Bloc

Bloc has been an incredibly positive experience for me, especially relative to my independent forays into teaching myself computer programming.

The curriculum not only teaches discrete skills.  It applies them immediately to create a functional app as early as three weeks into the program.  Furthermore, the mentor support fosters further learning.  Because I had access to an experienced programmer at all times, I never had to stew too long in a skill that I did not understand.  

Overall, Bloc combines integrated curriculum with impeccable staff support to ensure student success.

I recently finished the part time web developer track with Bloc.  I started last summer with basically no coding experience, and came out with a portfoilio full of projects, a solid understanding of object oriented programming, and a lot of support for finding a job.

The mentorship is the best part of Bloc.  I had the privilege of having two mentors throughout the course, both of whom were fantastic.  They both had a great way of breaking down abstract ideas into something I could understand, were always willing to answer my questions, and continue to provide me support even after the completion of the course.  

Along with a great mentorship program, the Bloc community is amazing as well. The slack channel for Bloc is very supportive for those that have questions, want to network, and basically anything else. I always felt at ease knowing that my Bloc buddies on slack were there for me if I needed them.  Having graduated, I have reached out to some Bloc graduates in the area, and they have been very kind in terms of connecting me with people and giving me advice.

Web development is a large field, and there is only so much you can learn in six months. Bloc does a great job at teaching you enough to feel confident moving forward, and enough to put on your portfolio and resume as you apply for jobs.  Bloc not only taught me alot, but made me even more excited as I enter the tech world.  

While Bloc is great, it is only as good as you make it for yourself. You have to put in the work, and at times it can be very challenging learning new topics.  Programming is hard and requires a lot of work and dedication. I worked a full time job while enrolled in Bloc; and while it was hard at times, I am glad I did it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a challenge and taking a next step in their career!  If you are hesitant ( like I was in the beginning ), I would say go for it!


 

If you are deciding on a career change into UX or UI design, I would highly recommend you to look into Bloc's Designer Track program. The material that Bloc teaches you is very practical and you learn how to use design software that current UX/UI designers use. Before the program, I had always thought that the Adobe Creative Suite was out of reach and that it would be very difficult to learn. However, going through Bloc's curriculum has proved me wrong, and thankfully it did! I have also had the chance to use other software and services such as Sketch, Balsamiq, and inVision.

Furthermore, you do a deep-dive learning into Frontend Development, and learning how to code never hurts anyone, right? Though debugging code can be a pain, it is very rewarding when you can code your own project. 

My mentor, Sharon, is also wonderful and provides me great feedback and suggestions.

I am currently a full-time student doing the 36 week track, and I can tell you that you really do need to dedicate time and hours to learning at Bloc. However, your effort and dedication will pay off. I'm almost 3 months into the program and have already completed my first project!

Overall, I would say that it has been a great ride so far. No major complaints :)

I've been wanting to learn web development for a long time now but I have a hard to learning by myself through websites that teach you to code. (teamtreehouse.com, codeacademy.com, etc.) Bloc has given me that accounatbility to learn what I need to learn and help me reach my goal of finding a job as a web devloper. The mentorship is amazing and my mentor helps push me along. He's really great at helping me solve the issues that I'm having and always answers any questions that I may have. I would reccomend Bloc to anyone that wants to get into Web Devleopment!! 

I am almost two months into the UX Designer track, and I'm very happy with the program so far. I was a bit skeptical about enrolling in an online bootcamp for the obvious reasons: lack of support/community and lack of accountability. I am someone who enjoys being in a classroom setting because I benefit greatly from learning from my peers, and truthfully I was nervous that I would lack the self discipline to stay on track.

1. Community

Bloc definitely fosters a smart, supportive and resourceful community with its Slack channels. Perhaps Slack is not a replacement for a classroom, but in many ways it is better because it offers 24/7 support and anyone can access it anywhere. 

2. Accountability

My weekly meetings with my mentor (who is incredible, by the way!) have helped me stay focused and on track. These Skype sessions are student-driven, giving me the chance to discuss any problems or challenges. It's a luxury being able to speak casually with an expert in the industry, and someone who is truly invested in my learning and progress. Plus, the curriculum is well organized and fun -- that in itself keeps me motivated. 

3. Flexibility

I ultimately chose to enroll in Bloc because I was impressed by the flexibility the program offers. Students can change the pace of the program at any time, and freeze for up to 4 weeks for personal reasons. I recently lowered my pace in order to begin a side project, and I appreciate that Bloc allows me to do so. Plus, I love that I can work remotely. 

I'm very happy with my decision! 

I initially began my studies at Bloc Inc. back in February of 2017 on the Designer Track. And to this day, Bloc has been one of the smartest decisions I've made to pursue a career field I have a passion for.

At first, coding and design was something I only knew bits and pieces about, particularly doing more digital/traditional artwork. But with the guided coursework from Bloc's instructors via video tutorials, and expert help from my mentor, I've begun to understand more of the ins and outs of webpage and user-interface design. From aesthetics, to overall function, Bloc will teach you the most necessary skills to help you pursue a career in a still-growing field.

If you're looking for a more cost-efficient, yet still hands-on and helpful way to learn how to design and develop webpages and software, Bloc will help you on the way to success.

I recently finished BLOC part time web devloper track while working as a full time engineer. I signed up for the 54 weeks program, and finished everything in 3 month, all while working. Couple weeks after BLOC, I quit my engineer job, and got an offer doing web devlopment with SalesForce.The overall experience is positive, but I do want to point out a few things to potential students:

1. Intension to join Bloc is important. I dont think it is worth the time and money to join BLOC blindly! I mean do not join BLOC if you have zero experience in coding. I understand they advertise BLOC is for beginners with no experience, but you can learn so much by yourself for free just by Google and watch Youtube videos. I highly suggest to learn as much as you can before joining Bloc. This will make your time a lot better spend in BLOC by yourself and with your mentor. I think you should at least get through HTML/CSS, Javascript and ROR before joining BLOC. This will allow you to ask more advance questions, therefore, make you a better programmer once you complete all your projects.

2. How much you want to learn is totally depends on how much time you want to put it, and how much you love learning the subject. It is really easy to pass all the assigments/checkpoints without learning anything. Those checkpoints/assignments really just strached the surface of certain topics. If you want to understand and make use of what you learnt, YOU have to create problems for yourself. BLOC is not good at challenge you on difficult tasks. SO be brutally honest with yourself, and ask yourself "did I really understand the entire checkpoint? Or am I just getting by?"

3. Material on BLOC is old, but they do teach you HOW TO LEARN. Currently they are teaching you Angularjs 1.x, with ROR. But industry already shifted more towards React/Redux. I spent couple weeks after BLOC to learn React/Redux. To be honest, do not worry too much about what they are teaching you at the moment. Because you will likely to learn something new after BLOC regardless. 

4. Projects. Do not spend too much time on HTML/CSS crap unless you really care and want to get good at it. Get all the things working first before you spend time on it. Your mentor probably doens't care about how pretty are your projects, but whether if it does work or not.

5. Jobs. I didn't care about their job assistance. I compared with App academy(friend is in it). They all kind of bad. They just ask you to apply tons of jobs and hopefully it will get it. If you have a college degree, you probably know how to do all that yourself beause your learnt it in school how to build resume and cover letters. I would not bother with their job assistance, so you dont waste too much time applying for jobs you do not really care about. And just spend time and try to meet with company and jobs you want to work with! Do not be scared, you will get a job!

I'm at the very end of the Part Time Web Developer Track in Bloc working on my capstone project. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with Bloc. The curriculum is spot on. I feel like they give you enough code to teach you the important basics, but also give enough room to allow the student to learn on their own. The mentorship has been excellent. My mentor has done a wonderful job of assisting and teaching every step of the way. The job assistance has been non-applicable for me personally, as my current employer has paid for me to take the Bloc training. I have skipped the career prep aspect of Bloc, however, if I were in the market for an engineering position once I completed Bloc training, I have no doubt that I would get one! 

I started the Designer Track at Bloc recently and am almost to the halfway mark. Prior to Bloc's bootcamp, I specialized in print design and multimedia. I have some experience working in web design but needed proper training in the field and more importantly, I wanted a push into the field of UX Design and UX Research. I had been looking for the right online school and curriculum when I ran across Bloc's website. Their focus on the fundamentals of design as well as their mentor program are what helped me make my decision to sign up. 

I've been in Bloc's Designer Track for almost nine weeks now. I can definitely say it's been both challenging and fun! I graduated in 2016 from an elite university with a major in Managment Information Systems and have a background in digital art for the past five years. The Design Track does a smooth job of combining my two passions into one.

The coursework makes a lot of sense once you practice the concepts a lot via Illustrator, Photoshop, Git, Sublime Text, etc.

My mentor and fellow designers at Bloc are the best. Anytime you get stuck or need feedback on a part of the project you're working on, they're always there to help. Without them, this track wouldn't have been as enjoyable as it is now for me.

If you're interested in becoming a designer, I highly recommend Bloc. You won't regret it.