Tech Elevator

After years of taking online coding tutorials, I decided that I wanted to do a career-change and become a software developer. Tech Elevator provided me with the technical knowledge I needed and the interview preparation was fantastic. They were able to... Read More get me interviews with several software development companies in the area and I was able to get hired for a software development job before graduating. I have now been a software developer for 6 months and have Tech Elevator to thank for it.

I picked Tech Elevator because I heard it on NPR and also saw it promoted through Women of Cincy. I did further research through their website and was very excited about the job rate that TE has, it was very impressive! When I applied to the bootcamp,... Read More I was a Territory Sales Manager for a local Brewery and just looking to change careers. My job ended up getting dissolved due to COVID so my TE bootcamp came at the perfect time. The entire way the program was set up really was helpful to creating a prepared junior dev. The hours we are expected to be “on” mimicked that of a professional work environment. Our class load was overwhelming at times but I know that it is honestly for the best. WE LEARN SO MUCH SO FAST, and once you get back into learning mode, it feels easier. While I know I still have a ton to learn, that idea excites me and doesn’t scare me. I feel like I am well prepared to join a team as a junior developer and actually add value to the team. This bootcamp not only helped me prepare to join a team by learning coding fundamentals, but how to work in pairs and groups with many different types of people. One of the biggest things I learned was how important working with others is, and TE has really helped shaped me into someone that *hopefully* many people will like to work with. So many new and exciting opportunities exist in my job hunt that were nonexistent before graduating Tech Elevator and that doesn't even include growth. There are so many paths now open to me since taking this leap! The entire staff helped create a safe place to practice HR interview skills and technical interview skills (which are scarier than I ever thought!). Through practice I was able to calm my nerves and successfully navigate through multiple different types of technicals. Could not have done that without the prep Tech Elevator gave me. I am proud to say that through Matchmaking, think speed-dating but for interviews within the Tech Elevator network, and will be starting a job right after TE ends!

I was part of Remote Cohort 0 (TE's first remote program) in Java. My main worry before the program was that learning with a for-profit company meant that the coursework and instruction would be more aligned with profit than participants' best interests.... Read More Once I started, I was happy to find out that the program was intentional and fully developed in all the important ways: instruction, coursework, unstructured learning, career activities, etc. Even the course textbook was incredibly detailed, and I still refer to it sometimes now as a full-time developer. Our instructor Andy was a phenomenal instructor and a talented developer. I’ve now been working as a developer for around six months, and I can say that TE provided me a great foundation for modern, full-stack web application development.

I am writing this in hoping that someone who is like me Pre-Tech Elevator will find and read it. I was extremely nervous to make such a leap as to go into debt and switch careers at the same time, but I am so thankful that I did. Tech Elevator was a fun... Read More experience (a difficult one but fun), I learned so much, and I feel fully prepared to start my new job as a Junior Developer. The best advice is advice I received from former students, you will get out of it what you put in, and so when I joined Tech Elevator, I put everything I could into it. The program has paid off, and I start my new career as a Junior Developer in a couple of weeks. Also, I went to the Cincinnati Ohio campus, so I would strongly recommend this campus.

This program was 14 weeks long and while I wished we could've learned more in that time, I think Tech Elevator did a great job of teaching me the skills I needed to get started in a software developer role upon graduation. Brief overview of coursework/curriculum:... Read More Weeks 1-4 (module 1) we learned about object oriented programming using C# (or Java). Weeks 5-8 (module 2) we learned about SQL databases and API's. Weeks 9-12 (module 3) we learned html, css, javascript, and vue. Essentially, weeks 1-8 were backend focused and 9-12 were frontend focused. At the end of each module, we had paired programming projects that utilized what we had been learning during that module. At the end of module 1, my partner and I built vending machine software, using what we had learned about object oriented programming. At the end of module 2, my partner and I built venmo-like software, utilizing our knowledge on object oriented programming, SQL databases, and API's/MVC software design pattern. At the end of module 3, weeks 13-14, we built a web application (as a group of 4 or 5 people) utilizing everything we had learned. My team built a web-app that would generate a random workout for a user, and would also allow trainers to add/edit/delete workouts in the database. As far as technical skills go, Tech Elevator did a great job in helping me to build my programming knowledge, which made me feel confident when it came to doing technical interviews with potential employers. This leads me into another aspect of the program which Tech Elevator calls the 'Pathway Program'. During the 14 weeks in the Tech Elevator program, I would have 1 or 2 (sometimes more) meetings with Tech Elevator's career coaches. They helped me to focus on building my elevator pitch, resume, and LinkedIn profile. We would consistently practice our elevator pitches, look over our resumes and LinkedIn profiles so that we felt comfortable speaking about our past and current experiences. We also had several behavioral and technical mock interviews, which really helped me to gage how interviews would go with potential employers. Additionally, because Tech Elevator has great relationships with local employers, we were able to do 30 minute interviews with several different (well known) employers as a part of Tech Elevator's Matchmaking Events (during weeks 12-14, I believe). I had interviews with seven different employers from the Matchmaking Events (I didn't have to seek out and apply anywhere, although Tech Elevator did recommend I do that on top of having these interviews). Luckily for me, I was offered a couple different developer positions during the Matchmaking Events and accepted a role as a Software Developer during my 13th week of the program! Overall, I feel that my experience attending Tech Elevator's 14 week program was well worth my investment in time and money. And now in my first role as a software developer, while I am experiencing 'imposter syndrome' a bit, I'm confident I will do well because Tech Elevator taught me the foundational skills I need and I now know how to learn new programming languages and concepts. Pros: I loved the day-to-day workflow we had. We would wake up and be online at 845am and do lecture until 12pm (with breaks usually at every hour point). We would then take a lunch break and for the rest of the day we would work on homework/mini-projects to really help us understand what we learned during lecture. The combination of coding along/taking notes during lecture and then afterwards, coding by myself or with other classmates was extremely helpful in learning the programming concepts. Additionally, the projects we did were really great in testing our knowledge on what we had been learning. Working on these projects really helped things 'click' in my mind. Also, it was great that the teacher's were usually always available to help during homeworks/projects. The 'student book' Tech Elevator provides you is great as well. The day before a lecture you will read a chapter of the book, which teaches you the concepts you will learn the next day during lecture. I enjoyed reading the chapters the night before (when things didn't quite make sense) and then the next day, our teacher would dive deep into those topics, and most of the times things would 'click' when the teacher would do examples. The Pathway Program was extremely helpful as well. While I felt my elevator pitch, resume, and LinkedIn profile were good before getting help from Tech Elevator's career coaches, they really helped me to make everything more cohesive and concise. This definitely gave me a ton of confidence when going into interviews with potential employers. Cons: I don't know if I really have any 'cons', but rather a wishlist of what I wished we would/could have went over more. However, I understand the program was only 14 weeks and we covered a ton of topics. I wish we would've went a little more in depth on using git (the version control software). Most of the time all we ever did was pull files and push files. Whereas in my current position as a software developer, I'm required to pull the main branch, merge into my working branch, resolve conflicts, do my work, and then push my work back to the main branch, and resolve conflicts again. I wish Tech Elevator would have also showed us how to better utilize github; however, I don't think it is that big of a deal, as I have learned many things by watching YouTube videos about github. I wish we could have been able to spend more time on frontend topics with vue.js. I felt like I struggled during our final project understanding how the frontend is able to make those API calls (CRUD operations) to the backend. Also, I wish we didn't have as much starter code for each project/homework; although I understand for time and what they wanted us to learn, it made sense to have some starter code already built. I just felt it would have been useful to better understanding the big picture. Maybe Tech Elevator could consider adding this to some of those 'student-tutorials', which we did as a part of our reading homework the night before learning a new topic.

Let me start by saying Tech Elevator was more than I could have hoped to get out of a bootcamp. Their environment, staff, curriculum, and overall structure was phenomenal. I come from a service industry background and have worn many different hats throughout... Read More the years including bartender, bar manager, and even small business owner, but I have always dreamed of a career in the technology field. I had heard about bootcamps but never had the push to switch careers until COVID hit and I needed to find a more resilient path. After months of due diligence weighing various program options and even considered teaching myself, I finally decided TE Columbus campus was the path for me. That decision was absolutely life changing and one that will go down as one of the best decisions I have ever made. I found lifelong friends and learned skills that I will never forget. The staff at Tech Elevator is an inspiring and remarkable group of people. They have unparalleled abilities to transform students with limited development backgrounds into industry-ready software engineers. The curriculum is fast and vast, allowing you to get the full stack experience in a short amount of time. The instructors go above and beyond to ensure the knowledge you acquire sticks with you and is applicable to the current job market. I remember many times that I reached out to the instructors outside of office hours or on the weekends to ask questions or clarify a lesson. They were accessible and didn’t hesitate to ensure I had the information I needed to be successful. The career services “pathway program” is remarkable at developing soft skills, resumes, and general industry knowledge into sharpened tools. As someone who thought they wouldn't gain a lot from that kind of insight, I was glad to be proven wrong and they turned my unique skills into an impressive toolkit. The support staff holds everything together behind the scenes and works diligently to prepare students to succeed. If you have the time, drive, and “why” to devote yourself to a life-altering career change in software development then this is THE place for you. I would have given more stars if it was possible.

Reading alumni reviews of Tech Elevator was one of many reasons (along with my friend’s advice, curriculum, job placement rate, length of the program, virtual tour and particularly, diverse experience of instructors in the tech industry) I chose it over... Read More other IT bootcamps. So, it’s only fair if I contribute. Application process begins with an aptitude test, followed up by an interview and another aptitude test. The tests are based on logic and don’t require previous coding experience. Before classes begin Tech Elevator sends a few coding exercise recommendations such as start learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript focusing on concepts like if...then, loops, arrays. FreeCode and Codewars were listed as starting points. Cohort 7 (which is 8th) had 53-54 students (was debatable), 2 Java classes and 1 NET, 4 instructors and 2 academic fellows. Laptop with all needed installed software is provided. It’s important to prepare financially and mentally for 3 fascinating and challenging months. There are quite a few financing options listed on the TE website, I used Hebrew Free Loan Association loan for a portion of tuition. The whole program is divided into 3 Modules and at the end of each module it’s “capstone project” o’clock and it’s thrilling, because applying received knowledge into a real application is incredible and sometimes frustrating, too. In-between the capstones students are exposed to the new information every day about languages and frameworks such as Java, PostgreSQL, Spring Boot, JavaScript, Vu.js. I found ebook extremely helpful and logically structured. Along with coding skills education Tech Elevator introduces a Pathway program that assists students in writing resumes, creating LinkedIn profile, interview preparation, matchmaking. Students are encouraged to collaborate on homework assignments and develop teamwork skills. It was great to work with so many intelligent individuals on different projects. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of networking events with other Tech Elevator campuses and representatives from various companies. My only complaint would be the fact that everything was remote, because TE campus looks so captivating, but I blame 2020. I felt prepared going to job interviews, I accepted a job offer from AHN and soon it will be one month in my new role. Among some languages and frameworks I never used before are Angular, SQL Server and PHP. There is definitely a learning curve, but adsorbing a new coding language is so much easier now. A few more words about me… I have 11 years of work experience, mostly in customer service, in various companies, but I’ve always wanted more from my career. I made attempts to program on BASIC when I was 10, but it didn’t go too far. The same year my favorite video game was American McGee’s Alice on Windows, so maybe that was the reason. That was it with my software skills for a long time. I was using R, R Studio and Tableau shortly when I was getting my MBA. I was planning to get a job in Data/Business Analytics area. When pandemic started, all internships I was hoping for were delayed or cancelled and meanwhile I decided to build up my tech skills. But after tons of research I couldn’t decide if I should learn SQL or Python or something else and how. Even though getting into bootcamp just to know how to work with databases might seem extreme, but I've always been a type of person who enjoys learning new things and starting with fundamental principles would make the most sense for me, because it resonates with my experience of learning a new language: understanding the grammar is the first step, practicing building sentences and memorizing new words is the second one. Needless to mention that my perception about programming completely changed. I made it my career, not an additional expertise. Problem-solving skills and desire to get things accomplished are able to get you very far. And last, but not least, I want to thank amazing, knowledgeable and caring instructors for continuous 12-weeks brain torture and along with campus director, Pathway director, admission coordinator and academic fellows for their time and incredible support through the program. I felt that each of them was interested in my success and was willing to help me grow. They are constantly encouraging students to reach out and ask questions and/or just vent about the intensity of the program. They are also willing to enhance learning experience, so they frequently ask your opinion about the process and are investing in improving it. They continue to support you after the graduation day for up to 6 months and are doing everything they can to help you land a job. Big shoutout to Tom, Tom, Beth, Walt, Jennifer, Ellen, Stephen, Marissa, Jacob, Eric! I wouldn’t do it without you!

Prior to TE I spent 20 years in academia performing life sciences research. However, I had gotten to a point where I was no longer satisfied with the work I was doing, and I wanted to do work that had real-world applications. I had a discussion with a... Read More friend, who is a programmer/microbiologist, and he suggested that I consider learning to program through a bootcamp. I chose Tech Elevator for a number of reasons. First, I read online reviews from former students, and they were *all* positive. Then I attended an informational open house to learn more about the program. I was particularly impressed with the depth of the Pathway Program, which runs concurrently with the technical program and teaches the soft skills that are important for maintaining a successful career. Finally, I had the opportunity to attend a Learn To Code Meetup event that was co-hosted by Tech Elevator. At this event, I got a taste of what it would be like to be taught by one of TE’s instructors. John Fulton spent a few minutes explaining a particular concept, which many of us in attendance were confused by (despite the best efforts of the other instructor, who was not from TE). In those few minutes I was able to clearly grasp what John was explaining, and I thought to myself, “If I am going to learn programming, I want to be taught by instructors like this!” I fully expected the program to be more challenging than graduate school, and it most certainly was! Going through TE was one of the hardest things I have ever done, BUT also one of the most rewarding!!! I hadn’t been that mentally challenged in a long time, but I loved it, and importantly I learned so much. Even on the days when I was mentally and physically exhausted, I had such a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction deep inside me. The support and encouragement that I receive from the admin staff, instructors (I had Brian and Rachelle, who are fantastic), Pathway directors, and the other members of my cohort was continuous and uplifting. If you are ready to go all-in, work tremendously hard, and, “Trust the process,” then Tech Elevator’s program is the right one for you. I did, and I received 3 job offers before graduation. I am now almost 2 months into my new career and loving every minute of it. My education at TE has set me up with a solid foundation on which to build a software development career, and I couldn’t be happier. Please feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn if I can help answer any questions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-moyer/

My instructor and Pathway Directors believed in me more than I believed in myself at times. They were always available for pep talks or extra instruction- even after the cohort ended. I am thrilled with my decision to attend, and couldn’t have asked for... Read More a better outcome.

I don't think I could have timed this better if I planned it. I quit my restaurant job in the summer of 2019, took out a loan, and became a full time student at Tech Elevator in the fall. I learned Java and the basics of JavaScript, Vue.js, PostgreSQL,... Read More HTML/CSS, REST, etc. The beauty of this "bootcamp" was that it wasn't just teaching us coding, it was teaching us how developers work together both in theory (TDD, AGILE, etc.) and in tools (we learned a lot of GIT). And a good chunk of each day was spent learning how to interview well, how to pitch ourselves to recruiters and employers, how to build a LinkedIn presence and a resume. My teacher was knowledgeable and funny, engaging in a way that I really appreciated. We would spend the mornings learning, and the afternoons working on homework and projects. The teachers were always available to help us think through problems. The Pathway program helped us prepare for interviews and it helped us go through our first interviews right there, onsite. Matchmaking day was like a speed-dating-esque version of interviews, with quick 15 minute interviews at a building filled with company reps who were looking for new talent and knew that Tech Elevator produced grads well grounded in the basics of programming and well-equipped to continue learning. I would not have the job I have today, had I not had the Pathway Directors there to help me. I was asked to come in for a follow up interview with one of the companies I spoke with at Matchmaking, and was offered a job there. But there were a couple hiccups along the way that I doubt I would have handled on my own. I was hired in December of 2019, before I'd even graduated. My first day of work was February 10th, 2020. I was able to work in the office for a month before we were all sent to work from home. I am so grateful that I chose to change my career when I did, and that I now have a job with a future I can imagine, that I have the luxury of performing from home. My manager has been consistently impressed with my abilities, but also with my ability to reach out for help when I need it, and to articulate my ideas clearly to others. I think that not only did Tech Elevator help me learn to code, it helped me get back into the habit of constantly learning.