Full Stack Web Developer Immersive / Remote Attendance

Code Platoon is committed to helping all students in the program succeed in transitioning into software development and related careers. Outside of learning different programming languages, I also had the opportunity to learn from industry experts through the mentorship program, career coaching, and interview skills workshops. The instructors, TA's, and alumni are always available during and after classes. Overall, the program exposed me to programming best practices that are in great demand in the industry such as Agile development practices. After graduation, I feel better prepared for my next career adventure.

After doing network security for a number of years in the Navy, I was ready to rejoin civilian life and knew that I wanted to get into software engineering. I started researching various programs and bootcamps that I could take part in through the DoD Skillbridge program. Code Platoon was hands down the only choice for me after looking at probably 7 or 8 different programs. This program is 100% catered to veterans, by veterans and you can really tell from start to finish. I just want to highlight a couple of my experiences, starting with the initial application, to the the course content itself, and finally, to the post graduation support.Every single person at Code Platoon goes out of their way to make you feel informed about what you are getting into. I never once felt like I was being sold a product or being duped into signing up. My first few phone calls were with the Executive Director and he went out of his way to answer all my questions and to be available even though we were multiple time zones away from each other. Code Platoon is not a program that is out to get your money. They offer a number of attendance and scholarship models and if you take part in the DoD Skillbridge program, they offer a full scholarship to the remote program. This ended up saving me a significant amount of money. One key highlight on this aspect is how they responded to the Covid situation. I was initially supposed to take part in the "in person" program (this confers certain benefits not available to "remote" students such as in person workshops, an internship program, etc) which is not 100% funded by Skillbridge scholarship. However, due to Covid we were forced to go remote for the duration of the course and this made travelling to Chicago impossible. Code Platoon could have easily continued to hold me in an "In Person" status and charge me the money that I would have had to pay, but they didnt and I didn't even have to ask. The Director called me, and said due to the situation I was welcome to change my status to "remote" if I wanted in order to save me some money. I was so impressed by this level of integrity from a business.So on to the course content, is it any good? Upon starting Code Platoon, I already had a degree in Software Development and was primarily using the course for more hands on and practical experience. I can honestly say that this is some of the best instruction you can get and rivaled or topped many of my classes in college. The curriculum is designed to get you proficient with the most relevant and in demand technologies in Web Development and by the end, you are building full stack web applications with multiple programming languages and frameworks. One small thing to point out here is: the bootcamp is fast paced and there is a lot to cover (llike every bootcamp will be) so while you do get a ton of hands on practice building apps and will feel comfortable building by the end, not a ton of time is spent understanding theory and computer science concepts(this is not going to get you a degree in computer science). However, this is not a critique of Code Platoon specifically, but of the bootcamp model in general. You get a lot of the "how", but I wish students got a bit more of the "why" as well. That aside, by the end of the program you will absolutely be ready to accept a junior developer role. While the pace and intensity is very high, one thing I liked about the instructors was that they never made you feel like you were slowing them down or wasting their time. Even though there's a ton of content to get through, they always made sure to pause for questions, and would flesh out anything that wasn't making sense and if necessary, would spend time with you offline or after hours making sure you got through whatever you were stuck on. I really can't say enough about how great and patient all of the instructors were.Finally, I wanted to say a couple of things about career prep and post graduation resources. Throughout the course, many many hours are spent not just teaching you the technical skills, but preparing you for all of the things outside of coding (resume building, LinkedIn presence/networking, interview practice, job hunting, etc.). You get a ton of practice answering typical interview questions as well as technical whiteboarding questions. You do this both privately and in front of the class which really helps shake off the nerves and performance anxiety that comes with interviews. They also bring in industry professionals to do both technical and non technical workshops to give you different perspectives on various aspects of the industry. This is long enough now so I'll just finish by saying that Code Platoon was an incredible experience and I have already landed my first job as a software engineer, largely thanks to the skills I gained through this course. 

If you are a veteran or a spouse of a veteran and looking to get into the software engineering field, applying to attend this program should be the only thing you consider.  I am a recent graduate and not only did they teach me the relevant skills to dive into a post-military job, they also taught me the soft-skills needed to land one (resume / linkedin reviews, mock interviews, etc...).  I am so happy I found this program.  I was a DoD SkillBridge remote attendee, so I didn't qualify for post-course internship opportunities, but that program is available for in-person students who decide to reside in Chicago.

Coding bootcamps are designed to be extremely challenging, fast paced, and rewarding.  If you prefer watching YouTube tutorials and working on coding challenges at a leisurely pace, the full-time program probably isn’t for you.  The instructors will explain a concept, demonstrate how to implement the concept with code, and then give you coding challenges to further ingrain the concept into your brain.                                    Code Platoon does an excellent job preparing you for a career in software development.  You’ll have access to career coaches, weekly “soft skills” briefings, and meetings with potential employers.  Additionally, there have TA that will assist you with any challenges you may face.             Though it’s a long and challenging program, the results are undeniable.  You’ll have the knowledge, skill, and ability to create full-stack applications.  If you’re on-the-fence about whether or not to enroll in the full-time program – just do it!  This program is definitely worth it.

The Code Platoon full-stack development boot camp is outstanding in every way.  The curriculum is up to date and relevant to the current job market.  The instructors are all consummate professionals with tremendous knowledge and insight to share regarding what is really happening in software development today.  The instructors, staff, and teaching assistants are all selfless to a fault in giving of their time and energy to ensure each student's needs are met all of the time.  The Code Platoon administrators have thought of every need a student might have and they provide resources and people to meet those needs.  For example, each student is assigned a mentor who currently works in the software development industry and an equally-qualified personal resume coach.  The mentor and coach have at least weekly interactions with each student throughout the course.  The curriculum also includes extensive instruction and practical exercises on interviewing skills and job search strategies.  Any veteran or spouse of a veteran could not find a better boot camp in all the world!  A first-rate organization run by first-rate people!!

If you're a veteran and looking at bootcamp options, hands down Code Platoon is the best choice for you!

Curriculum & Overall Experience:

The curriculm is solid, thorough and has a good range of challenging stuff, with lighter stuff mixed in through the varying weeks. You get exposed to a good range of things, with not a whole lot of handholding (Use your instructors and classmates for the challenging stuff!). One of the best and unique things about CP is that they will bring in outside speakers, for workshops throughout - and those not only give you exposure to advanced topics, but context and alternative learning to the topics. In particular the SQL Workshop was amazing and shed light on a whole new range of SQL stuff I didn't know. Pair Progamming is part of the curriculm as well so you get to work on those skills alongside learning the Full Stack. Our program we learned Python w/ Django - and it was a pretty solid overview of those technologies. You also learn how to host your website using Heroku which is something I didn't learn at a previous bootcamp I went to.

In our cohort we learned Full-stack Web Development; Python/Django for the backend and React for the frontend. Whilst we didn't get too into the weeds of React, we went over React really good to the point where we could create fleshed out React Apps. I did wish we went a bit more into the nitty gritty of React.

Throughout the course you have assessments that help gauge where you are in the program, which all felt really solid and a good check-and-balance of where we were at technically with our skillset. Also you get access to TA every night which is kind of invaluable, since they are actual developers who have been working in the industry! On top of that, the Workshops sprinkled through the program are a great bonus, getting to learn advanced topics, from different instructors on different topics. 

Also during the last stretch of the program the individual project week & group project week were some of the best parts of the whole course! You get to spend a week at a host companies office, get to really learn to use Git and how to work on a group project. Something that I didn't really have at the prior bootcamp, that I really enjoyed at CP.

Instructors:

Having went to another top bootcamp, I've had a wide range of instructors and by far Jon and Josh were the best instructors I've ever had. They know how to communicate the technical topics in a way that you can understand, open to going more into depth with topics or providing alternative solutions, walking us through the though process as well as instilling in us the best kind of mindset to tackling problems. They even go over whiteboarding problems! Which is under appreciated as a help for the job assistance!

Job Assistance:

I participated in the internship program and was placed afterwards - the experience was hard, stressful but amazing. CP partners with great companies - also have a whole resume building, coaching, interview practice questions, the whole 9 yards. I came out with a killer new resume, a plethora of resources to work on my skills that I felt very prepared going into interview week. 

Remarks:

Again, if you're a Veteran looking to get into Tech and are checking out bootcamps. CP is the best value, and one of the best bootcamps you can take. If I could go back in time and go to CP instead of the other bootcamp I went to, I would have (saving myself a lot of $$$, and some time). Even coming into CP after doing another bootcamp is a great option because you will still be challenged, still learn some new things, get exposed and connected to a network of developers and other veterans to help you. 

I was a remote student at Code Platoon and want to make it clear that it is a completely viable option. Students participate live in the classroom through Zoom and are able to engage with the instructors while learning the material. Sometimes there would be technical issues with the microphone and camera, but these problems were always solved before class began so remote students never felt like an afterthought and we were always able to participate. The class is also recorded, so if there are any issues where you can’t make class it is possible to watch the recording and catch back up.

The downside to the remote option is that you are ineligible for the internships that Code Platoon offers. However, they are willing to work with you and allow you to attend the class part remote and part in person. This allows you access to the internships and is a great way to stretch funds if you’ve used up the GI Bill or can’s get Voc-Rehab to go through in time.

The instructors genuinely care about your success and are always available to help. They expect you to hit bumps in the road and they are more than willing to go over the material with you until it finally clicks, regardless of whether you’re in person or not.

Code Platoon provides an amazing life-changing opportunity for veterans and military spouses. Over the course of a short amount of time, you will be exposed to tools, techniques, and practices to prepare you to enter the workforce as a software developer. 

Pros: 

Mentors, TAs, Staff - You get a sense that everyone really cares and is there to support your learning and development. 
Code Platoon encourages and values your feedback. Every week ends with a retrospective where students can discuss how the week went and what could be done differently to improve things. If possible, changes are implemented immediately. Additionally, students can communicate how they are feeling about their progress via a check-in form. I was very impressed with this process.
Workshops/lectures on topics beyond technology such as personal finance, preparing for interviews, diversity/inclusion, and job search tips

Cons:

Very time intensive. If you want to succeed, you will need to dedicate the time the program requires. I knew this going in and tried to do my best to manage... but its worth mentioning again... many many 12+ hour days with coursework, challenges, and then eventually full-stack projects.
Some workshops were more difficult to follow as a remote attendee but I don't think that is the fault of the organization.

The most effective bootcamp of IT people! Rod Levy has a well respected and efficient program. Jon the lead instructor is fantastic. I wish all veterans thinking of an IT career would look toward this great outfit!