Codeup

Codeup was such a fast pace, and I love fast-paced environments. At the same time, I had to recognize I wasn't going to come out as an expert. I was going to have a lot of great info and be enabled to know where to look information up so that I can learn and expand my knowledge beyond the program.  Codeup provides the opportunity to learn and be employable but the student must also be willing to devote the time.  In essence, you get out of the program what you are willing to put into it.  Taking advantage of the opportunities to work in small teams was very valuable (don't work alone) because in the real world, one must recognize when to reach out for help to co-workers and grow together in knowledge.  Codeup provides those opportunities within the class setting.

Codeup was a combination of intense and fun. Since you spend several hours a day with your classmates, you develop deep friendships as well as superior study groups where everyone is committed to collaborating without hesitation. I would describe the velocity of the information taught is like a firehouse in which you have to keep on your toes. What’s useful is the instructors are incredibly helpful during class & office hours. In addition, classmates were more than willing to share and trade knowledge of a multitude of skills/subjects. Overall, personally, it was insanely worth it and I  grateful to have had the opportunity.

Pros:
⁃ The Community, I repeat, the Community is what drives this programs worth far greater than it’s weight in GOLD or Plutonium 238.
⁃ Access to Senior Developers who have already experienced the growing Pains of Software Development as well as your Peer’s who are right there with you.
⁃ Curriculum is specifically molded to give you access to real world development tools and best practices which allows you to gain confidence and intuition to continuing your learning - Post Curriculum.
⁃ It can Figuratively & Literally change your thing called Life.
⁃ The dopamine rush of problem solving is Addicting.
⁃ Multitude of additional Perks too multitudinous to list.

Cons:
⁃ You must be Ready to Dedicate the Large majority of your Time towards understanding and applying the concepts you learn, DAILY.
⁃ Your Friends and Family - unless they are programmers - will no longer understand You.
⁃ You will quickly realize the challenges of Learning EVERYTHING in this field is next to impossible, find something you Enjoi, and do that.
⁃       Frustration will occur, Tears may fall - if and when, talk to your fellow folk, Instructors - Peers - Staff.
⁃ I gained 20 pounds. Your mileage may vary.

Attending Codeup was one of the best decisions I've made! During the program I was able to learn an entirely new skillset from a team of extremely knowledgeable and helpful instructors. The suite of project work we completed really helped put into action each new competency as we learned it. As I neared graduation I felt really supported as I entered my job search and even received several job offers before completing the program.

On top of learning a relevant and valuable stack that prepares you for the workforce, I felt that we also learned how to learn. Throughout my career since graduation, I have continued to apply this skill as I've been challenged to learn new languages.  

I'm so thankful for the jumpstart Codeup gave me to change careers and get to where I am today!

I had a great experience at Codeup. We had some pre-work that I completed as expected which helped to jump start the learning since so much had to be taught in such a short amount of time. The instructors were always open to questions and available to clear up any confusion. We had many guest speakers once a week during our lunch hour that exposed us to different experiences and tools to help us be better developers. Once I finished the program, the instructors held mock interviews at my request to help me prepare for job interviews. I attribute where I am today as a Senior Engineer to having attended Codeup and I still use the same tech stack and tools I learned at Codeup today.

There are many other paths to enter into and be successful in software development, however attending Codeup played a huge part in my career path specifically. While I still had to contribute lots of hard work and commitment to my learning, Codeup's coursework and hands on instructors, coupled with their network of both alumni and hiring partnerships have played a critical role in my career progression.

While attending Codeup you will be exposed and taught many industry desired skills and technologies, as well as prepared for the job market with resume and profile building and the soft skills to be successful. Since completion of Codeup I still go back to the curriculum for reference (or to study for an interview) when necessary, and most importantly still have the major benefit of the Codeup network whenever I am looking for new job opportunities.

For any one looking into attending Codeup, I can with out a doubt in my mind recommend them. I have continued to benefit from my time at Codeup beyond the learning and throughout my career and that is something that makes them stand apart.

Previous to my experience at Codeup, I had spent a year off and on looking for the right Data Science bootcamp where I could attend full time while also still supporting my family. I could not have asked or found a better program. 

Even from the initial onboarding experience, to the introduction and school-walkthrough, the coursework and also the career-finding process, I am so pleased with the support I received from this program. The coursework was challenging and kept me accountable to keep up with the work, while also having great instructors that were available for questions, support and help. 

Their career and professional placement coach works hard to get Codeup's graduates into the right roles and this after-program work shows. Codeup continues to have a built-up community and genuine connections with their grads and I believe it is from the care that the full Codeup team has put into this bootcamp.

For veterans or military spouses, Codeup also accepts VET TEC and GI Bill to help the military have the finances of attending their program.  They also offer scholarships too for those not affiliated with the military.

Veterans “Do Not Go To Codeup”! I would give this zero stars if it was an option. Google other bootcamps that will be better. I went to Fullstack and loved it, but go anywhere but Codeup. Their incompetence cost me $7,500 and their concern was not if I was OK, they were only concerned about their scholarship computer that they want back. This is the most expensive bootcamp and your classes will consist of Google, Mozilla, and Youtube other schools teaching the same subject (No Joke). Go elsewhere! 

For me Codeup was a necessary step in realigning my career trajectory. I graduated college with a BA in CyberSecurity at the end of 2019 and did not obtain a job that kept my technical skills relevant during the pandemic (although I did enjoy the jobs I had during this time), and saw an opportunity with Codeup to make a rapid, hard transition back to where my career goals lie. 

The biggest element to Codeup is that you will get from it what you are willing to invest in yourself during this time. It is accelerated and a full-time commitment, but if you dedicate the six months to yourself and your growth you will be amazed at what you find yourself capable of when it is ended. Codeup is structured and hands-on, and requires serious time and energy. It is not meant to provide you with all of the knowledge you will ever need for a career in data, but it is going to give you the foundation to seek out that information yourself and assist with the first job to get you started on that path. The industries Codeup prepares you for are not passive in nature, and Codeup correctly mimics this in their structure for education. It walks the line between instruction and self-sought knowledge well, and this is the same mentality and type of interaction one should expect for their career afterwards.

I can't speak on weighing Codeup against the high cost of the program because I was fortunate enough to use VETTEC benefits for it. If you are a Veteran, Codeup is a no-brainer if you can utilize benefits to attend. 

I can say that I consider myself very blessed to have had the opportunity to graduate from their Data Science program, and I did obtain a job I genuinely enjoy and look forward to thanks to Codeup. They are serious about facilitating post-graduation employment, and will leverage their network connections on your behalf. 

The truth now is that wherever my career goes from here is ultimately up to how much energy I put into advancing my skills. Codeup's job was to lay the groundwork for that kind of agency, and it accomplished it.

Attending Codeup’s Data Science program allowed me to successfully change careers within 6 months.  It is amazing a program was efficient and prepared me with the skills needed to make this transition.  I enjoyed the fact that the program curriculum is taught by instructors instead of online modules.  This forces you to be engaged and also allows you to ask questions.  Also having several instructors allowed me to see different ways to approach the problem.  We completed several projects to build our portfolio, and also did two group projects.  Our cohort was all on zoom, so this adequately prepared me for my fully remote role that I acquired after graduation.  The curriculum is thorough, but I will say you will need to continue to learn outside of the classroom to continue building your skills which is the case of any bootcamp.  This field is every evolving and Codeup gives you the tools to know how to quickly adapt and learn new skills and programs.  The program is intense and fast paced, as expected from a bootcamp.  They are very helpful with placement and assisting you in building your resume and LinkedIn profile.  I secured a job the week of graduation, which is a sign of how well prepared I was for the job market.  Codeup is an experience I will never forget and I’m so glad I took the leap to attend.

Codeup was an incredible experience from the first call to the offer letter from my employer. 

You start by speaking with admissions and completing pre-work to make sure software development is something you want to truly do. The pre-work is challenging but rewarding, it helps you get introduced into code.

During the prework process you also speak with admissions about financing and as well as possible financial aid. Starting a new career and paying to attend a bootcamp can be extremely intimidating but Codeup makes the process seamless and smooth.

You really hit the ground running once class starts but the instructors are there to help you the entire way. All 3 of my instructors were some of the most caring and knowledgable people I have ever met. They truly care about helping all students succeed. They teach software development the right way. They are always willing to help with any of the lectures or assignments, even before and after class. The biggest thing for me is that they teach you how to learn a language, so whenever you move on into your career you are ready for what ever the world throws at you.

When it comes to the course work I believe that what you get out is based off what you put in. On average, I would spend 2-3 hours every night after class learning as much as I could about software development. Whether that be outside projects, going over lectures or even reading various new tech articles. I feel that this really helped me throughout the bootcamp to truly grow and retain information. 

Throughout Codeup, there are career coaches that will help you transition from student to software developer. They help with resume writing, LinkedIn, behavioral interview questions etc. Overall very positive experience with this team. They are extremely knowledgeable in their field.

After graduation you are placed in the hands of the career placement team. I feel that this is where Codeup truly shines. The placement team does a phenomenal job at helping you succeed. They have established so many connections across the country to really make sure Codeup graduates are successful. If you put in the work and effort so will they. They have multiple projects to work on after graduation that they have seen students get hired with. This was really cool, because it sharpened and expanded my skills, while also having a cool project to add to my portfolio. 

I cannot recommend Codeup enough. No matter what career situation you are in, if you are looking for a positive change into tech, Codeup is the way to go!