Fullstack Academy

I attended the Fullstack Immersive Program in October 2017 at the Chicago campus. I came from a strong interest in wanting to learn how to code but no actual practical experience. Before joining Fullstack, my background was in psychology and then a year of sales experience. My strongest recommendation for anyone even remotely interested in joining the immersive program is to attend an information session that they host each month or so. For me, that was the point where I fully decided I wanted to make the jump and pursue applying because it made my perspective on the whole concept much more real. Rather than just being “something with great reviews that I read online”, I actually got to meet the people who run the program, ask questions, and walk inside the campus area.

I si...

II was a part of WDF Fullstack Academy Bootcamp for a period of almost 6 months and when I look back at my journey it still feels unreal sometimes because the growth I have achieved and the amount of knowledge I have gained in such a short period is something I had been aspiring to achieve for a long time. 

I found my interest for programming during my undergrad and I knew I wanted to pursue it as my career but I faced a lot of hurdles along the way and could not pave a path by myself through online courses and self study. My husband told me about bootcamps and how they provide you with the skillset needed in the job market today in a short interval of time. During my search for bootcamps, I stumbled across many options, all promising to offer the best learning experience and future c...

I have a background as a professional musician and I made websites throughout my music career. I decided to go all-in and teach myself computer science fundamentals. I fell in love with programming and eventually decided that I wanted to learn web development as fast as possible. I did a lot of research and decided to attend Fullstack Academy. (I also considered the Hack Reactor remote program.) I was hesitant to attend any bootcamp - they're expensive, especially considering you won't be working during and after the program while you search for a job. It wound up exceeding my expectations and I'm so happy that I attended!

I've written a handful of posts about my experiences before, at, and after attending Fullstack Academy here: https://scraggo.github.io/

In a nutshell:

- You ...

I recently graduated from the FSA program in NYC. Before joining fullstack, I have no experience in coding. I wrote my first line of code in June 2017 while I was taking online prep course to get ready for FSA's interview. 

The program at FSA is amazing, awesome, full of fun, and a lot of hard work. I would like to give a shout out to the instructors - Geoff and Omri. They are both very knowledgeable in the course curriculum and are extremely supportive and thorough to explain concepts to us. I have taken numerous online tutorials and I don't think any tutors that I had online can compare to these two dedicated instructors. That really sets apart Fullstack from any other bootcamps. Once you go Geoff and Omri, you can never go back!!

Towards the end of the program, there is a huge ...

So the big question, is it worth it? Definitely. 100%. I was actually a bit nervous because it's a lot of money to put into a for-profit school. But as someone who holds a CS degree, what you get from Fullstack Academy is far more than a piece of paper.

The first thing I want to say is I think bootcamps are underrated. In general, many of the things taught in Computer Science tend to be too theoretical and divorced from what actually happens in the industry. That is not to say that a CS degree is useless. But Fullstack Academy keeps up with the industry and teaches technologies that employers are looking for. It's like an alumni that came to campus to speak who does actual hiring said. Bootcamp graduates hit the ground running.

The second thing is that the community is just amazin...

I recently graduated Fullstack Academy, the full-time immersive cohort in NYC. I highly reommend this program to anyone who is interested. Below are my thoughts.

A quick background, I was a finance major who felt like software engineering was an important skill to understand to stay relevant and valuable in the job search. However, I was skeptical of bootcamps - can I really learn to code in 3 months?? Will an employer ever actually hire someone with 3 months of coding knowledge? Seemed too good to be true.

However, when I got to FSA, I was impressed at the skill level of the instructors. I went to a good high-school and college, yet the instructors at FSA were by far the best instructors of any educational institution I had ever learned at. They take incredibly complex concepts a...

I graduated from college with a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and knew that I needed another practical skill to make me more marketable. I lacked any internship experience from college since I had switched majors. I had heard about software engineering bootcamps that would be beneficial for people who were interested in code and a career in technology. I knew how to code through some of my coursework but I hadn't done any real development so I knew I needed to get ready for a coding exam (such as the Fullstack entrance exam).

I spent a month learning JS through free resources I found online including some free bootcamp prep sites. I applied to a few bootcamps and decided on Fullstack from the reviews I read and the experience I had during the coding interview. I can definitively...

pros:
1. full-stack JavaScript-focused curriculum with strong emphasis on React.js was a perfect fit for jobs in the NYC market;
2. amazing, committed instructors;
3. project-based and collaborative (pair-programming throughout) was a plus in interviews;
4. Career Services helped me negotiate a higher salary

cons:
1. not enough emphasis on becoming proficient at writing tests (e.g. Jest, Mocha, etc.), and
2. Career Services was great at the negotiation phase, but they seem to be too busy to give too much individualized focus before that point

general advice:
1. Computer Science fundamentals is extremely important, but only so much of it can be taught in a 4 month program - make sure you study algorithms and web fundamentals on your own after graduation;
2. I probably was u...

The Summer of Code (SOC) program was an excellent option for a (then) soon-to-be graduating student like me. I've done my best to briefly describe the reasons why -

0. 'How' to learn Comp. Sci. concepts -

One of the skills which I use every day as a software engineer is the ability to learn new computer science concepts/material/technologies quickly, and then implement them. Full stack's immersive is designed to teach you 'how to learn' along with 'what to learn'.

1. Curriculum & staff -

One of the things which struck me about the curriculum was that how well detailed and thorough it was. The instructors have perfected the curriculum over time. Additionally, the 'career success' team are very helpful in getting you ready for interviews.

2. Practical coding skills -

...

I graduated from college with a degree in theoretical math and I had no idea what to do next. Luckily I had a friend who was a year above me with the same major who went on to attend a bootcamp and land a great job quickly. So I began to teach myself to code during the summer while looking into bootcamps.

Fullstack Academy was at the top of every list for bootcamps and it has a Chicago location, which was important to me. I decided to attend Fullstack's bootcamp prep in order to progress my JavaScript skills, to make sure coding was right for me and also to experience Fullstack’s culture. I highly recommend bootcamp prep because it reassured me that this huge commitment I was about to make was right for me, I got a lot of questions answered and felt very prepared to take the assessme...

I had a great experience at Fullstack Academy. Every instructor and fellow was extremely friendly and helpful. And the most important part is it helped me to dive into the industry and got a chance to start my new career as a software engineer in a relatively short period of time.

I absolutely love the amount of passion and support the staff put in to the immersivve program. Not only are they there to help you get through the program, they are there to help you succeed in the engineering world. I am very appreciative of the things I learned from my instructors and all the support I received from all the staff.

The instruction is brilliant and the workshop content is carefully curated to allow you to blaze through a very efficient learning path. You'll be pretty much learning a new technology every day or so, but the intuitions you build are cumulative. Ultimately, you'll get a solid enough practical and theoretical foundation for you to explore any technologies you want. Anytime you get stuck, the instructors and fellows jump right in to save the day, so you always keep moving forward. It's a fairly challenging program, but seeing your tech skills skyrocket is absolutely worth the effort.

A short disclaimer: I did have some previous coding experience before I joined Fullstack, so I had a comparatively easier time with the curriculum.

But don't let that scare you. It's a great experience. The curriculum is amazing, the instructors are concise, easy to understand, and make learning an enjoyable experience. I became a much better coder during my time at Fullstack. Not just through the frameworks I learned, but the little stuff. I'm so much better at tracking down bugs now.

Many people with no previous coding experience went in and came out polished software engineers. More importantly, they learned to be fast learners and break down problems. I highly recommend it to everybody.

I found my course easy to understand,everything has been cleaver build!
Like this I got in quite fast.

A note about me. I do not hold any type of college degree. I went to college for music, but started working professionally in that industry before I finished. I was successful, but I've always had an interest in the CS field and wanted to work and live in one place, rather than being gone on tour all the time. I'm glad I made the decision to switch. 3 months after graduating Fullstack Academy I got a job as the Lead Mobile Developer at a startup. I graduated mid-December 2017 and started working at my current company mid-March 2018. I think I sent out 5 applications altogether.

This review is about Fullstack Academy, however, a lot of people are trying to choose between App Academy/Fullstack Academy/Hack Reactor etc. So a note about App Academy -
I went to App Academy for 5 weeks o...

I was initially turned on to Fullstack Academy because of their Grace Hopper program and its deferred tuition model, but the decision to ultimately attend Fullstack was informed by other reviews like this. I do not regret the choice. From start to finish, it has been a thoughtfully-constructed process with all of the Fullstack network's resources there for help. I came into the field with absolutely no CS background (my B.A. is in Psychology) - within months, I've found my first home as a developer with one of the FSA Hiring Day companies. Between the curriculum and the community, Fullstack has been a life-changing experience and a wonderful opportunity.

I attended Fullstack Academy Sep 2017 - Feb 2018. My professors throughout my time there were Omri, Cassio, and Corey. All were amazing and contributed in different ways to my learning experience.

You can tell FSA cares about their students and truly wants them to succeed. David Yang, one of the founders, made sure to answer any questions students had honestly and thoroughly. The school is very transparent about their values, goals, and outcomes.

Companies were reaching out to me with interest before I graduated, and I landed a job as a Software Engineer within a week after finishing Fullstack. Natalie was my career success counselor during Senior Phase, and she was incredibly helpful and knowledge when it came to updating my resume, preparing for interviews, etc. I know a few ot...

I participated in the summer of code program at Fullstack going into my sophmore year of college. I had a great time, and learned the practical knowledge and skills that I'll need when I'm looking for employment after I graduate. If anyone is looking for a way to turn their theory-based CS education into something practical, this is the program for you. While it is a bit pricey, if you can make it work, I would 100% recommend it.

I attended Fullstack as a Summer of Code student. I was weary of attending at first since I am already a computer science student, and thought it may be "overkill." But it was worth it in the end because I learned so many valuable skillsets that I would have not encountered otherwise. The interview prep support was also tremendous, and I really enjoyed learning and working with others who are equally motivated. Shoutout to Kate who was a wonderful mentor and teacher throughout my Senior phase! If you are weary about price/experience, just now that this is such a worthwhile experience and I feel way more confident in my programming abilities now. If I had any criticism, it would be that specific internship support wasn't available, but I got enough out of the job support that it didn't m...