Which Chicago Coding Bootcamp Is Best for You?

Table of Contents

• Starter League
• Mobile Makers Academy
• Code Chicago
• Startup Institute
• Anyone Can Learn To Code
• Flatiron School
• Coding Temple
• General Assembly
• Code Platoon

Chicago is currently home to a growing lot of coding bootcamp and web immersion programs tasked with preparing students for a lucrative career in web development. Courses providers in Chicago have something for everyone with intensive programs in JavaScript, Ruby and Rails, Java and .NET.  There is a healthy selection of full-time courses as well as part-time bootcamps, workshops, and night and weekend courses for those looking to take their career to the next level. According to Startup Compass’s 2015 Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking, Chicago ranks number seven having moved up three spots in the last year year. This is the prime time to equip yourself with much needed web dev skills. Whether you are looking to join one of these 50 Chicago born startups, or have the entrepreneurship spirit to create your own, there is a course provider in the area that has the power to propel you towards your career goals.

Starter League

Starter League offers a 10-week web development coding bootcamp focusing on Ruby on Rails. They have had over 1000 students complete their program from 35 states and 25 countries which equates to a powerful alumni network. .They also offer sever 10-12 week part-time courses in visual design, user experience, javascript and beginner and advanced front-end development. The tuition for their web-development course is $8,500. The is what Harsha Murthy had to say about her Starter League experience:

“Starter School sets itself apart by injecting design and entrepreneurship into the program. The actual code is just the first step to building a successful product. These areas are equally important, if not more, and you'll learn from the best in the business.”

Mobile Makers Academy

This iOS bootcamp is eight weeks long. It operates like a  real app dev shop where students will conduct test-driven development as they prototype and learn all at the same time. Students learn to develop with Xcode, Objective-C, and Swift to design dynamic apps with cloud interactivity.  Mobile Makers also offers their full-time curriculum in a remote online learning format. Alumni, are treated to resources for continued education, technical interview prep, and access to a private job board. The tuition for their Chicago bootcamp is $9,000. Wade Sellers had this to say about his experience at Mobile Makers Academy:

“Mobile Makers has the top leadership teaching staff, support staff, and industry connections to give you an experience other bootcamps attempt to emulate but cannot duplicate.”

Code Chicago

Housed inside Chicago’s entrepreneurship & technology innovation center Blue 1647, Code Chicago provides its community with several different part-time coding bootcamps. Currently Code Chicago offers courses in mobile development, basic Ruby and intermediate Ruby on Rails. As part of their mission to promote diversity in the tech field Code Chicago offers tuition discounts to females, veterans of the U.S. Military, and to members of any ethnic minority group underrepresented in the software engineering field (African American, Chicano/Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander). The tuition for their part-time bootcamps is currently set at $2,000.

Startup Institute

In Chicago, Startup Institute has partnered with Opternative, Context Media, Give Forward, Undertone and many other thriving startups to help alumni of their many tech driven bootcamps gain employment in the Chicago metropolitan area. Startup Institute has immersion programs in web development, technical marketing, web design and sales and account management. Their web dev course prepares students for a career in front-end development using Ruby on Rails .  The web design course covers front-end technologies like jQuery HTML5 and CSS with a strong emphasis on design and user experience. The tuition for all their eight-week courses is $6,500. Here is an excerpt from a review written by Jon Castillo, a graduate of Startup Institute:

“These are the people who are leading the charge in developing innovative technologies! SI became the perfect way for me to obtain the mentorship that I was looking for, while expanding my network with all of the really smart and talented people that were students in our class.”

Anyone Can Learn To Code

Founded in Chicago, Anyone Can Learn to Code was specifically designed with the working person in mind.  Classes take place in the evening with no homework assignments. The program is split into three phases. The first is completed over three weeks at home and is designed to introduce the fundamentals of programming in Ruby. This is followed by a twelve week immersion where students will jump deep into such technologies as Ruby, Rails, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Angular, and Git. It is topped off with a six week full-time paid internship where students will work on real-world applications for real clients. The cost of this program is $11,500. Yedidya Weiner had this to say about her experience at Anyone Can Learn to Code:

“This was awesome! I held my full time job and attended classes on nights and weekends. Jay is a fantastic teacher and know his material very well. He did not just teach us how to code, but taught us the ins-and-outs of everything in the profession. “

Flatiron School

Flatiron School's UX Program (formerly Designation Labs) is located in Chicago’s River North WeWork space amongst startups and digital tech companies. The also have a partnership with The Founder Institute, a global entrepreneur training and startup launch program. These two connections give Flatiron UX students a unique opportunity to gain high caliber clients and collaborate on real-world projects during their learning experience. The UX Design bootcamp is a 24-week program that consists of a six-week design essentials phase, a 6-week virtual phase, a 5-week immersion phase on campus, a 4-week client project phase, and a 3-week career phase. The curriculum is design driven. Students learn to use front-end development languages as well as design software to prepare them for the many tasks associated with web development and design. UX design tuition at Flatiron School is $17,000. One of their students had this to say about their program:

“Designation was an amazing experience. Being in a creative environment, surrounded by other creative people was very rewarding. We were able to work together to solve problems and help each other succeed. It was a safe space to try anything and see how far you could get.”

Coding Temple

Founded by Berkeley graduate and entrepreneur Avi Patel, Coding Temple is located in downtown Chicago. Students of Code Temple are introduced to a full suite of coding technologies. The curriculum focuses on C# and the ASP.NET framework so that students can learn to quickly deploy modern web applications. They are one of the only .NET and Java bootcamps in the country. Coding Temple has also offered workshops in HTML/CSS and is working on courses in Python development and iOS development. Tution for Coding Temple’s .NET bootcamp is $8,000. Check out our Q&A with Coding Temple founder Avi Patel to learn more about this Chicago based program.

General Assembly

Anywhere there is a large city with a thriving startup community you will find General Assembly and their unique brand of career enhancing solutions and the windy city is no different. GA’s Chicago location has a full catalog of part-time programs in a variety of subjects including data science, analytics, digital marketing, product management, visual design and both back-end and front-end development. They also offer three full-time immersion courses in product management, user experience design, and web development. There web development course is centered around Ruby on Rails and supporting technologies. The tuition is $13,500. No matter what your professional development needs are chances are GA has a course, seminar or lecture that will benefit you.

Code Platoon

Code Platoon has made it their mission to get America’s men and women who have served in the armed forces prepared and ready for a whole new life with a jump start into a career in web development. The program is a veterans-only four-month Ruby on Rails immersion. Graduates of the program have the option to apply to an internships/apprenticeships program that has been coordinated by Code Platoon upon the completion of the course. The tuition is $10,000 but Code Platoon has secured funding to cover 85% of the cost which means new students are only required to pay $1,500. This is an excellent opportunity for those transitioning into civilian life.