| | Kimiko Motoyama | I don’t know if my review will do justice. This coding boot camp isn’t just a school. They’ve become my family, and it has changed my life dramatically. I had done a little bit of JavaScript before, but I was lacking knowledge. I also had no idea where to start. There’s so much information online but it made absolutely no sense to me.
Joining Code Chrysalis was the best investment I’ve ever made in my entire life. I borrowed money to get in and to pay off bills because I was dirt poor. But it was more than worth the money.
So let me tell you the procedure in order to get in.
First, you have to pass the coding challenge online to apply for the course. Then you go through a technical interview. I failed once, but they give you all the resources and feedback to pass the interview. I studied based on that and I passed it the second time. Barely, though. My interviewer told me that I’m not at the same level as others, so I really need to study but told me that I can do it. She was very encouraging from the very beginning.
I then was given a material for the pre-course. This is where you work on your Javascript skills so you’ll be prepared for the actual course. This is done at home, and you have to complete this before you start the course. It was a lot of material and I quit my job so I can concentrate on it. I really struggled through callbacks and recursion, and never fully understood it. But they were always checking in on us and they would invite you to work at their coworking space to help you. The support starts as soon as you join, and I had no idea at that time that they help you so much even after you graduate, and pretty much forever.
The immersive course (the actual course) was super hard. I was clueless most of the time. Everyone else in the class was asking relevant questions during the lectures and I was still trying to understand the first slide. I never finished the recursion assignments and most of the code coffees (algorithm practice that you do everyday in the morning as practice) and I felt miserable. But they offer to help A LOT. They really want you to succeed. They would gladly sit next to you and explain things in detail. They are happy to do it, too. You can tell that they really care and want to help you. Even today after graduating, they volunteer to help you when you say you’re struggling with something.
What I really liked about this school is that they prepare you for a full stack. You cover so much and at a very fast pace. You cover computer science, database, frontend libraries like redux and react, vue and vuex, backend like express, TDD, CI/CD, job hunting techniques, building your professional profile, tech talks and presentation skills, communication skills, etc etc etc .. the list goes on forever. You also visit prestigious companies and do presentations using their technology, go to workshops, etc. I don’t want to spoil it to you too much, but there’s so much that you learn, and sometimes I didn’t understand why we had to do some of them- but it turns out that those skills really helped during the interviews, and that usually got me through the first interviews. So everything you do at Code Chrysalis is important, even if you don’t understand the purpose sometimes. And you’ll use that skill and be thankful for it. I guarantee it.
After graduating, we checked in every week to share our job hunting process. This is also very helpful and I got a ton of guidance and encouragement during this process. I don’t think I could’ve gone through this job hunting hell without their guidance and support. I was also super broke and they let me teach their foundations course part time, which saved me. They take care of you beyond programming and job hunting. They become your family. They’re always so excited to share you great job opportunities and encouraging you and giving you great advice.
With their help, I was able to receive several offers, and even negotiated the salary! I am at a company now that pays more than twice the salary at my last company!!! Even now they still ask how my job is going and check in with me often. They don't just "run a business" - they will be your best friend, someone that you can always trust and rely on for anything.
If you're thinking about joining, you should do it ASAP. It's such a wonderful program that everyone wants to get in. The acceptance rate is around 20% (I think?), so if you get in, you should be very proud of yourself. You should also really be prepared to work really really hard. It's a hard course, and definitely not for beginners. Although if you're a beginner, they also offer a foundations course which is 4 weeks, 3 times a week. I taught foundations after graduating the immersive course, and I learned so much from that course too. So if money is not an issue, it's probably best to take both. |
