Kenzie Academy

Kenzie Academy has been a wonderfule place to begin my career in Software Engineering. I've been learning vanilla Javascript and React. Next I move on to learn Python. The instructors are patient, kind, and well organized. The program also teaches us how to think logically, helps us focus on long term memory skills and professional skills for the workplace. There are speakers and mentors on campus to pay it forward and answer our questions about the tech industry weekly and Kenzie hosts a monthly innovation series where leading tech advisors from all over come to talk with us. 

I started mid-July, 2018 and am going for the software engineer, 2yr program. It has been such a great experience so far at Kenzie Academy (KA). The school definitely cultivates a positive learning environment that teaches so many valuable skills; including technical programming, soft skills, and prepping for job interviews. The program is split into sections and different instructors head each one so I've been able to get multiple perspectives which has greatly helped me with understanding from different point of views. I've only been here for only 4 months but I have learned so much already. And better yet, KA has partnered with the local Indy community. They host speaker events bringing in local and national tech leaders that we actually get to talk one on one with (last event they brought in Terry Jones a.k.a founder of Travelocity). They provide part time jobs for when we are in school, hold to a strong standard of leaving no one behind, and lastly I've made some great friends that I would have never met. Don't get me wrong, I am challenged everyday here literally pushing my understanding but making sure that I do grasp it as well. The two most important things they teach are learning how to learn (from others but mostly on your own) and critical thinking. 

I started at Kenzie Academy having already received a Master's Degree from an accredited college, however, I felt as if all of those hours and the time and money I spent on my education was worthless once I actually graduated and was searching for jobs in the career field of my dreams. That's when I stumbled upon Kenzie Academy, they were a local accelerated education school within 20 miles of my home, so I did plenty of research before actually deciding to join up. 
​
It has been the best decision of my life so far, not only do they have plenty to teach, but they have real instructors who themselves have been working in the industry. These instructors take time out of their busy schedules to help educate up-and-coming developers or designers fuel their passions into something meaningful and worthwhile. If ever a problem arises, the environment in which the school is built upon leaves plenty of creative fuel to help students understand why issues arise and how they are quickly solved. The environment that the school is built upon makes you feel like you are at home, there are lounges and plenty of spaces to study and interact with fellow students and instructors, I never get homesick when I am attending school, I make myself at home. 

The school also schedules monthly talks with CEO's and business partners who come to the school and talk about their lives and their companies and I feel that is a really fantastic way to connect with people who you might potentially work with someday. This school has rekindled my passion for what I want to do in my life and it's all thanks to this school. 

Kenzie offers a hands-on learning environment where you learn by doing rather than sitting in front of a lecturer and trying to retain that information. You learn how to learn fast.I love this project based learning aspect at Kenzie. The environment is great. Instructors are super supportive and go above and beyond.  You not only learn to code but you will also learn the soft skills needed . Overall my experience at Kenzie so far is amazing. The curriculum is current. Anybody who wants to become a software developer should consider Kenzie. 

My experience at Kenzie so far has been extremely valuable in my growth as a developer. It is a flexible and fun learning environment, and is designed to create professional coders regardless of their initial starting knowledge. Kenzie provides a vast number of resources for support, and does a great job of teaching students how to think like developers. I am learning more than I ever have in my past attempts at self-teaching, and also having a great time.

Kenzie Academy is absolutely fantastic. The program is both flexible and challenging. The resources provided are well beyond invaluable. The instruction is in depth and attentive to individual needs. The emphasis on preparation for real world employment situations, be it on the job or the interview process is phenomenal.
The curriculum is more current than one will find at a 4 year college, due to lack of red tape to inhibit the updating of the curriculum. It's fluid and adaptive and, as a result, quite engaging. The apprenticeship section of the program is designed to not only give you real work experience, but to put you in the position to work for perspective employers while still having access to school resources with which to learn.
All in all, this is the best educational experience I've ever had.

I'd always been interested in coding and stumbled upon Kenzie.  The experience so far has been amazing!  Everyone is welcoming and the atmosphere of collaboration really makes me feel at home.  I hate studying on my own and the project based learning gets you hands on with the material and really works well for my learning style.

The instructors are really good about giving you additional projects if you find yourself being drawn towards particular topics so that you never get bored.  We've had a ton of interesting speakers (Google, 500 Startups, cryptocurrency experts, etc...) and opportunities to speak with local entrepeneurs who are using tech to solve problems in unique and interesting ways.

The mentorship program provides you with a built in base of industry personnel from a variety of companies who are ready and willing to interact with us on a personal level and provide information that we're interested in.

Don't expect to be taught very much in this course. The school curriculum is all on your own with documentation just given to you to learn by yourself. None of the videos or documentation is exclusive to Kenzie, it is all other peoples youtube videos. Just go to youtube and codecademy for free. The staff is nice and always willing to talk to you but nice does not mean helpful. Every meeting I have had with staff members had the same flow. We hear you, we understand where you are coming from, we appreciate your enthusiasm, thank you for your feedback and that is it. Nothing changes. If you have any kind of programming experience this course is definitely not for you. A large portion of our class does not even understand the basics of the course and are getting pushed through to graduation. I did not learn anything about React and still graduated. You can take the year and get the worthless certification with very little actual programming knowledge and be forced to go back you your old job and still pay Kenzie for 4 years. Seriously, IF YOU WANT TO LEARN THIS STUFF GO TO COLLEGE. This is not a school, its a business.

I just graduated from the front end portion of the program. Six months down, six more to go! 

I was super skeptical coming into Kenzie, because honestly I thought it was too good to be true. But I was wrong. This school has been a life saver. It has been by far the best decision I could have made. 

I have learned so much these past six months and I am so thankful for the staff at my school. The instructors are so patient with you, the coaches are extremely helpful, student success is incredible, and honestly my cohort has become a second family to me. They don’t talk about the kenzieFam for nothing! 

If you are looking for a school that genuinely cares about you as an individual, a school with an unmatched culture, a school that will challenge and push you, a place where you can 100% be yourself and have a group of people help you be the best version of that and succeed, then Kenzie is for you. 

I still have six more months to go, and I don’t know where I’ll be after I graduate this next portion of the program, but I owe it all to them. 

I really have enjoyed learning at Kenzie. It has become my family. Not only have I learned a lot about UX but I have learned even more about myself. Kenzie will push you and at the same time encourage you. I love the momentum that this school has when it comes to notoriety. It is well deserved. I really enjoy how the staff as a collective are approachable and available. I can not speak to any other school but I do know that is not common. Students are heard and valued. On top of all of that- the academics are advanced in a way that when you are done with bootcamp, you are ready to work. It's a no brainer for me.
I know that what I am learning is currently in demand in the tech industry. The ISA (Income Shared Agreement) really helps financially for career changers like me. The time that class meets does not affect to much my mommy obligations. I have actually made some really cool apps and great friends!

Kenzie has been an Awesome Experience for me. It has helped me transition into a fast growing tech world in the best possible way I can imagine after being out of school for a long time. In Kenzie, I received a very hands on, project based approach of learning which helped me enter the tech world with confidence. Their curriculum teaches all the right tools needed as a full-stack developer and has an extremely supportive team of staff to help you guide through the process and be there for you whenever you need help. I highly recommend Kenzie to anyone aspiring to join the tech world.