Byte Academy

In my time at Byte I got to be taught by all the instructors, and they were all SO friendly and knowledgable about everything they were teaching, and always willing to answer questions and help with homework or debugging code (everything was remote, but I had so much support from the instructors and Byte Fellows that my experience was probably as good as it would have been been in-person!). You can message an instructor with a question anytime and they almost always answer it immediately.
The lectures are about 1.5-2 hours a day and there’s about an hour of “code review” (going over lecture questions and getting help on homework if needed). My biggest advice is definitely to GO TO CODE REVIEW AND DO THE HOMEWORK EVERY DAY!!! I was learning so much new information each day in the lectures, and code review was a great time to talk more about what I learned in lecture and ask all my questions, so that I could make sure I had a solid understanding of everything before we moved onto the next topic in the next day’s lecture. The tests and quizzes are totally manageable IF you keep up with the homework and go to code review- like in any class, you can’t expect to hear something once in lecture and be  an expert at it without doing practice. The difficulty of the homework directly lined up with the difficulty of the tests/quizzes so DO THE HOMEWORK and get help on it if you need to!! There’s also tuesday night algorithms/interview coding prep workshops which are SO HELPFUL for practicing and getting better at coding. 
The final project was my favorite part!! You can pretty much pick whatever topic/project you want and the instructors help you come up with a manageable project and if you get stuck they’re there to help, but you’re the one deciding what to do (it’s insane to realize how many new skills you’ve picked up when you’re in the final project phase- I could code and understand so many Data Science models/algorithms that I never even had heard of before the course). All in all I learned so much and am so happy i did this!!

I took the intro to Python course and it was fantastic. It gives you the basics to pick up the hard skills that are required in the python language. Greg (lead instructor for full-stack dev) was a fantastic instructor who is very passionate about showing multiple sides of the concepts and problems. He also helped throughout the course on the challenge problems which was FANTASTIC despite the class being a free intro course. Also, Kai (head of admissions) was very helpful in providing the information you need and she is very passionate about helping potential students on the python journey.  Although everything was solid, I would be more interested in seeing more challenging problems that are generally harder for concept learning. But again, this might be overkill for many people since many of the students are generally new to coding and this was an intro course. I will recommend to anyone interested in stepping onto the python language to take this class. This was awesome learning immersive with a $0 price tag. You MUST take this class if you are willing to LEARN in the changing industry environment where python language is becoming a MINIMUM (on top of your excel jockey skills)!

If one person reads this and changes their mind about this school, I will have done a great service to you.

I will start by saying that people have graduated from here and certainly have gotten jobs. Every bootcamp will have success stories, even the worst ones like this one. My review is based on a few factors you should seriously consider. I am going to describe the situation for my cohort.

There is no challenging admissions process. You'll get an easy question and an interview and you'll be let in automatically. This is the first red flag as there is little competition to get in which lends to the belief that it is a hands off experience once you're enrolled.

The curriculum was completely in-transition. The cohort before me didn't even learn React. Students were teaching themselves. My cohort was the first to have React in the curriculum and it was rushed and sloppy.

They don't have a dedicated course curriculum on Github or anywhere.

This is a huge one - they promised different paths you can take for the FT course - Blockchain, Data Science of Fullstack web development. The truth was that the only thing they offered was Fullstack web development. There was never a path for Blockchain or Data Science. It was complete blatent false advertising. It's actually funny that there are so many choices here for what course I took because the only thing they offered truly was the Fullstack web dev course.

The school is very hands off with attendance or projects. My final project was hardly fleshed out or fancy but there were no real benchmarks or code review or anything to truly demonstrate a mastery of the course work. I saw a student from a previous cohort graduate because they created a Google plugin as a final project. It was hardly something deserving of a final project standard but I could also understand it considered they probably didn't get the same "teaching" I did.

As a former student, I can tell you that many of the reviews here are from students turned employees or employees that are just bumping up the ratings of the school.

There are no career services to speak up - they have no connections to hiring partners. There are no career fairs where companies are looking to hire their bootcamp grads. Your help will be the equivalent of you going to Linkedin and connecting with people on your own.

I am a real former student and my experience was very underwhelming. For the investment you make, you should demand or expect a very structured, rigorous program and you will not find that with this school. 

Do not attend this school. If you really want to go to a Bootcamp, do some serious homework and re-read this review if you are thinking of going to Byte.





 

I did not graduate from this bootcamp since I got (and accepted) a great job offer about 3 weeks before my course ended. However, I did complete phases 1 and 2, the bulk of the curriculum, so I can speak (only) to that. Phase 3 is mostly independent work, working on your solo and group projects.

The best thing about this bootcamp is the size of the cohorts. It's very small, it feels like a family and you get to know everyone really well. not only the students in your cohort but also the other students, the alumni, the instructors, and all the people in the office. you become each other's family for those months and people genuinely care about each other's successes and challenges. The curriculum is hard, especially if you (like me) have zero experience in coding. They tell you to "trust the process" and you should, but it's not enough. you have to put in a lot of hours to make sure you get what was presented in class. I would have liked more instruction time and more one on one time with my instructors especially during phase 1, when everything was new and overwhelming. everyday there's new materials with very little time to practice, to absorb, to let things sink in, but that's the nature of these bootcamps. and the schedule did get better in phase 2, partially because of byte's ability to be flexible and attentive to student's feedback.

I will say that the instructors seem to be very busy doing many many other things in the organization and didn't always have the time to walk through a solution, or go over a new concept one more time. At some point I just accepted that I don't always understand everything and I just have to follow the procedures to get things to work. Huge shoutout to Greg and Gabby - their official title may have been TA's but they were both such an incredible source of knowledge, expertise, and comfort. They (but really, every single person, students included) were always willing to give more of their time and energy to explain things or answer my endless questions.

In addition to the coding curriculum there's also a job placement/ career services curriculum which I can't stress enough how important it is to follow - I was skeptic about it and tried (!) to procrastinate but fortunately Jenna wouldn't let me and this is how I ended up getting a job. 

Overall, this was a good experience for me. It took me way out of my comfort zone and I feel very privileged to have met those people at the beginning of my new journey.

If you understand that this is a big commitment and that in the end you're the one that has to do the hard work (the instructors won't do it for you) - then this is the place to go. Good luck!

 

Byte Academy helped me transition from Video Producer to Software Developer in a matter of months. The coursework can be demanding (I spent a lot of time outside of school) but you get what you put in. The teaching staff is excellent, caring, and overall a great group of people that geniuinely care about your interests. 

Coming from a non-coding background, I was concerned about my abiltiy to pick up the coursework but Byte's circulum is well structured and the staff is so incredibly supportive. I truly felt like I was joining a family and not a bootcamp. 

There is only so much time I had during my time at Byte, but I am amazed at how much I was able to pick up. I would highly reccommend to anyone who is interested in learning python. 

 

 

I decided to make a career change and go from finance to tech, but I knew it was going to be a diffifult transition given my lack of programming experience. With the myriad of options in NYC, I am happy to say that I made the correct decision with Byte Academy. The fintech-focused curriculum complimented my finanical background and most importantly gave me the confidence and ability to go beyond just learning Python.

I started in the foundation class and continued through the full-stack curriculum. It was definitely difficult, but as long as you keep up with the work, you will be pleasantly surprised with all your progress and how much knowledge you amass in several months. I can now confidently say that I am full-stack developer who can create applications in Python, JavaScript, and React. 

I recommend this course to those who are willing to put in the work and are ready for a change in their career path. 

Two friends recommended I attend a bootcamp to learn to code, and so I knew what to expect in terms of work and time going in. Even then, the course was challenging enough that I spent pretty much all my time learning for 14 weeks.

If you stay on top of the work, the Fullstack Immersive will take up a lot of time but I'd expect most people to keep up. I learned a tremendous amount over the 14 weeks, enough to give me confidence in my abilities with Python specifically, but also in learning new languages and frameworks not covered in the course. I don't always use Python on a day-to-day basis, so the most important skill I learned was probably comfort jumping into entirely new languages or design patterns without feeling lost, and then learning them quickly.

I'd recommend Byte's Fullstack Immersive to anyone willing to put in the time, but know that it needs to be your priority the entire time or you might risk getting behind.

I was a somewhat non-traditional student at Byte in that I had a fairly extensive professional background in software development (PHP web applications & iOS) and I was looking to modernize & expand my skillset rather than learn development from scratch.

The small class size, personal attention, and focus on student-designed projects meant that they were able to tailor my experience to my needs. It is a very challenging introduction to Python, but the support is there for the students who need extra help while the space is there for students working at a higher level.

The knowledgeable instructional staff were a wealth of resources not just for daily lectures and exercise materials, but also with a deep library of knowledge for suggestions for readings and materials outside of class.

There is career counseling that is incorporated into the curriculum starting week one. I was hired by a blockchain startup almost immediately upon graduation.

The structure of the curriculum is two four week phases followed by a final six week phase. The first two phases present a large array of subject matter in daily lectures with a heavy load of exercises. Feedback is provided on exercises in regular code reviews where students put their work up on a project for group critique and improvement. There are weekly quizzes and assessments at the end of phase one and two that are quite challenging, but I didn't hear of anyone failing out of mine or the cohorts I overlapped with. The final phase is dedicated to two deployed projects focused on practical solutions to real world problems. I hear they have since incorporated a competitive challenge hosted by an algotrading hedge fund into the phase 3 work.

Byte hosts meetups and works with the organizers of hackathons. They do a good job of encouraging
Python is a great first language to learn. I'd suggest this program to anyone who is willing to work hard.

     If you want to learn how to learn how to be an efficient computer programmer this is the place for you.  If you put in work before and after school hours, and on weekends, you will learn what you came to learn as you get out of it what you put into it.  If you expect to come in here from 10-5, 5 days a week for 14 weeks and leave being proficient in Python / computer programming just because you walked in the door, you are highly mistaken.  

     I came into this course with absolutely zero computer programming knowledge.  Because of this I felt "behind" the rest of my cohort and even with working 24/7 7 days a week (with the exception of sleep) I just wish I could have taken what Byte Academy now offers, which is a pre-bootcamp course for those of you with zero experience like myself.  If you have taken a CS course, or have experience, you should be good to go.  

     The instructors are amazing. Kenso was my instructor and he is literally a genius.  Since my recent graduation they already added on a couple TA's and another full-time instructor I believe.  The school is growing and I think it is way overdue.  If fancy looking hallways and expensive expresso machines are important to you, I would look elsewhere.  If you want to learn and surround yourself with other likeminded people, make learning your number one priority for 14 weeks, trust the program, trust your instructors and believe in yourself, Byte Academy is a great place to do it.

     Jenna is great at the job hunt as there is an excellent but demanding set of guidelines to follow.  Honestly though, if you have been in the job searching market, you know looking for a job is a job in itself so I guess this is expected.  Emily and the rest of the staff have connections all over the country, even in some parts of the world.  They host meet-ups, promote others, and do specialize in FinTech.  In my cohort, half the class had no interest in finance and that didn't matter whatsoever...they are still employed now. I believe everyone in my cohort is employed now in one way or another.  I got an internship I wanted dirtectly through connections from the school.

     If you are wanting to change up your career, get a jumpstart, or even just enhance your skills, I would highly suggest sacrificing a few months and be dedicated to learn, study, and work hard to achieve your goals.