Code Institute

I graduated with an integrated Masters in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry but realising that I had no passion for the field, I decided to make a career change. I didn't know what change to make it to, but after developing an interest in code and... Read More encouragement from developer friends, I decided to enrol in a bootcamp. I enrolled in Code Institute through the Learning People, after doing the 5-day coding challenge, and finding the experience to be a thrill. Over the year, I found the course to be beginner friendly, practical and engaging. I appreciated the combination of lessons and challenges which culminates in a project for each unit. The course covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Python in depth, with various libraries and frameworks. But not so much other programming languages such as C#, Java, PHP and so on. Each project includes walkthroughs of example projects that allow you to put all you've learned to practice before starting your own project. As someone who learns the best by -doing-, I found this suited me perfectly. I was provided with wonderful mentors, tutor help and support in the form of other students on the Code Institute slack. The assessment team provided me with brilliant feedback after my submissions that helped me to become a better developer and ready for the professional world of tech. The Careers team were also very helpful, giving me CV and Cover Letter advice, which gave me the confidence to search for roles. I have received a job offer and I am ever so grateful to CI for everything I've learned.

I attended a 25 week full stack course with code institute, it was quite intense with a lot of obstacles but with our individual and group efforts managed to overcome and complete the course. Also, tutoring and mentoring sessions worked really well and... Read More helped me to finish the course. There are still ongoing issues with IDE platform but hopefully, that won't affect future students who would like to attend this course.

I enjoyed the year I spent completing the Code Institute Full-stack Software Development (E-commerce) course a lot. The community that is in place for students creates a great sense of togetherness and I felt supported throughout the whole course. The... Read More Code Institute Team was very friendly and helpful. Having a cohort facilitator was a great asset as it gave students the feeling of having someone to turn to at all times. While later project deadlines were a bit tight and caused the odd moment of stress, it also encouraged to me persevere and adjust my work process and project planning accordingly - all skills I value a lot now. A great part of this course is the Careers Hub. Especially for career changers entering the tech industry is very intimidating. Having such a supporting team and meeting a lot of peers in the same boat gave me the confidence to put myself out there and I am very happy with my new career. I wish I'd had a bit more time to complete this course purely for the sake of deepening my understanding what was being taught. However, this is now a case for future projects. And finishing a course with the desire to learn more can only be a good thing.

I found code Institute software development course very thorough and highly organised. The support I received as a student was outstanding. Pros: 1. The flexible nature of the course makes it less challenging 2. Enthusiastic career care team. 3. Amazing... Read More student support

Really good course, it really does cover a lot. The only one thing I can suggest is perhaps adding a few more projects or mini projects to practice coding a bit more. Although I did learn a lot by watching tutorials and small course reinforce the knowledge.... Read More

Code Institute was a really good bootcamp that allowed me to gain the confidence in technology and coding in order to progress to becoming a software developer. The tech stack they use is very modern and up to date, and although I now use a different... Read More tech stack the fundamentals that they teach you in regards to programming such as differences between languages, familiarity with APIs, debugging and good code practices are invaluable for anyone looking for a career in software development. They also give solid advice on getting a career, and I was able to land a job after only a single interview! (although mileage will vary as I think I was lucky as well).

My experience in the Software Dev course was amazing! The support we have from the tutors and cohorts, meetings and interactions wiht colleagues, everything is well prepared to give to the student the best experience and preparation for the role. Thanks... Read More a lot!

I have just finished the course and I won't lie, as a full-time stay-at-home mom with no prior experience it was hard. But as well as achieving a Diploma as a full stack developer and 5 projects for my portfolio, I have access to their ever-growing community... Read More of students and alumni which is invaluable. The community constantly shares advice and support and all student are encouraged to share information which is such a great way to build confidence and work on your debugging skills. They have a dedicated careers team that holds regular webinars and provides information on everything from making the most of your LinkedIn page to interview prep. And they provide you with opportunities to build your CV while on the course, with regular Hackathons and Slack channel lead opportunities. I have yet to start applying for jobs as of yet as I have only finished the course and feel I would like to build my confidence with tech tests but no doubt I will get there.

My overall experience with CI bootcamp has been AMAZING!!! I completed my CI degree and started working just a week later. And, a year later, I am still at the same job. However, it's important to note that it wasn't handed to me on a silver platter -... Read More I had to work HARD for it. If you're considering joining CI bootcamp, be prepared to invest your time, effort, and patience into the program. As a single mom to a young child and already having a job when I started with CI, I had to reorganize my entire life, for a year, to make it work. It was not easy, and there were times when the concepts and technologies were completely new to me, and I doubted my abilities. However, I stayed motivated and sought guidance from my mentor, who gave me the push I needed to keep moving forward. This is what mentors are there for - to provide guidance and support when needed. Yes, there are rules and limitations on mentor time per project, but that's a reflection of real-world development scenarios where you constantly need to research, read documentation, and learn independently. The bootcamp prepares you for this by giving you a solid foundation and teaching you how to learn and adapt in a fast-paced industry. It's important to note that you won't know everything after completing the bootcamp, but you'll be equipped with the skills and knowledge to land a junior position and continue learning and growing in your career. One of the standout aspects of CI bootcamp is the unparalleled support system. The tutors, mentors, and fellow students on Slack are always ready to help and support each other. The career services team is outstanding, providing comprehensive support in preparing me for the job market through resume reviews, mock interviews, and job search strategies. Their guidance and resources were invaluable in helping me secure a coding job immediately after completing the bootcamp. I am incredibly grateful that I invested my time in CI bootcamp because of the exceptional support and guidance provided. They know what they're doing and will guide you, but you have to put in the actual work yourself. Overall, I highly recommend CI bootcamp to anyone considering a career in tech. You will get there, but you need to be willing to work for it.

I completed the 5P course in 2023 and have received my EQF level 5 certificate. I thought I'd give an honest review of the course. I personally didn't gel with the LMS learning style and did my best throughout (though that's a more personal take than... Read More anything else), but I felt like there was much more content-wise that could be done to bridge the gap for people without prior coding experience before getting into Javascript, Python/Django. I felt like some of the projects (from a zero background in code perspective) were equivalent to asking you to write a book with a list of words but not really going through the grammar. Maybe they could teach HOW to think and solve like a programmer in the course somewhere. Some of the content is quite old and requires updating as well, I found quite a few bugs and some content is recycled from previous versions of the course. For the price of this course it should be getting overhauled every 2 years at least to keep up with the industry. The mentorship is a bit misleading as there isn't anyone there to guide you through the course in that respect. You get 3 sessions with your 'mentor' per project and otherwise you need to look around for help/advice on slack or online. When I started they cut tutor support down drastically so that was a bit frustrating. They also cut mentor times down as well whilst I was on the course!! Saying that, my 3rd and final mentor was terrific. Helped out and gave good advice to pass these projects. Some individual tutors did go above and beyond on some occasions to help as well it must be said. I would be interested to know the actual completion rate of the course because I know dozens of other students share a similar view. You're also studying alongside many people who have degrees in or prior experience with computer science or coding, which I believe can make things a little unfair. The marking criteria for projects is quite vague, I had an odd mixture of Pass and Merit where on review I couldn't understand how or why they marked me the way they did. The job market is tougher now and I'm finding I can't really compete with the current university grads applying for the same roles. I was hoping to feel like a software developer by pp4/pp5 but even afterwards I still don't. I have found a role now, but only after hundreds and hundreds of applications. The bootcamp doesn't seem to be particularly impressive to employers. In hindsight, I'd have probably gone with a different course or tried to self teach in my own time. I do appreciate what C.I are trying to do here but for the price and constantly moving the goalposts with what you get (mentor/tutor support wise and support with deadlines) I think it's not good enough. Especially since it went up since I first enrolled in 2022! I hope C.I do majorly update the course and maybe drop down to 4 projects again so students can really focus on learning the material properly instead of rushing to complete projects following a specific (and/or out-of-date) walkthrough. I would also hope they allow more lenient marking for students without cs degrees or experience to be a little more fair to them. Or at least more flexible deadlines.