Prime Digital Academy

My experience at Prime was wonderful, challenging, gratifying. Everyone involved in the operation of Prime is invested in the positive outcomes of its students. The instructors, particularly my instructor Mary, are passionate, engaged, helpful, and empathetic. The assignments are, for the most part, well thought out, fun, and challenging.

A few notes of possible improvement:

1. Spend time during class on effectively navigating documentation
   1. This is a crucial skill in the workplace – to be able to effectively browse, skim documentation and find what you are looking for
   2. Could also include tips on navigating Stack Overflow 
       
2. Instructor code reviews for solo and group projects
   1. Our weekend assignments and code challenges were reviewed by instructors. Those reviews were extremely helpful in guiding our work and promoting best practices
   2. Students need instructor reviews for their solo and group projects. The peer review process is great for reviewer and reviewee, but this should be combined with instructor review of projects. Mistakes, bad practices are often missed by peer reviewers because the peers aren’t aware of them or aren’t sure or are being polite. In any event, instructors have the authority and experience peers don’t yet have to point out problems

I learned about the program from a friend of mine who completed it, and we had a lengthy conversation about his experience. This inspired me to continue researching about other programs that were out there, but I decided to go with this one because of the personal referral and the scholarship/funding options. Paying for the program took some luck and extensive planning. Make sure to apply for any local, state, or federal grants/scholarships. The application process gives you just a small taste of what is to come. Be very open to new things and do not be a jerk. This industry is fueled by collaboration, teamwork, and perseverance. Be curious and be hungry to learn! Imposter syndrome is REAL and you'll experience it very often but don't give up. Every day will be a new challenge so feel free to ask for help and give help if you can. The group learning approach is awesome! Good luck!

Prime was a great experience! They have a solid foundation of teaching, encouraging you to be independant while learning a skillset, and improving your soft skills! I graduated in March 2019 and I wish I did this sooner!

The environment at Prime Digital Academy is very supportive and their door is always open to you. They want you to succeed in many ways. Along with teaching you the MERN stack, they help with soft skills like public speaking, paired programming, code reviews, and livesolves. They also have great career development opportunities such as inviting recruiters to come help review your resumes, have working Alumnis and outside industry personnel come volunteer their time to be your mentors, hosting intimate seminars about various techs, and at graduation, host a career day to have you speak with Tech Recruiters! There is support after graduation too!

Going through Prime Digital Academy might not be for everyone as it's fast paced and if you prefer a more traditional form of learning, this may not be right for you. 

Enrolling into Prime Digital Academy Kansas City has truly the best decision I have made in my life. Today was graduation and I was happier today than I was when I received my Bachelors or my Masters. Words cannot sum up the value of what I learned, not just coding but personally as well. Now that I got my personal feeling about this program out of the way, I want to dive into what I have learned technically.

I built a full stack fully functional application that incorporates AWS that I use in my business. I then worked in a four member team to build a fully functional application to serve a client's need that incorporated the use of Google Calendar API and Twilio API! That's TWO APPLICATIONS that are in use! How many bootcamps can claim that?! That's just a part of the professional technical skills they teach. They also work on speech using the Toastmaster's method and taught us how to fail so that we can succeed. I'm not going to lie when I say that I don't get nervous to present in front of a crowd, but failing in front of my peers allowed me to succeed on the big presentation day.

Prime Digital Academy is the embodiment of Furious Learning. The instructors make sure that we are emotionally ready to learn, they lecture, and then give us assignments to reinforce and retain the information. It's not a joke when I say that you could be spending 60 to 80 hours a week on the accumulation of those assignments and weekend challenges.

I can only give the staff 5 stars but I wish I can rate them higher because they gave up 110%. Truly amazing people!

Prime might not be for everyone but when you put in the time and effort, it will change your life.

Prime is amazing and the best decision I've made in my professional life.

TL;DR

Prime is a full-time, intensive program. It doesn't fit everybody's learning style or life situation. As I began to look into software engineering I was uncertain about many of the options in Kansas City. I was even more wary of my online options, not because they aren't good (I have no experience with them) but because of my learning style.

I came across Prime while doing research on local programs and I set up an appointment that forever changed the trajectory of my life. This program is not easy. The instructors will push you to the point of failure. I wish I would've known that because then it would've made my first few weeks a bit more bearable. But it's when you get to the point of failure that you're ready to learn.

The instructors take massive amounts of personal time to help whenever there is a question but you have to be willing to ask. You can't get help until you put your pride away and ask. They bring in tech companies from the community, they teach how to speak, and they enable us to do real projects that help real clients. 

We learn full-stack JavaScript. The curriculum goes deeper than any other program I've researched. We go deep into JavaScript, React, Redux, Node, SQL, etc. As I said, this isn't for the faint of heart and you will be pushed. You'll need to rely on your fellow team members, the instructors, and your support system. If you can't make it through the program you only pay for what you were taught. So, yes it's expensive, it's full-time, but it takes that kind of commitment to become a good software engineer and transition to a new career. Take the risk on yourself, you won't regret it.

I loved the cohort I was in. We all came from diverse backgrounds and that enabled us to work well together. There were times of friction, as in any group, but we rallied and encouraged each other to press on and now we're graduating.

Prime cares deeply for its students. I have never encountered a more helpful and loving group of people. One of the major positives is that they don't leave you after you graduate. They stick by your side and keep you accountable. They give you all the tools you need to succeed and are by your side every step of the way.

Prime not only made me into a software engineer but they helped me to grow as a person. I was pushed like never before, I wanted to quit on day 2, but I trusted the system and I'm incredibly thankful I did. I'm forever grateful to the wonderful people at Prime KC. They're amazing people, instructors, and friends. 

That was a quote from one of my cohortmates. Prime really is the best decision I could have made to transition my life as an adult switching careers. Before this program I was working paycheck to paycheck doing dead end retail and food service jobs. Having a degree in Grpahic Design, I understood the WHAT of design but Prime really teaches the WHY of design. The instructors, Ange and Kyre and Bryce, are so knowledgeable and really have your back. All of the staff at Prime are helpful and truly want you to succeed. The comeraderie amonst cohortmates and staff is unparalleled. One motto that seems to permeate through the entire schooling is "we all succeed as long as EVERYONE succeeds". One thing I had heard about bootcamps was the cut-throat nature of them. Prime is the direct opposite of that. Even alumni students truly WANT you to succeed. The program is intense, long hours, but so well worth it. I was able to find a job right away (in fact I got the job offer the day of graduation) and the staff is so helpful in finding something that is right for each student.

Prime gives you a blueprint, building tools and all the consultation you can ask for. It is up to you what to do with it. 

Prime is structured enough to give you an appropriate scope of the many facets of the UX process, but flexible enough to allow you to explore areas that interest you most.

Prime not only prepares you to be a UXer but also to be a competitive and knowledgeable candidate in the industry. If you put in the work, there will be results.

I am happy to say two months after graduating I am happily employed!

Undoubtedly worth it.

If you’re in the Twin Cities and are serious about getting into software development, this is absolutely the place to go. 

The curriculum is here legit. It’s been carefully crafted, and is continually improved upon. They teach full-stack Javascript, but they do an excellent job teaching you the broader concepts in programming. They set you up for success after school by teaching you how to teach yourself new technologies - a skill that is immensely valuable in a field that is always changing. I was a part of the first cohort to go through their software development program since it switched from 18 weeks to 20 weeks. I thought the additions they’ve made were great - there’s a solid introduction to OOP, more insights & material for ongoing career success/getting a job, and I think the overall pacing of the in-classroom time benefitted greatly from the change.

The people that come through the door here are great. The staff are amazing, and are genuinely invested in your success & well-being. I think your experience could vary a little bit based on the cohort you’re with and your primary instructors. I happened to hit the jackpot, and had a phenomenal group of people to learn alongside and instructors to learn from. We got a chance to interface with most of the instructors at some point during the program, benefitting from their various experiences & coding styles. 

They do a great job of setting you up for success post-Prime. While you’re in school, they offer support on resumes, networking, LinkedIn, etc. They set you up with mentors in the industry. When you’re done with school, the support continues. Plus, you have a network of Prime grads that are happy to help others out with continued learning and connections.

If you think this might be the place for you, I’d definitely recommend stopping by for an open house or giving them a call. And/or just apply and see what happens. You won’t regret it.