The Tech Academy

Pros:

Excellent place to start for someone with no technical background. They will teach you how to learn the basics of a language, as well as a lot of the vocabulary you need to know.

Breadth of knowledge--you'll learn 7 different languages.

Job-placement programs is top-notch, and will help you with your resume, cover letters, and interview skills. +1 star for this and the following.

Very friendly and helpful instructors. Seriously!

Can study remotely, at your own pace. Loaner laptop included!

Cons:

Lack of depth in any language--you learn 7 different languages so there's no time to go deeply into any one. You'll learn what an API is but never implement one, and learn what TDD is but never how to do it. Most employers (and the blogs that Tech Academy encoura...

The Tech Academy was just the right bootcamp I was looking for. It allowed me to start as a remote student, and then study locally when I moved to Portland. It also taught me how to be a self-motivated learner and enabled me to develop problem-solving skills. In addition to teaching coding knowledge, the school also teaches students how to look for answers and approach problems on their own. Instructors are always available and willing to help, but they also guide students and teach them how to solve problems, rather than giving out answers right away.

The curriculum was very well-rounded and I was able to explore the different areas of fullstack development, from HTML and CSS, to C# and Python. This was someone with very little programming background like me, this was extremely help...

The Tech Academy has enabled me to learn programming languages and using those languages to build software programs.
For example, I was able to learn Python competently, and with the help of the instructors, build a program to select files and transfer them if they have been modified in the past 24 hours.

The curriculum has provided a spring-board for me to learn more about software developing. I wanted to learn much more about Javascript, Python, and C# during the course, but at least I know where the resources are to do so.
The Live Project has benefited me greatly in that it simulated a real-life working environment for developing software in a team.

The Live Project further helped me learn how to work in an Agile environment using the Scrum process. I have learned greatly ab...

My experience with the Tech Academy was great! Before starting the Tech Academy I had a BA in Biomedical Sciences and came to the conclusion that becoming a health care provider wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. I then began looking into other fields that interested me and found that the tech field really sparked an interest. I was contemplating whether to start studying on my own or do a “boot camp” style course. I decided I wanted to take an online course, not only to keep me motivated, but also to learn programming in a way that followed a cohesive progression, and yet still have the ability to reach out to instructors for questions and advice. The instructors were extremely helpful, and most importantly, they made an effort to challenge my thinking throughout the different c...

What have you gained from doing The Tech Academy?
I gained confidence in different forms. I gained the knowledge of programming. I gained the knowledge of how to research and find solutions to issues. I gained the confidence to know I will find out how to overcome an error/issue as long as I keep searching and don't give up! I have gained a new Junior Software Developer position at a company that shares similar values and goals. I gained some new friends that have helped me reach the goal of learning how to code and becoming a developer.

How has what you learned at The Tech Academy helped you with your transition?
The Tech Academy help me to dive in head first in to coding by making me find the answers/solutions myself instead of just giving me the answers/solutions. It help...

The Tech Academy has been the right program for me for several reasons. First, I gravitated towards the Tech Academy because I've always enjoyed working at my own pace and being able to teach myself through interactive learning. The curriculum is set up to allow you to learn concepts as whatever pace is needed in that particular area. For certain lessons, I can go quickly if I feel I already have a grasp on the concepts, and in other areas that are new to me I can slow down and make sure I'm truly processing the content without feeling rushed to move forward. I think the Tech Academy is great for people who are self-motivated and appreciate being given autonomy in the learning process. In addition to that, there are very help instructors who can answer questions when needed, and a g...

The Tech Academy (TTA) is an excellent remote study Bootcamp. TTA has exceeded my expectations and I have learned so much.

The boot camp is focused on creating junior developers for the web and web applications industry which is a
booming field. This is a "full stack" BootCamp which basically means the top programming languages for web development.
If you watch all their recruitment videos then the course is pretty much what they say it is. I chose a "Full Stack" boot camp
because I wanted a chance to get out of the semiconductor industry. Regardless of the focus on "Full Stack" you are still learning to
code and you can leverage that knowledge as you wish.

Honest Feedback:

- TTA is not very expensive compared to other programs when I was researching. I feel I got a grea...

I discovered WordPress and received a good overview of how it works. I also gained some knowledge in what current website designs look like, which is valuable even though it is likely in a state of flux.

If so many large and well known websites were made using WordPress, then I would very likely be working with it in the future, if not directly through WordPress then with the coding that WordPress creates. Additionally it creates a basic idea of what sort of layout design might be needed to make an idea work. (oh well wordpress does it like this, I know how to make that happen with the code, I can do that or something similar.)

The Tech Academy was the only bootcamp in Portland that offered a flexible schedule, allowing you to work part time and take the course as well. The instructors are very helpful and promote self-discipline whilst going through the course. Although some of the courses could be re-worked, they are constantly trying to improve the courses they offer. The job search portion was intense, but managed to find a job in Portland under two months in December (slowest hiring season of the year)! Wether in the course or job searching, the team is very supportive, and will do their best to get you what you want, provided you show effort and motivation.

I'm still fairly new to the Tech Academy program, but so far I'm loving it. I am historically bad at self-teaching, and despite the guided atmosphere fostered by TA, I was still apprehensive when I began because of the high focus on independent study. My apprehensions have all washed away, though. The coursework is set up in an intuitive way that has actually helped me believe I *can* self-teach (sweet!). TA provides me with the resources I need to independently study their materials, but get help the moment I need it from an instructor. This integrated approach to learning is new to me, but has been surprisingly effective. I find that I'm digesting information easily and have already found a few instances where I've put it to work for me in my personal life.

The Tech Academy also h...

When I was looking for a coding boot camp, I was searching for one that would provide me with three main things:

- Experience using a range of languages and tools that are commonly used in software development.
- Experience writing code for a project to which I made contributions as part of a team.
- Assistance in finding full-time employment after I had completed the program.

The Tech Academy has provided me with all of these things and more. My only criticism of The Tech Academy is of their lack curriculum focusing on algorithms. There are many exercises designed to teach students their offered programming languages, but I had to search on my own for language-agnostic challenges such as implementing specific types of sorting algorithms. For me, even a nudge towards a site like...

I am currently a student at the Tech Academy and have had an excellent experience. I took a few computer science courses at a local university and they weren't really for me. However, I knew I wanted to learn software development, so I decided to look at some bootcamps. The Tech Academy was the most highly regarded bootcamp I found so I took a tour, met some great people, and I knew this was a great program. I am the sort of person who benefits from being in an atmosphere where I am surrounded by a bunch of great people who submerge themselves in the material and have a passion for it. The staff and all the students I have engaged with have been knowledgeable and very supportive. Not only have I learned a lot of valueable skills, but I've made some great friends along the way. I already...

I have learned a lot while at The Tech Academy and the staff are great!

Here's what I've gotten out of doing a couple of the courses so far at The Tech Academy:

I gained an understanding of databases and specifically of SQL. I did a lot of thinking while doing the drills about comparing the concepts to large data databases. I learned the importance of good organization and structure of data, that the results from data queries be meaningful and that the data results are accurate.

I realized the importance of writing good code and code that would prevent SQL injections.

I enjoyed the course, so i may want to use it more. I like front end design and am interested in aspects of user interface design. However, i like the idea of having variety and that there is also logic and des...

The Tech Academy is a great institution, the instructors are attentive and helpful, the curriculum is set up perfectly in that it starts out very basic but comfortably turns into more specified and challenging assignments, but not in a way that left you in the dust with no idea what you were doing like some other self-paced schooling. The Tech Academy taught me a great deal of the practical skills I will need for software developing, giving me a solid foundational knowledge, and more importantly it gave me the ability to learn more on my own and grow my own skills, but on a more personal level while attending I learned to get a hold of my procrastination problem and to become a better student and improve my work ethic over all.

The one issue I ran into with the Tech Academy surfaced ...

The coursework starts off really basic, which is exactly what I needed, then quickly progresses to full stack web/software development. I learned the fundamentals and was given assignments that forced me to do my own research. It really helped build my confidence to do my own research and figure things out myself. They do have staff available to help, everyone was very encouraging and I never felt like they were talking down to me, which was really important since it was all new to me. I’m not sure if other students felt the same way, but the coursework seemed to keep me right on the edge of my ability, always pushing me to learn just a bit more on my own to complete the projects.

After completing the software development curriculum, they have Job Placement Directors to help with jo...

This is still my first week at The Tech Academy though I just wanted to share some history. I have an A.A.S. in Computer Technology from Heald College and it can asked, so why am I here? Well, not every road leads us where we want to go. I was working 40 hours + a week and Heald was my night school. This was well before I was confirmed having ADHD and also, I graduated right after the dot com crash. Not a good plan? It sure sounded like one at the time. Thinking that between my good GPA of 3.25 and the word on the street about the market bouncing back... Uh no. It was just bad timing which lead me away from technology.

The next several years devolved into mainly the electrical trade with varying side jobs. Nothing really culminating into a cohesive career much less training plan. It ...

Before enrolling at the Tech Academy I was working in construction feeling stuck as far as what I wanted to do with my life. I have always enjoyed problem-solving and have had a good inclination towards taking things apart and fixing them. I didn’t really have the right outlet to help me decide on a fulfilling career track. Little did I know how perfect pursuing programming was going to be for me. I came to the Tech Academy with no prior experience in programming, and now I’m confident to say that I possess a strong skill set in full stack development. I was able to maintain my full-time job as well attend the academy, having great help along the way. The instructors are always willing to work with you in a way that enhances your grasp of concepts and practices. The Tech Academy is a ...

I have been attending The Tech Academy for about a month now. I have an English Degree from the U of O and had worked a few jobs since graduating, but decided that I needed to change careers and chose The Tech Academy as the means for starting a transition into a brand new field.

The thing that I like the most about The Tech Academy is the environment provided by the school. Everyone has their own scheduling confilicts and The Tech Academy allows for all students to be able to put in the hours that they can. I have a wife and child (1-year-old) at home and find it hard to get a lot of work done with the distractions of home, so I appreciate that The Tech Academy provides a nice place to concentrate with plenty of instructors on hand whenever I have questions. For me I come in early a...

So far, this has been a very solid place to learn programming. Even with a background in Electrical Engineering, I found my coding skills were very weak. The instructors on site are all very nice and extremely welcoming. This is the type of program where you will get as much out of it as you put in. There are no real boundaries in place that prevent you from moving on in a course. There are various checkpoints throughout courses that are just there to check your knowledge. It is up to you whether or not you feel that you need to spend more time on a course. Also, do not feel afraid to ask questions. The instructors are there to assist you when you need help. That aside, it IS important to try to struggle through the difficult material first before asking for assistance.

As a person ...

At the Tech Academy I was given a huge breadth of not only technical, but personal skills. They have solid structured curriculum covering many of the top languages and skills to create a very strong base for a developer or coding career. On top of all this Tuesdays and Thursdays, there are interview practice sessions that proves to be incredibly helpful in honing interview etiquette or just keeping them sharp.

With a personal interest in Business Intelligence and a possible data future, The Tech Academy was my choice for its focus on SQL, C# and Python. The most important thing to remember about The Tech Academy is that you can easily breeze through if that's your goal, but what effort you put into the program is what you will gain out of it.