Codesmith

I really enjoyed the CS Prep course and found it incredibly valuable. As someone who is a relative newcomer to JavaScript, I can feel overwhelmend as I'm learning. However, Shane, Ryan, and Samantha all created a welcoming learning environment where I... Read More did not feel ashamed to ask questions that may seem "easy" for my fellow classmates. The course is a little over two weeks, but I was amazed at how much I felt I had accomplished during those two weeks. The pair programming sessions are really valuable and I felt I learned just as much from those sessions as I did from the lectures. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to see if Codesmith may be the right immersive program for them.

This review is only for CS PREP.

CS Prep is a great way to get your feet wet with the fundamentals of advanced topics such as High-Order Functions/Callbacks, Recursion, Closure, Big O Notation, and etc.. Before CS Prep, I was stuck on the HOF section of... Read More CSX and did not know a single thing about the advanced topics I mentioned. After completing CSX, I was able to finish CSX and pass technical interviews for multiple top tier coding bootcamps on the first try!

Disclaimer: I have not taken the Codesmith technical interview yet (scheduled to take soon). I took tech interviews for other bootcamps in order to gain practice for the immersive program that I plan on joining: Codesmith. However, I would not have been able to have the confidence or the skills required to pass the technical interviews without taking CS Prep.

Overall, I loved my experience with CS Prep. I enjoyed learning from the instructors Ryan & Shane. Ryan & Shane are both so passionate about teaching and coding that their enthusiasm permeates throughout the whole course. I learned so much not only from the instructors but also from highly motivated students.

I was at Cohort 9 NY (January - April 2019). I've had an Associates Degree in CS before I started the program but wanted to accelerate myself into the field, so I decided to join Codesmith. It wasn't an easy decision - $18k is A LOT of money, but I couldn't... Read More be happier about it. Studying was very hard - first half of the program you jump into a new topic every day, spending about 80 hours on campus, many including myself spend a few nights here. Still, every step of the program you feel tremendous support from every single person surrounding you: form a cohort-mate to the CEO (thanks, Will!)

RESULT: I got my first offer precisely two weeks after graduation, two more the week after. I started my first software engineer job less than a month after finishing the program.

CONCLUSION: as for a person who only worked at the restaurants it was hard for me to imagine that in less than half a year I'd be able to turn my life upside-down: do things I enjoy every day and earn way above $100k.

CODESMITH, THANK YOU!

I first came across Codesmith through their free JavaScript Hard parts meetups (which I highly recommend you go and check out) and the first thing that impressed me early on was the clarity and interactive teaching style of Phil (Lead in NYC) and Will... Read More (CEO) on advanced topics such as async & promises, closures, higher-order functions. Going to these meetups helped tremendously in my decision to go to Codesmith as you get a preview of the lectures, people (a lot of the cohort comes from the meetups) and environment. To give a better context to my review, I focused on three things during my decision process for picking a coding bootcamp:

1. The quality of the education- I came to coding with zero background in computer science and made a complete career change, so this was important not only because of the cost of the program, but I needed to be able to digest advanced topics in a short amount of time.
2. Job assistance – I needed a program that can also jumpstart my career in this industry since I left a good job to study and commit to a 13 program and couldn’t afford to not get a job quickly or start on an entry level (More on this later, but Codesmith has a hiring program that’s included in your time there and is worth the price alone)
3. The community – I needed to be challenged and be with like-minded and supportive people. There are plenty of group projects and pair-programming so the people surrounding you are important. Also, you are spending every ounce of your time there (Codesmith is 6 days a week, from 9am to 8pm (officially) but most usually stay until 10-11pm+). Additionally, the girl ratio was also a concern for me (In my cohort there was 4 out 16).

Needless to say Codesmith exceed my expectations and hit all of major concerns. To start with the curriculum, every day for the first hour of the day you have an algorithm problem and the approach lecture for the problem the day before. You spend the first 4 weeks doing 2 day units which consist of lectures, skill-builders (solo-work) and pair-programing unit challenges. Most of your “learning” comes from these pair-programing challenges which encourage you to problem-solve by struggling and talking out things with your partner. (There is a clear focus on technical communication.) There’s also constructive feedback after each session so you’re constantly improving your teamwork and coding skills. An important note: things are not hand-fed to you. This approach makes you a capable of learning new things really quickly but just know that you will go through a confidence rollercoaster during the course of the program (Will even has a chart that he provides the on the first day). The rest of the program consist of the project phase (3 short term ones and your production project, which will take 4-5 weeks). These are great way to experiment, dive deep, and build your expertise in certain technologies. They are all impressive (check out Codesmith’s website for examples) and a notable experience to talk about when on an interview.

What makes the program so powerful is that the community of the instructors, fellows, the non-technical staff, and the rest of the cohort. Every person is expertly selected to preserve the Codesmith community and culture, and, I’ve never seen a more dedicated and caring workforce. The teaching fellows are there to do the approach lectures and to support you throughout the entire process and they spend hours with you going over material, questions you may have, and even theorizing about a particular approach or current hot topic. There are also periodical check-ins with the staff on how you are doing with the program, and they are always available to you to resolve any issues you may have. A new cohort starts every six weeks, and Juniors and Seniors are in the same space, so you’ll get plenty of opportunity to meet/network/mentor with more developers before and after you. The small class size, long hours, and plenty of group projects makes it easy to bond with your cohort group. It was only 90 days but it felt like we were together for many years. There’s also a great alumni network that’s available online and in person (there were always a few alumni visiting during my time there).

Towards the end of the program they start the hiring program which has on-going support after graduation and is led by Will and Eric. It’s another thing that sets Codesmith apart from the rest. They give you knowledge and practice on building your resume, how to interview, how to approach the job search, and how to negotiate salary (Listen to Eric on this – he coaches you what to say and what to expect and it is 100% on point). There are mock interviews, and check-ins, and slack channels that will be your coding and job-search bible. On top of that, there’s always someone on staff (or fellow cohort mates) to guide you throughout the whole process.

You can read about the outcomes report on Codesmith here (https://cirr.org/data) and certainly do your research (got to meetups and info sessions) but I can honestly say that Codesmith changed my life. Its staff, approach to education, and community are top notch. It was definitely one of the toughest things I’ve done but it was also one of the most rewarding. The hesitation toward joining such an intense program is valid but if you commit yourself to those 90 days, Codesmith will change your life. I am sure it.

Prior to Codesmith, I knew I wanted to further my skills as a software engineer, but didn't know which bootcamp to go with. These are a few of the reasons I chose to go with Codesmith.

1. Better outcomes

The fact that most of their grads get jobs as mid... Read More to senior level developers after graduating and their superior salary results definitely appealed to me. The website says the average for NY Codesmith grads is 112K but the current average is something like 130-135 now. Codesmith really sets you up for success and gives you the confidence that these salaries are achievable. To give some context, I graduated about 6 weeks ago and received my first 2 offers 2 weeks ago for mid-level software engineering positions and have another on-site interview with a FAANG company.

2. Rigorous interviewing process

I actually first interviewed with Hack Reactor and I got in through an extremely easy interviewing process. However, I didn't think much of it since I didn't find any part of their program particularly unique or attractive. Additionally, the Hack Reactor interviewer told me that I solved the problems he asked me faster than any of the candidates that he's ever interviewed, and I was surprised by this. I was looking for an environment in which I'd be surrounded by smart and knowledgeable individuals so I could learn more and I was definitely not looking to be the best problem solver in the room.

When I went through Codesmith's interview process, I could tell right away that they were looking for someone who knows more than the basics of Javascript and can solve a simple algorithm problem. They asked questions about programming concepts that most other bootcamps wouldn’t ask and they wanted to see if you are a good technical and cultural fit for their program. Moreover, their final production projects were a lot more impressive than the ones I saw at other bootcamps/residencies. I figured that this was the best residency if I wanted to push myself.

3. Hiring support/staff/community

I got a good sense of what the community was like during the couple of times I attended their Hard Parts meetups so I highly recommend checking that out if you are thinking of choosing Codesmith. Furthermore, the hiring support after graduating was amazing. You get mock interview support to practice for the real interviews and bi-weekly check ins to see how you’re doing and potentially give you feedback on how to improve. Shout out to Will and Phil, who were actually my references for one of the companies I was interviewing for, and as a result I received an offer from the company! Also, shout out to Eric, who is there to help you get an offer and after you receive an offer, he literally holds your hand every step of the way of the negotiating process so that you get a much better offer than what you were already satisfied with.

Overall, the entire community is great and Codesmith really provides you with the tools to excel in this industry. Highly recommend!

Steer clear of Codesmith if you're not ready to be challenged! Over 12 grueling weeks, you will be primed to tackle algorithmic challenges and pick up new web technologies (React/Redux/SQL/noSQL) at breakneck pace. The fact that each member of my cohort... Read More was able to hold his/her own - despite the unrelenting pace of the curriculum - is testament to the dedication of and empowerment fostered by the instructors and teaching staff who give the program its momentum. Career-wise, the support I have received from Codesmith (in addition to the numerous networking opportunities during the course of the program) has been invaluable and will be very encouraging for those seeking opportunities in the software dev market for the first time.

As a side note, consider taking the associated 2-week CSPrep program before tackling the 12-week program head-on; I myself enrolled in it and could not have found a better way to ready myself for the Javascript curriculum that's the cornerstone of the Codesmith program.

As many other have noted, Codesmith’s 12-week course is both an extremely challenging and extremely rewarding journey. The aspect that made it possible was the unbelievable assistance from the community. The unflagging support from both the staff and... Read More fellow students make the long hours (10-12 hours day, if not more) manageable — enjoyable even — and it never feels like you’re alone during any part of the marathon.

The structured pace is fast, but at no point did I feel left behind because there is always someone willing to review curriculum material. The onus of mastery falls on the initiative of the student (additional long hours or weekend work), but Codesmith mentors and teachers do an amazing job of making themselves available.

The production project portion of the program forces students to think outside the box and interact with their team in a similar way that they might in the real world. The graphQL migration tool my team built was a crucial learning experience and huge talking point during my job search and interviews.

With so many bootcamp options available, it can be difficult to gauge the flavor of each and whether a course might be right for you. Codesmith’s CS Prep and free CSX course is a great way to get a sense of the culture and curriculum. I would heartily recommend Codesmith to someone looking to level-up in fullstack development and it was one of the best educational/career decisions I’ve ever made.

CodeSmith taught me data structures, algorithms, React, Node, SQL and NoSQL. In addition, it taught me how to think and communication as an engineer.

The course structure is fast-paced and challenging. It is designed to constantly pushing for your limits.... Read More I also formed tight bonds with the cohort mates due to everyone being very supportive of each other.

The hiring program is also another major piece of the puzzle of getting your first software engineering job.

This is not a program for you to come to class and leave like a college course. To make the most out of the experience, you should put your best effort into it. And you will be rewarded for your effort

As a veteran in the software industry, I'd highly recommend Codesmith's Software Engineering Immersive Program to anyone who wishes to learn more about coding. Looking back at my period there, I was able to learn more about what it means to be as a software... Read More engineer.

Before I joined the program, I had planned on enjoying while being in the program and simultaneously looking for jobs. However, throughout the program, although I had fun, it really took a lot out of me even if I were to disregard to my job as a software engineer that I attended to after everyday at Codesmith. Although the program is just 3 months, the program can be very intense if you are not fully ready to get indulged in the program. I thought it was intensive beecause of all the challenges I specifically looked for and the challenges that were unexpectedly thrown at me. BUT I enjoyed them still regardless. I enjoyed them because it was an experience that I did not encounter anywhere else and it allowed myself to grow as a more cultured software engineer. Even as a student whom with prior software engineering experience, multiple hackathon winner, and a bachelors in software engineering from a pretty prestigious university, I felt that Codesmith was a valuable experience for me. In terms of techncality and learning materials, they are pretty up to date with the technologies that are being sought to be used by a lot of companies, especially startups. You can still aim for bigger companies, but a lot of the bigger companies have slower adoptions with modern technologies (except for like the big 5 such as Google, Microsoft, and etc) that they teach. However, it really doesn't matter what technologies you use or they teach you because the main goal of this program is teach you how to think programmatically and from a software engineer's perspective. And really, this is a mandatory skill in software engineering and a lot of the big companies like Google mainly look at this and how strong you are at it during the hiring process. As well, in cultural perspective, I think Codesmith has an alright culture going on. They like to keep the atmosphere very positive and encouraging, but I think it is a good choice since they know that a lot of the students and applicants that come here are coming from a variety of background. They would like to encourage that anyone can do it, regardless of the background!

My overall suggestion is that you get what you put into this program. In my honest opinion, look for challenges that actually makes you go nuts. While being in the program, a lot of people will go crazy over a framework or library, but in my opinion that's normal. That is what the program is intended to do to their students. So that everyone can be challenged. However, if that is not enough challenge for you or you would like to add more complexity, go for it even if it is just for fun becasuse at the end, you will get more out of it in my honest opinion. Also, in the progarm, there is a portion called Production Project. I'd reccomend doing something really really crazy because this is where you will get most of it. Again just challenge youself above your limits. Overall, I think this was an interesting experience that I did go through and I wouldn't mind recommending to the readers who are reading this review right now!

If you're looking for a purely objective criteria for figuring out whether to attend to Codesmith, then you can easily find the average salary of its graduates on the website. It's a little over 110k. I just recently graduated and about half of my cohort... Read More has signed or is in the process of signing offers with cool companies with great salaries (in line with or above the average) within 1 month of graduation and I am highly confident the rest will have signed offers within 3-6 months.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I am going to highlight some of the other aspects of Codesmith that are also important in making Codesmith an invaluable experience and setting it apart from other programs.

1. The curriculum

Over the course of the program you will dive into technologies including but not limited to React, Redux, Node, Express, Mongo, Postgres. Also, Codesmith is devoted to continually updating the curriculum and adding value based on alumni feedback. They added an AWS module to the curriculum (my cohort was the first to receive it), after hearing that most of their graduates are interfacing with AWS in some way.
Pair-programming is one of the main pillars of learning and growing as a resident at Codesmith and you will be engaging in it for the majority of your first six-weeks at Codesmith. So if you don't work well with others then Codesmith might not be the program for you.

2. The staff

The instructors at Codesmith are all super knowledgable, super passionate, and can break down complex topics into manageable chunks really well, but don't take my word for it. Every Thursday night Codesmith hosts a free meetup called Javascript The Hard Parts, where they deep dive into advanced javascript concept such as closures, or higher-order functions. I was blown away by the level of detail, how much I learned, and the amount of clarity I left with by just attending their free workshop. Phill (The lead of NY) and Will (CEO) who usually teach the meetup are also instructors during the residency so you know you will be getting that same great experience throughout the program as well.
The fellows are also very hardworking and help round out the experience by providing help sometimes even long after the day has "officially ended". Examples range from helping you to understand that concept/algorithm/technology to providing guidance on whipping your resume into shape. The fellows are all instances of empathy in engineering and a big part of the reason that the community is so great.
Can’t forget the non-technical staff as well. Software engineering is mostly technical but there is a value in soft skills as well. And it’s very helpful in having people there to help in those areas as well.

3. Amazing Cohorts

The class sizes are small. My cohort had a total of 16 residents - all with varying technical backgrounds, from less technical (on paper) to computer science degrees. Going through a program like Codesmith with a small class size allows you to really connect with your fellow cohort-mates. It's really easy to bond with your fellow residents after struggling and challenging one another to push and continually break through each other's limits to get to the next level over the course of three months. I have made connections and bonds with my cohort that I will foster for the rest of my career as a software engineer.

4. Projects / Production Project

Codesmith is fast paced. Most of the lectures take place within the first four weeks and after that you will working mostly on projects moving forward. You will work on solo, scratch, iteration, production, and reinforcement projects. Each of these projects allow you to gain greater experience and depth with technologies learned in the earlier part of the program as well as those technologies that are not covered but you might have an interest it.
The most important project out of these is the production project. For the production project you will have about 4-5 weeks to dive deep into certain technologies with a group of residents. It really is amazing what the cohort can accomplish in this time. Again, don't take my word for it, you can check out some of them at https://www.codesmith.io/software-engineering-immersive-projects. I don't think other programs are producing these types of projects.

5. The community
A new cohort starts every six weeks. Your first six weeks is your junior phase, and the next six weeks after that is the senior phase. Juniors and seniors utilize the same space. When you just start the program it helps to have a group of people who just went through the same process that you are about to through as well. Not only do you have your own cohort mates to network and connect with you have the one before you, when you are in the junior phase as well, as the one after you, when you enter the senior phase as well. Of course, you also have access to all of the other Codesmith alumni working at great companies as well.

6. Hiring Support

The hiring program at Codesmith might be worth about half of the cost of the program alone. As you progress through the latter half of the program you will start the hiring phase. This includes countless resume iterations that will get your resume in the best shape it probably has ever been, how to negotiate your salary, and how to approach the job search, and more.
Even after you graduate there are check-ins every two weeks to see how things are going in your job search and they will help you iterate on your approach based on your feedback. You can even schedule mock interviews with Codesmith as well.

All that being said, it feels weird calling Codesmith a bootcamp. Codesmith, is a software engineering residency that will undoubtly change the course of your life.

Shout outs to Will, Phil, Ryan, Dave, Olivia, Kyle, Victoria, Joel, Christine, Raphael, and Altai and cohorts 8,9 and 10.