Coding Dojo

 

It was a huge challenge but it would've been more a challenge to learn all I did without Coding Dojo's help. Having a fun and considerate cohort made it a lot easier for me. I guess I got lucky with that one. The TA's and instructors also helped a lot in overcoming many of the topics and concepts I used to consider extremely intimidating. Angular was a scary monster lurking in the shadows until the platform exposed angular for the beautiful, majestic framework that it is. There was a lot I had trouble with but I learned the hard way that any concept can be understood if you stick to it and always remind yourself to never, ever, give up. There were many times I wanted to give up. There were many times I got mad. But all the anger in the world can't get me closer to my goals and thanks to Coding Dojo, I learned a lot more than the goals I set out for. I surprised myself with the knowledge I've learned up till now and the amazing part is, Coding Dojo also taught me even after these three months are over, this is only the beginning of the journey.

During my time at Coding Dojo, I went from being a person with absolutely no coding experience to someone that feels confident in his ability to design and implement full web applications in both Python and Javascript using the MEAN stack. I was also fortunate enough to take the iOS track and have been able to develop basic iOS applications. I have not yet deployed anything on the app store but am in the process of finishing a few projects that I may deploy. I would have liked to get more face time with some of the instructors but other than that the platform was very helpful. I learned how to fix and/or analyze most of my problems on my own and feel confident that I can take that skill into the workplace when needed. I am satisfied with the knowledge I have gained over this time period and would recommend Coding Dojo to anyone with no coding experience that is looking to break into the industry. I believe it is a great entry level program. One thing I would like to see are modules that go over advanced concepts in every language studied.

Coming into the program without any coding experience was a little overwhelming at first.  Though the struggles at first were tough, the progress I made in the end was truly remarkable to me.  I didn't believe the people who told me while I was limping my way through the PHP stack, that it will get easier and things were would eventually start clicking.  It wasn't until I wrote my first callback function in the third week of the MEAN stack that I started to believe that it could be true.  The first few days of the RUBY stack were more of the same struggle, until I hunkered in for a weekend and pushed through the assignments and came out being able to write code without thinking much about it.  The whole experience was eye opening, and since I was willing to put the effort into the material, I was able to come out with knowledge I had no idea I could have.  

The instructors during the dojo were a big part of the experience, and helped a ton along the way.  They were always there to answer a question along the way, but never just gave you the answer.  They really  practiced what the dojo speaks when they say "strength through struggle".

I am glad I invested the time into this experience and am really looking forward to what life has in store for me next.  This experience will travel with me for a long time.

I had a lot of fun learning new languages alongside people with similar interests as me, and being able to learn things I've really been interested in but didn't know where to start. Although we may have gone down different paths, and will continue to branch off, I won't be able to forget the experience I had here, the relationships I made, the friends I met. I'm excited to use what I've learned to further myself and my life!   When I first heard about the bootcamp, I was excited that there was a form of education that seemed more like how I prefer to learn. I went through multiple stages of anxiety when applying, nervous that I wouldn't be able to get in, nervous it wouldn't be right, nervous I wouldn't do well, nervous I wouldn't fit in. But all my worries melted away when I stepped in the door for my first open house.   Coming into the dojo, everyone treats everyone like an old friend - we all shed that layer of fear, of judgement, and we all help each other push through all the struggles. More than anything, that was the most important thing to me.   I'll never forget these past 3 months. And although we may part, I'll always cherish everyone I've spent that time with.

I came to Coding Dojo trying to redefine myself, and it helped me do just that. I had a bit of experience programming before, but nothing formal, and most done on my own.   It's not easy. If you don't have the dedication to invest a sizable amount of time, you will not succeed. The amount of time people put into this program really shows in terms of ability and results. It's supposed to be a struggle, but like their slogan says: strength through struggle. Even with my previous experience there were plenty of times that I just wanted to bang my head on the table. But the great thing about coming in every day and putting in a decent amount of time is having the TAs and instructors there to help you. It's also great knowing that your cohort-mates are also struggling with you; it shows that what you're trying to achieve is not something just anyone can do.   It's fun. I truly enjoyed myself here, and I've gained a number of good friends through my cohort and the instructors. I met a lot of different people and learned a lot not only through the platform but through them. There were times we didn't get a lot of work done, but it was okay. Stay away from the ping pong table.   It's rewarding. Seeing yourself build projects from scratch that you originally had no idea about and probably thought were close to witchcraft is incredibly satisfying. And when you look back at how far you've come, you'll wonder why you ever doubted yourself to begin with.   This program IS for everyone. The instructors do a great job of not leaving anyone behind. I definitely would choose Coding Dojo over any other programming bootcamp.

If you are looking for a career change or want to be a better developer, I would definetly recommend Coding Dojo. Personally , Coding Dojo really changed my perception about coding. Today, I can code in any language and handle any framework. All thanks to my instructors who were very helpful and kept us motivated. Be it any time they would always be ready to help us. 

Another great thing about Coding Dojo is the career services program that they started recently to help the new grads, is worth appreciation. They are really trying hard to get us opportunities. 

Lastly, I would like to say, Coding dojo can help you 45-50 % , the rest is what you make out of it and where you want to be. Have a clear goal and work hard , then you can make the most from the Bootcamp.

If you must be stuck with them, the advice is to lick their boots and never complain about anything in the slightest way or else they will be very suspicious and judgmental of you. That's what happened behind the complainers back at our cohort. Whether coding dojo did well or not, how would it benefit you if you don't praise the bootcamp you already paid $9,000 for?

Of course you would definitely learn SOMETHING at coding dojo!!! But it won't be a ton (unless you do your own research like everyone else said already). So if everyone can just do their own research at home, why even attend the bootcamp? They don't even believe in "teaching" you but for you to teach your own self through google, yeah of course you need to teach yourself idiot, but not from free sources like google and codecademy for $9,000. Should coding dojo worth $9,000 then? I felt like the instructors try to make us look very unappreciative when we already learned their stuff, but at the same time, it was nothing that should be overpriced. Also, why did they lie on their website, especially about the hands on experience that will be so different from going to a university? There are at least 2-3 staffs helping but there are more than 10 students, not everyone got the same amount of attention especially if the staff likes to go chit chat somewhere else. Of course if they have such a good platform that can teach anyone so fast, they are afraid everybody would copy&paste or snapshot them to share with friends and family members, so they wouldn't want to come up with a well accomplished platform, but sell their instructors to teach instead. Good luck if you have a horriible instructor, yes, once you are stuck with coding dojo, you will rely over 90% on self-study and peer helping, do not complain that you paid so much for only 10% of help from the dojo and be appreciative of that until you graduate and have a job and then complain and betray their 10% help.

 

I attended Coding Dojo about two years ago. I never wrote a proper review about Coding Dojo, but the experience has really left a bitter mark, to where I honestly cannot recommend Coding Dojo to anyone. Hopefully they have improved by now, but from what I hear, many problems I encountered are still there. 

The camp that I attended started in November 2013, finishing in February 2014. It was a 9 week program which focused on HTML, CSS, Ruby on Rails, and PHP. It was at the Mountain View location. 

 

THE PROS

- I managed to land a job as a front-end developer after graduating

- I learned a lot about PHP, Ruby

- The knowledge I gained acted as a springboard to leap off of

- I made some lasting connections with my cohort-mates

- Lunch and dinner are included in the program, and delivered every day

- Weekly afternoons in the park were organized to give ourselves breaks, get some fresh air, and get some exercise

 

THE CONS

- 90% of the material is done through an online self-guided tool, which contains videos, quizzes, and assignments. There were daily morning lectures, but they were unorganized and were still being slapped together up until the instructor began the lecture. Most of the learning was through powering through these assignments. They enforced loose deadlines and reviewed assignments regularly, but that was it. The program essentially amounts to you staring at a computer screen for 8-12 hours a day, going through the online assignments, and asking for help from a TA when you have a question. Rinse and repeat for the entire program. 

- The content might not be enough to land you a job. I know at least one of my cohort-mates ended up going to another code accelerator after Coding Dojo. 

- Your experience varies drastically depending on who you're sitting immediately next to. They sat us in groups of 4. I was fortunate enough to be sitting with a group of fairly smart individuals with some coding background, so we made a great study group. The other groups, mostly made up of complete beginners, struggled big time, and most of them dropped out.

- Over half of the group dropped out by the end of the camp, because they couldn't keep up with the self-guided material. Only about 25% of campers had a project to show during demo day. 

- We were only taught PHP and Ruby, with very minimal javascript. In fact, the instructors hardly even know any javascript themselves. Granted, this was in a time where Javascript and the MEAN stack was only just becoming the next big thing, but you'd think that for a code accelerator they'd prep you for what employers will be looking for. At the end of the bootcamp, our instructor told us all that we should learn Javascript and the MEAN stack to land a job. Well, what the hell did we pay you guys for then?

- Instructors and TAs are all Coding Dojo alumni. Everyone that works there is someone who finished the Coding Dojo bootcamp recently. They create videos to update the online learning tool, lead lectures, and share what they just learned a few months ago. Which means, none of them have any industry experience, wisdom, or connections. None of them can be labeled as lead developers or anything. Maybe except the man who runs the entire show (Michael Choi), but seeing as how he spends his time running Coding Dojo, I doubt he has any industry developemnt experience either. How can you expect to learn anything useful from people who've never actually worked in the industry?

- There was no help in the job search. None. Zero. Zilch. All my job hunting was done on my own accord with my own effort. The dojo offered no connections and no recruitment, beyond some basic pieces of advice from the instructors. During our demo day, no recruiters showed up. 

- One of our instructors was laid off in the middle of our camp, who was replaced with another instructor. This put a huge dent in our learning flow, to the point where many people simply couldn't get back into the rhythm. 

- All of our instructors were laid off at the end of our camp. Our TAs, our instructors. Why, I have no idea. One person who replaced them was a coding dojo alumni, who was an instructor-in-training during our camp. Goes to show how things are run. 

 

All in all, I really hope that things have improved by now, but from what I hear, many of these problems are still in place. 

My best piece of advice I can give is: if you're the type of person who is self-motivated, can take on a challenge, and can do above and beyond what is asked of you, you might be able to excel in this program. The nature of this program is that it's mostly self-guided, so you get out whatever you put in. If you want a mountain of homework dumped on your head and to put money on the line to motivate you go to through it all, go for it. If you want a polished and well-organized learning experience, look elsewhere. I personally would have preferred a guided learning experience, rather than just doing homework 8-12 hours a day. What was I paying them for, anyway?

I was able to push through the bad parts (read: pretty much everything), learn all I could, and land a job. I can't say the same for an overwhelming majority of my cohort.

With how poor our experience was, it felt like I was robbed $9000 and 9 weeks of my time. Everyone felt this way. Everyone was pissed. By the end of it, everyone wanted a refund. Most of us dropped out. Most of us didn't have much to show for the past 9 weeks. Some of us even went to another coding bootcamp after. None of us got any help with the job search. 

I do not recommend Coding Dojo. 

---------------- THE GOOD PARTS ---------------- 

- All instructors were nice and easygoing, and will try their best to help when asked.

- White boarding section every morning and the occasional quizzes to practice algorithms.

- Free fruits, snacks and coffee.

- The LAMP track was written well.

- Project weeks at the end of every track.

- Early bird discount, veteran/college students/women in tech discounts. Make sure to ask for them! They could save you some serious $$.

------------------ THE BEST PART -----------------

The group mates. If you get lucky to be in the same group with smart, hard working, driven people, you get ALL your money's worth! I did, and learned so much from my group mates. 

---------- THE NOT SO GOOD PARTS ------------

- PHP. I would rather learn Python. The cohort after mine got to choose.

- Instructors did not have real world experience (all graduated from Dojo then went back to teach), and only can answer questions within the scope of Dojo materials. The minute your questions stray away from that, you better off just Googling stuff.

- The MEAN and Ruby on Rails tracks were full of errors, and needed to be rewritten and heavily QA-ed. If not, students better off with learning from books or online tutorials. 

- Three stacks. Some consider this a good thing but, 2 tracks would be better since that would allow students to get more indepth on each stack, instead of only gaining shallow knowledge of the stacks.

-----------------------------

All in all, although Coding Dojo has many shortcomings, I dont regret attending. Web development is as difficult as it should be, and the Dojo's flawed curriculum made it harder. But if you put in enough effort, you still can get a lot out of the program in 3 months. Coding Dojo is one of the more affordable options for bootcamps, and they are trying to build job assistance during and after education. They also do listen to students' complaints by way of surveys and respond to them.

I came in knowing nothing about programming, with a background not at all related to coding. Now I'm working as a software engineer. I would say 1/5 of its is thanks to Coding Dojo, 1/5 thanks to the collaboration with my awesome group mates, and the remaining due to my own effort.

Overview of websites. Front and back end. Databases.

Intro to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Saturday 10 to 6 One Day

Free lunch

10 students various levels

Informative lecture. Challenging self-paced GUI. Excellent support. Difficult for me as a true beginner. Fun and enthusiastic staff. When it becomes available in Silicon Valley, I would like to enroll in their Front End 4 week course. Learning 3 Full Stacks in 14 weeks for their Onsite Flex program sounds appealing but challenging. To  At this time Coding Dojo does not offer internships and does not guarantee jobs.

 

While working in the healthcare field for years, I had many “what if” moments about what life would have been like had I studied computer programming in college. As coding boot camps became more popular and I had friends who went through these programs, Coding Dojo opened up an opportunity to pursue my passions once again.

At first, I was a little skeptical about the program and whether it could really teach me enough skills to get a full time position as a web developer. Once classes started, I quickly understood how demanding this program was going to be. Most of my fellow classmates put in 12-15 hour days Monday through Friday and even some weekends. Although the program required much from the students in terms of assignments and curriculum, the instructors were always there to help guide and explain concepts. Being surrounded by other students also working diligently also helped provide a support system and motivation to keep at it.

Two things about Coding Dojo that I thought separated it from other boot camps were the 3 stack curriculum and sports day. Learning PHP, JavaScript, and Ruby helped expose us to all the different languages there are, but more importantly, showed us how easily one can pick up other coding languages. Sure, other programs spend 12-14 weeks teaching you only one language, but what I gained from Coding Dojo was the ability to teach myself through documentation and searching, which I find far more beneficial in the real world than becoming very skilled in one language. The other thing I enjoyed was the emphasis on sports day, taking 1 (or 2) days out of the week to get some exercise with fellow classmates for about an hour. Many argued about needing more time to program but when you’re staring at a screen for 12 hours a day, a little physical activity goes a long way in terms of mental sanity and motivation later in the day.

Overall, I definitely recommend Coding Dojo but know that you get as much out of the program as you put into it. It’s not easy but definitely manageable.