Hack Reactor

If you're reading through this review, it means you're in the same spot that I was in 6 months ago. In a traditional 4 year university, it will cost an upward of 20 - 40k. In addition to the cost, it is the time. Time is a limited resource that a lot... Read More of us cannot afford. Hack Reactor is easily the best choice if you want to switch career without having to spend 4 years learning the materials to become a software developer. Now you're wondering, is it possible for a person with no coding experience to become a full stack engineer? The answer is YES! Hack Reactor does an amazing job teaching you how to problem solve. If you're looking for a bootcamp to hold your hand, then this bootcamp isn't for you. This bootcamp is made for students that are willing to persevere through challenges, and have a passion for learning. Hack Reactor has an amazing staff support, top-notch lecturer (best in the industry). Arguably the best part of Hack Reactor (aside from the technical) is the community (your cohort mates). When you spend 11 hours a day, 6 days a week, it became relatively easy to get close. These connections will transcend the 3 months of this bootcamp. It is a support system that will help you survive through the 3 months. This was worth the time, money, and effort. Everything that is worth doing will be hard. But if you're able to get through it, you will be an amazing software engineer.

Alright y'all ngl the program is very difficult, you will have no semblance of a life for about 3 months. You will see more of your classmates than your own friends and family for three months but you will not regret it. I went in not expecting much,... Read More but the program astonished me! I thought that I was going to learn some JavaScript and some modern frameworks/libraries that are common in the work place. I did learn those but I got so much more from the program. It really had me start thinking about code as a software engineer. Hack Reactor doesn't like to refer to its program as a bootcamp, they like to call it a Software Engineering Immersive. And they absolutely deserve the title!

I had zero knowledge about coding, and I did not know where to start. So I joined premium prep at Hack Reactor. The course is designed to teach you the javascript fundamentals, and it is very well structured. Other bootcamps have similar courses. I chose... Read More Hack Reactor because they offered it for part-time and full-time students. Part-time worked out great for me. It was from 9 pm to 12 pm EST. When I was halfway through the premium prep course, Hack Reactor became my only choice. I did not even look at any other bootcamps. I had my technical interview scheduled towards the end of the premium prep course. I was extremely nervous on my interview day, and the person who interviewed me did everything he could to ease my nervousness. I got a call the very next day from my enrollment officer about the result, and to my surprise, I passed it! The next step was to complete all the materials in the pre-course before joining the immersive. The materials in the pre-course ensure that you are ready to start immersive. There were supports available in pre-course as well. Once I finished and submitted the materials, I was allowed to start the immersive. The first few weeks were difficult for me because it was very fast-paced and, of course, the long hours. That being said, the longer you stay with Hack Reactor, the easier it gets. By week 6, I was no longer tired. I would often code until 11 pm or even midnight. What stood out immediately to me was how caring the staff were. They were very compassionate, understanding, caring, and always there to support their students. The tech mentors are highly knowledgeable, kind, and always willing to help students. The study materials were on point, the sprints were well structured, and the lectures were gold. I once sent a message to my tech mentor about a line of code, and he replied to my question by explaining what every word in that line of code was doing. By the end of the final week of the immersive, I was blown away at my own growth and how much I had learned. I learned a lot, but one of the most valuable things Hack Reactor taught me was how to navigate through new technologies and be autonomous. The support does not end once you graduate from the program. Hack Reactor also has a strong alumni network, and upon graduating, you will be a part of that network. It was a challenging course that demanded 100% of my focus, attention, dedication, efforts, and time. I am so happy that I decided to join Hack Reactor. I met some of the most amazing, kind, and brilliant people at Hack Reactor. I would absolutely recommend Hack Reactor to anyone who wants to learn programming and is willing to give 100% of their time and efforts.

I started with their Premium Prep Course ($250 tuition, goes toward full course tuition if accepted). Before this, I had no experience with JavaScript or web development. The prep course was easy to follow and the support offered from the Premium option... Read More was very helpful. I highly recommend this route because it's essentially free as long as you pass the entrance exam and the staff really was incredible. Coach Kathy gave some solid pep talks every morning and the tech mentors were great when helping with any issues. After you pass the technical admission assessment (TAA) you get enrolled in the Precourse. This is about 3-4 weeks of work to get you prepped for the real course. Again there is lots of support from the staff and helpdesk. I received help several times from the helpdesk staff and they were always very helpful in guiding me to find the answer rather than simply answering. Now for the main bit. I was enrolled in the Remote Eastern cohort (though everything was remote at the time). The course is split into two phases, the junior and the senior. During the junior phase, there are one or two lectures every day. These were "blended learning" lectures meaning that there were multiple cohorts in the zoom call. The lecturers were all great. They explained relatively complex topics in about an hour, setting us up to use put that info to work in the current sprint. The sprints were two-day projects that you work on with a partner. These are projects to learn the principles of the current topic. You switch partners every time so you'll get to know many of your classmates, which is difficult in the beginning due to the remote environment. All of these lessons lead up to the Technical Assessment which is a gating midpoint exam. You'll have to pass this to go on to the senior phase. As long as you are putting in the work and asking for help when you need it, the TA shouldn't be an issue. The senior phase is all about combining all the junior lessons to start building real applications. There are four projects, three in groups and one solo. This was the part where I started feeling like I might actually be a software engineer. The staff was incredible in every aspect. The lecturers did a great job remotely (as a former teacher I was always impressed). The cohort lead always brought her inspiring attitude for the morning announcements and was always available for any support you might need. The tech mentors were great as well. They had regular office hours to go over any tech topics you might be struggling with. Most of my interaction with staff was with the helpdesk or the SEIR (software engineering immersive resident. All the helpdesk staff and SEIRs are recent Hack Reactor grads so they have experience with whatever issue you might be having. The helpdesk helped my various partners and me get through many struggles in the junior phase sprints. My cohort was lucky to have the best SEIR. He was super helpful and highly skilled at explaining difficult concepts as if to a child but without being condescending. The final week of the course is spent with the Career Services team. They help with your resume, cover letters, salary negotiation, and much more. This is crucial because obviously, the goal is to get a job. After graduating you're assigned a Career Services Manager. This is the person that will help you individually with any job search questions or concerns. Also there optional is the Job Search Program which provides some structure and guidance for your job search. I had a great experience at Hack Reactor and definitely recommend it. I want to emphasize though that it isn't for everyone. It's a lot of work. Expect to put in a minimum of 60 hours a week for three months. They provide what you need to be successful, but ultimately it's up to you to do the work.

The Software Engineering Immersive at Hack Reactor exceeded expectations. The instruction for Javascript fundamentals and lectures were all very engaging and enjoyable. It's amazing how much knowledge you absorb in a matter of three months. Not only that,... Read More but Hack Reactor helps you build your soft and technical skills so you're able to graduate as a capable Full Stack Engineer. Throughout the process, the community is extremely supportive and helpful especially since this is an intense program. After the immersive, you get access to valuable career resources such as career services manager and a program that helps you in the job search process. Highly recommend Hack Reactor!

I just graduated from their full-time immersive program and I can say it is one of the smartest choices I ever made for myself! It was BEST spent 12 weeks and 18k. I come from a completely different field (non-STEM) and I had zero coding experience until... Read More the beginning of this year. I took their Premium Prep course, passed the TA, and went through the Precourse program for 7 weeks to get ready for the immersive. I remember on my first day of the immersive, I was very nervous and not sure if I could keep up with such an intense schedule (12 - 13 hours a day, 6 days a week) but I had lectures, workshops, pair programming at every hour and it kept me engaged all the time. They also provided me with one-on-one meetings for my mental support and emphasized taking care of myself to avoid burnout (, which I felt a little during my senior phase so it is really important). After the graduation, they had me enrolled in a career support program for the next 6 months, which is also pretty engaging and their alumni network is enormous! Overall, the program exceeded my expectation in every way and I never would've imagined the things I do now 3 months ago. If you are thinking of a career change, I highly recommend it!!

I just graduated and I can confidently say that Hack reactor exceeded my expectations. Like many I suspect, I debated heavily whether these were skills I could learn on my own, through self-study. Perhaps, given a lot more time, I could have acquired... Read More some of them. However, while I can only speak from my experience, I can confidently say that I am in a much different place as a software developer today than when I started. Beyond just learning new languages and frameworks, I have a much greater understanding of the big picture and how everything fits together. I am also far more capable and confident at quickly learning new technologies to meet the demands of a given project. This I feel will be the programs continuing influence in my life -- a more fine-tuned ability to learn, and a willingness to tackle unknown challenges with eagerness rather than anxiety. I feel grateful for the experience and excited about the future.

Pros: -Excellent instruction. There were 2 instructors and about 4 TAs for a group of 7 students, so the level of help and instruction was pretty great. The instructors were both brilliant and super warm. -Amazing learning environment. -High quality peers... Read More (both super intelligent and very warm). We really bonded throughout the program. It was a blast connecting with each other and supporting each other through difficult moments. Particularly as someone who is moving to Austin (I'm moving there from Portland after I get a job there) it was great to meet many future friends! -Accessible outcome data (especially when so many bootcamps don't release real data). -Very smart systems in place for the remote program. Help desk questions get answered in minutes. They sent us a google calendar after we got into the program that had a specific breakdown of exactly how all of our time would be spent throughout the program. -Constantly iterating on the curriculum and processes. -The program is great at getting you to achieve the audacious goal of becoming an adept web developer in just 3 months. Cons: -They could be overbearing with attendance and tardiness requirements, but I can see value in this. It does make for a very high accountability environment. -There was a sprint or two where we used a technology that we've been told isn't super useful in the industry (i.e. Redux). -The cost of the program, although it's definitely competitive relative to other bootcamps. Overall: My Hack Reactor experience was amazing. I learned a ton and was able to make a variety of applications that will serve as great portfolio pieces. You will certainly have to dedicate your life to the program and be very serious about software engineering, but if you are willing to work hard Hack Reactor is an amazing program that will help you become a software engineer in just 3 months!

I've had nothing but good experiences joining Hack Reactor. It helped me become more autonomous in creating new projects and learning new technologies. As a result, this has made me a lot more career driven and I'm more ready to apply myself in the future.... Read More In terms of Hack Reactor's intense agile environment, it was a bit tough to adjust to, especially coming from a non-traditional background, but after the second week I felt prepared to take on any challenge. Overall, I definitely recommend Hack Reactor if you are serious in joining the Software Engineering field and don't have any prior experience.