Makers Academy

Overall, I had a really good experience at Makers. In 5 months from starting the course I’ve got my first job in tech, so trust the process, it works! 

I completed the bootcamp fully remote and while I think makers have successfully made the transition to being completely online, I do think there are some things missing from not being there in person. These things would be the same everywhere though. 

The coaches are very knowledgeable and supportive, you’re in a cohort of people with similar minds and drive which help keep you motivated. 

As it’s remote it can feel a little isolating which probably would be eased by being on site, I don’t know how to compare experiences and whether at changes your opinion on the value of the course. However, my cohort were really fantastic and it felt like a solid community very quickly. For me, it’s been worth every penny. 

Pros: 
- The overall experience is great as you learn incredible things and you keep learning even after the course thanks to the coding bases that you learned. 
- Most of the couches are amazing and you can reach out to them at any moment for advice even if you are feeling low.
- Learn how to meditate is key.
Cons:
- Offer better solutions for financing the course as the one they offer, is highly NOT recommendable.
- More prior experience is needed, more than they recommend.
- They focused a lot on people who are more skilled and have significant prior experience.
- Better feedback on CV and CL as, each of the career coaches have different opinions, and many times, opposite. This makes really hard to get shortlisted.

 I was part of the first part time cohort for Makers' bootcamp, running July 2020 - Feb 2021. Studying part time alongside a day job is really hard work, but Makers' culture puts student wellbeing at the heart of the experience - I don't think I would have made it through without this support. Coaches were sympathetic to the evenings where energy levels were lower, or external commitments meant someone in the cohort was running late, and they always emphasised the importance of taking care of ourselves first and foremost.

The course was really enjoyable - fortnightly challenges give a satisfying sense of progress, and it's all structured to let you stretch yourself as much as you want to (or have time for).  I also really appreciated that the course was based more around understanding effective coding practices that apply in any language, rather than technical drills that might be too language-specific. I feel equipped to go out and learn new languages and techniques in my career.

The final project module was less satisfying - possibly we were just running out of steam after 6 months, and longer stretches working on the same project dragged a bit, but I expect this might be adapted to for future cohorts. 

They take something incredibly daunting and make it manageable (not easy, but manageable). They know the leap your taking and the course is designed to limit the feeling of being overwhelmed, although you definitely feel this more than once. While I found the focus on pair programming & self-led learning a bit odd for a paid course, without it I don't think you could learn the problem-solving skills needed to become a non-computer science grad software engineer. More than that though is how you then interact with your cohort, develop personal skills and friendships that support you through the course and beyond. The career support following Makers was great, namely their partnership programme. I got 5 interviews through them before finally getting a job. 

There is a large number of positives when it comes to taking the Makers course, but in terms of the negatives, the only real downsides have been that some of the course material is a little outdated (with everything constantly changing this is bound to happen), and having joined the course at such a trying time for us all, there wasn't the guaratneed job offer that they normally provide. 

Now in terms of the positives, there are far too many to list, but for me the biggest things were the coverage of the important areas, giving you a real foothold in terms of understanding the coding world, and a good foundation to learn other languages and frameworks, and the support offered throughout, with not only curriculum support and job hunting, but also with mental well-being. 

It is a great way of learning how to code and how to find your way in the vast world of software development. 
The curriculum is very well structured and I found very useful the way they organise solo work, workshops, pair programming and group projects throughout the program.
It is very focused on self-learning so don't expect to be guided and told what to do 100% of the time, but you'd always have someone to ask for help or advice whenever needed. This was a bit disappointing for some of my colleagues but for me it was ideal and it definitely represents how your future working as a developer will feel like.
Their mental health parallel curriculum is very well structured too and covers all the fundamentals on how to create healthy habits both for your career and your life.
After graduation, I felt very supported at all times from the careers team, with some extra technical courses and lots of advice and workshops on how to approach companies and get ready for interviews during your job-hunt.
To summarize, a great experience if you are ready to take on a big challenge and willing to put 100% of yourself into it.

I've just graduated Makers, and have already had my first interview for a position with a company that I'm absolutely thrilled about. I also have another lined up for a different company next week! None of this would have been possible without Makers. Makers Academy helped me to rediscover my passion for just turning ideas into reality.

Before joining, I had a lot of "soft skills" that were absolutely marketable, but didn't quite have the more tangible skills to do the things I wanted to do. I felt extremely limited, and had such low hopes for my job prospects and future. Now, I'm so excited to begin building my life and keep moving forward! 

Pros to Makers:
- Excellent group atmosphere (even remotely!) - Everyone is pretty optimistic and excited to be there.
- The course material is iterative, and there's more than enough to work on, regardless of your 'level' coming into Makers. 
- Lots of autonomy and self-guided learning.
- Great guidance and support during and after the course. 

Cons: 
- Some may find it challenging to guide your own learning. 
- Not everyone is ready to start applying for jobs immediately out of Makers – which is okay! Most people in your cohort will be at different levels.
- Remote learning takes a bit of adjusting if you're not used to it. Zoom fatigue hits really hard after the first group project, but goes away after that.

I joined the Makers programme in June 2020 and I'm really glad I did, the programme structure is top notch, support from the staff and colleagues were great and the pace of learning while high was also great at giving a real insight into how software development projects work in the workplace. If you have the means to join this course I would highly recommend Makers as they not only show you coding concepts that are widely practiced within the industry but also team working skills which is something you don't get while learning to code by yourself. I have grown so much not just as a coder since completing the course but also as a person and have made friends for life which is worth it's weight in gold. Having a support network around you is invaluable for any burgeoning software developer and there's no better place for that than Makers!

My experience at Makers was overall extremely positive. It enabled me to move from a career in senior administration into my first job in the tech industry, within a year, which is an incredible timeline for a career change. 

The course itself is hard work and constantly stimulating, equipping you to become a driven self-learner in software engineering. For those who are committed to pursuing a career in tech, keen to challenge themselves, and willing to make the time & financial commitment, Makers will help you thrive. Their emphasis on and approach around wellbeing, ensures that those students who may struggle with the intensity/speed of the course or the team working aspects, have the necessary support to move forward and achieve their goals.

The staff are fantastic and switched on. I was fortunate to have been placed in a wonderful cohort with hard-working and like-minded peers. The course is heavy on team work: you pair program daily as well as build projects in teams. This is vital to building first-hand experience of collaboration (and people skills) within this field. I imagine it is down to luck what kind of people are in your cohort, which will inform your overall experience.

The careers team are very communicative and clearly work hard to assist you in your job hunt. The job hunt can still be a real challenge, depending on the current job market etc, but I am not sure if there are other bootcamps out there with the same level of job hunting support and aftercare for their students.

Overall, I had a very positive experience at Makers. Before Makers, I was a primary school teacher with very little programming knowledge. The course was challenging, and sometimes incredibly frustrating, but my Makers experience helped me to develop both technical and soft skills that have served me well.  I'd like to reiterate what others have said - while there are coaches on hand, this is very much self-led learning. You'll only get out what you put in. 

The Pros:
- A solid foundational curriculum that teaches best practices such as TDD and pair programming. 
- A focus on soft skills such as effective communication within teams, self-regulation, and problem-solving. 
- Job seeking assistance was awesome, even for me as an international student (Canada)

The Cons:
- There was wide variability in coaching skills and techniques. It was incredibly frustrating to try to get help from some, while others were very supportive. 
-The JavaScript curriculum needs to be updated (this may have been resolved since I graduated)

You've had a dabble learning a programming language and decided you enjoy it - so the next step according to the internet is to get a portfolio, start contributing to open source projects and networking. If you are reading this review, then you likely feel there is a step (or 10) missing. The job requirements you've looked at all ask for a computer science degree or 1-2 years experience for junior developer roles. As your internet search desperation grows you begin to consider the validity of bootcamps but do they overpromise, are they a scam, are they glorified recruitment agencies?

- Makers breeds confidence. A makers mantra is they teach you how to learn. A successful graduate will come out of the bootcamp feeling they are able to learn any programming language/framework and have the tools to debug any error in their code.

- Makers prioritises good practice over results which in turn promotes long term stability and improvement. You will be writing Test Driven Development and learning important principles from day 1 which adds an additional step to your initial learning but is intended to form habits that you will use throughout your career.

- Makers reduces fear and allows you to try. There are no penalties for getting things wrong so you are encouraged to attempt and give your best effort. Coaches and your fellow students are supportive.

- The Makers course is unashamedly hard but absolutely achievable. The pace is rapid (which is a sign that a lot of material is crammed in) and you feel uncomfortable for almost the whole 3 months. Each week introduces something new, so just as you begin to feel comfortable you move on and are learning a fresh concept or language. The only time for reinforcement and practice are weekends and evenings, so you have to prioritise between the extra work or rest, which is just as important to well-being and overall success.

- Makers places the responsibility on you. 10-20% of the course is coach led workshops to introduce new concepts. The rest is self learning and pair programming. It's the equivalent of paying a personal trainer who shows you where the cross-trainer is and hands you an instruction manual. The concept is clear, you will only progress if you are committed and there will be a time when the trainer is no longer around so you need to be able to understand how to continue alone.

- Makers won't make you a developer or guarantee you a job. There is so much work you have to do for yourself. It is very unlikely you will complete all the course material within the time frame but Makers gives you a platform to build from and to continue learning and strengthening your skills. Completing a bootcamp gives no indication of your ability as a programmer so you will likely still need to build your own personal portfolio to showcase your development as well as prove your ability in interview.

- Makers is a valuable resource for finding a job. During the course you will undertake tech test pratice (as long as you want to) and have code reviews so you are constantly improving those future skills. Post graduation you have access to hiring partners who will hire bootcamp graduates as well as fellow alumni for networking and job vacancy links.

- The remote learning does work but is not perfect. One reason you might be considering Makers is the focus on wellbeing with yoga and meditation sessions but these add more screen time to a schedule where you might be at a screen for 7+ hours. Pairing remotely also ties you to a screen for longer periods than you might be comfortable with. I imagine if I had studied in location it would have been a more well-rounded experience due to the social aspect and activites outside of the programming, but I would have had less time to devote to studying.