Code Fellows

I loved Code Fellows. I went through the entire program, from 101 to 401 with no prior coding experience. The instructors and teaching assistants were supportive and always available to help. It is a fast-paced environment, which allowed me to learn a... Read More lot of modern technologies and best practices in a short amount of time. Highly recommend for anyone who is also looking to change their life!

I went through this program as a veteran and had my expenses paid for by the GI Bill. I would have spent the money anyway. The 201, 301, and 401 sequence is an excellent curriculum that will have you exploring the possibility of building your own projects... Read More by the end. The Python course was incredibly intense, throwing loads of meaningful homework and practice problems onto students that want to develop a better understanding of data structures and back end web development, and gain introductory insight into scientific Python, particularly Jupyter notebooks and the basic scientific suite (Numpy, Pandas, Matplotlib). Some additional pros and cons follow.

Pro: The bootcamp is geared toward getting you a job. Getting a job requires more than shoving mounds of knowledge into your brain; it requires connecting you to the community, increasing your internet presence, and showing you networking opportunities. The Python curriculum, at least, grades harshly, so you are often looking for more points to meet the certification requirements. Luckily, going to meetups, attending networking events, and giving lightning talks at meetups all count as extra credit. All this does is help students get involved and advance their careers. Two students immediately got interviews as soon as they graduated because of the strong networking incentives this program provides.

Pro: I wanted to make this a con, but after some deep reflection, I decided to make this next topic a pro. As a developer, you will be pair programming frequently at a real job. It is unavoidable, and the Python course is almost entirely pair programmed. I didn't like it a lot of times, but I realize that I was getting better at communication, learning a lot more, and learning to better manage my emotions. It emphasizes soft skill development which is a key aspect of being a high performer. Once you're done with the course, you'll go back to programming on your own and you won't have an opportunity to pair program until you land a job. Suck it up and build a skill you won't gain by learning on your own.

Con: The Python course teaches Pyramid. The curriculum does this on purpose to build familiarity with the MVC, making URLs, templates, and models, and understand the steps in the process of building a webpage using a framework. Once you start learning Django, you will effectively discard all knowledge of Pyramid as Django is far more industry relevant and far more complex and useful. Though Pyramid was a nice bridge between a raw socket and the enormity of Django, I almost feel like the gain of the smooth transition is minuscule compared to just jumping straight into Django.

Con: They threw in the data science stuff at the end. This is a minor point, as the course emphasizes web development in Python, not data science.

Otherwise Code Fellows is an established and fantastic place to learn software development. They want you to get a job, and they find a good balance between imparting knowledge and integrating you into the community. If you are going to choose a bootcamp in Seattle (or even the country), I'd recommend Code Fellows.

I went from fork lift driver to software developer over the course of a year working full time. Most everything with my experience was positive. The curriculum covered a wide variety of topics that started with backend development for 10 weeks with a... Read More midterm project that was a fully RESTful api. The latter half of the course focused on front end development using AngularJS. By the end of the 20 week course I was able to fully build and deploy a full stack web application. Furthermore, the course focused a large section of time on studying data structures and algorithms and career development. These combined gave me the skills needed to apply and interview for software development positions.

Pros I have had so far are fast pace learning, on scale with what I had to do while I was in the military. My insctructor Adam is VERY knowledgeable and will always make sure you get the help you need to understand what you are doing. The environment... Read More is very friendly and they provide a networking experience like I have never seen, with lunches every Friday that have speakers from other tech companies. I recently signed up for a code Fellows exclusive with google...

The only con I have right now is parking, it would be nice if they could provide parking information in the local area (very short walking distance) that offer monthly parking. Or even one up that and maybe add an extra cost option into tuition and have the parking taken care of like maybe parking in the Cisco building itself.

Code Fellows is the best decision I've ever made. My job in real estate was lacking any challenge, I was bored, so I started thinking about doing something completely different. I love problem solving and am a big board gamer, so it made perfect sense... Read More to look into code schools as my next step. Code Fellows was clearly the best fit in terms of duration and cost, not to mention their great instructors and cool new campus. My instructor Brian went the extra mile and the diversity at Code Fellows helped me to view different perspectives, to grow more and learn faster. They also have partner relationships with the big players which has motivated me to do the extra work. I know Code Fellows will support me and make sure I am ready to apply to these big companies - especially Microsoft. Highly recommended.

I'm a musician, an Army veteran and recently got my BS in audio engineering. When I entered the corporate world, I couldn't find anything that seemed like a good fit for me. I was in a dead-end job when someone sent me a couple links for Code Fellows.... Read More When I contacted Code Fellows I really felt like I was talking to a 'real' local person and was immediately comfortable and knew I would fit in. They helped me get set up with the GI Bill and before I knew it, I was on my way. I was excited and the Army really taught me the patience and willingness to work hard and fight through any challenges. My instructor Adam and classmates at Code Fellows were a great support as well. It was a really good feeling to know we were all in it together and wanted to help each other succeed. Code Fellows has given me the opportunity to create a better life for me and my family.

I was living in LA, planning to use my GI Bill funds to attend a code school that was advertising approval for GI Bill funds, turned out they weren't actually approved. I found out Code Fellows was approved, got in touch with them and it has worked out... Read More great. After my time in the Air Force, I became a day trader but wanted something more, there's no community aspect in that industry. In the coding world, it's all about community, it's awesome to be in such a supportive environment. The discipline I learned in the Air Force really helped me understand the time, rigor and dedication needed to code. The instructors at Code Fellows are dedicated and put in a lot of hard work to help you succeed - Brian is awesome. If it weren't for Code Fellows and their approval to accept GI Bill Funds, I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to do this. Now I will be able to find a career doing what I enjoy most - coding!

I just finished the 401 Full Stack JavaScript class (having also taken 201 and 301 at Code Fellows). My experience has been phenomenal the entire way through. The staff and TAs are dedicated to student success, both in terms of the technical curriculum... Read More (web development) and preparation for entering the job market. Code Fellows instructors are not only experts in the field, they are also deeply attuned to how people learn to code, what works and what doesn't, and what students need from instructors to do their best work. Both of the instructors I had genuinely cared about each and every student and their progress. They also shared invaluable knowledge of the many aspects of what it is like to work as a web developer.

The staff and instructors are constantly working to keep the curriculum relevant to current industry practices and making connections and deepening relationships with area companies that hire web developers. Code Fellows also places a big emphasis on using educational strategies that work, and despite already doing a phenomenal job in this area, they continue to strive to be even better in this area. They very much value and use student input to help improve their courses.

It is hard work to get through these classes, but Code Fellows gives you all the tools to do well assuming you are willing to invest the effort and time. For me personally, Code Fellows not only gave me the focus to learn what I needed to learn to become an entry level web developer, but additionally their dedicated and passionate staff made me love coding more than I thought possible.

After graduating with a 4-year degree in the sciences, I got a great job at the Fred Hutch here in Seattle. It's a company with a mission that I care about, but I had ambitions to contribute more than allowed by my current role - I needed more skilled... Read More training. So thankfully with the support of my manager, I started searching for code schools that offer night courses, so I could keep working during the day.

I was referred to Code Fellows by a friend, and after reading about their courses, career development and their great reviews I knew Code Fellows was right for me. I'd been teaching myself how to code using online resources but wanted to work with other people to improve my collaborative coding skill-sets. Code Fellows provided the educational structure and instructional resources in a teamwork-oriented environment that helped me succeed. It took a ton of hard work and dedication, and now I'm graduating and ready to find a new career as a software developer. Thanks to Scott and Duncan for everything they did to help us get through it all - they're great instructors. Code Fellows is an excellent school and I highly recommend it!

I’m an Army Veteran, and after doing my service, I wanted to get into a career where I could create stuff as well as have a more flexible schedule. I was trying to teach myself how to code, using Code Academy, Team Treehouse, and other websites. Then... Read More after attending a Code Fellows 101 in NYC taught by Brook, I knew this was the school for me, so I decided to relocate to Seattle and attend the school full-time since they took the G.I Bill. Mindy and Maggi in Admissions were great and helped me get the GI Bill funds and the Code Fellows Diversity Scholarship for their 401 course.

I did very well and I think why I did well came down to a few things:

1. I wasn't afraid to ask questions

2. I eliminated social media (a lot of students get distracted by social media) --disable your FaceBook folks, it'll be OK I promise!!

The discipline instilled from my military experience really helped me meet the deadlines for projects and assignments, which was critical to my success. The Instructor, Duncan, and one of the TAs, Judy, were awesome and very tough on grading. Our final project was very cool (if I say so myself) our small team used a Raspberry PI with voice and facial recognition technology to build a security system - the Code Fellows CEO said it was in his top three favorite demos of all time! I highly recommend Code Fellows! They have helped me succeed in getting the skills, knowledge and confidence to go out and get a great coding job!