Founders and Coders

I've just finished the Founders and Coders programme and I couldn't be happier. In summary, Founders and Coders taught me how to write clean and readable code and after completing the programme I was connected with a company who interviewed me and then offered a Software Engineering position.

The things I loved about Founders and Coders:

- the programme focused on vanilla JavaScript.

- we spent a lot it time writing Node.js servers and creating databases. This is very difficult to learn on your own.

- we built an app every week in a team of 2-4 people.

- challenging and engaging workshops.

- almost all the the time we pair programmed with a fellow student.

- there were weekly code reviews during which experienced developers would give us advice on how to improve our code.

- half-way through the programme we were given an opportunity to build a full stack app using a technology stack of our choice.

- after graduation all students students were given an opportunity to continue to work on paid projects, internships, short-term contracts or full-time jobs.

But above all, the thing I've enjoyed the most is the supportive community of fellow students, freelancers, alumni and startup founders.

At Founders & Coders you’ll not only develop your programming skills in the short space of time, you’ll also learn to how work well with others, be encouraged to contribute to helping develop the course itself, and work out of your comfort zone regularly to push you to higher levels. Simply put, the course will help you grow as an individual, and you’ll leave the course with highly valuable attributes that many employers look for.

 

The course reviews here sum up the course well, in my opinion the best thing about Founders & Coders are the core values shared by everyone- in short; every member is wonderfully motivated about making a positive difference to the world through technology, it’s inspiring. Applying to the course and completing the 16 weeks has been one of the best decisions of my life, I cannot recommend it enough!

I learnt more during the last four months than at any other time of my life. It is exactly what my university experience should have been like and all without the £30,000 debt. What makes Founders and Coders so great is the people. The entry requirements are tough and this ensures that you are surrounded by intelligent, switched on individuals. Everyone has pushed me to be better every day, I would not be anywhere near as far in my coding career if it was not for this course. As well as the skills I have picked up, there are the friends that I have made. The atmosphere in the space is one of the most welcoming, accepting and friendly I have ever encountered, I will have a hard time leaving!

Are you looking to become a great developer, but do not have previous experience in web development?

Do you want a great learning journey, and share it with a group of young people you'll soon be calling friends?

Founders & Coders is the answer!

Founders & Coders is not only incredibly good to learn Full-stack Web Development, it is a community you can rely on to keep on learning, and a place which feels like home.

You will learn from day1(!!) to build powerful websites. By the end of the course you will be highly confident building full-stack apps, whether in 1-2 day hackathons or over the span of several weeks. I am now a much better developer than I could have ever imagined when applying.

One of the key differences with other bootcamps is that the learning doesn't stop after the course! You have a community which supports you! I have just finished the 16th (and last official) week of the course and am looking at working immediately on customer projects as a freelancer with my friends from the course. We will carry on learning and exploring new technologies together, and have the support of the FAC community (the experienced developers who graduated before us).

Web development cannot be taught on a whiteboard and a set of manuals, so this calls for a very practical approach. F&C's learning method is very powerful and unique for three specific reasons: exploration, group work, peer-led learning.

Exploration

You will learn how to learn new topics, practicing every week. I cannot emphasize how important this is in tech, where new technologies will be coming up all the time! You will also never experience spoon-feeding, and grow as a learner as well as a developer.

Group work

I have learned more in 2 weeks working in groups, than in 3 months learning on my own! And it's been way more fun and rewarding! Working in groups and pair programming, you will support, push and help each other to do more and better and to keep learning.

Peer-led learning

It may not be clear right now (it wasn't for me at the start), but teaching is an invaluable way to learn... for you and for the FAC community. It's what makes the course FREE (I still cannot believe it is!!) for the students, and will consolidate your learning! It will also not take too much of your time as a teacher (it is perfectly compatible with working the rest of the day). I'm really excited to do that!

If you are still not convinced, here are some other great reasons why F&C is so good!

• Javascript is the future, and is probably the only language which alone can allow you to be good on frontend & backend development. The myth that Ruby is much more beginner friendly is false (and if that were true, I still think you should challenge yourself and aim high!). I am now in the position to learn to build mobile apps
• You can contribute to making F&C an even better place! F&C values your opinion and asks for your feedback at least on a weekly basis (e.g. we have group sessions where you can potentially propose new best practices).
• Highly selective entry. I believe this ultimately leads to a higher learning standard. Being a free course, only means that the selection criteria are based on your motivation and aptitude/mentality rather than your willingness to pay (I have successfully applied to all other major bootcamps in EU and US as well, so I know this for a fact).
• All common best practices included: Test Driven Development (TDD), pair-programming, learning-by-doing, etc.
• Variety of backgrounds, experiences and cultures - F&C recognizes the importance of ensuring a balance between men and women, which is rewarding to the overall experience.

 

Founders and Coders is a full stack JavaScript course based around collaborative learning. It is an intense experience that is not your everyday classroom format. There is no teacher on hand to give you an answer whenever you are stuck, instead you and your peers need to research and then share what you have learned. 

It is without a doubt one of the best experiences that I have ever had and I have no doubt that the skills learned will be a massive help in my career as a developer. 

After a masters in Art History, I was unhappy about where my career was going. I found out about the school and joined Founders and Coders a couple of months later and honestly could say it was one of my best life choices. I've met lots of lovely people; the work is challenging and creative;  my career looks much more promising. I have found that the collaborative way of teaching suits me very well. I have learnt so much in the last few months. In addition, I have been given the opportunity to work with amazing clients such as Breast Cancer Care and other reputible charities so early on in my career as a developer. I would highly recommend. 

In no particular order: - A rounded introduction to fullstack development - A modern syllabus (ES6, Node, Hapi, React, etc) - Supportive environment and mentors - Encourages resourcefulness, self-directed and peer-supported learning - Regular feedback sessions to shape and tailor aspects of the course to each cohort - High entry requirements, very selective - Lots of external speakers from industry on a variety of topics - Social enterprise which encourages engagement with third sector - FREE

What susrpised me about Founders and Coders was that at its core, the key to its success was a group of people in a room commiting to learning together. It's so simple but deceptively powerful.

It was one of the hardest, most intense experiences of my life, Founders and Coders doesn't hold you hand, it teaches you how to learn.

I learnt more in 16 weeks than I did in 3 years, met some extremely talented people who I want to continute working with and am really excited about my future in software development.