| | Austin | I joined the Front End course at The Iron Yard with the intention of getting a foundation in how to build websites in order to be a more competitive graphic designer. Over the course of the cohort I discovered that the critical thinking and creative power involved in graphic design was only magnified in the development world and found a new career path that I have loved since.
The course itself was very challenging and fast paced. I had some experience prior to the course in the basics of html and css so I didn't struggle as much at first as some of my classmates, so if you have never tried development before I would definitely encourage reviewing the basics well beforehand so that you don't fall behind. I would describe the style of class as more guided self learning than the lectures of a traditional class at a college. You are given the materials and guidance you need to complete the tasks you are challenged with but the learning comes from running into problem after problem and consistently learning as you work out solutions each time. Because of this I felt I gained way more at the end of this course than I did from my time in traditional school. I didn't learn syntax and simply how to write the code but how to think and problem solve like a developer and not be intimidated by challenges or new more complicated projects.
Outside of the curriculum itself, the culture of my cohort was the other big reason I valued my experience so much. We as students taught each other as much as the instructor as we struggled together and supported each other in our work. I feel like I made lifelong friends and colleagues from my class and instructors. The instructors and staff also kept us encouraged throughout the tough moments and always drove us to strive for excellence and not settle for mediocre in our projects or finding jobs. I was able to find a position within 3 months after finishing the course along with most of my classmates.
My only complaints would be that our instructor was fairly new, and we could all tell that he was brilliant but struggled with how to give constructive feedback and communicate concepts that he understood on a much higher level than us. He cared a lot though about us as his students and I can only imagine he has improved tremendously since that first class. I also wish we would have been able to talk more about back-end technologies in our class but I know that the curriculum has already changed to include that since. Overall I cannot recommend the course highly enough for anyone wanting to learn more about this field and start a career. |
| | Devon Moubry | I attended the Front End Engineering Course in Spring 2017. The immersive bootcamp was intense. We worked really hard and learned so much in a short amount of time. The staff was amazing, incredibly supportive, and built a strong sense of community. They provided opportunities for volunteering, networking, and learning throughout the course. We changed instructors halfway through the course, which is unusual, but the staff handled the transition perfectly. There were no issues with instruction, grading, or homework help. I would highly recommend The Iron Yard. |
