| | Anonymous | Overall:
The bootcamp experience at Hackbright isn't about just learning to code, it's also a an introspective journey in learning about yourself and how you deal with stress, fear, and uncertainty. Going through bootcamp forced me to confront my own fears and become more confident about my ability to learn, grow, and change. It was a life-changing experience for me. It was also great to learn that I wasn't alone in feeling this way.
Pros:
I loved the experience of being in a women-only class! After attending a traditional engineering school and an IT program elsewhere, it was amazing to be surrounded by only women. Hackbright was much more emotionally supportive and there was a lot less of ego blustering going on. Having an advisor who checks in with you weekly was also very helpful for me since I was initially too shy and reluctant to ask for help, even when I needed it. I signed up for bootcamp because I've attended meetups to try learn Git, Github, HTML/CSS, and Python but never made much progress on my own. I learned much more than I'd ever imagined I could from bootcamp. Although I don't recall everything from the lectures, I feel more confident about continuing to learn and review technical concepts on my own. The lectures have a good flow to them. You will be introduced to not only basic syntax for different languages and the Flask framework, you will also be introduced to data structures and algorithms. You will also be given tips on interviewing and the job hunting process. The best part is that you become part of a network of women in technology for life so that you know you're not alone. You're not guaranteed a six-figure job right out of the program but the course will teach you enough of the basics to get started on your journey to achieving that financial goal and of becoming a developer.
Cons:
The curriculum is intense and very fast-paced. If you are a more methodical, slower learner like me, I'd recommend taking beginner courses for Python, JavaScript , HTML, and introductory computer science programming concepts before tackling bootcamp. This will help you keep up. I wasn't able to complete all of the labs but that was okay as long as you learned enough to complete the homework. I felt the pace was a bit too fast for me but that may be because I absorb concepts at a slower pace and need to play around with the examples before they sink in. |
