iO Academy

I was part of the January 2023 online cohort for Full Stack Track. I had worked with Mike and iO in my previous job and was aware of their excellent programmes and positive outcomes for their students. I applied for the course with very little programming... Read More experience, other than the free materials/courses online (which I would recommend looking into before applying) and doing the free taster course that iO deliver (oh and reading the excellent student reviews!). I had Charlie as my trainer but also had sessions with Mike and Ash. They are all amazing and so knowledgeable. Charlie was able to break things down to relatable subjects which made some challenging content easier to digest. Not only does the course give you a range of industry relevant coding knowledge, but they also teach you about working in Agile and softer skills required (teamwork, team leading, communication skills, presentation skills). The employment/job hunting advice was invaluable. We had support drafting CVs and I had a full portfolio of projects to talk about in applications and at interviews. The course was full on, and you need to be prepared for that but it’s well worth it. You get out of it what you put in. I had interviews during the last few weeks of the course and was offered a job as a Junior Software Developer on my last day. If you are wanting to change career and work get into software development, I would highly recommend iO Academy to help get you there.

I’m so happy I did the Full-Stack Track course at iO Academy. I’m now working as a backend developer and loving it! The course was amazing, I learnt so much and the teaching made it fun and easy to digest. I’ve had some positive feedback about having... Read More a good knowledge base since graduating and it’s all from the course! It also sets you up so well for a job, working in Agile and in a small cohort made the transition into working as a developer really smooth. Also the building and surrounding area is beautiful. I grew so much in confidence during the course, all my worries that I couldn’t do it had gone by the end of the course because you get so much support from the tutors. I don’t have anything bad to say, it’s an intense experience but so worth it. I would recommend iO Academy to everyone!

I started the bootcamp with very very little coding experience and initially I was unsure whether I was the right person for the bootcamp. Fortunately, with the guidance of the trainers and knowing that others in my cohort were in the same boat I can... Read More wholeheartedly say that this bootcamp is fantastic for getting a solid foundation of what it is like to work as a software developer. Through a well crafted and curated curriculum blending theory with practical exercises, followed up with a mixture of team-based and individual projects to help consolidate the taught content it has prepared me well for interviews and helped me bag my first job as a Junior Software Developer. I thoroughly recommend the course to anyone thinking of a career change or those who just simply want to start a career in tech.

I had a fantastic time studying at iO Academy in Bath. Moving from a career in education, I was interested to see how it would be on the other side of the desk and iO surpassed my expectations. The curriculum was set out in a great logical order where... Read More you would have to go back on learning you had previously done. The ramp up in challenge was just right. I alternating between theory weeks and project based weeks, where we very early on were taught and adopted the SCRUM way of working. Both of the trainers I had were fantastic, shoutout to Neal and Ash. They really help inspire me and keep me going through. I would recommend this course to anyone considering a career in software.

I really enjoyed my time at iO Academy. I chose this bootcamp mostly because it seemed to me that they proposed the most complete curriculum and they did not disappoint! It was a very intense learning experience, but it is delivered in the best conditions:... Read More - small cohorts (up to 8 students) so it is always possible to ask questions and interact with the trainers - amazing trainers always available and supportive - carefully crafted curriculum, it really felt like they refined it year after year to find the best way and timing to go through the curriculum, so I never felt overwhelmed I also want to point out that they put a really big emphasis on how to work as a software engineer (e.g. working in an Agile team) and not just how to code. I found this extremely valuable (maybe more than the coding?) as it is a huge part of the job and I arrived in my 1st software engineer position really well prepared and knowing what to expect. On the coding side, they were dedicated to teaching us best coding practices. I am currently working in my 1st position as a software developer and so far my line manager has been pleasantly surprised by how much I've learned at iO Academy! It took me a 4/5 months to land a job but the job market is a bit tough at the moment. I got some valuable advice from their career consultant which helped me land my current position. I would not necessarily expect to just walk into a job straight after the bootcamp (some of the students of my cohort did though!). iO Academy was definitely worth the time and the investment, and I would totally do it again!

I couldn't be happier with my experience at IO Academy. The instructors are not only knowledgeable but also incredibly supportive. The curriculum is well-structured and up-to-date, ensuring that I gained valuable skills and knowledge. The sense of community... Read More among fellow students is fantastic, and the career support they offer is top-notch. The projects are well considered, challenging and enjoyable. IO Academy has truly exceeded my expectations, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to kickstart a successful career in tech.

One year out from completing iO Academy’s Full Stack Track, and 10 months into a job, I feel like I'm now in a good position to reflect on how the course helped shaped the start of my career in Software Development. I applied to join iO Academy with very... Read More little programming experience—mostly from my spare time and a bit from university—looking to gain enough skills to break into the industry. The interview process was friendly but thorough, which meant I joined feeling confident that I had met the mark that the trainers set to ensure success on the course. The course itself takes you from basic HTML/CSS sites and programming essentials to modern frontend frameworks and backend development, including constructing RESTful APIs and managing SQL databases for a comprehensive full-stack experience. Most importantly, the course teaches you to think like a Software Developer, which has made adapting to new technologies in my current job significantly easier. The course operates like a real-world software team; you work in teams of 5-8 on two-week sprints throughout the entire course. In these sprints, you spend one week learning, then one week applying that learning in a project, which you will present to other trainees, alumni, and staff. This, combined with the Agile training at the start of the course, has meant that I have already been able to contribute to improving how we work as a team in my first job, only a few months in. After the 16 weeks are up, it's time to get a job, although the interview and job searching support from iO comes much sooner. Like all job hunts, it was difficult and deflating at times; however, after some persistence and finding the right company, I got an offer as a Full-Stack Developer, building APIs and user experiences for various e-commerce clients. This was undoubtedly the hardest thing I have done, but I am so glad I took the plunge, as I couldn't be happier in my new job. I'd recommend this course to anyone interested in building software for a living but needs an injection of practical skills and real-world development practices to aid them on that journey.

I would definitely recommend iO academy as a way to transition into a career in development. The small class sizes means you get lots of personalised support and the curriculum exposes you to all of important aspects of Data Science and Machine Learning.... Read More I successfully changed career during the end of the course and this was, in part, due to the experience I could show from undertaking the course.

I graduated the iO Academy Full Stack Track course in late 2022, and I must say it was truly a life-changing decision. The course is designed to mimic a scrum environment, which closely reflects how development teams work in real-life situations. The... Read More curriculum is well structured, covering fundamental principles for both front-end and back-end development. The trainers are invested in your success and provide support every step of the way, even after the course concludes. The course is well paced, building on each previous theory week, with a project at the end of each module to reinforce the theory from the previous week. Additionally, iO Academy has a wide alumni network, which is always ready to provide help and support with questions and the job search. Overall, iO Academy provides an immersive, supportive, and well-structured learning experience that sets its students up for success. While there were no significant cons, it is essential to understand that software development is an industry where you will constantly be exposed to new technologies and processes that you will need to learn. As such, it is crucial to enjoy learning for learning's sake. I would recommend doing some self-directed learning before starting the course to ensure that you enjoy programming. One downside that I noticed was the lack of employers at the employer event towards the end of the course. However, this was not really iO's fault but rather a reflection of the wider economy at the time of graduation. In terms of the job search, I graduated in October 2022 and landed a position late Jan 2023 and I couldn't be happier with the role that iO helped me get. It's made a massive difference to my general quality of life to be doing a job that I genuinely enjoy! Overall, if you are looking for an immersive, supportive, and well-structured bootcamp for software development, I highly recommend the iO Academy. It is a life-changing decision that you won't regret.

Overall, the course was fantastic. It took me from next to no coding experience to being confidently job-ready. I was initially tempted to attempt joining the industry through solo learning but having completed iO's course I think it would be incredibly... Read More difficult to be as confident in the range of languages/frameworks and agile processes I was introduced to. The curriculum starts slowly but the pace picks up very quickly and the course is very full on for the full four months. The trainers, in particular, are fantastic. All are ex-developers which gives them great insight into what companies require and expect from new starters and the small class sizes make the learning incredibly hands-on. One of the most valuable skills you will learn is working within an Agile team. The class sizes are selected for their similarity to real dev teams and you are introduced early to proper scrum ways of working which you will use on nearly every project. This has helped me bed into the team in my new job as it works in an almost identical way. The only slightly negative comment I have is the small number of employers that came to our career meet&greet. Only three employers came to meet our class which isn't a huge number, however, I got an interview with two and a job offer from one of those so the employers who come are serious about hiring iO graduates. I cannot recommend iO highly enough, they helped me completely switch careers and provided fantastic support throughout.