LEARN Academy

LEARN Academy was one of the best experiences I've had in my life! I absolutely loved being there each day working with the staff and learning with my classmates. It is, of course, not for the faint of heart. Transitioning to a completely new career isn't... Read More an easy thing to do and learning how to be a web developer in 3 months is a daily grind. But it is rewarding, exhilarating and worth it. The best part about it is that the LEARN staff are there for you each step of the way, supporting and guiding you.

I cannot stress enough how supportive, encouraging and thoughtful the staff are. Each of them worked with us on things on areas that we needed to develop and they even tailored the curriculum to fit our needs and the things we were interested in. Even though I was enrolled during a time where there was a transition for the Career Services Manager, we didn't feel like we were dropped through the cracks or that we received any less attention than other cohorts previously.

Before I attended LEARN I was stuck in an e-commerce marketing job with low pay and little opportunity for advancement. After learning about code schools, I decided pretty spur of the moment that I wanted to apply, and studied just enough JavaScript on... Read More Codeacademy to be able to complete a programming challenge as part of my application. I interviewed with two schools, but chose LEARN based on the Ruby on Rails/JavaScript course material, and my positive interactions with Chelsea, the CEO, who made it very clear that the team was committed to my success.

The days are long and the weeks are crammed, and now with a few years of experience in the industry, I can look back and say that 3 months in the classroom isn't enough time to learn everything you need to know to build web applications. But LEARN does a good job of normalizing the feeling of being stumped and gives you the skills to ask good questions and search for a path forward when you're stuck with a tricky problem. And the curriculum's solid foundation in Rails and JavaScript is enough to get your foot in the door of an entry-level software job, where you can continue building your knowledge. The project-based classwork is highly collaborative, and learning to communicate technical challenges to your peers is, I would argue, one of the greatest takeaways from this course. LEARN also places students in a one-month internship with a software company, which allows you to practice your new software development skills in a real world setting, builds your resume and further advances your learning, and can lead to a full-time job. I got to contribute real code to an application in production the first week of my internship, a huge confidence builder. When I was stumped and my supervisor in my internship wasn't available, I was able to reach out to my LEARN instructors, classmates, and alumni for assistance.

After I finished the program, almost every interview I went on came at the recommendation of LEARN's outreach coordinator--they truly care about you at LEARN and will continue to help even after you are no longer a student. Year after year, the LEARN network continues to grow as students become alumni, new internship and community partners participate in the education process, and new instructors join the team. The LEARN community is incredibly special, and continues to contribute value to my professional (and personal) life years after I graduated from the full stack course.

It was risky making the move from Chicago to San Diego. Where was I going to live? Would I like anyone there? Sure the weather is great but would I learn to code and get a job after all was said and done? I am spending some money and committed to making... Read More a change, but how do I decide? Which bootcamp do I go with?

All of these questions swirling in my head and I will have to say LEARN was able to quell those fears quickly by answering my questions in a variety of ways. Any curriculum questions I had they were absolutely available to answer. Any questions I had about who I would be studying with they had great answer and were able to find past students to help out in answering other questions.

Learn has developed an amazing networking of students, industry folk, etc. and if you work hard and ask lots of questions you’ll be able to tap into that network quickly and get a great job out it. I am writing this a few days after the one-year anniversary of the job I got after LEARN.

I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a career change or looking to develop their currents skills into a job as a coder in some capacity.

I attended LEARN in late 2017, and I recognize those 4 months as some of the best of my life. There was a lot on the line for me (I quit my job and dropped out of college to attend), so it was very important to me to make the most out of the course and... Read More find work soon after. The mentors are wonderful - special shoutout to Greg and Alyssa - and they really take their time to provoke different ways of thinking. Development is not easy for everyone, and everyone processes information differently. The staff at LEARN embraces; seriously, they made sure each of the twenty or so students in my class were catered to.

Each student will also get real-life experience through a one month internship with a tech company in the San Diego area. I found this to be incredibly helpful, and I got a good understanding of what the role of a developer really is.

Through LEARN I discovered the company that I am currently employed at, and I couldn't have been happier. They provided a great education, a 2nd family, good networking, and awesome memories. If you're on the line about attending, I'd say to go for it.

I understand that this program seems to have been a success for a handful of individuals . The technique of teaching they provide may work for some, but not all. Everyone has a different learning style and Learn only supports one way, which is peer programming.... Read More I understand this is great within a working environment, but not everyone is able to solidify information in that manner when learning something new. When I am spending 8 hrs. a day, plus $14,500, I should feel I have used my time wisely, rather going home frustrated. Expressing my concerns, which they don't like you to complain about anything, just constructive criticism, I was pretty much told maybe this program was not right for me. Which it was not and I withdrew. But that kind of attitude towards some one interested in learning a new skill is undiscerning. They should be more understanding and accommodating to each person's learning style.

Learn promotes that their program is for beginners, which it is not. It is more geared towards people with some kind of background in programming, not just an interest. I feel their screening process should be more thorough, with a technical part before officially being accepted into the program. The curriculum was disorganized and hard to follow at times. There are reputable sights to learn Web Development, build a portfolio, provide you skills for interviewing and finding a job. These sights do not cost much or are for free. Not sure what Learn feels they are providing for $14,500, other than lining their pockets with money. Please consider other options before throwing your money away or going into debt.

I came to LEARN to disrupt my mid-career boredom. There were a few bootcamp-style options, but I was drawn to LEARN for several reasons: the unique internship aspect of the program; a commitment to diversity I saw in their staff, alumni, and community... Read More involvement; their place at the center of an active tech community; and the fact that, because they are local, they would be in touch with the needs of San Diego employers.
I'm over 40 and approach all new situations with skepticism. I started LEARN waiting to find out that it was all a sham, that I'd been taken for a ride, or that the level of learning was nothing I couldn't find in a few YouTube videos and I am SO happy to say I was wrong. All of what drew me to LEARN in the first place proved to be true. The educators are so passionate about the success of each student, as is the management - they have a reputation to uphold in this community, and that start with putting well-prepared program grads into the workforce. Beyond the tech curriculum and the amazing educators, two extremely valuable pieces of this program are the Career Services and the Internship. Students have real interviews with real companies, no smoke and mirrors. And the professional development portion of the curriculum combined with ongoing career services advice is WAY more than I ever got from NYU.

I attended LEARN Academy in 2018 or their Alpha cohort from January to May. Two days before starting LEARN I had my last shift at the deli I worked at the time. Four months later I was signing an offer letter with the words 'Software Engineer' in the... Read More opening paragraph. LEARN can absolutely change your life, but only if you jump in the deep end.

MY STORY
I started LEARN with about 50-60 hours of self study, much of it directed by the prep work for the course. I knew that I had to dedicate as much time as possible to the endeavor much because it felt like my last chance to really change my life for the better. I said goodbye to most of my friends and told them I'd see them when I had accomplished my goal. I saw my family once a week, and did yoga twice a week, and those were my anchors. Everything else that I had to give went towards class. It didn't happen overnight, but every week I put more and more time in.

By week 4 I was going to events 2 to 3 nights a week. By week 7 some classmates and I attended a 12 hour hackacthon on a Saturday, and placed. We won 'Most Innovative'. Nearly every Saturday thereafter a group of use went to study at LEARN for 4-5 hours.

When it came time for internship placement I gravitated towards an internship at Kitu Systems, a green energy company looking for a intern to do primarily functional testing in Cypress. On the fourth week of my internship they offered me a position. I'm now officially a Software Engineer (at least that's what it says in my job description).

I'm writing this review two weeks into my new job, and frankly I walk around my office with a big goofy smile half the time because I'm so grateful to have 'made it', but the truth is that I'm not done, no in this field ever is. You will always be learning and improving on your craft (I spend an entire workday last week just reading AngularJS technical documentation).

Not everyone will get a job right out of the gate. Many of my classmates are still looking, and from the few dozen alumni I've spoken to I can tell you that some people more naturally gifted that I might have as much as a two month job search before they find their first position. This is not meant to be discouraging, it's just a fact of the industry that job hunting can take time.

DO THE WORK
LEARN Academy provides you all the tools necessary for a sucessful career as a Software Engineer, but they will not force you to use them.
- There is about 40 to 60 hours worth of prep work to do before the class starts, but they won't turn you away if you don't do any of it.
- The actual class day at learn goes for 9am to 5pm, and there are no grades and no penalties for being late. If you show up early you can read the days lessosn before hand, and if you stay late you can review it.
- There are night-time learning and networking events in the LEARN space nearly every week, and in the general downtown area nearly every night, but you are not required to go.
- There are myriad opportunity to take on extra projects, or continue class projects after school and into the weekend, but you are not required to do so.
- If you ask the instructors for code reviews of personal projects you do on your own time, they will find a way to get you one, but they won't just offer them left and right.

CONCLUSION
LEARN Academy will give you the opportunity to start a career in an ever growing, lucrative, and fascinating industry. It is hard, tiring work, and requires a lot of time, far more than just the 40 hours a week on in-class time. If you can give it %100 of everything you have to give, it will change your life.

Here’s how it happened: With 2 BA’s in the humanities and some tinkering with computers every so often, I really had no knowledge of what computer programming was. But I’d just been through 10 years of sales to try something more ‘creative,’ and then... Read More 7 years working for myself, and now I needed a new career, again.

I’d looked at LEARN Academy once before, and balked. Fast forward 2 years, and I made the decision to pay the tuition and get through the 16-week JavaScript Web Developer Coding Bootcamp at LEARN, and see what’s what. Why? Because I knew that it was something that I wanted to do before I left this Earth. I’m not (too) old, and I’m not sick, but if not now then when? When I’m 70? Sure, maybe, but stars had aligned and it was time. So I pay, and I go, and I graduate and now it’s late on a Sunday night and I’m typing into my laptop when I should be doing a million other things, but I wanted to write this review so others could know…..that I loved it, and though I am still on my journey to become a software developer, I know in my brain and in my heart that it was the right decision for me.

And now I’m going to speed this up:

Pro’s:
Instruction was engaging, relevant, current if not bleeding-edge
Instructors I had were naturally gifted teachers (knowledgeable, patient, encouraging)
Room space was small enough to keep me focused, but big enough to be comfortable and comfortable enough to enjoy it and not view it like a “training” or “being in school.”
Other staff were always friendly, available for questions, and basically seemed to enjoy their job of making sure we had what we needed to not only get through the cohort, but then get a job when we were done
I loved the downtown location for getting outside for fresh air, coffee, food, whatever
Cost - reasonably competitive with other offerings (that don’t include a month long internship to complete the training (non-Jedi, sorry)

Cons:
I honestly can’t really think of any. In a effort to be as transparent as possible, I know one of the owners and he is a friend, but what I write here doesn’t affect him nor LEARN one way or the other. I feel like I made some good friends while I was there, but I don’t see these people socially and I’m truthfully not trying to curry favor with anyone.
We had a few technical glitches - and turned it into a real-life learning event of “something is broken, what do you do now?”
Not really a negative but I could have (personally) benefited from a little more review of the checkpoint assessments. Having said that, when I asked for help, I was always given one-on-one attention until I was comfortable

Whether you’re considering LEARN or any other coding bootcamp, here are some things I’d make sure my past-self knew before staring:
Get through some HTML/CSS/JavaScript classes on-line, maybe a little command-line training, basic computer stuff. I did very little and it cannot be understated that this was a mistake. They told me to do it beforehand, and I sort of did…a little
Know that you’re going to be given access to the career or job you want, but you’re going to have to earn it. The LEARN experience gave me everything I needed to succeed. It’s just a matter of putting that into practice
Start networking for your future job as a developer Day 1. In fact, start right now
Whatever you decide, I wish you well and hope the future brings you much success

I recently took the jumpstart bootcamp to get a jumpstart basic understanding of web development and computer programming. It was a great experience, which I learned a lot over the course of a weekend from 9 am to 7 pm. We had worked on the basic understanding... Read More of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but were able to actually put them to work in creating a simple website. It was a great course to understand how you link HTML to CSS and enable JavaScript on the site. This is a great jumpstart bootcamp for those that are interested in seeing if they are truly interested in coding. Even though it's a basic boot camp course, you get to do some problem solving and also bug fixing when it comes to finding the problems in websites.

I used SwitchUp.org to find a Bootcamp once I got accepted into the Vocational Rehabilitation program here in San Diego. After researching dozens of programs, I finally settled on the choice between an online program, Learn and Dev Bootcamp. My counselor... Read More and I decided that an in-person program would be better for me than going it solo online. So I became willing to sleep in my car if I had to, to attend a program in Newport Beach. We had Learn and Dev Bootcamp in San Diego, but Learn wasn't able to accept payment from Voc Rehab. So I asked Hillary here at Learn to consider it, and she became willing to become a vendor of my program, so that I could get it funded. She was really nice and easy to work with. I wound up starting the July 31st Javascript Bootcamp. It's 12 weeks of training and 4 of an internship.

My cohort is filled with really smart people, most of whom are half my age. The teachers at Learn, Alyssa andJez, are super helpful, very clear and exceptionally knowledgable. I hit a wall after a couple of weeks and they responded by spending one on one time with me and giving me further resources to study. I feel that this is an amazing group and the environment, curriculum and facility are well put together.

I'm learning very cool stuff and I think I already know what to specialize in. Bootcamp is called so for a reason, however. You have no time to even think about anything else during the program. Things move very quickly and a high degree of application is involved after very littie lecture. So you really have to be ready to apply yourself to be successful in this course. If it were easy, then we wouldn't be in such high demand. So it's worth the work.

I'm really satisfied with my choice and would recommend Learn Bootcamps to anyone interested in learning Web Development.