Juno College of Technology

This course is the next step for front end developers who want to familiarize themselves and step into full stack development by learning about server side development and databases. The concepts covered were key to understanding the full spectrum of web development. The course was very hands on and I was able to apply the material towards a real life project. Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions our cohort was not able to benefit from the in class experiences, however, there was no shortage of interactivity as the teacher was very knowledgeable and engaging!

Summary: Bait-and-switch tactic softened by layers of "we care about you" language. Read the narrative below and see if my interpretation holds up. Use your own judgment.

I applied to Juno, did the written and oral interviews, and performed the technical challenge. After the tech challenge, I spoke on the phone with an admissions counselor. During this conversation, the suspicion that something was off began to grow. 

The counselor told me that I did not pass the technical challenge, and he recommended that I take two introductory courses. Then he started talking about Juno's admissions process. He said that "we want to make sure development is right for you." He then said, "We want to make sure we really like you." "We want to make sure you would be a good representative of Juno." Eventually the admission came, "Virtually no one gets into the bootcamp without going through our other courses." 

Those are the facts. Here is the digest. Perhaps you can derive a different interpretation? I think Juno attracts applicants with their low bootcamp price, the compact time frame of their bootcamp, and the 100% graduation rate. However, once an applicant is in process, he is pointed towards the other courses as prerequisites to getting into bootcamp. The result for Juno: higher sales of the introductory classes, closer examination of students seeking admission into bootcamp, and higher graduation rates of students admitted into bootcamp. This is good for Juno's KPIs and marketing, but it is based on dishonesty. 

Bottom line for me: Juno is now just another bootcamp. It is about as long and expensive (when factoring in the prerequisite classes) as any other offering. And you'll have to take the prerequisites ("Virtually no one gets into the bootcamp without going through our other courses."). The irony is that Juno is still slightly less expensive than other bootcamps I am considering, but the bait-and-switch tactic has soured the whole experience and ruined Juno's credibility. I would rather pay more for a camp that does not have a 100% graduation rate and lasts an honest 16 weeks than to pay only slightly less for Juno and find out after taking the prerequisites that "we really [don't] like you." 

Without the incredible mentors and the support that I've received from everyone here I wouldn't have been able to realize my dream of being a full time technology evangelist. Juno really gave me wings to fly and the confidence to explore the world outside.
I was a full time Mom for last 6 years and was self-learning but I was never confident that I could be a bankable technologist. I must thank my good stars and good sense that prevailed that I finally decided to contact Juno. The moment I stepped into Juno, the atmosphere was so welcoming and I immediately fell in love with the community and decided to try Accelerated Web Development (before immersing myself in bootcamp). The educators/mentors were so welcoming and helpful and were always supportive. They made sure that all my doubts/questions are answered and took extra pain in making sure all of us understand the basics of web development right along with exposing us to the best practices and many more things like accessibility etc. Coming out of it was literally a life changing moment for me and I finally decided to take on the Web dev immersive (a.k.a Bootcamp). I wasn't able to crack the tech challenge but still I was encouraged and was given a very good and informative feedback on where I missed the mark. I re-appeared and this time learnt from my mistakes and cracked it and finally was a proud member of cohort23. The overall experience was amazing and the best part is the close knit community and endless support you get from this community. No matter what you do, where you work the alumni are always there to help you out and answer your questions. Their educators are world class and make sure they don't leave any stone unturned to help you succeed and to make you understand concepts. It just feels like a close knit family away from home. The curriculum is well built and is constantly updated based on industry needs and standards. Oh, the one point which made the entire difference was the Job Assistance. Everyone comes together to help you get a job and to prep you for the challenges the Job Search throws at you. You are exposed to lot of industry leaders and employees and it does help you to make fruitful connections. Please do visit them and you will thank yourself that you took that decision.

I took the part-time Full-Stack Masterclass, which was a wonderful experience. The environment, instructors, and curriculum were all modern and of the highest quality. It was very hands-on which helps you implement your learning right away on-the-job. While the practical application of these concepts was the emphasis, we did spend some time on programming theory fundamentals. I wish we'd had more time to do a deeper dive there but the nature of a part-time course is there usually isn't enough time for that. 

I'd highly recommend the course to those interested in leveling up their skills. 

I took the part-time Web Dev course (fundamentals & advanced).  The days were crammed full of information and we followed along with our online comprehensive class/lecture notes. They're online, but you lifetime access which is great. I took full day Saturdays option, but I realize I would've preferred to space out my lessons and exposure to new material to smaller, twice a week chunks (couldn't due to work). That said, the advantage of being there for several hours at a time gives you a different type of continuity and ability to synthesize new info during practice times. You also get to hang out more with your classmates during brakes and lunches. A full day class was more representative of how the immersive bootcamp would feel like, except it was totally chill. I did find breaks on the short side though, whether it was 5mins for coffee or the half hour lunch, but we were allowed to have drinks and food at our desks so that worked in order to cover enough material during the day. There were a couple of TAs to help out whenever someone is stuck during lectures or during exercises. Jenny was great and she conveyed the material in a really approachable way. You don't get much theory behind the concepts, but you get a really good working knowledge; and you're always encouraged to seek out more on your own and work on problem-solving skills, esp. through online resources. If you need additional help you also get optional extended hours to meet outside of classroom time. It covers HTML and CSS well, but for JS you'll have to take a separate course or continue on your own (you learn just enough to get you going and to start understanding the structure). I found the classroom layout a bit challenging, as the room was deep, so I always felt tired from trying to see properly on the projector screen; they'll zoom in as needed (or requested), but I kept coming in late for the 9am start so I was always sitting a bit back... my work doesn't ever even start before 10:30am, so it may sound ridiculous but 9am start time was rough for me. I once attended a workshop where the room was wide rather than deep, and they had two projector screens - that setup was really effective, and I hope HackerYou has similar rooms for bootcamp - I'm still considering that option :)

 

Before coming to HackerYou I worked as an agricultural technician. Although I didn't mind spending most of my days puttering around on a tractor, I felt like my job had no prospect of becoming a career. I jumped off my tractor, came to the city, took the part-time web development course and fell in love with coding as well as the community that HackerYou provided. Very quickly I knew I had to do the bootcamp! Although it was challenging, it was also extremely rewarding, and with the help of very supportive instructors and peers, I became a dev! For the first time in my life I have a career that excites me and I never catch myself counting down the hours until my day is done. Thanks HackerYou!

I couldn’t have asked for a better experience at HackerYou. I took both the part-time web development course and then Web Development Immersive (bootcamp). All the instructors were friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about teaching code. The curriculum was fast-paced, focused on modern development and most importantly, gave me the necessary skills to enter the tech industry. Beyond the course, the greater HY community is so unbelievably supportive, encouraging and willing to help with any questions. 

Like many others, I came to HackerYou because I needed a life change. When I discovered coding, I knew instinctively and immediately that this was the career for me. But it was only when I first stepped into HackerYou that I knew I was on the right path to making my dream career into a reality. HackerYou not only teaches you how to code but also how to challenge yourself and continually grow. They are pros at giving you the tools and structure you need to really excel and become an active member of the tech community. 

 

Before I came across HackerYou, I had been contemplating about a career change to software development for over a year and had taken numerous online courses. However, the pace at which I was learning was not satisfying and the fact that I was randomly picking and choosing courses without a set curriculum didn't help at all.

Then I came across HackerYou. An immersive learning experience of 9 weeks that would teach me all the skills I needed to find employment as a developer sounded great.

All throughout the bootcamp, we learned lots of languages/tools/frameworks that are industry standards and built a project each time we learned something new. These projects later on became parts of our portfolios to help us with our job search.

Overall, the instructors were great, the support staff was extremely accommodating and receptive to any kind of feedback (special shout out to Charlotte) and the job support we received to find employment after the bootcamp was outstanding (special shout out to Chi Chi)

I can't recommend HackerYou enough to anyone who is looking for a career change in a short amount of time and wants to be a part of a thriving Toronto tech community for life.