the tech industry, but guess what? I’m being charged 17k and I don’t have a job in the tech industry.
Stay away from them. Aside from that the curriculum is not good. You will learn more using a Udemy course for $19.

The general vibe through out the whole course - no one know what's going on. It really is a boot camp in the sense that you really are put to the test mentally. Hours and hours and hours of work a day, 5 days a week. It can become pretty taxing. Thankfully,... Read More your fellow students and instructors are there to help you out - and they do a pretty decent job at it. I think the staff are who really shine here. The curriculum and way of teaching I'm not a fan of though. It's just videos on top of videos on top of videos. Kinda cringe.

I am astounded at Bottega and the tools they've given me to be successful as a software engineer. Specifically their job placement program is amazing. They are very good at getting you connected with employers that fit your skill-set. I'll never regret... Read More my decision.

feel that Bottega has a very comprehensive and thorough curriculum that will prepare one for a career in web development and software engineering. The instructors are knowledgable and really want you to learn! In addition, Bottega has an excellent support... Read More staff that will do everything they can to help prepare you for job interviews as well as job placement. I highly recommend Bottega for anyone who wants to learn any relevant language or become a full stack web developer.

I have tried online school in the past and this one was bar far the best experience I had. My teacher was so involved everyday, making sure not only I understood the material but the entire class as a whole was on the same page before we moved onto the... Read More next lesson. Logging in every morning in the full-time remote program was something I always looked forward to. It became a routine for me. My classmates were equally supportive of my growth in class which is a great support system to have, especially if you're new to coding (like I was). I am so appreciative of the teachers, the mentors and career services staff for rooting for me, and my success during my 12 week program! We got valuable information on presenting ourselves for job interviews and future opportunities. I got some great feedback from the Student Career Manager on my resume and LinkedIn profile that really help me stick out better and more professionally. I also enjoyed anytime we had guest speakers in class! They were either in the career field we are working towards or motivational speakers. Overall, I was amazed at how hands-on an online program really could be like this. Anytime I had questions, they got answered promptly and I was shown how to do it myself and how it works. They gave me confidence in myself as a student, and Junior Developer. Lastly, the course material is always accessible to me now. Even after I graduate. I can come back and learn more!

Things to keep in mind

Was not given the proper pre-work .:'Digital literacy...'

when I usually ask about something I am told to en-quire google.:'google it! it was in your pre-work Rob you should know'

no prerequisites saying i need certain programs to... Read More function until the time we get to a video that says we need these programs installed and working when Linux is an operating system that requires knowledge of understanding how to install and get these certain programs to run and imported into other programs. so when it came time do do that its really difficult to get anything done and takes up other students time trying to get them to run!
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Instructor complains that I am not getting my homework in on time and when i explain that I am trying to do my best because of right now this is all im doing morning noon and night so she says i need to manage my learning time and all this we've learned in the pre-work that was given to me and i showed her the pre-work that all it was, was designing and building a website using HTML and styles a.k.a. CSS and the basics of java no Digital Literacy like Tyrel (the other student) has... and he already has a basic understanding of what back end programming is. today i felt was the final straw the broke this camels hump,
I was given an assignment that seems pretty vague to me because i don't know really were to begin these are the instructions on the board as is:

ROB
*wireframe for J/S dinner menu project
-not all required aspects in the wire frame
*Dinner menu J/S project
*add to the project about you } start adding real content

when I asked my colleague about the assignment for today that is due tomorrow he had stated that it was all in the pre-work and I showed him that i didn't have that pre-work he told me she knows that and I said well she must've blew that one off or she forgotten.
a lot of the videos that we have seen has a these little coding projects that we do on the fly but they are tough for me to grasp because they are totally off beat for me but then the video instructor goes on to mention that its o.k. that we didn't get it and then he shows his explanation which is actually kinda liberating, what is disheartening for me so far is that I am required to pick up on this coding stuff so fast without real life like understanding how to use these skills until we get an assignment that cant really be possible unless you have any sort of prior knowledge or understanding of the concepts presented.

on a final note it would be nice to have some warm-ups before just running the videos maybe just to balance what we already were shown and possibly a little positive and constructive feedback of what we don't understand instead of just " Google it" which I believe means texting it into Google or "Get some Books to help you Rob, you need to manage your time better!" well that's fine and dandy but that seams a little counter intuitive considering everything is suppose to be simply intuitive or am I wrong? I am so confused.... well I love books as well as writing and if i had time and expense to buy and read a book, texting it into google and have homework done the next day I would but even if i had a good book on all the coding languages required how do i manage my time and expect to get anything accomplished during this half ass learning process. I have a stigma, PTSD,so my anxiety is like having a huge hang nail that I cant pull out and its frustrating because when I am presented with a problem that was instructed on the board to me, even though there really wasn't any solid curriculum to help me manage my learning curve my emotional anxiety throws me a curve ball --reason why I am writing this out--
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well I wrote this out without an almost unbiased opinionated approach on the matter in hopes that maybe something can change because I really have high hopes in learning and I have a very comfortable mindset when I am being heartily presented with solid curriculum that would initially be beneficial in the work force. but I am feeling distracted that there maybe other things going on that is causing this specific instructor to really input knowledgeable resources in my study, in a way she tries but it really is half assed, and i understand shes just and instructor not a teacher but like I am saying there should be more to it in the beginning and maybe she truly believe its all there for us, in reality its truly not. otherwise i would have felt comfortable knowing I am actually feeling like I am getting it all and I am afraid what basics i did learn is all going to go out the window without constant practice... apparently this course is designed to inspire and educate us into fully functional coding unicorns.

I really enjoyed my time spend at Bottega, the instructors are more than willing to help me with problems that are really difficult to solve and invest their time to see me succeed in my career path, my experience has been more than amazing, I came at... Read More Bottega with no previous experience at all, the only close computer experience I had was Exel and Google spreadsheet, the amount of material I've learned seemed overwhelming the first few weeks into the program but now I'm confident to apply those skills in the industry, the courses are clear to understand and you get to keep an entire library of the courses to review later on the road, this was a really great selling point since the resources provided are kept updated, I recommend coming to Bottega if you are really interested in coding .