Turing School of Software & Design

My favorite thing about Turing is that they are continuously improving. They constantly iterate on the program by trying new things - keeping what works and scraping what doesn't. This attitude is what convinces me that they are sincere about giving you the best education and experience possible. 

The education I got was incredible. I took a great job a few weeks after graduating, and by the second week I already had code in the production app. I was fully prepared to come into the company and start writing code immediately (without having previous tech experience!).

I'm incredibly proud to have been a Turing student. They have an incredible community and incredible staff. I would choose to attend Turing again in a heart beat.

After talking with people who went to other coding programs, I realized just how special Turing is.

Two things:

1. Turing is a non-profit (EVERYONE on the team is there for the students, not $$$).

2. The program is way longer and more in-depth than almost every other program.

Honestly, Turing folks do want they say they do. They help (and rigourously push) you to become a solid developer in 7 months. Will you be showered with job offers upon graduation? No. Getting a job requires hussle, salemanship (show off all that great work you've been doing!), and connections. Turing can help with all that, but it will still be up to you to find a job that works for you. It's not easy. Taking time and money to change careers is a big commitment; budget at least a year from the time you quit your old job until your first developer paycheck comes in.

Turing was a life-changing opportunity for me and I will forever be grateful for it. In my experience, Jeff Casimir and the Turing staff did everything in their power to help provide an environment where students not only become sought-after developers, but well rounded people.

Jeff cares about providing an environment where student success is prioritized. Period. Not only does he and the staff continuously improve on the curriculum EVERY cohort, but he is not above fixing a toilet or installing a ramp for students that need it. Something you don’t see in a lot of leaders.

The support that I received from the staff was BY FAR the best I had from any post-secondary education I’ve been apart of. There were many nights / weekends where they sacrificed their own personal time to help my classmates and I work on problems and issues we were stuck on. They don’t just tell you that student success is important to them, they show you by the commitment they put towards their students each day.

As everyone else has already said, Turing is VERY HARD! It demands a lot of your time and you will be mentally tested everyday. For 7 months, you will have to commit to becoming the best developer you can be. You will have to sacrifice time with your family and friends (I’m a husband and father of two), but the education you get in return is more than worth it.

I’m not going to tell you that everything at Turing is perfect. The process of receiving a mentor was somewhat confusing when I was there, but they have currently taken strides to improve that process and make sure that every student has the ability to get a mentor in the most efficient way.

Overall, the decision to go to Turing has been the best career decision that I have made. I received a job offer before I finished school and am loving my job. None of this would have been possible without the help, guidance, and support I received at Turing!

General consensus: 

Turing is one of the most challenging endeavors you will ever pursue. It is seven months of intense software development training and personal assessment. Each day you will be pushed beyond your mental and physical boundaries. Some days, you will question if you have the stamina to successfully complete the program. In the end, however, you will recognize that attending Turing was one of the best decisions you ever made! 

Personal experience:

I went into Turing with zero programming experience. I had only completed a couple of online Ruby tutorials but knew immediately that I wanted to pursue software development. If you are new to programming and are considering attending Turing, here are a few personal recommendations. 

First, be 100% certain you are ready to place your life "on hold" for seven months. Have your finances in order and minimize the number of distractions outside of Turing so you can focus entirely on the program.

Second, prepare as much as possible before starting the program. For example, I had not touched a Mac in over 22 years, so it was one more thing (on top of many other things) I had to learn during my first few weeks at Turing. If possible, I suggest you get Mac laptop and start getting familiar with it. Choose a text editor (Atom is very beginner-friendly) and learn some key bindings. Play around with the Terminal and enable tab completion. Being able to navigate your machine at a reasonable rate will help you keep pace with class lectures and exercises. Also, I would recommend completing a good Rails tutorial so you can get a better idea of its MVC pattern.

Third, if a certain subject area is not clicking, seek help! Turing moves fast so don't let too much time pass by before asking for help. Given that I was part of the first cohort (#1406) at Turing, resources were somewhat limited during my first two modules and that made the program even more challenging for me. It wasn't until halfway of module three that I was able to find a good mentor who was commited to helping me. Fortunately, Turing has since increased and improved its mentor participation and has also structured student "posses" in which students from cohorts ahead of yours can serve as helpful resources.

Instructors:

Each instructor at Turing is both an educator and a programmer. Their commitment to your individual success and the success of the program is unquestionable. They each invest countless hours preparing lectures, enhancing the curriculum, and helping students outside of normal hours. I genuinely admire their dedication and passion. Other programs experience high turnover with instructors, which can often lead to inconsistency and instability in a program's curriculum and overall success.

Community:

As soon as you're accepted into Turing, you become part of an awesome community! Many are recent graduates of Jeff Casimir's previous training programs and Turing, so they know exactly what it takes to get through the seven months. Others are seasoned developers and industry leaders who fully support Turing by generously devoting their personal time to help the program succeed. Obviously, I am extremely proud to be part of this remarkable network!

Your classmates:

Turing values its culture and its curriculum equally, so the administration does a great job of filtering potential students in order to maintain a healthy learning environment. That said, please understand that you will be in many stressful situations throughout the course of the program and it is essential that you and your classmates communicate effectively. Also, if you notice one of your classmates is falling behind, take the initiative to help him/her get back on track; it will be a great learning opportunity for you both and it will pay significant dividends as the course advances. And, since most of the assignments are group-based projects, ensuring that every member of the group can contribute similarly will lighten the workload and enhance the experience for everyone.

Summary:

Please understand that there is no such thing as a perfect software development training program. There is a lot to learn and there is never enough time. However, I can assure you that Turing has the best resources and systems in place to turn you into an employable developer by the end of the seven-month course. Just like anything else in life, if you go in with a positive attitude, work hard, and make the best out of every day, you will have a great experience. Good luck! 

I was CNC machinist when I made the decision to join Turing. Without a computer background I found myself struggling at times to comprehend some of the concepts that were being taught and asked many a 'dumb' question. I also had a wife and two kids and only got to see them on weekends during the 7 months. Because of this I put in roughly 70 hours/week during weekdays and took the weekends off to be with family. This program is everything they've advertised and can totally change the trajectory of your life. My income tripled from one year to the next and opportunities are so much bigger than what I had before. But do not enter this program thinking you will skate through to graduation and be handed a great high paying job.You will work your ever loving butt off. Just know that up front. If you are good with that than Turing is the place for you. 

I have faced many a development challenge since I entered the industry a little over a year ago and found the training that I received to have prepared me fully to handle anything that has been thrown my way. Totally worth it.

If you are serious about becoming a software developer and working in the field, attend Turing. I've always found that it is the people that make the program. The staff at Turing, including the executive director are some of the most hard working, passionate, and compassionate people I've met. They are serious about the work they do and the students they teach. They are continuously seeking feedback and making improvements to the curriculum and work environment.  

The staff works hard to ensure that the curriculum is relevant and up to date with the latest industry standards and best practices. In addition to teaching and fine tuning the curriculum, staff members are involved in the tech community, hosting meet ups, speaking at conferences, and participating in tech initiatives around the US. 

Turing has an amazing community of people, including alumni, professional developers, corporate executives, government officials, and founders of tech startups. These 'friends of turing' are influencers in their fields who use their influence to give back to the community and advance the careers of new developers. They share their knowledge and insight with current students, often making themselves available to mentor over a google chat, cup of coffee, or a drink after work. 

The program is very challenging. There is a steep learning curve, but if you work hard, hang in there, and reach out to the turing community for help when you need it, you will acquire the necessary skills for a great career in software development.

I was over worked and under appreciated in my last job, and was looking for a career change but wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I heard about Turing and wasn't sure quite what it was but knew it came with a great reputation so I went ahead and applied just to check it out. CHANGED MY LIFE! What a difference one year can make! 

Why I love Turing - the people! 

Jeff:  Thank you to Jeff for creating such an amazing community and bringing all of these great people together. He cares about so much more than just pumping out devs, but giving back and making an impact on the tech community as a whole. He has stood up for me and lead me to some amazing oportunities including  the connection to my job now. He can be tough and will push you to your limits but he has the best of intentions of pushing you out of your comfort zone and onto the next level.  

The instructors:  The instructors are amazing, and I can't thank them enough for all that they have done. They care so much about their students and take the time to find ways of explaining things in a relatable way, even for those with no programming background. There is no judgement for things you don't know before coming in. If you put in the respect and effort needed, it is more than returned back. 

The mentors: I think it shows the amount of respect there is for the Turing community by seeing all of the awesome Ruby/Rails/JS community members that give up lots of their time to help students for free. I learned so much from the mentors I had while I was at Turing, and I continue to grow and solidify my skills as I mentor students currently in the program. 

The students: You will spend A LOT of time with your classmates. Spending that much time with any group, there will be cases of friction of course but that was by far the most respectful group of people I have ever met. There is a lot to cover, and each student may choose to focus on different aspects. Getting to see what your peers work on is a great inspriation and opens so many doors to expanding your knowledge. Check out a demo day if you want to see what the students are up to. 

Overall notes

Course was hard, be preparred to not do anything else for those 7 months. Just as nothing in life is perfect, it's a high stress environment and surely you'll run into some roadblocks but making through those just makes you that much stronger of a person. Couldn't be happier with my choice to go to Turing. 

I went into Turing without any programming experience, and graduated in December 2014. As of this writing, I have been a software developer for over a year, coming up on a year and a half. Here's my review for anyone thinking about Turing: if your serious about wanting to learn how to be a developer, you should absolutely do it. No question about it.

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Turing is hard. Really hard. One of the beautiful things about it is that even if you have no development experience, you can still succeed among people who do. You will come out of the program better equipped than a lot of CS degrees.None of the reviews are lying about that. But you have to work.

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You will be expected to do a lot. Turing is very project oriented, so the answers aren't handed to you. You won't get hand-held, you won't have 'blow off' work. You will probably fail at some stuff, and you will learn to fail, relearn, and keep on moving. Thats how software development is, and you are learning to be a software developer.  On top of technical skills, you're expected to be involved in the community.  You have to speak in front of groups. You have to think critically about tech as a whole, and your role in it. You have to learn to collaborate, how to communicate, and a host of other things that I didn't personally think were going to be difficult, but were.

Where Turing stands out is in their community. The staff is second to none. They put hours and hours of time into the curriculum, and the students. They don't always make decisions you like, but they do make decisions that make you better. They change the things that don't work. Students have access to a huge group of developers who are willing to mentor on anything from technical skills to general work/life balance advice. Mentors work with students one on one, and it's an invaluable experience to be able to sit down with professional developers and learn from them, starting basically from day one. 

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Turing taught me to be a developer. While I tend to focus on Ruby/Rails/Javascript currently, I don't believe that the education I received only equipped me for those specific languages and frameworks. The bulk of the learning was totally language and framework agnostic. I would be very confident going into a role where I don't work with any of those tools because of the education I received at Turing.

As far as job hunting, I had signed on to a job before I officially graduated. This is 100% thanks to Turing and the community, as a few engineers from my current company came directly to Turing to interview potential candidates. I can't speak for the job hunt after the program completes, except to say that everyone in my cohort is employed as a developer. 

If you're looking for a program to teach you technical skills and only technical skills, Turing might not be for you. If you're looking for a class to go to for a few hours a day and then go home, Turing might not be for you. If you are looking for a 7 month program to be fully immersed in a skill and in a community, to be challenged beyond what you thought possible, to make connections that will last you the rest of your career, and to have the best skills possible going into a new career, Turing is for you.

Overall:

Turing was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The school was everything that I hoped it would be. I was challenged everyday, it has probably been one of the most productive seven months of my life.

I'm now happily employed at an innovative startup in Santa Monica, which was one of outcomes that I dreamed coming out of this program.

Looking back at my experience at Turing I can say that I had a blast, if you would have asked me while I was attending Turing I may have not been that enthuiastic.

Turing was a real difficult program, and I believe it has gotten a bit more difficult (a good thing). At times it may feel like Turing likes to torture students, but the reality is that Turing's goal is to make sure you get a job offer, and that becomes very diffucult when a student doesn't have experience working through difficult problems.

I can't thank Turing enough, Turing has set me for a very rewarding career path I wouldn't have otherwise.

Instructors:

Extremely knowledgeable. Some people will say that the instructors don't make themselves available, but the truth is that they do their best to allocate their time efficiently to help as many people as they can, which means that the more clear and specific your questions are, the better the instructors can help you. I've seen instructors go out of their way on many occasions to help out students, which meant coming in before classes and staying after classes.

Curriculum:

Very intense. This is one of the longest programs out there, clocking in at 7 months it moves fast and keeps you busy every minute. Tip: Turing just launched a front-end course that if given the chance to do over I would choose over the back-end course (https://www.turing.io/programs/front-end-engineering)

Job Assistance:

The job hunt was a bit tough, but the key is to keep sharpening your skills and meeting with as many people as you can while on the job hunt. Networking at meetups, asking people out to coffee, and sending out those resumes will eventually pay off.

Conclusion:

My advice would be to do some programming on your own for a few months, if you really enjoy building things and solving bugs then this program is for you. Do as much prep as you can for this program, trust me you will hit the ground running.

Turing, exactly what I was looking for in higher education. This school is hands on software development from the start. The process is grueling, challenging, exhausting, and rewarding.

At the time I applied, I was working in construction and sales. I was pretty unhappy with my current career and even more upset with the standard college education system. I was pretty skeptical of the idea of Turing, because I had been burned by other short term trade school style programs. Let me just say, Turing's focus is on creating developers. Developers who are prepared and ready to start working the minute they graduate. This program really did change my life, but it was the hardest thing I have ever done. 

This school is not going to hold your hand. You are taught how to think, solve and research a problem. The next 7 months of your life will be with your head down in the code. By the end, Turing will give you all the skills you need to successfully land a job in the tech industry, which is ultimately why you attend a school like Turing. Tech interviews are vastly different then any other interview process I have been through. They typically involve proving your worth with coding challenges and a full day or multiple day interviews. Just know, you will be ready!

The curriculum is always changing, as is the tech market. Try not to get too caught up looking at specific languages when deciding on a bootcamp or code school. The point is to learn a marketable skill, and don't worry, you'll pick up other languages quickly after attending Turing.

My biggest complaint used to be that I didn't have enough time with JavaScript. I had been teaching myself, and my last module seemed to zoom past it. However, I am working with JS every day, and Turing gave me the skills to pick up other languages and programming paradigms. 

You may not always agree with everything at Turing, but I think you will agree that it works when you get out!

Turing was a challenging 7 months.  The amount of new information I learned was staggering and the curriculum has grown significantly since I was a student.  If you manage to find the time and patience to pull through, an amazing industry will be opened up to you.  You'll get out of Turing what you put into it.  They can prepare you for a hard industry to enter and one that will expect you alone to find the answers to challenging problems - even at your first job.  If you deside to go to Turing, you won't walk away with a high level understanding of a few framworks.  They'll give you the knowledge to progress in this career.

Before I came to Turing I had essentially zero programming knowledge - a book on HTML and one free online course.  Now I am developing a Ruby application at an awesome company.  A few long nights is nothing for career in software development - Turing is definitely worth the work.

Before starting Turing, I had been trying to learn how to program for about 2 years. I had worked as a wordpress developer and had a barely sustainable career hacking php templates. I ultimately found Turing and now I have a fully sustainable career doing something that I absolutely love. 

Most of my own feelings about Turing have already been articulated here by my peers, but I do feel like my biggest takeaway from my 7 months at Turing is how to solve problems. Yes, Turing directly teaches you how to work with Ruby/Rails/JS, but I think the ancillary benefit of learning how to think like a developer is the more important takeaway. I work in devops, which Turing certainly does not explicitly teach. Others from my graduating class work exclusively in React, Meteor, or even Go. This is a testament to Turing's ability to prepare you to work in ANY sub-field of web development. Turing teaches you how to learn and, more importantly, how to think. 

Turing prepared me for a career in programming more than I could have previously expected. I'm excelling at my new job and I've already contributed multiple times to a few high-profile open source projects. I have at least 5 family/friends that are trying to get into programming in some capacity. I push all of them toward Turing because I know that it's the best program in the country. If you want to become a great developer, apply to Turing.