Northcoders

My whole experience of Northcoders was really enjoyable and I learned so much in a short space of time. The tutors were friendly and patient, so that I always felt ok asking for help. In class a lot of ideas were explained through live coding, which I... Read More think helped me pick up coding ideas more easily. Completing the final three-week project was a challenge, but it gave me confidence to contribute to a team and work with new tech. I now draw upon this confidence in my new job.

Initially I wasn't sure whether I should self-learn instead, because I had done a lot of coding before for data science. I'm now really glad I didn't do that. It would have taken a lot longer to make the career change and I wouldn't have had the experience of pair coding, support, and friendship that I got in NC.

The content was good and useful for the job market, taught at a challenging yet not overwhelming pace with the option of resitting block at no further cost. The tutors were knowledgeable with strong familiarity of the content and offered both one-to-one... Read More support and support as a group.

As an older student with an interesting work history, it took me a little longer to find a job. I still started work only three months after graduation. Everything else, you can see on the website. It really is the real deal - the staff are all helpful... Read More and friendly, the skills I learned got me plenty of interest, and I finally have a career job that I actually enjoy going to every day! I can't recommend Northcoders enough; if you enjoy coding and can study full time then you should check them out. Some members of my team attend the additional training Northcoders provide, and they tell me that there are even puppies occasionally. I'm not sure what else you could ask for.

NorthCoders hand-hold you to the point where you make a fully-working application with a web-based front-end. When I was there, they taught you the fundamentals of JavaScript before you delved into databases and building a RESTful API for an Express router.... Read More Then, you used the exposed API to hook into a front-end framework, which for me was ReactJS. One criticism: you're buggered if you don't know basic HTML and CSS because without it you won't be able to grok what React's replacing and how it all fit together. For the final three weeks you drink a lot of coffee and produce a working project, and if you've any sense, this is with a different stack. And because you've gone through it all, you suddenly realise you're grappling with a new stack on your own. That's what something like NorthCoders teaches you: the frameworks may be dead in 5 years but the skills you learn in a short space of time are incredible. Way more useful than my degree... ...which was three times the price... ...and which I'm still doing... ...and never seems to end...

Northcoders provides an incredible supportive environment, I learned so much during the 12 weeks and couldn't have done it without all their support! The career support was also great and helped me to find a job very quickly after. It's hard work, but... Read More it's very worth it!

Before I started Northcoders, I was apprehensive i.e. I was not sure it was even the `real deal`. However, I was so desperately passionate about coding that I simply had to muster the courage and go for it. The pre-entrance assessment was a little scary.... Read More However, that is how Northcoders finds out whether an applicant is ready for the bootcamp or not. And, in the worse case scenario, you may need a second assessment or third to get through it, but so long as you keep trying and learning, nothing can stop you really. I remain very grateful to my tutors namely Paul, Nicki, Vel and David. Can not thank the rest of the team enough and wishing them the very best.

CURRICULUM / TUTORING
I think NorthCoders provides an excellent environment for learning: The tutors are knowledgable, supportive and approachable, the course material is modern and the flexibility is there to ensure you aren't rushed through material... Read More with regular reviews and opportunities to "resit" modules that you perhaps need a little more time on to fully grasp. The only critique I can make is that whilst 1:1 time is available I think regular scheduled time might be a better approach.

JOB SUPPORT
For me personally the hiring process went very well; NorthCoders set me up with several interviews resulting in me accepting an offer of employment around a month after graduating. They also provide some assistance with CV writing / interview technique etc. In my opinion one part of the process that could be improved is communicating feedback from hiring partners. I do also know I have been fortunate throughout the hiring process in finding work relatively quickly; the number of jobs on the board would ideally be higher considering the amount of graduates.

Overall I would wholeheartedly recommend NorthCoders to those looking to get into software development. It provided everything I had hoped for and I had an excellent time whilst studying there too!

Pros -
Many pros but mainly the fantastic tutors that help you every step of the way and help develop your skills (including 1-1 mentor sessions).
The environment is great and helps you prepare for a real tech job.
The students I studied with have become... Read More friends.
The actual course which combines practical coding with the theory behind it.

Cons -
Due to the numbers of graduates (roughly between 8 and 12 people every 3 weeks) the market is slightly saturated in Manchester so less jobs available than a year ago

I graduated in July 2019. The course was very intense and hard work, but I learned so much. The support throughout the course and after was fantastic. I had interviews lined up before I even graduated, and had accepted a job offer with one of their hiring... Read More partners within two weeks. I would recommend it to anybody.

I never even thought I'd pass the entry test. And yet, here I am, just under six months after starting the Northcoders boot camp, with an amazing job as a front-end developer.

That Northcoders can teach you so much in just twelve weeks is astonishing,... Read More but this just speaks to the dedication and expertise of their tutors. You can be introduced to an entirely new concept which may be difficult to wrap your head around at first, but it becomes second nature in just a matter of days.

You might think that twelve weeks wouldn't be enough to get you ready for a career in software development, but there's a clear focus on best practices and in-demand skills, and Northcoders has an excellent careers support service that can help you get to where you need to be as quickly as possible.

If you truly want to kickstart your career as a software developer, I can't recommend Northcoders highly enough.