Codesmith

I am a graduate of Codesmith’s 3rd cohort that ran from Oct 2015 - Jan 2016. I also worked as an engineering fellow after graduation until April 2016. As of May 2016, I’ll be employed with an e-commerce startup in Marina del Rey as a UI Engineer. 

 

Going to a bootcamp was a huge decision for me and one that I spent a lot of time agonizing over. I knew that I wanted an advanced level program like Hack Reactor, but the catch was that I needed to stay in Los Angeles for financial and personal reasons.

 

When I attended my first JS The Hard Parts meetup at Codesmith, I was blown away. I had already made up my mind to attend another awesome full-time bootcamp in LA and was prepping for their interview in a couple weeks - Codesmith put a huge wrench in those plans. For one, 

Will Sentance, the CTO, is an incredible teacher that makes complicated concepts accessible for people that are new to programming. Secondly, every student and person on staff that I spoke to was so down-to-earth and friendly that I immediately felt comfortable in this new environment. 

 

Why did I choose Codesmith?

I was accepted into Codesmith and the other bootcamp in LA that I interviewed with. I received a partial scholarship to attend Codesmith, but I had already made up my mind either way. 

Here were the deciding factors:

Rigorous curriculum and excellent instructors that would put me in the best possible position to get hired after graduation.  I liked their emphasis on learning computer science fundamental and algorithms that not all the other programs were offering, and I knew that Will Sentance would be teaching a lot of these fundamental classes. Andy (aka the Code Whisperer) conducted a great admission interview - he challenged me to optimize my code and when I got stuck, he nudged me in the right direction. The interview itself revealed how challenging the coursework would be (a stark contrast to the other interview that I had). 

Community and support - I felt like Codesmith saw potential in me that I couldn’t even see for myself at times. The staff was incredibly supportive, which revealed what I didn’t realize that I needed in a bootcamp - I wanted to learn in a caring, supportive environment. I could not imagine another bootcamp that could do this as well.

 

Did Codesmith meet my expectations?

Absolutely. I wanted a program that had a rigorous curriculum and I got it - more than what I could process at times (which was a good thing - though it was frustrating in the moment). The community and support that I received was amazing. I don’t know if I could’ve pushed through all the challenging times without it. When I needed someone to talk to, I could always find someone to empathize with my situation and help me move through it. 

 

What can they improve on? 

Communication and Organization - last minute schedule changes were frustrating at times. They did let us know that it was because they were constantly iterating on the program to improve our experience. From a student perspective though, it sometimes led to confusion - i.e. anticipating a lecture, but having it moved to the afternoon. 

 

What exceeded my expectations?

How much they were paying attention to pair programming dynamics - i.e. people steamrolling or students shutting down. Unless you’ve been doing pair programming for more than 3 hours with someone, can you fully understand how important this is. When students consistently had a bad experience with someone during pair programming, they made sure to rectify the situation and help everyone grow and learn in the process. We all came out better communicators and team players because of this. 

How Codesmith taught us how to learn new topics in general and how to solve any problem, not just the ones we were given.  Yes, it’s awesome that we learn Javascript, React and Angular, but as a lot of graduates experienced, a lot of companies were looking for other languages and frameworks. Codesmith prepared us to deal with uncertainty, rapidly pick up new material and have confidence that no matter what challenge we may encounter, we’d be able to push through and solve it. 

Hiring day was spectacular. I would’ve been perfectly happy with about 10 hiring partners given that our class size was on the smaller side, however, I was blown away when we had 25 companies in attendance: Whisper, Disney, Tool of NA, Black Tux… We all got in-person interviews after hiring day, which ultimately led to the full-time position that I’ll be starting soon.

Overall, it was an amazing experience. I could not have been as successful in my career transition without Codesmith. For a little taste of the culture and community, see my goodbye/thank you video to Codesmith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy74rtmI64Q

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!

Codesmith has transformed my career path in the course of 3 months.  It is truly an immersive program, dedicated to teaching fullstack web development.  The program is very challenging, in terms of pace and substance, which includes teaching fundamental computer science concepts, Angular and React frameworks, using Node to implement a backend, creating and managing a database, and much more.  There is also quite a bit of support for graduates which consists of additional lectures on various topics and tons of job support.  Codesmith has since become a second home for me, which can be accounted for by the special culture it engulfs you into.

Originally posted on Yelp : Link 

I first heard about Codesmith as my big brother picked up an interest in becoming a software engineer. My brother decided that he wanted to jump straight into JavaScript and we learned about Codesmith while looking for local meetups.

Now although Codesmith is a 12 week software engineering program, they do hold weekly "Build with Code" sessions so that new developers can come in, learn some JavaScript, and  get a feel for the education that one may get when applying to Codesmith.  I've been coming to Codesmith with my big brother for their weekly "JS the Hard Parts" series and it has been amazing. Will Sentance who is CTO and one of the main instructors at Codesmith teaches the sessions and makes an effort to involve everyone in the learning process, as well as make sure everyone is understanding the material before moving on. Our first day at a session was really fun and motivating as well. It really makes you excited to learn and it's what keeps us coming back. I've talked to a lot of people that have been to other places for coding sessions and they often say that the other ones they go to are really boring and they feel more like a study group instead of a session where you actually go to learn something.

I really encourage everyone to check out Codesmith. Whether you are looking for a program to learn software engineering or you are new and want to meet people who are just starting like yourself. Check it out, it's a great environment, and it is extremely friendly and welcoming.

This review was originally posted on Yelp, available here: Anshu S.'s review of Codesmith

If I had to choose a word to describe my experience at Codesmith it would be: transformative. I first heard about the program by reading the CTO, Will Sentance's answer to a question on Quora: quora.com/Are-there-any-…

A friend of mine from high school was interning with Codesmith for the summer and posted about their weekly "Build with Code" sessions which they host in Codesmith HQ Thursdays. I had no plans that day and decided to go, if nothing else but to support a fellow Falcon. I was treated to a lecture by Will on the fundamentals of web development and walked through a tutorial on incorporating video-chat to a web app using Icecomm. At the start of the lecture, Will asked us a series of questions to gauge our level of experience. The only one I got was "Do you know what a variable is?"

That was the extent of my programming knowledge when I started the 8-week academy at Codesmith in the summer of 2015. I am a political economy major at the University of Southern California and my only experience with programming had been a 2-unit Java course that I hastily withdrew from. By the end of Codesmith, however, I had developed a full-stack application that had been a dream of mine for years: an interactive tool for USC students to plan their curriculum over four years. See: class-map.herokuapp.com I also built a snake game, an integrated calendar-chat app, and an alarm-clock that posted messages to a Slack channel via web-hooks when you pressed Snooze.

The difference between a college class and Codesmith is simple: at Codesmith you are surrounded by people who are all vested in your success. The Engineers in Residence that were recruited hailed from some of the top engineering schools in the country --UC Berkeley, Duke, UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania -- and were always eager to help and incredibly supportive. Through a combination of lectures, pair-programming challenges, and projects, the program helps you realize your goals as a web developer. The lectures were clear and informative, and the challenges were difficult enough to force growth as a learner. The "Hack Hour" problems at the beginning of each day solidify your understanding of JavaScript fundamentals and teach you creative ways to tackle standard interview questions. This immersive environment is critical for learning something as difficult as web development.

In addition, Codesmith provides access to the industry through a series of guest lectures which are open to the public. I personally saw Tom Occhino, one of the lead React engineers at Facebook, speak and they recently hosted Netflix tech lead Jafar Husain. The team behind Codesmith is committed to helping every cohort achieve their career goals.

If you are still undecided, I would recommend going to one their weekly meetups and meeting the people behind Codesmith who are all extremely talented and approachable. It's a decision you won't regret, I guarantee it.

I was part of Codesmith's 2nd cohort that went from late June to the end of September in 2015. During that time I've met, worked with, and befriended several intelligent, hardworking, awesome people. I can honestly say that, having gone here, I've changed my life for the better.

I didn't have much of a coding background at all before coming here, but after my 3+ months at Codesmith I feel confident and happy in my abilities. Before applying, be aware that this is a VERY strenuous course; you will be here 60+ hours a week for 12 weeks learning exactly what you need to learn to build a strong foundation and break into the industry. 

That being said, the staff is extremely compassionate and dedicated to the success of the students. If you have the passion and work ethic to push through the challenge, Codesmith can be a very rewarding experience.

The curriculum focuses on JavaScript, Node/Express, Angular, and React, but also covers jQuery, databases, and authentication. The final 6-8 weeks are devoted to building projects.

If you aren't quite sure if Codesmith, or even becoming a software engineer is for you, then I highly recommend that you check out one of the many free Meetup events that Codesmith hosts:
meetup.com/codesmith

Beginners and experienced coders are welcome to come learn and meet with the teachers and students.

In the Los Angeles area I really can't image that there is anywhere better to learn how to code. Codesmith is devoted to providing the best possible experience and supporting the growing community.

Codesmith has transformed my life in such a short amount of time. I knew I wanted to be a web programmer and I was going to teach myself JavaScript over this past summer. On my own I probably would have still been trying to learn the fundamentals, not creating projects to reinforce my knowledge in different frameworks and libraries. Codesmith didn’t teach me to program by giving me the syntax to a function, but they explained the process of a function and how its variable store works. Getting a deeper understanding of how a computer executes a callback function, for example, has gotten me further than solving a single problem on an online tutorial. I have learned how to be/think/act like a full stack engineer.I didn’t come from a stereotypical tech background, I graduated with a B.A in American Studies a few months ago and now I have a good understanding on how servers, databases, and multi-threading work. It is such a great feeling to be able to understand the process of what your code is doing, but there is so much more I want to learn. Technology is constantly evolving and Codesmith has equipped me with a skill set to keep learning on my own.

I had just graduated from college with a B.S. in computer science when I stumbled upon Codesmith. Looking to get some web development experience, I decided to take the course and am very happy I did so.

As many people will tell you, there is a gap between industry expectations and what you learn through computer science classes and projects. This is a gap that can be largely filled by experience, and Codesmith does just that. At Codesmith, you receive a balance of computer science fundamentals and practical skills. Among other things, you will become intimately familiar with data structures, basic algorithms (sorting and path-finding) and Big O analysis. You will use what you learn in development so that you have practical skills to accompany the theory.

The web-development curriculum provides excellent exposure to full stack web development. At Codesmith you will learn many things the hard way first, for example, learning to use Node to set up servers without any frameworks before learning to use Express or Hapi. This will give you a deeper understanding of both what’s going on underneath the hood, and in the bigger picture of your application.

One of my favorite things about Codesmith is that they value holistic growth, meaning you won’t just be taught to be a developer who can create websites with ready-made tools. You will be encouraged to become an engineer, who can architect systems beyond websites, and to modify or create your own tools as you see fit. You won’t just be an engineer with team experience. You will be encouraged to lead through empathy, and follow industry workflow with version control and testing. Additionally, Codesmith holds “tutorials” where you will have moderated discussions on tech. One of my favorite discussions was on Client side vs Server side rendering. You will be encouraged to form a strong understanding of whatever technologies you’ve been exposed to so that you can communicate your thoughts coherently to laymen, as well as anyone else in the industry.

It does take commitment and hard work on your part, but if you want to be a full-stack developer and like what you have heard so far, I recommend checking out Codesmith to find out more.

I am a recent graduate of Codesmith, and it was an incredibly rewarding experience. I came to Codesmith looking to make a career change, and the experience was way more than I expected.  

Codesmith teaches you to be a full-stack developer, and you are challenged constantly throughout the process.  You build a deeper understanding of data structures, algorithms and fundamental javascript concepts with daily hack hours. There are lectures daily on key technology topics as well as application-specific concepts. Most importantly you will also learn Angular, React, Node, Express as well as database applications like MongoDB, PostrgreSQL. The days are broken up in a way that you are always going and the time really flies. As you learn new technologies, you are challenged to build both group and solo projects of your choice utilizing those technologies.  The projects are both challenging and incredibly rewarding as you solve real problems encountered while building and deploying applications. 

Beyond the coding - there is an incredible community at Codesmith. Guest speakers from major companies like Facebook, Netflix, NFL.com and NPM just to name a few were great additions. Most importantly, the friends you make, and relationships you build are amazing. The engineers/instructors are genuinely invested in your development as an engineer and are always willing to go the extra mile to help you. If you want to learn something - they will help you get there!!

I completed the 8-week Summer academy at Codesmith this past summer and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  At the time I had just finished my MBA at USC Marshall and was looking to continue learning and challenging myself in the available months I had before I began my new role.  I was familiar with Codesmith from their weekly Javascript - The Hard Parts sessions, meetup.com/build-with-co…, and it was immediately apparent this was a well-designed program with serious promise.

It was an intellectually challenging experience. My previous programming experience was limited, so the initial learning curve was steep.  The full 12-week program is designed around a 30% - 40% working familiarity with Javascript starting day 1, so I had some ground to make up, but I did.  Within a few weeks I was working on teams building full-stack applications, browsers games, and a hilarious web scraper that kept you alert of everything Donald Trump was tweeting.  The progress I made in a matter of a few weeks was pretty remarkable.

Learning by building is the approach at Codesmith, and it's effective.  The first weeks of the program cover computer science fundamentals like algorithms, data structures, APIs, and databases, but they are taught via coding challenges and mini projects that merge theory with real world application.  Some topics come more easily than others, and some days require an inhumane volume of coffee to finally debug an application, but the rate of concentrated learning is unlike anything I've ever experienced before.  The remainder of the program is dedicated to working in teams on group projects.  The Codesmith engineers kick off each day with hack hours as well which help you continually hone your coding chops.

The building is spacious and crackling with a palpable feeling of enthusiasm and hard work. Everyone is there to help, and you can feel it. I highly recommend the Codesmith program.