Tech Elevator

When I chose to come to Tech Elevator to become a Full Stack Developer one of the large draws was the in person instruction. After trying multiple online courses I knew I needed that personal connection with an experienced, knowledgeable developer. I... Read More was a student spring of 2020 when COVID19 hit. When we had to transition to a remote classroom I know there were some reservations by a lot of us in the program but Tech Elevator came through and delivered a great experience like they do in all other areas. I still got live lectures with my instructor every morning and was able to interact with them in the same capacity. They were always available to help out and answer questions I may have had about lecture or an assignment. Tech Elevator also set up several virtual spaces for me and my classmates to collaborate and socialize during a time of social distancing. Throughout this entire transition Tech Elevator was extremely transparent and incredibly supportive to all their students. Upon graduation at record high levels of unemployment in the US we were still able to interview with a ton of companies and within a couple weeks of graduation I had my first job as a developer. I couldn’t be more happy with my choice to enroll at Tech Elevator!

I was torn between return to college to finish my computer science degree and attending a bootcamp, and ended up choosing to attend Tech Elevator. From day 1 it was clear that I had made the right choice, the technical portion of the course was top notch... Read More and comprehensive, but what makes Tech Elevator stand above the rest is the pathway program and their commitment to getting you a job in the field after graduation.

One of the best decisions I have made. Met a lot of great people and mentors. I felt very prepared when looking for jobs and received a job offer two weeks after graduation. The staff at Tech Elevator really cares about you and will be there for you even... Read More after graduation.

Possibly the best money I spent. I pored over reviews and spent months looking for a coding bootcamp. No regrets, super happy with my decision. Granted, I graduated pre-coronavirus so things may be a little different now, but knowing what I know about... Read More everyone at Tech Elevator, I have no doubt that the latest graduates are in the best hands. Their goal is not only to prepare you for a job, but to get you one. I seriously recommend them to my friends and random people whenever it gets brought up.

My profile before Tech Elevator:
* Had some experience with programming (Java in high school, Arduino/Raspberry Pi/Python stuff in college, Android development as a hobby after). Already knew I loved it
* Was a tutor for a couple years, then an assembler
* Bought a Web Development Udemy course, but couldn't focus on it and finish
* Didn't know how to get a programming job, or if I was even qualified
* Thought about getting into software for years, but didn't have an actual plan. Any time I'd start trying to learn something, five new questions would pop up for every answer I'd get

Just a few reasons I love Tech Elevator:
* The instructors are amazing and really care about your learning. Always happy to share their experiences (and they each have tons of experience). Some of them are working on some pretty cool stuff outside of work as well, I'd ask them about it!
* The academic fellows are also graduates of the program, so they know exactly what you're going through. They're also always there to help
* Pathway people are on top of it. I'm pretty sure Katie Detore remembers where every student ended up lol. They meet with you individually, and you can also reach out to them with question or concerns. It's great
* Pathway program does more than show you how to write a resume. There are panels, visitors, employer showcases (companies coming to speak to you), mock interviews, real interviews...
* "Always learning" and "get comfortable with being uncomfortable" are phrases I heard a lot there and they've stuck with me. I'd never been one to do extra work outside of work, but now I see myself seeking out new things to do and learn

Me after Tech Elevator:
* Associate consultant working at one of the many retailers here in Columbus. I can't imagine what my life would be like right now if I hadn't gone through the bootcamp and gotten a job in an industry where working remotely isn't a foreign concept
* Making more money. Thinking of buying a place soon
* Happier with my job
* Not that this field is immune to coronavirus, but I'm not that worried about losing my job. Chances of it happening are relatively low, and even I do, I'm still seeing recruiters reach out.

Advice:
* Especially for those who aren't working or have kids while in the bootcamp, put as much time into this as you can. If you're done with your assignments, work on side projects or learn something else. As confusing as some of the topics may be at first, go to Meetups.

I had been trying to break into the programming field for several years by the time I started seriously considering bootcamps. Stagnant office jobs that paid the bills but left me bored were all I could seem to find. I was caught in the old catch-22 of... Read More needing experience to get experience. Knowing that programming bootcamps were focused on getting entry-level positions for their students, I came to the decision that I'd give one a go. After doing several weeks of research, including open houses and reading plenty of reviews, I finally decided to apply to TE's Cleveland campus, and joined the Fall 2019 class (if the review says 2020, it's because it didn't let me choose the right one on their dropdown!). The technical instruction was stellar, and thanks to Mike, Josh, and Craig I learned more about programming in a few months than I had in the prior eight years.

But the real ace up TE's sleeve is their Pathway program, which was ultimately the reason I went with them over similar bootcamps (including the one from my alma mater). They focus on the soft-skill portion of job hunting, with a laser focus on the tech industry in particular. Resume crafting, interviewing, social media profile building, and pitching yourself--all things I kind of hate doing, but that are vital to actually landing a job, no matter your technical skills. Val, Marty, and Kelly are some of the most dedicated people I've ever met, always available to help and eager to push their students into improving those sometimes-uncomfortable areas. Not only do they arm you with the skills (and practice!) to sail through interviews, they've built up a wide network of contacts with the northeast Ohio tech community, and use those connections to help you get a foot in the door. Easily the most important factor in choosing TE over others.

Over three quarters of my class including me were placed with jobs before the bootcamp had even ended, and after four months in my new career I'm still having a great time. I'd highly recommend the program to anyone who's looking to get started in programming.

I did my fair share of research, using mainly this site as well as others. After 14 intense weeks I look back with no regrets and happy that I chose this program. The curriculum itself is designed very well, taking you through programming fundamentals,... Read More database and SQL, then on to MVC pattern of making web applications and finally javascript and front-end web programming. There is a bit of jump in difficulty halfway through, but instructors, campus staff, and even fellow classmates were all very helpful. You get the sense that everyone is in it together and trying to succeed for all. My instructor explained concepts very clearly and in a simple way. And all the exercises and code you get to write really builds confidence in your own newfound abilities. The pathway program is stellar as well. Tech Elevator really does have a lot of connections in the area, and they guide you well through the job market, resumes, interviews, networking, and more. From the planning to the execution to the people you get the sense that they really have it together.

All that being said, the world as it was when I entered the program is fundamentally different from the world as it is when I left the program. I felt they handled the transition to virtual very well, but at the same time a lot of the experience was lost when we could not do in-person immersive anymore. I've found that with added motivation it's completely possible to learn and work your way to being a software engineer just in your room. Hopefully we will be in-classroom during the Fall, but if I had to give some advice for those considering an online bootcamp, I would say that while I feel Tech Elevator is top of the class, you can learn and succeed anywhere given your motivation and confidence. Even in this new world coding is likely to be an important and necessary skill. I'm convinced that if it wasn't for the pandemic I would have a job right now (just a week out from graduation). I really enjoyed the whole experience and made some good friends too! Despite the last 5 weeks going virtual I'm still sending a 5/5 for the school that I'm grateful and proud to be an alum of.

I was afraid of leaving my secure lifestyle to make an all out change but I'm glad I did! They give you all the training you need to start out at any tech company. So far I'm three months into my current job and I don't feel like I've been struggling... Read More at all. Not only do they prepare you to become a developer but they help train you to interview and set up plenty of companies to interview with. From start to finish they guide you every step of the way so that you leave with a job and feel confident to start your new journey.

It's a lot to deal with, quitting your job and fully immersing yourself in the program for 3 months but the benefits far outweigh the negatives. You'll hear from almost everyone that's gone through it that it's totally worth it. So if you're thinking about making the switch and you're on the fence about it, hopefully all these reviews and success stories push you in the right direction.

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/