| | Alex Lewis | To sum up, the approach at Makers is to help you learn to learn better. You will not be spoon fed, they will teach you the basics and from there it is up to you to find the answers where you do not already know them. This is important, as one of the aims of the course (although not stated) is to get you to a point where you feel comfortable being uncomfortable. A point where you feel comfortable not knowing something and then being able to use the process they give you to find the answers. This is better than other courses that follow a 'we demonstrate and then you replicate' approach. You will be constantly stretched throughout the course, simply because of the time constraints. As soon as you think you are getting to grips with a concept, you have to move on to the next thing. You cannot hope to learn all the material available on the course and one of the toughest things was to be at peace with that.
The curriculum is good overall. They start you off using Ruby due to it's accessible nature, you then move onto learning JavaScript which is a fairly smooth transition because of most of the things you know from Ruby translate to JavaScript. You also look at other areas such as databases and the HTTP response cycle. In our course, there was a two week project that used Ruby on Rails which I personally felt was wasted time. Although there are plenty of companies using Rails two weeks would almost certainly be better spent building a full stack JavaScript application using a framework like React or Vue. These skills are simply much more in demand. There are other technologies or concepts that would be great if they could include in the curriculum but I think considering the time constraints it is a very useful and complete grounding in web development.
The coaches are all very personable and are genuinely determined to make you better. As I touched on previously, if you can't work something out, they won't give you an answer, they will start by asking you what your process is and making you go through the process so that you can arrive at an answer. For sure this is the right way to go about things. Occasionally however, you simply just don't understand a concept, you've tried your best to find out the answer and you really need someone to explain it to you like you are a dummy. I found the coaches could be a little blind to that, and on occasion somewhat resistant to helping. Indeed there were some frustrated conversations where we wondered what we were getting for our money as we may only get 3-4 hours worth of workshops in a week, and otherwise we were teaching ourselves everything (again I acknowledge self-teaching, overall, is a pro of this course). I also think that the coaches are a little overstretched. It could take a while to get feedback or help with something. I believe there are some moves being made to get some extra coaches in, which should help this.
All bootcamps are naturally intense experiences and one of the things that Makers do best is look after you. There is an emotional intelligence curriculum to help you manage your emotions better and also to work with others. The coaches are all very empathetic and approachable but there is also a coach dedicated to the emotional well being of students who gives fantastic, constructive methods so that you can finish the course without excess stress. I know for a fact that Makers supported people who needed substantial help to overcome some serious difficulties and for this I cannot commend them enough.
The careers team are great and very supportive. You feel they are genuinely in your corner and rooting for you all the way. Again I think they could do with more technical coaches for post-course but I believe steps are being taken to increase numbers here.
A final minor point is there were a couple of moments where I felt that political opinions were given by Makers staff which I felt were shared in the assumption that everyone would agree with them and I whilst I don't think organisations have to be be apolitical, I think care should be taken over this.
Overall I would definitely recommend this bootcamp. The curriculum is good, the coaches are great and I've definitely made some good friends who I've shared the experience with. I mentioned that at points we wondered what we were getting for our money. The price tag is hefty (but cheaper than some others), but so much of the value of that is being put which a group of fellow students who share your ambition. You drive each other on. By being with like-minded people you are so much more likely to achieve your goal rather than going it alone. I think there are things to improve upon and I have had no problem with writing my critiques publicly because as an organisation they are very open to constructive feedback.
If you want to change career, this won't be easy, but commit to it and you will get the rewards. |
