App Academy

App Academy has probably been one of the best and most unique experiences I've had. I was admitted through their JumpStart program, which I gave me a good sense of the actual bootcamp would be like.  Even though I have no prior coding experience, App Academy has provided me the resources I needed to succeed. 

PROS:
- STAFF: App Academy has amazing staff members. They're always very willing to provide help and share their experiences with you. All the TA's have gone through the program previously, so they really understand how you feel.  Everyone is very knowledgeable and ready to tackle your next bug.
- CURRICULUM: The curriculum is constantly being updated to match the current state of the industry. They know what is hot at the moment and what employers are looking for. Every night there is always homework and readings to be completed to prepare for the next day.

CONS:
- STRICT: Because of their unique business model, they do have to hold us accountable. Assessments happen often, and you have to be prepared for them. If you fail two assessments, you will be asked to leave the program.
- WORKLOAD: Be prepared to dedicate yourself 110% to this program. It really is a commitment and determination. 

App Academy is one of my biggest decision in life to date. I am currently in week 10 of the program, and it has been everything that I expected but more.

The hours are not a joke. Expect to put in 80-100 hours a week on programming and do nothing else. Coming from a engineering background, I was really relaxed for the first two weeks, but the the program quickly outpaced my existing knowledge. I started learning completely new technologies every week, and got tested the following week on a decent level. The fast-paced program helped me learn a lot in a short period of time, which I definitely could not have accomplished on my own.

The people you meet here are incredible, I didn't think there would actually be graduates from Harvard MBA, Stanford, MIT, or ex-workers from Google, Pinterest.

The only thing you have to know that App Academy is still a company and it has to make profi. They try to pack a lot of materials into the job search curriculum where you build your javascript project and flex project, each in less than a week. So the last couple weeks of the program can be a little overwhelming.

Overall a great experience!

Overall, App Academy is a great program: The curriculum is for the most part, adequately structured as well as relevant to the current web development market. The staff (especially the Teaching Assistants who all went through the same program) are excellent for the most part, and greatly benefit both struggling students as well as those who like to get ahead with extra material throughout the course. I attended this program because of its longstanding history of excellence in the job market as well as the deferred payment plan. Be forewarned, however, that in the interest of the company's business model, students under the deferred tuition plan WILL be expected to put in many hours during the job search, and will face a variety of pressures during the assessment as well as the post-program period as App Academy tries their very best to get you a job, so they can be paid in full. This may come as a surprise, but in the end benefits the student as they ALSO should want to find a job as soon as possible. Furthermore, the curriculum is only the barebones of what is expected of a constantly growing industry, and learning programs and technologies on the fly is essential to any software developer regardless of where they are at. Thus, the students attending should be aware of the fact that a job is not GUARANTEED in any way, and will need to put in EXTRA work during or after the program, no matter how intense the program itself is. 80-100 hours per week is NOT a joke, even for those who are ahead, as there are always things to be done, or learned. The more the student gets ahead while they know the material, the better their experience will be. All in All, App Academy is a great place to learn the basics of web development as well as the job search process, but like any other bootcamp, requires much more effort from the student themselves. I recommend that anyone thinking about applying also consider and prepare themselves to do nothing but eat, sleep, and code for at least 3- 6 months.

At App Academy there are an amazing staff of instructors and advisers who work hard to make sure you have the tools you need in order to change your carreer path and become a developer. You'll have to put in the hard work, they are not joking when they say ~80-90 hours a week, but if you put in the time you will see results; ask for help, stay curious, and review.

Enrolling in App Academy was everything I was looking for and easily the best descison I've made in my adult life.

입학률이 5% 미만이고 99%가 미국인입니다. 네이티브 미국인들에게도 입학이 어려운 곳입니다만 입학만 하면 최고의 사람들과 최고의 환경에서 공부할 수 있습니다. 입학이 어려운데에는 그만한 이유가 있다는 것을 말씀드리고 싶고, 현지인들에게 물어도 부트캠프 중에서는 이 곳을 최고로 뽑습니다. 
미국의 명문대 출신 엘리트들에게 둘러쌓여 매일 매일 자극받으며 공부할 수 있는 좋은 기회였고, 놀라울 정도로 다양한 분야의, 놀라울 정도로 멋진 사람들을 만날 수 있습니다. 
코스 시작 직전에 한국에서 미국으로 온 처지라 언어 장벽이 커서 더 힘들었던 것 같습니다만 열심히 한다면 이해하고 따라갈 수 있습니다. 다만 하루 15시간 정도 공부해야한다는 각오가 없다면 추천드리고싶지 않습니다. 일주일에 100시간정도 공부해야만하다고 생각하시면 좋습니다. 
한국에서는 잘 다루지 않는 Ruby 및 Ruby on rails 에 대해 심도있게 배울 수 있으며, 코스 졸업 시점에는 javascript, css/scss, html5를 포함한 full stack web application 개발에 필요한 스킬을 갖게 됩니다. 
커리큘럼도 훌륭하지만 졸업 후 job support가 정말 좋습니다. 수업료가 졸업생들의 연봉으로 결정되는 형태인지라, 너의 성공이 나의 성공이라는 인식이 강해서 아주 열심히 도와줍니다.

If you want to become a software developer, and you are ready to dedicate 90+ hours a week learning and coding, then App Academy is the right program for you. If you want to learn coding in a structured and supportive environment, then App Academy is the right program for you. You will learn a lot - Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, React, just to name a few - but it won't be easy and in no means a free ride to becoming a software engineer. You will get as much out of this program as how much you invest in it. Often times, the curriculum does not teach you everything you need to know, and it is your responsibility to do research and ask questions. That last part is important. Ask questions. Understand everything deeply every step of the way. The curriculum is fast paced, culminating in personal projects and a job search curriculum consisting of algorithm lectures and job search mentoring. The program is not perfect, and I expected more. Specifically, I would have preferred to not have all lectures be conducted by TA's most of whom are past App Academy grads (they are very skilled and supportive, don't get me wrong).

TL;DR App Academy is a rigorous coding program. Expect to do nothing but code, eat, sleep, and repeat, for 13 weeks, and look for jobs afterwards.