Full-Time Java Coding Bootcamp - Remote

Graduated from Tech Elevator December 2024. Applied to multiple jobs and haven't even gotten an interview.I learned some things, but I don't think it was worth 16000 dollars.

Tech Elevator was the perfect choice for me and I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn coding in order to make a career change. Before the bootcamp, I had no technical knowledge, coming from a background in the arts and human services. The structure of the program–daily, live remote, module based–made it easy to stay engaged and learn efficiently. It was hard–very hard–but I felt supported by the structure of the day, coupled with the ability to get help from instructors and peers who were available daily after classroom hours.

My instructor was Rich Seeds, an expert in his field, knowledgeable, and with a great sense of humor. Together with my cohort, we created a learning environment that fostered open curiosity, encouraging active questioning and problem solving in order to master challenging concepts. I also appreciated the Pathway Program, which prepared me for the job search with resume reviews, mock interviews, and networking opportunities. I’m so grateful for the guidance that Claribel Quintana–my one-on-one Pathway Director for my post-graduation job search–has already given me, and I look forward to continuing our work together in the coming weeks.
Because of Tech Elevator, I feel confident in my skills and in my ability to continue to learn other coding languages (Python is my next venture!) on my own.  I am excited about the opportunities ahead as I begin my job search as a junior developer.

I recently completed the Full Stack Java-based National Live Remote Program from Tech Elevator. I am a career changer coming from a lengthy STEM career into the Software / Web Development world. This is a review of what I experienced and how I feel after completing the bootcamp. The Good:

Most Instructors are very good. Understand that they are trying to squeeze as much material as possible in a short amount of time. They are willing to help answer as many questions as possible and will give you time if you request office hours.
Java content and Database content are great. The daily assignments provide the rhythm and rigor needed to absorb the content taught.
Alumni Curriculum support provides constant refreshers of the material taught during the bootcamp and can provide a learning experience with smaller groups. 

The Mediocre:

The HTML, CSS, and JavaScript portion of the curriculum is rushed. Vue.JS is an easier-to-learn framework but React has the most market share and would have been the better choice for increasing employability.
The curriculum covers the fundamentals and practical skills with basic web applications but many employers ask theoretical questions that involve an understanding of Data Structures & Algorithms. You will need to acquire this information on your own. Putting in the time to study and do problems like LeetCode, HackerRank, Code Signal, Code Wars, etc. is something you will have to do.
The professional development portion of the bootcamp (called "Pathway") is mostly geared to those with no professional experience. If you have any successful interviewing and resume experience, then this part of the bootcamp won't provide much value other than a few required mock interviews and working on your elevator pitch. This extends into the Alumni Pathway support as well since it is just a repeat of the content discussed during the bootcamp.

The Bad:

Understand that the current market (this review being written in Q1 2024) is extremely tough. Talking with the admissions team, they made suggestions that there was a large set of employer partners or company contacts they had access to, and leaving the bootcamp employed was very likely. The reality is far from that. There is no job guarantee. 
During my cohort, the few companies that came to this matchmaking experience were either companies or institutions that weren't hiring at all, companies centered around Tech Elevator's physical campus locations,  or contracting companies that were taking extreme advantage of market conditions to offer new developers low wages, with harsh contracts that require your to uproot yourself at a moment's notice. The matchmaking experience seems to have been better for those who went to a campus-based program.
The quality and experience of pair programming projects like the mini-capstones and Final Project are dependent on who your partners are.  If you have a team of passionate/dedicated people then your projects can turn out to be amazing. It is very possible to get matched with people who have no desire to do the work or learn. You will then have to complete the project on your own. I encountered this myself and know of others who also had a poor experience due to individuals who for one reason or another didn't care. Some of them have no business being in the bootcamp as they are not willing to put in the work to learn. If their time during the bootcamp is evidence of their work habit, they will not succeed. ChatGPT and other AI tools can only take you so far. 

To summarize, the technical portion of the bootcamp is great for covering the basic concepts and being able to produce web applications. You will have to expand on the topics and do deeper learning to be able to have a chance at finding work. The professional development portion of the bootcamp is only OK. The likelihood of leaving with a job other than a predatory contract position is extremely low in current market conditions. The key to finding work is to find programs at companies that accept bootcamp graduates for apprenticeships or entry-level positions, or become self-employed via freelancing, or network as much as possible and hope you make a connection with someone who can make hiring decisions or at least influence them enough to get you an interview. If you can't pay for the bootcamp outright, get the income sharing agreement over the loan as the current market makes the prospect of finding employment during the grace period of a loan extremely challenging. I was fortunate enough to find employment through an entry-level program within my loan grace period after graduating.

During the summer of my senior year pursuing a Computer Engineering Degree (May 2023 - Aug 2023), I had the privilege of participating in a meticulously structured and enriching educational experience. Armed with a strong foundation in the field, I found the course to be both accommodating for beginners and challenging for those with more seasoned expertise.I am uniquely positioned to address the perennial debate between traditional college education and the intensive bootcamp approach. While I hold my alma mater in high regard, it's important to debunk the notion that a bootcamp is equivalent in difficulty to a Computer Science or Engineering degree. My summer course, although intensive, provided me with significantly more flexibility to maintain a well-rounded life – a luxury I often found scarce during my university years.Drawing a distinct comparison, my academic semester encompassed a demanding load of subjects, including Cal 3, Embedded Systems, Algorithms, and a Capstone project that required mastering a new backend framework on the spot. This workload underscores the stark contrast between the two paths. The college experience placed a higher onus on independent problem-solving and time management, fostering a comprehensive understanding of diverse programming languages and algorithms. In contrast, the bootcamp immersed me in an accelerated and all-encompassing learning environment, emphasizing a specific language and framework. However, success in a bootcamp is contingent upon one's dedication and effort, and the subsequent job search presents its own challenges.In summation, both avenues have their merits. The traditional college route cultivates resilience, self-reliance, and a broad spectrum of technical proficiencies. Conversely, a bootcamp necessitates swift and intensive absorption of knowledge, focusing on specialized skills. Securing employment post-bootcamp demands personal commitment and perseverance. Ultimately, the journey you choose will shape your growth, and while not without its challenges, triumph is attainable in either scenario.

I had a very positive experience with Tech Elevator.  The instructors were very knowledgeable, and there was plenty of support for anyone who was struggling with certain concepts.Pros:The curriculum was well laid out and paced well.  Cons:It is a lot of content to get through in a short time, but that is expected.

I was really hesitant about putting so much money down to join a Bootcamp but I'm really glad I did. The proof of how good this boot camp was is how quickly I got hired which was one month after graduating and the pay was great, way more than my current job. I can't praise this school enough. I went in with a lot of pre-prep and learned a great deal when I entered and the best tip I could give would be to learn by yourself for a couple of months, get familiar with the curriculum, and then apply for Tech Elevator. I didn't have the best instructor but I had access to other materials and help after class that made up for his lackluster teaching. I made some lifelong friends there and loved my time. 10/10 would do it again. 

Joining Tech Elevator was one of the best decisions I made. Great curriculum, instructors and pathway program. Extensive program definitely, having basic knowledge of programming would make this journey easy and more valuable for you. If you want to change your career in Tech, ready for hard work and dedicated, Tech Elevator bootcamp is the best choice. Their pathway program definitely helps to build the base for job hunting. Very dedicated instructors who really want their students to succeed. I had a wonderful experience throughout my cohort. 

This decision was a long time coming for me. My family and I suffered from repercussions of COVID and the crazy inflation. I was holding out, hoping for something to open up in my previous field, but it never did. I had looked into online programs for Software dev, but was never confident enough to try. Then I had a few friends complete the TE program and get jobs. What gave me the courage to finally take the plunge was TE's track record for student, job placement, and their promise of continued support. It was a requirement for me to take the course online, which they offered, and it was a compressed period of time. My family had to make huge sacrifices for me to be able to do this, but the promise of gainful employment and the ability to take a real vacation for the first time, was enough for us to power thru. I would absolutely recommend the program and would do it all over in a heartbeat.

Tech Elevator does a great job of teaching you the fundamentals necessary to start your career as a software developer. I had no programming experience prior to joining the program and learned so much in 14 weeks. The instructors were passionate, experienced and always willing to be a resource. The pathway team also does a great job of providing career coaching sessions to prepare you for the job search.Overall, I felt the instructors and pathway team were passionate and truly invested in our growth as individuals and developers. The curriculum is challenging, rigorous and quick paced but if you’re committed to the experience and trust the process, you’ll gain so much. I highly recommend Tech Elevator. 

Tech elevator gives you freedom to choose part-time and full-time coding bootcamps. At Tech Elevator, students can learn coding as well as HTML, CSS. SQL, API etc. It has great student and instructor ratio that help instructors to give extra time to students. Wow! experience.

I was in an online class (National Live Remote) but attended the Pittsburgh pathway program via zoom since I live in the greater Pittsburgh area and was looking for a job in my area. If you would like to attend remote classes but live near a campus location I highly recommend that you attend an NLR cohort that coincides with the in-person cohort so that you can attend the local matchmaking at the end of the bootcamp.The pathway directors did an outstanding job all throughout the bootcamp, offering individual support and advice with resume, LinkedIn, interview prep, job search, and went above and beyond organizing matchmaking. I am currently working as a software engineer associate, a job offered to me as a result of matchmaking. Be aware that this is an incredibly intense program. For me, having never done any coding aside from the prework (which I found a piece of cake), this amounted to 80-90 hours a week during most of the bootcamp. If you have prior experience, it will obviously not be as intense for you. In hindsight, I wish that I would have spent time learning the basics of Java in addition to the prework before the bootcamp. It would have decreased the stress level of the first two weeks. A typical day for me included 3 hours of technical lecture in the morning, a 1-hour pathway program in the afternoon, followed by several hours of graded homework (many days it took me 6-8 hours to complete the homework), reading several chapters for the next day, completing a quiz on the reading, completing a tutorial, and then it started all over again. Every NLR class had an academic fellow who was available for tutoring in the afternoon. Our academic fellow offered half-hour zoom slots in the afternoon to anyone who was struggling with the homework or any concept, which was super helpful and made a huge difference. The weekends were busy with pair programming and pathway homework. I literally didn’t have time for anything else during the bootcamp. Note that the first two weeks are by far the most intense, so don’t give up, it does get better! 
Was it worth it? 100%! I can totally recommend it as long as you know that you are signing up for the 14 most intense weeks of your life and plan accordingly. 

Tech Elevator is not only a well-designed curriculum to learn how to be a full-stack developer but also fantastic for helping you land a job after graduating. The staff genuinely cares about your learning and helping you succeed. The program is rigorous and I felt well supported throughout.  

The pathway program is a series of useless material, which may not be useful if you have prior work experience in literally any field. The program does not prepare you for technical interviews, which is a crucial part of the interview process for tech jobs. The 6 month job assistance offered is limited to meetings with someone from TE, who only provides generic advice. The matchmaking event was not productive, as most employers were not hiring and the few that were required a bachelor's degree. The instruction provided is rushed, but not bad. However, they do not cover important topics such as data structures and algorithms, which can be encountered during the interview process. I had a poor instructor, and the campus director was not responsive to requests for a switch. Overall, the program is marketed as a workforce development program, but it is not worth the cost if the instruction is not tailored to the student's needs.

Before Tech Elevator, I had left my previous job to find my passion and pursue other opportunities. I begain by taking short, free online coding courses, but I knew that wouldn't be enough to have a career in this industry. I reached out to a colleague that graduated from Tech Elevator the year prior, and asked for more information. Ultimately, I ended up applying, interviewing and getting accepted to the bootcamp.The course was rigorous, stressful and a huge learning curve. The instructors, however, were extremely helpful, patient and motivating. They offered support and reassurance when needed, and guided you to being your best self. The pathway directors helped you rewrite your resume as well as your LinkedIn profile to ensure you would stand out from the rest of the crowd. The matchmaking event held by Tech Elevator allowed me to meet with many different prospective employers, and find the company that best suited me.After graduation, I received 3 offers from different companies, ranging from small to large in size. I chose to accept the offer from my city's power company as a software developer. Based on my increase in salary, as well as the numerous future career opportunities with my new postion, the money spent was well worth it.

I was looking to change careers after years of working in a field I wasn't happy with. My husband did Tech Elevator and loved his experience, so I felt very comfortable knowing I was in good hands! I did NLR which I found to be very well designed for remote learning and interacting with instructors and classmates. The work is intriguing and keeps you pulled in, which providing a challenge with good resources around. Pathway was also a great help in preparing me for the job search. I have recommended it to multiple people and will continue to do so.

Where do I start? If you’re deciding on taking the online course and end up getting [name redacted] as your instructor then please run. His instruction is very poor. He does not follow the lecture code he is given by the TE curriculum team and will try and make his own and get lost and confuse you more. If you ask a question then expect everything to be answered but what you asked him..The pathway is just a lot of bologna. Day 1 they show you a big slide about how their is a reason as to why they are a preferred bootcamp due to their hiring partners but they only had 4 employees come see us and half of them didn’t even have any open positions. Now this could possibly be due to the economy currently but who knows right? They give you tons of material to read and then the following day waste your time with a Zoom meeting rehashing everything you just read when you could be coding or anything else really!This bootcamp labels themselves as a fullstack bootcamp but really all the curriculum is mainly focused on backend with a little bit of front end. The 3rd module which is supposed to be front end spends 2 days on JavaScript and then they show you Vue which is not a very in demand JS Framework. I have heard wonderful things about this bootcamp but I’m assuming it was because those students had taken the bootcamp in person vs online. 

Where Tech Elevator shines is the structure, the instructors and the like-minded classmates you meet along the way. Tons of resources are offered. Mock interviews, help with exercises, help with personal projects. Even after graduation, instructors are eager to help and genuinely interested in what you're working on. A lot of time is also spent on the job-searching side of things but nothing is guaranteed. I did not get many calls back and ultimately got my job through the matchmaking program at TE. If you are on the fence, I advise talking to everyone in your area on LinkedIn and see how effective TE was for them. Also, take advantage of every opportunity that's offered and don't get discouraged.

I will be upfront and say that while this review may seem a little critical and unyielding in what I perceive to be some of the flaws in my experience and I do not want to convey TE as being a "bad" program. TE does a fine job of touting the positives of their program, as do many of their alum. My job here is to show you what I perceive as the negatives in my experience that I wish was relayed to me before I signed up as that information is far harder to come by.So why signup for Tech Elevators' bootcamp?..For me it was to gain insight from industry professionals, learn through an "industry proven" path, and most importantly, gain an edge in the hiring market, hopefully forming connections through hiring partners that would expedite job placement. Unfortunately, while there was many great parts to this program some of that quickly becomes overshadowed by the more important aspects that are lacking. Discrepancies that are touted as quite the opposite during the sign up sales pitch.Lets be clear... Anything you can/will learn from this bootcamp can be gained from FREE programs online. That is no secret. The benefits, educationally, lie in the fact that you are provided a path which to learn (Java->Backend/Database->Frontend); are held accountable to completing the material in a given time frame(not necessarily understanding); and are able to learn and employ this knowledge alongside fellow students / industry professionals. In this respect TE has delivered fairly well given the time constraints of the program. Many students come in with little to no programming experience, and they "learn" quite a bit. I say "learn" because to be honest I do not feel the bulk have really came to grasp with the majority of the material, nor will they really be able to retain what they have learned without continued progression post graduation. This is a 14 week program... without prior understanding of CS concepts or technical experience there is no base to tie much of the information together or a way of grasping the nuance to why we are doing what we are doing at any given point. Learning is more, this is the recipe, employ it in this new situation. That being said the majority of the teaching staff is very adamant in doing all that they can to help you along the way. I do get the feeling that many of them genuinely care and want to do everything they can to get you through the material (without holding your hand). Unfortunately, there is a definite disparity in the teaching abilities among the staff. All of the teachers know the material, many are great programmers in their own right. This does NOT translate into making them good teachers! My teacher tried very hard and even attempted to adapt when concerns were raised about many in our class not grasping the material presented. Ultimately this did not help and myself, along with others in our class ended up having to watch recordings from other classes most days to get a solid foundation on the homework that had to be completed that day. On this fact alone, I have had many conversations with fellow classmates concerning the fact that we feel like we got ripped off vs other students. We were granted access to resources and the ability to ask for help from other instructors, but that does not give me back the 3 hours per day out of an already tight schedule.It should also be noted that going into the program it is eluded that you will be "in class" for approximately 8 hours a day. The fact is you will only actually be in class for 3 hours a day. The rest of your day will be spent in zoom breakout rooms. You can ask for help from instructors / TAs but most of the time you will have to wait or no one is available. There is no one keeping you there for the "required time". That is only about 15 hours of actual class per week, or 210 hours of class over 14 weeks, or about $80 per hour (per student!) , however you want to look at it.Let me clarify, while I have personal gripes about the educational experience, compared to other camps I have heard worse, and overall I feel like they realistically delivered with the time constraints.Now for the bigger issue at hand...One of the main selling points for TE and one of the main reasons people go to a bootcamp is to expedite employment. For TE this is the Pathway program (aka career program).  Like I said above, YOU CAN LEARN EVERYTHING OFFERED WITHOUT PAYING A DIME! People attend a bootcamp so that they can land an entry level tech position in a matter of months vs years, and furthermore so they can have reputable institution back them. This is a tall order and to be clear TE makes no guarantees, nor could they without the possibility of lawsuit. That is understandable. However, the way they pitch the pathway program and their "employer network" has been VERY misleading, at least in regard to my cohort.I am two weeks post graduation and to my knowledge out of the 80 or so people in my cohort only 4 or 5 have secured employment, of which they did so through personal effort/connections! Throughout the program there are mandatory attendance "employer showcases". The unfortunate fact was besides the fact that not one of them are hiring entry level developers, most require bachelors degree or higher (regardless of ability and relevant skills). One employer, after being vague and beating around the bush, went as far as to say that they want some one with either a 4 year degree in CS or 8 years work experience in the tech industry! WHY am I attending a bootcamp if I have 8 years in the industry! At best it was a disappointment, at worst it was a waste of time that could have been better utilized studying or making meaningful connections. The main "employer matchmaking" event was a joke! Some students got two 30-minute interviews, some three, lucky couple got 4 interviews. The best part was these "interviews" were not interviews. Most got a 15 minute sales pitch about the company and then asked if there was any questions... which makes sense because none of them are currently hiring!Beyond the employer portion the highlight of Pathway was they did provide some assistance with resume and LinkedIn profile construction. Albeit the information provided, while useful, was overly generic. Sure they had a couple personal one on ones, but if I am being honest it too was very generic. In fact, I actually received more pertinent resume advice from a recruiter during the matchmaking event than I did from pathway.I understand pathway has to tend to the needs of 80 students, some of whom are lacking communication skills or are socially awkward, but for around 17 thousand dollars a head I expected better.The economy is in shambles, tech is suffering, and the outlook for bootcamp grads currently is not bright, but if anything I wish TE had been more upfront and honest about what it can offer instead of making euphemisms, shallow promises, and wasting our time with "mandatory" events that had no relevance/usefulness to many of us.Overall, I enjoyed my time with TE. I definitely feel I learned quite a bit, made solid connections, and hopefully helped others in the process. For those considering joining future cohorts, I implore you to look into it as much as possible and weigh your options. It is likely one of the better options when it comes to bootcamps, but it may not be the best option for you. Either way I wish you all the luck in the world! Stay strong and persistent and anything is possible! 

While this bootcamp is very challenging and time consuming it is one of the most fulfilling experiences I've ever had as it has equipped me with the skills to enter the workforce at a young age, as well as offer personal/career development. What distinguished this bootcamp from others in my mind is the fact that they offered this career development that allowed me to become better at interviewing, and selling myself as a candidate which is invaluable moving forward in the future as a 21 year old graduate from the bootcamp. Their matchmaking service near the end of the camp is another key factor in my decision to go with this bootcamp and it couldn't have paid off any better as I received my job offer from my company through their prearranged meeting thanks to Tech Elevator. While the curriculum is a great foundation and gives you plenty of hands on experience it is designed mostly to be easy to teach and learn about so you should be willing to spend the little free time that you have during bootcamp days to explore what interests you with coding outside of what they teach. Definitely a great experience and I would recommend it to any currently looking for a coding bootcamp.

Tech Elevator was a great experience. I came into the program with a great deal of college programming experience (no degree CS degree, but a science degree) and found the coursework pretty easy but very good practice. The workload was relatively light most days for someone with coding experience, but the real value was in the Pathway program that Tech Elevator has. Pathway is basically career counseling that will help prepare you for applying, interviewing, negotiating, and starting at your new job. I can't express enough how helpful the Pathway program was, it gave me the confidence that I needed to get a job, and I had one lined up before I graduated, which was a great weight off of my shoulders. The first two thirds of the program are relatively straight forward, but the final part of the program (the truly full-stack portion) was very rigorous and great experience to have. All of the instructors I interacted with were also incredibly helpful regardless of whose class you were in.