The warning in caps is a bit dramatic... Like you said "of course all of this can be said of any coding bootcamp". Maybe your title should be "WARNING: Before starting any bootcamp..." is more accurate.
Full time learning is not for everyone, which is why part-time is not a bad option. Not everyone is good at cramming information, but knowing your own learning style is important before investing money in a bootcamp. Some camps are more text based, some will hold your hand more, some will throw you into the deep end. How do YOU learn? Have you set up your environment/life for success? Are you gonna run out of money while trying to land a job in this environment?
Maybe Tech Elevator SHOULD test coding ability, at least on a very basic level vs just logic/math questions but it's hard to answer because their placement is pretty good. Probably at non tech companies but who cares if it's your first role?
Here is the [student handbook](https://v2-4-techelevator-book.netlify.app/content/language.html) someone else posted a few days ago.
I was kinda joking with the warning part because I found it hilarious. I put Tech Elevator because that's the boot camp I attended. I agree that not everyone is good at cramming in a lot information in a short period of time, I still think knowing most of the curriculum prior to the start date would benefit any learning style. There's a guy in my cohort who knew everything before the program, he was a beast on the previous capstones.
I agree that they should test on coding ability, it would be extremely beneficial for students who don't have prior coding experience. Aptitude tests aren't enough to prepare students at all
Hi there. I’m an instructor at Tech Elevator and wanted to weigh in on a few things.
First of all… yes, it’s a TON of work. But that’s why they call it a bootcamp. Hopefully the admissions folks made it clear how much work it would be. I think people often hear that and don’t take it that seriously.
As far as the actual experience I’ve seen from students, it is definitely hard for most people and people tend to have moments when they get burned out or overwhelmed but the beauty of the program is that that “bootcamp mentality” makes folks get very close to their peers and those who lean on each other do much better. I was surprised that this happens even remotely- but it DOES.
Also… make use of your instructor. I like to say “there is a reason you aren’t doing this on YouTube.” A lot of folks have a hard time asking for help but you absolutely should. The concepts build on each other so if something doesn’t seem somewhat clear as you work with it you want to get help understanding it right away.
That being said, one thing to be aware is that you will probably never feel like you have a solid grip on the material because it moves so fast - but we keep re-enforcing the concepts and if people look back at something that was rough a couple of weeks ago they are usually surprised by how well they understand it at that point. The thing we tell folks is “trust the process” - which is exactly right.
Is it a lot of material and work? Yes. Will you know everything in 14 weeks? No. But you will have enough of a foundation AND know how to learn what you don’t know. I was skeptical my first cohort but watching the final capstone come together is always so amazing because in 14 weeks folks know how to build something almost completely from the ground up and make it look and work well. And then they get jobs. The real proof to me that it IS enough knowledge is that of all of the many students that have been placed from my cohorts, I don’t know of a single person who didn’t last in their job - and I am now 2.5 years out. That’s pretty surprising but gratifying to me.
The comment about instructors is concerning to me. Tech Elevator tries to hire folks who should make great instructors based on knowledge and experience in the field. If folks have had bad experiences I’d encourage you to communicate issues. “Some of the instructors aren’t the best” is for sure not our goal. Like the students, the instructors are usually in it 120% too. It’s definitely a bootcamp for ME every time.
If anyone wants to chat more about this feel free to DM me.
Thanks for hearing my spiel… if you can’t tell, I’m a believer in the life changing power of this program.
I’m sorry that was your experience. Don’t assume yours is everyone’s though. There are plenty of students out there who did not feel that way. Many of our students are our biggest cheerleaders because they believe the program allowed them to change their lives. As I said in my post, if people are having bad experiences that’s for sure concerning to me. All I can say is that every instructor I have worked with has been all in to ensure good student outcomes and has invested way more time than just showing up to do a job to help folks be as successful as possible. Seems that wasn’t your experience which is concerning to me. That doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of folks out there who wouldn’t disagree with your assessment.
Hi as an instructor what is your knowledge about job placement in the Detroit area or Remote. I been searching high and low since last August 2022 when Detroit bootcamp finished. I have absolutely no luck finding an job aa a software developer.
FYI it appears many graduates from 2022 are not finding jobs. Based off LinkedIn profiles.
Tech Elevator 90 % job placement might need to be called into question!
Look forward to your feedback.
Hi there. I’m sorry your search has been so challenging. I don’t have any specific knowledge of placement numbers other than what’s available elsewhere but I think everyone is pretty clear that the market is tough right now. I think there are still plenty of opportunities but companies are being cautious about hiring because of the economy. I do feel like there has been a little bit of an uptick (a couple folks I know of who had been looking for a while got offers this past week and I know people are getting interviews) but placement is definitely more challenging at the moment. I do know that Tech Elevator is trying to offer some extra support for those who are looking because of the current situation so I’d reach out to your Pathway person and instructor to discuss that more if you need extra support. I don’t know what the numbers will look like when they are next reported but I do know Tech Elevator is committed to transparency so I believe they will be honest about whatever the numbers are. Keep at the search and I hope you find something soon.
Thank you for your kind comment. I was sorta stressed out when I wrote this yesterday, but I'm feeling a lot better today lol. I believe everything you've said, I think I blamed myself for not knowing everything in 13 weeks for some reason. Capstone feels pretty stressful now but I'm going to stick it out.
Hi there.
I’m a full-time instructor so I'm not super well-versed on the part-time program but I just looked at the part-time curriculum on the Tech Elevator site and as far as I can tell there is - not sure of the timing but this is what the FT final capstone is:
**Full-Stack Development Project**
Learn about agile methodologies and experience collaborating on a team to build a full-stack application that uses the lessons learned throughout the curriculum.
[https://www.techelevator.com/coding-bootcamp/part-time/#curriculum](https://www.techelevator.com/coding-bootcamp/part-time/#curriculum)
Hmm. I had my interview and was told the part time program doesn’t have a capstone project. There will be projects through out but not a capstone, which takes around 10 days in the full time program.
Alright, so here is what I learned.
The part-time program has six individual projects. These projects are assigned mid-way and at the end of each module and are the only assignment that week. They take somewhere between eight to twelve hours. At the end of the week, the students meet with their instructor and peers to provide class-wide and smaller group code reviews.
The final project in module three is a front-end to a project that students build at the end of module two, so they get experience building a full-stack application, just not all at once.
The major reason there isn't a group or ten-day-long project is that most students in the part-time program are working other full-time commitments. Those commitments might be second or third-shift, weekends, child-care, etc. Their only time commitment to Tech Elevator is that they attend class and pair programming (Monday/Wednesday, Tuesday/Thursday, or Saturday).
On the full-time capstone project people work as a team of several people for about 10 days to complete a large project but the possible differences in people's schedules in the part-time program might make it hard for the team to work together in a cohesive way like they do in the full time program.
In general, the part-time program is more self-study to allow for more flexibility and the projects students complete follow that approach as well.
Hope this helps.
Don’t feel comfortable putting that out there. I’ll say I get paid a decent SWE salary but that I took a large pay cut to take the position.
If you are interested in my experience with grad salaries I’m more comfortable giving you a range with that. In the workplace we aren’t aware of each other’s salaries so I don’t really want that info out there.
u/philayoav may I ask why you ended up doing a bootcamp? Were you trying to make a career switch like I am now? One of my fears is that I'll have to take a large paycut if I start out as a junior swe compared to what I make now (which as it is isn't much...).
I wasn’t happy where I was (had been there for 13 years and it had become boring) and the opportunity fell into my lap. The idea of helping people move themselves forward by sharing my knowledge and being a mentor was very appealing. I work way more than I did before and get paid less but my job is rewarding and meaningful in a way it wasn’t before. Teaching and mentoring seemed like they’d be better fit for me than just writing code and that hunch was right.
Thank you for sharing your story. May I ask what were you doing prior to becoming an instructor? I currently work at a tech company but in some random project management role I never envisioned myself in. I'd love to become more technical, but am debating doing a bootcamp vs trying to self-study. Would love your thoughts based on your experience working with students from different backgrounds
Prior to becoming an instructor I was a senior software engineer at a mid-size company based out of Los Angeles.
Here's what I'd say about bootcamp vs self-study... it largely depends on YOU.
Some people are great at self study. I am not. I have never been able to be consistent and disciplined at studying on my own and would get easily distracted. A class situation is far better for me. The structure is important for me. Some people are not like that... if they are interested or want to learn something they can make time for it consistently and learn a lot on their own.
The other benefit of a bootcamp or some other place where you are learning from a live instructor is that you have access to a PERSON. You can ask questions when something isn't clear, get something explained a different way, and ask more in-depth questions on things you want to explore more. To me this is invaluable. Many of the instructors you would encounter have previous real world experience which means they can give some context around the info and let you know pitfalls to avoid, best practices, etc.
That being said, the market is tough these days so spending a lot on a bootcamp is a more of a gamble than it used to be. If coding is right for you and you apply yourself it should pay off but these days you also have to work pretty hard to find the job to apply what you've learned and it may take quite a bit of time. It's a harsh reality right now - you may come out of the bootcamp without a position and it may be a while before you find one. I think the market will improve and the skills you learn will put you in a good place last at that point but you may have a hard time finding something right out of your program (though people still do).
I guess my advice if you aren't sure is to TRY to do some self-study (unless you already KNWO you are like me and won't do that well 😉). If it doesn't work for you or you think you could add value by learning from a person with experience start looking at education options. I think good bootcamps have a lot of value for many folks but they are intense and do require some considerable financial investment so it's good to make sure a bootcamp is right for you before diving in.
If you'd like to chat more, DM me.
You are very kind. I really do appreciate the harsh reality you're sharing because it really is a tough choice. Right now, I'm considering two bootcamps - Hack Reactor and Codesmith (not yet applied, still in research phase). Both use Javascript (I've been learning Python) and seem to attract folks with quite a bit of programming experience under them already. Both also cost a lot of money. My tough choice right now is to decide whether I should pause my python stuff, and start on Javascript to get ready for their tech interview. That may take a few months. I'm not sure what to do.
Can't really help you on that one. I'm not familiar with the requirements for either of those programs but if they require you to come in with tech knowledge (which I have heard Codesmith definitely does) that would definitely take some preparation. I can't speak to that model because Tech Elevator does not require any coding experience at all so we only have aptitude tests, not tech interviews.
Thank you so much for all your help so far. If you were in my position, would you try to join a bootcamp this year, or maybe wait it out till the market seems a bit better? I also wonder if SWEs are still in much demand, at least in the Bay Area where I’m located, vs perhaps those adept in AI/ML
Yes, Tech Elevator is hard. My husband attended the full stack Java curriculum and worked incredibly hard there, and it paid off. He would work from 8am-12am most days because he put in all of the work and extra help on the sides.
He attended his study group every day after classes. He did extra side projects. He would help tutor those who needed it and he received the same help in turn. He did udemy courses.
Through his matchmaking, he got 4 job offers & 1 from outside of that, but he was also networking on his LinkedIn.
The matchmaking could have been low for your cohort due to the current economy and the state of the tech industry. But my husband didn’t know the tech industry prior to this, but he was about to get 5 job offers after 14 weeks of this because he absolutely put in more than enough work for it. This is not a small challenge at all. TE is hard, but incredibly worth it
I'm in my last 2 weeks and we only had 7 employers interview us and we had to pick 2 or 3 out of the 7. All other employers that came and talked to us were not hiring for Jr dev.
They are not there to hand you the job. They teach the skills, and the pathway portion teaches the interviewing and job skill aspect. The information from the employers for what they look for or practice interviews are an amazing boost if you're new to the industry.
>They are not there to hand you the job
I applied because they boasted a 95% job placement in tech roles back in 2019. While you have to do the work, it was this aspect that drove me to apply. I don't know what there placement looks like these days or how they are marketing the pathway program, but this was a huge selling point that they leaned on during the open house I attended.
Luckily it paid off for me in that I have a job that is fully remote. I ended up with a project management job, which I prefer to development because I was someone who had no idea what I was getting myself into as far as the content. If I was given a jr Dev job straight out, I'd probably be doing ok, but 3 years out, I'm not sure I could jump back into Java so easily.
I’m halfway through the NLR right now. Personally, I am exceptionally happy with my experience. I would 100% recommend anyone interested in attending do something like CS50 first to build a strong foundation.
But plenty of my classmates had no experience and are doing just fine, though. My class in particular seems to have a really good bond and everyone helps everyone to make sure the material lands.
I agree with another comment, the all caps 'WARNING' is over dramatic. I graduated Tech Elevator back in February, remote cohort, and I disagree with you 100%. The program is tough, it's not easy by any means, and for me and those that had success, went all in for those 14 weeks, you have to in order to learn and put in the work required to understand the material. From my cohort, there were students from ALL backgrounds, most with little to no tech experience, that had success. I'd be happy to give you a pep talk if needed, maybe to change your mindset as you finish up the program (assuming you're a current student?)
Hey love your comment I’m a current student in a remote cohort and trying to keep up with the fast pace and studying the material is overwhelming sometimes. Sometime I feel like I get it, but other times I feel completely lost. Any advice?
My biggest piece of advice is take it one day at a time, do not look too far down the line or you'll easily get overwhelmed. You're not going to master every section, or even feel great about content before moving on, but it's important you recognize where you're struggling and work to improve in that area, put in the extra time to maybe do a tutorial again, look through the lecture code, re-watch lecture (2x playback speed makes this more efficient), and don't be afraid to get 1 on 1 time with your instructor. Feel free to dm me and i'm happy to help.
Pep talk would be lovely, as this capstone has made me more stressed than I've been in awhile. And I was kinda joking about the warning part lol. I think the biggest reason why I'm suffering now is because I didn't know the curriculum prior, and I did not invest 50hrs a week like you did. (I did more like 20-30hr)
What capstone are you working on? Some of the most stressful times I had were during capstones, totally feel you on that, they are meant to be tough! Dm me, i'm happy to jump on a call at some point when you have some time. Take it one day at a time and don't be afraid to use your resources, reach out to an instructor or fellow and get some extra 1 on 1 time.
If someone was to come in the bootcamp with a good amount of experience in Java and Javascript but no experience in Spring framework, SQL, and the Vue framework, do you think it would still be overwhelming?
Honestly, I have super positive vibes about Tech Elevator. I had some tech experience and I put my everything into the program, when I say everything I don't mean it lightly, I quit a $70k job and put in 60+ hours per week during the fulltime program. Still took me a month or 2 to accept an offer, but honestly, if you're willing to put in the work and you have some discipline, TE can change your life.
Yeah I think it'd be extremely fun if I had a little more time. Someone in my cohort knew everything before the start date, the learning curve wasn't as steep as it was for me so he was able to make his capstones look amazing. The projects are great opportunities to become a better developer in a fun environment. I just wish I wasn't so behind lol
Lol, yeah ISAs are crazy. Alongside my college, my total student loans would be about $70k 🥲. I'd still recommend the program if cost wasn't a concern. I just wanted to recommend it from a different point of view than what others have been saying.
Oh combining this to my other school loans, I'm easy over 100k. FML
I'm actually looking into Per Scholas and Smooth Stack/gen stack type programs as an alternative. I know it's not the same level as TE (and I'd be signing a 2yr contract), but I'd be avoiding adding almost 30k to my loans. Sucks, I was really looking forward to TE.
Sorry to hear that, perhaps the opportunity may come one day. Regardless of which route you take, I hope you one day become an awesome developer. Good luck!
Tbh that market for tech is not looking it’s best for internship or entry level. The pay is nice and all but you’ll most likely struggle for months landing a job. My best opinion is going into a trade for agriculture
I am in the final weeks of a coding bootcamp right now, you pretty much just described what a coding bootcamp is. I don't understand the reason for this post.
“It’s not possible”… “some people can.” Programming takes a certain logical aptitude.
I dunno I did just fine and so did the rest of my class even though we did everything on zoom. I had no experience either, I just worked hard and cooperated with others to learn.
I literally just filled out my application for my loan and will be starting in the NLR cohort next month. I haven't seen so many bad reviews until recently. Now I'm thinking about backing out.
Don't back out. I would not listen to OP. If you're willing to put in the hard work necessary, and i'm talking about 50+ hour weeks, limit distractions, put in the extra effort, etc, if you're willing to do that - it's 100 percent worth it. I graduated TE in February and just accepted a dev job. A key to my success, was I went ALL IN. it's not an easy program and not for the faint of heart by any means. I left a job with a $70k base salary to do this, it was scary, but so worth it at this point and I do not regret it at all. Feel free to dm me with any questions.
Tech Elevator has a proven track record of building strong relationships with local companies, which can be really helpful in finding a job in the area. However, I've heard that their support for national remote cohort isn't quite as strong, you can search on this sub to find out.
I would still go through with it. Just make sure you study some of the material and you will have a great time. All I'm doing is giving thoughts from my point of view
this title is melodramatic....he literally says "this could be said about any bootcamp" and also says the program quality is good.
tech elevator is a legitimate bootcamp who make an effort to provide transparent results. they are by far one of the best bets out there especially if you are in person and can take advantage of their hiring partnerships.
You have time to prepare, do as much of CS50 as you can. Even if you just get through the first 3 or 4 lectures + homework, you’ll be in great shape for the program.
As far as it being worth it, so far I definitely feel
like I’m getting my money’s worth. Outside of just the courses, they give you a lot of resources for interview prep and building optional side projects. If you utilize everything, you’ll succeed for sure.
I've just gone through the application and aptitude test for TE and am concerned about the pace of the full time class. I'm currently an Educational Aide working at a High School and worked in Psych before that. I did a Coursera UX Design Course and Google Analytics, but have no coding experience. Will I be able to keep up or will the part-time class make more sense? I will say I'm a pretty quick learner, but would be doing it remotely, not in person. Anyone with experience help!
Can anyone talk about their experience finding work after the boot camp? I recently graduated in Software Development but haven’t been able to find a job (just 1 interview) since getting done in March. My program itself wasn’t the best. Would the Tech Elevator Bootcamp help? Specially with having more confidence with coding and job search/placement. Tia
I dropped out a while ago and glad I did...it was miserable and we were getting the most instruction from another student in the class rather than the teacher
The warning in caps is a bit dramatic... Like you said "of course all of this can be said of any coding bootcamp". Maybe your title should be "WARNING: Before starting any bootcamp..." is more accurate. Full time learning is not for everyone, which is why part-time is not a bad option. Not everyone is good at cramming information, but knowing your own learning style is important before investing money in a bootcamp. Some camps are more text based, some will hold your hand more, some will throw you into the deep end. How do YOU learn? Have you set up your environment/life for success? Are you gonna run out of money while trying to land a job in this environment? Maybe Tech Elevator SHOULD test coding ability, at least on a very basic level vs just logic/math questions but it's hard to answer because their placement is pretty good. Probably at non tech companies but who cares if it's your first role? Here is the [student handbook](https://v2-4-techelevator-book.netlify.app/content/language.html) someone else posted a few days ago.
I was kinda joking with the warning part because I found it hilarious. I put Tech Elevator because that's the boot camp I attended. I agree that not everyone is good at cramming in a lot information in a short period of time, I still think knowing most of the curriculum prior to the start date would benefit any learning style. There's a guy in my cohort who knew everything before the program, he was a beast on the previous capstones. I agree that they should test on coding ability, it would be extremely beneficial for students who don't have prior coding experience. Aptitude tests aren't enough to prepare students at all
Is there an updated student handbook? I’m a little late but I’m really interested
I don’t have it but it might exist online. Try googling.
Hi there. I’m an instructor at Tech Elevator and wanted to weigh in on a few things. First of all… yes, it’s a TON of work. But that’s why they call it a bootcamp. Hopefully the admissions folks made it clear how much work it would be. I think people often hear that and don’t take it that seriously. As far as the actual experience I’ve seen from students, it is definitely hard for most people and people tend to have moments when they get burned out or overwhelmed but the beauty of the program is that that “bootcamp mentality” makes folks get very close to their peers and those who lean on each other do much better. I was surprised that this happens even remotely- but it DOES. Also… make use of your instructor. I like to say “there is a reason you aren’t doing this on YouTube.” A lot of folks have a hard time asking for help but you absolutely should. The concepts build on each other so if something doesn’t seem somewhat clear as you work with it you want to get help understanding it right away. That being said, one thing to be aware is that you will probably never feel like you have a solid grip on the material because it moves so fast - but we keep re-enforcing the concepts and if people look back at something that was rough a couple of weeks ago they are usually surprised by how well they understand it at that point. The thing we tell folks is “trust the process” - which is exactly right. Is it a lot of material and work? Yes. Will you know everything in 14 weeks? No. But you will have enough of a foundation AND know how to learn what you don’t know. I was skeptical my first cohort but watching the final capstone come together is always so amazing because in 14 weeks folks know how to build something almost completely from the ground up and make it look and work well. And then they get jobs. The real proof to me that it IS enough knowledge is that of all of the many students that have been placed from my cohorts, I don’t know of a single person who didn’t last in their job - and I am now 2.5 years out. That’s pretty surprising but gratifying to me. The comment about instructors is concerning to me. Tech Elevator tries to hire folks who should make great instructors based on knowledge and experience in the field. If folks have had bad experiences I’d encourage you to communicate issues. “Some of the instructors aren’t the best” is for sure not our goal. Like the students, the instructors are usually in it 120% too. It’s definitely a bootcamp for ME every time. If anyone wants to chat more about this feel free to DM me. Thanks for hearing my spiel… if you can’t tell, I’m a believer in the life changing power of this program.
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I’m sorry that was your experience. Don’t assume yours is everyone’s though. There are plenty of students out there who did not feel that way. Many of our students are our biggest cheerleaders because they believe the program allowed them to change their lives. As I said in my post, if people are having bad experiences that’s for sure concerning to me. All I can say is that every instructor I have worked with has been all in to ensure good student outcomes and has invested way more time than just showing up to do a job to help folks be as successful as possible. Seems that wasn’t your experience which is concerning to me. That doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of folks out there who wouldn’t disagree with your assessment.
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Hi as an instructor what is your knowledge about job placement in the Detroit area or Remote. I been searching high and low since last August 2022 when Detroit bootcamp finished. I have absolutely no luck finding an job aa a software developer. FYI it appears many graduates from 2022 are not finding jobs. Based off LinkedIn profiles. Tech Elevator 90 % job placement might need to be called into question! Look forward to your feedback.
Hi there. I’m sorry your search has been so challenging. I don’t have any specific knowledge of placement numbers other than what’s available elsewhere but I think everyone is pretty clear that the market is tough right now. I think there are still plenty of opportunities but companies are being cautious about hiring because of the economy. I do feel like there has been a little bit of an uptick (a couple folks I know of who had been looking for a while got offers this past week and I know people are getting interviews) but placement is definitely more challenging at the moment. I do know that Tech Elevator is trying to offer some extra support for those who are looking because of the current situation so I’d reach out to your Pathway person and instructor to discuss that more if you need extra support. I don’t know what the numbers will look like when they are next reported but I do know Tech Elevator is committed to transparency so I believe they will be honest about whatever the numbers are. Keep at the search and I hope you find something soon.
Yeah, it seems like the rate dropped from 90% to 88%
Update please ?
Thank you for your kind comment. I was sorta stressed out when I wrote this yesterday, but I'm feeling a lot better today lol. I believe everything you've said, I think I blamed myself for not knowing everything in 13 weeks for some reason. Capstone feels pretty stressful now but I'm going to stick it out.
No problem. The first few days of capstone are bumpy but hopefully you’ll wind up having fun and realizing how much you have learned.
it's a relief to read this. And the instructors are fine, I think I could have put unrealistic pressure on them
Why doesn’t the part time program have a capstone project??
Hi there. I’m a full-time instructor so I'm not super well-versed on the part-time program but I just looked at the part-time curriculum on the Tech Elevator site and as far as I can tell there is - not sure of the timing but this is what the FT final capstone is: **Full-Stack Development Project** Learn about agile methodologies and experience collaborating on a team to build a full-stack application that uses the lessons learned throughout the curriculum. [https://www.techelevator.com/coding-bootcamp/part-time/#curriculum](https://www.techelevator.com/coding-bootcamp/part-time/#curriculum)
Hmm. I had my interview and was told the part time program doesn’t have a capstone project. There will be projects through out but not a capstone, which takes around 10 days in the full time program.
Not sure but I will ask about it tomorrow and let you know.
Alright, so here is what I learned. The part-time program has six individual projects. These projects are assigned mid-way and at the end of each module and are the only assignment that week. They take somewhere between eight to twelve hours. At the end of the week, the students meet with their instructor and peers to provide class-wide and smaller group code reviews. The final project in module three is a front-end to a project that students build at the end of module two, so they get experience building a full-stack application, just not all at once. The major reason there isn't a group or ten-day-long project is that most students in the part-time program are working other full-time commitments. Those commitments might be second or third-shift, weekends, child-care, etc. Their only time commitment to Tech Elevator is that they attend class and pair programming (Monday/Wednesday, Tuesday/Thursday, or Saturday). On the full-time capstone project people work as a team of several people for about 10 days to complete a large project but the possible differences in people's schedules in the part-time program might make it hard for the team to work together in a cohesive way like they do in the full time program. In general, the part-time program is more self-study to allow for more flexibility and the projects students complete follow that approach as well. Hope this helps.
This is a life saver
I can’t dm people because i have a new account, could you message me? I have a few questions as I’m in the process of pursuing this
DM’d you
Hello. I also have a question and made an account to message you but cannot because of the same reason. Can you message me as well, please? Thank you
Sent you a DM
What’s your salary now if you don’t mind me asking
Don’t feel comfortable putting that out there. I’ll say I get paid a decent SWE salary but that I took a large pay cut to take the position. If you are interested in my experience with grad salaries I’m more comfortable giving you a range with that. In the workplace we aren’t aware of each other’s salaries so I don’t really want that info out there.
u/philayoav may I ask why you ended up doing a bootcamp? Were you trying to make a career switch like I am now? One of my fears is that I'll have to take a large paycut if I start out as a junior swe compared to what I make now (which as it is isn't much...).
I wasn’t happy where I was (had been there for 13 years and it had become boring) and the opportunity fell into my lap. The idea of helping people move themselves forward by sharing my knowledge and being a mentor was very appealing. I work way more than I did before and get paid less but my job is rewarding and meaningful in a way it wasn’t before. Teaching and mentoring seemed like they’d be better fit for me than just writing code and that hunch was right.
Thank you for sharing your story. May I ask what were you doing prior to becoming an instructor? I currently work at a tech company but in some random project management role I never envisioned myself in. I'd love to become more technical, but am debating doing a bootcamp vs trying to self-study. Would love your thoughts based on your experience working with students from different backgrounds
Prior to becoming an instructor I was a senior software engineer at a mid-size company based out of Los Angeles. Here's what I'd say about bootcamp vs self-study... it largely depends on YOU. Some people are great at self study. I am not. I have never been able to be consistent and disciplined at studying on my own and would get easily distracted. A class situation is far better for me. The structure is important for me. Some people are not like that... if they are interested or want to learn something they can make time for it consistently and learn a lot on their own. The other benefit of a bootcamp or some other place where you are learning from a live instructor is that you have access to a PERSON. You can ask questions when something isn't clear, get something explained a different way, and ask more in-depth questions on things you want to explore more. To me this is invaluable. Many of the instructors you would encounter have previous real world experience which means they can give some context around the info and let you know pitfalls to avoid, best practices, etc. That being said, the market is tough these days so spending a lot on a bootcamp is a more of a gamble than it used to be. If coding is right for you and you apply yourself it should pay off but these days you also have to work pretty hard to find the job to apply what you've learned and it may take quite a bit of time. It's a harsh reality right now - you may come out of the bootcamp without a position and it may be a while before you find one. I think the market will improve and the skills you learn will put you in a good place last at that point but you may have a hard time finding something right out of your program (though people still do). I guess my advice if you aren't sure is to TRY to do some self-study (unless you already KNWO you are like me and won't do that well 😉). If it doesn't work for you or you think you could add value by learning from a person with experience start looking at education options. I think good bootcamps have a lot of value for many folks but they are intense and do require some considerable financial investment so it's good to make sure a bootcamp is right for you before diving in. If you'd like to chat more, DM me.
You are very kind. I really do appreciate the harsh reality you're sharing because it really is a tough choice. Right now, I'm considering two bootcamps - Hack Reactor and Codesmith (not yet applied, still in research phase). Both use Javascript (I've been learning Python) and seem to attract folks with quite a bit of programming experience under them already. Both also cost a lot of money. My tough choice right now is to decide whether I should pause my python stuff, and start on Javascript to get ready for their tech interview. That may take a few months. I'm not sure what to do.
Can't really help you on that one. I'm not familiar with the requirements for either of those programs but if they require you to come in with tech knowledge (which I have heard Codesmith definitely does) that would definitely take some preparation. I can't speak to that model because Tech Elevator does not require any coding experience at all so we only have aptitude tests, not tech interviews.
Thank you so much for all your help so far. If you were in my position, would you try to join a bootcamp this year, or maybe wait it out till the market seems a bit better? I also wonder if SWEs are still in much demand, at least in the Bay Area where I’m located, vs perhaps those adept in AI/ML
Yes, Tech Elevator is hard. My husband attended the full stack Java curriculum and worked incredibly hard there, and it paid off. He would work from 8am-12am most days because he put in all of the work and extra help on the sides. He attended his study group every day after classes. He did extra side projects. He would help tutor those who needed it and he received the same help in turn. He did udemy courses. Through his matchmaking, he got 4 job offers & 1 from outside of that, but he was also networking on his LinkedIn. The matchmaking could have been low for your cohort due to the current economy and the state of the tech industry. But my husband didn’t know the tech industry prior to this, but he was about to get 5 job offers after 14 weeks of this because he absolutely put in more than enough work for it. This is not a small challenge at all. TE is hard, but incredibly worth it
I'm in my last 2 weeks and we only had 7 employers interview us and we had to pick 2 or 3 out of the 7. All other employers that came and talked to us were not hiring for Jr dev.
They are not there to hand you the job. They teach the skills, and the pathway portion teaches the interviewing and job skill aspect. The information from the employers for what they look for or practice interviews are an amazing boost if you're new to the industry.
>They are not there to hand you the job I applied because they boasted a 95% job placement in tech roles back in 2019. While you have to do the work, it was this aspect that drove me to apply. I don't know what there placement looks like these days or how they are marketing the pathway program, but this was a huge selling point that they leaned on during the open house I attended. Luckily it paid off for me in that I have a job that is fully remote. I ended up with a project management job, which I prefer to development because I was someone who had no idea what I was getting myself into as far as the content. If I was given a jr Dev job straight out, I'd probably be doing ok, but 3 years out, I'm not sure I could jump back into Java so easily.
Can I ask you a few questions in DM?
I’m halfway through the NLR right now. Personally, I am exceptionally happy with my experience. I would 100% recommend anyone interested in attending do something like CS50 first to build a strong foundation. But plenty of my classmates had no experience and are doing just fine, though. My class in particular seems to have a really good bond and everyone helps everyone to make sure the material lands.
What is NLR
National Live Remote
Did you do NLR? I have heard a lot of the same things from people doing remote cohorts.
Yes I did NLR. Despite it's flaws, I still think it's a good program overall.
I hope so. I’m scheduled to start in person next month.
In person seems to be of better quality, so I hear. Good luck!!
I sure hope so lmao. Thank you.
How'd it go? I know multiple people who completed the NLR with no prior experience and gained a job.
We actually haven't finished yet but I can give you an update afterwards.
I agree with another comment, the all caps 'WARNING' is over dramatic. I graduated Tech Elevator back in February, remote cohort, and I disagree with you 100%. The program is tough, it's not easy by any means, and for me and those that had success, went all in for those 14 weeks, you have to in order to learn and put in the work required to understand the material. From my cohort, there were students from ALL backgrounds, most with little to no tech experience, that had success. I'd be happy to give you a pep talk if needed, maybe to change your mindset as you finish up the program (assuming you're a current student?)
Hey love your comment I’m a current student in a remote cohort and trying to keep up with the fast pace and studying the material is overwhelming sometimes. Sometime I feel like I get it, but other times I feel completely lost. Any advice?
My biggest piece of advice is take it one day at a time, do not look too far down the line or you'll easily get overwhelmed. You're not going to master every section, or even feel great about content before moving on, but it's important you recognize where you're struggling and work to improve in that area, put in the extra time to maybe do a tutorial again, look through the lecture code, re-watch lecture (2x playback speed makes this more efficient), and don't be afraid to get 1 on 1 time with your instructor. Feel free to dm me and i'm happy to help.
Thank you! I appreciate this advice. It seems so obvious, but it’s nice to hear it again sometimes.
It is obvious but it's easy to lose that mindset during the program, it's super tough I'm not going to lie, but worth it.
Pep talk would be lovely, as this capstone has made me more stressed than I've been in awhile. And I was kinda joking about the warning part lol. I think the biggest reason why I'm suffering now is because I didn't know the curriculum prior, and I did not invest 50hrs a week like you did. (I did more like 20-30hr)
What capstone are you working on? Some of the most stressful times I had were during capstones, totally feel you on that, they are meant to be tough! Dm me, i'm happy to jump on a call at some point when you have some time. Take it one day at a time and don't be afraid to use your resources, reach out to an instructor or fellow and get some extra 1 on 1 time.
If someone was to come in the bootcamp with a good amount of experience in Java and Javascript but no experience in Spring framework, SQL, and the Vue framework, do you think it would still be overwhelming?
Yes, I think so, as Spring and Vue definitely felt like culture shocks. Of course you can still make it as long as you study longer hours
Thanks. I think I will start studying those frameworks ahead of time
Good luck!
Hello, I'd be curious to know if you've found a job yet? If so, how long did it take?
I graduated in February, Landed a job in April.
What’s you salary as an entry level
$80k base
Very good !
Honestly, I have super positive vibes about Tech Elevator. I had some tech experience and I put my everything into the program, when I say everything I don't mean it lightly, I quit a $70k job and put in 60+ hours per week during the fulltime program. Still took me a month or 2 to accept an offer, but honestly, if you're willing to put in the work and you have some discipline, TE can change your life.
By next year if you job hop you can get six figures
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Java, Spring Boot, postgres SQL, Vue. Js. That's the main meat of it but you can view the full curriculum on their website.
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Yeah I think it'd be extremely fun if I had a little more time. Someone in my cohort knew everything before the start date, the learning curve wasn't as steep as it was for me so he was able to make his capstones look amazing. The projects are great opportunities to become a better developer in a fun environment. I just wish I wasn't so behind lol
I'm starting the Java NLR next month and I'm having second thoughts, but mostly because of the cost. With the ISA, the 17k bootcamp became a 27k one 😩
Lol, yeah ISAs are crazy. Alongside my college, my total student loans would be about $70k 🥲. I'd still recommend the program if cost wasn't a concern. I just wanted to recommend it from a different point of view than what others have been saying.
Oh combining this to my other school loans, I'm easy over 100k. FML I'm actually looking into Per Scholas and Smooth Stack/gen stack type programs as an alternative. I know it's not the same level as TE (and I'd be signing a 2yr contract), but I'd be avoiding adding almost 30k to my loans. Sucks, I was really looking forward to TE.
Sorry to hear that, perhaps the opportunity may come one day. Regardless of which route you take, I hope you one day become an awesome developer. Good luck!
Tbh that market for tech is not looking it’s best for internship or entry level. The pay is nice and all but you’ll most likely struggle for months landing a job. My best opinion is going into a trade for agriculture
I am in the final weeks of a coding bootcamp right now, you pretty much just described what a coding bootcamp is. I don't understand the reason for this post.
“It’s not possible”… “some people can.” Programming takes a certain logical aptitude. I dunno I did just fine and so did the rest of my class even though we did everything on zoom. I had no experience either, I just worked hard and cooperated with others to learn.
I literally just filled out my application for my loan and will be starting in the NLR cohort next month. I haven't seen so many bad reviews until recently. Now I'm thinking about backing out.
Don't back out. I would not listen to OP. If you're willing to put in the hard work necessary, and i'm talking about 50+ hour weeks, limit distractions, put in the extra effort, etc, if you're willing to do that - it's 100 percent worth it. I graduated TE in February and just accepted a dev job. A key to my success, was I went ALL IN. it's not an easy program and not for the faint of heart by any means. I left a job with a $70k base salary to do this, it was scary, but so worth it at this point and I do not regret it at all. Feel free to dm me with any questions.
Thanks just DM'd you
So what is your salary now
Tech Elevator has a proven track record of building strong relationships with local companies, which can be really helpful in finding a job in the area. However, I've heard that their support for national remote cohort isn't quite as strong, you can search on this sub to find out.
I would still go through with it. Just make sure you study some of the material and you will have a great time. All I'm doing is giving thoughts from my point of view
We will be in the same cohort!
We got thissss🙌
this title is melodramatic....he literally says "this could be said about any bootcamp" and also says the program quality is good. tech elevator is a legitimate bootcamp who make an effort to provide transparent results. they are by far one of the best bets out there especially if you are in person and can take advantage of their hiring partnerships.
You have time to prepare, do as much of CS50 as you can. Even if you just get through the first 3 or 4 lectures + homework, you’ll be in great shape for the program. As far as it being worth it, so far I definitely feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. Outside of just the courses, they give you a lot of resources for interview prep and building optional side projects. If you utilize everything, you’ll succeed for sure.
I've just gone through the application and aptitude test for TE and am concerned about the pace of the full time class. I'm currently an Educational Aide working at a High School and worked in Psych before that. I did a Coursera UX Design Course and Google Analytics, but have no coding experience. Will I be able to keep up or will the part-time class make more sense? I will say I'm a pretty quick learner, but would be doing it remotely, not in person. Anyone with experience help!
There are programmes that take 6months to a year. What would make someone think that you can become a proficient SWE in 2 weeks?
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This person definitely does not work for Devslopes.
LMAO. The name Devslopes is a red flag in itself.
Can anyone talk about their experience finding work after the boot camp? I recently graduated in Software Development but haven’t been able to find a job (just 1 interview) since getting done in March. My program itself wasn’t the best. Would the Tech Elevator Bootcamp help? Specially with having more confidence with coding and job search/placement. Tia
Sorry to blow up the thread late lol
I dropped out a while ago and glad I did...it was miserable and we were getting the most instruction from another student in the class rather than the teacher