Grand Circus

I took a boot camp with Grand Circus in 2016. It was a terrible experience! The boot camp was geared toward "Detroiters" who were new to programming. It was very telling that the class geared towards "Detroiters" was almost entirely non-white, but the... Read More other boot camps were overwhelmingly white. I love Detroit and I love my people, but Grand Circus does not. There was a clear difference between the way the staff treated out class as opposed to the others. From being told that we were not allowed to be seated while the other students did project presentations to being told that we had to wait until everyone else before we could enjoy "scraps" (that's what they called it) at a Grand Circus event (that was not invite-only, btw. It was open to the public). I could go on and on with other examples. The vibe at Grand Circus is non-inclusive. Detroit is over 75% African-American but Grand Circus student body is overwhelmingly white. Why? It's not because African-Americans aren't interested in learning technology, false. It's not that the classes are too expensive, because they offer free classes regularly. And if you check their website or social media, the few non-white faces you see are heavily recycled to give the appearance of diversity. Diversity shouldn't be an issue in a city that's majority African-American and have very strong communities of other non-white groups. Not 1 person in my class received a job via Grand Circus. NOT 1. Except, the program manager got a promotion with the Mayor's Office jobs program, go figure. We were intelligent, fast-learners, many students had previous tech experience and hustled to make connections. Grand Circus didn't do more for me than a W3schools tutorial could've done for me. If you're not a self-learner, it's a way to get free or cheap training, but don't expect anything else besides condescending attitudes and discrimination.

I graduated from the August 2015, Front End - JavaScript bootcamp as I was looking to make a career change. Grand Circus was the spring board I needed to increase my technology skills and created opportunities for me to network with employers looking... Read More to hire.

I can't say enough about the support provided by the entire Grand Circus staff during the bootcamp. From resume support, mock interviews (both technical and traditional), networking pitches, tough love and pep talks, they are there to help you succeed.

If you're seriously considering a career change into technology the Grand Circus bootcamps can help you do that. The curriculum is tough, but if you're willing to work extremely hard and don't give up before you've found the answer, you'll be ready for a new job as a developer. It worked for me, I was hired full time by a local Detroit start up 4 weeks after I completed the program.

Grand Circus provided me with the best educational experience of all time and changed my life in ways that i did not think were possible. Since completeting my bootcamp, i have the best job of my life and my career is exceeding my grandest expectation.... Read More

Overall:
My experience at grand circus was second to none. Starting with my first "fact finding" phone call with the GC admin staff, I knew that I was dealing with passionate and knowledge individuals who cared about me and helping me achieve my goals. This initial feeling was confirmed and reestablished over and over again throughout my experience with GC. I loved every aspect of my bootcamp experience and would recommend GC to anyone who has any interest in software development.

Administrative: Deciding to participate in a 10 week bootcamp was a significant decision for me - not least of all because of the financial aspect. However, as soon as i began discussing the financial piece of the bootcamp i felt immediately at ease. the GC staff were able to answer ALL of my questions and provide my with numerous options specific to my situation. This was a relief and allowed me to focus on coding and getting as much out of the bootcamp as possible.

Staff: The GC staff, down to the person, are seriously amazing. They are incredibly passionate, knowledgeable, and supportive. They are always looking out for their students best interest and, again, i felt immediately at ease once I met them on site at Grand Circus in downtown Detroit. I developed lasting friendships with multiple GC team members.

The bootcamp: The bootcamp itself was awesome! i loved my instructor, the curriculum, the unique approach to learning to code, the team work, and all of our deliverables. I felt like i was family with my fellow bootcamp teammembers and have remained in close contact with many of them. The pace of the bootcamp was malleable - our instructor and TA adjusted it weekly to match the students' grasp of the material. this was a HUGE value add as it ensued that eveyrone was able to remain engaged in spite of challenging material.

Netoworking/job placement: UH-MAZING! Grand Circus is DIRECTLY responsible for helping me find the best job of my life and launch my career in a completely new and exciting direction. The GC staff used their networking contacts to secure me numerous interviews. Since finishing my bootcamp i have started a new job with an industry leading organization that i was put in contact with through grand circus. My role is closely related to what i studied at grand circus.

Grand Circus is a really fast paced, energetic learning experience. Now that I have graduated, I miss the daily interactions with the staff, instructors and students. Grand Circus represents the turning over a new page for me; it is an exciting, challenging,... Read More rewarding and fun experience that has changed my life and moved me in directions I never would have considered.

The environment at Grand Circus is intensive. Every day there are new challenges and you must have the previous day's work completed and understood or you could get lost. I think that is an excellent simulator for the real world; at times college classes can move at too slow of a pace, this is NOT like that! This program forces you to work DAILY at programming, which is the only way you will get good at it.

Our instructor, Bill, is flat out an excellent instructor. I really enjoyed his lectures, his style and his huge breadth of knowledge and experience. His style is cool in that, while he will help you, he will mainly GUIDE you. You must do the work yourself. But when you are REALLY stuck, he will point you in the right direction.

The Grand Circus team could not be more accommodating. They navigate the balance between being nice, and ensuring projects get done and people stay motivated quite well. Administratively, they are excellent. You do not wait long for information, and if you need something, they are on it, like yesterday. They keep the atmosphere light and fun, which is critical. With the pressure of the program, it could easily be overwhelming were it not for the unconditional support and encouragement they offer. The staff and atmosphere at Grand Circus is, in my opinion, what sets the program apart from the rest.

Grand Circus was a starting place to build a new career, learn a new skill and help me transition to the tech field! It was a place to learn something about myself.

The environment was comfortable and fun, but intensive at the same time. The hands on instruction... Read More and small class size made it easy to follow along and learn at a fast pace. The Grand Circus Team was energetic and were super willing to help me and the other students suceed.

My fellow students came from all the different backgrounds, however, we were all working towards a common goal. It made it fun and interesting to work with other people who came from different backgrounds and had different experiences.

I was happy with the job placement program... the companies that came through the space that were looking for direct hires was a sucess. I now have a job as an Entry Level Developer!

Grand Circus is a space dedicated to helping people who want to learn more about tech achieve their goals, and make a career transition.

Grand Circus has a great atmosphere that is conducive to providing you with all the skills necessary to learn and grow... Read More in a tech, team based environment. We did a lot of hands on learning that takes various skill sets into consideration. The instruction is tailored to the various needs of the students in the classroom. My fellow students were from all walks of life, but everyone shared a common goal: become a Java Developer!

The GC Team: They are all full of energy and positivity. The entire team wants to see you succeed and that makes the Grand Circus experience that much more meaningful to know that everyone supports you and wants to see you grow!

Overall, Grand Circus has been great to work with for on a number of occasions and they are a great resource in Detroit! I highly recommend checking them out!

I recently finished their QA bootcamp and have worked with their coworking team in the past.... Read More Working with their coworking space was easy and beneficial. The QA bootcamp was a great opportunity and I am currently interviewing with businesses that they helped bring in.

There's a lot to becoming a software developer today. It's not just the languages and computer science. It's how to work in teams, how to use the tools and libraries, and especially how to continually learn as you work. That's what Grand Circus Detroit's... Read More Android Bootcamp gave us.

Everything from the space in the heart of new business growth in Downtown Detroit, our excellent bootcamp instructor Jayashree Ravi, the selection process that brought together such a great group of students, and the introductions to area employers, all worked to produce an outstanding learning experience. At the end of 8 weeks we had all taken multiple projects from idea through construction and test to publication on Google Play. That built our confidence to be productive members of software development teams and keep growing.

I'm looking forward to the next steps: employment with one of the area companies and continued participation in the network of software developers and businesses that Grand Circus Detroit is part of.

Grand Circus is an excellent venue to learn and hone computer skills. Even though the learning environment is Intense, there is a plethora of instructors to help guide and motivate you with straightforward, direct, and informative instruction. The Grand... Read More Circus Team is very encouraging, upbeat, and friendly.

The other students are very friendly. Everyone looks to one another for help and are willing to give it everywhere. During the placement program I made many connections within the industry that even after the program I still give and take guidance from. Grand Circus will help you line up numerous job interviews with multiple companies. I'm now happily employed as a software engineer in downtown Detroit.

The first word that comes to mind about Grand Circus' job placement program? Thorough. The second is “life changing”.

The classes that I’ve taken at Grand Circus enabled me to do a complete turnaround in my career path, from Special Event Manager to QA... Read More Analyst. There is NO way could I have made the switch from event planning to software tester without the training and support from Grand Circus. That is a fact; I tried to move into the IT field for at least a year, but it wasn’t until I completed a Grand Circus boot camp course that I was seen as fully qualified. And I did it only 8 weeks.

Since Grand Circus works with local employers (from startups to long-established/well known companies) to build a curriculum that teaches what employers actually need people to know, they have a head start on helping you make job connections AND in giving you relevant skills. Everything I learned in class is used in my current position.

The Grand Circus team will even keep working with you long after the program is done to help you make the connections you need in order to find employment. They WANT you to succeed. If you are a quality candidate and know how to conduct yourself in interviews and networking events, you will be in high demand.

They even connect you with mentors so that you get REAL advice from people who are actually doing the job. No anonymous Glass Door or LinkedIn reviews here! You get the real deal.

I love Grand Circus (and I have the tshirt and coffee mug to prove it). But more importantly, I am living proof that the Grand Circus programs WORK.