Synergistic IT

I had a great experience with SynergisticIT. Fair warning it is hard work, but so are most boot camps or even just schooling and learning in general. They don't lie about that on the up front though I was told from the start the instructors are educated... Read More and know what they're doing, and the program moves fast, and it shows. Overall, it was a very good experience and got me into the job field I wanted to be in at a higher level and pay rate than I expected. Great Program!

One of the areas where majority of IT candidates like me have seen stagnation is that we believe that our skills, knowledge and expertise would keep us going! However with changing dynamics of IT industry I came to realise that I would really have to... Read More work on upgrading my skills and SynergisticIT with its extensive course offered me just that. I did had my doubts about taking a course online however talking to one of the representative at SynergisticIT did help me in my decision .My previous little coding experience during grad school helped me a lot however the great difference was made by the agile courses this boot camp had to offer. Joining their Machine learning course gave me the edge I was looking to break into a better paying and satisfying job. Beginning with the basics to advanced level course and various advanced real tie projects helped in boosting my skills which I was unsure I had in me. So what is in there for you? A dynamic curriculum to begin with which is as per the latest and anticipated needs of the tech world. A platform to test and sharpen your skills on real time projects and a self paced ,flexible course with daily assignments. An elaborative course which goes for 5-6 months ensures you are ready to face the industry once you are done with them. Mentors who are readily available to take your queries and mock interview sessions to ensure you are geared to face the real job interviews. Considering placement opportunities these guys would never vouch for something they can’t deliver neither would they offer you false assurance. You would have to work it to make it! They will ensure you are taught the best, by the best and will make sure you are ready to take on real time challenges. Pros- Regular Assignments, Mentorship sessions, on job tech support, repeater sessions Cons- Online sessions, You would be required to have basic knowledge for some course, Course duration can be extended

I got my java and AWS training from a full time camp in California. I relocated here two years back after completing my college degree in Oregon. Since the career prospects are better here I thought I would come and try my luck here (I got tired of the... Read More lousy part time coding projects I was getting and it was becoming hard to live by that kind of salary). But my experience was bad there. They taught us for approx. 4 months and though they promised good job placements, I was again stuck with short term low paying projects. Then I had only two options, live the same pathetic life in California too or find a good bootcamp this time to add some job worthy skills to my resume. This time I wanted to join an online camp so I could manage my freelance work side by side to afford my living. That’s when I was introduced to SynergisticIT from some of my coding friends. Their feedback intrigued me so I did my own research too. Mostly I found satisfactory response with only a few mentioning something about too many assignments and higher fee but that was their individual experience.

It’s been six months since I finished my training with them and I am writing this review to help people like me who are stuck with low paying jobs and want their resume attractive enough to be shortlisted by big IT companies. So our first day was spent getting to know our teachers and fellow coders, our teachers made sure that we were comfortable with each other. After studying hard for four days, we would have pair programming on Friday and then we were given assignments to complete during weekend. Unlike my previous camp, we had repeat sessions here and continuous Q and A to help clear all our doubts and that’s why we all built a strong foundation of the language we were learning. They really help develop the co-working environment with group projects which helps in our career also later on. The effectiveness of their training is pretty evident from the fact that I got a job with $95K salary after a month of completing my training. From a person who has done a lot of freelance work and attended more than one bootcamp after completing a CS degree, you can take my word when I say that less is more when it comes to learn coding. So don’t go by labels and do your own research, don’t trust those ‘too good to be true’ ads and figure out your own coding path. Here are some tips I can share from my experience:

•Don’t just focus on learning, build a network there. Talk to your cohort, make friends and work together as a team. This helps you learn faster
•Read up and get as good as you can before joining the camp. You will have to work a lot harder otherwise, especially if you are a beginner
•Don’t procrastinate practicing. Practice every day even if you think you have understood a concept properly, you would be surprised of the results when you sit alone and practice it again
•Workload is massive so take small breaks in between and don’t compare your progress to anyone. Ask questions without hesitation or you won’t learn anything
•When you master a skill, remember that it is a part of the process and you still have a long way to go so don’t let it get to your head
•Try and make your learning fun and don’t make it a stressful situation. You will be following pretty much a same routine for 5-6 months so the only fun you are going to get is via your learning methods
•Take a day off. This is very important because our brains get tired and you won’t be able to think creatively if your brain is exhausted most of the times
•You will feel incapable in the beginning but don’t let that deter you from your path. Nobody told you that it was going to be easy so you will have to be a little patient and put in a lot of hard work

I did not have much hope the last time but my expectations were greatly fulfilled. Just try and be regular with classes and complete your assignments on given deadlines since you won’t get extra time, lastly – just trust the process. They teach a variety of courses from Java, MERN stack, AWS to machine learning and Python and they are very thorough and practical.

I dropped out of college and left my part time work to become a full time coder. It was a risky decision but it paid off. May be because I trained at a good place that is SynergisticIT! I know there are so many camps around but not all of them function... Read More in the same way. Some have strong curriculum, some have good placement rate and some have more practical sessions. But with them, you get the mix of all these. If you want to join in person classes then this place is not it as they are 100% online but I will share my list of pros and cons here so you guys can make an informed decision. But first, let me tell you what you need! You need to have dedication and time to survive through a boot camp. It is intense and for 5-6 months you can’t do anything else except concentrating on your training coz if you do, you won’t be as successful as other coders in the beginning. The learning curve and experience here is good as long as you are true to the commitment part. Ok coming back to the pros and cons part. Here is my experience summed up for you without any filters: Pros: •This camp will not just make you a coder but a dedicated one as well. They have a routine, its five days classes and assignments on weekend and you gotta stick to it •You don’t feel rushed or anything as teachers explain the curriculum quite thoroughly •Courses are up to date and filled with real world examples •You get the best out of your money and time here with experienced teachers •Small batch size so you get undivided attention (another imp factor) •You don’t have to pay all the fees upfront •They build a strong foundation by making your fundamentals strong •You get time to practice and complete your projects, not as much as you want but then setting deadlines is important too •You get the best kind of job support as they will get you multiple interviews and you have the freedom of choosing your employer Cons •People with no experience could find this camp a little challenging. I mean they will have to work even harder to catch up. Taking a prep course is a good option. •You really have to be committed to the camp and nothing else for the duration of training. Forget about weekends, fun, parties or any such thing coz most of your free time will go into solving coding problems Hope this gives you a better insight into the world of coding! Good luck

Career difference
Going to SynergisticIT was probably one of the best decisions of my life, and I am saying it based on my personal experience- no filters just the truth! A year ago I moved to San Francisco and I was working for job that paid me at max... Read More $35-45K when I accepted an offer here for $50-55K post my graduation. Though it was higher than what I was making in other city, it was still less as compared to many of my friends who were working as software developers. But after training with SynergisticIT people, I got a job that paid $105K. I mean double of what I was earning before. Not just this, the difference in the kind of job, I mean I am more relaxed here, I have better work life balance and I get to work on full time projects that matter and not that side work. I enjoy coding here and have made quite a reputation. Now I won’t say this happened overnight, I worked really hard, even spent so many sleepless nights figuring out projects but it was all worth it.

The people
I made some of my best friends here, starting from day one. Even throughout the program, you get to work with someone different every week. With assignments that take two three days to complete, you really become good friends with people around. In campus thing was my favorite but I am now loving the virtual world as well. The staff is wonderful too. They are supportive, knowledgeable and really work with you to clear your doubts. They used to spend hours sometimes to help clear our doubts even though they were out of curriculum.

Coursework
I still wonder how I was able to learn so much so quickly and became a qualified software developer who could earn double of what he was earning before. Even some of my friends who graduated from college at the same time when I did from boot camp were still looking for jobs and they even had more experience than me. So I guess it is more about the quality of program you are in than the total time you are spending towards something. SynergisticIT teachers focus on fundamentals and help develop soft skills too because they are not coaching you just to make you a programmer but the best one who is competent enough to get hired by top companies.

Compared to other camps
It’s not that I did not look for other camps while deciding, I did. But what I noticed was that many of them aggressively trying to sell you the program and they seemed to care more about the money than other things. With this one, money isn’t something they are after. They will only get you admission if they think you can put in the work and has a dedicated mind because let me tell you, the courses are intense and not at all for weak minded people. They even have flexible payment plan where you can pay part of the fee after you get a job. Plus with lot of other camps, though their course was good, there was no job support either because they did not have many industry clients or because they did not have much knowledge in the field. This is not the problem with SynergisticIT because they have the best client list and they get you hired based on your expectations and skill set – no forced contracts and no relocation.

Overall experience
If you want to be a coder and serious about making a career out of this then join SynergisticIT! The curriculum gives you knowledge you need to impress prospective employers on your skills. Just remember that you also need to put in the work to succeed coz if you won’t then the good curriculum and job support also can’t do anything. Their batch size is small too as compared to other camps so it allows for focused teaching. Just sometimes the assignments become too much to handle and we feel a little cramped but that also teaches you to work under pressure situations.

Career difference Going to SynergisticIT was probably one of the best decisions of my life, and I am saying it based on my personal experience- no filters just the truth! A year ago I moved to San Francisco and I was working for job that paid me at max... Read More $35-45K when I accepted an offer here for $50-55K post my graduation. Though it was higher than what I was making in other city, it was still less as compared to many of my friends who were working as software developers. But after training with SynergisticIT people, I got a job that paid $105K. I mean double of what I was earning before. Not just this, the difference in the kind of job, I mean I am more relaxed here, I have better work life balance and I get to work on full time projects that matter and not that side work. I enjoy coding here and have made quite a reputation. Now I won’t say this happened overnight, I worked really hard, even spent so many sleepless nights figuring out projects but it was all worth it. The people I made some of my best friends here, starting from day one. Even throughout the program, you get to work with someone different every week. With assignments that take two three days to complete, you really become good friends with people around. In campus thing was my favorite but I am now loving the virtual world as well. The staff is wonderful too. They are supportive, knowledgeable and really work with you to clear your doubts. They used to spend hours sometimes to help clear our doubts even though they were out of curriculum. Coursework I still wonder how I was able to learn so much so quickly and became a qualified software developer who could earn double of what he was earning before. Even some of my friends who graduated from college at the same time when I did from boot camp were still looking for jobs and they even had more experience than me. So I guess it is more about the quality of program you are in than the total time you are spending towards something. SynergisticIT teachers focus on fundamentals and help develop soft skills too because they are not coaching you just to make you a programmer but the best one who is competent enough to get hired by top companies. Compared to other camps It’s not that I did not look for other camps while deciding, I did. But what I noticed was that many of them aggressively trying to sell you the program and they seemed to care more about the money than other things. With this one, money isn’t something they are after. They will only get you admission if they think you can put in the work and has a dedicated mind because let me tell you, the courses are intense and not at all for weak minded people. They even have flexible payment plan where you can pay part of the fee after you get a job. Plus with lot of other camps, though their course was good, there was no job support either because they did not have many industry clients or because they did not have much knowledge in the field. This is not the problem with SynergisticIT because they have the best client list and they get you hired based on your expectations and skill set – no forced contracts and no relocation. Overall experience If you want to be a coder and serious about making a career out of this then join SynergisticIT! The curriculum gives you knowledge you need to impress prospective employers on your skills. Just remember that you also need to put in the work to succeed coz if you won’t then the good curriculum and job support also can’t do anything. Their batch size is small too as compared to other camps so it allows for focused teaching. Just sometimes the assignments become too much to handle and we feel a little cramped but that also teaches you to work under pressure situations.

Life is tough as an immigrant in US because market is super competitive and the chances of you getting picked over US candidates are quite slim. Why do I say so? Because I was turned down by almost every company I applied to for my OPT job. I did not... Read More understand the reason then but now I know, so that is why I am sharing my review here.

My resume lacked structure, I wasn’t reaching out to companies the right way to get their attention and most importantly, I lacked the ‘star’ factor!
What’s that?

You need to be really well trained, experienced and extra ordinarily talented to better your chances of getting hired by IT giants in US. Otherwise, it will be really difficult, actually almost impossible, to survive on your own out there.

SynergisticIT helped me in my journey. This is a hybrid of a consultation and a boot camp so there was certain surety about the outcomes when I joined. I knew either I would get trained or placed, both were okay with me. Luckily, I got amazing support with both of these things. There is one thing that I really liked about them – their long list of reliable industry clients and never ending zeal to help candidates until they find a good job. Rest all is relative. Their trainers are professional and experienced so you know you are in good hands.

Yes there are plenty of boot camps out there that are equally or more famous but it is about what you want and not what they are offering (my opinion). I too have heard so many famous names like the tech academy, Digital Crafts, Makers academy, She Codes, Epicodus, Turing and some of them even give money back guarantee if you don’t get placed which is lucrative but you’ve got to weigh the pros and cons and understand what your end goal is.

The benefit of joining a hybrid is you get training and job assistance both at one place – it saves money, time and efforts all of which are quite crucial and important for OPT students.

I am a software engineer who came to US four years ago and happily working at a big firm today (on H-1B visa). But my journey wasn’t easy. I came on F-1 visa and I did not know anyone in US then. So my only source of help was either internet or my communication... Read More skills which were mediocre at best.
After I completed my first year of course, I initiated my OPT application while looking for ways to learn advanced Java. Java is always in demand and there are plenty opportunities in market in this field so I wanted to make sure that I am following the right path. My next big task was to enrol in a boot camp.
I have heard some students complain about joining a boot camp but my experience has been good. As a foreigner, you need all the help you can get because the market is really tough. Finding a job and then being competent enough to work past the probation period is a feat in itself. So for anyone who says boot camps are not necessary, they might really be a genius.
I am not saying it to promote any particular camp or something but if you think about it, training camps are really helpful as – they train you to become competent in the field, help find a deserving job for you, they know how to market you to the desired clients, and they assist you until you become better while saving your time and energy. Yes the fee structure is a bit high and it can get hard for students who don’t earn much but if you compare the outcomes, you will know that it is worth it.
I am not a fan of upfront payments and that is what bugged me the most when I started my search for camps. So, I needed to enrol in a camp that provided online classes and had a bit of flexible payment schedule. Here are some names that I shortlisted: (these are ranked from highest to lowest as per my preference and reviews/ratings/personal comments/online info that I found)
Actualize offers 100% online courses along with in person classes in its Chicago headquarters. Reviews are mostly good. Big Nerd Ranch offers 5-7 days intensive boot camp but they don’t provide online classes. Reviews are mixed.
SynergisticIT offers 5-6 months courses online and don’t offer in person classes. The reviews are mixed but the feedback I got from some of ex graduates was mostly good. Code Fellows have full and part time 10 week courses but the reviews regarding job placement and teaching style weren’t that good. Coder Foundry offers 12 week full time courses in person only but I am not sure about the job placement and on job assistance with them.
My only suggestion is join a camp if you want to find a suitable job for you and make a career in IT industry like me.