Makers Academy

Makers is incredibly intense, as expected of any bootcamp, but well worth it. Starting out it's new, which is both scary and exciting. But as you grow and develop with the work you're doing and the coaches to support you, the confidence will start to... Read More grow. Pair programming is scary at first, but quickly grew to be one of my favourite parts. As with anything for me, it's the people who help make or break experiences, and everyone in my cohort was lovely. I got on well with everyone and have made friends for life. Having to do weekend work was not terribly enjoyable, but ultimately the whole experience was so worthwhile. Changing careers can be a huge risk, and you have to be willing to put in the time and effort. If you're willing, Makers is incredible and absolutely worth it. Within 9 months of leaving my previous company, I have walked out the other side with a new job and entirely new career ahead of me.

Makers is an intense 16 week bootcamp, teching all you need to know about starting your career as a Software Engineer. The first four weeks of the program are aimed at getting you up to scratch ready for the next 12 weeks of the main course. Workshops... Read More are led by friendly and knowlegeable coaches and you will pair program daily to help consolidate the new techniques you've learnt. What gives Makers an edge is that the program also focuses on wellbeing and helping you develop soft skills. As well as technical workshops, there are emotional intelligence workshops with meditation daily and yoga sessions. Once the course is finished, the support doesn't stop there. You get assistance with job searching, writing CV's, workshops to help consolidte your learning further and a lot more. For anyone looking for a career change, I'd recomend this course and say it's the best decision I ever made to attend.

You won't believe how much you'll learn in such a short period of time. Due to its intense nature, it's normal to feel overwhelmed and you're reassured throughout that everyone is in the same boat. There were definitely ups and downs. Overall, it pushed... Read More me out of my comfort zone and was a great decision as to the first step in my career change. I feel that I've built good foundations in my knowledge and understanding of software development and I am confident in applying the transferable skills that I've learnt to the real working world. The job support has been great so far! It's obvious that the careers team love what they do and they will do whatever they can to help you find a job where you will thrive in.

I finished the Makers course with what I needed; a start into the tech industry, good foundations, others to work with and a plan of what I need to do next to keep growing. I feel much more confident because I have a clear idea of my strengths and what... Read More I need to work on, this is down to the support provided by Makers coaches and the job hunting team (particularly in the weeks following the course).

I wanted a career change and I wanted to do it now! I spend some time learning bits and bobs about coding and the web. ( if you find this stuff interesting and enjoyable, stop reading this review and apply to Makers Academy ) I was very worried I didn't... Read More know enough about coding before applying, once you've touched base with Makers they'll put that anxiety to bed! They advise you on the kind of learnings you should focus on in the build up to starting the course. For me, the biggest challenge was building up the courage to apply. So my advice would be to APPLY NOW haha. The course is amazing, theres so much for you to learn it can be overwhelming but like I said if you enjoy it, you're going to love the endless amounts of resources. The was absolutely no pressure to finish anything, the main goal is to understand, what doing and what you've done. This was a huge concern for some people, understandably thinking, they want to complete everything so they can be the best dev possible. Just by doing your best and taking your time to absorb as much as possible you're going to become a dev employers want.

I had a fantastic experience with the Makers Academy program and I am happy to say that I am a proud graduate and Software Developer. The program consists of a 4-week pre-course which helps bring you up to speed with Ruby(programming language) then the... Read More 12-week main course covering project-based learning, katas and weekly programming exercises. I would say that the program is intense and incredibly rewarding but to get the most out of your experience you need to be prepared to dedicate a large chunk of your time for 16 week period. Makers follow XP principles which include pair programming and TDD which will give you a good foundation for the real world. Be prepared to lead your own learning which is beneficial as this is a key skill for a developer as learning never stops. Job hunting support is decent with workshops and a career support team to help you navigate this process. It took me 2 months of consolidating my knowledge and 1 month of applying/ interviewing before I landed my first position. But it took me longer as I opted to job hunt outside of the available Makers Partners. Makers provide a regular list of available positions through their partners through an internal Hub. This allows for a much more streamlined process of finding your first job! I know some of my colleagues found jobs through Makers in weeks after graduation! So it really depends on what you feel is right for you. I can say that I am really enjoying my first software developer job with the foundations provided to be by Makers! I would highly recommend Makers for those who are motivated to make a serious change in their lives, ready to be pushed and regularly go outside of their comfort zone. It really is a good community and environment to meet and learn with like-minded individuals preparing to take the plunge into the world of software development!

It's an intense course but it's amazing how much you learn in just 12 weeks. The coaches run brilliant workshops to help you get a base understanding with key concepts which you then solidify with pair programming every day. Most of the learning is done... Read More when working with your peers while the coaches do a great job of guiding students along the right path. You gain valuable experience working on group projects, including a final project to finish the main course which you design from scratch. One of my favourite parts of the team at Makers is there attitude towards the mental health of all the students. From day one it was very clear that this was going to be a safe space which helped build strong relationships between everyone in the course which then also helped with everyones productivity.

Pros: - Emphasis on pair-programming which gets you ready for the real world. - The support for job hunting after graduating was really good. Job search workshops to find relevant jobs. TDD process reviews to make sure your ready for tech tests. Interview... Read More prep with a coach to make sure you're ready what what might be asked in the interview. All of these make it easier to feel confident in the interview processes. Cons: - The course is self-taught for the most part. This actually is also a pro as it helps you in the long run. After graduating, you'll be pleased you learnt how to teach yourself as this is a key skill as a developer. - There perhaps could have been more support offered on certain topics such as APIs and deployment of apps. Overall - I would recommend Makers Academy if you enjoy working with others and are serious about changing careers. It is an intense learning experience that is challenging and takes you out of your comfort zone. Coding with like-minded individuals gets you ready for the world of work.

If you are committed, interested in tech and have a drive to learn new things everyday along with a fantastic bunch of people, then Makers is a fantastic place to do study Web Development. Everyday is a challenge and before you know it, you will have... Read More a powerful set of skills to help you overcome them. The Makers Team are Experts in their fields and as supportive as can be. Changing careers is never easy, but Makers provides all the tools, along with a great atmosphere to help you achieve this.

I had a great time at Makers. I was a bit scared of pair programming with someone different every day, and didn't think this was a good idea, but it ended up being one of my favourite things about the course. Makers gave me a very solid foundation to... Read More develop my engineering skills on, including concepts like TDD, OOP, and solid principles. The community is great, a very positive environment, and people really get out of their way to help. The career support team after the course is also amazing, and I still can't believe I got a job in less than three months after the course.