Prime Digital Academy

I had an excellent experience attending Prime Digital Academy. I had zero coding experience before applying for the program. This was a complete career switch. The course was fast-paced and challenging, but the curriculum was very well-planned. The staff... Read More and community provide all the support I needed in order to succeed. I even got a job one week after graduating. I took out a personal loan in order to pay the tuition, and was able to pay it back completely within 3 months of being hired at my new job. For me, the risk of quitting my job and taking out a loan in order to complete the course was a no-brainer and totally worth it. I am working my second job since graduating from Prime. Both jobs have been amazing. If I need advice on tech or careers, I have plenty of resources available. Once you have been a student at Prime, you have an extensive, supportive community for the rest of your career.

Prime Digital Academy gives students all the tools they need to succeed as newly minted software developers - for the students who are willing to put in the work, anyway.

I had a wonderful experience at Prime. Great facility, faculty and staff who absolutely... Read More care about their students and their success, fantastic ties to the local business community. I learned everything I needed to equip myself for an entry level development job, which I quickly outgrew as my skills and capabilities continued to develop. My career has been rebooted into something I'm excited about every day, with a much brighter future than I've ever had.

There is one caveat, though: I worked harder than I've worked at anything else in my life for the entire duration of the program. I put in extra hours to learn adjacent concepts to what was being taught in the class, I did basically nothing but work on the projects when the time came. I had no social life, and my wonderful wife had to pick up a lot of slack at home for me to be able to focus like that.

I'm far from the only one who has taken that approach to Prime. By far, though, those who put in the work have had much better outcomes post-Prime than others who maybe didn't throw themselves quite so wholeheartedly into the program.

If you're ready to work hard and focus on building your skills and knowledge, Prime is a great choice.

Prime Digital Academy took me from 0 to being a fully functioning Full Stack Web Developer in 20 weeks. It seemed crazy at the beginning, but by the end I had projects I had built by myself as well as in a group that showcased all the of skills I had... Read More learned along the way. The course is intensive and rewarding.

I preferred the in-class style they provide as the content is challenging and the instructors and support staff are a vital part of the learning process. Having the hands-on in person experience was crucial for overcoming the harder concepts and helping me learn to think like a developer.

Prime pushes you to learn how to be a programmer so that when you run into new languages or environments you have the tools needed to adapt and learn. The biggest thing I walked away with was that I learned how to teach myself and understand new concepts or challenges in programming.

I landed my job right out of Prime thanks to Prime organizing a clear path to employment. They helped me shape my resume, cover letter, my technical interview skills, and how to showcase what I had learned. During the career day at Prime I got many follow up interviews and one of which yielded me a job 2 weeks after I graduated.

Prime changed not only my career path, but also my sense that if I put my mind and energy to something I can do it.

10/10 would recommend Prime!

Before Prime Digital Academy I was working as an Administrative Assistant in the Facilities department of a Minneapolis company, keeping things running, completing work requests, and showing vendors around our 1 million square foot campus. After realizing... Read More that there was no upward mobility in that position I looked at jobs that I have always been interested in doing. I love technology and I have always loved doing technical jobs, I just did not go to school for it (I have a Technical Theater Bachelor of Arts) and I didn't really want to wade through at least 4 years of night school to get another redundant degree. I had heard of Prime Digital Academy pretty much when they started up a few years ago and I decided now was the time to try it out. I was accepted into the 5th Web Development class at Prime Digital Academy, the Zeta Cohort. It was an 18 week (now 20-week) program of intense learning from 8am-5pm Monday through Friday with evening work and weekend projects, but it was worth the time, money, and mental effort it took to get through the program. I have more than doubled my salary before I went through Prime and I fully believe I am now paid what I deserve to be paid. The teachers and support staff are great and welcoming and truly want you to succeed. If you get into Prime after the initial interviews, you belong there and they know that you can do it; even if you forget and get lost periodically throughout the program. They will be there to support you and help you push through those roadblocks and help you on way to success. The last week or so of the program is an in-depth look at how to find the job you want now that you have this training. One thing I love about Prime is now over 500 people have graduated from both the Web Development and UX programs and work at 300+ different companies so you have a huge built in network just with other students that have gone through the program. I would fully recommend Prime Digital Academy to anyone thinking of doing Web Development/Programming or UI/UX work. You will tell everyone who will listen about your experience before, during, and after Prime as the entire experience and new career will completely change your life!

This program flies by and requires a significant commitment of time and energy. You will need to make sacrifices to successfully complete the program. I would advise against working during this program as it does take a great deal of time and energy.... Read More The work you put into this program is what you will get out. Taking the extra steps to network share your resume and work will have a large impact on your success. This program is not meant to hold your hand through the process, you will need to learn how to ask questions and for help. The highlight of the program is their ability to teach you how to learn and problem solve in areas that you have no knowledge in.

The program does have check points to ensure you are meeting their expectations and give you a baseline of where you should be. The key for each of these check points is keep pushing through and learning what you need to know if this problem comes at you again. The programs curriculum of building out application for actual clients helps students gain a better understanding of the complexities that exist outside of the lines of code.

The network of Prime Digital Academy is very large and the mentor program extends their reach even further. I personally have had many conversations stating Prime Digital Academy's students are highly sought after they have hired a few. This network's understand where you are coming from and the knowledge you have been given allows for the proper training and on boarding.

Job support is a little hands off, they are not going to help you apply to jobs. They will help you prepare for that process and give you guidelines you should follow. You are always welcome to stop in, work, and trouble shoot through this process. They have weekly meetings after graduation that covers topics in applying for positions and working through the process.

Prime is a second family into an unknown world of tech supporting one another through this transition from where you are coming from.

Prime's full-stack developer program exposes you to the front-end and the back-end aspects of web development. You learn how to consume data from an API storing information in a database and retrieving information to display on the front-end.

Overall,... Read More this experience was a positive one. You build your network and learn how to work in the development world. You get to build a full-stack application both on your own and with a group of your peers. This was so much work but satisfying to be a part of.

The curriculum is so focused on frameworks/libraries that it lacks the detail to really expand your basic level skills in any area, HTML/CSS, JS, server, or database. If you enjoy one area over another, dig deep on your own time to really level up those individual skills. That being said, knowing how to work with a framework/library and how to navigate documentation is a big part of being a qualified developer.

Job support for current students felt a bit unorganized. There is a big interview day and it seemed like the employers came knowing they did not have full time positions available, even though it was communicated to the students that interview day was for full time hiring only. That being said, there is endless support from the staff while you are a student and once you graduate. That support cannot be matched.

I would recommend Prime to anyone with the proper expectation that a junior level developer is the position you will be qualified for once you graduate.

I don't know how else to describe it.
In 20 weeks I went from being a competent computer user to designing and writing fully functional computer programs.
Trust the curriculum, trust the instructors, trust the staff. They all want to see you succeed.
I... Read More would recommend this program to anyone.

Not only does Prime do an excellent job at teaching its students how to create web applications with the MEAN stack, they also teach skills that are just as (if not more) important. These skills include how to learn, the importance of networking, how... Read More to work with others, and how to talk about code. They also require participation in weekly Toastmasters meetings, to work on speaking in front of others, which I found to be really beneficial. These "soft skills" are really important skills to bring into the field, and something that hiring managers are looking for. The Prime environment is welcoming, honest, fun, and demanding. I have recommended Prime to quite a few people in my group of friends, because it's a great skillset to have, and attending Prime was one of the best decisions I've made in my life.

Prime has a strong relationship with the local tech community, not only with businesses that are a part of their hiring network, but also with individuals who come to speak to the students. Students who attend Prime have a mock interview day and a career day, both of which involve interviewing with local companies. Students are also part of a mentorship program so they are able to get a better idea of what the industry is like.

One negative thing about Prime would be that there is a lot to learn in a short amount of time. It's really overwhelming, but they do understand that and try to support students throughout the process. There is also a bit of a struggle post-graduation. Looking for jobs is overwhelming, and even though they have a weekly meeting for Alums, there is no guaranteed job at the end. They offer job search help, but it's up to the individual students to apply and interview. And since their job placement is over 90%, their system seems to be working well. They are very realistic about what the job search is like, which I appreciated.

Prime is impressive when you start the program and gets more and more impressive throughout. The amount of thought and attention to detail that's gone into the program shows itself repeatedly and in unexpected ways. You get a ton of support from staff,... Read More you'll work harder then you have at anything else before and you're going to feel like you can't do it. But you'll find that it's all by design, the amount of progress that you'll make is something you wouldn't have thought possible.

The screening process for getting in didn't seem that difficult to me. But when I was in the program it really showed that not just anyone is allowed to walk in the door. I'm 40 and in every school, job or group setting I've always found that there are at least one or two people that make the experience difficult or that you don't want to be around. Everyone I've met at Prime, be it staff or student have been great to work with. The diversity of people, ethnicities, histories, etc are refreshing and varied.

It's a bit of a cliche to say that something you've done is "life changing", but Prime has proven itself to be just that. It's mission is one they live up to, that they pursue responsibly and with ethics. The last, almost more than any other is what's been the most impressive to me. Ethics is something that's sorely lacking in the world and this is an environment that actually means it when they put the students best interests first. This isn't something that I experienced just for myself, it's repeatedly come up in conversations with people in my and other cohorts. Prime runs itself, from everything I've seen the last 4 months, with the understanding that they will only do as well as the developers they produce. It's terrifying and hard, but worth it.

Overall Experience:

I can wholeheartedly say I would recommend Prime for someone who has zero technical background. Prime has created an community environment where learning is the top priority. Prime's selective process ensures that the highest-caliber... Read More students are enrolled and the planning that goes into creating great cohorts (graduating classes) is perfection. They focus heavily on soft skills like public and extemporaneous speaking which prepare students for interviewing and explaining technology in ways everyone can understand.

The interview process is less of a sales pitch and more of a conversation about who you are, your background and why you want to be a part of Prime. The thing that sets you apart from other applicants is passion and willingness to learn--they want to see that you can learn. Prime staff has carefully crafted a community of people who are supportive even after they have graduated, and you are a lifelong member of this community once you have been accepted. You'll always have a door key to Prime.

Career Consulting and Professionalism Training:

One of the top reasons I chose Prime was because of their career consulting and soft skills (professionalism) training. It is a core part of the program, from weekly Toastmasters meetings to weekly in-class speeches that allow you to learn more about your classmates.

Each week, Prime's career consultant--a former technical recruiter--instructs on all things professionalism, from how to structure your LinkedIn profile to what you should include on your resume. Prime also creates ample opportunities for you to interivew with both recruiters and employers providing you the opportunity to practice your interviewing skills in an environment where you have grown comfortable. You are encouraged to network with other professionals in the community by attending meetups.

While Prime does not guarantee that you obtain a position after graduating, the performance rate for students obtaining jobs within six months of graduation is an astounding 97%. I recieved a job offer on the day of graduation, but that is atypical with most students finding work within three to four weeks of graduation.

Technical Curriculum

The technical experience at Prime is geared specifically for students who have zero prior knowledge of any front-end web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. This is a great thing! People who come to prime without prior technical experience have some of the biggest personal and professional growths.

If you have any prior technical knowledge in the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript like I did, Prime may become disengaging at times as you begin to review concepts you can already confidently demonstrate. Prime does not delve beyond the surface level of any of the major technologies it teaches, and sometimes fails to explain specific programming concepts or best practices. If you are looking for a bootcamp where you develop a mastery of a language, framework or environment Prime is not necessarily the best program for that goal.

Prime's curriculum is extremely reactive to employer feedback. This is spinned as a positive to students as "agile curriculum," but as you read about the technologies you "will learn" at Prime, be aware that the curriculum may be altered or even drop specific things from cohort to cohort. You'll notice the recent rebranding which removes any mention of the "MEAN stack" on Prime's website. Companies in the Twin Cities market do not use MEAN stack and gave feedback to Prime that they wanted students to have SQL experience. Prime now spends an entire week of in-class time on SQL and has pushed AngularJS (1.X) and MongoDB into one week meaning students spend less time learning both of those technologies.

There is a huge opportunity for Prime to solidify their curriculum to make it more universal among its cohorts. Some of the technologies I was most excited to learn or had never used before my cohort spent the least time on or no time on it at all because it was removed.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed my time at Prime. I have made relationships with some of the smartest people I know and we will all go on to do great things in the technology field. I gained a lot of experience with the multiple opportunities to work with a team of developers and code collaboratively with other people. The community, the resources and the people are why you choose Prime above any other coding bootcamp, and I do not regret my decision to attend for even one second.