Codesmith

Hello! Here is my experience with Codesmith. Hopefully this helps you in making a decision on whether this is the right program for you and whether to take the leap. I worked in technology in a tech-adjacent role before the program (Technical Operations).... Read More I had worked with software engineers but was not an engineer myself. When the pandemic hit, like a lot of us, I took the time to step back and re-examine my life. Was I on the right path? I decided I loved tech but wanted to “level up” my career. And to start exploring software engineering bootcamps as a vehicle for doing so. I only “toured” one or two bootcamps in addition to Codesmith. I think I just connected with the people at Codesmith right away (the Codesmith alums leading the weekday evening free sessions). They just seemed really real and approachable and friendly, but hardworking and bright at the same time. I took advantage of all the prep tools beforehand: CSX (independent self-service learning platform), JavaScript for Beginners (paid group course) and CS Prep (paid group course). The prep courses provided multiple benefits: (1) I learned a lot about software engineering/coding (2) I could dip my toe in and see if I liked coding (in general) and (3) see how I liked the Codesmith style (in particular). I really enjoyed the prep and felt confident that Codesmith was indeed “the real deal.” (The instructor at CS Prep, for example, was a Codesmith grad, working in the industry and told us about his experience, so it was all becoming more and more real.) I was ready to apply to the immersive! I did not get through on my first interview attempt, but the feedback and support was incredibly helpful. I was not really discouraged at all because it is very normal to need a couple attempts to refine your approach before you get that exciting call that: YOU’RE IN. I did some light prep (maybe another week or two) then applied again. I was accepted and started right away (next available cohort). The program was 100% remote. What to say about the program? It was really, really great. As you have probably read, it really was “eat, sleep, code, repeat.” Learning on all fronts: algorithms, deep computer science concepts, learning particularities of JavaScript, etc. It was fast-paced but doable. It might seem counter-intuitive, but the hiring program comes quite late in the program. You are really pushing, learning and building right up until the end. The hiring program is excellent and what you might be imagining: drafting a resume, revising it, interview prep, job search strategy and practice. Before I knew it, the program was over and it was time to hit the street and APPLY. There was some variability in how quickly people from my cohort were hired: some were hired in 2 weeks, some it took a couple months. It took me just under a year after graduating. That said, I took on my job search in fits and starts. I had additional projects I was working on outside of coding at that time. I would say if you finish the program, and you go ALL IN on your job search from day one - following all recommendations from the hiring team, getting a job within 90 days of program completion is a very, very reasonable expectation. But ultimately, I wanted to do some additional learning and prep before applying, and I don’t regret it. I had a lot of great interviews and ended up at a company I really love as a mid-level software engineer. There were definitely ups and downs, but any experience that really pushes you to GROW, go outside your existing boundaries, push your comfort zone.. it will be hard at times! It will be emotional at times! But totally worth it. Here are some FAQs. These are the questions I had when I was sitting in your exact same position, reading reviews on this exact same site… FAQs Are the outcomes real? Yes. They are 100% real, and include people from all prior-to-codesmith life backgrounds. Do not worry if you didn’t go to college or have a non-traditional background. They will take care of you. What do you recommend before making a decision on a bootcamp? Get to know the school before making a decision. Take the CSX courses, enroll in CS Prep, go to a virtual open houses, all of it. How do you feel? Do you like the teaching style? Do you vibe with the culture? At the end of the day, it’s not just about the program that has the highest outcomes overall - it’s about a place where YOU can thrive and be successful. What advice do you have before starting the program? Get your life (reasonably) in order before starting. You don’t need to tie up every loose end in your life, but mentally be ready to go 100% all-in for 12 weeks. The less distractions outside of Codesmith during the program, the better. Anything else I should know? Because the outcomes are so good, I assumed they would somehow be “automatic” or “just happen” - they are not! It’s important to stay active and engaged every step of the process. The results will absolutely come, and you will find your place, but remember involvement on your part is a huge part of this process. Keep your foot on the gas every single day. Push hard! Closing words TLDR: (1) get to know the school, (2) make a decision, then (3) JUST GO FOR IT. It is a leap, but that’s part of the fun. You’ll do great!

1. Up to date curriculum 2. Deep dives in to the MERN stack 3. Codesmith teaches students how to create new tools and frameworks instead of learning how to use them 4. Hiring support is the best part of the whole experience 5. In the senior phase students... Read More work on real production level products through open source

I chose Codesmith because I perceived it to be the most rigorous program out there with regards to curriculum, portfolio, and job support, and it absolutely delivered on these promises. Here's a breakdown of how each manifested: – Curriculum: the first... Read More part of the program is built around hard learning, challenges, and pair programming. Most units are taught over the course of a few days, which start with lectures and then continue with challenges meant to push you to learn and develop as an engineer. You do these challenges with a pair programming partner and also engage in other common practices like code reviews and collaborative coding. Not only are you developing your coding skills, but you are also learning how to interact with other engineers and problem solve through tough technical challenges. You're killing two birds with one stone. – Portfolio: I believe Codesmith stands out the most from other bootcamps in this area. During my program, I worked on a variety of projects across the full stack (frontend, backend, DevOps, etc.), and this is where you get to put your skills to the test. You learn what it takes to break down complex applications to their component pieces, plan out how to approach the implementation, and then work through bugs and issues. The cornerstone of the program, the Open Source Product, pushes you to solve complicated engineering challenges by finding and solving pain points in the developer community. During this phase, you explore new tech, face challenges you can't just Google away, and gain a deeper understanding of the ambiguous problems professional engineers face. – Job support: you receive career support from the Codesmith team for life which is a fantastic perk. If you feel like you need more resume help, they'll do as many iterations as you need. If you want more mock interviews, they have that covered too. If you just want to talk about the emotional struggle of job searching, you can talk to the staff or you can lean on your cohortmates or post-grad hiring group. They have all the bases covered and will continue to support you as long as you need or want it. For anyone wanting to take the leap into the world of software engineering, this is a rigorous program that delivers on its results and is there to support you in your journey.

I had an amazing experience at Codesmith. It allowed me to connect to so many engineers from all facets of the world. It is an intense program but the applicants they accept as well as the instructors and fellow are all so supportive. I would not be able... Read More to make it through the program on my own without the Codesmith community. Even though we graduated from the program, we have built a life long connection to so many people that can help us and that we can help in the future. I would have never thought I could learn all the things I learned. No regrets. Pros: The job search process is great, they really take the time to help you focus on how to promote yourself as an engineer. The projects that we work on and create makes us more marketable and relevant. They really expose you to all different areas of the tech stack and give you full exposure so you can decide if you want to be frontend, backend or full stack. Cons: I would of liked it to have more options in terms of hours, perhaps instead of a 9-8 timeframe for full time program to one that is longer than 12 weeks but 9-5pm.

I got into Codesmith with 2 months of studying attending every Hard Parts workshop they had. At one point I stood outside a packed workshop room with my ear against the glass just to catch bits and pieces of what was being taught. I got in. It wasn't... Read More an easy full-time immersive experience - a lot of personal mistakes & challenges. Learning to code is different for everyone, Codesmith is a good and sometimes traumatic way of jumping with your eyes close into a very rewarding career. Pros - Truly immersive make or break code warrior trajectory experience - Unique community focused on excellence in an "in it together" culture - Rigorous full-stack JS course focusing on the capacities that make you an engineer - Paid post-graduate opportunities - Post-graduate support is lifelong, consistent & growing Cons - Can be cult-like, but the best companies & cultures usually are - Post-graduate support isn't industry-leading yet, open source involvement has room for improvement and maybe even a change in focus is required and by this I mean more involvement in the community with bigger more established open source project might be a better learning experience for students looking to get their feet wet on the industry - Mental health can take a toll trying to cram a 2 year master's into a 3 month boot camp, specially when enforcing at the same time a particular style of political correctness

I got into Codesmith with 2 months of studying while working full-time, pulling 80 hour weeks. I thought it'd take longer, but they saw something in me. It wasn't an easy full-time experience - a lot of personal mistakes & challenges, but I came out on... Read More top. I graduated with an offer thanks to Codesmith's hiring day, started working a different job the week after graduating, then finally landed on a consulting gig for the Google Cloud Platform. I doubled my salary in 6 months. Fast forward 4 years and I'm now a tech lead at a start-up. So far in my career, I've worked alongside Google engineers, built cutting edge AI multi-platform apps for Point72, co-founded a software development agency where I hired engineers, and have mentored other aspiring engineers into their first roles. It hasn't been without its ups and downs but looking back I know that life happens for me, not to me, and that change is an opportunity to reach higher to become more. Pros - The best 0-to-bootcamp trajectory on the market - Unique community focused on excellence in an "in it together" culture you won't find at other bootcamps - Rigorous full-stack JS course focusing on the capacities that make you an engineer, not just a developer - Multi-disciplinary curriculum spanning design, AI, dev-ops, security, etc. - Paid post-graduate opportunities - Post-graduate support is lifelong, consistent & growing - They see potential in you - sometimes before you see it in yourself. They take a chance on you. Cons - Can be cult-like, but the best companies & cultures usually are - Post-graduate support isn't industry-leading yet (emphasis on "yet" - they're the type of people to make it happen) - Their taking a chance on you can sometimes lead to prematurely entering into a full-time immersive program which can lead to a rough during-Codesmith & post-Codesmith experience. Mental health can take a toll, but last I heard Codesmith offers support throughout. This applies to SOME non-technical aspiring engineers, not all, and is rarely the case with residents with some past technical experience or those who've spent more time studying

I'm a pandemic career-changer in my early 40s and I left a good, stable job to pursue software engineering. This may have been the most significant decision and the most challenging project of my life. Before I was fully committed to this monumental life... Read More change I launched a deep research project to determine which boot camp was going to set me up for the greatest success. My research led me to Codesmith. Every reputable coding boot camp offers some kind of free live workshops and online resources to get you started, get you involved in the community, and help measure and improve your skills. Most offer some kind of "boot camp prep" course. Tuition tends to be pretty similar across the board. So how can you really know which one is "best" or which one is right for you? My approach was to try them all. In addition to reading reviews and articles and checking out their YouTube channels, I used the free online resources from ten different schools, and I attended the prep courses for three different schools. I figured this would give me the greatest insight into how each school operates and whether I should trust the outcomes I saw published on their own websites as well as in the reports from the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR). My experiences led me to Codesmith. Codesmith's free workshops curriculum is incredibly robust. It includes sessions targeting everyone from Day 1 beginners to employed engineers seeking a deeper understanding of advanced concepts, and many sessions occur more than once per week. When I attended my first "JavaScript: The Hard Parts" session I immediately felt like I was witnessing something of real value. The instructor was a total pro. The approach and the method were thoughtfully constructed. The attendees were engaged and participating. The quality of this experience was in stark contrast to what I had seen from all of the other schools. I was mostly sold on Codesmith. The thing that sealed the deal for me was the challenge of getting admitted to Codesmith. At one point I had failed two attempts at the Codesmith technical admissions interview, and I had already been accepted to two other top coding boot camps. It would have been easy to throw in the towel and get started with one of the alternatives but my thinking was if I'm going to quit my job and take out a big loan at the same time, run through my meager savings, and risk everything for a chance at a great new career then I want to make sure it's the greatest new career possible. I couldn't be satisfied with a junior-level position that paid about the same as I was making before; I wanted to go into job interviews with the confidence derived from knowing that I had been through, by far, the most challenging software engineering boot camp available. Codesmith sets the highest barrier to entry and teaches the most advanced curriculum. They're able to do that because they have the best approach and retain the best staff. The formula is working. In a few days, I'll be starting my first job as a software engineer. I'm going to work at a large financial institution in a mid-level position with a team working on an exciting product. I've acquired all the skills I need to succeed in this industry, I've made a bunch of new friends-for-life, and I've built up a formidable professional network. I would recommend Codesmith to friends and family (and I do, frequently) and to anyone who is serious about getting started in the software industry.

Codesmith was an overall fantastic experience, and it would absolutely be my number 1 recommendation to anyone looking to attend an immersive. Pros -The community is wonderful, literally everyone I met was kind, helpful and committed to learning. -They... Read More challenge you CONSTANTLY. It feels rough when you’re going through it, but at some point you realize that’s the only way to get someone job ready in such a short amount of time. They’re called bootcamps for a reason. -Their system works. It takes a bit of trust and definitely some perseverance, but push through and if you follow what they teach you, you will get a job. And don’t be afraid to speak up to an instructor/fellow about how you’re feeling. In my experience I always felt so much better after talking to someone on staff if I was feeling frustrated or low in general. Cons -It’s VERY challenging, and not for the faint of heart. Expect to feel overwhelmed basically the entire time (but just remember, it’s all part of the system, and the system works). -It’s quite expensive -PTRI hours are rough if you’re on EST

Codesmith was an excellent experience and for me it was definitely worth it. I attended the full time immersive and it was a lot of long hours and tough work, but ultimately absolutely worth it and truly rewarding. I had already done some self studying... Read More when I enrolled and it really took my engineering skills to the next level. The most valuable parts of the program for me were the community and network you find, the project focus, and the hiring portion. I chose Codesmith because of the CIRR outcomes and the sense of community. I highly recommend checking out one of their free workshops if you want to get a sense of the teaching style. I got a job fairly quickly and have been extremely happy with my choice to make a career change. I'm able to do more satisfying work for more pay, and Codesmith really helped me get there.

I considered many other bootcamps like fullstack academy, general assembly, etc. but then codesmith hiring outcome came to my attention as codesmith's hiring outcome was the best among bootcamps out there. After going through 12-weeks of program and now... Read More getting a job, I can see why codesmith has the best hiring outcome and I am really glad that I decided to go with codesmith. It provides the best curriculum for people who want to be engineers and how to think and code like mid to senior-level software engineers. I got a job offer that is well above the median of codesmith graduate outcomes, so I can say that it actually works! pros: The curriculum, open-source product, and hiring support post-codesmith cons: Instructors' teaching quality (especially fellows) can be better, I would say