| | Anonymous | I'm writing this review in hopes that someone who was in my shoes 12-months ago, may find it useful. So if you're considering attending a BootCamp, and weighing the options on price, curriculum, quality, etc... this review is for you.
My experience at the NU Boot Camp (operated by Trilogy), was very good.
Walking into the first class I didn't know anything about coding - so I was the true "target" candidate for a program like this. I researched dev BootCamps for about 3 years previously and was extremely pleased to find this one at NU. This became my top choice for two reasons: 1) due to the affiliation with Northwestern I was able to put NU on my resume (very few of the other bootcamps have a name brand affiliation like this, and it does standout to recruiters), and 2) it turned out to be one of the most affordable classroom bootcamps in the US (I paid <$10k, which at the time, was less than any of the other serious contenders).
My experience with the program content was extremely challenging. I can't over-state this. My mind was blown on multiple occasions. I cried for sure and came close to quitting several times. Coming from a non-technical background, it was much harder and required much more time and commitment than probably anything I've ever done (ok, to be fair, there were also a lot of amazing learning experiences that left me on a high!).
Also, I need to mention that there were definitely some issues with some teachers being overly technical, and struggling to explain concepts in simple language (which is why I'm giving 4-stars instead of 5-stars). But in the end, I am extremely pleased with the program and my results.
I now have a good working knowledge of how software is built, how it works front-to-back, and I can build my own simple apps from scratch. I can have in-depth technical conversations about topics I never even knew existed before. I can easily read HTML, CSS, (most) JavaScript, and also piece together and publishing my own MVC-style Node applications. I can also contribute on larger projects, as a junior team member. It feels AWESOME!! I absolutely love the feeling of building a new concept and seeing the finished product. So so satisfying.
Based on the other reviews, it's pretty clear that not everyone had the same experience. I'm not really sure why. But I caution anyone considering this program to expect to work very hard to get the results you want. It's just so much information, in a short period of time, it's like drowning.
I was lucky I didn't have a full-time job during this class. That allowed me to really focus on the material. If you plan to take this course AND work full-time, expect it to be a very difficult time.
If I could do it over again, I would choose this NU BootCamp. Hopefully this helps you move closer to your decision. Good luck where ever you end up! |
