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Hack Reactor is an intensive program that really drills in core concepts and replicates the closest experience you can find to a real engineering work environment. I knew from the prep course (prior to the admission exam) that Hack Reactor has a reputation and isn't going to let anyone with interest into the program. With failed attempts, my motivation to make the cut helped me expend all my energy and push myself harder than anything I had ever done previously. This mentally set me up for the standard that was going to be held at Hack Reactor. The program was as vigorous as anything I have done, but it really helped build a base that I was able to continually add onto. As the program continued, I began to have an easier time keeping up due to my newly developed excitement for learning that Hack Reactor instilled. They provided environments that allowed collaboration at all points throughout the bootcamp. Through this collaboration, I was able to understand that I was not alone in my struggles and it allowed me to teach and learn from other students. The curriculum provided a wide range of knowledge and focused on technologies and practices that are required in the field. The Hack Reactor Bootcamp was a gift that kept on giving. They continually give support even after the bootcamp ended by providing help throughout the job search. I am pleasantly surprised by the help and community that was provided and cannot believe the amount of growth that I have made in 3 months. This was easily the best educational experience I have ever had and I feel more proud of being a Hack Reactor Alum than even being an alum of my college. Pros: Community was amazing, especially with my cohort being switched to remote because of COVID-19. Very Rigorous and isn't going to let everyone through. Hack Reactor cares more about their reputation and service than taking your money. Course Work was great and I can feel it building on itself and getting more difficult, while preparing us for it. Cons: Need to make a lot of personal sacrifices, but this is the only way to grow at such a quick rate.

First thing first, this program is tough. Expect to spend 70 hours/week working on the material. It's not for everyone. That being said, it was incredibly rewarding. Hack Reactor packs in so much material in such a short amount of time. The quality of the instruction is top-notch. I attended the Seattle campus and our program lead Josh was excellent. And so is the quality of student. You spend a lot of time pair programming and working in groups, so this is especially important. I obviously have not attended any of the other bootcamps, but I imagine the average quality of student is higher at Hack Reactor than at many others. The pre-course material and admissions test to get into the course are a great feature to make sure that quality of student stays high. As for the actual course itself, it is divided into two sections: the junior section and the senior section. The junior section is a rigorous, jam-packed crash course in JavaScript and CS fundamentals. You learn the basics of full-stack development. The junior section probably will feel overwhelming and stressful due to the volume of material. In the senior section, it all comes together. You take that knowledge and create fully formed applications. Trust the process. The job search. For context, I graduated one month ago and am currently looking for a job. One of my worries was that once you graduated, you would be forgotten and be completely on your own. This has not been the case. No, they will not go out and get you a job, but they definitely do not abandon you. You are assigned a career services advisor that will work with you for up to six months after graduating. My experience with the Seattle campus's advisor Liz has been tremendous. You can meet with her as many times a week as you would like and practice interviewing, talk about the job search or just vent. There is also an optional Job Search program you can enroll in if you want to hold yourself accountable. This program is new, and they are still working out the kinks, and ultimately it's going to be on you to keep yourself accountable in the job search. One downside is that there is not a lot of time allotted in the program for practicing technical interviewing. This is a skill you definitely need to learn, and for most of the students in my cohort, we spent our first few weeks after the program ended practicing it before we felt ready to apply for jobs. But, there's only so much time over 13 weeks, and this is something that I'm okay with mostly leaving out of the curriculum. Hack Reactor is a great program, and I believe a tremendous value for those looking to jump into a software engineering career. The numbers speak for themselves. Hack Reactor really can help you jumpstart a new career.