Codesmith

The Decision

I was a Front-End Developer in the Bay Area before Codesmith, but wasn't getting the exposure to Back-End technology that I desired.  I tried teaching myself, but couldn't find reliable resources to get me where I wanted to.  At this realization, and also knowing I wanted to level-up my career, I started looking into "coding bootcamps" that could get me the fulfillment I wanted.  I had money, so I intended on going into the best one I could get into.  I particularly looked into the LA area because I had family over here.  My choice ended up being between Hack Reactor and Codesmith for me.  I chose Codesmith because not only were they doing better in LA, but they showed such an exceptional care for their residents, including the aspiring residents.

The Culture

There are many work places, clubs, bands, and organizations that claim to be a family, but very few that claim to be actually are.  At least, this was always my experience.  Because of this, I was very surprised in experiencing that family feeling over at Codesmith.  Seriously, no BS zone here.  It's clear they are very careful in not just selecting the brightest for the residency, but the best for the culture at the residency as well.  I can honestly say the people in my cohort are some of my best friends today.

The Search After

Because let's be honest, this is probably the most important part.  I probably could have been done very quickly, but because I wanted to get into either full-stack or back-end engineering, I bit the bullet and chased what I went to CS for.  As mentioned, I was a Front-End Developer before CS, and seriously had recruiters emailing me several times every day for Front-End positions.  On top of that, I wasn't interested in working in the Health Care industry, and I didn't even go to my previous employer during my search.  Fast forward to decision time, I ended up with 3 offers, two of them being full-stack, and one of them back-end.  Much of my thanks has to go out to the staff for helping me sell my skills, chilling out my type-A personality (often times I had the desire to followup too fast), and giving me mock interviews on whatever topics I felt like I needed polishing on.

Conclusion

I made an unregrettable decision to change my life.  I put a lot at risk by quitting my job and moving to LA.  I joined CS to level up, and I got exactly what I wanted.  If you're considering CS to level up like me, or change careers like most, it's definitely worth it.

I will keep this short, as there are many other reviews talking about the curriculum in depth and the amazing resources that Codesmith provides. My review will be about what I gained the most during my time there.

Codesmith is a valuable investment in yourself and your future. During Codesmith, I genuinely learned how to learn and now I am confident that I will excel at any software postition that I enter. My background is in Civil Engineering and I previously coded in Java, but I had never experienced this level of intense learning until now. 

Codesmith got the philosophy right and you are surrounded by people who are asking in-depth questions about the most interesting emerging technologies. A small group of students, engaged instructors, and projects that challenge you to think critically... this is what all school should be like!! 

I did get a great job at a startup working on the technologies that I love (React), but what I really got was a new mindset on software that will take me far. Shout-out to the Codesmith staff, keep it up!

TL:DR: I had an amazing exprience with Codesmith. Although my program ended a few months ago, I feel I'll always be a part of the Codesmith Family.

Like most of you, I did my share of research before I applied and committed to Codesmith. You can read all of the reviews, compare all of the other programs, but nothing compares to actually attending the JS The Hard Parts classes and meeting the folks that you might spend the next couple months with. Like many of my classmates, I was offered a seat at a couple of the other popular coding programs, but the family-atmosphere at Codesmith is what ultimately brought me in.

The program itself was very challenging to say the least. I definitely felt overwhelmed at times, but it really helps that you're surrounded by other engineers that are just as passionate and just as driven as you are. As some of the staff would say, "The challenges will be there to push you down, we'll be right here to lift you back up".

Unemployment can be a dark time for many, but I was tremendously fortunate to have the Codesmith staff to help me every step of the way. From the emails to the phone calls to the negotiations, Eric, Hira and Haley really showed me how to succeed.

Codesmith by far is the best bootcamp out there. Plenty of bootcamps teach you how to code, but only one brings a family along with it. The Codesmith family is what brings you to the next level as an engineer. They push you to solve problems and challenges you never thought you could achieve. They give you the tools to find problems and solve them on your own, all while teaching you how to learn better, and faster. But it doesn't stop there. They work very hard to prepare all of their students for their life after a bootcamp. Codesmith really will prepare you to be an incredible engineer. 

All the instructors are very kind and helpful.  You can tell they want you to succeed but they also don't just give you the answers.  They make you work for it and are more mentors than teachers.  That is good though because now I feel prepared to learn anything coding related on my own with maybe a little help from someone more experienced than I am.  They really simulate the working environment where you won't be 'taught' per se but more mentored by an more experienced manager.

I was also very impressed by the social aspect.  I was at Codesmith for about 80 hours a week, which sounds crazy but honestly it wasn't that bad for two reasons.  One, I knew it was only for 3 months, and two, the social aspect of Codesmith was amazing.  They plan fun activities to make sure we don't get burned out and they also make sure to only accept people who won't be jerks.  The second is really important because when you're spending that much time with people, you want to make sure you enjoy the people around you.  Everyone from every cohort I've met has been a really nice and supportive person.  That's pretty incredible if you ask me.  They take culture very seriously there and it shows.  

They also take engineering very seriously and if you don't believe me just look at the types of projects Codesmith grads produce.  That is really the best predicter of how well the program is if you ask me.  I looked at the projects of grads from other schools when I was deciding where to go and they didn't even come close to what Codesmith grads create.  

So in sum, I would highly recommend Codesmith.  Go to the JavaScript the Hard Parts and meet the people.  By the way, that's something other schools don't do.  Other schools might say, "come one time on this one day to check out the program and then make your decision".  Codesmith is a lot more transparent in that way by  hosting all kinds of events from Thursday JavaScript the Hard Parts, to Saturday trainings, to JavaScript meetups, etc.  They have nothing to hide and you'll immediately feel their warmth, bredth of knowledge, and ability to train excellent engineers.     

Codesmith is an amazing community of passionate, like-minded, software engineers.  Kudos to Will, the visionary leader, who is orchestrating this life changing movement in the Los Angeles and now New York area.  JS the Hard Parts Prep is a another example of the Codesmith organization giving back and creating opportunity for those aspiring to grow more in this field or considering coding bootcamp.  

I have been a part of the Codesmith community a little over a year and a half now.  Looking back my growth has been incredible.  As a student, with the beginners mind, I have immersed my self in the coding bootcamp world despite having education in Computer Science.  The first thing I noticed attending JS the Hard Parts was the amount of passion in the room.  It is the perfect environment to meet other like-minded engineers who are passionate about learning. Will is an superb teacher with in depth knowledge of JavaScript and Software Engineering. The combination of attending JS the Hard Parts and being around other Engineers definitely heightened my understanding of JavaScript in a short amount of time! 

Everyone has a different journey.  JS the Hard Parts really took my understanding to a new level.   I can personally say, JS the Hard Parts is the best place to start and will add value, skills, and useful tools to your plate.  It is an excellent place to sharpen your skills to get into coding bootcamp.  From my own experience, the knowledge and skills I have gained attending JS the Hard Parts and being a part of the community has contributed to me landing an entry level role in the Software Engineering Industry.

Codesmith provides great programs that not only focus on coding, but the necessary communication skills to be successful and get hired as a Software Engineer. Every program I have attended has shown how important CodeSmith considers communication. Many programs have centered around the correct way to  express highly technical concepts in a clear and concise manner utilizing proper parlance.

From my observations, the cornerstone of CodeSmith is to make their graduates as marketable as possible. I recently attended the presentations of the latest group of graduates capstone projects; I was blown away. Many of the projects presented used a combination of very popular technologies and a few of which I had never been exposed. Every project would impress any hiring manager, and will be powerful tools in assisting the graduates acquire great employment opportunities.

My life has changed so much since I started Codesmith. I can confidently say that I grew more in the past 3 months than I had in the past few years. Before Codesmith started, I was incredibly anxious. I was worried that I would’t be able to keep up with such an intense program. Being on the other side of that, I feel confident in my ability to pick up new things. Not knowing something is no longer scary. I know that I can figure it out, and that has been so empowering. One of the reasons for my growth has been the amazing community at Codesmith.

Codesmith attracts driven, smart, and empathetic people. I believe the community is one of the driving forces behind student success. It’s easy to stay and put in long hours when the people around you are just as driven. It’s an environment where everyone pushes the people around them to be better than they were. Even when it gets to be past midnight, there are still people around to work through some code with.

The teaching style at Codesmith is not at all like a ‘hold-your-hand-tutorial’ Codesmith focuses on fostering problem solving ability and independent learners. Struggling through the material is where the learning happens. Sometimes that feels overwhelming, but it works so well. If you come to Codesmith remember to trust the process, because it works.

This course teaches the most fundamental principles of JavaScript that any aspiring engineer or seasoned veteran should know.  It is done via three 2 hour workshops.  It also helps prepare junior developers for CodeSmith's Residency program (not a bootcamp).

There is tremendous value in the course material and pair programming excersizes - you'll learn what goes on under the hood of JavaScript and learn techniques for just-in-time learning (a necessity of our industry).

But the real impact is felt through the passion and genious of the instructor himself - his style ensures the information will stick and is well understood, and you feel as if you are going down this new road together with him.  You leave the workshops feeling like you want more.  

I've attended each several times. Despite having been a software engineer for over a decade, I still learn something new on every visit.

Are you stuck in a career that you aren't passionate about? Are you thinking about making a career change? Are you skeptical that a 12-week immersive coding bootcamp can transform you into a software engineer that is capable of being hired after graduation? Well, until I made the best decision of my life by attending Codesmith, so was I.

I had no prior experience in Computer Science aside from a basic computer class in high school. I even failed my first interview at Codesmith after studying my butt off for several months. But my determination went a long way. I cut nearly everything out of my life (would take time to stay physically fit by going to the gym, which I highly recommend after gruling programming sessions) to focus on my career change. I knew these sacrifices needed to happen in order for me to succeed.

If you are considering to do it, be fully ready to live and breathe Codesmith for the duration of the program. If you do not fully commit, you will not succeed. I am living proof that, as long as you give it everything you got and don't look back, anyone with no expereince in the field can come out of Codesmith with hirable professional programming skills. After graduating and accepting an offer at the current company I'm at, I doubts that I wasn't smart or knowledgeable enough to pick up new technologies and/or be able to keep up with the demands of the job. To my surprise, that was not the case. Codesmith does a great job of training students to be able to go into any environment and find solutions.

My time at Codesmith was very enjoyable. They do a good job of screening prospective students during interviews, which is why the Codesmith community is so awesome. Everyone is enthusiastic and excited to be there. Engineering fellows are extremely helpful for students. Intructors are top notch. 

Codesmith provides all the tools necessary for your success. Even after your graduation, you are able to seek guidance on things such as salary negotiations and referrals for new opportunities. 

Overall, this is an outstanding program and I am very happy and satisfied that I went through with it!

Prior to Codesmith, I was enrolled in an online program. While the online program was a great start towards accomplishing my goal of becoming a software engineer, the program was missing something. After several months of the online program, I discovered Codesmith through one of their meetups, Build With Code. I immediately realized what I was missing was a community of like-minded software engineers. Long story short, I dropped out of the online program, prepared myself to get into Codesmith, and got accepted. 

Codesmith isn't just a program that produces graduates every 12 weeks. Codesmith is a team of the most dedicated individuals whose first and foremost responsibility is to support its students, and ensure each student is successful and becomes a leader in software engineering. I personally have benefited from their support and commitment. 

Additionally, the culture Codesmith has cultivated makes it an ideal learning environment. Within minutes you become part of a family and everyone is devoted to helping each other become the best software engineers possible. Not to mention, the curriculum is extremely challenging and increases your capabilities exponentially truly preparing you to be a leader in software engineering. 

Wow! Did I get my butt kicked. I went into Framework not knowing absolutely anything....so green...so unbelievably green. And I have to say this was sooo challenging for me. I had one week to do the precourse work and then I dove head first into Javascript in Framework.

For 4 weeks I went through the course pretty behind compared to everyone else... The course moves fast. But I never felt so inspired at the same time in my "not knowing".  And both instructors Tiffany and Isaac were so knowledgeable and warm, they really made me feel ok that I was struggling and kept me inspired to give it my all.

What I recommend for anyone considering this course is to really get your head around the prework they assign. Focus in on Javascript....I made the mistake of only having one week and just focusing on the HTML and CSS aspect of the precourse during that week. This course challenges you on your knowledge of the Javascript precourse information and moves at a higher thinking level than your normal fill in the blanks and hold your hand Codeacademy exercises.  I believe if you have a good grasp on the Codeacademy and Codeschool Javascript precourse material, you will really step up your whole game with Framework.

What's so crazy is that before Framework - I was just flirting with the idea of coding and had no direction. Here I am 2 weeks out of my framework so a total of 7 weeks of coding overall and I have such direction and am working on a web application using the same structure I was taught in Framework. It's hard to believe what can be learned in 1 month. I really do miss the community of class. I feel like I have a new coding family. It is so much better than learning to code on your own in my opinion.

THUMBS UP!!!!!!! DO IT! AND DO THE PRECOURSE JAVASCRIPT to really get the most out of this course!!