Codesmith

I just finished week 1 for the first 9-to-5 job I've ever had. It has been the scariest, most exhilarating week of my life ... besides my first week at Codesmith.

My target salary after graduating was around Codesmith's median at the time, $100k. I was unbelievably fortunate to be offered a senior frontend role for a $150k base salary within two weeks of graduation. Is it too good to be true? Well, I don't have time to verify this -- I'm too busy cramming my new company's codebase, so that I can hopefully avoid getting fired in week 2 ;)

One amazing thing about Codesmith is that even if I get let go from this, my first role, I now have enough confidence in myself as a programmer to get my second incredibly quickly. Codesmith trained me to be a blazingly-fast learner (since fr...

I graduated from college in 2017 where I majored in Finance/Economics and minored in CS. I tried management consulting for a year, but realized that the parts of the job that excited me the most were related to computer science, so I self taught myself HTML/CSS/JS as far as I could.

But when it came to applying to jobs, I found that my experience just wasn't enough. So I applied to Codesmith on a whim, and it turned out to be the best decision I could have made. I was making $75k as a consultant, and was interviewing for junior positions that would have paid ~$80k, but even these positions I wasn't passing the phone screens.

After putting in a few months of hard work at Codesmith, I received a contract offer with JPM for $60/hr! And now, a few months later, I've leveraged my exp...

As someone with very limited experience with coding and even knowing where to start with learning how to code, I was very happy to find Codesmith. Codesmith has three main sections - CSX (online prep tool), CSPrep (two week online class) and Software Immersive (full time bootcamp). I started by signing up for their free CSX program, which allowed me to work through each part of the curriculum at my own pace. The problems are designed to have you figure them out and work through them without a lot of hand holding, which was tough at first but really helped you learn. From there I applied for CSPrep, which was an incredible experience. Our class of about 15-20 students all logged in each night with webcams. For being online, the class was designed to be very interactive - you definitely h...

I took CS Prep this February and it was a very fulfilling experience. I will start by saying that after taking CS Prep, I was passed my technical interview and was accepted into the Immersive on my first try. CS Prep provided me with a solid foundational Javascript knowledge and taught me the technical communication skills that were necessary not only to be admitted to the program, but to begin to think and work like an engineer. Each day of class for about an hour, we pair program which is a great exercise in learning to be a better communicator. Our instructor Ryan kept class interesting and informative and was always willing to provide extra help and guidance. The group project that we did at the end of the course was my first experience building something from scratch in Javascript ...

Trying to navigate your way to the RIGHT bootcamp in 2019 is a lonely, confusing place to be. Codesmith's CS Prep course, along with their free CSX courses and free streamed/in-person "Javascript the Hard Parts" are a great way to get to know the culture and pedagogy of Codesmith. I've been accepted to most of the top bootcamps and have had my eye on the space for more than a while. My experience in CS Prep confirms my suspicious that Codesmith's curriculum, pedagogy, and culture are unmatched in the 12-16 week bootcamp space.

Ryan Trontz, the teacher for CS Prep, has a long history of teaching subjects from Economics to Mathematics to Programming. He HIMSELF is a relatively recent product of Codesmith's SWE immersive. He's able to both zoom deeply in on topics to give you a step-by-...

After attending CS PREP online, it definitely gets you ready for Codesmith or any other bootcamps. The course is well organized and curriculum is well laid out. I do advise to take their CSX prep online before attending because in some scenarios will jump from zero to sixty pretty fast. I’m not sure will this be the same for all CS PREP course, but the one I attended created a network of great programming peers who are eager to learn as much as I do. A shout-out to our instructor Ryan as well creating and embracing that peer to peer support environment.

I don't know where I'd be if I had chosen to attend any other bootcamp instead of Codesmith. As a recent graduate from UCSB with a Financial Math and Stats major, I was unsure of my future as I began having second doubts of my career that I had selected. Codesmith took my interest in coding and turned it into a passion to learn more about the technology that is affecting our world today. In such a rigorous yet rewarding course, I've constantly been challenged to improve myself in critical areas, technical and non-technical. From tackling problems with the right mindset to the ability to communicate clearly to colleagues, I consider every skill I've picked up critical to to myself and the future of my career.

Getting into Codesmith isn't easy, and it doesn't better once you get in. Ho...

This review is in regards to Codesmith's CS Prep program, which not only prepares you for Codesmith's technical interview, but creates a phenomenal foundation for anyone who is truly interested in understanding the JavaScript language. I do not come from a CS background, and before taking CS Prep was extremely skeptical of my ability to learn JavaScript. After the two-week part-time program, I am not only confident in my ability to understand all aspects of the JavaScript language, I am unafraid of the idea of not knowing. I completely attribute this mental shift to CS Prep and the instructor Ryan, who's ability to encourage and teach has greatly improved my overall JS knowledge and skills.

Completing Codesmith's 12-week program was one of the hardest--and most rewarding--things I've ever done. I had completed an immersive program somewhere else before going to Codesmith, and the difference was like night and day. Codesmith's curriculum takes you deep down into computer science fundamentals and under-the-hood JavaScript in a way other programs do not. The quality of instruction is top-notch, too.

The 12 weeks are very intense: there's no doubt about it. But you will learn. A lot! The staff will make sure of it. If they see you're falling behind, they will work with you one-on-one for whatever amount of time it takes to make sure your understanding is up to speed. There's no falling through the cracks here.

It's also one of the most supportive and welcoming communiti...

Overall a great experience. I had previously taken another boot camp which wasn't as immersive or as in depth. This program pretty much felt like part 102 to their 101. It is a lifestyle for those 3 months. It is high demand but comes with a great return if you dedicate yourself to it. Prep is big, the testing to get accepted is very stringent but the more you can cover before going in the more you will take out when you walk away. This is due to the massive amount of material you go over while you are there. I would recommend it to my closest friends and have...

13-week immersive full-stack web development residency that focuses heavily on pair programming, technical communication and community. Cohort-sizes range from 12-16 and you really build a strong connection with everyone as you do a deep dive into Node.js, Express, React, Redux, Build tools, etc. After the first half, we built really high level projects involving server side rendering, kubernetes, graphQL, and react component efficiency. Everyone gets at least one chance to do a deep dive into a high level topic by giving a 15 minute tech talk in front of your cohort-mates. The new space in NYC is beautiful and it is minutes from delicious chinatown food. In the final week, we are done coding and the job preparation lectures and workshops are solid in terms of perfecting your resume, o...

My experience with Codesmith started with despair and self doubt. Before interviewing at Codesmith, I have been self studying for a couple months. I reached Codewars Kata 6, I finished Fullstack Prep in a week, I completed Hack Reactor's online program, and just to add another layer of security, I finished CSX before I applied. I thought I was a shoe in, and boy was I wrong. I was completely crushed in the first interview, got close to being accepted by the second one, and I was wondering if I could ever get in, and maybe I should just go with other programs. At the end, I gave myself a hard dead line, and the rest was just the beginning.

Codesmith is going to push you out of your comfort zone. If you are naturally curious (aka console.log blobs just to see what it says, or try to us...

While I was searching for the best software engineer residency program, Codesmith’s JS Hard Parts caught my attention.
Their hardparts lecture was an eye opening experience overall due to their simple and organized explanations.
I finally understood the “Why” and the “How” behind my code and was able to implement them throughout my algorithm problems using technical communication.

It was all or none. Either I wanted to be a software engineer and live my dream or continue my job that I didn’t have any passion for...
I made a quick decision to quit my job and dedicated the next 6 months to solely focus on building my future and career (3 months to study and pass Codesmith's interview and the other 3 months to face the immersive 12-week program at Codesmith).

Since day one of Cod...

The journey of being a good developer constitutes being great at problem-solving and confident of your skill set. Before joining the Codesmith residency, I had spent a lot of hours coding as a front-end developer and loved every bit of what I did. Yet, my computer engineering degree and my passion did not translate into awesome job opportunities as somewhere I felt like an imposter. After watching the online material on Javascript by Will, I knew that I had to invest in myself and joined the residency program.

I love coding, so spending countless hours coding and learning about the core of web development was a treat! But there was something more - the positive environment and knowledgable mentors like Alex just made me more confident of my skillset and appreciate the development wor...

I had a very good experience at Codesmith. There were a few areas where I personally saw some room for improvement, which I will discuss below, but overall it's certainly an excellent program. Here are my thoughts on its strengths as well as just some things to be aware of as you decide if CS is right for you.

First off, the culture at CS is amazing. Everyone is super friendly and supportive of each other as they go through this sometimes stressful/intense learning process. While I feel lucky to have worked with such a great group of people at CS I also know it wasn't luck: CS takes an active role in shaping the culture, carefully choosing who to admit and then setting expectations about being empathetic and putting others before yourself. From there it takes on a life of its own, as...

My Journey with Codesmith started wiht "JavaScript, The Hard Parts" (as i presume with most). At the time i searched on Switchup and Codesmith was rated Numero Uno and flooded with loads of positive views. Naturally I was skeptical, any rational thinking human would be--- i mean life will teach you that when anything sounds too good to be true, thread lightly. But Codesmith was different the moment i walked into JSHP, the care and positivity moved from the very top, through the staff and to the random joe who just walked into the building. Im telling you, its an energy thing!

Now the curriculum is no joke!!!! DUH --- its an IMMERSIVE program... you have 12weeks to test your brain/mind capacity and speaking from my own personal experience... if you trust your mind, it won't dissapoint...

I was extremely skeptical of most coding bootcamps: especially ones that provide seemingly lofty promises with regards to your career success. After some lengthy research and consideration, I decided to show up to a JavaScript hard parts lecture at Codesmith to see what they were all about. That single lecture changed my mind about what bootcamps can offer, and it cemented my idea to finally commit three months of my life to the Software Engineering Immersive program. I ended up going with Codesmith not only because of the excellent teachings of Will Sentance, but because they seemed to aim higher than other bootcamps. Most schools are satisfied with their graduates getting entry-level jobs, but Codesmith promises to go above and beyond to help students bolster their career with well-pa...

The program was amazing. The support they give before, during, and after is unparalleled. I was not sure I wanted to go until I attended one of the free workshops that they have bi-weekly. The way they explained the code and the level of depth they went into really opened my eyes and made me realize this was something I wanted to do and could do. Codesmith teaches a great tech stack but more importantly, Codesmith teaches you how to learn and continue to grow as an engineer. I would have taken a star off of Curriculum for not having AWS, but I hear they recently added it.

This program is intensive and you will need to dedicate yourself entirely to the program. If spending six days a week 12 hours a day coding, this program isn't for you.

Before Codesmith, I attended another well known bootcamp in the city. I was fortunate enough to graduate and was hired as an assistant instructor a couple months later. Although I felt confident landing a junior dev job after my experience, I also felt like I was missing some very core JS and CS knowledge. I stumbled upon Codesmith randomly when one of my students posted a meetup in slack on closures. I figured that this would not only benefit my knowledge but my ability to teach the language well enough to my students. A few minutes in, I realized I was sitting in on what seemed like another bootcamp but something about Will's rhetoric made me see otherwise.

Learning core JS topics such as the Event Loop, the prototype chain, and closures were things I didn't get a chance to deep d...

Codesmith is as advertised and everything could want and need from a program. I just accepted a 6-figure offer, 8 weeks out of Codesmith. Codesmith provided me with the right tools to be competitive in the market. What I appreciate most about Codesmith, is the honesty about what you getting yourself into and that there is no easy route. They teach you to believe in what you are capable of and then help you establish the routine and mindset to be successful. There was a common phrase throughout my time there - "trust the process, it works", and it does. What really sets them apart though is their dedication to community, because being a skill full developer is not nearly as affective if you dont have the network/friends to lean on when it gets tough. Codesmith is an ego free zone and f...