iO Academy

I had an excellent experience at Mayden Academy and would heartily recommend it to anyone wanting to jump start a career in software development. 

The course is equally divided between theoretical learning and practical projects, so that you get a good mix of real development experience, working as a scrum team to write entire applications to requirements and deadlines, along with a strong theoretical background to programming which can be transferred to other languages. 

The curriculum is really relevant and engaging, and the academy instructor and guest lecturers tailor their teaching to your learning style, so it's also a very dynamic program. After trying to self-teach various programming languages over the last few years and struggling to get further than the very basics, I found that being taught in person by instructors with a wealth of experience is the best way to learn, and it definitely helps that everyone is really friendly!

You'll learn more in 16 weeks than you'll imagine is possible, and meet some amazing people along the way!

I was part of the January 2023 online cohort for Full Stack Track. I had worked with Mike and iO in my previous job and was aware of their excellent programmes and positive outcomes for their students.  I applied for the course with very little programming experience, other than the free materials/courses online (which I would recommend looking into before applying) and doing the free taster course that iO deliver (oh and reading the excellent student reviews!).I had Charlie as my trainer but also had sessions with Mike and Ash. They are all amazing and so knowledgeable. Charlie was able to break things down to relatable subjects which made some challenging content easier to digest.Not only does the course give you a range of industry relevant coding knowledge, but they also teach you about working in Agile and softer skills required (teamwork, team leading, communication skills, presentation skills). The employment/job hunting advice was invaluable. We had support drafting CVs and I had a full portfolio of projects to talk about in applications and at interviews.The course was full on, and you need to be prepared for that but it’s well worth it. You get out of it what you put in. I had interviews during the last few weeks of the course and was offered a job as a Junior Software Developer on my last day.If you are wanting to change career and get in to software development, I would highly recommend iO Academy to help get you there.

I’m so happy I did the Full-Stack Track course at iO Academy. I’m now working as a backend developer and loving it! The course was amazing, I learnt so much and the teaching made it fun and easy to digest. I’ve had some positive feedback about having a good knowledge base since graduating and it’s all from the course! It also sets you up so well for a job, working in Agile and in a small cohort made the transition into working as a developer really smooth. Also the building and surrounding area is beautiful. I grew so much in confidence during the course, all my worries that I couldn’t do it had gone by the end of the course because you get so much support from the tutors. I don’t have anything bad to say, it’s an intense experience but so worth it. I would recommend iO Academy to everyone!

I started the bootcamp with very very little coding experience and initially I was unsure whether I was the right person for the bootcamp. Fortunately, with the guidance of the trainers and knowing that others in my cohort were in the same boat I can wholeheartedly say that this bootcamp is fantastic for getting a solid foundation of what it is like to work as a software developer. Through a well crafted and curated curriculum blending theory with practical exercises, followed up with a mixture of team-based and individual projects to help consolidate the taught content it has prepared me well for interviews and helped me bag my first job as a Junior Software Developer. I thoroughly recommended the course to anyone thinking of a career change or those who just simply want to start a career in tech. 

I had a fantastic time studying at iO Academy in Bath. Moving from a career in education, I was interested to see how it would be on the other side of the desk and iO surpassed my expectations. The curriculum was set out in a great logical order where you would have to go back on learning you had previously done. The ramp up in challenge was just right. I alternating between theory weeks and project based weeks, where we very early on were taught and adopted the SCRUM way of working. Both of the trainers I had were fantastic, shoutout to Neal and Ash. They really help inspire me and keep me going through. I would recommend this course to anyone considering a career in software.

I couldn't be happier with my experience at IO Academy. The instructors are not only knowledgeable but also incredibly supportive. The curriculum is well-structured and up-to-date, ensuring that I gained valuable skills and knowledge. The sense of community among fellow students is fantastic, and the career support they offer is top-notch. The projects are well considered, challenging and enjoyable. IO Academy has truly exceeded my expectations, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to kickstart a successful career in tech.

Overall, the course was fantastic. It took me from next to no coding experience to being confidently job-ready. I was initially tempted to attempt joining the industry through solo learning but having completed iO's course I think it would be incredibly difficult to be as confident in the range of languages/frameworks and agile processes I was introduced to. 

The curriculum starts slowly but the pace picks up very quickly and the course is very full on for the full four months. The trainers, in particular, are fantastic. All are ex-developers which gives them great insight into what companies require and expect from new starters and the small class sizes make the learning incredibly hands-on. 

One of the most valuable skills you will learn is working within an Agile team. The class sizes are selected for their similarity to real dev teams and you are introduced early to proper scrum ways of working which you will use on nearly every project. This has helped me bed into the team in my new job as it works in an almost identical way. 

The only slightly negative comment I have is the small number of employers that came to our career meet&greet. Only three employers came to meet our class which isn't a huge number, however, I got an interview with two and a job offer from one of those so the employers who come are serious about hiring iO graduates. 

I came to iO looking for a new challenge in my career and, having started the course, was naturally worried about the gamble.  But the Academy trains you at pace, in the fundamentals you'll need to secure that first job as a junior developer.  The workload is intense but exhilarating, and the course is structured so that each week builds on the accumulated knowledge of earlier ones.  The four months flash past stunningly quickly, but despite the intensity, I looked forward to joining my 5 classmates every morning and approaching that day’s build together.

When we graduated, the majority of my cohort secured exciting development roles within days or weeks of the course ending.  And in my experience, there’s an incredibly supportive culture towards junior devs once you're in post.   After your new job has started, you'll also realise that your time at the Academy was actually about developing a methodology, an approach to problem-solving, that you'll use day in day out, no matter what languages or tools the job involves.

I'd recommend to anyone that they put some time into checking that this is the right path for them before committing.  There are plenty of free resources (Codecademy etc) online, and you need to be confident you enjoy the process and challenge of learning to code - it will be a big part of your career long after the course has ended.  But if development still feels like the right path for you, then go for it! And in my experience, iO Academy can help you get where you’re looking to go.

I joined iO Academy after changing career paths with no coding experience and little confidence. After 16 weeks, I could build applications in multiple languages, solve problems with confidence, and present in sprint reviews. Within a month of graduating, I had a job as a developer in a great company and I had more experience in real industry practices than many colleagues with computer science degrees. The transformation was huge and I am so grateful to Mike and Neal for building and delivering a process that prepared me for the way things are actually done! The bootcamp also ensures that there is good support for women and there are regular check ins along the way. I’m reminded everyday that this bootcamp was the best decision I made and I would recommend it to everyone! 

Returning to software development after a 10 year career break seemed like an impossible feat until I discovered the iO Academy and their bespoke training course.

I was able to easily pick and choose which modules I needed to update my skills. Nothing was set in stone so we could adapt the program as we went. I had a mixture of virtual and in person sessions and both worked equally well. Putting theory immediately into practice was not only a refreshing way to learn, but really effective. 

I had been dreading restarting my career and was actually pretty scared about finding out out how little I still knew and how much things had moved on but… the sessions were fun and Mike was super encouraging and supportive. What had felt impossible rapidly felt completely doable. I’m now working again and really enjoying it. iO has a really friendly team that I know I will be back in touch to top up my skills if needed. Thank you iO!