iO Academy

Returning to software development after a 10 year career break seemed like an impossible feat until I discovered the iO Academy and their bespoke training course. I was able to easily pick and choose which modules I needed to update my skills. Nothing... Read More was set in stone so we could adapt the program as we went. I had a mixture of virtual and in person sessions and both worked equally well. Putting theory immediately into practice was not only a refreshing way to learn, but really effective. I had been dreading restarting my career and was actually pretty scared about finding out out how little I still knew and how much things had moved on but… the sessions were fun and Mike was super encouraging and supportive. What had felt impossible rapidly felt completely doable. I’m now working again and really enjoying it. iO has a really friendly team that I know I will be back in touch to top up my skills if needed. Thank you iO!

When I quit my job to attend iO Academy, it felt like a huge, scary gamble. On reflection, I had nothing to worry about! By the end of the first week, not only had I learned a lot, I was confident that I was completing a well thought out and comprehensive... Read More syllabus. Before starting the Full Stack Track, I presumed that if I wanted to graduate and get a job, I would have to learn everything there was to know about coding. The reality is that software development is an ever-expanding field, and no single developer knows everything there is to know. The important thing is that you leave iO Academy with strong fundamental knowledge in the areas that matter, and have the confidence to tackle new languages/frameworks/methodologies. Further than just a great syllabus, I made some wonderful friends along the way, and enjoyed commuting to Bath to such a relaxed, positive, and supportive environment every day. On my final day at iO Academy, I accepted a job offer as a Graduate Software Developer at a local Healthcare tech company. I will be writing in C# and using the .NET framework, neither of which I know anything about yet (at the time of writing, I start my role in 2 weeks' time). Thanks to the trainers at iO Academy, I feel confident that I will pick up these technologies; many coding skills are transferable between languages, not to mention the ongoing support of the academy alumni group chat. I can't recommend iO Academy enough. If you're thinking of taking that leap of faith... do it!

Don't hesitate to apply for the Full Stack Track course at iO Academy! It really was a life changing 16 weeks for me. I was a successful graphic designer for mainly food and drink packaging for 6 years prior to starting the course. I loved design and... Read More I always will have an appreciation for it but I was starting to think that something I decided on doing at age 17 (more than 10 years ago without giving away my age ;) ) wasn't necessarily what I wanted to do for the rest of my career. After talking to a couple of iO Academy alumni (one of whom also used to be a designer) I was convinced that this course was the right thing to do. I honestly didn't research any other bootcamps other than iO Academy because I thought the curriculum looked fantastic and I really enjoyed the online taster session. Another big plus for me was the fact that I could study in person at the beautiful Bath campus as I knew I would get more out of in-person teaching. I was in a cohort of 7 people including myself which was perfect. A small class size meant that we could work as if we were a real-life dev team, collaborating and learning from each other. It also meant that we each had a lot of attention from our trainer (Charlie) and could ask as many questions as we could! Charlie was a brilliant trainer. He made sure that everyone felt comfortable and gave us as much help as we needed. I was really struggling to understand a concept in week 3 and he was really patient with me, using physical objects, pictures and relatable metaphors to explain it to me in a way that suited my learning style. The content of the course was really well thought out, with normally a week of theory and then a project week where we initially worked solo and then worked together as a team using the scrum agile methodology. This meant that we could get to grips with new concepts and then put them into practice making projects that we could then show off on our portfolio sites (which we built in week 2). I can't believe that in January I had no idea was the command line was and now I'm using it every day in my job! The course is constantly evolving with feedback from the students and industry experts to keep it up to date and relevant to the industry, ensuring that we were all as prepared as we could be to get jobs at the end. We got loads of help with developer-specific CV writing, cover letters and creating our portfolio sites which was better than any career advice or help I've ever had before! Another big plus for iO Academy is the hiring partner event. The Academy has relationships with many tech companies in the South West, and we had about 10 that came to an in-person evening networking event. This actually resulted in me landing my first job as a developer 2 weeks before the end of the course! I am now 2 weeks into my job and really loving it. The full stack track course at iO Academy was worth every penny for me and in many ways surpasses my (much more expensive) 3 year degree. It was challenging in a good way, very fun and I will look back on it as a huge positive turning point in my life.

I’ve recently completed the full stack track course at iO Academy and it has genuinely been an amazing academic experience. Having quite my job in the events industry and spending a lot of time researching bootcamps, I made the decision to apply to iO... Read More and began the course in January 2022. The course content is so well thought out and the balance of theory to projects helped solidify learning throughout the process. There was so many occasions where myself and my classmates would joke about how the order of the course content almost seemed to be intentional - which of course it was. The support from the trainers overall was excellent, especially Rayna who was my trainer. She ensured we had amazingly detailed notes that I’m sure I’ll continue to use as I start my dev career and was super supportive and reassuring throughout the entire process. Before even finishing the academy, I had already had multiple interviews and a job offer. Followed by a further 2 job offers the week following - and I’ll be starting my new job next week (2 weeks after finishing the course). I honestly can’t recommend iO Academy enough!

As someone with a computer science degree I worried the course wouldn't provide me with the challenge I needed. How wrong I was! The course was intense, packed full of information and side projects, so much so that I coded late into the night most of... Read More the week (for fun and to get the most of the course, not a requirement!) Most importantly it gave me the tools to navigate an extremely complex industry with confidence, teaching good working practices and enforcing a doctrine of work-life balance. All in all I would say the course was a winner for me, my career and my general well being. I would highly recommend it!

After making the decision during the pandemic that I needed to switch my career path, I spent a lot of time researching the best way for me to get my foot in the door of the tech industry. It was then that I came across coding bootcamps, with iO Academy... Read More standing out due to its great location in Bath and it's excellent reviews. On the surface it seemed to good to be true: over 16 weeks, I would learn about and use a wide range of technologies and by the end I would be able to confidently apply to software developer jobs. After attending a virtual taster session and chatting to the staff, I decided to take plunge despite having a smallish feeling that I was taking a risk. Well... By the end of my first week at iO Academy, I was confident that I had made the right choice in starting The Full Stack Track; writing this review a month after starting my role as a Graduate Software Developer, I could not be more certain about my choice! Offering small group sizes (mine had 7 including myself) and an experienced, highly knowledgable trainer, iO Academy's modern approach to teaching worked amazingly as each day it felt like I was learning more than I had in any other educational context. It is fair to say that the course is intense: it is not a golden ticket to a job as you do have to put lots of effort in. It is essential that you complete the pre-course materials provided by the academy before starting and doing extra work in the evenings is beneficial too. If you are motivated to learn and ask your trainer questions, your experience will be fantastic! In terms of funding, there are options available to help spread the cost after employment if you are unable to pay up front. You will not regret attending iO Academy!

I absolutely loved the course at iO academy. I had looked at quite a few different bootcamps before I decided for this one, and have never regretted the choice for a moment. What made me decide for iO academy was mainly the small classes (only 8 people),... Read More and I do think it made all the difference. With classes that small everyone always had the support they needed, and we all really got to know each other. Since the course is definitely not always easy, it was amazing to have such a nice group of people that could help each other through the tough bits. The support from iO academy was great. We had several teachers and they were all extremely knowledgeable. Towards the end of the course you get a lot of support with the job search as well; they help you out with your cv, portfolio website etc. I was lucky enough to get a job immediately after the course ended. I'm really loving the work and everything I was taught at iO academy has proven itself more than useful already. I really think they did very well with the curriculum and taught us everything you need to know to start your first developer job.

EyUp is a collaboration between iO Academy and Wandisco and I was part of the first cohort. Initially I was skeptical that the entire course could be packed into 16 weeks but I really wanted to learn how to code and I didn't want to spend more than a... Read More year in further eduction after my degree. The course absolutely delivered on it's promises, I learned Php, Javascript, React, Node.js, slim framework and much more. I also learned how to work as a developer in a real world environment, we alternated between 1 week of theory and then a poject week which let us apply the skills that we had learned in an actual sprint! I would highly recommend this course to anyone in the Sheffield area who wants to learn how to code!

TL, DR - Course good, got job. Believe the hype. Prior to joining iO Academy (then Mayden Academy), I had no previous development experience other than a few HTML/CSS courses on freeCodeCamp. I'd been working in tech support/retail for longer than I would... Read More have liked and needed a change. I'd spent weeks trawling through forums, watching countless YouTube videos espousing (and demonising) bootcamps vs self taught vs university and reading reviews on websites like this one, and after weighing up my options, a bootcamp seemed like the best choice for me. So, why iO? - Small cohort sizes. The benefits of this in hindsight have been: more personal teaching, comradery/community and preparation for post-iO life. - Non-code stuff. Being familiar with Scrum and following the rituals of daily standups, sprint reviews, merge requests (etc) made the transition into my first developer role that much less daunting, and is a huge benefit over going the self-taught/university course route. You don't know to learn what you don't know! - Easy payment options. Not really having a nest egg to fall back on, the option to pay once employed was a huge plus. Being shorter than a transitional degre - Support finding a job. The academy Slack job's channel was incredibly hlpful during the search for my first role, and trainers really went above and beyond, helping with my CV, portfolio, tech interviews and just generaly being there for a chat if things were stressful. Despite the difficulties incurred by Covid, the iO Academy team were nothing but outstanding and professional. The trainers are knowledgable, personable and managed to simultaneously make the single most intense course of my life into the most enjoyable one. The term "life changing" is thrown around a lot, but this course truly is. Thanks again iO team! Misc tips: - Do as much of the pre-course work as possible. Familiarising yourself with some of the vocabulary used will make things easier later. - Ask for help when you need it (you will need it).

I have been ummming and arring for many years whether I should step into software development. I was apprehensive about bootcamps in general but I do not regret joining and completing the iO Academy full stack development course. Our coach Charlie is... Read More a great and has the patience for stupid questions! We completed a number of team projects in an agile environment to get you prepared for the real world. We also had many talks from ex-students and also from engineers from Mayden which they are attached to.