Hack Reactor

I graduated from Hack Reactor last month and I am currently on the job search. I will update this review when I get a job. My review in summary: HR is an excellently run program and does what it promises, which is transforming students into career-ready... Read More software engineers who can tackle new projects and technologies autonomously. That said, it might not be for everyone. Unlike some bootcamps, HR requires students to undergo a fair amount of preparation before the immersive program actually begins. After passing a technical interview admissions assessment, students spend roughly a month doing precourse material. This is a great time to figure out whether HR is a good fit for you. Students work individually on a series of “deliverables” with their own deadlines. The material ramps up quickly, and you have to figure out much of it on your own. Going through the precourse involves lurching between moments of feeling totally lost and then getting that hard-won clarity. There is excellent support from technical mentors but they will not give you the answers and cannot accomplish the process of learning so much in such a short time for you. The software immersive itself is a similar process of rapid learning but you are not alone. Not only are there lectures and more explicit instructions for the materials you work through, you will be paired with someone else or in a group. There are staff manning a help desk that can help answer questions, and the program instructors offer excellent one-on-one instruction for those struggling with certain concepts. Hack Reactor has a successful formula for making students into self-sufficient software engineers. Hack Reactor teaches every student two main things: a basic competency in creating full-stack software applications and an ability to learn what you don’t know but need to. The first half of the program is dedicated to the former. In the second half, once you know how to build full-stack applications, you develop your self-teaching skills. By the end, you will feel confident about your abilities. There is a lot I don’t know how to do and a lot of technologies I don’t know. But I feel confident that I could take on just about any project because of the skills I’ve learned at HR. The experience itself is also very rewarding. The instructors are smart and caring. The material is exciting. Despite the long hours, I often wished it had gone longer and would eagerly forward to starting each day. Because of the intensity of the experience, it is also likely that you will form close bonds with the peers in your cohort.

Hack Reactor brought me from not understanding a single thing about web development, to deploying full-stack applications in under 3 months. They have incredible staff and resources that guided me, and all of my cohort mates to a deep understanding of... Read More the most popular tools in web development today, such as JavaScript, React, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, SQL, and AWS. Along with the tech I learned, I met some incredible people on the way and the collaborative nature of this program adds a sense of support and accountability that you cannot get if you're self-taught. You're going to have to work your tail off and commit yourself fully to this program for 3 months straight, but it's something I would happily do again. I would highly recommend their Premium Prep if you want to nail the technical interview. I had not written a single line of JavaScript before August, but I practiced for a month on Codecademy, then took the Premium Prep, and got in on my first try,

Couldn't have designed a better system for learning web development within 3 months! Great instructors, good career services after graduation. Very time consuming. First half of the course is lecture and exercise based, and during the second half, you... Read More build a portfolio of front end, back end, and full stack web apps.

I began my search for a bootcamp like many others, looking at reviews, trying to suss out the best possible options to make sure I was going to have a good experience. I had a lot riding on this endeavor, quitting my job, taking up a totally new field... Read More in order to support my family. I wanted to find the best fit. Enter HackReactor. After coming close to applying to several different programs, and realizing time and again that they didn't produce the results or have the rigor I wanted, I finally found HackReactor. All of the reviews were glowing, the graduates spoke of excellent instruction and great preparation, but most impressively of all, this was not your run-of-the-mill bootcamp. This one was rigorous, intense, and produced the best possible bootcamp grads. I was bought in, and now I am so glad! I enrolled in the program after passing their entrance exam, and from day 1 we hit the ground running. 12 weeks of in-over-my-head immersion in the tools of a full stack JavaScript developer using React, Express, relational and non-relational databases, and much much more, learning by doing, and I can say I have never learned more in such a short time in my life! Pros: Excellent curriculum - learning through doing. Teaches you how to learn autonomously - I now feel prepared to learn anything I need quickly and efficiently in the field. Gives you the tools to succeed in the job market. Cons: Rigorous and fast paced. If you aren't ready to go all in for 12+ weeks, this program isn't for you.

If you're anything like me you aren't going to read this whole review, you may have stopped reading after the title so I'm going to put this here. Hack Reactor is a wonderful program with wonderful support for students. Hack Reactor will help you become... Read More a technically proficient, autonomous, holistic Software Engineer adept in 'soft skills' with an awesome outcomes team there to help you get a job! I would recommend Hack Reactor to anyone who wants to become a Software Engineer. Read on for the full story! I read a lot of reviews like this when deciding on which boot camp to attend. I had known I wanted to attend a boot camp for a few years in my old job and had been taking various coding courses online (e.g., Udemy etc.). When I decided it was time to join a boot camp I went looking for reviews and started filtering through the highest rated boot camps. I ended up going with Hack Reactor because of the technical assessment to get in. Many of the other boot camps required nothing to get in or had very simple coding challenges. I knew I wanted something rigorous that would challenge me and I felt that Hack Reactor was the right fit. Hack Reactor delivered on it's promises. It was rigorous and extremely challenging, but also extremely supportive and uplifting. I learned so much throughout my time at Hack Reactor. The curriculum flow is extremely logical with each new sprint building on the last. You continually reinforce skills as you go along. I loved the emphasis on autonomous learning, I came out of the programming feeling like if I didn't know something, I could figure it out quickly and efficiently. I think the support both technical and non technical I received throughout the program is what really set Hack Reactor apart for me. The program focuses on building holistic engineers as opposed to coding robots. No matter what kind of support you need throughout the program, there will be someone there to help you out at a moments notice! I can't say enough good things about it! My recommendation would be to get some good experience with coding through self study before attending Hack Reactor. This helped me get the the most out of my time there! Good luck!

Going through Hack Reactor was definitely one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made. The program really prepares you for a career in software engineering and teaches you how to think through problems methodically. Hack Reactor doesn’t just teach you... Read More just how to code. Hack Reactor teaches you how to solve problems and learn hard concepts quickly- which are skills all software engineers should have. I came from a background with some programming skills already, however the amount of growth that I saw myself go through surprised me. I developed better approaches to solving problems, and became much better at managing my stress levels so that I could be successful, not to mention everything that I learned on a technical level. I came into Hack Reactor not wanting to change careers as I had just graduated from high school- this was my choice for getting into software engineering in the first place. With my unique situation, Hack Reactor gave me an opportunity to learn software engineering whereas my alternative would’ve been to spend a lot more money on a college degree, which I simply couldn’t afford. This program has really opened doors for me and I think that they can open doors for a lot of people- but you do have to be prepared for the difficulty of the program. Overall, I’d say that anyone looking into a programming bootcamp should definitely look into Hack Reactor with the mindset of being prepared to work hard. Anyone looking to attend Hack Reactor should make sure that they are prepared with really solid fundamentals when going through the prep work and pre-course to get the most out of the program and make it through. In addition, be sure to reach out for help when you need it. The staff is definitely dedicated to making sure that the students are making the correct steps towards becoming a solid software engineer and getting a job in the field.

TLDR - Hack Reactor is the real deal, but you should only apply if you’re willing to prepare for it thoroughly. First of all, I cannot offer enough positive adjectives to describe my experience at Hack Reactor. The pace of the program is optimally challenging... Read More and rewarding, the curriculum is carefully designed and up-to-date, and most importantly, it’s the people in the program who really make it special. Everyone on the staff is bright, devoted, and actually cares about the students. And the vast majority of the students are also smart and enjoyable to work with. The focus of this review is really on you, the reader. The question you’re asking is: should I attend this bootcamp? The answer is a resounding… it depends. In my opinion, it depends on how much preparation you’re willing to put in before attending this intense immersive. When I was in the trenches, I noticed that my cohort mates who had started coding just two months or less before the start of the bootcamp generally had a really rough time, especially for the first 5 weeks. They dealt with lots of anxiety, stress, questioning, etc. The people who had been coding for half a year or more (including me) excelled and reaped tremendous benefits from the program that we wouldn’t have received from just self-study alone. Here’s the thing: programming concepts take time to marinate in your mind before they really sink in. Despite being a professional musician and educator who really loves logical problem-solving, I had to start from ground zero with computer science. I spent many, many hours studying the fundamentals of programming before I attended Hack Reactor, and I am so grateful that I did. Ok, enough talk. If you’re still reading, then you’re probably wondering how you can effectively prepare yourself. Here is the path I followed that set me up for success at Hack Reactor and beyond: First, hop on Code Academy and check out a few of their courses in web development. https://www.codecademy.com/catalog/subject/web-development - You don’t need to finish any of these courses. They’re more to give you a beginner-friendly taste of programming. Personally, I found HTML and CSS to be pretty boring. Trust me, the fun stuff comes later. Most importantly, you'll want to become as confident as you possibly can with programming in JavaScript before attending Hack Reactor. These are the Udemy courses I did in preparation for Hack Reactor (I suggest that you wait until these courses go on sale and then buy them for around $10-$15 each. Udemy has sales about twice a month): "The Complete Web Developer in 2021: Zero to Mastery" https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-web-developer-zero-to-mastery/ - This course is worth completing. It’s a good first run through of the full stack. "The Complete JavaScript Course 2021: From Zero to Expert!" https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-javascript-course/ - This course is similar to the first, but more rigorous and comprehensive in its explanation of JavaScript. "Codewars" https://www.codewars.com/ - Once you’re more comfortable with JavaScript, start solving some puzzles with it. - Start by solving the 8kyu katas, then you should aim to be solving 5-6kyu katas before starting Hack Reactor. "JavaScript: Understanding the Weird Parts" https://www.udemy.com/course/understand-javascript/ - This course should absolutely be a requirement before attending Hack Reactor. "The Modern JavaScript Tutorial" https://javascript.info/ - This free read-through guide goes through the fine-grain details of JavaScript in a very thorough way. React - Main Concepts: https://reactjs.org/docs/hello-world.html - Practical tutorial: https://reactjs.org/tutorial/tutorial.html You need to understand JavaScript before you can understand React, and you need to understand React to be successful in Hack Reactor. "The Complete SQL Bootcamp 2021: Go from Zero to Hero" https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-sql-bootcamp/ - A solid introduction to writing database queries that will serve you well. "Node.js, Express, MongoDB and More: The Complete Bootcamp 2021" https://www.udemy.com/course/nodejs-express-mongodb-bootcamp/ - Complete everything through the MongoDB lectures. The content on Node.js is very helpful and critical to become familiar with before attending Hack Reactor. “JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Masterclass” https://www.udemy.com/course/js-algorithms-and-data-structures-masterclass/ - The section on data structures will be crucial in setting you up for success during the first week of the immersive. - The algorithms section is essential in preparing you for toy problems during the problem. LeetCode https://leetcode.com/ - Only start doing LeetCode problems after you’ve completed the Colt Steele course above. - This is similar to Codewars, but more rigorous and difficult. You will do problems like these every day during Hack Reactor, and companies use these problems in their technical interviews. It will take time for the patterns to sink in, but you should aim to get really good at these. Things to get familiar with in general: - GitHub - The command line (terminal) - Chrome Devtools https://www.udemy.com/course/devtools-2017-the-basics-of-chrome-developer-tools/ Regarding your actual study time, I would highly recommend the Pomodoro technique. Basically, set a timer, focus intensely for 25 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, and repeat 6 times. Ok, that was a lot, and I hope it was helpful. If you do all or even most of what I listed above, then you will be phenomenally successful at Hack Reactor and set yourself up for a lucrative and rewarding career in tech. Best of luck to you!

So I have been working on my BS in computer science part time while I was working full time. I was recently laid off and had to make a decision. That is where I found Hack Reactor. Based on their reputation and the fact that the IT department from my... Read More previous employer (USAA), accepted Hack Reactor certification as a minimum requirement, I made the leap. To be honest, the program was tough, humbling, and at a few different times I second guess my decision to become a software engineer. With all that being said, IT ALL PAID OFF and was ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT. The program is set up in a specific and purposeful way and all the struggles I experience in the first half helped forge a great learning mind set for the second half and now I feel comfortable diving into any new tech or language with the CS fundamentals and autonamity I learned from the program. Lasly, the staff is top notch and I could not have done this without the technical and mental support. If you have the want and dive to become a software engineer, please try Hack Reactor. PROS: 1) Skyrocketed my knowledge 2)Reputable company, 3) great alumni support 4) ISA support 5) excellent career support after graduation (offered for up to 6 months after graduation) CONS: 1) can be pricey (but ISA is an option) 2) you need 3 completely free months to complete if you are doing the full time course(this course is very intensive and requires your full time for those 3 months)

This program really changed my life not only by giving me the confidence to be a fullstack software engineer, but more importantly gave me the confidence to learn any new technology or language. This program focuses on building autonomous fullstack engineers... Read More and that is exactly what they create. The support system is amazing, they really do an amazing job at fostering a community of growth and support from both the staff and the students. The program is intense and moves at a very fast pace, but if you are serious about getting into the technology field and most importantly willing to put the work in, you will get so much out of it.

I went to Hack Reactor with my mind set on the prize. I knew it would be hard but nothing could have prepared me for the rigor of this course. There were times where I thought I couldn't make it but I pulled through and learned so much on the way. From... Read More learning advanced full-stack skills to learning all the soft skills I need to be a good team member and interviewee it was a journey that I'm proud to have completed. The support is there. There's help desk when you get stuck and the staff is amazing. They're all very passionate about their jobs and the exemplify that throughout every process within Hack Reactor. I started at a major tech company out in SF (remote position) and I'm loving it so far. Everything I learned at Hack Reactor I'm having to use on the job. I'm fully prepped to be the best dev I can be here. Thanks HR.