Horizons School of Technology - CLOSED

I went to Horizons last summer and had a pretty transformative experience. I had very little prior coding experience so I learned a lot very quickly. The sheer amount of information could be sort of disorienting at times but it's clear to me that it was... Read More incredible growth experience both personally (coming from the Midwest and living fulltime in SF was very different and sometimes difficult) and academically (I learned a lot, I know I can learn anything I want in software or data science and I didn't have that confidence before the experience). They were clear about the curriculum from the frontend and they followed it well. I felt like it was very comprehensive and it covered a lot of what a software developer could need. However, I wish there was a bit more emphasis on pure comp sci--we had a week on algorithms and basic coding etc. but I would have appreciated a little more depth on that. I also realized during the camp that I am not that interested in software development full-time, so while that kind of soured me on parts of the curriculum, the team at Horizons was very understanding and flexible. They figured out how to provide us resources for what we were really interested in if we didn't attach so much to software itselfwhether that is venture capital, product design, or just general consulting and business. All in all, the instructors and founders are hands-on and helpful, you can tell that they want to provide people a good experience. That supportiveness is really what made the camp for me.

As a business student and product design enthusiast, Horizons helped me complete my knowledge of software products and the tech space. The education, community, and opportunities propelled me in my work at my university as a leader of a software organization... Read More as well as my current work as a product manager at Atlassian. I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in tech, pursuing careers in tech, or seeking a stimulating and motivating summer to do Horizons.

As a business student and product design enthusiast, Horizons helped me complete my knowledge of software products and the tech space. The education, community, and opportunities propelled me in my work at my university as a leader of a software organization... Read More as well as my current work as a product manager at Atlassian. I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in tech, pursuing careers in tech, or seeking a stimulating and motivating summer to do Horizons.

When the engineering department at SMU sent out an email to its students about the Horizons’ fellowship opportunity, I was intrigued. For me, learning how to develop mobile apps has been a lifelong dream of mine. However, two years into college and I... Read More still had no clue how to do it. I knew that I wanted more and perhaps I could find it at Horizons. After establishing that they would accept a 15 year old college student (if I could pass the test, etc), I decided to go for it! I am very pleased that I did. Horizons has truly been one of the best experiences of my life! Not only were my CS abilities elevated but they were raised to an entirely different level. They taught us how to find the resources needed in order build whatever we desired. Although the knowledge we gained was superior to any other courses I have taken, the relationships I attained are really what I loved. The people were great from the founders, TA’s and my co-fellows. Everyone at Horizons was not only very intelligent, but they all had an interest in what they were learning. Being in this environment really pushed me to surpass my limits and accomplish things I did not know I could do. And they were fun too!

The connections made at horizons extended beyond the classroom. They brought in young successful entrepreneurs who specialized in some of today's hottest topics: machine learning, social media, etc. After they spoke, we were given the chance to speak with them one on one. Getting their insight may have been one of the best components of Horizons and the speakers’ words still hold a lot of value to me.

Coming into Horizons, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wasn’t a CS major in college, but I took a couple CS classes and did plenty of coding in some projects on the side and in different research labs, so I had the basic fundamentals down (data structures... Read More and databases mainly). Horizons completely surpassed all of my expectations. I learned a completely new stack (NodeJS + React/Redux) that was geared towards industry and completely different than the things I learned in an academic setting. Everything they taught was new, and I learned a ton over the summer. All the instructors and TAs were super great and were ready to help whenever I needed them. It was pretty straightforward coming out of Horizons to find a job in the tech industry but more importantly, Horizons really gave me the confidence that I could build anything. Can’t recommend this bootcamp enough.

Go to Horizons.

I came into the summer '17 cohort with zero programming or tech-related background. It was grueling! It was hard! It was frustrating! But going through such an intense three months gave me great personal and career development.

One thing... Read More that's special about doing a bootcamp is that as a business student, you can come out the program knowing the same, if not more, about software development as a CS major does. The breadth of material taught me to think about things as specific as a complex sorting algorithm to as broad as architecting a full stack application. And the best part is that the technical skills I learned were just a starting point. I can't believe how far I've come in the year since I did Horizons in my personal and work projects.

Besides the obvious programming knowledge that comes with a bootcamp, I think the thing that sticks out the most about Horizons is that their people genuinely care about each student. When I looked at a problem with little hope of solving it, the TAs patiently encouraged me to think about it dynamically until I reached a solution. Knowing the cohort wanted to learn about more than building, the team networked hard to get us speakers that spoke openly with us about their careers and experiences. Months after the program ended, I received support and advice from the founders themselves during recruiting season.

Horizons has been the true foot in the tech door I always wanted and badly needed. Go for it, hate it, love it, and be so glad you did it.

Participating in the summer Horizons program was an incredibly rewarding experience, both in terms of personal growth and career development. First and foremost, the instructors provide a challenging and practical education in software development that... Read More I believe is a great supplement to or replacement for a traditional university CS degree. Most if not all of the other reviews will express the same sentiment. Additionally (and more meaningfully to my career path), Horizons gives students a broader perspective on technology, entrepreneurship, and the startup ecosystem. The impressive lineup of speakers offers inspiration and advice to those students looking to enter the tech industry. While I chose not to pursue a job in software development, I was motivated by my experience to consider a career in software investing. The Horizons team was incredibly helpful in offering connections and advice for the job search process. I'm now happily employed at a software-focused venture capital and growth equity firm. Whether you're interested in refining and expanding your software development skillset or exploring the tech industry in a broader sense, Horizons is an incredibly valuable experience that I would highly recommend.

I took the summer course offered in the summer of 2017, in lieu of exploring internship opportunities. It was a risk from my perspective, as I was a rising senior in college - but it was well worth it. Not only did I have an incredible time meeting so... Read More many new people, but I got a chance to delve into development, an area that I had no experience in. Taking my background with the more creative, this program gave me the technical skills to bring my designs to reality. 

Specifically to the curriculum itself, it is pretty comprehensive and covers a wide spectrum of topics. What is great about the structure is that, in many ways, it allows for anyone to maintain their own comfortable pace and the support is there to help if you do fall behind. The instructors were helpful and there to assist if any problem arises. Something to keep in mind is that a lot of the information presented is the foundation and so to make most of this program is to keep pushing oneself further and going beyond what is required - this program is equipped to help you make that extra mile. 


In terms of the entrepreneurship, a lot of interesting speakers are brought in to talk and give their perspective of the industry. It was very interesting to see these different views and just a great way to decompress after staring at a screen. 

My advice for anyone interested is to make the most of your experience at this program - how much you learn depends on how much you apply yourself and how hungry you are to grow. Horizons provides a great community and a vast array of resources, so make use of it while you can. 

I attended Horizons as a 2017 Summer Fellow (tuition and housing covered). I had a very positive experience--here's some things that stood out.

Relentless focus on practicality: Horizon's syllabus is packed with topics directly relevant for developing... Read More modern mobile and web apps. Little to no time is spent on more theoretical CS concepts. The result is that you can start making tangible projects really quickly. For example, many of our early projects were implementing imitations of popular web apps: Twitter clone for learning HTML/CSS, using Twilio for learning API calls, mock Facebook chatroom for implementing servers, to name a few.

Choice of tracks: In my year, Horizons offered 3 tracks in the latter half of the program, allowing us to curtail the program towards our specific goals. You could complete some guided week-long projects (most popular), prepare for job interviews (primarily recent grads), or work full-time on your project with a team.

Community: I felt a really strong sense of community at Horizons within the first week of the program. Part of it is the fact that most Horizonites are college students or recent grads. This helps you bond with other students, because you're all looking to learn about tech and potentially start tech-related careers. At the same time, I found Horizonites highly energetic, collaborative, and innovative--I always looked forward to spending time with and learning from my fellow students. I'm guessing most other students felt the same way (just read the rest of the overwhelmingly positive reviews on this site). I'm not aware of any other bootcamps that are similarly focused on college-aged students.

Exposure to Silicon Valley culture: Horizons gives you a sense of life in Silicon Valley and the broader tech industry. Besides being situated in San Francisco blocks away from such impactful tech companies as Uber and Twitter, you also learn from regular speakers working in tech. I learned so much from these speakers, not only about careers paths in tech, but about different ideas for improving lives through technology. Last year, we had venture capitalists, product managers, founders and CEOs, and software engineers, with several high-profile speakers including Keith Rabois, Cyan Banister, and Balaji Srinivasan.

Availability of teachers and founders: I generally found the founders Abhi and Darwish as well as the head teachers Moose and Ricky extremely supportive and accessible. I never hesitated to ask for coding help or career advice from these knowledgeable individuals. After the program, I frequently went to Sunny and Darwish for advice about the recruiting process, and they were extremely helpful in the process of securing a tech internship for the next summer.

It's really fun: Horzions is just objectively a fun way to spend a summer. You're spending all day coding and building with 100 different diverse, energetic college students. And outside of coding, you have the entire city of San Francisco to explore with your fellow Horizonites!

Horizons was one of the best summers I've had so far. I would recommend it enthusiastically to any college student looking to learn about tech and start building things quickly.

I did the 12-week summer session at Horizons because I wanted to get a job in tech. In college I studied Economics and Math, so I wanted to get some coding skills to be more competitive in the job search.

Here's Horizons in a nutshell:

smart people +... Read More lots of work + great resources = extraordinary amount of learning

Smart people: Your classmates will be brilliant students from around the world who are committed to learning how to build things. You'll also be able to meet potential cofounders, which is vital to launching a successful startup or even working on fun projects.

Lots of work: Expect to work a lot at Horizons, especially if you don't have a background in coding which was the case for me. However, there is no busy work. All the work you do is valuable. What you put in is what you get out.

Great resources: The team at Horizons has put together a superb cirriculum. Horizons also employs Teaching Assistants who there to help you learn. The speaker series helped us to learn how to turn the coding skills we were learning into tangible results out there in the world. I'm always impressed with the caliber of people that Horizons manages to bring in. They even took us to Founders Fund (Peter Thiel's venture capital firm) for a panel Q&A with three Founders Fund partners. My friends and I spent a lot of time talking about ideas from the speakers.

Extraordinary amount of learning: If you want to learn how to code and you're willing to work hard, you can do no better than Horizons.

Horizons is tons and tons of fun. It feels like you're in a startup with ~150 amazing people. When we weren't coding, we were going around San Francisco and having a blast.

I now work in Product Operations at a fast-growing tech company. It's an incredible job, and I woulnd't have gotten if it weren't for Horizons. I rely upon skills that I learned in Horizons on a daily basis. When I was searching for jobs, the Horizons team bent over backwards to help me.

Abhi, Darwish, Sunny, Moose, and the whole Horizons team have created something very special. They are completely dedicated to helping their students realize their dreams--I know because they did it for me :)