Codesmith

I'm writing this review about one week into my first full-time job ever as a mid-level SWE, where I've been learning something new basically every hour but without feeling overwhelmed or lost. I am comfortable asking questions to my boss and senior software... Read More engineers without feeling like a fraud and offering opinions in discussions and standups. Both of these things are because Codesmith helped me learn how to learn and how to do it with confidence.

Why + how Codesmith is able to accomplish its immersive program outcomes:

You basically have to do the equivalent of a college-level introductory class before entering. I graduated with a computer science degree and Codesmith not only makes you learn valuable computer science fundamentals in order to pass their technical interviews, but also specific JavaScript concepts that I never learned throughout college. Remember this when you feel like the material is too hard and that you're not smart enough to understand it. You feel that way because the material is hard, and you're trying to teach yourself a new skill in the span of a few months instead of four years! You're attempting a huge challenge and you should feel proud of that choice instead.

Codesmith prioritizes cultural fit and learning potential over technical knowledge. I know this because as someone who stayed on as an engineering fellow, I conducted technical interviews for applicants. Here are some important things to understand about the interview process:
When Codesmith rejects you, it is not because you aren't good enough to do the program. Codesmith's curriculum is extremely rigorous and fast-paced, and we don't want residents regretting their decision to spend $18k on a program where they feel completely overwhelmed. In asking applicants to re-interview, we are asking you them reinforce your knowledge and fully prepare themselves for the program, as mentioned in the first point.

What I cared about most in interviews was determining if the person would flourish in the program and would contribute to the supportive + collaborative community that Codesmith works hard to maintain, as opposed to their technical ability. This is also true when interviewing for SWE positions at actual companies (at least ones that would be pleasant to work at): they care more about hiring a competent engineer with good cultural fit and a baseline level of knowledge over hiring a genius that can't work on a team or doesn't care about the work outside of writing code, and this is reflected in Codesmith's interview process.

Codesmith spends time teaching computer science fundamentals, which means data structures, algorithms, and time complexity. In order to progress as an engineer, you need a foundation to stand on and to understand what your code is doing when it is executed instead of just memorizing syntax that can become outdated on a whim. If the bootcamp you are considering does not touch on foundational CS concepts and seems to only be concerned with teaching you some specific "modern" technologies, it is a BIG red flag for the quality of education.

Expanding on the previous point, Codesmith ultimately wants you to become an autonomous, opinionated engineer rather than an expert in some specific tech stack. Especially in web development, frameworks, libraries, and technologies go in and out of style on yearly basis and anything you learn at a bootcamp may be obsolete 2-5 years from now. What really matters is creating a solid foundation in computer science, code design patterns, and system design concepts that allow you to jump off a cliff into learning any new technology with a really sturdy parachute. This is why Codesmith's curriculum places a lot of emphasis on the WHY of what you are doing: why would you use React over Angular or Vue? How does Node.js handle asynchronous JS and why does that make it a good choice for applications that needs non-blocking event processing? These under-the-hood concepts and informed opinions are what makes Codesmith grads stand out and why they can aim for mid-level positions.
The hiring program is almost worth the tuition by itself (I'll get to what really makes the tuition worth it next), as my new salary would easily cover it. The CIRR outcomes really speak for themselves so I won't talk about it too much, but the difference in comfort and confidence I felt when interviewing for junior positions right after college and when interviewing for mid and senior-level positions after finishing Codesmith was hundreds of miles apart. Codesmith gives you a very detailed and specific guide for handling every aspect of the SWE interview, as well as lasting career support post-graduation.

Everything I've listed so far in terms of academic material is stuff that could be found online with some creative Googling (which Codesmith also emphasizes as an important skill). But if I could do this kind of studying on my own, I wouldn't have spent a year unemployed before doing the program. What I really paid for was the incredible community created by the staff and the careful interview process that chooses good engineers that are also good people. In the pressure cooker that is a three-month immersive program, you will need an emotional support system to lift you up when you're doubting your abilities and I definitely found that in my cohortmates and the instructors. When I became a fellow and stayed on another three months to teach, I saw three more cohorts repeat the process of leaning on each other for support and guidance, and shedding tears at final shoutouts when the process ended. The supportive community continues even after the cohort is over as you go into the job search, as all the alums I contacted for advice were friendly and encouraging.

Ultimately, even though I was initially skeptical of Codesmith and it's weirdly high outcomes, I now understand how it is able to accomplish them after having done the program myself. The remote setting did not diminish the value of the experience in any way. If Codesmith doesn't seem like the right fit for you, I would still strongly advise that any bootcamp you pick meets the criteria described above.

I'm writing this review as a newly hired software engineer at an amazing startup 5 months after graduating. At the end of 2019 after I graduated with a non-technical degree, I wouldn't have thought this was possible. Codesmith played the biggest factor... Read More in this, and joining was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I heard about Codesmith through a friend who had already graduated, and so I took a look at CSX and attended a couple of their workshops. I was impressed with both the quality of learning I received and the energy that Codesmith possessed. But it wasn't those aspects of Codesmith that made me really appreciate what they do. The amount of care and support they put into each student, during and after graduation, is what made it worth it to me. I'm probably not going to be sending applications any time soon, but when I do I know the help and support will still be there.

Quick summary: I have no technical background, I studied about 500 hours before being accepted into Codesmith, and 4 months after graduating I landed a full time role with a great company, with a 150% higher salary than my previous job, and high career... Read More satisfaction.

Fiscally speaking, investing in Codesmith's immersive engineering program is worthwhile just for the guidance on salary negotiation, but it's a lot more than that.
The immersive program environment reflects the actual workplace for engineers, establishing professional expectations and building teamwork skills and confidence in technical communication. I knew that I wanted to apply to Codesmith after attending a Hard Parts workshop in NYC, where attendees are expected to technically communicate in a group. It gave me instant confidence in what I had been previously studying entirely on my own with minor interest in participating in any kind of bootcamp situation.
I spent at least 90% of my time at Codesmith working collaboratively with others. These team activities included: reporting regularly to stand-ups, preforming code reviews, mentoring newer engineers as well as receiving mentorship, using git collaboratively, preparing tech talks, and pairing - so I felt completely prepared to step into the professional engineering work environment.
Codesmith's curriculum is progressive and up-to-date. If you're like me and have no technical background, you may have to put in a lot of extra effort before, during, and after the program. I don't think I would have landed a job by doing the bare minimum. However, if you're ready to work hard, this is the best program to support you in your journey to professional Software Engineer.

Through Codesmith’s CS Prep and Full-time Immersive, I made a full career switch into software development.

After researching several immersive programs, CS stood out to me with their distinguished reviews. It was then learning JS through their CSX platform,... Read More attending their workshops and joining CS Prep where I was really captured by their unique curriculum and teaching style.

The full-time program was no exception as it continued to showcase expert-level instruction from guiding you through full stack web technologies to hiring support while fostering a collaborative and communicative learning environment. The curriculum is certainly intense and unapologetic (in a positive way), and it’s up to the students to put in the work in order to get the most out of it - trusting the system and embracing the challenges will set you up for future success in your job search. The solid community of peers and staff support are unique aspects of this program that set it apart from others.

I greatly value the skills, experiences and friends that I obtained through CS, and I recommend this to anyone who is looking for the same.

This ended up being an easy way to test the water before diving in. More importantly it confirmed many things for me. That I am ready to learn software development, that the schedule will be doable with my current life situation (full time job and two... Read More kids), that CodeSmith's teaching format is much easier than me learning on my own. There's absolutely no way I could have learned this much on my own. CSX is great, but doing both CSX and JSB is better, much much better. From what I understand, learning these fundamentals in development will translate to any language I decide to or need to learn in the future.

The Codesmith program was intense with long days and a large amount of information to take in. There is a lot of hands-on work and a good support system between cohortmates, fellows, and teaching staff. I didn't complete any of the prep style courses... Read More before starting. I struggled to keep up during the program, especially with algorithms. A lot of the material didn't click for me until after the program when I could sit with it to fully digest it but putting in the work made a big difference.

After reviewing many coding schools and their outcomes, Codesmith seemed like the ivy league of bootcamps. Coming from a completely non technical background, I knew it would be hard to get in and even harder when I got there, but I hoped the outcome would... Read More be worth it. Bootcamps are definitely a quick way to get you on a different track, but not without extensive amounts of hard work. I studied JavaScript basics through Codesmith's CSX platform for about 2 months and took their 2 week CSPrep course before I was ready to interview. I failed my first technical interview but they gave me some feedback of what to work on and the next week I came back and passed my second interview with some more feedback on my weaker areas. I was able to get a scholarship for $2000 which helped, but the school is definitely still pricey.

The hours are very intensive and you have to know what you're signing up for. You are living and breathing code for 3 months straight and it can get mentally exhausting to constantly try to retain loads of new information. Sometimes you might want a break but you can't really have one. But with persistence, as a graduate I can say the hard work pays off. You truly learn what you need to know to secure that first software engineering job.

My personal experience was a little bit rough. I signed up for the onsite immersive program and I felt like I could learn best in that environment. Due to Covid19, after the first week the entire program was forced to go remote. Remote learning was not necessarily for me. It was a lot harder for me to get my work done from my home environment with all the distractions. Codesmith also has a unique teaching style. For each unit, they will give a couple hours of lectures on some new concepts and then throw you into a 2 day project with a partner where you feel like you don't have the slightest idea of where to even start. There is a help desk that the Fellows answer but the teachers aren't really around much. It is definitely frustrating at times but having to learn things the hard way through Google and lots of errors does help you remember and understand what you are doing. I do wish the lectures were a little more related to the code we would be writing and not just overall big pictures. After struggling for 2 days and probably not finishing your project, they give an approach lecture on how to do it and it make it look like a breeze. It helps to reinforce and understand what you struggled with, but some things would just be useful to know beforehand to be able to progress further in each project. You will have a growing list of things to go back and review but probably won't have time to do it.

After 6 weeks of these 2 day units, the second portion of the program is focused on building your own projects and web apps. This is where you get to really apply what you learned and also learn so much more based on what your apps needs are. It was so rewarding to have completed that first project and see the end result of what I coded from start to finish. It shows you that you can actually make cool things! There is one solo project and the rest are done in groups. Most of your time is spent on one prodution project which will be the focus of your resume. You have the opportunity to learn a lot from your group members and help each other out. In the real world you will likely be working in teams so it was good to see the dynamic beforehand.

The best part of Codesmith is the hiring support. They go through rounds of your resume and tear it apart (in the best way), they help you prepare answers to interview questions, and bring in people to practice mock interviews with. They have someone to help you negotiate your salary once you have an offer, and after you graduate there are meetings every week about the job search. You also have access to the alumni community and your own cohort mates for tips and references. The networking aspect is awesome. A few months after graduated I started my first job as a Software Engineer. The role isn't exactly what I wanted but now my foot is in the door, which was the whole point for me. I know after a year or so of experience under my belt I will be even better equipped as an experienced programmer to find the job I'm looking for. Overall, I wouldn't have been able to make this career change without going to Codesmith.

It was reading these very same online reviews where I first learned of Codesmith. After seeing their outcomes on CIRR and attending a handful of free JavaScript -- The Hard Parts workshops, I chose Codesmith over other programs for what seemed like the... Read More exceptionally detailed attention they paid to the quality of their teaching and hiring program.

My experience was consistent with that initial sense; it was clear that the entire team had thought critically about how people learn and how to teach most effectively. And no small part of that effectiveness was due to the culture that had been thoughtfully created, one of warmth and encouragement that always seemed to be saying "This is new and challenging work, but we're there for each other and we'll figure it out together."

It's a remarkable community that, long after graduating and beginning work as an engineer, I feel lucky to be a part of.

Everything about my Codesmith experience was exceptional- from the instructors to my peers to the technology, I found Codesmith to be worth every penny.

Some Background: I learned Python when I was younger, but I came to Codesmith with a Bachelors of Music... Read More and a year in the music industry under my belt. When COVID-19 became our new reality, I was searching for alternatives to performing, and learned JavaScript as I researched bootcamps. After completing CS Prep and passing my technical interview, I entered the NY immersive program (held online, to maintain social distancing), which I completed a month ago, and signed a six-figure offer today.

Instructors: While researching immersive programs, I was disappointed to learn that most (if not all) bootcamps are taught primarily by prior students, in the form of ‘fellows’. While your mileage may vary, in my Codesmith experience this turned out to be an unnecessary fear. The fellows were bright, eager, kind, and helpful throughout my three months in the program, and served as references during my job hunt. These folks are typically only kept on for three-month contracts after graduation, so I cannot guarantee that your experience will be identical, but Codesmith fosters a can-do attitude in the community, so I am hopeful that you will have a similar experience. (Note that some of the senior instructors are full-time employees and industry veterans, whom I also found to be great teachers)

Curriculum: The curriculum at Codesmith is primarily centered around React, Redux, Node.js, Express, and PostgreSQL. No other front-end frameworks are taught, and while MongoDB, AWS, and OAuth are touched upon throughout, the backend technologies other than Node are explored more shallowly. Codesmith’s approach to curriculum can be summed up in a phrase they’ve coined: ‘hard learning’. Enter my only gripe with my Codesmith experience- while the technologies they’ve chosen to focus on are excellent choices from a popularity-in-the-industry perspective, I do feel that Codesmith’s ‘heard learning’ approach sometimes leaves something to be desired. In particular, as projects become the focus of your days, the ‘hard learning’ approach becomes a burden more than a boon, as your energy is primarily directed towards your projects and the curriculum begins to feel frustrating rather than constructive. This is not to say that the experience is bad- rather, I simply found it to be a minor frustration that mars an otherwise enjoyable learning experience. By the end of the program I felt that I had made great progress in the core curriculum, and that can be attributed largely to ‘hard learning’.

Projects: Perhaps the greatest part of Codesmith is the project portion of your junior phase and the production project portion of your senior phase. In your junior phase, three projects punctuate the conclusion of the core curriculum, small affairs the last only a couple days each. These are the perfect on-ramp to working in a team environment on ‘real’ software (at least, something a little more substantial than a tutorial). The production project, however, is the crowning jewel of Codesmith. Students are required to work in teams to develop an open-source developer tool or similar project, in order to give back to the community and nurture a deep expertise in one technical area. By requiring these production projects to solve problems faced by developers every day, students acquire an intimate knowledge of a corner of the industry, experience that can be spoken to in job interviews with authority. In contrast to other immersive programs, where final projects are often mock-applications, Codesmith’s approach ensures exposure to real problems you will encounter in your career (and it looks great on your resume, to boot).

Job Assistance: Codesmith’s hiring program is exhaustive, and stresses the realities of applying to engineering roles. With lectures and workshops on interviewing, your ‘pitch’, negotiating, networking, resume development, and recruiters, the hiring program provides guidance on every step of your job search, and continues indefinitely post-graduation with weekly workshops for grads in the job hunt. Mock interviews with grads help to ease you into the experience of technical interviews, and the daily emphasis on algorithms and data structures throughout your three months prepares you well for mid-level interviews.

Overall: Codesmith was life-changing for me, beyond a new career and a new job. The people in my cohort were curious, intelligent, and bound by the common goal of bettering their lives. I cherish many of the friendships I made at Codesmith, and I can’t wait to give back to the Codesmith community in the years to come.

I'm the type of person who digs through the internet for reviews. I'm one to make sure of the quality of services and products that I choose before making a purchase or a subscription. I found Codesmith after days of googling, watching vlogs of people... Read More attending bootcamps, seeing their progress, and digging into message boards. I've also tried attending the free lectures and workshops around LA. And by far, Codesmith stood out for their pursuit of excellence. They are selective for a reason. As long as you put in the time, which is a TON, and you're generally good to work with, and if you're serious about taking this path and are up for the challenge, then you should really consider this program. I was a musician prior to entering the program, have always been pretty technical and interested in computers (but never coded anything), and after a year of work (3 months self-study prep, 3 months in the program, 6 months post graduate interviewing and learning more in the process), I'm now the senior frontend engineer at one of the biggest telecommunication companies today. All this in the middle of a pandemic!