Starter League is closed
This school is now closed. Although Starter League is no longer accepting students or running its program, you can still see historical information and Starter League alumni reviews on the school page.
The Starter League teaches beginner students to code, design, and ship web apps in Chicago, IL. Their program Starter School is a nine-month, in-person grad school for people who want to learn how to build software and start companies. The school focuses on a small class of highly motivated people, hands-on labs, deep-dive workshops, and focused product development. You'll apply what you're learning to your own ideas at every step. From day one, Starter School will help you build a solid foundation in web development, design, and entrepreneurship. You'll apply what you learn towards the goal of shipping your real product. You will learn everything you need to build the back-end, design the front-end, and bring your product to market. Its about more than learning to code. Starter School believes you can take your mind, your passions, your ideas, and use them to build your own solutions to the problems you see around you.
I would whole-heartedly recommend the Starter League to anyone looking to really understand web development. I began looking into the HTML/CSS course after working for a year in digital design and growing tired of developers telling me things couldn't be done. I wanted to understand how my designs were being built and styled so I could better communicate with the dev team and ultimately become a better designer.
I tinkered with learning these languages for years but...
I would whole-heartedly recommend the Starter League to anyone looking to really understand web development. I began looking into the HTML/CSS course after working for a year in digital design and growing tired of developers telling me things couldn't be done. I wanted to understand how my designs were being built and styled so I could better communicate with the dev team and ultimately become a better designer.
I tinkered with learning these languages for years but online courses felt choppy and never seemed to bring all the pieces together. The Starter League's classroom setting helped me finally make sense of everything. The curriculum not only covers how to write code, but starts with the basics so you really understand the semantics of what your writing. My instructor answered student questions thoroughly and supported his answers with real-world examples. He even offered one-on-one instruction outside of class for those who needed it. When all was said and done I was able to build a clean, fully functional hand-coded website while understanding each line of code I wrote.
If you're not already interested in writing code, this class won't turn you into a dev nerd. The students that fell behind were the ones that seemed to like the idea of being a developer... but weren't invested enough to actually put the work in. If you're truly interested in learning the ins and outs of writing clean, effective code, this course is worth every penny. Once the next JavaScript class opens up I’m signing up for round 2.
The curriculum is mostly self taught with material that is readily available. Questions often go unanswered, where they even make you feel bad for asking them. The staff are not working developers and have no previous development experience. They possess very limited working knowledge. Absolutely no job assistance is available, no network, introduc...
The curriculum is mostly self taught with material that is readily available. Questions often go unanswered, where they even make you feel bad for asking them. The staff are not working developers and have no previous development experience. They possess very limited working knowledge. Absolutely no job assistance is available, no network, introductions, nothing. Do not recommend this as a path if you want to be a working developer unless you want it to be a very long and difficult endeavor. It is already hard enough to get a developer job, you don't need unhelpful people that you paid a lot of money.
After graduating high school in 2011, I attended UC Santa Cruz where I began to study Computer Science. I embraced being free from the educational trappings of high school. I was obligated to study subjects that I wasn't passionate about. The only solace I could take was in the exposure I received to various subject areas. I hoped college would be an opportunity to get knowledge that was meaningful to me and applicable in the real world.
After a Computer...
After graduating high school in 2011, I attended UC Santa Cruz where I began to study Computer Science. I embraced being free from the educational trappings of high school. I was obligated to study subjects that I wasn't passionate about. The only solace I could take was in the exposure I received to various subject areas. I hoped college would be an opportunity to get knowledge that was meaningful to me and applicable in the real world.
After a Computer Networking and History of Computer Science class I was disheartened. I realized that it would be two to three years before I knew enough to start building things. So I dropped out.
I found the Starter League through a friend and was inspired the second I walked in to 1871. I thought I was going to Starter School to learn how to code but I learned so much more.
We began by diving head first into Ruby and Rails, database modeling, HTML & CSS, SQL and much more. But Starter School sets itself apart by injecting design and entrepreneurship into the program. The actual code is just the first step to building a successful product. These areas are equally important, if not more, and you'll learn from the best in the business.
Learning from real world practitioners, I was able to launch a successful product in nine months. I've received many job offers and am currently deciding which path to take.
There are a lot of schools out there that teach you to code, Starter School will teach you how to build a successful product.
The point of Starter School is to give you a taste of the full spectrum of building a software product. Other bootcamps and software development schools do a great job of making you into a developer, but you don’t always see the bigger picture. Even if you do specialize in just one area, be it programming or design, it is so valuable to be able to speak the other person’s language, or even get your hands dirty with another area of the product.
Starter School brings yo...
The point of Starter School is to give you a taste of the full spectrum of building a software product. Other bootcamps and software development schools do a great job of making you into a developer, but you don’t always see the bigger picture. Even if you do specialize in just one area, be it programming or design, it is so valuable to be able to speak the other person’s language, or even get your hands dirty with another area of the product.
Starter School brings you the best people in their fields to teach, but the way each of them build products is very different. Over the course of nine months, I learned how to develop a lens through which I can look at conflicting advice objectively, and make a decision on what I think will best move my project forward.
Not only was what I learned incredibly valuable for anyone looking to start a career in software, but learning them as a nineteen year old college dropout changed my life. I already got a job as a junior developer at a fast-growing startup in Chicago. I have no regrets about leaving college to go to Starter School.
How much does Starter League cost?
Starter League costs around $36,000. On the lower end, some Starter League courses like User Experience cost $2,000.
What courses does Starter League teach?
Starter League offers courses like Advanced HTML & CSS, Beginner HTML & CSS, JavaScript, Software Engineering Immersive and 4 more.
Where does Starter League have campuses?
Starter League has an in-person campus in Chicago.
Is Starter League worth it?
Starter League hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 6 Starter League alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Starter League on Course Report - you should start there!
Is Starter League legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 6 Starter League alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Starter League and rate their overall experience a 4.33 out of 5.
Does Starter League offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Starter League offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.
Can I read Starter League reviews?
You can read 6 reviews of Starter League on Course Report! Starter League alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Starter League and rate their overall experience a 4.33 out of 5.
Is Starter League accredited?
The Starter League is an approved school by the Division of Private Business and Vocational Schools of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
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