Web Dev Camp

I was a little skeptical when I started to look into different development boot camps. They almost seemed to good to be true, promising 12-week programs that would get students started in a new career. The admissions staff at General Assembly was really great in answering my questions about the program, what former students ended up doing and how the whole process worked. I really enjoyed going to a couple of the different events and meeting with former students to get their perspective on the program.

I ended up enrolling in the Web Development Immersive Course in Chicago. I really can't say enough positives about the program. First, the teachers were great. I was in a class of 10 and they were always willing to spend a little 1 on 1 time with individual students to help them work ...

9 weeks ago I left my job and the UK and headed to Finland to attend this course to learn full stack web development. Upon arriving at the airport I was greeted by Torsten and Raisa and they made me feel instantly welcome. We travelled to the house in Fiskars and I started exploring the small, peaceful village before returning to the house for some much needed rest in anticipation of the first day of lessons.

Torsten is an excellent teacher, he is patient, knowledgeable and has clearly put time and effort into making sure the course is taught in a way that will be most beneficial for his students. By week 2 we were building an app with rails and as the days went by it was clear how much we had all learnt in such a short time. The course was intense but by the end I was very pleased w...

The program was very hands on as we started to build an application right at the beginning of the course. I learned a great deal in the course, understand what is involved in managing a software project and it has given me great confidence to start my career in technology. I personally learn best with a teacher next to me hence I had a great time learning from a teacher who has a tonne of industry experience. Thank you Torsten for your dedication and patience. The live-in program also gave me valuable time and space to learn without distraction. The teacher can flexibly customize the course to accommodate certain needs of students too. Would recommend it, highly!

I was stuck in a dead end job that was going to be moved out of state. I had a few friends and a relative who had taken the Web Development Immersive (WDI) course and had done well after finishing, they suggested I look into it as well. Going into the program I only had very basic html and css knowledge and no experience with and functional programming languages like javascript and ruby. The rapid pace of learning and long hours of lectures, studying and coding was stressful. Everyday I felt like I didn't know what I was doing and wondered if I had made a mistake. But the instructors I had were amazing, and the class always seemed to rally around each other for help. By the end of each project I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride in what I was able to create. As great as ...

Teaching: WebDev Camp is obviously very different from university teaching methods. Firstly, we worked straight away on a 'real' solution. There was no 'faffing about'. Secondly, the feedback loop is much quicker as Torsten is always present to answer question when we are too stuck. At the same time, there is enough room to think for yourself and learn by yourself - which is a good skill to have. You also get to develop a lot of your people skills as you work and live together throughout the duration of the course.

Setting: the camp is in the middle of the woods, with many lakes near by. It is absolutely magical. The camp's large garden is also something out of a fairytale. It even has a little waterfall.

Webdev Camp is probably the most relaxing, albeit intensive bootcamp of w...

Before I started the Web Dev Camp course, a junior developer title seemed like something unapproachable. Now, after graduation I know that I am one already.

During 8 weeks we learned a lot about Ruby, Rails, how to use Github, Haml and SASS. We built our own web application using gems and APIs and we learned about different methods of deployment.

Here, in the midst of nature, if you’re feeling stuck, you can just go for a walk and come back to coding feeling refreshed. I discovered also that school can be extremely fun, that you can sketch an app at the seaside, and that you can be inspired looking at the beautiful Finnish skyline on a break from your computer screen.

I would say that this program teaches you not only about coding, but how to interact with people who might be...

Can a bootcamp really be relaxing and non-competitive as well as being intensive and equipping you with the skills required in a real tech job? Yes. WebDev.Camp manages to do all of this as well as providing a safe and supportive environment in which to learn about code. When I started to teach myself code, the journey to becoming a junior developer seemed impossibly long and hard. Graduating from Web Dev Camp, I feel as though I have the tools and understanding I need to go on to achieve this goal and I am amazed at how far I have come.

Living on site gives you the opportunity to really focus on your personal development and learning, without the problems of everyday life interfering or distracting you. I think that is one of the reasons that the Web Dev Camp course accomplishes s...