Montana Code School

I was in the part time program while working 40 hours a week. I enjoyed the program but felt that I wasn't pushed as much as I had been in traditional learning environments. If you are person who can easily sit back and watch and not put in the effort... Read More to learn, you will not get anything out of this program. I did learn quite a bit but I believe I did not learn as much as students in the full time class did. Overall, the program was definitely worth while for me because I had a new job before I even ended the program, this helped me get my foot in the door at a large company with a lot of competition and I've been growing since. I would recommend the code school but as I said, it's important to know going in that it's all about what you put in - you have to push yourself, your instructor won't be there pushing you like in traditional learning environments.

I had a great experience at Montana Code School! The dev community in Missoula is welcoming, quirky, and growing fast. For me, it was an ideal place to start a career in tech. My background is in creative writing and small-scale food businesses--nothing... Read More too tech-y. At MTCS, I learned the basics of web and mobile development. I gained employable skills in frontend JS, HTML, CSS, React.js. I also learned Node.js and various database languages: specific skills tech employers seek. Through the MTCS network, I found a good-fitting job within a week of graduating. The program definitely gives you the basic tools to succeed and feel competent as a junior developer. The rest is up to you.

Pros:
-Located in Missoula, MT. Lots of skiing, biking, hiking, mountaineering, climbing, etc., plus a vibrant arts & culture scene. The tech community here is very quality-of-life/work-life-balance oriented. Low cost of living compared to more urban areas.
-Curriculum is flexible and, to some degree, self-directed. If a student is interested in learning about a particular technology, there's ample opportunity to explore it in-depth in a uniquely supportive environment.
-Networking, job support, and blooming job and social tech community in Missoula, MT.
-Small cohort size and engaged teachers. MTCS provides great peers and instructors.

Cons:
-Located in Missoula, MT. Most job support/networking opportunities are most useful within Montana.
-Curriculum is flexible and, to some degree, self-directed. For students looking for a lot of structure, this might not be the bootcamp.

I have mixed, but overall, positive feelings about my MTCS experience. I spent several months preparing for the program, which allowed me to learn at my best during the course. It was great working with like-minded and motivated people towards a common... Read More goal. I understand the need to fill seats, but I think the school could have been more stringent with admissions. Putting greater weight on pre-cohort work would allow the classes as a whole to progress more rapidly - a few weeks of work is recommended, but concepts take a while to really get a feel for.

Finding a coding job with 3 months of experience is tough. Finding one in small town MT is really tough.
I struggled for months to find employment, applying to basically every company in town. I didn’t feel supported with my hunt at first, but after I reached out, the school was very helpful working with me on ideas and networking. Ultimately, there aren’t many programming jobs in Bozeman, and between MSU and the MTCS, there are a lot of people vying for them. Employers also seem skeptical overall about boot camps. I eventually ‘settled’ for an industry job that doesn’t utilize my coding skills, though the background certainly helps.

My teacher was as good as I could have possibly asked for. He was extremely knowledgeable & patient, and truly cared for his students and their success. He did a fantastic job and I was extremely impressed and have a great level of respect for him.

Ultimately, I learned a set of skills that I am still trying to turn into my career, and did it in a manner that worked for me. I would recommend the course, but only to individuals ready to put in serious work before, during, and after on their personal development, and only with an awareness of the Bozeman job market realities.

When I first started attending the Montana Code School I had a vague idea of what being a software developer intailed and no idea how to write even one line of code. By the end of my three months I was proficient in over 10 different coding languages... Read More and was proficient enough to get a job right out of the gate. My time in MTCS developed a deep fascination with coding, sofware development and the tech industry in general. With tech jobs being one of the fastest growing job industries in America I think MTCS is a great choice for anyone of any age. I highly recommend attending, it's just future proofing your career choice.

If you have no experience in the tech field and you have low expectations then this is the place for you! If you have experience in the tech field, have coding experience, and want a tech job in Montana. Save your money and teach yourself online and just... Read More put yourself out there. You'd get a lot further going to a firm and offering to volunteer as an intern than attending MCS, plus you save money.
I'm not sure where all the great reviews are coming from because every former student I speak with seems to say they hated the school, didn't think it was that valuable, and didn't feel as if they learned enough. Several tech firm employees/friends/former students have all told me that they heard MCS was not good.
Overall the instructor seemed to be very deficient in leadership, communication, and empathy while being exceptional at coding. All of which are needed to successfully teach people things. It's odd that this is the case since they promote the school to " non traditional coders". If you want to teach to non traditional coders then perhaps work on finding a non traditional coder to teach. If you think the small class size and the whole "you get to pick your project" thing means that learning will be tailored towards you then you better lower your expectations.
They write on their website that the instructors take the time to ensure that every student was a success - I found this to be false. I was told by my instructor that " he preferred to let the students write their own letters of recommendation" which I found to be appalling, deceptive, and a disservice to both the student and employer. To me, that signaled that the instructor did not value the students enough to actually learn about them and get to know them. The more time and effort you put into your student, the more your student will achieve. Our instructor often gave past examples of students where he would say" this person just didn't get it, etc." I felt that was not only poor form, but that it actually reflected poorly on the instructor because his job to to make sure people "get it". There was a huge lack of follow through and zero oversight over the instructor. There is no certificate of completion or transcripts to "prove" that you attended the school. In fact, the only reason I feel comfortable writing this review is because I own a business and I don't need to pretend the code school was great so they'll give me a good recommendation. If the instructor is comfortable allowing students to write their own recommendations then I conclude that they would also be comfortable not recommending someone who gives them feedback that they don't agree with. You can't be anonymous in a group of 8.
On a positive note, I really liked the TA. I felt overall he was a better teacher than the actual instructor. He would put forth the time and effort to teach you. He didn't delete our code projects. He was positive and had a good vibes. Our instructor would literally sit down and take over your computer, start typing super fast, not tell you what he was doing, and then express signs of disdain if you asked questions or asked him to repeat or explain himself. I didn't feel as if the entire experience was invaluable. I did learn some things. Not 3 months worth of things, but I did learn. Looking back the code school was worth maybe 25% of the cost of tuition, for me specifically. For others, it was worth more as they got a job out of the deal and that was their main goal.
My main goal in writing this review is that people who run the school read it and actually assess the school and it's value TO THE STUDENT. I want the code school to succeed and I want the students to succeed. Honest positive feedback and self assessment are necessary. Good Luck.

I attended code school and within a month got a job in the field at a local CMS based firm. Unfortunately MTCS didn't teach any negotiation skills so I wasn't ready when they said "we need a senior developer out of you in 2 weeks." I found another job... Read More in Missoula thankfully and was able to use more of a skillset to my advantage.

Pros: Great teacher who always knew how to fix a problem. Mob programming was helpful in getting the most out of learning.

Cons: The pre course work assigned did not get me prepared enough for the things we would be focusing on in class. It was a lot... Read More of basic tutorials on code academy or videos on Udemy, but then the majority of the class was spent doing React, Mongo, Express. It would be helpful to have more relevant pre-course work. While it's advertised that you don't need previous coding experience you really do. Since it's a small class (mine had 8), the experience is largely based on the other people in the class and the people who work in your group.

Code school is a great way to jump start a new career, maybe even get a job, in just 3 months (or longer for part-time). It's encouraging to make the journey alongside others in the same boat as you. Having a professional available to guide you through... Read More the curriculum is invaluable. You only get out of it what you put in—work hard, study hard, and repeat, and it will pay off. The onus is on you to further educate yourself and make yourself marketable as a developer. Code school is a stepping stone.
For me, it was the best choice I could have made; some may find it isn't for them. I recommend taking advantage of some free learning sources like CodeAcademy first (it's part of the curriculum anyway) to help you decide if it's something you really want to pursue and then enroll confident in your choice to get the most out of it.