Dev Bootcamp

I enjoyed my time at DBC and they took me from not knowing any coding to building Ruby on Rails sites. DBC is no longer open by the time I am writing this review but there was a few core things that the recent grads would have benefited from in an updated curriculum. First a stronger focus on Node would have been very useful especially with demand for Junior Rails developers being down. Employers now demand much more in terms of experience and personal projects so a guide for post-graduation career development would have been a huge help. Many of the companies on DBC's Employ site were not looking for Junior Developers especially Jr Ruby Developers. I find myself in a weird situation where I am much more technically inclined but not skilled enough to compete for the scarce number of Junior Developer positions on the market. I took a position in a support role that utilizes my skills to some extent but there is no clear path to becoming an actual software developer especially where I am at skill wise. Anyone planning on taking a Coding Bootcamp in the future should really look at the job market and figure out what skills are in demand before attending a coding school. If recent grads of the coding school you are interested in, do not have jobs after 3+ months of looking then maybe that coding school is not worth your money. Job placement is super important and DBC was having a lot of difficulties placing recent grads over the past year. To summarize, I did enjoy my time at DBC but I did not graduate with the skills I needed to get into a Junior Developer Role. 

DBC was a fantstic lifechanging experience. However, I will say, the tech stack is a bit dated. Ruby is on the decline, and if I was to do things over again, and my only consideration was time from program start to securing a job, I was have chosen a Javascript focused bootcamp.

I am going to refrain from rambling on, as there are endless reviews here that will tell you what a transformative experience DBC is, and I echo their sentiments entirely. At the risk of sounding redundant though, Ruby is just not the in-demand language that it used to be. Keep coding after graduation and you'll learn this skills necessary to get a dev job (I'm currently using Java for my job) however, if you expect to get a job immediately, or even that quickly after graduation, I'd recommend you temper you expectations. 

If you're looking to just learn code and learn it fast. Think again. But if you're looking to learn code in an environment that fosters collaboration and focuses more on a hollistic approach to web development, then you're on the right track. Dev Bootcamp Seattle is exactly that. The campus is conveniently located right in Pioneer Sqare in the Capitol One Investment building of lovely Seattle. It's a quaint open layout space with the best staff you will ever meet. These people genuinly care about you, your wellbeing, your learning, your everything. You are their main priority forever and always. From BEFORE you even start your first day, they're interested in getting to know you. Once you're there you gain a new family! The people are amazing and the structure of the classes are amazing. You have 24/7 access to the space and access to a curiculum that is ever changing. DBC prides itself on feedback and has been able to build a system where they can integrate your feedback on a consistent basis. If you're looking for a program that has a good structure to teach students how to code but also teach them how to be great people int he world and then DBC is the place for you. The type of group environment that DBC Seattle foster produces an amazing experience that you can't get anywhere else. They're building a great community out in Seattle. Alumni even care about you! It's an inclusive space where people come together to talk tech, talk food, and just want to get to know you. You'll never feel like you're alone or the only one stuck on a problem at any given point. It's a team effort everyday to make sure you're getting the best education possible. DBC Seattle really curates to their students wishes. If you want to attend a program that teaches you how to code, helps you meeting amazing people and cares about you, then DBC is the place to be. 

Overall...I think the program was pretty good, especially for people who don't have a background in computer science. I graduated from the Chicago campus and the program used Ruby and Javascript as the tools to teach us 'how to learn how to code'.

I'm in Houston now and about to start work on April 17, 2017. There isn't as much Ruby in the city. But JavaScript is still very popular just like many other places around the world.

The one thing I guess I would've like to see DBC push more were things like React, Angular, and Node. But I guess that really depends on what you like and want to do after you graduate.

That said, one suggestion I have is to do research on front-end vs. back-end vs. full-stack. And also look at the jobs in the city or cities you want to work in after you graduate. See what kind of positions are available and what the tech stacks look like before you decide on a bootcamp.

Feel free to connect with me at http://www.mistereng.com.

Before pursuing this career change, I did extensive research into coding bootcamps available. Afterwards, I had decided that Dev Bootcamp was right for me. So much so that even though as a Denver resident it would have been much easier for me to go to somewhere local (such as Galvanize), I left CO for Seattle so that I could attend. Dev Bootcamp offers an incredibly holistic approach to how they teach. First and foremost, they really help alleviate the pressure and stress of taking on such a large task by easing you into the process with the Phase 0 remote phase. On top of that, they make the decision to join Dev Bootcamp easier by offering tuition reimbursement if the program turns out to not be for you. 

With all of that in mind, I went into the program with lofty expectations. I was in no way disappointed. Speaking more to Dev Bootcamp's holistic approach, they also have you undergo career courses to help strengthen your online presence thru applications such as LinkedIn. These career courses also help with resume prep, do's and don'ts, as well as networking skills that have been tremendously helpful. Finally, they also offer Engineering Empathy Courses which honestly, teach you to be a better person. Now that is centered around the framework of being a coder, such as how to work well with a pair or team, but the lessons you learn from this are instrumental to having a better connection with those around you. 

Speaking directly to the core curriculum, I found the work to be engaging, fun, and ultimately, challenging. There is always assignments to be done, and very rarely will you find yourself completing all of that day's assignments before the end of core hours.  This can seem daunting at first, but it was a great way to make sure that I was always challenged. The coursework itself would range in what you were coding or making, but with each assignment came both a way to lock down previously learned skills while learning something new at the same time.

Moving on to the most important part of the review, the staff. Wow. This is where I was truly flabbergasted. Never in my life (sorry previous teachers) have I met people more dedicated to the well being and education of their students. The instructors I had were Jordan and Stu. These two worked incredibly well with each other, playing off each others' strengths and weakness to provide an incredible teaching experience. Both of these instructors came in on holiday's to help offer students more 1 on 1 time. Jerod, the director, did an absolute hands on job with the program as well. Constantly seeking student feedback, doing 1 on 1 check-ins, being active and engaging with students, you name it. You will never find people that have your back in an education setting as much as these 3 will. 

Finally, we have the campus, known as "The Space". The Space has a very comfortable and relaxed feel to it. The entrance is inviting, and give you as small sneak peek of what's in store for you. Once you walk in, you'll immediately see the first lounge area. This includes a wall mounted flat screen (with open HDMI access which is great for working/presenting with a group), a comfy couch, and these ridiculously comfortable rocking/lounge chairs. Surrounding you from there are a sea of Mac computer pairing stations, and a few standing desk pair station. You'll then some some strange looking phone booths so you can take a phone call without disturbing, or being disturbed for that matter by others around you. Moving further into the campus you'll see the "dining hall", a long table where you and your cohort will enjoy your meals with some comradery. A great place to unwind, and talk about how the classwork is going so far. There's also a table with board and card games; a great way to relieve stress and have some extra bonding time with your cohort. The kitchen area is quaint with a full refrigerator/freezer, microwave, coffee pot, electric water kettle, and toaster oven. If you go past the second lounge area, you'll enter the lecture area. This is where the morning and afternoon breakouts happen (classes that are determined by the needs of the students). This area is perfect for learning with a standard tables and chairs, as well as beanbags and a couch for the more comfy learning experience. 

All in all, Dev Bootcamp has been a life changing experience for me. Not only do I have the skills and know how to make it as a developer, but I'm also just simply a better person from the approach that Dev Bootcamp took in teaching.

I attended Dev Bootcamp 2 years ago and it changed my life (no, really!).

I went from knowing absolutely nothing to making a living doing something I could only dream of doing. Plus, I had the bonus of making some life long friends and professional connections.

You'll learn Ruby, JavaScript, SQL, HTML, CSS. You'll learn some basic computer science,  heroku, git and how to structure relational data.

My only criticism is that I wish they were a little more JavaScript heavy. This might have changed since my 2 years there.  This didn't stop me from enrolling my fiancé.

Going to Dev Bootcamp literally changed my career path. I had no coding experience before and when I move to San Francisco, I realized important it is to learn how to code given that the tech industry is very big here. I wanted to learn fast and Dev Bootcamp did not require a prior experience.

It's a 19 week program where the first 9 weeks are remote which was a good thing so that I can still continue my full time job while studying. I really liked this because what if I didn't coding after all? At least I still had my old job right? 

The next 9 weeks was onsite where I dabbled more on Ruby and a little of JS. This experience was very fun, I loved the environment that DBC provided and also the fact that they gave a lot of importance on your soft skills through their Engineering Empathy program. This focuses on how to act socially and how to be more empathetic in a work environment which improves your communication and interpersonal skills. In other words, they train you to become a better human being.

The last week was career week. This was very fast and I felt this is what DBC should improve on. They touch negotiotation skills, how to land interviews, and how to perform on technical interviews. 1 week is not enough for this, especially on the technical interview training.

After graduation, I felt I learned a LOT. It would have been impossible for me to absorb that amount of knowledge if I were studying alone. However, I still felt I wasn't job ready and I wasn't. I struggled to get a job. It took me 8 months before I got employed for a full time position. What went wrong? Besides my job hunting strategy, I felt that the curriculum wasn't up to par with the job openings that were available. There wasn't a lot of Ruby job openings. I hope that DBC could have focused more on JS and would have taught React or Angular. Then again, looking back at the 9 months I spent there, I don't have any idea how they could still fit that into their curriculum given that I really felt I was learning a lot.

I am very thankful for the experience. It wasn't perfect but without it, I wouldn't have entered the tech industry as a developer integration specialist (something like a junior engineer).

The program was excellent and really taught you how to learn new skills/frameworks/technologies quickly. I graduated from the Chicago campus and the program used Ruby and Javascript as the main tools for learning the fundamentals of writing code.

Still in Chicago with a great new gig using Javascript, React, and Node most of which I taught myself following the program using the style of learning I learned there; however, several of my cohort mates got jobs where they are working in the exact languages we learned.

As I was leaving alot was changing; however, for what its worth it was an amazing experience. I agree with what others here have posted about researching the city where you are looking to work and finding out what languages are being used there. Not that you get locked in to a single language/waste time by learning non-applicable skills but it will make you more appealing to employers to have a portfolio in location-industry specific skills and cut down on the jobsearch time.

Great career staff, great mentorship, very intense (military bootcamp time/energy investment) with a lot of kindness and support

Feel free to connect with me at https://rrichardsonv.github.io

I had a truly life-changing experience at Dev Bootcamp (DBC) Seattle. I've had an interest in programming for years and have spent a lot of time and energy self-teaching through online resources and seeking mentorship through Meetup groups, but I was never quite able to get over the hump. I never felt like I really understood the concepts, instead I was just nailing down the operations and syntax.

Enter Dev Bootcamp Seattle.

I learned far more in 18 weeks at DBC than I had over the previous five years of self-teaching. They're the oldest coding bootcamp in existence and it shows. The coursework is on point. You really learn the basic concepts in-depth before you use the fancy new technologies. We got to learn React! It's a very, very popular and marketable JavaScript framework right now. I see it all over the place on job descriptions and had planned to learn it for some time. DBC delivered.

The first 9 weeks is all online. I kept working a regular job and devoted about 20 hours a week to DBC. The coursework was really well put together and you get to start pair programming right away. I was a little resistant to pairing at first, but I now believe there is no better learning tool than pair programming. You'll cover the basics of the command line, Git/Github, Ruby, and Javascript during this phase. Then comes the real deal. 

The pace at which we covered material during the in-person portion (the second 9 weeks) was astonishing. And the most incredible thing is how knowledge much we could actually retain covering material at this pace. The coursework is to credit for part of that, but arguably an even bigger part is the awesome instructors at Dev Bootcamp Seattle. Jordan has a knack for breaking down very complex material into concepts we could all understand. Anil is great at diving in-depth into just about anything in the realm of computer science. They have both been programming for years and are very knowledgeable.

I have talked to people at other bootcamps and to me, quality of instructors may be the BIGGEST DIFFERENTIATOR that Dev Bootcamp offers. Some other bootcamps have instructors that recently graduated the program. I definitely recommend you make this one of the most important criteria in choosing a bootcamp. Realize that all of the technical course material that any bootcamp offers can be found online, maybe not organized as well, but it's all there. Quality mentors are rare. Being able to ask a question and have it explained succinctly by someone that really knows what they're talking about could save you days or weeks of Googling. No joke.

Another big differentiator at Dev Bootcamp is the Engineering Empathy (EE) curriculum. EE teaches "soft skills" like communication and empathy. The session was once-weekly and we covered topics ranging from introversion/extroversion to microaggressions to teamwork. I thought this was a cool concept but did not expect it to be nearly as impactful as it was. I improved my communication skills a great deal during the course of the bootcamp. My wife and other people around me have noticed. This will not only help me at work (employers really value this stuff!) but also in life. It's an outcome I didn't expect, but I am supremely grateful for. In hindsight, engineering empathy is right up there with the technical skills for the most important things I learned at DBC. 

There are other programs out there that offer an internship at the end, which is something that on its face seems very appealing. But realize these internships are not always extended and if they aren't paid, then you're kind of in the same position you would have been without the internship. The question is, would you rather have spent that extra 2 months at the end of the coursework building someone else's app or developing applications that are actually meaningful to you and including them in your portfolio?

After you graduate, DBC sticks with you. Lacey, the careers coordinator, emails us frequently with job opportunities and we also have regular 1 on 1 meetings to discuss the status of our search. You are also provided a lot of resources for making sure your resume and Linkedin are in top notch shape and preparing for technical interviews. Plus you're still able to use the space while working on apps for your portfolio after you graduate.

It is very clear to me Dev Bootcamp is invested in our success and that's what makes me want to spend time writing a review for them. Best of luck with your bootcamp search. At least go meet with Jared at Dev Bootcamp Seattle, you will not regret it.

Why I chose Dev Bootcamp:

Alumni Network: Dev Bootcamp was the first coding bootcamp ever (founded in 2012) and started the whole idea of a web development immersive program. It now has 6 campuses and has one of the largest alumni networks out of any code school.

Tuition: Around 13k (depending on the campus), Dev Bootcamp’s cost is definitely on the lower end of the spectrum. Many schools are now closer to 20k. Also, if necessary, you can repeat the program...for free. As far as I know, no other code school offers anything similar to this.

Curriculum: In my opinion (and I think most people coming from traditional computer science backgrounds would agree with me on this) it’s just not realistic for someone new to coding to adequately learn multiple stacks in just a few months. This helped me narrow down some options and cross-out schools where they promise to teach you 3+ stacks in just 12-14 weeks. I liked Dev Bootcamp’s approach: In 18 weeks you get a solid foundation of Ruby on Rails on the backend and now React on the front including all the fundamentals to make that happen. Laser focused. And the curriculum is designed to act as a starting point for you continue to learn and jump into new technologies on your own.

Duration: I wanted more than 12-14 weeks of training before hitting the job search. Dev Bootcamp’s schedule is longer than most, clocking in at 18 weeks.

My experience there:

I have to be honest here; though I was confident I picked a bootcamp that was right for me, I was still cautiously optimistic about the whole process. But now having gone through the program, I couldn’t have been happier with my decision.

In addition to the full stack development side of the curriculum, Dev Bootcamp also emphasizes best practices for team workflow. DBC does this through a combination of technical and non-technical training (with the latter focusing on pair programming, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and learning general skills on how to effectively work with others in a technical environment). I wasn’t sure what to make of the non-technical focus (dubbed Engineering Empathy) but having gone through the program and now better understanding the actual practices within the industry, I can tell you that this training on interpersonal communication is legit. Not only will it help you find a job but you will hit the ground running when jumping onto a development team.

As someone who has had a fair amount of schooling (3 years of graduate school) I can say that the staff at DBC Seattle genuinely care about the students and are some of the best teachers and mentors I have ever met. Most importantly though, they practice what they preach. The staff will take your feedback seriously as they are constantly pushing themselves to improve on the overall experience. And I’d like to point out that despite Kaplan’s acquisition of DBC a few years ago, DBC has maintained its bottom-up, grassroots mentality by keeping its focus on students and staying active in the tech community through hosting / sponsoring events.

For those of you thinking about taking the plunge into tech, just know that there isn’t a code school that will magically get you a job. You get what you put into it. From what I can tell, (and this is agnostic to any specific coding school), the students that are the most driven and put in the most time are the one’s that find good jobs. That being said, do your research and find a school that fits your needs. Dev Bootcamp was that school for me and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. Feel free to connect if you have any questions - linkedin.com/in/jkranking/