Im thinking about the iron yard. can i still work my job and go to school

info@CodeCareerAcademy.com

At this point I'm pretty sure the Iron Yard is a full time only program. That means unless your job is in the evenings and on weekends, you wouldn't be able to work and attend classes. There are some bootcamps that offer a part-time option. I don't know which city you are in, but here in the Atlanta area I offer a part-time option at my school, Code Career Academy (http://codecareeracademy.com/fall-winter-2016-2017/). I believe that Tech Talent South also offers a part-time option as does General Assembly.

Hope this helps.

Jeff Ammons

CEO/Chief Instructor

Code Career Academy

eric@theironyard.com

That’s a great question. Before I jump into a simple yes or no, let me ask you this: What are your goals for attending a code bootcamp?

Our full-time courses are meant to help people begin completely new careers as software developers in 12 weeks. We believe that in order to be successful as new developers in such a short time period, students really need to learn in an immersive environment and focus completely on learning. That’s one of the reasons we worked so hard to offer cost-of-living loans—so that our students can get the absolute most of the experience (more information on cost-of-living loans here: https://www.theironyard.com/courses/tuition#financing).

We’ve put a lot of thought, research and years of experience into our immersive learning experience, and we’re convinced it’s one of the more powerful forms of education. Think of it this way: Becoming a programmer is similar to becoming fluent in a completely new language in only a few months. Have you ever tried to learn a new language as an adult? If so, perhaps you’ve used an app like Duolingo, picked up Rosetta Stone software or signed up for a language course at your local college in hopes of getting started. Those can each be helpful tools, but what if your goal is to actually become fluent? Many educators will tell you that it’s nearly impossible to become fluent in a new language without becoming immersed in that language, as true fluency depends on much more than simply understanding how a language is constructed. 

Learning also happens best when you work with a 'native speaker'—in our case, an instructor who has a proven track record (and teaching ability). Having a professional guide makes a big difference as you build a foundation that will lead to your new career. Full access to our instructors is another reason we encourage our students to give 100% of their focus to our courses during the program.

That being said, there has been the rare student that has worked while attending The Iron Yard, but most of our students recommend against it. In fact, you can see what they said in this blog post about why we don’t offer part-time night classes as an alternative to our immersive program: http://blog.theironyard.com/2014/05/13/no-night-classes/

As always, the best way to answer your question is for you to connect directly with our graduates and talk with them about the experience.  I’d love to connect you with some of our alumni so you can get a feel for whether The Iron Yard is the right place for you. .

Please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to keep the conversation going.

Eric Dodds

Co-Founder, The Iron Yard

eric@theironyard.com