Holberton School

I was part of the first batch student of Holberton school. I picked Holberton school as an alternative to a regular four year college education. I had this thirst to learn more about technology and building software. I thought Holberton was a good option... Read More for me as it was a two year program that would give me the proper time to really get a good grasp on what a career as a software engineer would involve and allow me the space and time to grow as young professional. Holberton school did not disappoint! I had an overall great experience. The content was fun and challenging. I had a good sense of community there, learning along side my peers. I loved that I also got to gain experience during the internship phase. I got an internship at a small medical tech company (where I am still currently working). I would definitely recommend Holberton to anyone who wants a strong foundation and be able to develop a good network to build a software engineer career on top of.

I have been loving my experience at Holberton and their commitment to making software engineering accessible for everyone. I am deaf, so when I was accepted and requested accommodations, they immediately went to work making sure I would have an equal... Read More experience with other students. This showed me that Holberton truly does have a commitment to educating different types of software engineers, and isn't just in it for lip service.

I entered the program knowing almost nothing about programming/computer science. I just knew some HTML/CSS and VERY basic bash commands. Now, 5 months later, I have a strong knowledge of C and have built some pretty cool and robust programs. I love how the projects by nature encourage us to implement best practices for each language and really understand what we're doing instead of just writing code that works. The project based model enables us to be self-reliant and try to figure stuff out on our own before turning to the staff, which is a skill future managers will really appreciate. Peer learning also helps us gain the skill of leaning on our peers (which will be co-workers in the future) and the group projects replicate what it's like to actually work as a software engineer with others. There is also an emphasis on practice interviews, which is known as the toughest part of getting a job in the industry, which makes me even more confident in my ability to find a job once all is said and done.

This program is really tough and requires a lot of your time/attention but I can honestly say I've never had so much learning. I was an accountant with no passion for what I was doing and now Holberton has reignited my passion for learning. I'm so excited to start working as a software engineer when the time comes.

Holberton School is not your traditional school. It emphasizes community, collaboration and persistence over competition and "talent" -- two pillars of "traditional" education.

I chose to attend Holberton School because bootcamps seemed to be oversaturated... Read More and a dead-end route by the time I looked into them, and I didn't want to commit to the financial burden and length of a 4 year undergraduate degree. I had just began graduate school for Classical Music Performance at the time and could not fathom applying to another university.

I'm currently in month 8 in the 9 month core curriculum, and it has been truly a ride. Just like anything, what you put in is what you get out. Holberton has no teachers, but instead a guided curriculum -- a series of pedagogically sequential projects, that first build on atomic skills and computer science fundamentals. Once you progress through the program, the curriculum becomes more and more advanced and integrated, but the pace is relentless. By pace, I mean the frequency new topics are introduced. But that shouldn't be a problem because you should already know that you have an interest in programming/computer science before attending. Also, the projects are quite fun! You should also know that you are a self starter, and you work well under deadlines. Along with the curriculum, you have your peers, teaching assistants, and staff and mentors (in that order) for help. I really love how much emphasis is placed on asking educated questions, as I think this is an important life skill and lesson to learn early on.

The curriculum covers a great depth of topics, and there are always interesting advanced/optional tasks and projects to do if you have the bandwidth and desire. There are always opportunities to go above and beyond, but that must come intrinsically to the student, as it is easy to fall behind on projects if you're not focused. Holberton is an incredible opportunity for those who are self-starters, for those who are hungry to learn, and for those who ask why. While there is an ISA (you don't have to pay tuition until you get a job), it is not 100% risk-free (as most things aren't) and if you drop out after a certain point, you will have to pay the school if you make above a certain salary regardless of whether you're working in software. Study programming before you apply, and really spend some time playing around with code.

Not only is the curriculum great, the facilities (SF) are beautiful as well and echo the ethos and culture of Holberton -- bright, friendly, innovative. Working onsite is a great experience, and I think that's where the best peer-learning happens, and I recommend that all students should take full advantage of the space. It’s truly a pleasure to come in day after day to collaborate with some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met. If you’re considering a life/career change, I highly recommend doing your research and applying to Holberton.

Hi I'm Spencer. I was in Cohort 5 at Holberton School SF and I started in Jan 2018. Before starting I was a chef, and before that a Navy vet. I got a job at a startup called Naborly 2 months before I finished year 1. Holberton School was one of the best... Read More experiences that I've had at a school as well as being one of the most difficult points in my life. I'm a major fan of the project and peer based learning. I don't really do well in traditional learning enviornments. I don't want to sit and have someone tell me how it works, I want to get my hands dirtry and learn through experience. This is a major tenant of Holberton. There are no instructors. You have to rely on your research skills, but more importantly you have to develop your communication skills. Your biggest resource at Holberton are your peers. Somewhere in the building is someone who has encountered the same problem that you're possibly facing and I guarantee you that the same person will be more than happy to give you the answer.

All that being said Holberton is not easy. We start of with C and at first it can be difficult to understand, but learning C also provides a lot of benefits. A lot of programming languages are heavily influenced by C and it's the perfect language to learn strong programming fundamentals. Once you learn C languages like Python, Javascript, etc become very easy to pickup.

I really enjoyed my time at the school. I learned a lot about being a good team player, communication, and networking. The most important thing I learned though was that being able to write beautiful code is the smallest part of it. I'll leave you with some advice that Julian, cofounder of Holberton, gave me: "You can write the most amazing code the world has ever seen, but if you can't communicate what it does or teach someone how it works then you're not a very good engineer." If you want to be a great engineer, then I recommend Holberton School.

TL;DR
"Overall, my experience with the school has been tough, eye-opening, satisfying, amazing, a roller-coaster of learning how to learn again and how to become successful in a new career field.  I would highly recommend this school to others, just be... Read More prepared for what it means to become a student at Holberton School and that what you take away is earned not given to you. "
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After 13 years in the Food and Events industries, I decided that I wanted to try something new and explore a field I had an interest in but no way in my mind to access. Software Engineering!  When I began my search for how to do this I had no idea what I was doing so I reached out to a mentor of mine who is a Software Engineer and asked him to help me weed through my options.  After looking through soo many options and trying out a few short length bootcamps my mentor and I found Holberton School.  
What drew our attention first was that it was easily accessible for someone who wanted to make a Career Transition into the tech world.  The school has no upfront fees rather it utilizes an ISA (Income Share Agreement) which makes it so that when you finish the program and get a job you will pay back the school for your education over 3 years once you get a job at 17% of your income to a maximum of $85,000. I cannot speak to how this has affected my lifestyle yet because I am in the 7th month of the first 9, but I will update my review at the point that I do get my first job as an engineer.
So to speak on the second reason why Holberton was the choice for me is the Curriculum, Project-based Learning, and Peer Learning system.  My engineering friend helped review all the listed curriculums that the schools we researched provided and found that what would be learned and how it was presented through projects and a peer-learning based model would really make me successful in the industry as a Full-Stack Engineer:

1. Low-Level Engineering in: C

2. Higher-Level Programming in: Python
3. Pointers, Linked Lists, Data Structures, and Search Algorithms
4. System Engineering & DevOps track:
* Bash Scripting
* System Design
* Web Stack Debugging
I can go into more detail, but really the school does focus on giving you a well rounded Full-Stack Engineering background. With that said though there are some things to note before jumping into this program:
1. IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!!!
* This is not to say that the school is trying to exclude groups, but do some research into peer-learning and realize that this model of education will not fit everyone.  For those who seek individual attention or need more of direct interaction with an instructor, this program may not be for you.  Self-motivation, a general curiosity of how things work and have some ability to problem solve I believe are the base requirements for anyone who wants to be successful in this school.
2. The program does not demand your attention, it REQUIRES it!
* Not to say that there have not been people who work or try to attempt to make it through the program while having some sort of side gig going. But, from my experience and what I have seen from others, it makes the already rigorous program much more difficult to handle.  Keep in mind, you are attempting to become a Software Engineer who is capable of joining a company's engineering team in a 1-year to a 2-year time frame.  
3. The school does provide Job Assistance through their mentor network, interview prep materials, and now internal coaching and guidance provided by a newly hired on experienced Student Success Manager who has a strong background as a Career Advisor/Talent Manager for many other companies in the tech industry.
Overall, my experience with the school has been tough, eye-opening, satisfying, amazing, a roller-coaster of learning how to learn again and how to become successful in a new career field.  I would highly recommend this school to others, just be prepared for what it means to become a student at Holberton School and that what you take away is earned not given to you. 

My name is Cece and I'm a student at Holberton School. I'm in Cohort 6 which started in June 2018. I am almost done with my first 9 months and have nothing but good reviews for this school. When I started at Holberton, I barely knew how to write a function;... Read More now it's just second-nature for me. I will admit that the course load is intense, but it's all worth it. Holberton is great because you learn more than how to code. You learn coding fundamentals that will carry you throughout your career. I've gained valuable lessons on how to network and be a professional. Plus, I didn't need a communications class to teach me how to talk in front of others. Instead, Holberton provides students with opportunities to give a presentation in 3 minutes; allowing you to work on public speaking and being comfortable in front of others. If you're looking for a school that values learning and its students, Holberton might be a good fit for you :)

I moved all the way from Canada to find an education institution that served my needs and work in the coveted Silicon Valley. Coming from a university background I was very unsatisfied with my degree, job support and University's overall involvement in... Read More my success. Holberton's application process is what persuaded me to believe in their model. The school is super intense and requires a full time commitment but their learning model does not focus on teaching 1 specific language, it actually teaches you to solve problems like an engineer. You are given new projects every day and solve questions by struggling, googling and peer support which makes you an independent learner. By the end of the program I was able to pick up new frameworks and languages with ease. The school does not focus much on Front end frameworks like React or Vue but it did not take me a lot of time to learn them on my own. I would say I am 100% satisfied with the curriculum, interview training, resume building and networking training that I received from this school. After 3 months of the end of 1st year I was able to secure a job in the industry as a software engineer earning a handsome starting salary.

Pros:
In 7 months, I've become proficient in C and Python, and currently am gaining a ground-up understanding of web infrastructure and web based applications (Nginx, Haproxy, MySQL, HTML/CSS, Flask, etc.). The program doesn't take shortcuts, and emphasizes... Read More a foundation of core concepts before delving into specific applications, coding languages, frameworks, etc. Learning C before Python probably isn't the fastest way to get started coding, but offers a much deeper understanding of what exactly happens under the hood, but you'll be be able to pick up new concepts and languages much faster in the future. I've been happy with the curriculum, and I feel like the pacing and progression have been well thought out. It's been intense, but I've never felt legitimately overloaded.
The peer learning model has been productive for me, but you also have to be ready to break out of your shell, ask questions, and make it work for you. This is not a traditional classroom environment, nor a traditional academic teaching model. Just getting the "right" answers for "good" grades (a la college) will ultimately not be productive or helpful (afterall, nobody is going to ask what your "grades" were at Holberton).  This isn't a program you can expect to skate by on by just showing up and checking the right boxes. The program is intensive, and you will only take what you put into it.

Cons:
Peer learning is partially dependent on quality of peers. The school needs to ensure applicants are ready to succeed in the program and buy into the leanring model. Old habits die hard, and changing peoples' mentality of how school and learning works doesn't happen overnight. 
The SF campus is cool and offers alot of options for workspaces, but noise and disruptions from people hanging out and laughing are too common.

I debated between getting a masters or attending Holberton. I chose Holberton because it offered me the ability to pay back for the education I received from them after the fact. Within a short amount of time I am coding and solving problems while working... Read More with peers. It's been a great experience so far and a nice way to get my feet wet in tech. I know that after Holberton I will have so much more to continue learning and that's one of the things the Holberton community creates: It has helped us learn how to learn, and to pursue more knowledge and never stop.

When I was looking to transition into a tech career, I looked into both traditional college options as well as boot camps, the former being too long and expensive (I couldn't afford to be not working for four years) and the latter being too short (I didn't... Read More think I could learn enough in just a few months or less). After researching Holberton's 2-year program, it felt like the perfect balance, long enough to get a solid programming foundation as well as having deferred tuition. It meant that the school is investing in its students and if the students don't succeed, then the school doesn't, and it speaks to the school's ethos and quality of curriculum.

Along with that, I loved the hands-on, project-based peer learning model. You really don't know how much you understand about a subject until you try to teach it to someone else, and peer learning gives you the opportunity to find out. Not only do you learn technical skills, but from the very first day you're taught real-life skills necessary to succeed in the industry, such as problem-solving, self-sufficiency, and helping those around you as well as yourself. Soft skills are important too, given the peer learning model -- learning to communicate and collaborate with other engineers is just as important as being a good programmer.

Attending Holberton was an amazing experience for me because it changed my perspective on how to learn, how to collaborate, and what education can be.