| | Joshua David | There are already a few bootcamps located in Los Angeles. I have attended meetups and online questionnaires at a few of them e.g MakerSquare, General Assembly, and Codesmith. My favorite of all is Codesmith for the following reasons...
BTW, if you don't want to read this article, you can watch a video summary below... :)
https://youtu.be/hToEL-nNtyM
For those of you who don’t know about Codesmith, it’s a 12 week immersive Software Engineering program teaching Computer Science, Full Stack JavaScript Engineering and mobile development.
They also teach you how to think like an engineer, and give you that mindset so that you can invent and build the projects that you want to.
There are 3 key components that adhere to Codesmith. They are Community, Curriculum, and Passion. Now these aren’t necessarily mantras of Codesmith themselves, rather what I have noticed in attendance of their meetups, and this is one of the reasons that I am fascinated by being there and around that energy. Which in turn, leads me to the first component...
Community:
Talking of energy, It’s probably safe to say that it is highly unfathomable to know what it must have been like being around in the beginning of Apple, or Facebook, or any other major company that started similarly, but the feeling that I get being around Codesmith is what I would imagine that experience to be.
1. The people! Everyone is so nice and welcoming. They make you really feel like you are a part of the family.
2. The Instructors! The CTO Will Sentance and Lead Engineer Alex Zai are probably two of the most brilliant gentlemen that I have had the pleasure to meet. Not only are they entirely genuine and remarkable, but they are revolutionizing the Software Education Industry along with the Tech Industry. Aside from Codesmith, they have also developed some extremely, amazing things. One of those is Icecomm. Icecomm is an WebRTC based, Peer to Peer feature that allows you to add serverless video chat and data transfer to your application in, I believe under 10 lines of JavaScript and 4 lines of Angular. How great is that? Now to go a step further, they are going to open source it, so that in itself speaks to their wonderful character. If I could pick their brains all day I would. haha
3. The Environment! The building is like a spaceship. It’s really cool! When you get off of the elevator you are met by these multicolored, fluorescent lights that resemble something from the future. The whole area is one large circle with several nooks and cranny’s for you to explore. The views are also great. There are balconies with a panoramic view of water and a large portion of Silicon Beach.
Curriculum
This is one of the things that sets Codesmith apart from everyone else in the software education realm. Also what places them at the forefront of technology because they are using what is now on the forefront of technology. The core of their Front-End curriculum is with React.js. **WHAT???**
1. React.js ! If you don’t know what React.js is, React is an open-source JavaScript library for creating user interfaces that aims to address challenges encountered in developing single-page applications. (or simply put, *“The Future of interwebs development”* ;) “
2. React Native! React Native enables you to build world-class application experiences on native platforms using a consistent developer experience based on JavaScript andReact. The focus of React Native is on developer efficiency across all the platforms you care about — learn once, write anywhere. Facebook uses React Native in multiple production apps and will continue investing in React Native.
3. Distributed Systems and Some Machine Learning! Seriously, it couldn’t be better. These are the things that are powering the technology around us all today, including, but not limited to Gmail, iCloud and Google knowing what you want to search before you finish typing. No one is teaching these things in any bootcamp or program currently.
Passion
One of the most important features of Codesmith and everyone there is that they are endlessly passionate about what they are doing. It’s highly evident in everything that they do. They actually want to help everyone bring their dreams to fruition, to build the projects and companies that they envision, and change the world for the better. This fact is something that I cannot stress enough. I only mention this because I have been to some of the meetups at other places like MakerSquare and I cannot say the same things. I really can’t even say anything remotely close, and I don’t want to go into a barrage of Makersquare or anything like that. This was simply my experience and mine alone, but it was quite uncomfortable. When I walked in everyone just kind of had an attitude and they weren’t welcoming. Everything seemed fabricated. You could tell that at the end of the day this place is just a business and they seem to only care about one thing: money. That is not an environment that I welcome, nor should anyone else. With Codesmith it’s different, not just for the aforementioned reasons alone, but also I am beyond enamored with the devotion of everyone involved. It’s a really special place and I suggest that everyone experience it for themselves.
Build With Code / JavaScript the HardParts
You may ask, “how can I experience it without going to the program?” Well, I’ll tell you! Every Thursday from 6:30 - 9:00 pm Codesmith offers a free Meetup called Build With Code. I can’t emphasis enough how great this place is and especially the Meetups. Who doesn’t like free drinks? Who doesn’t like free food? Not only do they offer those things, but you are able to build cool things and learn about programming in JavaScript. We’ve built a video chat app. A YouTube app and currently we are learning about the hard parts of Javascript, which for anyone trying to get into a bootcamp is essential. Last week it was Callbacks & Higher Order Functions.
The way that it works is, in the beginning you go around and introduce yourself, then tell everyone a little about you, what you’ve been building (if anything) and what your interest in JavaScript is. Subsequently the instructor Will goes into a lecture with slideshows and breaks down everything to first principles, which if you are a fan of Elon Musk (I am) means that that is how you get the job done. Will’s teaching methods (Socratic, I believe) are fantastic. He makes everything so clear and concise that the light inside your mind goes off and you finally understand what it is that you have been making so complicated. You see the solution simplified… Especially in dealing with two of the most misunderstood objects (no pun intended) in JavaScript.
After the lecture, you are split up to pair program. I know you may be thinking... "I don’t want to pair program! I won't go just because of that," but It really is great! Not only can you possibly make a new friend, but you also get the chance to see how other people think, and how they arrive at a solution. That is invaluable in itself because it can help you approach a problem differently one day. When you are pair programming the EIR’s (Engineers in Residence) come in and walk around to offer their assistance to anyone if they get stuck and also to answer any other questions you may have. These guys are really great. Super friendly and helpful. Will then wraps up with a summary to help solidify all that you have learned and then you can wander around the facilities, grab some drinks and food, and hang out and talk with everyone there. If you don’t want to do any of that, you don’t have to, but I can’t recommend that you should enough.
I hope that I am able to clear a few things up for anyone, and if not you can message me or get in touch and I will gladly answer any questions about my experience. If I can’t answer those questions Joseph at Codesmith is also a really great guy and he will be glad to help you. Below are some links to where you can find information on the topics I covered here in the postings...
* Codesmith (http://www.codesmith.io)
* Build With Code - Los Angeles (http://www.meetup.com/build-with-code/)
* Icecomm.io (http://icecomm.io/)
* A JavaScript library for building user interfaces | React (http://facebook.github.io/react/)
* React Native | A framework for building native apps using React (https://facebook.github.io/react-native/) |
| | James Burnell | I am a recent graduate and current fellow at Codesmith. Deciding to attend Codesmith was one of the best, if not the best, decisions of my life! I went from knowing minimal jQuery programming to truly being able to build anything I can think of (seriously). Even though they focus on Node, React, Angular, Databases, JS Fundamentals etc., what they are really teaching you are the tools needed to go and learn any technology in an extremely efficient manner. For example, my group's final production project required Three.js and WebGL, technologies not specifically taught here. Thanks to the fundamentals, tools and ideas we gained in the first 7 weeks we were able to quickly get up to speed with those technologies and create an amazing project before our cohort ended. Also, the culture at Codesmith is second to none. Everyone is focused on helping each other and growing together, part of the reason you can learn so much here in such a short amount of time. The hours are long, the concepts aren't easy and your going to challenge yourself like you never have before. However, if you stick with it you'll be awesomely rewarded with these skills. Getting through to the project period and seeing what you can actually build is an extremely rewarding experience. If you get accepted to Codesmith, I highly recommend attending. You won’t regret it! |
| | | Back in January 2015 I decided to move from NYC to LA. I was a consultant for the world's largest technology consulting firm and really wasn't feeling it. After struggling to learn Web Dev on my own for the longest time, I decided to quit my six-figure job, move across the country and enroll in Codesmith. I was part of Cohort 3 running from Oct '15 to Jan '16.
Needless to say Codesmith changed my life, but it wasn't easy! Anything worthwhile shouldn't be easy! We started with fundamentals, data structures, algorithms, DOM manipulation...and before I knew it, I was building full stack projects using the latest libraries and frameworks out there.
Although the curriculum is exceptional, the most important piece of Codesmith is the culture and environment. I had 0 friends when I moved to LA, and it was amazing to quickly be so welcomed into a community and surrounded by talented people that I continue to stay in touch with. Even after graduating, I feel like I am going to my second home when I visit.
Just to make sure this isn't a puff piece, Codesmith - like every program does have wrinkles that need ironing. There were parts of the program that were not perfect. We were all clocking in 80-90 hours a week, and having us do a hackathon at 8pm until late into the evening was just draining and caused a bit of grumbling. Also the schedule is 'flexible' and can change without notice, but that is just part of being in a start-up and things changing quickly due to iteration.
If you made it this far in the review, then you made it to the most important part - jobs!! I can say without doubt that if you put in the effort, embrace the struggle, and trust the program you will get a job. I received my first offer after 2 days, and after 2 weeks I accepted another offer for more than I was making in NYC as a consultant.
If you are looking for an immersive program in Southern California, Codesmith is it! |
