Codesmith

I had a wonderful experience at Codesmith. The support I received was outstanding and I felt really prepared to enter the job market. The first time I ever looked at code was 6 months to the day that I was offered a full time software engineering job.... Read More Codesmith fast tracked my education and career in the field of software engineering. The curriculum is rigorous, and the projects you create during your time there are above and beyond any other program that I looked at. I made some amazing friends during my time there as well. The hiring support is incredible and I felt fully supported throughout the application process. I highly recommend the program!

Codesmith's online CS Prep course is a must take for aspiring software engineers who come from non-technical or non-programming backgrounds that are looking to apply for the full-time programs.

After majoring in math in undergrad and working in finance... Read More for 5 years, I decided to take the leap and pursuing Codesmith due to the quality of the curriculum and the stellar outcomes. Very quickly, I realized that passing the technical interview was a major challenge and milestone. The CS Prep program only runs for ~2 weeks, but during that time students learn about callbacks and higher order functions, closure and object oriented programming. We pair programmed on a daily basis and each collaborated with a group to create a project at the end of the course (my group made Yahtzee).

The enthusiasm and dedication on part of the instructor and other students was highly motivating and allowed me to quickly accelerate my coding ability, while developing relationships and genuinely enjoying the process. After CS Prep, I was able to pass my technical and will be participating in the NYC full-time immersive.

Would highly recommend the course to anyone interested in the full-time programs!!

I just finished attending CS Prep I must say I learned so much in such a short amount of time! The course itself was only two weeks and it can feel like it going definitely a little too fast but you are given all the recording of the classes to go over... Read More as many times as you heart desires! My instructor Matt was great, he was so caring and really wants you to succeed! I would message him with all my concerns and struggles. He would would write back with resources. I recommend this course to everyone, it is a great way to learn basics in javascript in such a short amount! If you are planning on attending the immersive program and are having trouble with certain areas, definitely attend! This course will give you the clarity you need to move on to the immersive program!

When you've finished a course and wish there were more sessions... that's when you know it was a great experience.

I would def. recommend JavaScript for Beginners (JSB) to anyone who is interested in exploring a career change into a developer role. I came... Read More in with almost no experience (just a handful of exercises in Codecademy) and in two short weekend sessions I'm hooked.

Even with the course being completely remote, the course was engaging with everyone participating and the instructor taking time to really walk through questions - either on the topic at hand, broader Codesmith questions, or even questions about the industry in general.

The curriculum was also great for an intro course - it wasn't just showing 'do this for this to happen' but actually going through some of the nuts and bolts to really understand why 'doing this' will 'cause that to happen.'

I took this course thinking it would be a good look into what the rest of the Codesmith program would be, and if this short 2 day course is any indicator I can't wait for the next steps!

School: Codesmith
Course: JavaScript for Beginners
Instructor: Sophie
Sept, 2020

I had a great experience in JSB at Codesmith. My instructor Sophie was generous, knowledgable, and clear. She took her time to answer everyone's questions, and was able to get... Read More us through the material. I love the group learning environment that Codesmith creates. The group projects at the end were super fun. I'm enrolled in their CS Prep course, and can't wait to be inside a Codesmith (virtual) classroom again. I was hoping to leave the course feeling confident in my knowledge of JS basics, and I definitely hit that goal.

I started playing around with Javascript in March and have spent months looking for a pre-course for a bootcamp that suited my needs. The teachers in this program were absolutely amazing and showed passion in teaching the content. The amount of information... Read More I learned and practiced in just two weeks was more than I learned by myself in six months. I highly recommend CSPrep for someone who is new to coding and also to people who want to understand what is happening under the hood in JavaScript.

Before Codesmith, I was working in front-end web development (HTML and CSS) for about 4 years. There was a point where I decided to bring my JavaScript game up to the next level and researched extensively around for a bootcamp that aligned with my goals.... Read More When I attended a free Codesmith workshop, I knew that it would be the right choice for me. What hooked me in is their emphasis on technical communication, under-the-hood understanding, and cultural growth.

The software engineering program is a hyperbolic time chamber, where you learn 4 years worth of college education in 3 months. It’s set up in a way where they teach the practical side of computer science through a series of solo and group projects. The program is intense, and although researching, parsing, and implementing for 12+ hours almost everyday takes a mental and emotional toll, it’s a small price to pay for a lifelong investment in financial stability, emotional well-being, and a community that supports you throughout the process (even when searching for a job).

Now after several months of job hunting, I’ve accepted an offer to be a Front-End Software Engineer at a company that shares the same core beliefs as me. I’m thrilled to start this new chapter, and this achievement reinforces a certain mindset: as long as you work with diligence and positivity, growth and success will come your way. Thank you Codesmith for changing my life.

I was skeptical of Codesmith's advertisements and actually interviewed at 5 other programs. I started attending JSHP Lectures at night and eventually graduated from the program. TLDR: The process works, the results as advertised are true, and what you... Read More learn is truly incredible. The hiring program alone is worth the entire tuition. I had a phone call with the hiring team (Eric) and was able to negotiate a higher salary- the difference in salary is enough to pay for the entire tuition of the program.

Know before entering: This is not like other programs, it's very intense. For those willing to work extremely hard, pull long hours, and push your limits of learning- this program is for you. The results are there, it's a lot of work to achieve them but they are possible. You will accomplish things you may not think are possible, and have such a deep depth of knowledge coming out of the program. There are many engineers in industry who will not have the depth of full stack web development that Codesmith grads have.

Highlights about the program: You'll meet people who will become true friends, you'll overcome obstacles together, and achieve some incredible final products. You learn a wide range of topics across the full stack web development space, essentially taking an idea to a fully deployed web application. The hiring program is fantastic, even after graduation there are meetings and lectures to attend, you never stop learning. The negotiation part is great.

Constructive advice: I would like to see TypeScript incorporated into the core curriculum, it's an essential part for most companies now so it would be nice for it to be formally taught. Some aspects could be a little better organized and the days may be restructured to be less "interrupted", especially when building projects.

Overall, I'm very happy to have gone through this life changing experience. It's incredible how much can change in such a short window of time.

CS Prep was a great way to get familiar with the teaching style, meet your cohortmates and prepare for the immersive interviews. The wonderful instructors provided a lot of clarity to approaching coding challenges that I didn't even know that I didn't... Read More know how to do.

Hey! A little over a year ago, I finished Codesmith and got my first fulltime software engineering job. In general, I felt like the process is probably not for everyone, but if you can be empathetic, work hard, and push your limits, you can pretty much... Read More go as far as you want. That opinion still stands. What I'd like to add on to it, though, is what my experience has been like since leaving. The friends I made at Codesmith have continued to be incredible resources for learning, for job referrals, for professional advice, and are genuinely really great people whose perspectives and presence in my life have really continued to transform me long after the 3mo was over. We've helped each other out with algorithms, jobhunting, architecture questions, interpersonal office conflicts, and everything between. I'd also be remiss not to mention that the reason I'm writing today, over a full year since leaving Codesmith, is that the staff has continued to help me even now. I recently found a new job, and received an excellent offer- one that exceeded my expectations and that I would have been thrilled to accept right off the bat. Before taking action, though, I contacted Codesmith's hiring support, and was coached through the process of negotiating for an even better package. It wasn't magic, but it certainly felt like it was, especially since that session got me $15,000 more in compensation than what had been initially offered to me. Since getting into the field, several of my friends and family have asked me about bootcamps, and my advice to all of them is the same- take your time, study independently, and work on your own projects. If/when you get to the point where that's not enough, you should seriously vet the available options- go to free workshops, meet students, talk to the instructors, etc. After you've done your due diligence, pick the one that's right for you. If you're like me, though, Codesmith will find its place firmly at the top of your list.