Fullstack Academy

When I decided to switch careers to software engineering, I didn't look much beyond Fullstack Academy as a starting place. Their reputation and proven numbers were stellar and it didn't hurt their onsite immersive in Chicago was easily accessible to me.... Read More Chicago has other options, though, but Fullstack won out on quantitative results. Of course, none of that stopped me from being nervous about the program. With limited background in coding, I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it. Their tried and tested system, patient instructors, and dedication to their students quickly helped me understand why they have the reputation as one of, if not the, premier coding bootcamps in the country. Don't get me wrong. It was difficult and stressful at times, but, that's why they call them bootcamps, and in the end I came out prepared to enter the job market and succeeded in landing a job in the industry in three months. To anyone considering making this leap, I can't recommend Fullstack Academy enough. And make sure you take advantage of their bootcamp prep course before applying.

Fullstack Academy played a very special role in my life at a time (around 40 years old) when I was finally daring to face down deeply ingrained fears and negative thought patterns about my ability to learn challenging new concepts and skills, and bet... Read More on myself in pursuing new and compelling pathways in life.

I attended the immersive program, which is so well structured and paced, relevant/current, and meticulously and lovingly crafted; the instructors are masterful and clearly passionate and invested in the success of the students (love to Finn, Collin, and Priti); and the student community is so intelligent, growth-oriented, warm, and supportive (coming from someone who usually has trouble fitting in), that there's no question this was a critical turning point in my life. Fullstack's career counseling- and especially, their Chicago lead, Holly- is the best I've engaged with anywhere in my life, and I've just accepted a software development role at a company I'm truly excited to work for.

I could ramble for a long time, but here are some subtle things of note:
- They have an actual 'No Assholes' sign, no assholes were encountered in my time there
- They have an entire lecture dedicated to unconscious bias, and I watched them make good on it with poise and grace when a contentious situation arose
- They demonstrate and fluently integrate a deep understanding of the learning process, including concepts like psychological safety and a hierarchy of activities that solidify knowledge acquisition (if you've always felt teaching is the best way to learn- you're in good company)
- I normally get icky vibes from CEOs (and I've met many), but when one of the co-founders, David Yang, came to do a Q&A with my cohort toward the end of our time there, he was so transparent, and took the time to truly consider and reply authentically, evenly, and without pretense to every question (even some challenging ones about company management), that the last piece of the puzzle snapped into place- this is a program founded and built by a group of people who have a deep, abiding love of technology and of learning, and faith in the potential of both of these things to change individual lives and the world.

This is my review of The Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy according to my experience:

The curriculum was fast-paced and challenging but not insurmountable. At times, I felt insecure, doubtful, and overwhelmed, but 17 weeks later I graduated a... Read More full stack web developer — and I didn't do it alone.

The level of support I received at GH was second to none. After lectures, students put their learning into practice through independent labs or pair programming workshops. Admittedly, I didn't enjoy pair programming at first; it was a foreign concept that brought me considerable anxiety. But with each new workshop, I quickly came to see how much my colleagues wanted me to succeed. I had pair programming partners who were stronger coders yet walked through each step with me, ensuring I understood what we were doing and how parts connected into a whole. I had pair programming partners who were on par with me and high-fived our way into debugging and building small features or apps. I had pair programming partners who had trouble understanding concepts and whom I, in turn, was able to walk through the workshop with, ensuring they understood what we were doing and how parts connected into a whole. You see, the level of support I received turned into support I couldn't help but to pay forward, and that was the unique beauty of our cohort. Everyone wanted everyone to succeed.

We'd spend after-hours on campus, helping each other step through new challenges, not simply telling someone the answer but instead asking pointed questions to help them arrive at their conclusion. We'd come alongside one another (figuratively and quite literally), huddling around the monitors with support. One rockstar in our cohort who had a strong command of the coursework hosted several events to help others comprehend the material as well.

Fellows also surrounded us with support. Though we're assigned one fellow, I felt like the lot of them were championing me and cheering me on. They were always willing to help me, even after a long day of help tickets among all their other responsibilities.

Instructors were spectacular, even going as far as to hosting additional lectures during lunch to help us in areas where we might have been weak. They had great metaphors, demonstrations, live demos, and more. They asked challenging questions during our project code reviews, giving us a taste of what we'd surely experience during interviews. They pushed us but never doubted us. And they were available to run through additional mock technical interviews if we asked.

All in all, I could wax poetic about the camaraderie, the amount of love we truly have for each other (I mean, where else will an entire room stop to applaud and cheer one group's victorious debugging when *everyone* is stressed and racing the clock to get their group projects working??), the Slack channels that are still live and well, and the friendships I've formed. But space is limited. So I'll leave with this: your experience is what you make of it. And our cohort decisively made our experience one of love, respect, friendship, and support. When I landed a job within a month of graduation (thank you, Hiring Day), the responses from my peers blew me away. I'm excited to see where we all end up and I'm certain we're more than equipped to go far because of the training and network of support we received at GH.

Special shout to career services. Yasmin was very helpful during my negotiation process like the rockstar she is. :)

When I started looking at software engineering bootcamps, I prioritized finding one with a challenging curriculum. Fullstack’s rigorous application process and focus on “productive struggle” during Bootcamp Prep made it my top choice, and the hands-on,... Read More fast-paced coursework did not disappoint. Fullstack’s magic, however, lies with its instructors, fellows, and career success team. Their support throughout made the otherwise daunting experience of switching careers feel very attainable.

Fullstack’s curriculum requires hard work, especially for those like me without a programming background. Students have to pass checkpoints in Foundations (4-week online course) to make it to Junior Phase (6-week on-site lectures / workshops), and there’s a similar checkpoint before the project-based Senior phase begins. Having access to fellows and instructors through help tickets and office hours helped me grasp important concepts for homework and looming tests. In Junior Phase, we had the additional benefit of weekly learning lunches led by fellows who answered questions on course content and their experiences at Fullstack.

Relationships with fellows and instructors deepened in Senior Phase: fellows advised us on our projects and instructors led code reviews. The Chicago campus instructors, Collin, Finn, and Priti, gave practical advice when we hit technical snags and encouraged us to learn beyond the curriculum. They held retrospectives for feedback after each project and seemed intune with our needs. (We received an impromptu lecture on React hooks, for instance, after they saw our interest in the topic.)

Chicago also has an amazing career success lead, Holly, who coaches students through resume and LinkedIn updates, technical interviews, and job offers. Holly brought in great companies for Launch Day, where local companies watch capstone project presentations and conduct interviews. Launch Day interviews can lead to job offers, and did for me.

I would only tweak one thing: while the team does a great job of teaching algorithms and data structures during Senior Phase, seeing those exercises earlier on would have been beneficial.

Overall, however, I would recommend Fullstack’s program for its rigorous coursework and excellent support from instructors, fellows, and career success team.

I attended the Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy of Code and I have to say, it was one of the best moves in my entry to Software Engineering career. I went in knowing only a little about Front-End development, Beginner Python, and a little bit... Read More about JavaScript and came out an official full stack software engineer.

I knew that I wanted to take my coding skills to the next level, so after researching and hearing from other people I had reached out to who had also completed Fullstack, I chose to give it a try. Coming in, I was a bit intimidated, afraid for what would happen...would I be able to keep up? What if I failed? I had heard that the intensity of the course was very high and that a lot of new information would be thrown at me. I chose to go forth, courageously and make the investment. I am thoroughly glad that I did not let fear of the unknown stop me.

The program was highly structured and regimented. The system was so detailed it became easy to pinpoint areas where there was a block in my understanding; coming from the military, I really appreciated such an organized platform. This level of structure along with the immense support from the staff and fellows made it possible to tackle really hard subjects in such a short period of time. It was far from easy, but attending Fullstack helped me to realize my own ability in learning new technologies in a matter of 2 weeks and really possessing the aptitude to create projects that I never believed I could have created a year ago. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what makes Fullstack a top choice!

I graduated from Fullstack Academy 2 months ago. It was a great experience. My cohort was a diverse group of like-minded people who were eager to learn. It is as intense as you would expect, so make sure you have a good foundation before starting. The... Read More instructors were all passionate about teaching, not just about code, but also how to deal with things like imposter syndrome. The career success team really cares - you aren't just fending for yourself after graduation. They offer weekly remote meetings and 1 on 1 support during the job search. Plus you graduate with a cohort of people all in the same boat to keep in touch with.

As for the curriculum, I was told more than once during my job search that the skills I had stood out from the majority of bootcamp grads. One interviewer was surprised I had only learned React a few months ago. I put this down to the quality of teaching I received. I would highly recommend Fullstack Academy to anyone serious about attending a coding program and making a career change.

I'll start with the cons. There aren't many, but they're important if you're considering Fullstack or any bootcamp. Cons Fullstack is growing temendously, but as it grows it seems like the acceptance and graduation requirements are getting more lenient... Read More and edging on overly forgiving. Software engineering is not an easy field (that's why it pays so well) and I foresee a negative reflection on the brand and greater difficulty in job searching if this leniency continues as junior roles are becoming saturated. I think prospective students would benefit if it was made very clear that Fullstack is a tough program, does not guarantee a job, and that the job search is VERY difficult. That being said... Pros Fullstack Academy was one of the greatest experiences of my life. As a non-traditional grad, it was the best option for me to pivot into a career that I'm now truly passionate about. I've met amazing like-minded people who are now friends outside of the program. And the network of alums are so welcoming. Everyone helps and supports each other. The staff and teaching fellows are there for you every step of the way and the workshops are second to none. You learn a crazy amount in a short amount of time. Of course, there is also a lot of self-motivation involved and you must be genuinely interested in programming. Characteristics tech recruiters and hiring managers care about just much as your technical skills, which come from you as a person not Fullstack. That being said, obviously technical skills do matter and Fullstack gave me these skills to jumpstart my life as an engineer, momentum to continue learning more on my own, and an incredibly caring network for my career. Overall, Fullstack is one of the best. And it really shows. But you HAVE to put in the work and you HAVE to love it. If you do, Fullstack is the best path to success.

I was quite rusty before attending the program. I had no confidence when I apply for a job.
Taking this course was a whole new experience it was really immersive and full of learn by doing materials.
Pros:
-short videos to the point which made me feel excited... Read More and less bored
-great community
-very good and helpful instructors
Cons:
-I had to do a lot of searching to learn some of the materials i wish they expand the section of (back-end developing) more.

The overall course was great, it started with basics and at a relatively mediocre pace went through all necessary parts of a Full Stack Development.
I actually got a position after an interview for a Full Stack Developer and most of the topics discussed... Read More during the interview were being explained in this course, which I am pretty sure was not a coincidence.
The course is to the point, no useless information, only necessary concepts are being taught. I would recommend.

I had been eyeing doing a bootcamp for about 5 years, so I think my perception of them was from the earlier days. I honestly expected a more intense experience with more committed peers. A big surprise to me was that Saturdays are optional (and only a... Read More handful of us max were ever there) and everyone left campus at 5pm on the dot every day.

The curriculum is split between 3 phases - Foundations (remote, vanilla JS), Junior Phase (learning the stack and how to put together a full web app), and Senior Phase (building 3 full projects). I found myself with lots of free time during the junior phase. I was disappointed that when I asked fellows or instructors for ideas on what else to work on, they mostly just told me to relax and have fun.

Ok, that's the bad out of the way.

The good - Fullstack ultimately gave me what I paid for. The ability to get a job as a software engineer. I graduated 3 weeks ago and have already had 4 offers and accepted 1 at my top choice company. I felt very prepared for my interviews (although I think part of that was my exposure to the tech scene in my previous job). Learning React is key as I think that's one of the main things that set me apart from just CS grads and every company I interviewed with uses React. I was able to go from theater producer to account manager to software engineer and I don't think I could have done it nearly as fast without Fullstack. I will also say that Collin the instructor is fantastic. Eager to teach, knows everything, and great at explaining the underlying concepts behind the frameworks. I was very, very thankful for his code reviews and guidance.

Suggestions to Fullstack - Please don't ignore students if they are bored/ahead. I really appreciated the extra workshops that started being available to me towards the end of Junior phase. If a student asked me what else they should work on, I would tell them to build a simple CRUD app. Then I would say re-do it using React Hooks instead of Redux. Then I would say use GraphQL.

Suggestions to Students

- Pick your capstone project carefully, but not in the way you think. I was very focused on the actual product and wanted it to be cool, but I am so so thankful that we ended up using new technology and went through struggles and learnings I could talk to. This came up in all my interviews. Several said they brought me in because they liked how well I could communicate in my Youtube video and one had me give a 15 minute presentation on a challenging project to a room full of people. If you don't know how everything in your app works, ask your teammates to talk you through the code AND their decision making process. This was super important for interviews.

- This is something not everyone can control, but I think my exposure to the tech industry and how software is built was invaluable. The people in my class who had similar backgrounds really stood out and seemed to grasp the bigger picture much much better. So if you can work in the field before doing a bootcamp, I highly highly recommend it. I had no technical experience before landing a job as an account manager so I do think this could be an option for lots of people.

- And go to the optional Saturdays and do the optional workshops! They were my favorite workshops and the most beneficial.

I think Fullstack is a top tier bootcamp and I am very grateful for all that it gave me.