Not Sure Where to Apply?

About Starter League

Location: Chicago

Please note: In March 2016, Starter League was acquired by New York City-based coding bootcamp Fullstack Academy.

The Starter League empowers beginners to solve problems through technology. We teach two immersive, in-person programs: a 3-month Web Development... Read More

Since 2011, we have taught over 1,000 people how to make their ideas real with technology. We have over 150 alumni that have become entrepreneurs and hundreds more who have landed jobs as developers, designers, and product managers.

Courses

Starter School

Cost: $36,000
Duration: 27 weeks
Locations: Chicago
In-person Only
Course Description:

At Starter School you’ll learn the coding skills to become a developer. You’ll learn enough about design to be dangerous. You’ll pick up the business skills necessary to call yourself a product manager. But more importantly you’ll gain the confidence to start something new and make something people want.

Starter School is not a bootcamp, because you are not a code monkey. Instead of being a replaceable cog you will become the designer of your own machine. Starter School will harness your intrinsic motivation so all of your energy is channeled into building an idea you care about.

You'll no longer be a passive consumer of technology – you'll be the creator of it.

It’s time for you to start something new.

Subjects:
Design Principles, CSS, Entrepreneurship, HTML, Illustrator, Mobile, Product Mgmt, Photoshop, Sales, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, UX, Digital Marketing

Web Development

Cost: $8,000
Duration: 11 weeks
Locations: Chicago
In-person Only
Course Description:

Until now, you’ve lacked the technical skills to turn your ideas into reality. Our Web Development course is about to change that.

We’ve designed this course for true beginners
There are no prerequisites other than passion and persistence. Our mission is to demolish the artificial barriers that have been put up around programming and make it accessible to anyone who wants to learn.

Over the course of eleven weeks, you’ll be immersed in a hands-on, collaborative learning environment where you’ll learn the ins and outs of Ruby on Rails, HTML, and CSS. These tools provide the perfect foundation for a beginner like you to learn what it means to be a web developer. And we mean it when we say beginner – you can come to us with the most basic understanding of technology (read: if you can turn on your computer and get online, this is for you!) and we’ll work one-on-one to develop your skills and help you create beautiful web apps.

Subjects:
Design Principles, CSS, Git, HTML, jQuery, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Ruby on Rails, Algorithms, JavaScript, Data Structures

Starter League Reviews

Average Ratings (All Programs)

Starter League logo

5.0/5 (9 reviews)

Andrew G
Graduated: 2012

2/20/2015

Course
Web Design

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"The start of something special...."

I enrolled at Starter League in the fall of 2012 because I wanted to see if I could bring an idea I had been working on to life. If I'm being honest, I was not and am still not, what you'd call technically inclined. So, I decided to take the UX course... Read More

Fast forward a few years and I'm still plugging away on that idea...but I'm doing it with 4 others who were right there with me at Starter League. We are on the cusp of rolling out our first product and again, the excitement is incredible. None of this would have been possible without SL and the people I met along the way. Chances are you aren't going to figure out exactly what you want to do but you will be given the tools and resources to get off to a good start .

Highly recommend!

Kevin O'Reilly
Graduated: 2013

11/26/2014

Course
Web Development

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"Great experience"

I came to the Starter League with really no previous experience in web development. I was open minded to wherever it might go, but was certainly interesting in redirecting my career path. For years, app ideas I wanted to build had been plaguing my mind.... Read More

Through the course I gained an understanding of the development world in general, plus the specific language of Ruby and the Rails framework. I wrote code, developed and deployed basic apps. So I learned the process. I also learned I am not going to be a developer myself, which sounds negative but it was actually helpful. Understanding the backend of things, I can now work with developers with greater confidence - which I enjoy doing as a project manager for my creative agency.

Truly, the greatest take away I have from the Starter League is that it is still paying off - I made tremendous connections with the people in my class and through out the school. The staff/professors are great connections and I am still in touch with some of my classmates; truly brilliant people. Currently, a couple classmates and I are working together on side projects. So while in the beginning I was not sure where it would go, being able to look back now, its exactly what I wanted.

Steve Benjamins
Entrepreneur | Graduated: 2012

10/29/2014

Course
Web Development

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"Starer League changed the course of my professional life"

In 2012 I left Toronto and moved to Chicago for 3 months to go to Starter League. It was the best professional decision I've ever made. I now support myself fully as a bootstrapped entrepreneur (not a freelancer- I have my own products).

Going Starter... Read More

I've since had the opportunity to see a number of other bootcamps- and I've noticed how lucky I was to have gone to Starter League. Starter League has an amazing teaching staff and curriculum that I now realize is rare. Jeff Cohen is a phenomenal teacher. Not only is Jeff an incredibly sharp guy- he also knows how to teach. He was thoughtful, understood what it was like to be a beginner and designed an excellent curriculum.

Highly recommended.

Tom Ordonez
Revenue Creator | Graduated: 2012

10/28/2014

Course
Web Development

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"A roadmap for the rest of your life"

I went to the 2nd season of the Starter League, when they were called Code Academy and they were at the Hancock tower. The most beautiful view of the city. I worked from 1871 when they moved there. I wasn't stalking them. It was just a coincidence.

Before... Read More

The results were different...sort of:

1. I found my passion for coding. Even though I took C and Java back in college. I found it difficult. Maybe because I was not inspired. The SL helped me find this inspiration
2. One of the founders noticed I typed with 2 fingers and told me to learn touch type. Learning this increased my productivity 10x.
3. I became an improved project manager for software related projects.

My personal blog uses Octopress (http://tomordonez.com). I write my posts using Vim and I publish them to Github without looking at the keyboard ever.

Before taking this class you should evaluate your personal goals.
* Do I want to become a full time programmer?
* Do I want to become a software project manager?
* Do I want to find a startup/tech related job?

Keep in mind that you will not become a software developer in 3 months. That's like asking a surgeon to take a 3-month class and operate on people. What it can do for you is get Started. And this is a lot. You need to put a lot of effort. Programming is not easy. If it would be easy, even realtors would be programmers*. You need spend a lot of time on your own studying. Maybe take an internship or two. Go to a lot of meetups, ask for advice, code with others, contribute to open source. Read a lot of code. Then you will be on your own to a programming career. If your goal is different, then you need to evaluate this.

*I know 2 realtors that became programmers after taking this course.

Claire Lew
CEO of Know Your Company | Graduated: 2013

9/6/2014

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"This school changed my life in 11 weeks."

While I was *not* a Starter School student, I did take The Starter League's 11-week Web Development and HTML / CSS classes in the Spring 2013.

In those short 11 weeks alone, I built my own website and data-based backed web application, from scratch, and... Read More

Today, a little over a year later, I'm the CEO of Know Your Company (http://knowyourcompany.com) – and it's largely because of The Starter League. Because of the skills I learned and the amazing people I met through the program, I am now leading my own software company. Without The Starter League, none of that would have happened.

If that was my outcome because of 3 months with The Starter League, imagine how far *Starter School* can take you in 9 months.

If you're not sure if Starter School is for you, or you're wondering how it's different from other programs, feel free to ping me directly at claire@knowyourcompany.com. I'd be happy to tell you about my experience.

Garrett Martin
Software developer | Graduated: 2013

8/29/2014

Course
Starter School

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"No regrets."

Starter School was the single best decision I've ever made. Not only will you learn the skills that are advertised, but the network you build is so valuable. You can read my full review on my blog: http://www.garrettqmartin.com/blog/2014/07/15/my-first-year-as-a-college-dropout/... Read More

Definitely worth it.

Chance Griffen
Graduated: 2013

8/28/2014

Course
Starter School

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

TL;DR: A year ago I quit a very stable, very well paying job to attend Starter School, and one year later I couldn't be happier with the outcomes I've realized. If building products sounds like more fun than learning to code and building other peoples'... Read More

It's difficult to write a "review" about an experience without just describing it, and this is a difficult experience to describe. So, sure, I'm now gainfully employed and am extremely happy with and motivated by the work I get to do everyday. I build software products at a small shop in Durham, NC and also help students out at a local code school. I've also done some contract work since leaving Starter School.

But, if employment is your primary concern in looking for a coding school, Starter School might be more than you're willing to bargain for. This place is different than those it is often compared to in that the focus is not to get you a job as a programmer. Sure, you'd be prepared for said job, but the focus of the program is on building products. How do you take an idea and make it exist in the world? Being comfortable and familiar with that process is a much more exciting and marketable set of skills than just being able to code. Writing code is a small piece in a much larger picture that is getting people to pay you to solve their problems. It is truly impossible to master this "skill" in 9 months time (if at all), but I'd be willing to bet that Starter School will take you further than any other program thats out there. Getting a job will be the least of your concerns - it will feel like a backup plan.

Additionally and probably more importantly, the network of people that you are exposed to and have access to is unbelievable. They don't really advertise all of the amazing people you will meet and get feedback from on your ideas and decisions. You cannot put a price on it. The experience and knowledge you can accumulate from these people is not tangible or quantifiable. I could go on at length, but, to anyone considering this program who is concerned about the validity of its curriculum, its instructors, the cost, or students outcomes, rest assured that it is legit. The people behind this program are the real deal, and they make their living investing in the success of others. If you're considering attending the program and have questions I'd be glad to answer them (@cbgriffin).

Harsha Murthy
Graduated: 2013

8/26/2014

Course
Starter School

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"So much more than coding..."

After graduating high school in 2011, I attended UC Santa Cruz where I began to study Computer Science. I embraced being free from the educational trappings of high school. I was obligated to study subjects that I wasn't passionate about. The only solace... Read More

Joh Meyers
Product Designer | Graduated: 2014

8/19/2014

Course
Starter School

Overall

Curriculum

Job Support

"The Starter School changed me forever."

Exactly one year ago today I was sitting at my desk at my sales job in one of Chicago's northern neighborhoods. The company I was working for had recently been named 'The Best Place to Work In Chicago' for the second straight year. I did not especially... Read More

A friend of mine down in North Carolina, Chance, was also teaching himself how to code and he suggested I apply to this new code school in Chicago called The Starter School. He had already done so. I applied. We both got in. The two of us quit our jobs and Chance drove almost 1,000 miles to move to Chicago.

To recap:
1) I quit my good, steady job
2) I paid $36K
3) ...to attend a brand new program that had yet to be proven.

What the hell was I thinking? A lot of the confidence I had about The Starter School came from my first encounter with Neal, CEO of The Starter League. We met for coffee at the Intelligentsia in 1871. He spoke with such conviction and determination that he could build a 9 month, all-encompassing program that I knew I had to be apart of it.

The nine months of Starter School were some of the most enlightening, crazy, humbling, and satisfying times of my life. I became great friends with my classmates (the most eclectic group of personalities that have ever sat in the same room together). I learned how to program in Ruby on Rails. I learned front-end design techniques and technologies like Sass and javascript. I got to meet and learn from the guys who ran the technology side of Obama for America. I learned about entrepreneurship from billionaire serial entrepreneurs. I met some of the biggest names in venture capital in Chicago to learn about investing in early-stage startups. I built an unbelievable network. I built a product I care about with Chance (familyroomapp.com). I launched that product to Chicago's tech community at our demo day. I grew. A lot.

Tomorrow (August 20th) marks two months since Starter School ended. Since June I have built a website for a startup with Chance, I have helped redesign a site for another startup, and as of next week I will be going to work as a product designer at a software firm to completely redesign their app's interface. Starter School propelled me into an exciting and meaningful career and I could not be more thrilled with my decision. If you have a passion for technology and want to take control of your career, Starter School is the place for you.

If you are already signed up for Starter School here is some advice! http://bit.ly/1oOYMpR

Person thinking

Need help making a decision?

We'll match you to the perfect bootcamp for your location, budget, and future career.