| | Anonymous | I spent nearly a year researching various bootcamps before deciding to go with Codesmith and I don't regret it at all. What first attracted my attention were the noticeably higher admissions standards and graduate salaries than all of the other options I found. My main hang-ups were the cost and the fact that I was going to have to quit my (decent IT) job to attend. Eventually I just decided I didn't want to compromise and wanted to completely go for it if this was what I wanted to do. I left my job in January making $70k/yr and just got hired as a software engineer at a major company 2 weeks ago (July) making $120k/yr, and my results aren't even exceptional (which you can see for yourself on their site). I had to take out a loan to attend, but the upgrade in salary just within the first year will easily cover the cost of the program.
This was truly a life-changing program for me and my cohort mates would say the same. We still talk daily about news in the web development community, how things are going at our new jobs for those who have been hired, and job search advice for those who are up next. The network you'll build and the support you'll receive are really incredible here. It might have been the most challenging thing I've ever done, and the end of the program as well as the job search were a real grind (especially during COVID), but I'm also so proud of myself for setting this goal last year and now accomplishing everything I set out to do. I could nitpick certain parts of the curriculum and how some things were organized, but in the end it doesn't really matter because the learning style emphasized at Codesmith forces you to get comfortable diving into the unknown and figuring things out with minimal hand-holding.
You will absolutely feel like you're not getting enough time covering, well, almost any of the material. But that's okay because you're setting a foundation for yourself by learning the things that will have the most impact, and then moving on so you can cover as much material as possible. If I tried to learn these things on my own I'd easily take over a year, maybe even two, to cover just as much ground because I know I'd waste time diving into every rabbit hole thinking it would make a difference when it really wouldn't. They give you the tools to continue to grow beyond the end of the 12-week program so you'll have the mindset of a real software engineer and not just another 'bootcamp grad.' They also now offer part time remote programs that take longer to complete but provide the same curriculum for people who aren't able to leave their current jobs to attend the in-person programs in LA or NY. All programs are currently remote due to COVID anyway. |
