Epicodus

Epicodus manages to provide a program that hits a perfect sweet spot in providing an environment that is rigorous and challenging as well as supportive and fun. The four months flew by, but it was also hard to believe how much we'd covered in that time... Read More frame.

The program's pedagogy is strong, and the topics covered are carefully considered and extremely practical for folks looking to start a career as a developer. What really makes Epicodus stand out, though, is the obvious care and investment the staff have in the program and in each class member during and after the class. Without a doubt, Epicodus provided an exceptional basis from which I was able to launch a career in programming.

Epicodus manages to provide a program that hits a perfect sweet spot in providing an environment that is rigorous and challenging as well as supportive and fun. The four months flew by, but it was also hard to believe how much we'd covered in that time... Read More frame.

The program's pedagogy is strong, and the topics covered are carefully considered and extremely practical for folks looking to start a career as a developer. What really makes Epicodus stand out, though, is the obvious care and investment the staff has in the program and in each class member during and after the class. Without a doubt, Epicodus provided an exceptional basis from which I was able to launch a new career in programming.

I have two degrees from two schools. They're worthless. I spent less than 1 trimester's worth of Tuition for Epicodus and made more money in a year than those other degrees have earned me combined. This is only possible thanks to their absolutely amazing... Read More job support placement.

Classroom environment is amazing, supportive, instructors are passionate about helping you out (they're former grads, they KNOW what you're going through), and Epicodus sticks with you until you're employed and thereafter. Having a computer that you know works so you spend all of your time coding and not fighting your environment: Priceless.

I can't begin to express how much this decision has impacted my life. It ranks 3rd, only behind immigrating to this country & being born :-)

You can't find better for the money. You simply can't!!!!!

Prior to Epicodus, I had worked jobs where I was the 'unofficial IT guy'. I did some programming at home for fun and loved learning everything I could about the tech world. I wanted to find a true technical position, but my skillset and portfolio from... Read More self-teaching just weren't enough to get me in the door for any positions that I would be interested in. Because of the guidance of Epicodus's great staff, curriculum, and collaborative environment, I can now proudly say I am a full-time web developer at a great company.

Epicodus is not a career panacea, though. It's not a magical place where people walk in with no knowledge and motivation and leave as senior developers. Epicodus is a great tool for people in the right position and frame of mind. Michael and everyone at Epicodus will tell you that you will only get back what you put into Epicodus. It's not designed like traditional schooling where you are constantly held to a standard and forced to complete objectives, or else! The purpose of Epicodus is to give students the right tools, guidance, time, and environment to quickly hone their programming skills. If you come willing to work (and often struggle!), you can be ready to be a developer by the time the class is over.

Before I decided on Epicodus, I debated going back to college to get a CS degree. It would have been exceedingly difficult and expensive, especially considering I already had a liberal arts degree. I looked into other options and discovered coding bootcamps. I had heard very mixed reviews about some of the programs that were out there, so I was skeptical to say the least. I spoke with representatives from two other bootcamps before speaking with Michael (the owner of Epicodus). First off, Michael responded within an hour to my initial email requesting information, with a personalized response answering some specific questions, so I knew this wasn't some generic response. What sold me in the end wasn't just that Epicodus was FAR more reasonably priced than other bootcamps, but that all the people I spoke to at Epicodus sounded genuinely excited about what they were doing. I could tell Epicodus wasn't just a meat grinder trying to push as many people through as possible.

I think the staff of Epicodus really is the best factor in the end. Never did I feel like I was being left behind or ignored. My questions, whether technical or otherwise, were answered quickly and professionally. I didn't have the greatest internship experience (due to some extenuating circumstances at the company), but Michael and Maureen were super supportive and worked with both me and the company I interned with to make sure the situation was resolved as best as possible. I know they've also taken my experience to heart in order to help other students avoid such situations in the future!

I found Epicodus to be a challenging yet supportive environment with a wide range skill levels, from complete beginners who had never coded before to obviously experienced programmers who were learning new languages.

Prior to Epicodus I attempted to learn... Read More to program on my own. I even did my own “personal bootcamp” by moving to Asia and studying(on the cheap) full time for 3 months. Though did I learned a lot I learned WAY more in the same amount of time at Epicodus. The curriculum at Epicodus teaches how the magic underneath the methods works. It builds progressively by showing the long way to do something before teaching the easy way so you understand what is going on under the covers. Building apps from scratch every day made me comfortable with how to properly set up an application, writing clean code, writing good tests, using version control, using the command line, and so much more.

As great as the curriculum was, I think what was even more valuable was learning with 59 other students. Pair programming is awesome! I learned so much just by watching others write code and problem solve. Pairing with a different person every day gave me the chance to work with a wide variety of personalities, which was occasionally challenging, and forced me to improve my communication skills, and of course they say the ability to communicate is the most important skill of a developer. I found that explaining myself to someone else helped me to better understand what I was doing. Having a large team of people searching for solutions to the same problems was great and now having access to a large network or developers is wonderful and I still take advantage that brain trust. It was also great to have such a large group when it came time to do interviews for internships, which was frankly a bit stressful. It was nice to hear about my classmates’ experiences and learn from their successes and failures.

The instructors/coaches at Epicodus where very talented. They had a way of pushing me to toward the answer without giving it away so I still got a feeling of accomplishment when I reached the solution. Learning at Epicodus was like the difference between working out on your own and working out at a CrossFit gym. Nearly every day I went beyond the point where I would have quite had I been working by myself.

I loved the facilities. I particularly liked the standup work stations. The weekly lunch talks by members of the Portland development community where inspiring. I got to hear the insights of a lot of great speakers(like the CEO of Treehouse!). Many former students would stop by and they were very helpful. And the price was hard to beat. I was confused at first and thought that must be the price per month because it was so much lower than other bootcamps. Excellent value.

The best part of the whole experience is I now feel confident that I can figure out how to build just about anything I want!

My advice to anyone who will be attending Epicodus is do the prework before you get there. Many students did not do the prework and they did just fine but I think it will make it so much easier on you if you do. The Epicodus prework is a good primer on coding and I recommend it to my friends who are interested in learning to code.

My job in IT support was about to be outsourced and I hadn't been happy doing IT support for awhile. I wanted to learn to code for awhile but didn't have any experience. I made a quick decision to apply for Epicodus close to when their next class was... Read More about to start. I was happy to be wait listed and then accepted. Coding every day with a pair for 8 hours and then having a lesson to watch at home was exactly what I needed to learn how to code rapidly. I went from knowing nothing to starting to feel confident by the end of the class. I got an internship through the school and my internship went on to hire me and a few others from my class. This is the first time I can honestly say that I love my job! It's fulfilling to be doing something I actually enjoy and I know I wouldn't have had this experience from traditional schooling. I got a lot more of Epicodus than I did with 4 years of college. Epicodus was definitely the best investment I ever made for myself in education and the best career move.

Epicodus gave me a very solid foundation to begin a career as a programmer. Like most students I began the program with minimal coding experience and left equipped to find employment as a programmer. Working in pairs expedites the learning process, and... Read More the instructors were very knowledgable and were always able to guide us to correct solutions. If you are interested in becoming a programmer I would definitely recommend Epicodus. It is the most affordable boot camp and will fully prepare you to work as a developer.

I worked in technology development as a project managers for years before I considered going to a bootcamp like Epicodus. I was a good project manager and I could stay employed pretty easily, the resume was impressive and I was head hunted by some pretty... Read More impressive people for career work. However, I was only good for the people who hired me. My job was actually stressful, confusing, and often a negative environment with those I was managing.

It didn't take long for me to realize the real problem; I was managing coders and I didn't know how to code. Most project managers and those who hire project managers don't think this is a problem, but trust me it is! So, I went to the first coding school everyone goes to, Google. Self teaching was a nightmare. The internet has some good tools, videos, interactive sites that you think can teach you how to code in your spare time, but thats like learning a 2nd language from google translate (it's only possible in theory).

I was living in LA at the time and was at the end of a project I was managing when I decided I needed to be more proactive in learning how to program and develop. Epicodus stood out as a great option. I always loved Portland and it was cost beneficial as well.

I needed the 8 hours a day 5 days a week for a couple months to really re-learn how to learn a new language. Immersion learning works in linguistics, why not coding? Well thats exactly what it is and it works. Michael, who's runs Epicodus, put a great deal of thought into HOW you should learn coding. The order in which you go from language to language and simple ideas to complex ones are, in my opinion, almost perfect. I can honestly say that I could not have learned this skill set any other way. The pair programing structure and teachers are fantastic. My only regret is that I can't go through the new Java course they are now introducing.

I moved to Nashville TN and I am now the director of an interactive media lab that develops technology for marketing, media, and businesses. Most of my work now is in Python and you might say "but Epicodus doesn't teach Python!" and they don't. But they do teach you how to "Learn how to program".

-Lee Kebler
www.linkedin.com/in/leekebler

Before I started Epicodus I had zero previous computer training. I was in HR and looking for something more fulfilling. I loved my experience at Epicodus. While initially nervous to start something new, I quickly grew comfortable. The teachers were really... Read More supportive and always around to answer questions. Pair programming also really helped me out because it allowed me to learn in a hands on environment while collaborating with my peers. I quickly grew more confident in my abilities and started working on my own side projects. Two weeks after completing the course I landed a full time job with a software company. I would recommend Epicodus to anyone wanting to take a coding boot camp. The ‘go at your own pace’ vibe, and support from everyone, makes it a great learning environment for anyone who’s interested in programming.

Epicodus fast forwarded my learning. I practiced and studied on my own for several months before attending. I had decided to learn what I needed to become a coder solo. I am super glad that I decided to go to Epicodus. The daily exercises and working... Read More with fellow learners allowed me to gain much more insight and skill rapidly. Michael and his team are ever evolving their approach to introducing programming skills, and the approach I experienced was quite effective. Here's my take:

PROS:
-Excellent pairing experience (100% of time, changing pair daily)
-Michael strives to make great connections to Portland's tech industry that pay off in -your internship experience
-Internship experience led to job offers for many students
-Great balance of pushing you along, but setting a reasonable work/life ratio
-Amazing PRICE!
-Really nice and caring people running the school
-Focus on learning self-driven problem solving

CONS:
-No senior developers on the teaching team
-Teacher/student ratio does not allow abundance of help

These are things that stood out the most to me in my experience. It was wonderful and I highly recommend it. It's really important to hear that becoming a developer is about learning how to learn. It's not easy, but it is attainable. Most people that fail do so because they believe that they cannot do it (even though only this belief is stopping them from being actually able to code). From my perspective, it is hard, and it feels very hard almost every single day. I am pretty sure that the feeling of coding being a great challenge doesn't reduce itself or go away for a long time. So get comfortable with being very challenged. If you can like that, then you will enjoy being a programmer.