Rithm School

Rithm was an amazing experience! I have a classical music background and a decade in the service industry. I was nervous to make a career transition into tech because I felt far removed from the industry. When I researched programs I knew I wanted a small... Read More class size and high student:teacher ratio. Rithm delivered and more. Even though it was completely remote, lectures still felt personal and engaging. I made a lot of friends through our pair programming sessions. Most of my cohort is still in regular contact and I actually got my job through a cohort-friend referral. As a queer and trans person I felt like I could show up as my whole authentic self and be seen and supported. I knew my instructors cared and were committed to seeing me thrive. The tech stack is excellent and the curriculum is challenging but rewarding. As others mentioned, they're always evaluating and making updates so they're current with the industry. Rithm also does an excellent job teaching non-technical skills like collaboration, communicating errors and problems, and continued self-study. You graduate ready to work across the full stack. I'm not going to sugarcoat it: the job search is rough right now. Sophie (director of career services) offers tailored guidance for what best suits you and your needs. There's not a one-size-fits-all solution to getting a job in the current climate, so having someone who can give varied recommendations and support is invaluable. I couldn't have done it alone, and I'm so grateful to Rithm's staff, alumni, and my cohort-mates for their assistance and encouragement. If you're unsure, I highly recommend Rithm's free courses available on their website as well as their free private prep classes. You'll get a great feel for the instruction style and Rithm's values.

Hands-down the best decision I’ve made in my career. Prior to Rithm, I’d dabbled with software engineering on nights and weekends. However, Rithm really helped to take me from a hobbyist to a confident professional! Huge shout out to Elie, Joel, Spencer,... Read More Zach and the rest of the Rithm staff that help make this an awesome and rewarding experience. #ThankYou!

I am so glad that I made the choice to attend Rithm School. I found an awesome job within 2 months of graduation, and I think this is only because Rithm has prepared me really well for the job search. There are several things that I really enjoyed at... Read More Rithm: 1. The class size is much smaller than other bootcamps, for my cohort we only had 12 people and each one of us was getting so much attention from our instructors; 2. The curriculum is really well designed, we learned javascript and python and worked with a bunch of different frameworks such as React, Express and Flask, which are all popular frameworks in the tech world now and are in high demand for software engineer jobs; 3. For everything we learned, there are exercise designed for each section to make sure that we have enough practice on the new knowledge, every weekend, we would also get a comprehensive assessment that captures all the important things we went through during the week; 4. We did pair programming almost every single day, which taught us how to work with different people as an engineer, the communication skills we learned from pair programming has really helped with my interviews; 5. The company project differentiates Rithm from a lot of other bootcamps, we got to work on an in-production code base for a startup, during which we worked on teams with their project leads, practiced professional work flows, and got to experience what it was like to work in a real tech company; 6. Rithm is a super supportive family and everyone wants us to succeed. Each one of us has a designated advisor, a career coach, all of our instructors and TAs are always available as well, we could ask them anything, even after we graduated they still continue to support us; 7. The alumni network is super strong, I have got quite a few referrals from Rithm alums and one of them turned out to be my current job! All in all, this is truly one of the best decisions I have made in my life. It was intense for sure, but it was also a lot of fun! I met a lot of friends, and I have successfully transitioned to be a software engineer. If you are thinking about attending a software bootcamp, I would highly recommend Rithm School!

Deciding to choose Rithm School was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The curriculum, company projects & job search support provided me the knowledge, techniques & tools to launch a successful software engineering career. But what makes Rithm... Read More stand out above the rest is the small class sizes and 1-on-1 support from experienced industry professionals. Through daily code reviews, I not only learned how to code, but also how to write clean, testable code applicable to the industry. This helped me standout during the interview process and ultimately helped me find a job that matched my personal goals. Other highlights include: Curriculum: Tailored, holistic curriculum covering Javascript/Python for front-end and back-end development, SQL, HTML & CSS that reflects current industry standards. Company Projects: Provides a unique opportunity to drop into a large professional codebase, understand Git workflow, run daily stand-ups etc. This is similar to starting a new job and provides great content for interviews. Job Search Support: Our career coach and instructors helped craft responses and refine techniques to succeed in the technical/behavioral interviews. During my job placement, I had a very high success rate to reach the final round interviews once I was able to talk to the recruiter. Instructors: If you are a curious cat, look no further. Rithm instructors have a wealth of experience & knowledge for you to learn from. All of my questions and curiosities were answered during lecture, code reviews and 1-on-1 advisory sessions. Plus, they actually care about your wellbeing and create a positive learning environment. Making a career change is always a risky & challenging feat. With Rithm School's support, I not only reached my goals, but also enjoyed every step of the way.

Rithm is a fantastic bootcamp, you will not be disappointed! Curriculum: The program is well through out and the curriculum is constantly being improved and updated with sought after skills/knowledge/experience. Class sizes are limited to allow you to... Read More have more one on one interactions and feedback from instructors. All of the exercises are relevant and validated to ensure that they are appropriately challenging for students. During the sprints, we worked on technically challenging and interesting projects that were fantastic on my resume. I even presented one of them during a final round interview which really impressed the Engineering Manager I was interviewing with. The company project is a game changer! Being able to work in a professional code base, learning the work flow and then being able to speak to it in your resume/interview really puts you a step above the competition. One small note, I was nervous about being cold called in class but it really kept me on my toes and helped to make sure I was always paying attention. Instructors: Fantastic! Instructors have real experience and are able to give you insights into how technology is applied in a professional setting. You are given thorough feedback on your code (especially from your weekly assessments) that will help to improve your skills. You are also matched with an advisor throughout the program who you will meet with regularly to help you with technical challenges, career questions, or anything else you may need help with. With small class sizes, you get a lot of attention and help whenever you need it. Job Assistance: The job search preparation is thorough! There is one week focused on technical interviews (including practice whiteboarding, answering technical knowledge questions, and recruiter phone screens). There's another week focused on other job search related topics (ex. cold applying vs. getting a referral, negotiating, how to create a job search schedule, etc.) Alumni: Top notch! You are matched with a buddy as you get closer to job searching and your buddy can be an invaluable resource for your interviewing preparation. I'm incredibly impressed by the community developed by the alumni network who are willing to provide advice, help and/or refer you to interesting roles. When I was searching for a bootcamp, I almost didn't believe how amazing Rithm is due to the relatively few reviews and all the 5 stars. I cold emailed some alumni and they were more than willing to chat with me about their experiences. Now, as an alumni myself, I can validate that this is truly an amazing experience.

After deciding to change career trajectories completely and become a developer during the pandemic I researched tons of programs and educational options to come to the conclusion that Rithm would be the optimal and highest quality fit for my needs. It... Read More has been one of the best decisions of my life. The Rithm educational experience begins well before enrollment and even acceptance into the program. Rithm has tons of extraordinarily high quality free materials for learning programming, offers workshops and feedback, and goes to great lengths to make sure you’re prepared before applying. They also will not accept you until you’ve actually developed some basic ability and imprinted useful patterns that will serve you during the program. After being accepted you must also complete extensive precourse work which I truly appreciated and definitely helped to immerse me fully into a focused developer mindset The program was very intense, but I felt supported the entire time by the entire staff, my mentor Matt, and the other students. There was not much time for anything other than rest between in class time, take home assignments, and studying, but this was a wonderful thing as it forces one to truly engage and become symbiotic with the material. The teaching prepares one for technical roles while also giving a nuanced perspective on possibilities within programming. Though Joel and Ellie were not regular instructors in my cohort, I have met them through outcomes hours and a hackathon where the quality of their teaching shows that Rithm is a premier educational program offering the most excellent instruction from teachers who truly care and are passionate. I’ll always miss Matt though, and feel honored to have had him as my instructor. Within four months of graduating I was hired as a software engineer at a company I love. The job application process was somewhat grueling, but Zach and the other instructors did a great job of supporting us and giving us the inspiration and skills necessary to succeed. If you are focused, work smart and efficiently, and don’t give up you can make it as a software engineer too. Believe me, my background was in a completely unrelated field and I had no experience before Rithm. It’s hard to fathom still that I’m a fully employed and confident engineer and in good portion it’s thanks to Rithm.

When I first started thinking about switching careers to become a software engineer, I looked around for resources to start learning, and stumbled across Rithm’s free courses. I loved that the entire curriculum was available and free, and that I could... Read More see where it was going and why they were teaching things. I didn’t understand what any of it was, but as someone with a Masters in Education, I really appreciated that the thought was clearly put into it and that it was all available. I sent a couple of friends who did know a few things about software engineering to check it out, and they confirmed that it was good. So, in January of 2021, I started putting in a few hours a day on the material. I wasn’t completely sold on the bootcamp route, but as I continued through the free curriculum, I felt like I could feel how funny and down-to-earth these people were, and authenticity and human connection is really important to me. The fact that I could feel it seeping out of the webpage was a really cool thing. So, I started considering bootcamps seriously, with an eye toward Rithm, and I started reading all these Switchup and Course Report reviews that you’re now desperately reading, too, trying to see if all the nice things people say about Rithm could possibly be true. Well, they are. What finally convinced me? I connected with another alum that used to be a music teacher (if she could do it, omg, then I probably could, too!) and talked her ear off (thank you, Katie G., you are a godsend), and then I attended every free Rithm offering I could. Every couple of weeks they’ll offer a free one-night class on an intro to intermediate JavaScript topic, or they run something called Private Prep, which is a four-night class that’s meant to give you a taste of being a Rithm student and prepare you for the interview. I signed up for every single one, even the ones I was too green to understand, just so I could see the teaching style and meet them. Elie, the co-founder, and Joel, the VP of Education taught most of the courses I attended, and they were incredible. It was very clear to me that the personalities that I sensed behind the free course material were just as friendly and hilarious in-person as they were in print. Both were very encouraging and helpful, and I thought - if these are the people teaching at Rithm, I have no reason not to go. So, I continued studying 3ish hours a day, and interviewed in April. And failed. I got the right answers, but I was s l o w. So much slower than I thought. So, I studied for three more weeks, got an extra help session from Nate, and then got through a ton of questions at my next interview and passed. The class itself was the most intense thing I’ve ever done, and as someone who’s used to excelling at pretty much everything, I got my butt handed to me over and over again. There were points that I felt like I should drop out, but Joel assured me repeatedly that I was doing great, and that I had nothing to worry about and to trust the process. That’s a phrase you’ll hear a lot at Rithm. It’s so hard to do, but they are 100% correct. Trust them, they know what they’re doing and if you’re in trouble, they’ll let you know and help you. I’ve never been in a learning environment that supportive, and it was the thing that got me through. Speaking of supportive, another magical thing about Rithm is the people they let in - my cohort was full of smart, curious, driven, folks from a wide variety of backgrounds and we cheered each other on and encouraged each other. Three months later, we have a standing meeting to get together once a week and check in, and it’s great to still be able to support each other and catch up even though our time at Rithm is over. So here’s the part where I drop the other shoe…I believe in the quality and mission of Rithm so much, that when they offered me a job on graduation day, I took it without hesitation. Having worked with them every day, all day, for four solid months, I knew that these were humans that would make me happy to be around. And it’s true. Working here is the first job I’ve ever had where I truly look forward to what I’m going to accomplish every day, and get excited to go to work. The behind-the-scenes is just as good as what’s presented to the students, and that’s a rare thing for a workplace to be. As a Software Engineer/Community & Partnerships Manager, I get to do engineering work on Rithm’s websites and systems, and I get to connect with other people and organizations to help get the word out about Rithm and make our student and alum experience even better. Attending Rithm is literally one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Feel free to find me online and ask me anything - I'm always happy to chat.

I have virtually nothing but great things to say about Rithm. I did a fair amount of research ahead of time trying to figure out the best program to choose. In the end I was deciding between Hack Reactor, Rithm, and Flatiron and (after a lengthy pros... Read More and cons list) chose Rithm because of its class size, language/frameworks it focused on, company projects, and alumni I spoke to. Having worked my way through the program as the second "pandemic" cohort (so we were virtual), I can say I could't be happier with my decision. Between the level of instruction, preparedness of the lectures, order in which material is presented, and small class sizes (mine was very small given the start of the pandemic at ~12 I believe), I was able to understand the material presented, easily pursue my areas of confusion, and even dive into material beyond the curriculum. The instructors truly care about whether you understand the material and are willing to spending time with you on an individual basis or provide detailed feedback on weekend projects. The community is also fantastic during and after the program. Though I have not attended other bootcamps, I would easily recommend this bootcamp to anyone interested in participating in a bootcamp. Things to consider that could possibly change my glowing recommendation: - They will cold call on you during class - this was fantastic to make sure I was engaged but obviously not for everyone - It is more expensive than other bootcamps - given their financial options, this still feels like a no brainer but something to consider - I loved the two instructors I had, but I spent very little time with the other instructors - I've heard they have quite a high bar for instructors and have heard nothing but good things from other alum - I spent time in class (~9am - ~5pm), time outside of class reviewing (probably another ~2 - 4 hours of the day), and then ~10 hours between Saturday and Sunday working on our weekend project/reviewing material. I think this is true in any bootcamp but fully committing to the 4 month program ultimately makes the most of the program

About Me: I attended Rithm school from 02/2021 - 06/2021. I left a career that I felt unfulfilled with as a biochemist in a very-well recognized biotech company in the Bay Area, California. Great work but just a bad fit in the role left me a bit sour,... Read More burnt out and looking for a change. I graduated university in 2014 with a B.S. in Biochemistry with great grades at an unranked and unrecognized private college. I worked there at the biotech for a few years and did a couple of online programs (M.S. Analytics and a B.S. in computer science online) while working to see if I liked it. Please don't let the degrees fool you - if I were to do this all over again, I would study for the entrance exam to Rithm School 100 times over getting the degrees. However, I will admit that I do think they landed me interviews easier than others when blasting them out. I felt I still lacked the confidence, portfolio, and network to succeed so I shopped around for a few boot camps. I also pinged a former coworker alumnus (she didn't know me but I reached out on LinkedIn - highly recommend doing this) and she attended a boot camp and highly recommended to pursue a boot camp. She became a Data Scientist from a lab job so I definitely heeded her advice. Choosing The Bootcamp: I considered HackReactor, Rithm School, and AppAcademy - the top programs in SF. I didn't like the tech stack taught at AppAcademy so I applied to Rithm School and got in! I was stoked! I also applied to HackReactor because their tuition was cheaper and a shorter program but it felt really impersonal compared to Rithm. I came from a corporate impersonal environment so I didn't like that. Maybe it's true that I was coddled in private school haha. Oh well. I didn't put much effort into studying and didn't get in there but was completely happy with my choice in Rithm. The Program: Their tech stack is solid, the curriculum is awesome and relevant (Python + Javascript + React, etc. - check out their home page as it changes - https://www.rithmschool.com/ ), and I was so impressed with the caliber of my cohort. Everyone was smart, hardworking, and a pleasure to work with. A little bit of trouble sorting out some internet issues but overall that was the only issue. A major plus is you work on a real live codebase. Not one that you can write yourself but one you get to sift through - work with other engineers, fix tickets, communicate asynchronously, with GitHub version control, etc. It REALLY builds your confidence as an engineer. It also gives you interesting things to talk about during an interview. This is the major technical differentiator for the boot camp vs the other ones. The only con I would say is that it is a little expensive and being remote was a bit weird BUT (and a big but) financing is very easy and the salaries after are well worth it. DO IT! Post BootCamp and Salary Stuff: I actually had some money left over and was still pretty burnt out from my prior career so I spent almost 2 months in Mexico clubbing... ehemm..... I mean studying for interviews. I also finished my comp sci capstone and spoke a bunch of Spanish there so don't judge me too hard! After bombing an interview, flew back to the US and started actually studying for interviews. I started applying and getting a lot of traction about a month after I really started the process. I sent about 50 apps a day and had it streamlined to a little over an hour for that. HOWEVER, THE HIGHEST YIELD APPROACH IS LOOKING FOR ROLES AT YOUR FRIENDS/FAMILIES COMPANIES SEEING IF A ROLE IS AVAILABLE AND IF THEY WILL REFER YOU. Also, the interviews from these are waaay easier. Salary + Offers: Guesstimating all the numbers here except the offers....over 2.5 months from actually trying to get interview - post Mexico - to starting the new job: 15+ phones screens, 6 tech interviews, 2 offers: 1) 120k salary at a startup in SF - full stack software engineer - weak benefits, high stress, low probability of product success, 2 weeks vacation, equity grant but is meaningless unless there's a liquidation event and high valuation which from funding rounds didn't paint a rosy picture. 2) 101k + a bunch of other benefits at a biotech. I took the biotech as it came with tons of vacation for American standards, equity grant up front (30k after a year), bonus (target at 10-12k), was established, less working hours, I felt I would love the work, etc. TLDR: Take The Leap And Do Rithm, Study A Lot, Get Some Killer Offers and Most of all.... be Happy With Your New Career Where You Build Cool Stuff!!!

Rithm’s curriculum is a mix of tools that you will need as a web developer. Explaining how the internet works and how to build websites as well as write back end code. The instructors were all very nice and willing to help when I needed it. My cohort... Read More was awesome and I consider a lot of my fellow students as friends now. Be aware that Rithm is a rigorous program, so be prepared to work, but you will also learn a lot!