Wyncode

If you are reading this and considering joining Wyncode, I was in your shoes a couple months ago and had some of the same questions. How credible are web development bootcamps? Is paying $10k (cost as of cohort 3) for a 9 week program really worth it?... Read More And most importantly, will I be able to land a job once I have completed the program?

My background is unique, but I was in a position many people find themselves in. I had an engineering degree from a great university, but I had pursued an entrepreneurial path. While being out of school for a few years, I found that employers did not find my degree to be relevant. Too much time had passed by, and I was now in a position where I needed to return to school to gain a skillset that would make me employable.

This is where Wyncode does a great job of filling a niche. I had two choices in my mind: to go back to university and earn a Masters, or to join a web development bootcamp. The decision is a matter of time and money. Pursuing a Masters is a multi-year endeavor and costs multiples of the amount of a program like Wyncode. On the other hand, Wyncode is a 9 week program, only costs $10k, and will develop me into as good if not better of a hiring candidate. During my time at Wyncode, I would also build out a portfolio of projects and receive assistance from the co-founders in obtaining a job through their hiring partners and other resources.

The staff is the most valuable asset that Wyncode can offer you, from the top down. The co-founders, Jo and Johanna Mikkola, are great people. Wyncode is not just a business for them. They are about helping people achieve their goals, and they go out of their respective ways to make sure it happens. The lead instructor, Ed Toro, is an MIT grad with over ten years of real life development experience. He is StackOverflow condensed into one human being. The TAs, Frank and Walter, are Wyncode alumni. They have been through the program and are very skilled Rails developers. They have seen several cohorts go through the program, know what it's like to struggle through a 9 week program, and help guide you through it. They have interacted with hundreds of junior developers. They have seen the story play out hundreds of times. They know exactly what it takes to get you to where you need to be to get hired as a junior developer. They are the soldiers in the trenches.

A final selling point is the space that Wyncode is in: The LAB Miami. In the space, you will interact with tons of young developers. This gives you an opportunity to network and receive advice from people who are more than willing to help you, give you guidance, and potentially put in a good word for you with an employer. You have access to these resources 24/7 while you are in the program.

So would I do it all over again? Absolutely! Wyncode has an almost perfect placement rate for their graduates. If you put in the required time, you will be relatively guaranteed a job within 1-2 months of graduation. The people are amazing and an invaluable resource to your education. And as far as the $10k for 9 weeks of education? It is an investment in your future and a drop in the bucket compared to more traditional learning routes. Even if you attempted to learn on your own, it would take far more time. That's time you would otherwise be getting paid while being employed after your 9 weeks with Wyncode.

If you want to be part of the one of up and coming tech communities in the country, then Wyncode is the place for you. I wouldn't trade the awesome experience I had for anything else!

The instructors were always on top of their game, answering questions... Read More and giving inspiring challenges. The leadership team is super supportive in those times when you may feel like an "imposter". There were so many networking events and opportunities to meet potential employers that I couldn't keep up! And there was always time for a little fun too - outings to local restaurants, go-carting, cross fit, and just a great group of fellow students to hang out with.

And of course, I cannot fail to mention, Wyncode is such a supportive enviornment for women! To the point of having the very first lecture feature how women made a huge impact in the technologies we use today. There's even a Women of Wyncode (WoW!) group that creates a space to engage in topics concerning women and diversity overall in tech.

It's an amazing organization.

I attended Wyncode's second (and best...j.k.) cohort last fall. I can say that it was probably the best and most impactful decision I have ever made. I graduated college (undergrad) with a degree in Humanities (pretty much an art history degree) and mulled... Read More about for a couple years with no sense of direction, working a couple part time jobs here and there. Lets just say I'm a huge advocate of alternate education choices like dev boot camps now. 4 years at a traditional college did not give me the skills, opportunites, or job preparation that I needed, but this fledgling start up managed to in a very effective way. When I attended Wyncode, things like curriculum and daily/weekly agendas/operations had not been ironed out quite yet, and we were a big part of the process in getting those things ironed out. One of the best things about Wyncode is that every week, you will get to talk about what worked, what did not, and all of this input gets taken into account going forward. If you are interested in learning to code, there are an insane amount of options out there. Its hard to say which would be the 'best' route to take, and I was not even aware of all of these options at the time, but personally I am extremely happy I chose Wyncode. The founders are great, they are focused on making Wyncode the best and most effective it can be and they genuinely care about your individual success. Our main teacher, mr. Ed (for the Wynwood location) is by far one of the smartest people I've ever met, and definitely the smartest who has ever provided me tutelage. He's also very patient and a great teacher and will take time to teach and help you on a individual basis. The teachers assistants are also great, and will do the same for you in terms of individual help when you need it. You may even see former students or just friends of Wyncode coming in and helping students out. There is just a fantastic amount of support readily available for you. The space is awesome, a big converted warehouse in the heart of Wynwood that is now a open floor/shared office space.

Attending Wyncode will give you an invaluable, highly practical, and extremely empowering skill. They will push you to do things you never thought you could, like pitching an app that you built from scratch to a crowd of over 150 people. You will also gain fantastic mentors, and make a bunch of friends with your peers. I also can personally say that I got a job within two weeks of graduation and had many companies contacting me instead of the other way around about job openings. So yes, I would definitely reccomend it!

Hello, my name is Jeff Ginsberg and just 12 weeks ago I was working as a General Contractor with no programming experience. I had always enjoyed playing on my computer but never thought I was capable of actually learning how to program them and use them... Read More to build my wildest dreams.

When I heard about Wyncode, I thought that it would be impossible to turn someone like myself with no experience into a person capable of developing whatever they could imagine in just 9 weeks. But, I attended some of their events and spoke with the students, it turned out that many of the students were like me, they had a passion to learn about computer programming and just did not know where to start. Once, I saw the incredible web applications the students were putting out, I was convinced Wyncode was the real deal so I applied for the course.

Upon being accepted I was a little nervous to take the plunge, but I put in my 2 weeks notice at my current job and went for it. Looking back now I am really happy I did, it has definitely changed my life for the better. I have learned a new set of skills that I do not see going away in the future and the work I do is fun and challenging, I get to work on interesting new problems every day.

One of the best perks that Wyncode provided to me was that throughout the course, Wyncode would arrange for us to meet their partner companies that often hire Wyncode Graduates. In these meetings we could discuss our progress throughout the course, share our experience thus far, and most importantly learn about these companies. This was really great because in the begininning I had no idea what I was going to do after the course ended, but by the end of the course I knew exactly what companies I wanted to work for, and I had become acquainted with the people that could help me land a position in these comapnies.

Within a week of finishing Wyncode, numerous companies had reached out to me requesting job interviews. Now less than a month later I have accepted a full-time position as a Software Developer, and with my free time I have started developing my own video game. Life is good.

If you are open to learning and are passionate about technology, then look no further than Wyncode.

I spent a couple months trying to teach myself to code with CodeAcademy and Treehouse. They were great for getting an idea of what coding is and making sure that it was something that I would actually enjoy. But I, like most people, hit a point where... Read More those resources alone are not enough. I started looking for help and stumbled across Wyncode. I was quite skeptical that a 9 week program could prepare me for a job in software development, so I started doing my homework. I started here on coursereport. Then, I went to their open house and their pitch night. I asked current students about their experiences. I asked instructors about the curriculum. I asked hiring partners if they were satisfied with the quality of their Wyncode grads. I couldn't find a single negative thing about the program as hard as I tried, so I took the plunge.

What a journey! I found the nine weeks to be tough but quite manageable, and I find myself looking back missing the days spent in the LAB with my cohort. The course is challenging and fun at the same time. You learn not only how to code, but how to tie different technologies together. You learn how and where to find solutions. You get practice presenting and talking in front of a group and working with a team. You get career advice and guidance that never ends. You get plugged into a massive and constantly growing network of developers who become not only professional resources, but also great friends. It's looking like Wyncode Alum are poised to take over the South Florida tech scence.

So I came out from the 9 weeks with multiple job opportunities, even being the infant developer that I was. Don't go into this course thinking you'll come out an expert. You will come out just barely knowing enough to scrape by, but it's enough, and with your new network surrounding you, the opportunities are numerous. I'm now getting paid to learn and strengthen my skillset, and I can wear flip-flops to work. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is motivated, enjoys learning new things, and wants to change their professional life.

I can whole heartidly say that Wyncode changed my life. I spent a couple of months dabbling in code, taking computer classes on line and in school, but I felt like I was missing something. I wanted to gain a skillset that was applicable to every day life,... Read More personally and professionally.

Wyncode delivered above and beyond my expectations.

I honestly don't know where I'd be had I not invested in the course! It was the best investment I could have ever made, and now I have an extremely well paying job + working with the community to teach younger girls how to code- it's a dream! The knowledge and insight from our head instructor Ed is unmatchable (he really knows everything) and the Wyncode family is always a message away when you need help.

I want to personally thank Jo and Juha (+ the rest of the squad) for making the move to Miami and creating such an amazing institution- Wyncode, YOU THA ONE!

When I decided to go to a coding bootcamp I only did so after a lot of soul searching and research. I had a very good executive level job but I was board out of my mind and knew I couldn't keep doing this for another 20 years. I had always been into computers... Read More and technology in general so after researching code schools I thought I could be a good fit especially since I couldn't afford the time needed to go back to school and get another BS in computer science. Wyncode was not my first pick for code schools. Why?. I didn't know they existed. When I originally looked at code schools found a highly rated school in Boston and after applying and getting accepted I was ready to commit until one afternoon I did another google search and to my surprise a new code school in Miami only a few months old came up. I quickly looked into them and went down and spoke to the Co-founders . After that meeting and realize I could go spend 3 months in the winter in Boston or 3 months in sunny Miami. Glad I picked Miami.

The coarse itself was taught by a very smart and knowledgable instructor. I didn't have a background in coding and had only taken a very basic programing elective while in college. I found that although some of the concepts were difficult to pickup the information was well presented. The last 2 weeks are by far the hardest and you feel very overwhelmed by all that you "should" have learned and you feel you didn't. Looking back a year later I realized I learned and grasped a lot more than I thought at the time. Bootcamps are intense and for good reason. Programing is difficult. It takes a person who is committed to learn and put in the time to get better. Im glad I took this journey to change my life and learn to code.

Wyncode has created a awesome network and the staff is dedicated to being part of the Miami tech ecosystem. The placement program is extremely useful and the school is truly dedicated to helping the students and the hiring partners get the most out of the program. I would say that the connections they have in the tech community alone are worth the price of the course.

I'm glad I made the choice to attend a bootcamp, even more so Wyncode. Its been a great experience and working in the startup community in Miami has been a wonderful life changing experience that I wouldn't change for anything.

I graduated from a good university with an Economics and Business degree, having done multiple internships in Private Equity. I wasn’t feeling fulfilled in the internship when they offered me to join full-time, I hated the hours, and I didn’t feel like... Read More I was really contributing as much as I could have. So I took a leap of faith, moved back to Miami, and joined Wyncode September after my college graduation and I can say that without a doubt it was the BEST decision I have ever made.

Thanks to Wyncode, I wake up every morning feeling so lucky that I found my passion for coding. At my job, I get to work with people who are crazy awesome, super smart, and really care about the work they’re producing and the people they’re working with.

- Instructor: Our instructor, Ed, was incredible (MIT Grad, knows his stuff really well). His lectures feel like your listening to a story, and he provides lots of context and history to make the lectures stick (and fun to listen to, too!) One of the best teachers I’ve ever had, both in high school and undergraduate. He also fills his lectures with things to pay attention to that hiring partners may be looking for, or advice for negotiating your first offer. He’s an all around great guy and I feel lucky and proud to have had him as a teacher everyday for 9 weeks.

- TA’s: Sean was beyond incredible. I would wait lines to talk to Sean because he was just so thorough at explaining concepts and helping track down bugs (and teaching you what to look for when tracking them down). We also have about 12 other TA’s that rotate (~3/day) that come from 3:30-9pm every day (even on weekdends) which helps immensely.

- Program Length: 9 weeks is enough given that you will learn everything on the job. You get a great foundation on HOW to learn, as well as the fundamental understanding of how programming languages and technologies work and fit together. Don’t worry about the languages your going to learn or not learn because in the end each company does things so differently it won’t matter. What matters is the ability to learn new technologies and the more you learn the easier it comes. Also, languages all go by the same logic, syntax changes, so you will be able to pick up new languages fairly easily with a bit of practice. (I got hired to develop in Go and Dart)

- Job Hunt: Over 10 Wynterviews on campus, where hiring partners COME TO YOU for interviews. Literally, does not get better than this. I got hired as a Developer for a startup just a few days after my graduation and starting working one week later. Rita, the Director of Hiring Partnerships, really cares about finding jobs that fits each students individual needs and pushes for what is best for Wyncode grads. She has a huge reach in the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale Tech community and is constantly looking and attempting to gain more hiring partners for Wyncode.

- Community: Wyncode is the power house of South Florida’s coding school communities. We have such an active Slack Channel (internal messaging application) where hundreds of current students, graduates, and TA’s post tons of help, information, and gifs to motivate each other and push each other to grow daily. The alumni at Wyncode was surprisingly the most helpful I’ve ever encountered. Because they are working at so many different firms, they have opened doors for prospective and current students like never before! Take advantage and meet as many as you can! There will be plenty of opportunities like BBQ’s, Go-kart racing, at the LAB, etc.

- Growing: Wyncode is built as an agile company, meaning they do weekly retrospectives and daily standups to review how the school is doing (lectures, community engagement, student needs, etc.) and respond rapidly to requests and feedback. I have never been in an environment that really change in response to feedback which is a huge plus and gives students a huge advantage when it comes to learning. The school is growing and opening their third branch in Miami Beach, a testament to their success. They were also the first coding school to be licensed by the Department of Education! The school is only getting better.

- The truth: If you don’t bust your ass everyday coding (even weekends) you will be doing yourself a huge disfavor. It is only 9 weeks, so you do not have time to slack off. Cancel your life for 9 weeks, don’t bring problems or issues into the program because you will not do well. Wyncode is not easy, coding is not easy, life is not easy. So if you don’t bring passion, sweat, and tears with a positive attitude, don’t join. If you can, don’t think twice. The only option is Wyncode.

For myself and for my business, this was one of my best investments I have ever made. I spent countless hours looking for a tech co-founder for my small business and that struggle was real. Not having any technical background it was nearly impossible... Read More to even have a conversation with someone about code, or about the technical needs for my business. So after about a year of searching, I decided to invest in myself, and in turn in my business.

Not knowing how to code was actually the hardest part of the course. I had set up my own expectations about how difficult the course was going to be, I even almost talked myself out of the course. But once I stepped through those doors into the Wyncode space, I was not only comforted but also reassured that I was in the right place. The instructor was patient, descriptive and understanding with our (the students) technical abilities. We had some computer science majors, art majors, lawyers and everything in between. And even with this mix of individuals, the material was challenging for the top students, and still engaging for the lesser.

I can say that if I had an opportunity to do this again, I would in a heart beat. I know I made the right decision by attending Wyncode, and I love being part of the Wyncode Alum family.