Skillcrush

I earned a degree in graphic design & had been working as a designer/marketing manager for about 10 years when I decided I was ready to make a career change. The tech industry didn't feel that far away from what was already required of me at my job. In... Read More college I had also taken some web design classes, so I had the HTML/CSS already.

I was torn between attending a local bootcamp ($5k) or purchasing the Skillcrush Break Into Tech Blueprint. In the end, I did both- and while it cost me more money- I don't regret it. I think the Skillcrush curriculum is solid. Whenever I was struggling with something in bootcamp, I would turn to the Skillcrush courses for help. When I was confused about Git in class, I completed the Skillcrush course at home, and the next day I was confident enough in my skills to help other students who were struggling. Not to mention- I loved learning Git! I finally felt like a real coder.

The reason I went to bootcamp was for the accountability. It was 3 months, 9am - 4pm, 5 days per week. We were taught HTML/CSS, Git & Github, Design, JavaScript, Algorithms, Data Structures, other CS Concepts, and learned about other topics we did not cover in-depth (like SASS/LESS, Libraries & Frameworks, to name a few). We were also given access to a big alumni network & and many professional resources.

The Break Into Tech Tech Blueprint from Skillcrush is less than 1/3 the price of what I paid for bootcamp and includes courses in HTML/CSS, Git & Github, Visual Design, Responsive Design, Web Design, Javascript, Wordpress, Ruby, & Freelancing. This is already more than what I learned in school, and having completed some of these courses already & begun to dive into others- I can say that this curriculum is solid. Skillcrush is a wealth of practical industry knowledge & resources. It is just as good-- if not better- than bootcamp! I can't wait to dive deep into Wordpress and Ruby in the coming weeks.

Skillcrush provides a couple ways of getting plugged-in to their community: the slack channel & career counseling sessions. I get tempted to remain anonymous online, but these are places where you will find help & accountability - and you'll need it! I would suggest finding another student on your level (and similar schedule/timeline) to be accountability buddies with. (Oh, and guess what? We also used slack as a primary means of communication in the bootcamp I attended)

Otherwise my biggest piece of advice to anyone wanting to learn new skills is to make sure you have the right mindset. If you like self-help books, I recommend reading Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck. It has really helped me understand the ways in which having a fixed mindset is detrimental, and how to embrace a growth mindset instead.

Take responsibility for your learning, show up, do the work, and watch your life change. It's all up to YOU. Simply attending a class does not make you a coder, designer, or developer. And having done the online route & the in-person bootcamp route - I can tell you one is not necessarily advantageous over the other. But I had to be honest with myself - I had to up the stakes if I was going to learn the material. I knew I lacked the discipline to continue at my day job and also complete all these online courses on the side. So I saved for a year in order to quit my job and go to class 5 days per week. It was a risk, but it's the way I chose to take responsibility for my future.

Plenty of people in my bootcamp did not do the work. They blamed the teacher when things were difficult or confusing, and they wanted to be spoon-fed the answers. The instructor's job is to give you the tools & resources.. they can give you a passing or failing grade as incentive to learn, but otherwise they cannot force you to do anything. Use them for the wonderful resource they are- ask questions, get clarity when you're confused - do what is required, and then explore the topics in-depth on your own.

I did the break into tech blueprint and it was a great start to learning about web development and the community. Pros to this was that it's cheaper than others yet still has good material. The lessons combined reading and videos for a good learning experience.... Read More The community is great as well, the teachers at skillcrush are knowledgable and friendly on all matters. A con for the program would be that it doesn't go into as much depth as other bootcamps, though for the price it's not surprising. For someone just starting out I would recommend looking into Skillcrush.

I was so excited to have an opportunity to jump into a new career. With 20 years experience in my field I wasn't sure I could do this...But these classes anticipate every fear, doubt and nervous retreat that you may ever have. Many times I thought I am... Read More not sure I can do this but the team walks you through every step of the way. When i had chicken feet for months on the 1st coding project, I realized after I mustered up the courage, help was one click away and I breezed through. If you want t chance to change your life to what you want this is the best course to use to get you going. No joke the teachers are awesome and the whole environment is encouraging and fun. Adda keeps you smiling with her 'jokes' and help is always an email or question away! I should have done this instead of college and probably would have been in a much happier career. Thanks to the whole team for all the coaching!

I went from knowing absolutely nothing about coding, to launching a website in just over a week! Skillcrush really is amazing - the lesson progression, the instructors, student community, all of it! I can’t wait to continue learning and I highly recommend... Read More Skillcrush to anyone who wants to learn how to code.

I am someone who gives up on difficult things easily, which can make learning new skills as an adult quite difficult. Skillcrush makes it easy to learn at your own pace, and divides up each subject into bite-sized chunks. It has kept me motivated to keep... Read More going, even when I get stuck. There's a great student community on Slack where you can ask questions of your instructors and fellow students, town halls where you can all talk through bigger issues, and career counseling to help you use what you learned after you've done it.

Today my very first website went live, and I felt so accomplished. I can't wait to dive into the next project.

I've been taking the course for just 2 weeks but I already feel confident I'll master all this skills by the end of it.

Thanks a lot to all the instructors who're always there to answer any and all questions.

I plan on continuing advancing my career by... Read More adding more courses as I go, given how good the basic course is.

My background is literature and secondary education, and I had never even considered tech as a field I would want to be explore for my career. Knowing I eventually want a career change, I started doing research and stumbled into Skillcrush, and from the... Read More moment I entered the website I was hooked! So far, the classes have been fun, engaging, and effective. I knew nothing about html, and in one week I was able to code a simple website. It’s unreal!

The website is very user-friendly! I find the lessons are well-paced and the videos are fun and very informative. I do wish there was more opportunity for practicing in each lesson, though. Those parts felt a bit rushed but other than that I can honestly... Read More say I have a firm grasp on HTML and CSS now after only two weeks!!!!

Pros: online learning made fun, clear and interesting. I have enjoyed getting feedback from instructors and though I haven't yet dipped my feet into the community driven groups, I did participate in a live webinar (my first ever!) and really got a kick... Read More out of having Adda call my name out. Eeek! I'm practically famous now ; ) Cons: I've always loved taking classes and get a thrill from in-class connections with teachers and students (but I have a feeling I might be surprised by the connections to be made once I log in to the community resources).