Bloc is now Thinkful

As of 2/4/21, Bloc is now Thinkful; the curriculum and community will not change.

If you graduated from Bloc prior to Feb 4, 2021, please leave your review for Bloc. Otherwise, please leave your review for Thinkful.

To view updated and accurate information, please visit the Thinkful Course Report page.

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Bloc

Average Rating4.61
477 Reviews
2 Courses

Bloc is an online coding bootcamp that incorporates 1-on-1 mentorship to prepare each student for a career as a professional software engineer or UX/UI designer. Bloc's apprenticeship approach is tailored specifically to each student's learning needs. In the Web Developer Bootcamp, the curriculum is centered around frontend JavaScript and students can choose whether to learn Ruby on Rails or server-side JavaScript with Node. Bloc’s project-based curriculum is written by expert curriculum developers and vetted by their advisory board comprised of hiring managers. Students work with mentors 1-on-1 to clarify concepts, pair program, and build a portfolio of sites that will demonstrate job readiness as a professional software engineer. Not everyone can quit their job or move to a new city for a bootcamp, so Bloc has designed a comprehensive bootcamp with this in mind. Students can enroll full-time, or complete the program at a part-time pace. Bloc also offers 80 hours per week of real-time access to an experienced developer to answer any questions students may have. 

No prior development experience is required to enroll in Bloc, but a strong desire to learn and take on challenges will be important in each student's success! Bloc has a 100% acceptance rate, but is looking for students who are driven, hard-working, and ready to learn.

Career readiness is important to Bloc- their flagship Track programs include job preparation material and career prep workshops. Mentors will help students put together a portfolio and prepare technical interview questions. When ready, students work with the Career Support team to navigate the job search process with an individualized game plan and exposure to Bloc's Employer Network.

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477 Bloc Reviews

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  • Tara Briggs
    Web Developer Track • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Jul 14, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Bloc is a great bootcamp!

    As a 54 year old female with a computer science degree programming in Cobol, I was ready to learn new skills and learn about web development.  I thought the Bloc online program was perfect for me as I am self-motivated and have good time management skills.  The program was perfect.  I have almost completed the program and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in web developement.  Not only did I learn front-end and back-end programming, Bloc also helped me with career development....

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  • JN
    UXA • Graduate • UX Design • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Jul 12, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance
    N/A

    Satisfied student

    I completed Bloc's UX/UI Design Course. I took roughly 9 months while still working fulltime, and had weekly calls with a mentor. I feel my mentor was more a guide to keep me on track and not feel alone while doing this online program than someone who helped me level up with my skillset, but you don't get to have everything in life and what I did get from the program I am beyond satisfied with.

    My four star rating is because I struggled with learning HTML, CSS, github stuff alone...

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  • Liz
    Liz
    Tier 2 Sales Support & CRM Product Manager • Student • Rails • Online
    Verified by GitHub
    Jul 08, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Had high expectations

    When I first decided to enroll at Bloc in 2015, there were a few things that convinced me to do so. Some of them were:

    • Flexibility (online and could chose a slower pace)
    • Course content 
    • Price

    However, sometime during the course, I felt a bit of bait-and-switch. When I enrolled, my course was called Full Stack Web Development Apprenticeship, and I was led to believe that I would learn both backend and frontend. And that by the ...

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    Alex of Bloc

    Product Marketing Manager

    Jul 10, 2017

    Hi Liz,

    I'm Alex, Bloc's product marketing manager. Thank you so much for your review! We rely on data, both quantitative and qualitative, to improve the student experience, so whenever we receive feedback like this we are sure to discuss it as a team and incorporate it into the following program improvements. 

    While I'm disappointed to read you didn't have the best experience at Bloc, I can certainly understand why. Back in 2015, we did not have all the information we do today around how to best update programs to minimize disruption to our students. However, since then, we've updated our release process to ensure any new improvements we make to the curriculum are made within the same program so all students benefit from it (as opposed to launching a new program, as you experienced). 

    Finally, I'm so glad to know you're in a job you love. If you are still interested in pursuing a career in development, our Career Services team is always happy to help alumni in their search. Please feel free to reach out to our team at career-services [at] bloc [dot] io anytime for career help or to give us any additional feedback you have! 

    Thank you again,
    Alex
  • Tim Schmidt
    Student • Web Developer Track • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Jul 07, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance
    N/A

    I Highly Recommend Bloc

    After months of researching coding bootcamps, I chose Bloc for the 1 to 1 mentorship, commitment to job placement, and because it’s remote (I knew I would move to a new city during the program). I'm 3 weeks away from completing the Part Time Web Developer Track and I can say that I'm very happy with my experience at Bloc.

    Mentors: I meet with a mentor twice a week for about 30 minutes. I have had 3 different mentors and each one has taught me a lot about program...

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  • Stewart McCoy
    Stewart McCoy
    Senior Product Designer • Graduate • Frontend Web Development • Online
    Verified by GitHub
    Jul 07, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Finally learned JavaScript and a framework to build apps

    I had been trying to learn JavaScript since 2009 before I enrolled in Bloc in 2015. I attemped to learn from books, blogs, both written and video tutorials, and pairing with professional engineers, but all lead to a steep learning curve with no measurable results. I had learned Rails during 10 weeks of project-based pairing in 2013, so I was looking for a similar experience to learn JavaScript (and Angular.js), and found exactly what I needed with Bloc. The program exceeded my expectations...

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  • Thanya Moolmuang
    Student • Web Developer Track • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Jul 05, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance
    N/A

    Part-time Web Developer Track

    I have just completed the part-time Web Developer track at Bloc. Overall I really love the curriculum. It has moved at the perfect pace for me. Not too fast and not too slow. It has covered a great deal of AngularJS and Ruby on Rails. Mentors are friendly, knowledgeable, and resourceful. I worked with Kevin Lee on my front-end curriculum. And I worked with Alex Spencer for my back-end projects. Highly recommend both of them.  

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  • Sergio G.
    Sergio G.
    IT Manager • Graduate • Web Developer Track • Online
    Verified by GitHub
    Jul 01, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance
    N/A

    Exactly what I was looking for

    My company had a need for a custom application that would tie directly to our existing Accounting software.  We researched using outside developers and determined that it would be less expensive and faster for me to learn the technologies required than it would be to teach the outside developers the intricacies of our industry.  Being able to work with my Mentor to develop my application as part of my capstone requirement for my course meant that I had a seasoned developer helping me devel...

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  • Shane W.
    Shane W.
    Student • Design Track • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    Jun 01, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance
    N/A

    One of the Best Decisions I've Made

    I started the Designer Track Apprenticeship back in January. It has been an incredible journey so far and I would recommend anyone interested in an online design program give Bloc serious consideration. Choosing to join a bootcamp program should not be taken lightly and I encourage anyone who is thinking about doing so really weigh their options carefully to make sure A) This is something they are serious about pursuing and B) Whatever option they pick best suits their needs. It may be Blo...

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  • Brandon Welsh
    Brandon Welsh
    Student • Web Developer Track • Online
    Verified by GitHub
    May 21, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    So Far So Good

    Bloc has a great course for web development, and i have really learned alot since joining the program. I went in already knowing c++ which made the course even easier to learn, but i think their teaching method is great. They have you do projects while teaching you the materal, so that you know how to implement and try out the information taught which makes it stick to my brain. They also provide many refrence material for eveything new they teach so that i can look up and learn more about...

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  • Erin Leck
    Erin Leck
    Nanny/Student at Bloc • Student • Software Engineering Track • Online
    Verified by GitHub
    May 16, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance
    N/A

    So far, so good!

    I am in my second month of the part time Software Developer Track program (20-25 hrs/week).

    At this pace, I meet with a mentor twice a week for about 1/2 hour via Screenhero (an app where you can make phone calls and also share your screen with the person you are connected with).

    So far I am very happy with the Bloc Curriculum.  They split up the program into Modules. Throughout each module there are quizzes to test your knowledge, and at the end of each module you have...

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  • Rachel Page
    Student • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    May 15, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Learning so much already!

    I started the Designer track pretty recently. I already feel like I have acquired more useful skills in these past few months than I did throughout my whole experience in college. My mentor is really helpful and motivating. The staff is very responsive and friendly. Highly recommended for creative types who want to get into the tech industry without having to do back-end work. 

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  • Casey B.
    Casey B.
    Software Engineer • Graduate • Web Developer Track • Online
    Verified by LinkedIn
    May 06, 2017
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Could have been a lot better

    My previous full-time job was completely unrelated to programming. I had a few hobbies that surrounded computers (gaming, computer building) and I had spent some previous time with self study using free online resources and taking a couple community college CS courses. I had tried teaching myself C++ as a young teen and quickly realized how difficult that was, thus abandoning my early CS career. My current job was very stressful with long hours and no appreciation and little to show for it...

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Bloc Alumni Outcomes

75%
Employment Rate
0%
Graduation Rate
$62,400
Median Salary
cirr-logo
77% of students intended to seek in-field employment within 180 days of graduating. 23% of students did not intend to seek in-field employment. Below is the 180 Day Employment Breakdown for 40 graduates included in report:
180 Day employment breakdown
Employed in-field75.0%
Full-time employee52.5%
Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position22.5%
Short-term contract, part-time, or freelance0.0%
Started a new company or venture after graduation0.0%
Not seeking in-field employment0.0%
Employed out-of-field0.0%
Continuing to higher education0.0%
Not seeking a job for health, family, or personal reasons0.0%
Still seeking job in-field25.0%
Could not contact0.0%
salary breakdown
Notes and Caveats
Read the full Bloc CIRR Jobs Report here

Recent Bloc News

Rachel Meltzer
Rachel Meltzer
Updated May 10, 2024
Remote jobs are rapidly becoming more popular in nearly every industry, growing by over 173% in the past decade. This phenomenon is sweeping the US, Canda, and most of Europe as millennials demand a better work-life balance. Over 3% of US employees work from home at least half of the time, and over 5% of the US works full-time remote jobs. Whether you want to work from home, become a digita...
Imogen Crispe
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As we near the end of 2018, we're rewinding and reflecting on the most interesting and impactful coding bootcamp news of the year. Come with us as we look at trends, digest thought pieces, break down the ~$175 million in new funding, and more. We’ll also look at our predictions for 2019 and our hopes for the future of coding bootcamps! 2018: Course Report in Numbers We added 89 n...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated October 31, 2018
With a passion for spoken languages, Sami wanted to challenge himself in the world of programming languages. As a Hebrew teacher and parent in London, UK, with various commitments, he enrolled in Bloc’s remote self-paced Web Developer Track to learn Ruby on Rails and JavaScript on his own schedule. Sami tells us about the similarities between learning spoken languages and programming lang...
Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated June 05, 2018
Thinkful recently acquired Bloc, which means that two of the largest and most established online coding bootcamps are now joining forces. But what does this mean for students? We sat down with Darrell Silver, the CEO of Thinkful, to get the scoop on job guarantees, career support, mentorship approaches, and how students can choose the right program for their needs. Our Takeaways on the Thi...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated July 16, 2021
  Welcome to the first News Roundup of 2018! We’re already having a busy 2018 – we published our latest outcomes and demographics report, and we’re seeing a promising focus on diversity in tech! In January we saw a significant fundraising announcement from an online bootcamp, we saw journalists exploring why employers should hire bootcamp and apprenticeship graduates, we read about communi...
Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated December 20, 2017
After receiving valuable employer feedback, online coding bootcamp Bloc has taken the best parts of its two previous curriculums and combined them into the new and improved Web Development Track! The Bloc team has also added increased real-time mentor support (80 hours per week), and added a choice of programming stacks (Ruby on Rails or Full Stack JavaScript) for students. We asked CEO C...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated December 05, 2017
October 2017 was a busy month for the coding bootcamp industry with news about growing pains in bootcamp outcomes, mergers, acquisitions, investments, a trend towards bootcamp B2B training, and diversity initiatives. To help you out, we’ve collected all the most important news in this blog post and podcast. Plus, we added 12 new schools from around the world to the Course Report school di...
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Imogen Crispe
Updated September 28, 2017
Need a rundown of everything that happened in the coding bootcamp industry this September? You’re in luck! We’ve collected all the most important news in this blog post and podcast. This month, we kept up with the status of the bootcamp industry, learned about how bootcamps are thriving in smaller markets, and explored different ways to pay for bootcamp. Plus, we added 7 new schools from ar...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated September 20, 2017
After working at Mint, Netflix, and founding two tech companies, Ryan Balfanz wanted to pay it forward and mentor career changers. Now, as a mentor for Bloc’s online coding bootcamp, Ryan balances his day job as a software engineer at Square with ensuring that his students meet their career goals. Ryan tells us about his background in teaching, how he opens up his network to help students w...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated October 21, 2020
Although he had a solid career in technical support, Tim Martinak wanted to take his love for technology to the next level. He started learning Rails in Bloc’s Software Developer Track while balancing his full-time job at Braintree in Chicago, and when a Software Engineering Apprenticeship opened up at Braintree, Tim went for it! Tim tells us why a Skills Fund loan made his learning possibl...
Lauren Stewart
Lauren Stewart
Updated February 07, 2020
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Lauren Stewart
Lauren Stewart
Updated October 25, 2016
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Bloc Alumni Reviews Summary

Overall Experience
4.6
Instructors
4.7
Curriculum
4.5
Job Assistance
4.3
Write A Review
More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
FAQs

How much does Bloc cost?

Bloc costs around $9,600. On the lower end, some Bloc courses like Web Developer Track cost $8,500.

What courses does Bloc teach?

Bloc offers courses like Design Track, Web Developer Track.

Where does Bloc have campuses?

Bloc teaches students Online in a remote classroom.

Is Bloc worth it?

The data says yes! In 2019, Bloc reported a 0% graduation rate, a median salary of $62,400, and 75% of Bloc alumni are employed. The data says yes! In 2016, Bloc reported a 41% graduation rate, a median salary of $65,411, and 80% of Bloc alumni are employed.

Is Bloc legit?

We let alumni answer that question. 477 Bloc alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Bloc and rate their overall experience a 4.61 out of 5.

Does Bloc offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?

Right now, it doesn't look like Bloc offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.

Can I read Bloc reviews?

You can read 477 reviews of Bloc on Course Report! Bloc alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Bloc and rate their overall experience a 4.61 out of 5.

Is Bloc accredited?

While bootcamps must be approved to operate, accreditation is relatively rare. Bloc doesn't yet share information about their accreditation status.

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