Makers Academy

I have a young relative who completed the course and loved it. I think he has really found something to be passionate about. However, I think for £8,000 they do very little to help cohort graduates find work. There seems to be little proactive contact... Read More or monitoring of where they are in the job hunt or where they are looking. It takes a week to ten days to make an appointment with a coach, which is ridiculous. They pretty much leave these guys on their own. Yet the longer it is after "graduation" the bigger the risk that they look outdated. I stress that this is my opinion looking in from the outside rather than the views of my relative. But he is getting downhearted, and I am wondering whether that £8,000 was worth it. I am not sure they have very active or professional folk out there selling their students to companies. And that is part of what you pay for in my opinion.

Pros: The coaches are excellent and there's always somebody available when needed, but figuring things out yourself first is encouraged. I became more self-sufficient and learnt more than I thought I'd have been able to in 12 weeks. Most importantly,... Read More it was fun. The time flew by and I'd do it all again if I could. The job support afterwards is also great, plenty of workshops, one-to-ones available and plenty of hiring partners offering lot's of opportunities. Cons: Expensive but worth it.

After being made redundant during the pandemic, I decided to enrol to Makers after hearing great things from a Makers Alumni. Makers equipped me with everything I needed to be launched into the world of software engineering and I'm so grateful to them... Read More for everything. Since day one of the course, you learn an incredible amount - the curriculum is self-led which means you can hone in on the latest technologies, what might be popular today might not be in a few years time, so because it's not rigid you can focus on the latest tech. What I love most is the longevity of what you take away from makers, you're not just learning from the curriculum, you're picking up key skills for the industry project and teamwork, problem-solving, architecture, and even how to learn and debug, which proves valuable after the course and when you've landed your first job in the industry it's those things that will springboard you to a future in tech, aside from just learning how to code. One year later since I started at Makers and to anybody sitting on the fence, I say just do it because you won't regret it - it's the best decision I've made in my life, Thank you, Makers.

Deciding to change career and start my tech journey at Makers was by far the best decision I have ever made and the friend of mine who convinced me to go with Makers said the exact same thing. It is not a coincidence. Despite joining in April 2020 at... Read More the begining of the pandemic and the course moving remotely, I still feel that I learnt all that was needed to become a successful software develper. The curriculum is spot on for the types of roles/companies that you want to be working for when applying for your first job. The senior coaches are experts in their field and always on hand to answer any questions you may have, even months after you have finished the course. And the learning environment is unique. Makers is a special place and if you do decide to join you will quickly appreciat the "we're all in this together" ethos that is developed among your colleagues in your cohort. It's not a quick fix by all means and it is not easy, but if you are willing to put in the hours and completely dedicate the next 4+ months of your life to the cause, look no further - Makers is the place for you! Good luck!

I've just graduated Makers, and have already had my first interview for a position with a company that I'm absolutely thrilled about. I also have another lined up for a different company next week! None of this would have been possible without Makers.... Read More Makers Academy helped me to rediscover my passion for just turning ideas into reality. Before joining, I had a lot of "soft skills" that were absolutely marketable, but didn't quite have the more tangible skills to do the things I wanted to do. I felt extremely limited, and had such low hopes for my job prospects and future. Now, I'm so excited to begin building my life and keep moving forward! Pros to Makers: - Excellent group atmosphere (even remotely!) - Everyone is pretty optimistic and excited to be there. - The course material is iterative, and there's more than enough to work on, regardless of your 'level' coming into Makers. - Lots of autonomy and self-guided learning. - Great guidance and support during and after the course. Cons: - Some may find it challenging to guide your own learning. - Not everyone is ready to start applying for jobs immediately out of Makers – which is okay! Most people in your cohort will be at different levels. - Remote learning takes a bit of adjusting if you're not used to it. Zoom fatigue hits really hard after the first group project, but goes away after that.

A great way to learn to code and wonderful colleagues and coaches to help you on the way. Trains you to be a developer rather than just learning a coding language, and really sets you up well for that first coding job in a relatively short amount of time.... Read More A great course!

I joined the Makers programme in June 2020 and I'm really glad I did, the programme structure is top notch, support from the staff and colleagues were great and the pace of learning while high was also great at giving a real insight into how software... Read More development projects work in the workplace. If you have the means to join this course I would highly recommend Makers as they not only show you coding concepts that are widely practiced within the industry but also team working skills which is something you don't get while learning to code by yourself. I have grown so much not just as a coder since completing the course but also as a person and have made friends for life which is worth it's weight in gold. Having a support network around you is invaluable for any burgeoning software developer and there's no better place for that than Makers!

My experience at Makers was overall extremely positive. It enabled me to move from a career in senior administration into my first job in the tech industry, within a year, which is an incredible timeline for a career change.

The course itself is hard... Read More work and constantly stimulating, equipping you to become a driven self-learner in software engineering. For those who are committed to pursuing a career in tech, keen to challenge themselves, and willing to make the time & financial commitment, Makers will help you thrive. Their emphasis on and approach around wellbeing, ensures that those students who may struggle with the intensity/speed of the course or the team working aspects, have the necessary support to move forward and achieve their goals.

The staff are fantastic and switched on. I was fortunate to have been placed in a wonderful cohort with hard-working and like-minded peers. The course is heavy on team work: you pair program daily as well as build projects in teams. This is vital to building first-hand experience of collaboration (and people skills) within this field. I imagine it is down to luck what kind of people are in your cohort, which will inform your overall experience.

The careers team are very communicative and clearly work hard to assist you in your job hunt. The job hunt can still be a real challenge, depending on the current job market etc, but I am not sure if there are other bootcamps out there with the same level of job hunting support and aftercare for their students.

The coaches were excellent throughout, very patient and forthcoming whenever I reached out to them (in the designated times to do so). At times it felt like the course was moving at breakneck speed however I felt fully supported throughout and enjoyed... Read More every second. I met some amazing people and built lasting relationships with cohort members to take with me into industry.
After the course ended I was amazed by the partnerships team who provided excellent feedback in regards to my applications. The internal hiring system was infinitely more effective (and ultimately rewarding) than spending hours trawling through LinkedIn and other job boards (which I did do and had some success with). The feedback I received on my applications was very insightful and helpful, by the careers team members and coaches alike and led to me receiving an offer from an industry leading company.
The Alumni network was also incredible and I cannot wait to give back to those who enrolled at Makers to change their career/life.
Also I landed a job in a language not formally covered by the course and this is super typical so do not think you will be pigeon holed by the course material.

Overall, I had a very positive experience at Makers. It was challenging, and sometimes incredibly frustrating, but my Makers experience helped me to develop both technical and soft skills that have served me well. I'd like to reiterate what others have... Read More said - while there are coaches on hand, this is very much self-led learning. You'll only get out what you put in. The Pros: - A solid foundational curriculum that teaches best practices such as TDD and pair programming. - A focus on soft skills such as effective communication within teams, self-regulation, and problem-solving. - Job seeking assistance was awesome, even for me as an international student (Canada) The Cons: - There was wide variability in coaching skills and techniques. It was incredibly frustrating to try to get help from some, while others were very supportive. -The JavaScript curriculum needs to be updated (this may have been resolved since I graduated)