Ironhack

Before starting the UX/UI Design course with Ironhack I had a comfortable job. You know one of those come to work, do your job, don't ask any hard questions, grab lunch, go to a meeting or two. I was comfortable, but wasn't fullfilled. I knew I had to make a move to puruse a life that I really wanted, possibly in the fastest amount of time possible.​

I had experience within the UX/UI design field prior to my comfortable job, I took on a few freelance jobs as side income, but I wasn't anywhere near able to puruse a full UX/UI career. I needed to add to my portfolio, tighten up my design skills, and meet more people in the industry.

I knew I needed further education, but the question was what program or school could offer the results I needed in the fastest amount of time possible? Before I make any big decisions I research the heck out of everything, comparing, contrasting, emailing past clients or students in this case, and asking everyone I could on what they thought of the program I would be spending a good chunk of money on. I researched design programs in Atlanta, Chicago, and Texas, speaking with their advisors and asking a multitude of questions. None though were as genuine, honest, and optmistic as Alia Poonawala from Ironhack. I placed my application on a Monday morning, she called me the following Tuesday morning, requesting I come into a meeting later that day. She answered all my questions, even allowing me to briefly meet Daniel Brito, the Ironhack Placements manager and one of the most genuine/well connected humans I have ever met.

I accepted the offer from Ironhack two days after the meeting, quit my job, and began my UX/UI journey for the next 3 months.

The friends I've made, students, mentors, and industry professionals, was something that I did not expect. THIS IS NOT ANTOTHER DESIGN MILL CHURNING OUT STUDENTS PEOPLE. This is a real community of designers, developers, and creative professionals coming together to help each other be the best they can be.

The instructors who taught the course varied in design expertise, but all truly cared about your sucesss. They provided revelant design skills, insights, and mentorship, allowing me to learn about things that have helped me succeed as a professional today. Now I do reccommend that you consider the amount of time you want to put in here. What you put in as far as questions and extra practice is all up to you and will benefit you if you allow it to. They will give you the water but it is your decision to drink, so to speak. The course is broken up into different parts of the design process, for different weeks, and this allowed us to really deep dive into the specific designs skills that we needed.

Professionally, the course also provided resume/portfolio advice, mock interviews, and branding guidance. They teach you skills as a designer but also prepare your brand to be competitive in this field. This is something that places Ironhack a notch ahead of other schools.

Upon hiring week, yes they have a hiring week, I interviewed with 12 potential companies, gainining 3 job offers and accepting one offer for a well-paid consulting gig. Now, like I mentioned previously, you have to listen to what Daniel Brito, the hiring manager, says to a tee, he is an industry expert and will give you the best advice if you listen. You also have to put in the time during/after class to sharpen you skills and listen to the design instructors, they will not give you the job you have to honestly work for it.

Overall the most important thing I learned from this course, besides the many design skills, was that you can accomplish anything if you truly put your mind to it. My class consisted of students from all types of backgrounds, biology, anthropology, I came from psychology and digital marketing. But we all gained enough valuable skills and contacts in the field to accomplish our goals, whatever that was to each individual. 

Join this program if you REALLY want to be a designer, this is the program to take your career to the next level.

I started the Web Dev bootcamp having had some academic experience in programming a few years before (introductory computer science university courses).
My goal was to learn the professional basis of web development, in order to later be in a confident position to apply, work and gain experience in the field. Having finished this course about a month ago, I conclude that this mission has been achieved :)

After finishing the course, I was offered to stay on board as a teacher assistant in the next cohort, in addition to the more experienced teachers already on the team. I accepted this opportunity with pleasure, having done tutoring in the past, and as I found Ironhack to be a productive and fun environment.

A few good points about the course, from a mixed perspective of a former student and a current team member:

• As a student, I found the Ironhack team to be personal, accessible and dedicated to its students. The general manager and all the other staff were always a room away, and ready to greet anyone with kindness and a positive change attitude.
   
• Having researched the market a bit, and consulting friends who are experienced developers, the curriculum learned in the course seems to be extremely relevant to the current ecosystem. As a team member, I notice the effort we make to constantly adjust the course as needed. This is a regular mission, as technologies change, trends come and go and the market shifts.
   
• However, beyond the specific technologies learned, the most important skill I gained during this bootcamp was the conceptual understanding of the process and architecture of a full-stack project. For instance, a strong focus was understanding what APIs are, how they are designed, and how they serve as a kind of language to interact with data. Understanding and practically implementing such modern web dev concepts are indispensible in becoming a developer yourself.

I now feel confident starting my career as a web developer, and so I can recommend this experience for whoever is in a similar situation.
 

Prior to attending Ironhack I worked as a teacher and coded whenever I was able to find the time. As I coded on my own, I would often find myself getting stuck, frustrated, and not knowing where to turn. After research and visiting several bootcamps in the Miami area, I decided to attend Ironhack for the full time web development course. One of the key factors in my decision was the desire to learn Javascript and the MEAN stack, since I knew they are popular and in-demand technologies of the web and Ironhack had recently re-vamped their curriculum to reflect that.

The staff at Ironhack is like a family; they do everything they can to make students feel a part of that family, as well as a part of the Miami tech scene. Marisa, Danny, and Alia are always checking in to make sure you feel supported and are adjusting well throughout the course. Nizar, the lead instructor, is awesome! Not only is he a smart, experienced teacher and a Javascript wizard, he’s also extremely helpful and humble. He is very patient and takes the time to break everything down so you truly understand the concepts, whether it is as a class, or one-on-one. He supports his students, giving them the confidence and tools to succeed in anyway he can. He gets to class early, stays late, and gives 110% every day.

The TA’s at Ironhack, Kevin and Ariel, are former graduates of the program. They are very knowledgeable and help support the students since they have been through the bootcamp experience themselves. Instead of just telling you how to solve whatever you may be having difficulty with, they help guide you to the solution so that you can really think like a programmer. If you are really stuck, both Kevin and Ariel do a great job of reinforcing key concepts.

Daniel Brito, the placements manager is one of the most passionate people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. If you are seeking a job after graduation, Daniel is one of the most powerful weapons in your arsenal! He is a networking guru in the Miami tech scene and has the top players come in to speak to the class.  He constantly encourages you to have “no chill” and will work hard and fight for you so long as you put in the work.

The most important things I gained from attending Ironhack are learning programming and knowing where to turn when I got stuck. Ironhack taught me the foundations of web development and skills that I can transfer as I learn new programming languages and grow as a developer. I was able to get a full time job as a developer a little over a week after graduation, and I can truly say Ironhack has helped me change my life!

Now you might be reading this and asking yourself, "so this sounds great, but what's the catch?". There is no catch, but don't be fooled into thinking this course is easy. The amount of information you learn and the speed of the course is very intense. You have to put in a lot of time and effort into every aspect, both inside and outside of the classroom. There will be days where you're exhausted, you want to slam your head against a brick wall in frustration, and your code just won't work. But if you work hard, trust the process, and seek support, you will finish the course in disbelief with what you've accomplished in such a short time.

I took Ironhack's Full Time Web Development course in Paris over the summer 2017. It was the first batch for the Paris Ironhack campus. My motivation for taking this course was to build up the skills necessary to code the prototype of a project I had a mind. Having finished the course 3 weeks ago, I can definitely now say: mission accomplished!

I'm today fully able to build a full-stack web app on my own and I knew close to nothing about web development on day 1. Disclaimer: I had had some coding experience some 10 years ago in unviveristy but nothing related to web development. Bottom line: I fully recommend taking this course in Paris.

Here are a few highlights:

• The team (teaching and non-teaching) is amazing! They are very attentive, thoughtful and friendly
• The course material is very comprehensive, with a lot of opportunities for putting theory in practice. It is so well detailed that you could almost follow it on your own.
• The student-teacher ratio was quite low for a coding bootcamp (maybe 5-6 to 1 on average)
• The extra-curriculars were nice: talks, events, happy hours. The team has close access to the tech world in Paris and was able to bring in some interesting players.
• The location is amazing, in the heart of Paris. The WeWork office where it was held is a really high end location - the rooftop view!!

Overall, a very positive experience and I would recommend it to any one who wants to learn web development!

I went to Ironhack because I had a background in Computer Science but had little to zero experience with Web Development. I like that they gave us a pre-work exercise couple months before the bootcamp started so that everybody starts more or less at the same level. The location, building and stuff are super nice! Everybody is very friendly and willing to help. Our instructor Nizar is very knowledgeable and is a true Javascript ninja that can answer pretty much any question you might have about coding. Nizar is also very dedicated and truly loves coding which makes him an excellent mentor. Kevin and Ariel as TAs were very helpful and would stay with students even after hours to help which is great! Daniel Brito was very positive and knowledgeable. He is a placements manager and will do his best to help you land a job in this field so be sure to listen to his advices and attend the social events (super important!). Alia Poonawala is super friendly and nice and I think Ironhack Miami is in good hands with her as a bootcamp director. 
The reason I'm giving 4 out of 5 stars because of the curriculum/pace. In my opinion we were spending too much time on easy things especially in the first 1.5 weeks which has led to falling a bit behind on a schedule and having to skip some topics/exercises later in a course. I do recommend future students to try and complete those after hours as you will gain more experience and have better understanding of how things work. Work hard and it will definitely pay off in the end.

I'm sure you're reading this because your a skeptic. It's hard to believe that a course can teach Full-Stack Web Development in 9 weeks, and get you ready for a job in the field. Before I get into my review, let me preface it with a little information about myself. Prior to Ironhack, I worked as a line-cook, with no college and almost no programming knowledge. A week and a half after Ironhack ended, I had two full-time job offers to become a Web Developer. Now, it's not a magic wand, that will automatically give you a job. You have to work for it, and you have to love what you do. It is an intense course.

The intensity of the course, did teach me one of the most important things, when becoming a developer, and that is how to learn. The tech industry is constantly changing, and since the course is very fast pace, you learn to learn, and that's what future employers want to see in junior developers. 

The instructor of the course is Nizar, and he knows his shit. Not only does he know what he's doing, he's extremely passionate about it and truly cares about his students. On multiple occasions he would stay well past 9, to make sure he could help everyone and ensure everyone is on the same page. Nizar is not only a great teacher, but a great mentor.The T.A.'s, Ariel and Kevin, were also always eager to help, and would always be there for guidance. Building upon that, the entire staff at Ironhack is truly wonderful. They care about your well-being and almost immediately become your family.

As mentioned earlier, the class is intense, it's definitely doable if you have the heart for it. My class size was about 20 students, but it was one of the larger cohorts. During the course, you truly become close with your fellow students as you're all going through the same experience. 

Brito, the job placement manager, is insane, and I mean that in the best way possible. In the last week, he will make sure you are absolutely prepared to get a job, whether it be making a resume, practicing interviews, and applying for jobs. He will do everything he can to make sure you get where you need to be, provided you put in the effort yourself. He's not there just to make sure you secure any job, just to boost some imaginary number. He will make sure that you get a job that is truly right for you. 

Only 3 months prior to my graduation of Ironhack, I was working in a kitchen, and now I am working full-time as a web developer. The course is difficult, but if you put the work into, it can change your life.

Ironhack is definitely one of the greatest decisions I have ever made. I went into the part-time course with the fear I would waste my money on a course that would ultimately leave me feeling unprepared for taking a role as a Web Developer. Instead what I found is the most supportive network of individuals who truly understood the sacrifice I was making and gave their everything to make this a worthwhile experience.

Not everything was perfect, especifically for Part Timers the variation in instructors was not conducive to the most stramlined way of learning, but they adressed these issues personally with us, assuring we still got everything we needed and did not feel left behind.

I definitely recommend Ironhack for anyone trying to make a change in their lives. I had been in Retail for the past 6 years and it was becoming harder and harder to see a way out, but thanks to Ironhack I can finally do something I enjoy for a living and pursue a career in a field that I love.

What is taught at Ironhack is the MEAN stack, which is incredibly valuable to learn as is one of the most demanding technologies on the market. Also, team work, resilience to frustration and how to overcome it was definitely a strong take away from the course.

I got a front-end job a week after I finish the Bootcamp, and I can say that is thanks to Ironhack, I think that says all about career impact. The learning content and interview preparation are both invaluable for succeeding on technical interviews.

The instructors are all experienced developers with years in the industry, therefore they don’t only teach you the technologies but also give you good advice on how to succeed as a developer and what companies are looking for.

Ironhack’s staff is awesome, they are always there for you. They listen to your concerns and try to resolve any issues you might be having. They even schedule 1to1’s with students regularly to make sure you are happy with everything.

The classroom is like one big family, don’t be surprised if you finish the course with 20 new friends to hang out in Barcelona.

Starting the class with absolutely no coding experience prior, I'm very happy with how much I learned during the Cohort. IronHack was really great at explaining the fundamentals thoroughly and at a pace that everyone in the class understood. So much help was offered during and after classroom time. The class size is ideal as well - everyone got to know each other and it was easy to discuss the problems they had with their own code while sticking to schedule.

In my opinion, the best part of this course is the fact that it not only Learning the MEAN stack, but IronHack provided the resources and material to keep moving forward and learning more on your own.

I highly recommend IronHack to anybody who wants to start coding confidently. It was a fantastic, incredibly helpful course taught by great people!

Ironhack really struck a great balance between theoretical foundations from which to continue learning and broadening your skill-set, and practical skills that can make you a productive member of a dev team straight out of the gates. Nizar was a great instructor. His passion for teaching programming and helping students understand complex issues in the most basic terms was very evident. Josh was a great compliment to Nizar as they were both consistent in what they would teach but often took different approaches and perspectives to problems. The staff in general was very friendly and accomodating. You could tell while being around them that they all truly beleived in the mission of Ironhack and they took their rolls seriously. The comradery that the students developed in the classroom was one of the most surprising parts of Ironhack for me. Week 0 you walk into a room full of strangers and by week 3 you feel like your amongst family. Unlike a traditional classroom in highschool or University, 100% of the students in the cohort take the course seriously and want to make the most out of their experience. That leads to a truly collaborative and learning focused environment the likes of which I had never experienced before. That classroom atmosphere really helped take the course to the next level. When you are learning from and teaching your peers, it really helps reinforce the concepts and skills you're  acquiring. Daniel Brito, the placements manager, is really the guy you want to be best friends with. He is 100% invested in placing you in the best career opportunity possible and he takes his job seriously. He helped me tremendously in landing my first job and even now I continue to maintain a great relationship with him. He has a plug into the entire tech sector in Miami and is one of the most valuable resources at your disposal as an Ironhacker. Overall, I think Ironhack did more for my career than my four year university ever did and I would recommend it to anyone willing to put in the time and effort required to develop a new skill and enter the most quickly growing career field in the world today and for the forseeable future.    

I attended the Ironhack Miami full time web development 9 week program for the summer of 2017.  This program literally changed my life forever! I came with a background of computer science and studied outside of a traditional school, using free online tools such as codeacademy, treehouse, and tons of Youtube tutorials.  I decided to move down to Florida and really challenge myself to become a real developer.  The reason why I love Ironhack so much is that, they really start everyone at the same level, and break you down (mentally), so you can rebuild with the proper structure of becoming a web developer.  Their approach is that the only real thing stopping you from learning to code, is truly yourself.  The real battle is convincing yourself daily that you CAN DO THIS!!! dreams come true when you work HARD AS F!!!! lol.  

The teaching staff deserve so much praise!

Nizar was our main teacher for the entire 9 week program, and he is like a coding genius, who truly takes his sweet time with you on every single step of the coding theory and lessons.  He truly takes you from zero knowledge, to building mega website platforms.  Nizar is always helpful and kind to every student.  You don't feel rushed at all in his classroom.  Thank you Nizar!!!

To the Teaching Assistant - Ariel and Kevin,

This guys are extremely helpful when it was time to do pair programming exercises and solo coding challenges.  They're always walking around and lending you some advice and tips to solve your problems.  Basically helping you think like a problem solver so you can learn for yourself.  These guys are coding ninjas for sure!!

Last but definitely not least! The Master of guiding you into the world of developers and technology - Brito

Brito is the MAN you must listen to at every chance he opens his mouth! His insight on current or former technologies, interview strategies, design police (make sure your projects don't look like shit lol) and what you need to do, so you can get a awesome job at being a web developer is Golden!!  This man will help you only if you follow his advice and work hard during and after  the Ironhack program is over.  Brito is also one of the most kindest and generous man I've met thus far.  His support and guidance to help you land your first web developer role, is something to truly respect.  Thanks Bro!

Currenly Working as A Full-Time Web Developer in less than a week and a half from graduating from Ironhack.  This course works! Trust the process and these awesome people at Ironahck. 

I went through the application process at three UX boot camps simultaneously. Ironhack immediately stood out to me in terms of The attention I received as a prospective student. I also felt like they had a grasp on the fact that teaching UX was a whole different animal than teaching coding, whereas it seemed some other schools just added it to the curriculum with zero research or understanding.

I interviewed with Marisa, Alia and, on my request, was also able to speak with Brito, the career placements manager. Each of them was very real and open with me, answering all my questions.  Actually taking it a step further, because Alia made sure I had contact information for any former students I wanted to speak with.

When I was accepted to the program, I received personal phone calls from both Alia and Marisa. I mention this because it was in stark contrast from what the other schools sent: a form email that referred to coding bootcamp and a GitHub invite.  The care and concern was followed through from day one. Weekly surveys and one-on-one talks that the staff holds with each student allow any issues (from speed of the class to mental wellbeing) to be addressed. When you're working so many hours, it's sometimes just extremely comforting to be able to sound off!

The main staff at Ironhack is pretty amazing. Marisa made it clear that she was always available and legitimately cheered us all on throughout our weeks of hard work. The UX class has a lot of moving parts, with new professors every week, professional mentors coming and events outside of the program, and she managed it all with genuine enthusiasm. Pretty sure she could run a small country. Alia was a calming presence in the building. Even though a lot of her job happens behind the scenes, she knows and actively cares about every student that walks in the door. 

I can honestly say that Brito has been one of the most supportive people in my life while I made this career move. He used his network to give a couple of my UX endeavors a lot of attention which is above and beyond any job description he has. He hustles hard for each and every student when in comes to career placement. I had 10 interviews the last day of Ironhack. That's insane. I ended up accepting another offer from a company I'd interviewed with the previous day (who had hired ironhack web dev students in the past through Brito's hiring fair) and I started work the following Monday. Even then, I heard that Brito had reached out to them to give me a solid recommendation.

And of course, my classmates were the most amazing humans. We helped each other to be better every day of class and continue to help each other as we enter the professional world. We could have seen each other as competition, since we'd be going for the same jobs, but we became a community instead.