Fullstack Academy

Fullstack was a really good experience, I got a job and would definitely do it again and would recommend to a friend. That said, I'm going to focus in this review on a couple of specific areas where I think they can improve.

I intensly disliked the 'sit in a circle and discuss your feelings' aspect of the program. It was clear to me that FSA is dedicated to continuously updating their cirriculum to current technologies and trends. Which is, of course, awesome and exactly what they should do. That acknowledged, it becomes hard for me to understand why they feel it necessary to use what could be valuable learning time to have students sit around and listen to what other students are feeling, or how the students feel the program can improve, without having much knowledge of the big picture that is a profession in programming.

Now this could be great and valuable (for the instructors) once or twice, but as a student it gets tiring fast and becomes hard to see the utility. The (relatively) low score I gave the instructors is not due to what I saw as far as lack of empathy, knowledge, or dedication, but more towards what I saw as a misguided directive to ask for feedback basically all the time. Ideally, if I'm paying you a large sum of money to be taught a specific cirriculum, what I really want is to be taught by someone who's confident. 

My impression is that they do have smart teachers who possess all of the qualities listed above, but that the constant grading by students of coursework (yes), the constant asking for feedback, the weekly sharing of usually panic-y and burned out emotions, etc., does not serve the teachers or students well. 

And as a definitely less important, but perhaps somewhat related, second point- I'd suggest to cool it on the social justice stuff. Now, as far as class time spent on the topic, it's admittedly (thankfully) minimal- the social justice lecture only took an hour of class time. But, it focused heavily on several easily disproven items, such as the Harvard Implicit Bias Test, on which even extreme left wing publications like Vox have published articles pointing out that the test has no real scientific value, and produces no sustained measurement. Another is the idea that women are systematically oppressed in the field of tech, as evidenced solely by enrollment numbers in the tech work force. Sexism, of course, does exist, but this particular line of logic has been repeatedly disproven, quite recently by studies in the London Times and also Nature magazine, who did a study on a sample size of 1.6 million students progressing through STEM education and into the workforce, both published in Sept 2018. I won't link here but encourage you to google them.

If you really must have this as a part of your cirriculum, I suggest you treat it as you treat the rest of the topics you cover. Constantly check your assumptions, consult multiple sources by publications of different ideological stripes, don't get carried away by confirmation biases, and keep updating the course based on the best available data.

You have a bunch of advantages over colleges when it comes to attracting students. The course is fast moving, transparent, has a low acceptance rate, values real-world practicality, is comparitively very cheap, etc. Another advantage you could have is that you can be a place of learning where facts and data are not repressed by a disproven, yet oft-repeated ideology. 

Thanks for reading, the staff and class helped me tremendously, and I wish for nothing but the continued success of Fullstack.

Fullstack Academy is a real investment. You will invest your time, your mind, and ofcourse your cash. While doing my search for a bootcamp to attend Fullstack stood out as an intense and effective option. If you are serious about your investment this will yield serious results. If you are not in a place where you can devote your whole attention and effort to something you may struggle here.

Fullstack has a rigorous application process and certainly doesnt just accept anyone. This is a sign of things to come, as the course work and material is extremely challenging.

Some folks think the only way to succeed is already having computer science experience or a degree. I came into the bootcamp with absolutely 0 knowledge of coding. I am now employed (after only spending a few weeks in the active job hunt) making nearly double what my previous salary was.

Fullstack can open the door to a new exciting and challenging career in tech. But, only if you are truly ready. Get your game face on and get what you're after.

I attended Bootcamp Prep in a week and had a very positive experience. The class definitely moved fast and covered a lot, but not superficially--a good introduction to the basics of JavaScript, I felt. Using a concept in an exercise right after it had been introducted in lecture helped to reinforce it, and the exercises were a thorough mental workout without being impossible, especially with teaching fellows who were mostly very patient, helpful, and generous with their time. I would recommend this course for a quick, intense JS intro, whether or not you are considering applying to an immersive bootcamp afterwards.

One year and two days ago, I started Fullstack's free online Javascript Jumpstart course, to see whether I might like coding enough to attend a bootcamp (I had a tiny bit of programming experience in C++, almost 20 years ago). I completed Fullstack's Immersive program at the end of August, and I just signed my first job offer before the holidays, on 12/18. So it took 3-1/2 months of (intense) job-hunting to get a job afterward. (I wouldn't have guessed, but apparently there's lots of hiring before the holidays).

I'd spent the past 11 years in non-profit bicycle shops, fixing bikes and mentoring kids. I have small-business management experience, but no real tech experience to speak of.

I'm putting this in here, because it's something I was concerned about going into all this: I'll be 40 years-old in May, I have a 2-year-old, and my wife works full-time, so I was worried both about: (1) ageism in the industry, and (2) my ability to complete the coursework given family responsibilities and time constraints.

The Fullstack Curriculum is excellent, and the staff is supportive and sensitive to people's needs. It's important to ask for help when you need it, and I did so.

It's a ton of work, and a lot of time. It's hard, and stressful, and draining. The second half of the curriculum, which is project-based, and team-based, is still a ton of work, but becomes more energizing and exciting, if you like building things anyway.

One person in our cohort didn't make it through. It was clear to me that he did not anticipate the work and focus that would be involved.

I had a good experience and would recommend it, and apparently there's still a demand for developers, because I just got hired.

I just finished the 17-week immersive program at Fullstack Academy of Code and this was one of the best experience of my life. If you are looking for a boot-camp to kickstart the career as a software engineer,  I couldn't recommend Fullstack more!

First of all, the academic structure, curriculums, and outcomes were top-notch. Fullstack adjusts the curriculums often based on the trends of the tech industry to make sure the materials taught are not obsolete and the students are fully prepared for becoming software engineers. In addition, the students' voices are always being heard. There are multiple channels that we can leave feedback and suggestions. Fullstack takes the feedback very seriously so they can improve the program and students' experience.  

Secondly, Fullstack has great instructors who are extremely passionate and talented. The three instructors assigned to my cohort(shout out to Geoff, John, and Dakota) are very knowledgeable and helpful. Every lecture is well planned and delivered, and the guidance they provided are precious. Thanks to them,  I learned and accomplished so much during the short period of time. 

Thirdly,  Fullstack has very good career success support. During the senior phase, students will have on campus counselors and remote counselor to give them guidance on writing the resume, perfecting Linkedin profile and interviewing practice. If students utilize all the career coaching service Fullstack provided during the senior phase and after graduation, they should be very well prepared for job searching after graduation. Besides, the career success team often hosting alumni panel talks and tech talks, which are very helpful for students to expand their horizons and learn the experiences and tips from people working in the industry.

The tuition is not cheap and the program is very challenging. But the friends I've made and the knowledge and skills I've learned definitely well worth the time and money

    There is no way to underestimate how big of a positive impact completing Fullstack's Software Engineering Immersive program has had on my career. It was nothing short of a life changing experience.

    The program not only brings new developers up to speed on highly in demand skills and technologies but the challenging fast paced curriculum also teaches students how to learn new things on the fly, which in my opinion is a one of the most important skills to learn as a new software developer. Also by keeping the curriculum entirely in the world of Javascript (instead of teaching separate technologies for different parts of the software stack) Fullstack’s instructors are able to touch on more advanced topics pertaining to software design and students are able to create more advanced projects which make their portfolios look that much more attractive to employers. By getting really good at one language Fullstack graduates can realistically compete in the job market with recent CS grads.

    Not only is the Fullstack curriculum top notch but the career services provided at the end of the program played a critical role in me landing an offer at a Fortune 50 company just weeks after graduating. First every student had several one on one sessions with career coaches to discuss resumes, interview questions and overall career goals. These sessions give students a head start on the job hunt process and help make looking for a job way less intimidating by giving students a strong idea of what hiring companies are looking for. Also at the end of the program Fullstack will invite hiring managers to campus to meet in person with students. Many of my classmates were invited back for second round interviews with these managers and several even received offers. Good offers from really cool companies.

    If you are serious about breaking into software development and you are willing to put in the work, Fullstack will get you to where you want to be faster than any other route.

Fullstack Academy's Bootcamp Preparation Classes are great. I didn't have any knowledge about any sort of programming language, and this course is just perfect for beginners. When you sign up, you have access to lots of videos and coding challenges, which is definitely giving you all essential points of JavaScript. I attended one-week Bootcamp prep class in NYC campus, and I am a Grace Hopper student now, so they really prepare you for your Bootcamp path. Instructors are so helpful and explain the subjects clearly.

I just finished my 3-month immersive program at Fullstack, thought it might be a good time to review and share what my experience was.

My overall experience at Fullstack was great! My intend to join a bootcamp instead of learning from online resources was to be able to get one-on-one feedback on my learning progress, Fullstack has a good reputation on that and that’s why I chose it! And definitely I made the right choice and got lots of one-on-one attentions both in class and outside of class. During class, you are encouraged to ask questions, and never feel shame to ask DUMB questions (actually they kept saying there is no DUMB questions)! Outside of class, you can sign up office hours with the instructors. I have to say all my three instructors Dan, Karen and David are awesome! They literally knew every single student’s name in one week (we had nearly 40 students in my cohort). I felt that every student was highly respected. And they really want you to succeed and tried their best to help you thoughtout this learning path. They took the initiative to remind you that they had office hours for questions so you would never feel that you are pushed away! One minor feedback I have is that if we have some good sample of code work that we can refer to after we’ve done the projects, that would be a great way for us to review our own projects and find areas to improve. But of course, we can get individual comments and ideas from instructors and fellows regarding our code work too!!! So if you value comments, feedbacks in your learning, you should go for Fullstack!!!

Fullstack takes the time to curate and update its curriculum to best teach its students the most relevant languages, libraries and frameworks. Instructors are always prepared for lectures and willing to meet individually with students to explain concepts.  I was overall impressed with the amount of information that was clearly and effectively presented in such a short period of time.  Not only do I feel prepared to enter the industry with relevant knowledge, but also the skills to efficiently learn new material.

I completed the immersive program in February 2018 and landed a job in May of the same year. I have a BA in English and was an Account Manager when I decided to quit my job for Fullstack. 

Was it worth the cost of tuition?

I think that's probably one of the biggest concerns for people when deciding whether or not to take the risk. You can find all sorts of comments on Reddit or Quora from people telling you to save your money and just teach yourself. And it's true, there are tons of free resources online that will help you learn how to program.

By attending Fullstack Academy, however, I gained more than just practical JavaScript skills. I regularly practiced pair programming, learned to conceptualize and build apps from start to finish (both independently and with a team), became comfortable with tech documentation, beefed up my resume and LinkedIn profile, gained valuable feedback from practice interviews, and now have a network of people willing to help me as I continue my career.  

Fullstack Academy will set you up with everything you need to kickstart your career as a software developer, but as others have said, the curriculum is fast-paced and by no means magic, so expect to work hard and take ownership for your own success. 

Attending FullStack Academy(Grace Hopper Program) was an extremely positive experience in my life. The Immersive Program has a good quality, is fast and effective, super challenging especially the first month, but the good thing is that you will be able to learn faster than you ever thought, and if at some point you feel discouraged, remember to repeat to yourself  `TRUST THE PROCESS`. I had a great time there, my cohort was excellent as well as all the instructors and staff. Thank you FullStack Academy!