Makers Academy

Taking the plunge into a new career can be extremely daunting, but Makers made my transition from IT consultant to Software engineer near to seamless and enjoyable. From as early as the pre-course Makers encourage you to work with your peers, this was something that didn't come naturally to me but was something that I have been wanting to work on for a long time so I embraced it. You will pair on a daily basis and learn to work with every personality type, and you are guaranteed to make some lasting connections.

I never felt too comfortable, which is a good thing, I was always challenged and felt like I was learning something new every day. You will learn not only how to be a great dev in 12 weeks, but you will be given the tools to continually learn and code anything you can imagine.

The fact that Makers place soft skills on the same level as tech skills was refreshing. Not only did I learn a lot about coding best practices but I learnt a whole heap about myself throughout the process.

I can honestly say that Makers has changed my life, I am starting a dream job and have all the tools to make it an enjoyable experience.

I attended the Makers Academy Bootcamp from September to December 2019. Being in my 30s and having very little prior knowledge (a smattering of hobby coding from my teen years) I went into the course apprehensive that I wouldn't be able to keep up and end up left behind. How wrong I was! I learned a phenomenal amount in just 3 months!
The learning was approached from a bottom-up perspective with a heavy emphasis on learning the very basics of coding first and then using those basics to expand and extend the knowledge learned in a gradual and manageable way to complete more and more complex projects. In addition to the coding there was a heavy emphasis on emotional learning as well, through meditation, yoga and workshops on how to be a more well-rounded and emotionally healthy person in a tough, fast paced industry.
The only con I can think of from the whole experience was the hands-off approach to teaching. Don't get me wrong, the coaches were there to help and provide advice (and were fantastic), but the learning was not in the same vein as school or college wherein the teaching was more formalised and followed a strict curriculum. This was jarring and somewhat difficult to get used to, and at times rather frustrating, but in hindsight it was actually a positive. They gave me the tools to learn organically and on the go, which (after a month in my placement) is absolutely essential and I am definitely grateful for!

In short: the bootcamp was tough, oftentimes frustrating, but ultimately it was a fantastically valuable experience that has given me the knowledge and skills I needed to take my first steps into the Software Development industry!

Makers is very much a self driven course. There are coaches available for classes and assistance, but most learning will be done with your peers using the Makers provided curriculum. If this suits your learning style, I would highly recommend the course. If you prefer structured learning, it might be a bit of a challenge but success is still definitely achievable. You'll get out only as much as you are prepared to commit! Be prepared to work 12 hours a day during the course, with weekend work as well. The course is intense and there's a lot to take in, but with the friendly staff and students I highly enjoyed my time and kind of wish I could do it all again!

I started the 3 month Academy with absolutely no coding experience.

The course material is well laid out, and whilst daunting at first, the coaches are extremely supportive and  helpful. Putting emphasis on not only learning a coding language, but the principles and techniques on how to self study, assess and develop yourself. 

By the end of the 12 week Bootcamp, I had learned the fundamentals to 3 different languages and build web applications in each of them from scratch!

Being able to see the just how far I have come from the first week to the last in such a short a seemingly short space of time is an incredible feeling.
Makers has set me up with skills I can use for the rest of my life, and within a week of joining a team after the academy I am already working on active tickets and contributing to the team.

I would recommend Makers Academy to anyone looking to take the first, or next step in the coding career.

I came into Makers having thought i knew a lot about coding and software development. However that was quickly put aside as makers also teach you other vital skills. Such as behavioral skills like pair programming and working as part of a software development team. Not only this but the emotional support that is available is good for when things got particularly stressful. Overall I would definitely recommend this course to people as they don't teach in the traditional teaching ways. They teach you how to teach your self. For example they will give you a topic and give you some resources and some activities to complete but you spend your time learning how you want to learn. They put on work shops etc to help but also give you a lot of time for you to do your own self led learning.  However being a boot camp that is specific for those with no coding experience, having already had experience the first few weeks seemed rather redundant to me. 

A really great bootcamp, I learnt so much in 12 weeks. Everything from fundamental concepts and multiple languages to Agile processes and effective pairing techniques. All valuable skills in the workplace. The bootcamp has given me so much confidence in my decision to change career. The coaches are very approachable and always on hand should you need them. Mental health and wellbeing are also taken seriously. It's an intense 12 weeks but well worth it. You'll get out of it what you put in. Would definitely recommend.

I've just completed the 12 week boot-camp with Makers and had a fantastic learning experience. Their style of coaching is so engaging and the tasks set were well matched to what we needed to learn. It was great to look back and realize just how much I'd learnt in those 12 weeks. The course also covered some non-coding skills like teamwork , and agile processes which was so helpful when moving into placement.
Overall has a great time, with the help of some super coaches. Didn't want it to end!

I have just finished 3 months Coding Bootcamp with Makers. To start with I was a total beginner. After 12 weeks of intensive learning, pairing, doing challenges, projects. Yes, we had 3 projects! I feel like I have attained the tools and skills to start confidently in my role as Junior Software Developer.

Pros “+”:

— Professional coaches. Throughout the course you get to work with few coaches, and all of them have been knowledgeable and very supportive. They also will never give you the direct answer, bu help you to understand and find answer for yourself;

  — well designed course work;

  — Emotional Support. As part of course you are taught skills to manage your well-being. You learn how to meditate, how to be empathetic , how to look after yourself etc. You can do yoga too! You also can have one2one session with support coach. Take advantage of these, the coaches are amazing and really help me to get through the course, as it was quite challenging for me in all respects. And and emotional support coach was a real bonus!

—  Support after you finish!

Cons “-“ :

— some materials require update, but I think makers are working on this.

Overall, I would recommend Makers to who ever  wants to change their life and have a brilliant start in their Software Developer Career!

Yes, I learnt to code in 3 very intensive months (be prepared for all your relationships to take a backseat!). Yes, I got a job within two weeks of graduating from Makers. But really, that doesn't even compare to what really sets Makers apart from other bootcamps - and that's their focus on emotional intelligence, self-care and diversity. I have a few examples...

1. I was meant to start at Makers in February and got struck down by a serious and chronic health condition that took me out of action for 6 months. They allowed me to keep delaying the start of my course every month, were always available for me to talk through any concerns or questions I had. When I started, they were fully supportive to provide me with what I needed to be able to manage my health whilst at the course.
2. On my first day, I had a few experiences (as a woman, and of South Asian descent) which made me feel uncomfortable. Although Makers and the rest of the tech industry have a long way to go when it comes to diversity, I was able to voice my concerns to a member of staff who then heard these concerns and took action to change the course of it. That made me feel really supported.
3. We have yoga twice a week and daily meditation! Seriously going to miss that...

In terms of 'cons', I would say that the quality of coaching could have been better at times, and it did sometimes feel that they had not been trained thoroughly or had that much experience in teaching. I would also say that some of the course material really felt like it hadn't been updated in years. Also, it would have been nice to have some more time on Javascript - we talked a lot about asynchronicity but I didn't get to really put it into practice until we decided to do a Javascript stack on our final project. However, there is flexibility from week 10 onwards to do more Javascript if you prefer.

In saying that, I don't think any course can be perfect but Makers did feel like it gets the balance right and their pedagogy is effective, and they got me a job (I still can't believe I just got a job as a Software Engineer so quickly!). A shout out to the careers team for their support too!