| | Casey Martell | At the time I joined Alchemy, I had past experience coding, but I wanted to bring my skills current with an in-demand tech stack. I was fully prepared to go out of state to get the best bootcamp education. Alchemy, being a smaller school, didn't happen to cross my radar until the very last minute. Thankfully, it did, and I was able to join a cohort that had just completed their prep week.
I found the coursework to be very challenging and I really appreciated the strength of the Alchemy community in supporting each other through it. I really feel like I made some true friends in the coding crucible there. I was able to continue on with a small study group after the program ended in order to keep up and build on my skills.
Six months later, I've accepted an offer for a great job with a startup after receiving a great deal of interest from several potential employers.
So wait, why only 4 stars for curriculum? As a cohort, we expressed some concerns about the timing and methods for the introduction of React.JS into the coursework. To Alchemy's credit, they listened and adjusted things for the very next cohort. This wasn't a huge deal and curriculum in a good bootcamp should always be evolving to fit the needs of the market and the students. If I could give 4.5 stars I would, it's just difficult to be perfect in this area.
One thing that I've heard from other bootcamp grads in town is that they are a little jealous with the career support that Alchemy offers. Job hunting can be very emotionally challenging and it was nice to know that I could always reach out and get help when I needed it. I frequently reviewed materials we'd been provided with prior to interviews in order to be well prepared. And, as an alumnus, there were fireside chats and other events to keep me in touch with developer life and the job market in a more direct way. |
