Codesmith

Codesmith is the cutting edge of what education ought to be. Prior to this, I had a Computer Engineering and Economics background, though in reality at University I had very little idea of what I really wanted to do, with both an entrepreneurial spirit and also liking the technical side and hands-on work. I needed a way to master and apply these goals. I soon realized that Codesmith was my proof of concept;  it gave me drive and focus and you will learn how to embark specialization in the engineering field to acquire the strongest competitive advantage in a constantly tidal industry. 
The first time I attended one of Codesmith’s free workshops was in NYC, prior to permanently moving to LA and entering the Venice chapter. It was one of Will’s lectures on the hard parts and examining industry trends. Aside from having the ability to clearly explain complex concepts to many non-traditional crowds with backgrounds ranging from Ex-Finance, Ex-Law to Ex-Biology and applying them to modern applications, Will is also extremely energetic and inspiring; in a way he is much like a motivational tech speaker as well as an entertaining and informative lecturer who advocates for dynamic learning. After attending the free events and preparing for a month and a half, I applied and got into the Venice cohort for Autumn. 
The entire Codesmith team and existing students were extremely warm and welcoming and ensured we had access to the best resources and mentorship. The daily programming had a fluid and well thought out schedule and the team is extremely approachable when any trepidations arise. Unlike my past encounters in engineering classes or even engineering sororities/frats, I did not feel excluded or minute anymore. I felt that I had a voice and a true impact. I felt level on the playing field if not leveraged, and I felt empowered. 
The culture at Codesmith is what every tech firm’s culture aspires to be like; it is hosted by a community of intelligent, enlightened, tolerant people which allows you to diversify your network outlook. The culture there will become your greatest advocate as you make the advance through pair programming and project based learning. You realize that there are many different methods to the same goal, the same problem, but raining on new ideas, constant brainstorming, feedback and examination is what will make you quick to adapt and highly performant to the environment. You also acquire an ability to skillfully embed creativity into the applications and systems you build, to ideate as well as decide on the key trade-offs behind design choice. Pursuing this is what will cultivate the depth of knowledge and leadership skills to thrive with any company.
Codesmith is not just a Software Engineering training program and its experience extends beyond  the bounds of the 3 month immersive. It teaches you micro and macro career planning, careful decision making, and how to design and implement scalable, efficient systems in computers and in life. We learn to constantly pivot and to feed into our curiosity to grow in the direction of personal and professional development. 
The hiring support is exceptional. The team consists of former alumni from Ivy Leagues, successful Entrepreneurs, Angel Investors and a range of well versed backgrounds both in and out of the field who were committed to my success every step of the way. Amid the rise of the global pandemic, Annie from the alumni support team remained just as resourceful, available, and was extremely adept at checking up on us in our job exploration and interview process. The team gave us the roadmap to success using industry knowledge and best practices to achieve our highest potential and held us at very high standards. 
After I received offers from different companies, Eric gave me advice and key insights on negotiation strategies for salary, benefits, equity and pushed me to have the courage and confidence to do so. As a woman and minority in STEM, I have always felt the very present stigma of imposter syndrome and the victim mentality. I’ve felt discouraged from negotiating a contract at times, that I should just willfully accept the best offer presented to me as many women who have been conditioned to feel this way can relate. However, this time was different. After having the guidance from Eric and the entire hiring support team as well as many CS(CodeSmith) Alumni who have been at the exact same position, I was able to finally realize the value of having a different background than the majority and to see that as an asset. I ended up successfully negotiating an extra $10K on an offer and accepting a Software Engineer position at my dream company!
I have to say, I am equally as proud to be an Alumni of Codesmith as I am of my Alma Mater, and in many ways I have grown more professionally and industrially from Codesmith’s impact than I have from any other traditional schooling, organization or institution. This program outlines an extraordinary blueprint for modernizing education and the way it impacts career viability, professional progression, and is an archetype of education for the future. With that being said, I think it’s time to change your future now and let no time go to waste. 

I am a recent graduate and I can confidently say that Codesmith is an amazing immersive program that teaches you how to become an amazing engineer. 

The immersive program itself is a combination of hard computer science, pragmatism, and an empathetic community. It teaches you to be patient with yourself, to cuddle with the struggle, and to power through hurdles so that you can gain a deeper understanding of what Codesmith calls "the Hard Parts." It's a blend of pair programming and project-building using modern technology stacks. The instructors themselves are passionate, accessible, and empathetic, which are exactly what students need when learning these difficult-to-grasp topics. You'll get a lot out of this program, but keep in mind that you also have to be able to put work in as well. 

At the end of the day, this bootcamp itself is more like an immersive program. You'll feel like you've been learning for a year, but in reality, it's only been a few months. You'll also come out quadruple times more wiser in the engineering world and ready to tackle most engineering problems that you'll face. 

Thank you again Codesmith, it's been a wild ride. Happy to say that I've enjoyed the experience and to start a new chapter in my life!

The experience going through the Software Engineering Immersive program is extremely difficult. The hours are long, you're being pushed to grow in so many more ways than just coding and technical ability. But that's what makes it a unique bootcamp amongst all the others. 

Of course, Codesmith teaches all the technical stuff, but its true value comes in teaching you how to learn on your own. The course is structured so that you run into blocks, and learn as you push through them. There's plenty of help and support along the way, making sure that when you leave Codesmith you have the confidence and ability to tackle any problem.

Before CS Prep I would watch a solution video in CSX or FreeCodeCamp and understand the solution but would always have trouble coming up with the right 'idea/approach' to a problem on my own. 

I had already worked my way through most of CSX, often times getting stuck on some of the harder problems in the closures and higher order function sections. When I say stuck I'm talking like trying multiple different approaches to the same problem for an hour or so for a day and having to come back the next day. 

CS Prep helped me bridge that gap. Now I don't feel lost for ideas when I see a problem and I also don't find myself going down rabbit holes with a wrong approach. 

I learned a lot about how important it is to pseudo code and talk out loud through your logic.  I used to spend about 10% of my time on pseudo coding, 50% coding, and 40% debugging. CS Prep helped me shift my mindset towards more pseudo code which has lead me to much less debugging and frustration.

If you've been to the Hard Parts workshops you will be familiar with the style of teaching. It's an engaging style of teaching where the instructor calls on different people to walk/talk through code line by line while giving advice on technical communication. 

Look, if you've made headway on some hard learning and really want to boost your confidence and analytical problem solving abilities then I think CS prep will help you like it helped me.

Not only that but you'll meet some great people of all different skill levels, improve your technical communication, become a better pair programmer, and be on your way for a technical interview for an immersive.

Shout out to our instructor Chris who personally helped me work through some tough problems and prepare for my technical interview.

I attended the Beginner JS Course through CodeSmith. Overall, the experience was really good. Typically, the workshop spans over 2 weeks, however, this particular session was crammed over a weekend. It was intense. I think it gave a flavor for how the immersive program would feel like. 

I'm familiar with some of the basic aspects of JS like loops and functions. During the course, I was able to ask detailed/ specific questions. I like how the lectures are designed. Each student will get multiple opportunity to explain how JS would work in a given scenario - the responses are technical. This is great because communication is a huge part of programming. 

The pair programming was a great experience as well. I got to work with a few folks that were more experience than I was and some that were less experience. I choose Codesmith because of the format and strongly recommend it.

Prior to this course I had just starting coding a few days earlier. This course was a special course that was from Saturday to Sunday, instead of Saturday to Saturday. The information provided was very helpful. It is an interactive course which is necessary for learning tech. One thing I really appreciate about Codesmith is that they strongly encourage us to work with others and provide several opportunities for us to do that in this course. It can be daunting at first but being able to work through problems with other students added to the experience. Sophie was our instructor and I so appreciated hearing her journey into tech as well as her knowledge of JavaScript and more. It was a learning curve for me since my background is NOT in tech but I embraced the challenges. Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this course for anyone considering going into tech. 

I started this course knowing next to nothing about coding besides a few small lessons (ie what a variable is). This class goes over all of that and more, providing a foundation for more advanced courses. More importantly, this course gives a great taste of what coding is like and whether it may be the right path for you. The final assignment is a fun group project where you create a text-based game. I got really into it and along with my partner ended up creating one that was pretty advanced for my level, which encouraged me to keep going forward with my journey. If you're just starting out and not sure where you should start, this is the course for you! 

I was part of the first JSB cohort that ran over one weekend. The schedule was Saturday and Sunday (9 AM/PST-3 PM/PST) and Monday(6 PM/PST: Group Presentations). 

The Curriculum was great I feel it prepared me to tackle the problems presented during and after class, and even if I didn't get it right on my first attempt I had the tools to take a different approach.  The pair programming really helps to alleviate the imposter syndrome that I was facing trying to learn in isolation. 

Curriculum: 10/10


My Instructor was Sophie Nye. I have nothing but superlatives to describe Sophie.  She was knowledgeable, extremely thoughtful and, patient. She had an infectious energy that radiated over the entire course.  Spend six hours in class is an uphill battle even for the highly motivated(which the cohort was), but Sophie made us feel safe, and serious but not too serious. The depth with which she answered each question was thoughtful, and without spoon-feeding. She constantly challenged us over the three days and we are all better because of it. I know I am. 

Instructors: 10/10


 This course will help you to solidify the foundational concepts of Javascript, but takes it further. This course pushes you to be able to upgrade your technical communication. Most of us could answer questions, but when asked to not only answer but explain your full understanding of what is happening is where we all grew.  You can easily find courses that can teach you the basics of  Javascript, but I was unable to find one that really pushed me to understand what was going on with every line of code I executed.  The best part of my CodeSmith experience (so far, more on this later) is the people I was able to meet and form fast friendships with. You get the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life, who are highly motivated and very welcoming. These are bonds that I hope to keep throughout my CodeSmith journey and well after.

Overall Experience: 10/10

If you are on the fence let me share some more information that may help: 

After completing JSB, if you are accepted into CS Prep, & later into one of the Software Engineering Immersive programs, your JavaScript for Beginners tuition will be applied to the next program you take. (This was huge in my initial decision making) 

If costs is a deterrent like it is for me. CodeSmith has very good scholarship programs (fingers crossed)

I was extremely satisfied with the JSB experience, and I highly recommend this course for anyone who wants to really learn on a higher level. I believe so much in every word I just wrote that based on my experience in JavaScript for Beginners, I have applied for the CSPrep and then will apply for the Full-time software engineering immersive.

It was such an excellent experience going through the course. They cover fundamentals & advanced Javascript topics, CS fundamentals(recursion, closures, asynchronous javascript, callbacks & higher-order functions, algorithms, etc.), CS fundamentals, pair-programming, coding challenges, video recordings, slides of all lectures so you can review, helpful recourses, the slack community where someone is always there to answer questions. The Codesmith community is so supportive and respectful. Their teaching style is the best I've seen so far and you gain a much deeper/in-depth understanding of the under-the-hood/inner workings of Javascript. The instructor, David, explained everything in such an easy to understand way so as to be able to grasp advanced concepts and was also very respectful and patient. 
I can't say enough good things about Codesmith-they rock!!!!! 

Overall I can truly say that I enjoyed my experience at Codesmith. I attended every easy/hard parts workshops, JSB, CS Prep, and the Immersive. The supportive community within Codesmith is what kept me coming back for me.  In the famous words of Schno, "Research, Parse, Implement". These are the words that you will live by everyday. I love that Codesmith implemented the "hard learning" technique because it encourage me to dive deeper into the docs. On the other hand, If I had to constructively criticize the program it would probably be  towards the curriculum needing a bit of updating.  Because GraphQL is a hot topic right now I think it might be a great time for it to be additional unit. Additionally I feel like CI/CD and Testing units should be larger and more emphasized units, and maybe placed a little earlier. 

The hiring portion of the program was definitely a huge help in my job search. Outside of the hard learning through back to back projects, the hiring portion is the bread and butter of the entire program.  Although the program does not hold your hand during the resume iterations and job board profile creation, they provide a lot of details on how they should look.

In the end your success within the program is completely up to you. Some of the keys to success: take advantage of every Hack-Hour, do not be afraid to be the only person asking a question during lectures, abuse help desk, be a collaborative/empathetic pair programming partner, and last but not least, make sure you choose a production project with technologies that you want to be apart of your narrative. The narrative part will definitely come in handy during interviews! 

I was skeptical that Codesmith could deliver what it promised—the software engineering job I wanted—after only three months.  And yet two months out from graduation, I received an offer to join the front-end web team at a great company as a software engineer (where I remain happily employed).  I had practiced law for eight years prior to deciding to become a software engineer, and had never coded prior to 2019 - my background was very “non-technical”.  Codesmith distinguishes itself from coding bootcamps by its commitment to its residents—they believe that no matter your background, you can succeed in tech by learning to view the inevitable mental blocks that arise while coding as opportunities for growth and pushing through them—instead of viewing them as indications that you’re “just not a tech person”.  By pushing through those mental blocks, I gained a confidence in my own abilities as an engineer that is as valuable (or more) as the knowledge of various technologies I came away with.  If you love solving problems and are drawn to making a difference in technology, but unsure how to break into the industry, look no further than Codesmith.

If all you're looking to do is learn how to code, Codesmith teaches that for free with their Hard Parts workshop and CSX community. I can attest to that, since I attended the free programs for almost 3 months before entering the immersive program. And in fact, that was all I needed to get the job I have now.

But without going through the program, there's no way I would have even gotten to the interview, let alone ask for the ridiculous salary I'm earning now.

The value prospect of Codesmith's immersive program is tailoring a context for students to showcase their skills and interests. For me, the greatest aspect of the program was ingraining in us a confidence and sense of worth by caring enough to push the pause button every now and again to relax and reflect on what we accomplished.