Bloc

Bloc is very well designed to teach you a large breadth and depth of subjects and to hold your hand along the way through mentorship.  There is a large component of creating your own portfolio of projects to showcase to employers, and also a large component of helping you apply to jobs.  The program even makes the learning fun with things like coding challenges.  Finally, I love the flexibility and part-time nature of the program I'm in.  This information is difficult to learn, and for me, 40 hours a week would be a lot.  I'm on the 20 hour per week track and that is ideal for me.

I started the 40hr/wk designer track just over a month ago at Bloc; I am very impressed with what I've learned in such a short period. My mentor and I meet three times a week - he's never late, is always honest with me about how I can improve and on what I should focus. He responds to my skype messages within the day, and when he's not available, there is always a mentor on slack. No matter where you turn in this program, there is always someone willing to help you and whether it be with the course or with stress. While Bloc has incredible curriculum - the most up to date I've found. What makes me enjoy the course so much are the people, I always know there will be someone there for me if I need and that's hard to find anywhere else. 

Not to mention their job guarantee (which is offered to everyone) giving them a little incentive on their end to continue being amazing (besides being wonderful people that want to help others).

I am currently a restaurant manager and was looking to make the switch to the tech world. I did research on TONS of online coding boot camps and chose Bloc because of it's flexibility with my busy work life. I am currently into module 2 and I have already learned so much!  The work is challenging, but rewarding.  The course teaches you the content you need to know to code, but also challenges you to find the answers through your own problem solving techniques.  My mentor has been a tremendous help and is always there to help guide me to solving the problem at hand without giving me the answer. I would highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to get into the coding world. I can't wait to see where it takes me!

I spent nearly nine months researching and comparing programs in the dev bootcamp and online learning space. At the end of that research, I chose Bloc, and was able to convince my company to support me and two colleagues with serious financial aid to go through Bloc's Designer track program. 

Now, I'm six weeks in. And I truly can't say enough good things about the Bloc experience. 

Bloc has crafted a model that's as good as I've ever seen for learning, well, anything! The secret sauce to Bloc's success? It's really not all that secret. It's just smart. 

Bloc's engages students by calling on nearly all the major learning styles — learn by seeing (visual), learn by hearing (auditory), learn by doing (kinesthetic), learn by reading and writing. In addition, Bloc allows for learning through solitary exercises and social exercises. Here, in short, is how they do it:

• Curriculum dashboard: Students get access to a curriculum roadmap that clearly shows what's ahead and how long it should take to get there. Real-time progress tracking lets students know whether they're staying on track to complete the program at the recommended pace.

• Weekly lessons: Each lesson is well writen, well researched and comes with a ton of hyperlinked examples, screenshots, occasional videos and other resources. I learn best by printing out my weekly reading, highlighting and marking up printouts, then re-reading them and their hyperlinked resources online before starting on that lesson's assignment.

• Weekly assignments: These are the companion pieces to the weekly lessons that allow students to learn by doing. These are a ton of fun.

• Relationships with dedicated mentors: At the start of each major phase of a student's chosen program track, students select a mentor -- someone who is well-versed in the curriculum and who puts the curriculum's tenets into practice every day as a professional. Students and mentors engage in problem-solving conversations via weekly video chats as well as email and Slack messages. Mentors may be the single biggest key as to why this program works so well. Not only do they champion students through moral support, but they offer a ton of technical support. 

• A community built for learning: While the four pillars above (course dashboard, weekly lessons, weekly assignments and mentors) comprise the core of its ecosystem, Bloc uses Slack and Facebook groups to faciliate community learning and resource sharing. Hit a serious obstacle? Reach out to the Bloc-osphere — made up of active mentors, students, program directors and alumni — to help punch through. Curious as to what software, frameworks or web apps are the right ones for a task at hand? Cast a net to see if anyone else has tried out some of the candidates you're considereing.

• Support system: In addition to the community of learners, Bloc offers a dedicated support staff to help students navigate payment structures, scholarship and tuition reimbursements, logistics and lots more.

• Career support: Bloc does everything it can to prepare students to land a job in fields directly related to their learning tracks, including: portfolio reviews, resume and cover letter reviews, job search planning consultation, mock interviews and personal networking opportunities.

• Ongoing curriculum and program evaluation: Bloc has built its business for the longhaul. It consistently offers students opportunities to share how Bloc can make its program better. And it routinely consults with world-class technology companies to determine how Bloc's graduates can be even better prepared to thrive in the real world.

I could go on, but I'll simply say this — if you're looking for a one-stop shop for true learning and/or career transition as a developer or front-end designer, Bloc's program is as close to "one-stop" as you're going to find.   

I was initially hesitant about joining an online school because it's just not what I'm used to, having been in on-campus studios for eight years and learning that way. After someone recommended this program, I signed up and have had a great experience ever since. My mentor Hovsep is an attentive and thorough instructor and addresses any concerns I might have. The student success team, along with the folks on Slack, allow me to access resources upon request or a quick search. If you are a dedicated student, Bloc has you covered.  

A current student in Bloc's Part-Time Web Development track, I am really pleased with what I've experienced since beginning the program in June. I researched several bootcamps before ultimately choosing Bloc because of the promise of flexibility (100% online), support (mentoring), and career preparation (Job placement guarantee), all for a comparatively good value. Having very little programming background plus a full-time job and a family that demand so much of my time already, I was more than a little nervous that I would not be able to maintain progress or that I would lose motivation and quit. Fortunately, Bloc eased my anxiety in a number of ways, starting with an orientation experience where I got all my questions answered about the program, followed by mentor selection. I have to say that my front-end development mentor, Junior, was amazing! He made me feel so comfortable and gain confidence, responded super quick whenever I reached out for help, any day of the week, and pushed me to learn even more than what I would have through the curriculum alone. Junior helped me to power through during stretches where I hit a wall, never allowing me to feel stuck or alone for long. I don't know how I would have made it this far without him. The rest of the support staff have been great, too, promptly responding and resolving any issue that has come up along the way. I find the curriculum challenging, which I expected it to be, and I've learned how to research solutions and become more confident tackling problems that initially seemed impossible. In this student's opinion, Bloc is a great value for anyone with similar constraints of a job/family, who is serious about learning to become a web developer.

I am wrapping up my fifth week in the part-time web development program. I cannot express how happy I am I chose Bloc. 

1- My mentor is absolutely incredible. I always feel comfortable asking him questions and he is thorough enough for someone with no background in web development to fully understand the content. I leave our meetings motivated and feeling really good about what I’m working on!

2. The curriculum is perfect for my learning style. A good mix of visuals, practice, and reinforcement has been so helpful in retaining information week to week. It’s also a perfect pace for working full-time!!

3. When shopping around for a web development program, price is always a concern. This is hands down the best value out there. Plus, the interest-only option is what made this program possible for me! 

I’m only a few weeks in, but I feel like I’ve already learned so much! I’m actually excited to come home from work every day and continue my learning with Bloc!

Currently 8 weeks into the Software Developer Track (@ 15hrs/wk pace), and so far so good. I am coming into this program with very little to no coding experience, from the perspective of career change after already obtaining a BA.  I took a few codeacademy courses (HTML/CSS) prior to starting the program to help make the transition more smooth.

Going into the program, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but everyone at Bloc was extremely helpful and supportive in the beginning phases of orientation.  Once I started the first Module and began working through everything, I started to see how well laid-out everything for the program is.  In the 8 weeks since I've started, there have already also been 2 updates to 2 of the modules, which is one of the best parts in my opinion.  Things are constantly changing in the tech world around us, so to be able to have access to a curriculum that is so adaptive is reassurring.  Addtionally, the mentorship is a very valuable aspect to going through this program.  As my only con is that the program can be quite difficult and challenging at times, which everyone at Bloc and all the testimonials attest to.

The farther that I am getting into the program the more excited I am becoming about what I'm learning and being able to put practical use to the skills I am learning throughout the process.

I decided to join the Designer Track at Bloc and that's probably one of the best decisions I've made in my life.

EVERYONE is busy these days. Peronally, I have a full time job and a part-time job. Not to mention everyday responsibilities and activites.

Learning with Bloc has been at my pace, on my time, in the comfort of my home and/or office.

Could not be happier and I'm really looking forward to continuing my education with Bloc as  not only a UX/UI Designer but other areas of the field as well.

Can't speak highly enought about Bloc; ENROLL NOW!!!