Dev Academy

Overall it was a really great experience. I love what I learned and and can't wait to get a job in the industry. Probably the only con is that it has been harder to find work than suggested and sometimes it is hard to know if employers understand the... Read More skills I now have. That, and the fact that I haven't had a job/income for about 6 months mean life is pretty stressful, and if didn't have family to help me, I would not be in a position to spend time practicing code and looking for dev jobs. I would recommend Enspiral Dev Academy to anyone wanting to learn to code. It is shorter and more intense than most other ways of learning the skills and on balance is the better way of doing it.

The experience that EDA provides is difficult to summarise in a short paragraph; the amount of information/challenges/wonderful people that I managed to consume/overcome/learn from would defy any attempt I might make. Having said that, EDA put me through... Read More a crazy intellectual gauntlet - challenging me to not only learn, but skilfully implement a huge amount of information (all in a timeframe I wouldn't have thought possible). They laid down a pretty serious learning challenge, but not once did I find myself without the support I needed to succeed. The culture that they foster in the group is one that I was enthusiastic to contribute to - open communication, feedback and quality conversation was highly encouraged. I feel I've come out of the course with an invaluable skill-set, a deep appreciation for the necessary foundations of a positive workplace, and a few good mates to boot.

Deciding to re-train and entirely change my career after working 20 years in administration/support was no easy decision, and seemed pretty risky to me. Right from the first interview (to get on the course) Enspiral Dev Academy (EDA) staff were up front... Read More and transparent. I was particularly drawn to them because I had heard that they are trying to change the tech industry by creating a safe space and encouraging minorities to enter the IT industry, so I felt that I could take the risk with them. Taking that risk paid off in spades.

During the course there was a lot thrown at us, we were told it would be that way to help accelerate our learning. We learnt heaps of very relevant stuff. A year after graduating I am still finding things I was taught are still very much important (despite how fast the tech industry moves). The course took us through basic computing principles (including math) right all the way to building a complete app (front and back end), whilst learning team work, kindness and empathy skills at the same time.

I experienced a not-so-pleasant group project due to a difficult pairing with a co-student. I first tried to give direct feedback (EDA is very encouraging of people to talk to each other first and foremost) but after I felt I wasn't heard, I was able to bring it up with a course facilitator (who regularly checked in with us individually). I was treated with respect and concern by EDA staff. My feelings were treated as valid from the beginning and I was taken seriously and the problem was swiftly resolved. I have never been treated with this sort of respect and care in any work or study situation. Although EDA had no control over people's behaviour, I found the claims of EDA being a 'safe space' to be true to the point they did all they could do to support me.

After graduation, there was an extra week of support to find a job in the industry. Which included cv feedback and presentations from industry people (including HR). EDA's claims of getting people into work are true. As I had a job within 3 weeks of graduation, at the company I had hoped to get into upon the course start.

When I graduated, EDA had an open reflection and feedback session with our cohort about what was good and bad and what could be better. During the course I was able to talk to tutors and staff if I had any concerns or great ideas. Each time I go back to visit, I see they are frequently improving and changing the course content and structure with each cohort.

The course was as hard as expected (thus the term 'bootcamp'). I found my time, money and energy were not wasted. I now have a job in the industry with a supportive company that is aware of industry biases. EDA taught me to back myself and my abilities. Couldn't ask for anything better than that.

My time at EDA is something I would say changed the direction of both my career and personal life. While I was on the course, I met other students that I now live with and became great friends with and I believe this was because of the environment EDA... Read More offers. Everyday was challenging yet rewarding - solving problems through programming is something that I never thought I would do. We learnt the basics first, the concepts and theory around programming, rather than just diving into the coding side of things which gave me a solid base of knowledge. The tutors are fantastic programmers as well as people and I can't speak highly enough of those individuals who taught me whilst at EDA. The content covered was thorough - I managed to land a junior role after only 1 week of finishing the course, and I felt I had the confidence in myself as a developer to integrate and provide value as a junior straight away which speaks volumes of the relevance and quality of the content covered while at EDA.

In regards to the cost of the course it does seem a lot up-front, but the value placed on having the ability to change careers into a growing industry and open up possibilities of earning & job flexibility outweighs this I feel. They are also a great advocate for diversity in tech and offer great scholarships for those that are eligible.

Overall - I highly recommend the course, the people, program and support post-EDA has been fantastic. I wish I had found it earlier before committing to other forms of education.

Before doing this course I knew I wanted to explore programming and was quite unsure of how to approach it - there is a sea of resources for free out there, but as a beginner it can be really confusing what to learn. This course was curated from a mixture... Read More of freely available content and content provided by the tutors and the overseas Dev-bootcamp. There were a few unpolished bits in the curriculum here and there, but I always felt like I was in good hands with the tutors, and that the majority of the learning took place through persisting with the material. Another reassuring part of the course was that it never felt disconnected to industry - I almost always felt that what I was learning was relevant and of high quality. In fact, since joining the workplace I have been surprised several times when I've found smelly code or bad practices - you would think that uni-educated developers would code better than that. I'd say that EDA really does fulfill its promise to get you to a point where you are productive enough as a developer for a company to invest in you.

I came into the course looking to change my career direction, and I was able to land a job as a developer immediately after the course ended. I will admit though, that I don't believe I was hired purely for my technical knowledge - I believe that connections and a positive referral from EDA opened the door for me. That said - a non-trivial part of the course centers on non-technical skills - in order to be employed it really helps if you can connect on a personal level with others. I couldn't speak for everybody, but I got exactly what I wanted out of taking this course - I worked hard, put my brain to use and maintained a positive attitude, and I came out with a good job at a good place with some great new friends.
In terms of monetary value, it is costly for the amount of time you commit to it, but I can't think of any other education programs that teach you so much in such a little amount of time. It can be hard to keep up, but at the end of the day you're not paying to kick back and relax - you get your money's worth if you do the hard yards.

If you're looking at doing this course you have to understand that it is a lot of work, and while there is some hand-holding, you have to persist and practice to keep up. It is worth taking your time to consider this as an investment - it is neither cheap nor easy - but I feel like I did my due dilligence, took a risk, and was rewarded for it. I had a great time, and my job that I'd have never gotten without EDA is really nice. No regrets at all.

Tutors know their stuff, programme is very intense and just as expensive. Going through I found out many testimonies of past alumni success weren't true or embellished, and many recruiting "partners" had no knowledge they were being labelled as such.... Read More I feel the process was too expensive, we didn't learn as much a variety as promised, and I've seen the ugly side of their parent organisation "Enspiral". I don't recommend this programme, and wish I invested that time, money and effort somewhere else.

I was lucky enough to be a part of the inaugural cohort of Enspiral Dev Academy (EDA), the Great Spotted Kiwis'. This was an exceptional risk for me as I was leaving a stable career in Business Advisory at a very established worldwide organisation. Compounding... Read More this was the fact that this was not only the first EDA course, but the first of it's kind offered in New Zealand. However, it is a decision I would make again and again if faced with it.

Having no real technical skills on entry I was blown away by the pace at which I was able to learn in such an environment. I have had lot of experience with tertiary education, however found I drew no comparisons to EDA from my time gaining undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. It is a whole other beast, which continuously pushes you to the edge of you comfort zone.

I was able to grow not only as a developer, but also as a human being and a compassionate member of a community and greater society. EDA emphasises the development of soft-skills along with the technical ones we all knew were important. I thought myself to be strong in terms of interpersonal skills on entry, but soon realised the depths to which you can dive into this sort practice.

People really make an experience, and I was fortunate to be with not only a bunch of other highly motivated, passionate and talented people, but also to be taught by some of the best. The tutors strived to deliver a meaningful and relevant curriculum and they simply oozed knowledge. They also communicated this knowledge really effectively to all cohort members, despite differing learning styles.

We were encouraged to not focus on job placement during our time on the course and left it until after graduation. During this time the support was fantastic and we really found that a job was the byproduct of our prior nine weeks work.

Having now landed my dream job in Wellington, the best part is that our experience persists as we have a strong continued learning community that EDA supports and nourishes. I feel really privileged to have had this experience.

I was part of the first Enspiral Dev Academy cohort, the Great Spotted Kiwis. I had a really great experience. It was awesome to get to spend 9 weeks solely working on growing as a developer and as a person. I was originally a self taught programmer,... Read More so I know how slow the pace of learning can be when you don't have resources to draw on.

The staff at EDA are fantastic. The teachers are experienced, kind and wise. Rohan, the founder, is incredibly dedicated and does all he can to support the students.

All of the people who took part in my cohort were really chill, interesting people from a diverse range of backgrounds. We had no conflicts or upset moments throughout the entire 9 weeks. We did have a couple of really great parties.

The curriculum has been licensed from the original Dev Bootcamp San Fran. It had a few rough patches in my cohort, but is being iterated and improved upon fiercely.

I have been especially impressed with the support the grads of the first cohort have received following the course. Rohan ran an unofficial jobs week to help us build our CVs, practice interviews and get in touch with potential employers.