App Academy

App Academy came at a point that I decided to change my life and try to pursue something that I really cared about but didn't necessarily have the means to do so. a/A provided me the support and tools I needed to achieve that which I didn't think I could.... Read More I went through the 24 week online course and I have to say that it is an intense process that challenges you week in and week out. Some say it's the hardest thing that they have ever done and I can't say that I disagree. I can say that the grueling nature of it has a purpose and you emerge all the better for it. It is not for everyone, some find the steep learning curve too hard but if you are committed and you put in the necessary time, it is very doable and worthwhile. The overall highlight is definitely the staff, who mostly support you throughout the whole course and continue the support into your job search. The curriculum material can be a little erratic in its teaching format and does occasionally need some updating, but you do learn the most current and up to date coding styles.

This program is a serious undertaking, but the results are worth it! When they say 90+ hours a week, they're not kidding. I had a prior CS degree and still found some of the course content quite challenging. But do not let that deter you! I was constantly... Read More impressed by how much my cohort-mates who had < 1 year of coding experience were able to pick up. This experience is truly what you make of it, and I promise you can do it. I originally thought I could study all of this material on my own, but I don't think I could have done it nearly as effectively and quickly. Almost 3 months since graduation, I have already landed a solid job offer and have seen several people in my cohort-mates doing the same. If you work diligently and truly take advantage of the resources a/A provides for you, you really can change/advance your career. Here are some of my overall pros and cons for the program: Pros: - Even remote (due to COVID), help was easily accessible from our TA's through most of the process, and our cohort was so supportive of one another. - While the assessments can be daunting and can determine your fate in the course, the TA's hold office hours leading up to them that are extremely helpful and, I think, important for your success. - Paired programming forces you to learn how to communicate your code and thought processes to others (a skill that is so important in interviews and of course in the field). - You will graduate with 3 major projects that demonstrate your skills. a/A understands that you want them to be your best and although there are "deadlines", you will be able to continue working on them before you are required to start looking for jobs. Cons: - I did feel that the HTML/CSS curriculum is not taught in lectures enough. It is mostly in self-taught lessons. Without a firm understanding of this material, starting/styling your major projects can be really overwhelming. - The daily projects that you and your partner do are structured to be very difficult and time consuming (you will likely never finish everything). Depending on your pace and understanding, you may not make it far enough to receive the practical experience on everything that was taught that day. - Many of the people who are part of the job search curriculum are really great at what they do, but it is truly on you to be proactive and take advantage of everything they have to offer, or you may feel very much on your own.

I really felt App Academy was a great experience with instructors who really take their time to make sure you're learning the material. The exam structure makes sure you're disciplined and staying on top of the material. I thought everything we learned... Read More in the course was relevant and are sought after skills in the industry.

Glad I found this out because it’s really amazing to have access to this free curriculum. Freedom of access to information is what it’s called but it’s written as App Academy. Pros: Free Awesome tutors Learn on your own schedule Cons: Since you’re not... Read More paying for it you may lose the track by not being disciplined or life may get you distracted but hey keep it up there’re no cons other than your own mind.

Attending App Academy was definitely a challenging and rigorous experience, however I am so glad to have made this personal change in my life. I have been pushed outside of my comfort zone which helped me advance more than I could have on my own. Along... Read More with the extensive curriculum, I also enjoyed meeting nice and unique individuals from all over the country.

I was very skeptical of the bootcamp process at first, but the App Academy curriculum made me believe that the bootcamp route is a very legitimate option for those who want to change their career. With that being said, it is very rigorous (9 hours of... Read More lecture & projects each day), so only take on the challenge if you are truly driven to change your career. Pros: Lots of very bright, motivated students. Instructional staff is great for the most part, and they largely hire alumni so any staff member is likely to have gone through a/A as well. Cons: Some of the curriculum materials could be revamped as they are difficult to understand. There are some modules that are very easy to understand, and some material that is presented in a complicated manner. This statement is purely an opinion and does not extend to ALL a/A material, but it does apply to some. To the instructors' credit, they acknowledge a lot of this feedback. It is my understanding that they constantly update/upgrade the curriculum, so don't expect this issue to be permanent.

I have to say, I was skeptical of bootcamps since some are known to inflate their statistics. But with app academy, I was happy to know they took everything seriously. I worked close to a 100 Hours a week, and the stress of having weekly assessments,... Read More that could kick you out of the program, weighed on me heavily. But at the end I learned a lot of new skills, which helps with the job search.

I took the July 2020 in-person curriculum held remotely. I enjoyed my time at App Academy. The staff was great and a/A does a great job in providing a great learning environment (You are encouraged to always ask questions). I met a lot of great people... Read More and would highly suggestion creating a study group. App Academy's curriculum provides every student the foundation to succeed but every student's experience is a lot different. This is a situation where you get what you put in. The curriculum is fast and very tough, especially if you do not have any experience in coding. By the end of the program, you will have had 3 capstone projects (Full Stack, MERN stack, Vanilla Javascript). Overall, I'm happy with my decision on attending App Academy, but because it was such a rigorous curriculum, I would not want to go through it again.

Pros - Great community of people and great alumni - Great instructional team Cons - Curriculum could be updated Overall, I really loved my experience at App Academy. There were times I wish it was in person because it would have been nice to have a full... Read More immersive experience, but I think they still did a great job in handling everything remote. It really is about the work you put in because they can teach you everything, but it's all about the effort you put in to try and understand the material. I wish they could have updated the curriculum a little bit, but I still came out feeling confident in my skills to code. You also meet a lot of great people there!

TLDR: Of course it's hard. But the payoff is greaaaaaat! :D If you're thinking of what bootcamp, just apply to App Academy. Pros: - Amazing experience - You can ask for help aaaaaaaaaall the time - Lots of resources - Relevant course materials - Software... Read More salaries are QUITE high - You learn 2 languages, a frontend framework, 3 projects (2 solo, 1 group), and a bunch of other stuff Cons: - Sooooooooooo much work (your routine will be: Coffee, Lecture, Lunch, Work, Work, Dinner, Work, Sleep, Repeat for 16-weeks) Not TLDR: Hello World! - the beginning of your journey; if in fact you are new to this stuff like I was. Before App Academy, I had been a Host and a Server in the restaurant business for four years. When the pandemic hit I was out of a job and had to look for options. I live in San Francisco and a ton of people here are in tech and so I thought I'd check it out and see if it was for me. I took a two-week Jumpstart program with App Academy and there I learned Ruby - a cool language that flows like plain English; mostly. I was never great at math but have always been interested in languages. Learning to code is like learning a language. If you like that, try it out. When you're coding you're solving problems and trying to get stuff to work. It can be very gratifying! Jumpstart was a lot of fun for me and so I applied to App Academy. On my first try I hadn't practiced my skills enough but on the second try I did great! From the first day at App Academy know that you are in for a lot of work. In the morning, I think it was ~9-12:30 for me, you will have lectures with 1-2 5-10 minute breaks in-between. In the afternoon, ~1:30-5, you will be paired up with a fellow classmate to solve a bunch of problems mostly related to your morning lectures. The lectures will be based on your previous evenings material. Expect about 4-6 hours of studying every evening - I wish that were a joke but you've got a lot to learn in 16-weeks. You will do your partner and yourself the most good if you do your homework. Please, please, please, do your homework. When I graduated, it took me about 2-3 more weeks to finish up my final projects. After that you go into job search and you will continue to do tons of work so that one day, you will land an awesome job in software!! :)