| | Anonymous | If you have no experience in the tech field and you have low expectations then this is the place for you! If you have experience in the tech field, have coding experience, and want a tech job in Montana. Save your money and teach yourself online and just put yourself out there. You'd get a lot further going to a firm and offering to volunteer as an intern than attending MCS, plus you save money.
I'm not sure where all the great reviews are coming from because every former student I speak with seems to say they hated the school, didn't think it was that valuable, and didn't feel as if they learned enough. Several tech firm employees/friends/former students have all told me that they heard MCS was not good.
Overall the instructor seemed to be very deficient in leadership, communication, and empathy while being exceptional at coding. All of which are needed to successfully teach people things. It's odd that this is the case since they promote the school to " non traditional coders". If you want to teach to non traditional coders then perhaps work on finding a non traditional coder to teach. If you think the small class size and the whole "you get to pick your project" thing means that learning will be tailored towards you then you better lower your expectations.
They write on their website that the instructors take the time to ensure that every student was a success - I found this to be false. I was told by my instructor that " he preferred to let the students write their own letters of recommendation" which I found to be appalling, deceptive, and a disservice to both the student and employer. To me, that signaled that the instructor did not value the students enough to actually learn about them and get to know them. The more time and effort you put into your student, the more your student will achieve. Our instructor often gave past examples of students where he would say" this person just didn't get it, etc." I felt that was not only poor form, but that it actually reflected poorly on the instructor because his job to to make sure people "get it". There was a huge lack of follow through and zero oversight over the instructor. There is no certificate of completion or transcripts to "prove" that you attended the school. In fact, the only reason I feel comfortable writing this review is because I own a business and I don't need to pretend the code school was great so they'll give me a good recommendation. If the instructor is comfortable allowing students to write their own recommendations then I conclude that they would also be comfortable not recommending someone who gives them feedback that they don't agree with. You can't be anonymous in a group of 8.
On a positive note, I really liked the TA. I felt overall he was a better teacher than the actual instructor. He would put forth the time and effort to teach you. He didn't delete our code projects. He was positive and had a good vibes. Our instructor would literally sit down and take over your computer, start typing super fast, not tell you what he was doing, and then express signs of disdain if you asked questions or asked him to repeat or explain himself. I didn't feel as if the entire experience was invaluable. I did learn some things. Not 3 months worth of things, but I did learn. Looking back the code school was worth maybe 25% of the cost of tuition, for me specifically. For others, it was worth more as they got a job out of the deal and that was their main goal.
My main goal in writing this review is that people who run the school read it and actually assess the school and it's value TO THE STUDENT. I want the code school to succeed and I want the students to succeed. Honest positive feedback and self assessment are necessary. Good Luck. |
