Alchemy Code Lab - CLOSED

Alchemy is hands-down the best coding boot camp option in Portland. The owner and instructors are all seasoned and experienced software developers, and the TAs are prior students. This is awesome because the instructors are able to answer any questions... Read More you have, and the TAs have been through what you're going through so can relate and help you with the specific work as you need. The owner regularly meets with companies around Portland to learn about what technologies are currently in the highest demand, and adapts the curriculum accordingly, meaning that when you graduated you are equipped with the highest likelihood of getting hired. The program is in-person and full-time, so be sure you are ready for the intensity of it. It's a lot of work, but that's what you should be looking for if you want to attend a boot camp. The career services is the best around. Any boot camp that says they'll place you in a job after graduation is a sham. Alchemy doesn't guarantee you anything, that's on you, but what they do guarantee you is training in how to best help yourself get work through training in how to network, how to negotiate salaries, etc., which are the skills you'll be using for the rest of your life.

PROS: In-person, full-time, unbeatable community and career services, modern curriculum based on what is in demand.
CONS: Most expensive boot camp option (though you get what you pay for)

Whichever other school you are considering you can stop. Alchemy has everything you are looking for. An incredibly in-depth program that takes you from knowing nothing (at least in my case) to being hire-able as a full stack software engineer in the MERN... Read More stack in less than six months! It's that simple. Super knowledgable and empathetic teaching staff, fantastic career services, and tons of networking opportunities. The best part is probably the group projects. Working with three to five other students to build... well, whatever it is you want to build. After four weeks of studying code, my team built a music interval trainer. After eight weeks, we built a Pokemon battle game. After 14 weeks we built a Maze generator. And our final project was a crypto-currency trader. It was one of the best educational experiences I ever had. So thankful to have done it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I decided to join Alchemy Code Lab because, after 4 years of restaurant work, I was fed up with getting people ranch all day. I had a friend take the course, and convince me to try it out. I am so incredibly happy I did, I didn't know how much my life... Read More would change after the fact, being in a new career path I love, the incredible community, and the friends made along the way. This program is fast paced, but it's crazy to see where you went in knowledge from just Monday to Monday, almost by osmosis. Teaching Assistants and staff are always around and helpful. The career services part of the program with, mock interviews, resume reviews, and job assistance, is also top notch! They even bring in past alumni who are all out in the wild and working. All in all, 10/10 experience and would do it all over again!

Pros: I was super prepared for the workforce and got a job within a few months of graduation, great community that supports each other through job search and networking, staff always available to help.
Cons: This program is really difficult - this isn't... Read More really a con, just a warning. Be prepared to work really hard and not have much time for anything else - but it's worth it.

When I decided to go to code school, it became very clear to me that Alchemy's program was special and unlike any of the other programs that were being offered in Portland. I enrolled initially because of the robust career services support, the in-person... Read More learning with a small student/teacher ratio, the relevant and up to date curriculum, and the vibrant, open, and inclusive community. Although my cohort went fully remote halfway through the program due to COVID, Alchemy coached us through the program with relative ease given the circumstances. I was glad that I had the first part of the program in person with my cohort to really build those relationships in-person first and was thankful that Alchemy takes their student's health and safety so seriously.

It is a very very hard program and I would only recommend it to folks who know they are serious about this as a career. However, for those that are ready to put in the work and be humbled in the process, this program is hard to beat. Ryan has a gift for explaining very difficult concepts and will really amplify your learning and Shannon is such a champion for Alchemy folks! The community you are welcomed into is incredible and really uplifts and supports each other not only during the program but ongoing.

I came into the program with no prior programming experience. You quickly pick up how to use vanilla JavaScript and HTML as well as CSS before moving into working with databases and libraries such as React. It's a very fast paced program where you learn... Read More a ton in a short amount of time. The instructional staff are top tier and the TA's are super helpful in answering any questions you have an providing feedback for your assignments. The career services are also top tier. I would highly recommend this program to anyone - in fact I recommended it to my brother and he completed the course as well!

This program is, quite simply, amazing. Having gone into the program with zero knowledge about web and software development, I finished the program feeling extremely competent. The courses are challenging and a lot of work, but all of the effort immensely... Read More pays off. While the program has you develop a wide breadth of very in-demand skills, they also teach you how to continue developing as a programmer after the program is finished. The teachers and staff are incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and expert in their respective fields, and continue to support students after they graduate the program. The focus on career building in particular is what made me choose this program over others in the Portland area, and I have to say the career counseling alone makes this program worth it. I landed my first coding job within a month of the end of the program, and I have yet to come across a problem I couldn't find a solution to. You will work very, very hard in this program but it is absolutely 100% worth it. I cannot recommend this program enough.

Enrolling at Alchemy was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The coursework is extremely rigorous, with built-in support systems to help students succeed. It’s pretty amazing that in less than half a year, students can gain a very solid foundation... Read More in both the fundamentals and cutting-edge technologies. The curriculum is updated for every cohort to reflect the most sought-after technical proficiencies.

More than anything else, what sets Alchemy apart from other schools is their stellar career services. They have spent years forging relationships with companies, and have built up a strong reputation for graduating students who are ready to hit the ground running and be contributing members of engineering teams. They go above and beyond to make sure students are prepared not just technically, but also ready to translate their existing skills for a new tech career. I graduated Alchemy feeling 100% ready to interview successfully and thrive in a technical career.

Alchemy Code Lab is by no means your average code bootcamp experience. While many code school graduates might feel like they're ready to enter into the tech industry, I think few of them really are. As an Alchemy grad, I felt like I had a huge leg up... Read More over other code school graduates. Alchemy doesn't just cover foundational web dev concepts. The curriculum changes to reflect the rapidly evolving landscape of modern frameworks. Another incredibly important facet of this program is that on day one they are honest with you in that most of what you learn will eventually be obsolete. The most valuable asset you take away from this course is an understanding of how to learn new code concepts. For a 6 month course, I'm still shocked at the amount of hard and soft skills students acquire here. If you're worried about the cost, google "average full stack web dev salary".

I, like most people, was in an unfulfilling dead-end boring monotonous career living paycheck to paycheck. My long time girlfriend and I were talking about getting married and I knew it was time for a career change if I was to support a growing family.... Read More I had interests in engineering and software development but didn't want to wait the 3-4 years for a degree, so eventually I settled on going to a code school/bootcamp. Between in-person (prior COVID) to remote, there are a ton to choose from. After months of reading reviews and blogs, talking to industry professionals, attending lectures, and touring different places...there really was no competition. Given the curriculum and resources available Alchemy Code Lab was going to give me best shot I could have for making my dreams a reality. There is no easy way to put it, the course is tough. You will drink from a firehose of knowledge and information. There will be times you want to quit cause you feel you can't do it. Just remember why you're there, reach out to your peers who are struggling just as much as you, and ask for help from the staff (They Will Always Help). Alchemy Code Lab doesn't just teach you how to code (don't worry, they do a great job at that); they teach you how to learn and grow in the tech world, how to research a problem effectively, how to find new technologies to implement, how to bug fix, how to test, how to learn new languages, how to ask the right questions, how to network, how to interview in the tech world (much different than the trades)...they show you how to take anything imaginable, and make it real (week long team sprints are a game changer). I started the program in January and completed it in June. Since graduating I have participated in two major hackathons (Techlandia working with BLE relays and AWS where my team took 3rd place) working with languages and frameworks I never learned in Alchemy, but regardless I was able to pick up things up pretty quick; and I accredit it all to Alchemy. If you're considering going to Alchemy Code Lab, just do it. It's worth it.