| | Gregory Hill | I came to the program with an AS in Computer Science looking to kickstart my career without going into debt. I went through the Aug 2017-Oct 2017 class and started a contract through Cook at the start of January. My personal experience with the program has been a very positive one. I filled in several gaps in my knowledge during the course and gained a much better understanding of Web Service stacks which seem to be a very large part of the job market.
What you need to know going in:
1) The course contains a lot of information. If you are not already familiar with the fundamentals of programming in order to have some sort of framework to put the new information into, then you will have a hard time.
2) You will need to be willing to work a full stack, at least during the course. You will have your hands on the database, the server, and front end.
3) You'll get out of the class what you put into it. I saw several classmates with minimal-to-no CS background work very hard and pass the course with flying colors. If your solution to problems is to copy and paste a Stack Overflow solution and call it a day you won't pass.
4) The starting salary is below industry standard, though it does include benefits and fairly large scheduled raises. You aren't on payroll until you pass the class and are found a contract. Wait times after the course to the start of a contract vary quite a bit, but a month or two seems to be about average.
While the first 3 points above might be daunting, they are precisely why I appreciated the class so much. Coming out of the class and starting a contract I am working on projects which are full stack Web Services. With the training from the course I am able to write code that matches or exceeds code that I encounter in production environments on the job.
Preparing for the course:
1) Brush up on your core java skills. Understand how object oriented programming works. If you are confident in your java knowledge then the first week of the course will be mostly a review and help your settle into the pace of the course.
2) Understand some basic html/css/javascript. The hardest section of the course for many of us was the AngularJs section, in large part because many of us hadn't spend a lot of time with javascript so the step to a front end framework was pretty large. I believe the course is moving towards ReactJs which shouldn't be as difficult to pick up as AngularJs, but basic html/css/javascript skills are still essential.
This information is current as of May 2018 as far as I am aware. From what I've seen Cook doesn't stay stagnant and is always trying to improve their curriculum so as time goes on the technical aspects of my review may be out of date. |
| | Andrew Rossow | I graduated college with a degree in computer engineering and struggled to find a job in my field because I did not have any industry experience. After working a little over two years doing physical labor jobs, I came across FastTrack'd and started Mid-End of June 2017. I will say my engineering background was a benefit in the class because it helped me develop my problem solving skills but outside of that I hadn't done anything with Java, JavaScript, or any of the technologies that the course covered. At the time of starting the program, I hadn't even looked at any code for a couple of years. I say this because regardless of your background, whether you are an avid programmer or someone with little to no programming experience, the class is challenging but completing it is definitely achievable if you are willing to put in the effort. The class is also great because everyone involved with the program and the company genuinely care about you and your success. I know this sounds cliché but it really does feel like a family. Without FastTrack'd I would still have a job, but now I have a career and I am grateful they gave me the opportunity. |
