BOOTCAMP

I learnt so much in this course. As a career changer i wanted to learn full stack software development, get hands on experience and become career ready. This course helped me to achieve that. I am currently working as a junior software developer.This course helped me to be prepare for work in the industry. I got experience in all parts of software development lifecycle. I got support with my CV and interview which helped me to land my first role. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who is a career changer like myself or a career starter or looking to update their knowledge with the latest tech in software development. Important tips for new starters: - Make sure you read your course materials including the extra bits, - Prepare your questions before online classes (the teachers are very good with answering your questions and giving real life examples), - Learn how to research software issues (this course will teach you how to approach any error you could possibly have, basic principles, what steps to take, hugely important in career)- Finally make sure you enrol!

After spending 12 years as a general manager in hospitality I wanted to pursue a career in tech, something I had wanted to do since leaving school. I had completed the free course they offer a few times over the years, but hadn’t taken the plunge until now, and so glad that I did.I was completely new to coding, other than a brief into to C++ in college (about 2 weeks worth) and had reservations about how quickly I could learn the skills to change career.The course starts at an easy pace, guides you through setting up your machine, a look at some of the common developing languages (HTML, JavaScript) and builds upwards from there.You study twice a week in the evenings for 3 hours, where tutors give detailed lectures, provide support, and just generally create an environment where your class can ask questions and share ideas. You’ll build small projects on the side which you can work on in your free time, and all the team at Manchester codes are readily available to you via Slack if you want to reach out to them, even if just for a general chat. There’s Saturday drop in sessions which are optional but a good way to meet people in your cohort and to get one to one help from a tutor if you need it.One of the main benefits of choosing Manchester Codes is that you are entering into a supportive community of past and present students / tutors / external hiring managers, who genuinely want to see you succeed. Past students/tutors pass back job opportunities from the companies they work for, hiring managers look to employ students from Manchester Codes specifically and advertise their roles directly, and there is a dedicated careers advisor with great connections who will help you get your foot in the door.Like any learning, you get out what you put in.. I only needed to spend a couple hours of my free time to begin with, and by the end of the course It was about 15-20… but I quickly learned to love what I was doing and further my knowledge, and gained the confidence I needed to not only apply, but be successful in getting my first tech job, before I’d even finished the course, and I’m so happy I took that first step 6 months ago.For anyone wanting to get into this industry and is unsure of how.. this is the perfect place to start. 

I would gladly recommend Manchester Codes to anyone considering a career change into software engineering.Completing a boot camp was a decision I considered and weighed for a long time before finally pulling the trigger. I was concerned about the viability of switching careers with no prior experience and whether a boot camp could realistically prepare you/ultimately help get you a job in the industry. I can safely say that my experience with Manchester Codes was everything I could have hoped for and more.I considered a number of boot camps initially, but settled on Manchester Codes due to the comparatively lower cost and positive online reviews. I wondered whether more expensive boot camps would be worth the difference and whether that difference would ultimately count towards preparing me for a successful entry into the industry. I can safely say that this was the best value for money move I've ever made.The tutors were reassuring, patient and understanding throughout. As someone who went into the course somewhat anxious about whether it was possible, this was key in helping me maintain a positive approach on the course. There is a good mix of tutors/mentors who have gone through the boot camp route themselves and also those that took a more traditional route. Everyone was always willing to help in any way you could want, but it's important to remember that you have to be willing to identify when you need help and to seek it. There is a high concentration of really awesome people in the Manchester Codes community and you will be part of that throughout and following the course.The course content itself was nice and practical with a good variety of challenges and resources. The projects you build track well with your learning progress and maintain an ideal level of difficulty all the way through.The post-course assistance was really helpful and the role I ultimately landed came through a referral from the course recruiter. I was assisted with CV reviews and general advice on interviewing all the way through.If you've spent some time looking into development as a career and practised on your own to be sure that this is something you want to commit to, then you will not go wrong with Manchester Codes. It's important to ensure you can commit 14-21(ish) hours a week consistently throughout. Don't be afraid to ask questions and seek help, everyone is happy to assist and have been there before.Good luck and don't stress!

It’s thanks to Manchester Codes that I landed my first job as a software engineer! Their course is specifically designed to give students the skills and experience they’ll need to enter the industry. The team were super friendly and supportive, as were my co-students, so although the course was hard work it was also a lot of fun. If you’re looking for a route into software development Manchester Codes is definitely worth checking out!

The instructors are very knowledgeable and are always available for support or feedback. The course material is excellent and you learn real world skills with the projects you do.The pace of the course is intense but very satisfying to see how much you learn in such a short period of time.The careers advice during the course is priceless and if you put the effort in you will have no problems getting an interview / job offer.Not only do you learn new skills but you become part of an amazing community that continues after the course.

Great course ran by people who care about your time on the course, your progress, and helping to find you a job after. I went from a very different career into software/web development, and thanks to throwing myself deeply I found a job just before completing it. I made good friends from my cohort, and it is lovely to be part of a thriving community. Fully recommend to anyone looking to enter coding as a career.

It's been a few months since I finished Manchester Codes and it's safe to say I would not be securing a Front End Engineer role now, when I didn't even know the basics less than a year ago without Manchester Codes.I was looking for a bootcamp that I would be able to manage along side my busy full time job and MC stood out for me more than other schools due to all their success stories, as well as them making a conscious effort to make the course more accessible for under-represented people. The price of the course is reasonable compared with other coding schools, however it is a lot of money to have to commit to, so having the diversity grant available definitely made it more accessible for me.The course itself was probably one of the toughest things I've done to date - very fast paced it does require a lot of commitment (20 hours a week is recommended) however I did find myself spending every spare minute I had working on projects! The tutors are really helpful, approachable and have the very up to date knowledge on development so no questions went unanswered. In terms of the content delivery - I did find it a bit powerpoint heavy and wordy when it came to projects and I found myself looking for more video content that would aid my learning. I think adding more of this in would make MC even better. If you are looking for a coding school, I would highly recommend Manchester Codes. Even after finishing the bootcamp I still feel part of the community and the team have been more than happy to give me advice and support as I begin my new career. One piece of advice I would give is before jumping straight in, do some self learning beforehand and familiarise yourself with terminology and basic concepts; I think this would have made my experience a bit easier as I would have been able to pick up new concepts faster than I did, and probably would have spent fewer evening shouting at my computer!

Over lockdown I decided I needed a career change. I was working in recruitment and although I didn't dislike the role I knew it wasn't what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life either. Full-time bootcamps were out of the question as I could not afford to give up working full-time, so Manchester Codes was the perfect option. The course is intense and is a big commitment (the 20 hours per week of independent study the course recommends outside of lectures is a realistic expectation), however it was worth every hour and every penny. The tutors and classmates were so supportive, and the careers guidance was vital in me securing a full-time role in software development. 

My experience with Manchester Codes was great. I mean it was possibly one of the toughest period of my life, even if I have had lots of experiences in working and studying. The course is really intense but in the same time it was also one of the most rewarding experience in my life. Apart from the usual challenges, my cohort faced Covid, only few weeks after we started. Manchester Codes as an organization handled it wonderfully though and overcome the difficulties quickly. I have to mention that in my opinion - even if the tutors are there and helped us to find every silly typos in the code - the course is not for those who expect non-stop hand holding. It prepared us for the real word where indeed our best friend is google.  I secured my first developer position at a wonderful startup after 2.5 months. From my point of view the course prepared me for the job as I was able to do some real work after the first few weeks already.

Before applying to Manchester Codes I was working wonderful 12 hour shifts in London in the media industry. Having wanted a career change for a while I decided to get into coding! Using Code Academy and Udemy courses I was able to get a good start but found it difficult to concentrate and felt like I was rushing them just for the sake of completing them. I decided that I needed to do a coding bootcamp, I realised spending 10k on a 3 month course while living in London was impossible! Luckily enough I found Manchester Codes online just as I was about to go back home up North! Lucky timing and a way better price than London courses!After applying I met Joe and he gave me a quick run through of Javascript through Chrome's console, realising I knew some of the basics and what the course would provide I was glad to be accepted. It was great to get to grips with HTML/CSS and Bootstrap(which I had to use daily at my first web dev job) in the first couple of weeks and then get into JavaScript. I was able to get a thorough understanding of JavaScript, React, GitHub,  AWS and Node in just a couple of months. One of favourite bits was being able to create projects with what we had learned that week, especially with Javascript. I found trying to learn Javascript by myself I was never able to see it’s full potential or why it gets used so much.Once I completed the course I did some local work experience at a Digital Agency for about 2 months nearby just so I could get a better understanding of how they worked and to up my CV. After which I was able to get my first Junior Web Developer role at a Digital Agency in the North West where the course really came in handy. After being there for a year I decided I wanted to be by the Sea as I am a terrible surfer and managed to get a Web Developer role at a fashion company in the South West!I would highly recommend this course if you are looking at having a career change and want to get into Web Dev.

I joined Manchester Codes in March 2020. At the beginning I was a bit scared if I am going to make it through the entire course 🤔But everything turned upside down with the amazing people I met. The course is unbelievable; how much you can learn from it in only 6 months. I started from 0 and now I can call myself Junior Developer. 🎮At the end of this course you can use the knowledge into plenty of jobs and begin something new. 😊 It was an amazing experience that I could live again and again.A big thanks you to everybody for the full support from the beginning until the end ❤

I finished the Software Engineer FastTrack a few months ago and I was able to find a software engineer job after around 2 months of job hunting. Overall, the bootcamp was a very positive experience, largely because tutors are helpful, knowledgeable and quick to respond to questions or queries. Like many of the other students, I had to carry on working while doing the bootcamp and being able to get support from the tutors at different times of the day through Slack was a massive plus for me. The career advisor (Andrew) was also really helpful after I finished the course, gave me feedback on my CV and helped me prepare for interviews.I do think there is an expectation that students work independently and get used to asking lots and lots of questions. But (in my opinion) this is not a bad thing because it matches expectations of junior developers in the workplace. :) I have recommended this course to friends who want to get into web dev and I will continue to do so. I'm not sure why one of the anonymous reviews claims that there are lots of mistakes in the course material. This wasn't my experience at all. There were occasional bugs in some of the sample code, but these were always fixed quickly whenever someone pointed them out to the tutors. 

Having completed the fast-track course, I can say that this was the largest waste of money I have ever spent and definitely the worst choice from all the options I had with other courses in the area.

Alarm bells should have really started ringing on day one, when they pointed out that for the first month there is no "teaching" (which I will come on to shortly) involved. You just have to go away, read a few online articles and complete HTML and CSS courses on FreeCodeCamp and Codecademy (yes, those free websites). Following this first month it is time to "start properly" with their JavaScript material. The track starts with some small katas/JavaScript problems to solve, no teaching on how to do so and only pointers to yet again, more lessons on those free websites. There's even an "optional extra lesson" at the end of this part of the track that points to a specific number of lessons on FCC, which if not completed already you would not know how to complete the earlier katas/problems anyway...

Anyway, with some basic JavaScript "taught", it's on to the backend part of the course. This is obviously where programming for many brings up difficult concepts to understand and so you would expect a decent amount of tutored lessons to help students with the theory needed. Unfortunately, the average lesson length is around 30 minutes, with some as short as 20 and others a little longer. For the course I sat, these started well, but after a few weeks for whatever reason the tutor changed from someone who could explain the theory, to someone who could read off a PowerPoint (whilst the original tutor was still there). At this point in the track it also began to feel like students are proof-readers for the course material too. The amount of spelling and grammatical errors in the material goes from funny to beyond a joke pretty rapidly and be prepared to lose a few hairs (and hours) bug fixing the errors presented within the learning material. (not bugs/errors you mistakenly code, bugs/errors within their "follow-along/teaching-code"). There was always the option of asking for help on Slack, which usually got a response pretty quickly. You just had to be weary of the few tutors who's help also came with sarcastic and condescending responses.

The front end of the course, from what I remember was a lot more straight forward (react kind of teaches itself), however, to be honest by this point I had already turned to popular Udemy courses as I felt I was learning far more from courses costing £12 on there.

Job assistance wise, when I went to an open day, I was told there was a career advisor (no specific department tailored to help you find work following the course like many bootcamps provide - I decided pros outweighed the cons at the time). However, when I started, I discovered this was not however true. Shortly later though someone was brought into the post. A post that involved pasting job adverts a quick google search returns in a jobseeker’s channel in slack. NB. a specific and experienced careers advisor has now been brought in so hopefully this will change.

All in all, I ultimately chose the course because of the price and as the saying goes, you get what you pay for!

I completed the Manchester Codes software development bootcamp 1 week ago and can safely say it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Whilst choosing a bootcamp to attend i took into consideration many factors, one of the reasons why Manchester Codes appealed was because you can do the course part time whilst still working. I'm also glad i chose Manchester Codes because the staff are really lovely, knowledgeable and supportive and are always on hand to answer questions over slack even when you arent in class. I'm amazed at how much the course covered and found the projects really fun to work on. I would definately reccomend this course to anyone considering a software development bootcamp!