Tech Elevator

I cannot do a deep and honest comparison against Tech Elevator and other coding bootcamps because I didn't attend other bootcamps. However, what I can say is that prior to attending Tech Elevator in Columbus, Ohio I was living in North Carolina and had... Read More done months, yes MONTHS of research into dozens of coding bootcamps. I was already in the process of collecting stats on grad school programs and their various metrics such as acceptance rates, investment of time, placement rates, cost, perceived value from employers, and so on. I even went as far as taking the GRE (Graduate Record Examination a $160 6 hour exam required for grad school applications). That's how close I was to going to grad school to pursue a master's vs. going to a coding bootcamp.

But like I said, I already had a ton of stats on grad schools, and some call it providence, others serendipity however one day I ran across a coding bootcamp ad. I checked it out and was highly impressed by the placement rates. They were higher than the average placement rates of grad schools. I then began a rigorous study of all the best coding bootcamps, in person and on line, and settled on 4. Tech Elevator was one of the four. That was in April of 2019. And now here I am today, less than a year later (I wouldn't even be HALF WAY done with a masters program by now if I had gone that route) full fledged, full stack software engineer at JP Morgan in their Asset and Wealth Management Division. Indeed contributing code and making a difference.

You may be thinking, "Oh well you were a college graduate of course you'd be successful." Do not be so quick to judge. My family came to America when I was 5 from Nicaragua. As a consequence I didn't speak English and had learning difficulties. I failed Kindergarten and had to take ESL throughout elementary school. Eventually I would drop out of high school after the 10th grade. But obviously I eventually got my GED and realized education was the way of the future. I only mentioned this to show I'm not particularly bright or intelligent, I just put in the effort. And that's all you need to be successful here. Effort is free.

Give Tech Elevator a thorough, thoughtful and careful review. Their instructors, Steve, Andrew, John and Brian are incredible people and equally incredible teachers. They will challenge you, push you, and set you up for success. And Tech Elevator provides, bar none, the best recruitment ecosystem and team to support you.

Attending Tech Elevator was the best career choice I ever made. I had been an attorney for about 5 years, and was feeling stagnant and dissatisfied. I became interested in software development through some friends, and started doing basic coding tutorials... Read More and web-based projects for fun. I found myself much more interested in those projects than in my work, and on the advice of some family and friends, decided to make the career switch. After researching schools in Cleveland, I landed on Tech Elevator based on its reviews and reputation. It certainly lived up to the hype! The instructors were knowledgeable and helpful, and the career support team was completely dedicated to making sure everyone put their best foot forward. The pace of the course was tough at times, but never overwhelming. And, in the moments where I did feel like I was falling behind, there was always someone to turn to ( an instructor, a TA, a fellow student, or even another staff member) who could get me past the point I was hung up on. In the end, I had an offer at my dream job shortly before graduation, and was working in the field a few weeks later. My advice to anyone considering Tech Elevator would be that, as long as you are willing to put the work in, it is a wonderful experience and THE best way to kick off a career in software development.

Short Version
Attending Tech Elevator is the best decision I could have made for my career, and it could be yours too! Read my long version below for more details, and feel free to reach out on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyledthomas/ if you... Read More have any questions for me!

Long Version
Attending the Tech Elevator Coding Bootcamp was the best investment of time and money I have made for my career. Because of this program, I was able to transition to a career that allows me to challenge myself, continually learn new skills and technologies, and work with some of the most intelligent and hard-working people I have ever met. I wake up genuinely excited every day to go to work and build software that makes a difference in people’s lives. I could not have gotten to this point without Tech Elevator. What makes this bootcamp so unique is what I think of as the “3 Ps”: Process, Preparation, and People.

Process
Over the course of 14 weeks, I learned more than I thought was possible in such a brief time frame. You don’t need to walk in with much experience in programming, but some exposure does help due to the fast pace of the curriculum.

We started off by learning the basics of programming (“if else” statements, loops, object-oriented programming, file reading/writing, etc.) in .NET/C#. Next, we moved on to data security and relational database development and querying using SQL. After that, we started learning about client-side programming, covering topics such as HTML, CSS, MVC, and networks (servers, hosting, and requests and responses). The last module focused on JavaScript, the Vue.js front-end framework, and APIs.

Tech Elevator has chosen relevant technologies based on input from local employers to ensure they are up-to-date with what companies are actually using for their software development. While graduates may not end up working in the exact same technology stack that the curriculum teaches, the program does an excellent job of teaching students to teach themselves new technologies that they may use after they start their jobs.

In general, the days tend to follow a similar pattern. A morning lecture starts off with a brief review of what was learned the day before and and the instructor answers any questions the students have, followed by a short online quiz to make sure everyone understands the main concepts of the previous day’s lecture. The instructor views the results immediately, and takes a few minutes to reinforce any concepts that the class may have struggled with on the quiz. After review is over, the instructor launches into the next topic. After teaching new information, the instructor will typically walk through a code example of what was just taught and encourage students to code along to reinforce their learning.

After lecture ends, most students will take a lunch break, then get started on their assignments if there is not a Pathway event scheduled that afternoon (more on the Pathway program in the next section). Most days, there is at least one individual or pair-programming assignment (sometimes both). Some students are able to finish assignments within an hour or two, and some take longer. You are welcome to stay on campus for as long as you like, but everyone in my class was usually done and headed home by 5:00 PM.

At the end of each of the first three modules, students complete a mini-capstone project with a partner over the course of several days. During mini-capstone project days, there are no lectures so that students are free to spend their entire days working on the assignment. Teams are given a list of “user stories” (actions that the end user of the software should be able to perform), and then are turned loose to use all they have learned so far to complete their objectives.

These were the times when I experienced the most technical growth during the program because while the daily assignments are fairly specific in how to solve a problem, capstones leave the planning up to the student, forcing them to think through how they will implement all the functions before they start to write the code. In addition, each team sits down with their instructor after completing each capstone for a code review, in which instructors will ask students to justify programming decisions, provide constructive feedback, and discuss what the students did well.

It can seem overwhelming to think about the sheer volume of information that is yet to be covered while in the beginning or middle of the curriculum. My best advice is to take the program one day at a time and trust the process. It works.

Preparation
While I think that Tech Elevator does an exceptional job of teaching students the technical skills they need to secure jobs in development, teaching programming is a minimum requirement for any coding bootcamp. Where Tech Elevator really begins to elevate itself above the competition is in its resources for career preparation. Through workshops, individual mentoring, and networking opportunities, this program excels at preparing students for the job market.

Each Tech Elevator campus has Pathway Directors, full-time staff members who are dedicated to preparing students for the job market. They lead workshops on resume writing and refining, interviewing, networking, comparing different types of work environments (like a startup vs. a large enterprise corporation), different types of work arrangements (like permanent employment at a company vs. working as a contractor), salary negotiation, and job application strategies, among other areas. They also sit down with each student individually several times throughout the cohort to advise them on resume edits, companies to apply to based on students’ interests, and anything else that will help students succeed in the job search.

Pathway Directors bring in community members to assist with career preparation as well. The staff organizes panels of volunteers to share experiences and advice. Just a few of the panels that were the most impactful to me consisted of Tech Elevator alumni sharing their perspective on working after graduating from a bootcamp, senior developers sharing their experiences on how they were able to advance in their careers, and HR professionals sharing tips on how to best navigate relationships with recruiters. Pathway Directors also plan Employer Showcases, in which local employers will present information about working at their companies and answer students’ questions.

Interviewing can be a daunting step in the application process, and Pathway Directors ensure the students are prepared by requiring students to complete several rounds of mock interviews. Community recruiters conduct mock interviews that simulate first-round general HR interviews and behavioral-based interviews. Instructors and volunteer developers in the community conduct mock technical interviews that consists of both answering technical questions and white-boarding solutions. Every cohort has a large Matchmaking Event, in which employers come to Tech Elevator so each student has the opportunity to have a first-round interview with seven or eight companies over the course of two days. Matchmaking is the pinnacle of the Pathway Program, and was one of the most exciting events of the cohort.

When students begin to receive job offers, Pathway Directors are there to help navigate job offers and give negotiation advice. If students are having a hard time securing an offer, the staff does a great job of encouraging them to keep trying, no matter how hard it gets. While other bootcamps might end their career preparation services after the program ends, Tech Elevator takes pride in working with every student until they land a job. The staff even helps out with alumni who need advice on advancing to more senior jobs long after they have graduated from Tech Elevator.

I felt extremely well-prepared to begin working in development after Tech Elevator thanks to the strong curriculum. However, it was the Pathway Program that helped me to land my first development role. The knowledge I gathered from the panels and workshops helped me to know where to focus my application efforts and how to tailor my applications to those employers, and the mock interviews gave me the confidence to excel in my interviews.

People
Tech Elevator has a fantastic curriculum, and the Pathway Program really begins to differentiate it from other bootcamps. However, the people are what distinguish Tech Elevator as a superior bootcamp – specifically, the staff. Completing this program will introduce you to some of the most caring people you have ever met.

Between the time I applied and when I started, the admissions coordinators were my main points of contact. They were extremely helpful and patient with me every step of the way through the admissions process, even when I was taking up a lot of their time with questions.

I already explained a lot of what the Pathway Directors do in the previous section, but Tech Elevator really does an incredible job of choosing them based on their passion for helping students to develop their soft skills and their ability to communicate. Many of them are former recruiters or HR professionals, so their perspective is invaluable to students.

The Tech Elevator instructors are the staff who interact most frequently with the students, and definitely had the biggest impact on me. All the instructors are very experienced senior developers who have spent years honing their programming and communication skills. They all could be working incredibly high-paying senior developer jobs, but they choose to spend their hours helping people transition into junior developer roles. Andrew Frank is a wealth of knowledge, and was always our favorite to go to with individual questions because of his awesome communication skills. I count John Fulton among the teachers whom have impacted me most in life, which is telling since he knew me for the shortest amount of time of all the teachers I’ve ever had. The passion he has for teaching is unparalleled. I would recommend the .NET/C# path simply to develop a relationship with him.

All the staff are incredible, and the Campus Director Katie Detore is the glue who holds it all together. She works tirelessly to keep the campus running, grow the network of community partners, and develop a relationship with each and every student in every cohort. She is always trying to think of ways to improve the Tech Elevator experience, and consistently meets with students to solicit their feedback. Without her, things would not operate as seamlessly as they do.

Tech Elevator does a great job of teaching programming and preparing students for interviews, but I know that the relationships with the staff members will last me for my entire career.

Conclusion
If you have made it to the end of this review, you can see how passionate I am about my experience at Tech Elevator. I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t attending this bootcamp. If you are thinking about this program but aren’t quite sure if it’s a smart decision because of the time and financial commitment, I hope this review alleviates your hesitation. If you would like to ask me any additional questions, please feel free to reach out on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyledthomas/

Making a career change at 35 was a very scary choice. After years of juggling multiple part-time jobs in education and the restaurant industry, I had worked my way up to a project coordinator role at a well respected university. My job was really good.... Read More I had a steady schedule, health benefits, great co-workers, and work I believed in. But for me, something was still missing. I wasn’t being challenged or pushed to my full potential, which ultimately left me feeling unfulfilled.

It felt a little crazy to walk away from a steady career and quit my job to attend a bootcamp. I agonized over the decision for months, comparing different options. I researched the heck out of Tech Elevator, just like you’re doing now! I was skeptical of all the positive reviews, and wary of it being a scam. I’m here to add my voice and story to the others posted here and tell you that it’s true. All of it.

Tech Elevator’s program is extremely well structured. The education focuses on core software development concepts, coupled with practical real-world skills needed on the job such as how to work with a team together on the same code using github. By the time you graduate you literally have all the skills you need to create a web application. The career readiness program preps you for success in your job hunt through mock interviews, resume critiques, and networking and public speaking skills. And finally, TE brings in several companies for an event they call “Matchmaking”, giving you six 20-minute interviews with local companies.

I can’t stress enough how important and valuable Matchmaking is. If you’ve ever experienced the nightmare which is applying for a job, you know how difficult it is to get someone to even LOOK at your resume, let alone call you in for an initial interview. Tech Elevator gives you face-to-face interviews with companies who are eager to hire junior developers. Several of them have hired TE grads in the past and are so happy with the quality of those employees that they can’t wait to hire more. My six interviews led to four onsite interviews, which led to three job offers, all $15-20k more than I was making at my old job.

Lastly, I just have to talk about the instructors and staff at Tech Elevator. They are all so dedicated to your success and they truly believe in you. This program is really hard. You will be pushed to the limits of what you’re capable of achieving. I personally struggled a lot the first couple of weeks, but the instructors were available until late in the day to answer my questions. They reassured me that it was okay to struggle and never made me feel bad for asking them questions - and oh boy, I asked a LOT of questions! They really stuck with me until the concepts finally clicked, and I’m grateful that they put so much time into making sure my foundation was completely solid before moving on to more complex topics.

As you can tell from this novel I’ve written, I am so passionate about Tech Elevator. It was the best decision I’ve ever made, and if you’re considering enrolling, DO IT. This program gives you everything you need to start a career as a software developer, you just have to want it. So if you have that drive, you will come out of this program with a new career.

Before coming to Tech Elevator, I was working in the non-profit sector. I felt like I was reaching the ceiling of my career and wanted to pursue software development because of the opportunities, the creativity and the challenge. My opportunity finally... Read More came when my position was eliminated at my job and I decided to take the leap and apply to a bootcamp. I decided to go with Tech Elevator and it was the best decision career decision I have made to date.

I didn't have any experience coding, but my instructor Frank broke down the concepts so that I was able to understand them much more clearly. You will learn a lot in a very short time. You will be amazed by what you can do when it's all said and done.

The Pathway Program sets Tech Elevator apart from other bootcamps. They help you with your resume, LinkedIn profile, interview prep, and so much more. Valerie, the Pathway Director, is great! If you do what she says and trust the process, you will be on your way to a new career!

When I think back to the decision of choosing Tech Elevator, I remember feeling nervous. Worried. Excited. Skeptical. Lots of different feelings. I thought, "Fourteen weeks to change my life for the better? Double my salary? Take the next step in my life?... Read More This sounds way too good to be true. This sounds like something that I'd have to go back to school for at least 4 years for... What's the catch?" At the time, I was unhappy with my current job, my career status. I felt unfulfilled. I felt like I was capable of more. I knew I needed to do something, so when I discovered Tech Elevator, I did what most of you reading this are doing right now -- researching, scouring student reviews, looking into the graduation/placement statistics, etc. I was convinced, and I took the the chance.

That chance came to fruition on September 16, 2019. I had my first day of class. I was thrust into a new city, a new building, surrounded by so many new faces. It only took a day or two until some of those new faces became new friends. Our class clicked in a way that I've never experienced before. Not in elementary school, high school, college, a workplace, a sports team, anywhere else. Our class had this unity almost immediately. We all knew we were in this together. We all had each others' backs. We knew what the end goal was and we wanted to see each other make it through. That comradery was there the whole time. I'll be the first to admit that I needed help with the lessons, and I had a network of great people, great friends to lean on when I did. I'd ask my friend next to me, or my friend across the room...

Or... we could go to the instructors who would stay all afternoon if we had questions. Our technical instructors had our backs, they took joy in seeing us pick up these new skills. They're friendly, wonderful people and they brought our classes together and helped facilitate the learning experience. I'm currently a couple weeks into my first job and I've already had a couple conversations with my .NET instructor about how great everything has been so far, and he seems so genuinely excited for me.

Our pathway instructors were equally on that same page. You could see it on their face every day how much they loved what they did, and how much joy they got out of seeing us succeed. It was apparent. Their positivity and encouragement was contagious. It takes a special kind of person to be able to manage a huge group of people, with various backgrounds, various social and technical skills, and be able to bring them together for a common goal and ultimately get us there. They celebrated with us in all of our victories, and picked us up when we were dealing with our struggles. They are amazing people.

I'll never forget the relationships that started thanks to being a part of this program. I'm so excited to see what happens to all of my friends I've made here. I graduated just a few short weeks ago and I've already told several people that going to Tech Elevator was one of the best things I ever did. That it was one of the greatest decisions I made in my life. It opened the door to a future with so much potential and opportunity. It gave me another chance.

If you're considering attending Tech Elevator because you want to make a change in your life, take the chance I took. You won't regret it.

.NET!
This boot camp taught me so much information and has helped me get a foot in the door for developer jobs. You obviously can't learn everything there is to know in 14 weeks, but I'm confident I have the foundation I need to build a solid career in... Read More tech. The instructors are excellent communicators, hard working, and they aren't afraid to stretch you to your full potential.

The career training was a huge piece of the puzzle. Since you are learning so much learn stuff during the boot camp, it was incredibly helpful having the Pathway team think about and explain what we need on our resume, Linked In, etc. That was a load off my plate so I could really focus on studying and getting as much as I could out of the curriculum.

Tech Elevator helped me lock down a web developer job before graduation.

.NET!

It took me over a year to build up the courage from researching coding bootcamps, to find myself in a chair at one of Tech Elevator's Open Houses. Throughout that evening it quickly became clear to me that I had to join this program. I did, and it's changed... Read More my life. If you find yourself in a similar position, hopefully this will help.

I came from a background of NO college and NO prior coding experience, but I knew I loved technology and solving problems. During that open house (which I HIGHLY recommend you attend) hearing the passion from the staff, the teachers, and their commitment to help you succeed really inspired me. The #1 thing that made it click for me, was the fact that Tech Elevator voluntarily gets audited yearly. You can see the amount of job offers AND the salary brackets of those offers of past students, they aren't trying to pull the wool over your eyes, they aren't making any crazy guarantees like some other programs, you get to see yourself the results for yourself. You can have confidence that when they talk placement rates, it's based of data, and not some crazy marketing plan.

I know what you're thinking; quitting your job PLUS a high cost of entry for the program? That can seem very intimidating, but the result is well worth it in my opinion.

I cannot stress this enough: you will get out what you put in the program.
I had some classmates that, when it was job hunting time, only put in 1 resume a week, others were putting 10. The ones that only put a single resume out a week, well, they got jobs last. You're going to feel stressed, overwhelmed, and burnt out. And that's okay. That's part of it. But on the other side, for 3 months of hard, intense work, you can get a career that is life changing.

For the entire journey, you are being supported by your teachers, you have decades of experience between them, and a fantastic job program (called Pathway) that is run alongside the coding. You get prepped for interviews, soft-skills, resume building, workshop, and technical interviews.
They regularly have panels of alumni, and meetups with free food and drinks.
You'll make friends and it feels good knowing you're all going through the same experience. All of this preparing to launch you into a career of tech.

All in all, if you are looking for a incredible program, amazing teachers, and a staff that wants you to succeed, look no further.

Stay humble, ask questions, push yourself.
I'm glad I did.

Tech Elevator was the best risk I took. I was very skeptical at first. There have been so many for profit school scams that have left people broke. When I learned about Tech Elevator I did a lot of research. I was trying to find the disgruntled mutterings... Read More of a scam. I could not find it. The fact that Tech Elevator voluntarily reports to a third party watchdog agency that monitors for profit schools was instrumental in making me realize it's legit.

Unlike other boot camps that train you up in the latest fad Tech Elevator gives you a core education in languages that have been part of the tech industry for decades. They give you a taste of all the components of a web based program. Learning Front end, back end, databases, and javascript gives you the ability to be a confident coder with a wide variety of job prospects.

There are no catches with this education. You don't owe them a percentage of your salary, no one is forcing me to write this as a condition of graduation. I won't lie it's hard work. You get what you put in. If you follow the process do the work, not just the coding but the career prep too, you'll have a job by graduation.

The student to teacher ratio was about 13 to one. There were instructors available after class for one on one tutoring. The instructors are not graduates of the boot camp, they have had long successful careers in coding before choosing to pay it forward and train the next generation. The investment and compassion of the teachers and career counselors was apparent. They care deeply that their students succeed. Nothing I've had experience with in colleges and universities comes close to the kind of career counselling you get here.

As someone with a master's degree in music I didn't think going back to school to re-skill myself was possible. The length of the boot camp and the success of student job placement made it seem possible that I could improve my life. I've never been in the position to consider several job offers and pick a career I want. I'm excited to start my new job just weeks after graduation.

Short and simple, Tech Elevator starts slow, but then sprints through so much technical information, it can seem overwhelming. You will be drinking from the proverbial fire hose. That said, they cover a wide enough base to give you a strong start on your... Read More path to becoming a successful programmer.

What really sets TE apart is the Pathway Program where the Instructors do their best to prepare you for the real world job market and give you the help that you need to succeed in your job search.