Tech Elevator

After making the decision to move from life science research into software development (without prior experience), I realized that a 4-year degree was out of reach; however, the bootcamp model of education taking less than 4 months appeared to gain traction... Read More nationwide, and I looked into the Cleveland area's options. Tech Elevator stood out as a spacious, friendly environment, run by an enormously qualified and engaged team who sincerely cared about moving their students' careers upwards.

I signed up and never looked back. 14 weeks of hard work during bootcamp included lectures, exercises and homework, but also the "Pathway Program", which makes you generate a proper resume, a professional LinkedIn presence, includes one-on-one interview practices and, importantly, involves a network of local employers who come in to showcase their company and to interview all students during matchmaking events. The latter events is what led to several follow-up interviews at companies for me, ultimately leading to my graduation on Friday and having a job offer on the following Monday, a pretty common outcome for our cohort.

The bootcamp provided us with a well-rounded set of skills needed to build a complete web application, using Java, SQL, HTML/CSS/JavaScript as main languages, and included unit testing and security aspects. In summary, I learned a lot about learning, in that I feel able to not only build web applications but also acquire additional programming skills as needed. What a great experience!

I graduated from the .NET program in April 2016. I was previously working in advertising technology but knew that I'd need further education in order to pursue the more technical roles I was interested in. I attended an open house at Tech Elevator and... Read More was immediately sold.

The staff at Tech Elevator is incredible. Every member of the team is knowledgeable, supportive, and committed to your success. The .NET instructor, Josh, has a teaching style that makes difficult concepts easy to understand while keeping class engaging and exciting. In addition to learning more than I ever have in a 3-month time span, I truly enjoyed coming to class every day, even when the material was frustrating.

The Pathway Program provides career assistance through resume and interview workshops, employer networking events, and both technical and behavioral interview practice. I owe the two job offers I got before graduation to the Pathway Program and the team's willingness to go above and beyond to make sure I felt prepared for interviews.

I couldn't be happier with my time at Tech Elevator and would absolutely recommend the school. If you're curious, start with an open house.

It took me 2 years from hearing about coding bootcamps before I finally took the plunge into one. Despite having a college education, I had been stuck doing menial labor jobs, landscaping, cooking, and baking. This life grows old, and we all want to see... Read More our hard work blossom into rewards, so I decided to make a huge change into the IT field. I chose Tech Elevator over other bootcamps for a few reasons: 1) Length: Coming from a non-technical background, the extra couple weeks of learning was an invaluable both informational as well as allowing the knowledge to work its way into long term memory a little better. 2) Youth: This is a young program. I don't mean age, as my classes median age was in the mid 30's, rather that Tech Elevator is at least as passionate about giving us the tools to succeed as we are passionate about making our own lives better. 3) Staff: From Carol at the front desk to the instructors to the founders, everyone plays for the same team, and it's a winning one. Who doesn't want to be on that? These praises don't come at a price, the work is hard and at times frustrating. I am a grown man who now knows what it is like to want a hug because a computer bullied me today. You may question at time if you are following the right path, but if you stick it out and listen to what the instructors, mentors, recruiters, and even employers that are brought in, YOU WILL SUCCEED! Having no technical background and mere months of coding experience, I was inundated with recruiters and direct employers calling me. I had an offer from a great tech company on the West side that came from the employer showcase that Terry and Anthony work very hard on setting up. Within a week of graduation I was working full-time, with benefits, and can honestly say I have doubled my income from the previous year. As long as you know that you are worth investing in yourself, sign up ASAP and get your life moving in the right direction. If you read this far and have any questions, please pm me saying that we have worked together at Tech Elevator, and I will be more than happy to tell you more about my personal experience.

I have nothing but good things to say about my time at Tech Elevator. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable and are always willing to help students, either during or outside of classroom hours. The classroom and common room spaces are great. While... Read More challenging, the fourteen weeks flew by, and the instructors made sure they made class interesting and fun.

The career assistance was out of this world. Tech Elevator brings in a ton of great companies to talk to students. They also set up interviews with companies for students. You even get mock interviews and technical interviews beforehand to practice. I got a job with a company that I'm really excited about because Tech Elevator brought them in.

Before the class, I was skeptical about the bootcamp model. But Tech Elevator was unequivocally worth the time and financial investment. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was the best decision I've made for my career.

I was enrolled in Tech Elevator's Java Applications Development course from January through April 2016. Before I started the program I had very little experience with programming and no practical experience at all with Java. My last job had absolutely... Read More nothing to do with programming. Within days of graduating, I already had job offers and am now employed full-time as a software developer.

The course was rigorous without being overwhelming. The day usually started off with a lecture on the programming concepts that were being introduced followed by demonstrations. Afterwards you can expect to be given individual and paired exercises to work to reinforce your understanding of the new material. The instructors are excellent and make themselves available to answer any questions you might have or review your completed code with you to help you improve upon it and make recommendations to assist you in writing more readable and professional code. They are also very receptive to feedback and will make changes to how they present the material to better suit the needs of their students.

The best part about the program is that at the end of each unit you will be assigned a full project to complete. You will be given specifications for an application and then you'll write the code for it. Writing programs really helps you absorb all of the material you've been learning and, by the time you will have completed the course, you'll have a number of programs you can compile into a portfolio and present to potential employers to prove that you really know what you're doing. This part really makes a difference and goes a lot further with employers than a resume alone.

The job support is also excellent. The school has its own hiring network of companies in need of junior developers and frequently hosts different kinds of events to bring their students together with recruiters from these companies. It was one of these in-network companies with which I ended up getting a job, so I can personally vouch that it is a worthwhile part of the program.

I highly recommend this school to anyone looking to make a transition into software development. It is well worth it.

This bootcamp is the REAL deal. I came into this with a diverse background from the military, operations management, and sales. Totally off the wall careers, but I realized technology was the driving interest in each. I had researched the bootcamp model... Read More for a few years and even tried to teach myself but the book was out of date. So via networking while trying to transition into software sales, I was introduced to Tech Elevator. I had no idea I was about to change my life in just 14-weeks, but it happened!  

  I attended an orientation and heard from the instructors about curriculum, and the CEO about how this place could change my life, but I think what blew me away was how up front they were about the amount of work that would be required of me and the energy that would need to be invested in order to achieve graduation. I took it as a challenge and went home thinking there was no better place to learn than a place where I am challenged. I had in front of me the very opportunity I had always wanted, and all I needed to do was pass a pre-assessment, and an interview. Sounds easy enough, but it wasn't. I didn’t sleep for almost three days until I finally found out I was accepted, and then I thought to myself "and so it begins!". 

  From day one there was never a shortage on communication of what to expect and the plethora of resources available to me in order to be successful, but after brushing them off thinking I had this in the bag I quickly learned my second week I needed way more help than those who came from technical backgrounds. I think the feeling of knowing I just paid a bunch of money for something, and the fear of failure kicked in and I quickly started reaching out to fellow students to have study sessions. From week 2 through week 8 a group of us would show up to the 24-hour space and just bounce our problems off each other. It wasn't until I started talking to the instructors about it that I felt like a crazy man for coming in at 6am when class didn’t start until 9am. Looking back now aside from the top-notch instructors, I would say going through this with 14 other people who were going through the same issues made this a lot easier for myself. This allowed me to maximize my time and learning through out the 14-weeks. 

  The instruction I received was hands on applicable knowledge designed to teach you how to learn versus being hand fed the information. David Wintrich was my Java instructor, and learning from someone so highly regarded in the community as well as the vast amounts of practical knowledge he possessed was a blessing. This allowed me to repeatedly bounce ideas or concepts off the man who had built a BILLION dollar processing application. Impressed? Well I am. Having David alongside Josh, and Craig allowed me to get a feel for how to approach problems that I would see in real world situations, and how to plug away at a problem researching and tinkering until I felt that feeling of victory once it worked. I think having access to the folks who have "been there and done that" allowed me to feel confident walking away and making an immediate impact day 1 at my new job. 

  The bootcamp opened a lot of doors for me because I lacked a college degree, and it also gave me credibility learning from some of the best folks in the area. I do not think I would have the opportunity / career trajectory had I not taken this step versus going back to college. The technical aspect along with the touch up on my resume / LinkedIn presence from the pathway events set me up for success. Hearing industry leaders read my information and offer insight was invaluable. As a result to taking a risky leap of faith and praying for sunshine, I have stepped into a Technical Consultant role with one of the Software Industries top companies. Without Tech Elevator I would probably still be at that same job I once hated, just because I lacked the motivation to give four years away to a college. Forever in debt to the folks at Tech elevator. 

Hope this Helps !

I passed the tests and was accepted into two boot camps. I chose Tech Elevator after attending one of their open houses and speaking with the staff. The culture just felt right. They were genuinely interested in seeing that I succeed. The instructors... Read More spent as much time with me as I needed in order to grasp concepts, although I can't stress enough that learning to code is not a walk in the park. You must be willing to put in the time.
Before I decided to learn to code, I had several different careers from medical lab work, to television , to retail sales. After 10 years at each, I was ready for another career that would challenge me. Tech Elevator fulfilled that beyond my expectations. While the classes were tough, there was always someone to help. Josh and David are excellent instructors, finding ways to present difficult concepts in fun, engaging ways. And if you need more help, Craig was there early in the morning or after class in the evening to tutor.
The integration of the Pathway Program where my resume, linked in profile and elevator pitches were constantly honed to make me as marketable as possible were invaluable. Having employers and IT professionals come in for lunch and learn made it possible to establish network connections that were crucial in the job search. While I learned to code, I also learned that I would be better suited in a Business Analyst role, which would utilize all my previous experience with my new coding skills. Everyone at Tech Elevator helped me to go down that path and consequently I received and accepted an offer two weeks before classes ended.
Tech Elevator was the perfect boot camp for me to learn to code and I am grateful everyday that I chose to learn there. The increase in salary from my previous job more than paid for the cost of the course and I feel that I not only gained a new career but several new friends and colleagues. Best investment I made.

I truly cannot say enough good things about my Tech Elevator experience. After feeling stagnant in my marketing career for quite some time, I became intrigued by the tech industry and the bootcamp model of learning. I attended an open house at Tech Elevator... Read More and listened to their team talk about the program and from there I was sold. Their passion and knowledge was clear, and I ultimately decided to quit my job and sign up. At the time it felt like a scary and risky move, but I was very quickly rewarded with the feeling that it was one of the best decisions I had ever made.
The cohort covered the full technology stack, from database to front-end development. Josh Tucholski, the .Net instructor, is incredibly knowledgeable and has a teaching style that makes it easy and enjoyable to learn from him. He's patient, thorough, and understanding, and is genuinely invested in you and your future. The same can be said about every member of the TE team. Everyone there actually cares about you as an individual and wants to see you leave TE for bigger and better things. And they help you do it! The Pathway Program that runs in conjunction with the day-to-day instruction was invaluable. It provided job and interview prep, employer matchmaking and networking opportunities, and the ever important "soft-skills" that are essential to landing a great career in today's job market.
Tech Elevator opened up a whole new world for me in regards to my career. The skills I gained throughout the program allowed me to knowledgeably and confidently interview with a number of companies that I may not have otherwise had exposure to. I had two job offers within two weeks of graduation, and am so excited about my new position and my future as a developer.

Before attending Tech Elevator I was working part-time in retail and playing music on the side. Though I didn't have a background in coding, I was into computers and technology. Once I heard about Tech Elevator, I started looking into programming and... Read More what I could do with it. I was fascinated and intrigued by the things a programmer can create with code. It didn't take me long to decide that I wanted to attend Tech Elevator.

The first 4 weeks were intense, but our instructor David was very helpful. He was understanding and patient with the students. We learned everything to develop a full-stack web application from scratch. I learned so much in 14 weeks and felt a great sense of accomplishment when we graduated.

After graduating, I had several interviews lined up and felt confident going into them. It wasn’t long before I had an offer from several companies. The Pathways program was helpful in preparing us for our career change.

Tech Elevator made a major impact on my career and I couldn't be more happy with the experience. If you're on the fence about going, check out one of the student open houses and get a sense of what it's like.

Prior to the class I had some experience building websites, and troubleshooting any computer and network difficulties. I had always had the desire to learn how to program, but I found it difficult to learn online, and the personal investment to attend... Read More a traditional university was unpractical for me. After completing the course I felt thoroughly prepared for the market place. I was quickly granted many interviews and was able to land my first choice.
After meeting with David and Anthony, I truly believed in their passion, ability, and confidence to provide the best possible path to achieve my goal of programming. David’s experience in the field was stunning, and Anthony’s network, boot camp knowledge, and plan to place graduates left me knowing that my future would be secure in their hands.
Throughout the class, what helped me the most was David’s teaching ability. His capacity to understand not only where the class as a whole was in terms of comprehension, but seeing where each of his students was individually was outstanding. He was able to magnificently tailor the curriculum to our own needs to help us progress. When I had questions, he continually was able to answer the questions in a way that allowed me to come to the conclusions myself. I have been in many classes before and have never had that sort of attention and support. Now, I feel exceeding confident that I am aptly prepared for my career in programming.
I feel very confident entering my first position as a junior developer. I know that I have developed my ability to code at an effective level for a beginner. Most importantly however, I know how to find the solutions to any complications I may encounter.

The opportunities I have available to me know seem endless. I can choose from nearly any industry, anywhere in the world to continue my career. As I progress in my career and continue to hone my skills, I look forward to seeing the opportunities that are sure to present themselves

The Pathway Program Tech Elevator provided us gave me great insight into the field and prepared me amazingly well in finding a beginning to my new career. The ability to hear from and ask questions to leading professionals in the Cleveland area, allowed me to understand what exactly I was getting myself into and how I could accomplish my goal. The value of a proper LinkedIn profile was aptly demonstrated and I was assisted in properly designing my own. Many different industry professionals continually critiqued my resume as I progressed through the course allowing me to state my abilities clearly and concisely. I found that the mock interviews were the most helpful process in guiding me to understand the questions that would be asked of me, and allow me to answer them properly.