Ironhack

It's never too late to follow your dreams. That's what I was thinking 9 weeks ago when I started the Ironhack web bootcamp along with other 25 people that soon would become like my family. We were told that it was going to be hard, and it was. But also... Read More we were told that we will improve like crazy!.. and we will, everyday... pushing our limits and doing what we couldn't and more. It was a unique experience, intense, very intense, and full of proudness for me and my colleges and what we acommplished along the way. Now, I am proud to say that I am a programmer, yes! My dream came true! :-)

Ironhack was undoubtedly one of the best decisions I’ve made not only for my career, but for my personal growth and self esteem.

From the initial interview to the my very last day, the team and instructors made me completely at ease in my lack of understanding... Read More and were intentional in checkups and encouraging me and my classmates to push ourselves.

I had zero experience in coding when I first entered the course and was incredibly intimidated. On my first day, I felt pretty anxious and out of my league, but the instructors, TA’s, and Ironhack staff make you feel at ease even when you feel out of place. They are patient and are genuinely interested in your growth. Nizar was our instructor for our bootcamp who is hands down one of the most talented instructors I’ve met. He is able to meet you where you are and is accommodating to your needs in the classroom. It’s easy to feel incompetent in such a large subject that is completely new, but Nizar and his team do a great job of making you feel comfortable in a challenging space. He also has a gift for teaching students with all backgrounds and will meet you where you are in your understanding.

The bootcamp is intense, but it’s well worth the time spent there. I came out with confidence in my new skills even though I knew I had a lot more to learn. The bootcamp provides you a great foundation along with a large network of talented individuals who are more than willing to help you navigate through the tech realm as many are completely new to this space.

There are a lot of valuable resources as well. They keep you well informed on all things tech happening in the community and Daniel Brito, the Placements Manager, prepares your for your interviews leading up to the end of the bootcamp.

Daniel Brito is invested in your time at the bootcamp and your time afterwards. I still go to him for questions and advice in regards to job hunting or interviews. I gained an internship as a Jr. Web Developer within 1 month of the program because of the confidence and tips I received from Daniel Brito and the team.

Overall, I think that if you are looking for a quality bootcamp then I highly recommend Ironhack. I loved the community I built and the challenges that were presented to me. If you want to take your career to new heights or just challenge yourself in a safe space - this is it.

You can read more about my experience on my blog here: http://www.rootandravish.co/lifestyle/coding-bootcamp-what-the-heck-is-that

Oh boy. I haven’t written anything besides code in the past three months, and the longest piece of text I’ve typed recently was a string for a database. So how do I begin with this one…

As a foreword of sorts, I didn’t know a thing about coding before... Read More I decided to apply for Ironhack’s Web Development Bootcamp. I had seen pieces of code before, and I could understand them just as well as ancient Egyptian. Until then, I had worked in the fields of journalism and communications, but if you have paid any attention to the world and its changes, you won’t need me to tell you about how hard it has become to make a career- and a living- in that sector nowadays.

What I’m trying to convey is that, at first, coding was my Plan B, a way to escape unemployment and get back on track- but I had no idea if I could handle it, or if I was going to enjoy it at all. And (to my own surprise), not only did I make it, it also seems that I enjoy coding- although it still gives me the occasional headache.

It might feel like I’m rambling, and I apologize- but there is a point in all of this. Like myself, many consider going into coding, but they wonder if it’ll be the right thing for them, if they will struggle trying to understand how code works. And I’ve come to find that you don’t require an intensive technical background to become a web developer or programmer. True, you need to tackle problems with a very different mentality compared to other trades, often needing to examine the task from every angle and understanding exactly what you will require, and what items will be involved, before you write the very first line of code. But once you adopt that mindset, code becomes less of a threat and more of a puzzle that challenges you and ignites your curiosity.

Getting used to this new strategic, however, is just the first milestone that you will have to conquer. Our worst enemy during the bootcamp wasn’t Javascript, Angular or any other framework- it was frustration. The pace of the lessons rarely gave us time to catch our breath, and the daily exercises (both individual, and in pairs) would often test our limits. On a couple of evenings, I found myself with my head buried between my hands in a moment of panic, telling myself “I can’t do this, I wasn’t ready for something like this”, and I wasn’t the only one.

If I’m painting a bleak picture so far, don’t worry- I’ve resorted to the “bad news, good news” mechanic to save the best for later. Although intensive, the bootcamp (divided in three ‘modules’ of three weeks each, with a final project at the end of each one) helped me understand the basics of code in a very comprehensive way, starting with basic exercises and steadily increasing the number of iterations or the challenge they offered. The bootcamp covers many areas that are key for a developer including Javascript basics and advanced features, layouts and design, database management and package management to expand the possibilities of our frameworks- and yes, all of that sounds like a lot at first glance, but again, even a complete newbie like me managed to successfully complete the bootcamp.

Now, my classmates and I are getting ready for the hiring week. For some of them, this will be a ‘level up’ in their career; for others, this is the start of a new one, and although I still have much to learn, I feel prepared to walk into web development with my head up high. And in addition to this, my final project -a website for musicians to find one another and start new bands and projects- became more than just a task to deliver at the end, and I have decided to continue working on it. Who knows, I might be releasing my very own website, made on my own and from scratch, in not too long!

I´ve just completed the Web development bootcmap at Ironhack and I am very much satisfied with the knowledge I have aquired and with the experience overall. I came from a non-developping background (I´ve just graduated from Business and Law at IE University)... Read More so everything was new to me, from the tools used for coding, to the language itself. However, having mutliple Teacher Assistants and an excellent Head Teacher (Marc), alongside with cooperating for the completion of the daily exercises with the rest of students has made me learn the tools for building not only a simple website (which is pretty much what I was expecting from the course) but a proffessional platform. Managing databases, structuring projects, creating models, developping actions, building routes, designing the look of the platform and deploying the website once its done are a few of the core aspects of developping a website and at Ironhack they tackle each and every one of them in detail. Even though I am not planing on becoming a developer, I believe that these tools will be very useful for me in the future, specially if I end up working in the tech-industry.

Because of work, I had to enroll in the part-time UX/UI Design program at Ironhack and I am so happy I did regardless of the late nights and crammed weekends. Entering this program not only has it provided me with the amazing toolset I need in the UX/UI... Read More world, but it also has given me a new network and amazing support system. I'm extremely thankful for my professors for taking the time to coach me and as well as Brito for being so diligent with me in finding the next step for me post-Ironhack. Thanks guys!

I just completed the first Part-Time UX/UI Course at IronHack Miami. Now that it's over, I am confident that I have been given all of the tools I need to become a successful UX/UI Designer.

Regarding the course: the material is extensive, the pacing of... Read More curriculum is fast, and expectations are high. This has been the most intense educational venture for me (even more than my college degree). After everything, I couldn't be happier.

The most important part:

After everything I have done to get to this point, I can readliy tell you that IronHack is worth every single penny. These are just a few (of many reasons) why:

The instructors and staff are genuinely invested in your success
The curriculum evolves often to stay current with technology
IronHack is a hub for many activities in the growing Miami ecosystem
The alumni are extremely active, friendly, and easy to network with
They care so much and really make the effort to connect you with job opportunities (thanks, Brito!)
Things to Consider

When you are enrolled part-time, the workload is a lot more challenging to navigate. This is because you are required to attend 2 weeknights from 6:30pm-9:30pm, and all day Saturdays (that's not including study and project time). Consider what it might be like for you to balance IronHack with a full time job.
Apply as early as you can, as mandatory prework is assigned for you to complete before the start of the course. It helps get you familiar with the material and be prepared before your first day. I completed mine over the course of a month (a few hours here and there), totalling about 40 hours to finish.
There are expenses that you will incur that are not included in your tuition:
Be prepared to pay for parking, as the school is located in Brickell. Parking is located on the street (estimated $2/hour) or in a nearby garage (flat fee $10/day)
Also be prepared to have about $300 extra saved to download the software you need or for miscellaneous items (Sketch, Flinto, and I am forgetting the others at the moment)
$50 for a FOB, which is a key for 24 hour access. It gets reimbursed to you once you are done with the course.
I think that covers it!

Overall thoughts: IronHack is the best bootcamp EVER and deserves way more than 5 stars!!! <3 <3

I'm 40 years old, I travelled the world and lived very intensely. Trust me if I say that the whole Ironhack bootcamp has been one the highest ranking experiences of my life. Let me explain you why.

Coding is hard. Learning to code in 2 months is very demanding... Read More and does seem totally impossible. Believe it or not, the Ironhack campus in BCN is designed at every level (from the location, the building itself, the staff, the teachers, the syllabus, the events and the job opportunities) just to make that happen. It doesn't get more ideal than that. Let's address these points one by one.

Location: Barcelona is one of the most international cities in Europe. You do breath modernity and opportunity here, especially in the Poplenou neighboroud where the campus is located. It has become a kind of tech district, so on the way to class you pass by real tech companies and it gives you a feel of where you might end up working. Feels like you're there already.

The campus: Fantastic open space with glass walls (Kanban boards drawn on them), plants hanging from the ceiling, kitchen, showers, desks, standing desks and tons of architectonic eye candies. It's like your mind expands in there, and you're hooked. You don't want to leave. In fact you don't. You're given the keys and take advantage of the 24/7 access policy. You'll need it on project weeks!!

The staff: They're doing a fantastic job at keeping the place so well organized YET very informal, frienly and welcoming. I felt like I could express myself without having to fit in to any particular mould, and that was very valuable to me, because during the bootcamp you are reinventing yourself and pushing your brain hard on coursework in order to do that. So nobody will judge you if you spend hours by a standing desk coding and dancing looking more like a dj (or a crazy person) than a developer. You're tired? You can take a nap in plain sight. Wanna play? Let's skate or play football, inside of course. Nobody will ask you to stop. The staff is committed in having you become a web developer. They know kicking a ball will help your unconcious brain solve the kata.

The teachers: Andre has been one of the most inspiring and influential professional I ever met. The guy has more than 20 years of experience, and he knows how to deliver it to you. His technical knowledge is so intimate that I'm sure he natively thinks in Javascript then compiles in English for the rest of us. But it's not just that he tought us a programming language (and to love it), he focused a lot on best practices and the workflow and mindset you have to adopt in order to transform your ideas in to products through coding, and having fun in the process. Then, he passed on us so many insights drawing form his own experience, filtering out for us the most valuable. Maybe not obvious at first, but Andre insights sit on the brain and release value as time passes by. And also, it must be said: he let us appreciate how cool a fully fledged web dev can be.

The teaching assistants: Ironhack employs the most suited students as teaching assistants for next cohorts. They're three, with different levels of experience depending on how many cohorts they survived. Yes, because it's not easy to stay patient having to debug horrible code by current students still not having a clue!! What you get from them is the closeness of relating with somebody who just finished the bootcamp, as well as accurate code revisions and debugging, directly from somebody who still remembers on what silly thing you're more likely to get stuck on. They were stuck there too just a couple of months before, they know how and where to help.

The sillabus: Javascript is on fire nowadays and Ironhack is one of the few bootcamps to base its entire curriculum on it. Backend, frontend, all JS, because this is the present and the foreseable future of web dev. In fact, anything different would have felt like time wasting. The course is divided in three modules, each module giving you the teaching first and then challenging you on a project. The course material is constantly updated, you get exercises on a git repo to work on all night if you want. You'll get a detailed revision of your code in the morning. In the first module you learn the basics, HTML, CSS and JS, and make a late 90s style JQuerish app with it. Addictive brain gymnastics. Then you're introduced to Node.js in the second module, but server side. Mongo DB, Mongoose, Express. And you make a '00 style server rendered MVC app, which almost feels like a real thing. In the third module you're thought a Javascript framework (this time it was Angular 5), and are given two weeks to complete your own full stack project. At some point while doing it, which happens at different stages for different people, it's guaranteed that you will see the light. Like in the Karate Kid movie you'll see how all they made you do click together. Your fingers begin flying on the keyboard, translating your thoughts in to code as if it was the most natural thing in the world, while you wonder what the hell is happening. That's when a web dev has finally emerged from within you.

Events and job opportunities: Each week we had at least a couple of talks by external speakers, giving us insights from within the industry. That has been very valuable, the best one was somebody explaining us how to make a bot using Dialogflow, with git repo and all. Fantastic. Unfortunately, you are likely to be very fatigued by all the mental work you're doing in the bootcamp to fully engage in the talks. But it is all meterial you can go back at a later stage, having had direct exposure to it, and maybe even networked with a real tech-industry specimen. And we came to job opportunities. I yet have to attend the hiring week which is organized at the end of the bootcamp and it's supposed to be a kind of speed dating between us graduate and tech companies. BUT, during the last event one of the speakers gained an interest in my final project and we're now exploring the prospect of remote work for his creative, amazing and well established start-up. So yes, nothing concrete yet but I can't beleive the fact I'm actively asked for interviews even BEFORE I start searching for a job. Amazing.

Last point to address is the people. I barely been alone during these two months, the group spirit has been fantastic. From spending the night all together coding, to partying at campus on the weekends, I felt so fortunate to get to meet so many great people. On a personal note, that was even more important given the fact that I lost my father while I was attending the bootcamp. It wasn't an easy decision to stay and learn coding, but it was the right choice. The understanding and support I received from the staff and the other students has been invaluable, don't know what kind of place I would have been without it.

I do reccomend the course, it delivers on expectations, but be ready to push yourself as hard as you can in the learning process. There's no magic, it all comes through hard work. Ironhack will provide you with the best environment, tools, knowledge, people, it's like a state of the art gym: the sweat is still all yours. As for me, I might take the UX/UI bootcamp, Ironhack is kind of addictive.

Attending Ironhack in Barcelona was one of the best choices I have ever made! A great immersive introduction to the coding world to anyone trying to make the 'shift'. Lead instructor Andre with real on-hand experience in the field teaches you what you... Read More need to start and what to be careful of! We even did agile methodologies from day one! TA's and Ironhack's staff are super helpful for anything you need and they make you feel like home. In addition to the course lessons, there are a lot of events and presentations going on where you meet people from the awesome tech and startup community and you learn things from growth-hacking to IoT! Totally recommended for anyone who wants to make a career change, learn how to code (futureproof yourself) or even Project Managers who want to improve the communication with their developers!

Ironhack bootcamp is one of the best experience in my life. I have been able to learn from scratch with a great team, professional and human. I recommend it 100%.
Very good atmosphere where you can give the best of you and meet incredible people.
If you... Read More decide to do the bootcamp of Ironhack in Barcelona you will be lucky , because you will have André as a teacher, who will do everything to help you learn the maximum with the best practices. Also Luis, Byron and Isak as assistants are amazing. And of course the implication from the staff helping in everything they can, to make your experience unforgettable. Organizing meetings, talks etc.

And of course A loot of fun! Ironbeers , partys, dinners to disconnect a bit from coding.