Altcademy

This program is quite different from other bootcamps as it spends a longer time on html and css. This is a big plus because you learn how to build user interfaces that are clean and good looking very quickly. Concepts covered in JavaScript, DOM, React, Ruby, and Rails are equally in depth. You finish with a strong understanding of MVC, and CRUD APIs, from building a handful of full-stack applications, plus dozens of frontend/backend projects. The curriculum structure is very smooth, instructions and explanations are written in simple english and easy to understand. If you ever need additional help, you can be in direct contact with a mentor through slack or zoom meetings. Last but not least, the price is very affordable as well.

I work as a PM and my company was kind enough to sponsor this course. My primary reason for learning web dev is to have better understanding of the technical side of things. This benefits me greatly since I can now estimate project turnaround times much more realistically and communications with engineers improved. Besides, building fullstack web apps from scratch is really fun and challenging. If you work in web based tech companies and want better understanding of how things work, this course is highly recommended.

I signed up for the fullstack program but decided to stop after completing all the frontend modules since I want to start looking for a job sooner. If you read the reviews, you would already know the curriculum is well written, the mentors are amazing, and the price is super affordable. It is all true. Before joining this program, I had been learning and doing some frontend development for my small online business. I can tell you from my personal experience that having a structured program and a mentor is 10x more efficient than learning on your own. If you want to learn web development, this is for you.

My experience with Altcademy was amazing. I did a lot of research before signing up and consulted friends who are software engineers. We all came to the conclusion that Altcademy's fullstack program is the best amongst its peers. In terms of value for money, and in terms of curriculum comprehensiveness, no one could beat them. The program is very packed, thousand of hours of curriculum material, hundreds of exercises, and a couple dozen assignments. I came out with 6 decent looking projects and a final project which I am very proud of. The mentors are amazing people, very helpful and very knowledgable. This is something I would recommend to family and friends without a second thought. Don't take my word for it, do some research and you will see what I mean.

A thoroughly enjoyable program. Assignments and projects are challenging yet rewarding. I finished with a portfolio of multiple small projects and one large advance custom project based on my own idea. I went through data structures and algo training at the end. They will help you with your cv and linkedin profile for job search. The support was just enough that you didn't feel like going at this alone. You can talk to other students through slack. You can ask and search questions on a Q&A platform. You can book live office hours with your mentor to get help. The offer is amazing for the price.

I started the program in Mar 2020 after I lost my job working for an airline. Well I thought might as well take this chance to make a change. 11 months later, I am finishing up and applying to jobs. A few things I want to share regarding coding bootcamps and making a career switch. 

1. It takes a lot of time to learn the fundamentals and feel confident enough to start applying to jobs. For me, it was 11 months, at 40-50 hours a week. I did take a month off in the middle where I was only doing around 10 hours a week.
2. Do your own due diligence, spend time to research different bootcamps. I chose Altcademy because they are online, and they are super cheap. I asked the bootcamps to send me their curriculum and I realized everyone pretty much teaches the same thing. So your decision is dependent on whether you think the bootcamp can deliver their promise.
3. Join a program with good mentors. I was lucky my mentor at Altcademy was also the person who wrote the course content. He knew everything.
4. Start looking at jobs early in the program and have a plan. If you live in an area with very little tech jobs, you need to think hard and long whether you are willing to move somewhere to get a job. You can also apply for remote jobs, but working alone at home isn't for everyone.
5. Have realistic expectations. There is no guarantee for anything.

If you already have some knowledge of simple website building, you can finish the course in 6 months. The curriculum paints the whole picture of web development. All the details of frontend and backend development is covered. You build 20+ projects throughout the course. The mentors are very knowledgeable and patient. All your projects will be reviewed and given feedback. The quality is on par with other major bootcamps, but these guys are only charging a fraction of the price. It's a no brainer.

Before joining this program, I had zero experience in programming. I knew I would need quite a bit of support from a professional so I chose the personalized package with live office hours. All in all, I was very happy with what I got. My mentor was always patient and had a knack for explaining complex concepts in plain english.

It took me nearly a year to finish the whole program. It was all worth it though since I managed to land an internship at a local startup which turned into a fulltime job. The salary is not super high but since the cost of the bootcamp is very low, I am happy with the outcome.

If you are thinking of signing up, you should know the curriculum is 100% text based, if you prefer videos, this is not for you. Also learning on your own without peers can be tough at times. You need to be mentally prepared.

I really liked the program, it provides structure and flexibility at the same time. I was able to learn as much as I have time for. The curriculum teaches you all the finer details of web development, such as setting up your computer for local development which can be quite daunting for beginners.

When I needed help, I got great support from my mentor through slack and live office hours. This is very important as it kept me going when I got stuck in a rut a few times. I still can't believe they are able to offer so much at the price they are charging.

I am using this program as part of my wider syllabus to learn web development. Altcademy's course is the only component that is paid. The rest of my syllabus consists of free materials and courses you can find online.

The reason I decided to include a paid program like Altcademy is because I want to have a dedicated mentor that can help me. Altcademy's mentor support provides this at a reasonable price.

The program itself is pretty good. The curriculum is well thought out and builds up logically. However as with most paid programs, it is not able to cover all the details. And that is why I am using other resources to drill down more.

If you have no experience with programming at all, this is a good program to get you started on the right foot.

This is my 4th month into the full-stack program and I am currently at the end of the dynamic web development course which teaches you how to build interactive front-ends with HTML and JavaScript. I have to build a simple game to complete this course.

The program provides lots of handson experience through exercises and projects. I have built at least 10 websites by now. Some of them are following tutorials and some of them are built completely on my own according to assignment goals. I got detailed feedback on all my assignments for bugs and improvements. This is a really good learning experience and good for building up confidence. There is a mentor that you can contact for help and guidance, this is very useful and worth every penny.

I don't have much to complain about the program really. But one thing I would mention is that I found it hard to stay focused early on, since you are always learning on your own. It took me at least a good two weeks to find my rymthm. So if you are thinking of signing up, you need to make sure you can learn in solitude, and have a study plan. My advice is that you need to be able to dedicate fixed timeslots on 3 to 4 days a week for studying and build a habit.

The reason I chose Altcademy is because they are cheap. Cheap compared to most bootcamps.

The main concern I had before I made a decision to enrol is whether I will be learning less things due to the price difference. After some research, I realised most web development bootcamp's syllabus are very similar, the frontend is almost always the same: HTML, CSS, JS, React/Angular/Vue. The backend is either Node or Rails. And they all have some CS data structure and algorithms. So there is not much difference in the topics that you will learn whether it's a 15k program or a 1k program.

As for the learning experience, I would say I am happy for what I paid for. The program is self paced, but they do give you a study schedule to help you plan. There isn't any hand holding, but there is definitely a lot of hands on experience with assignments and projects. There is a chatroom where you can discuss with other students. My mentors are experienced enough to answer most of my questions and they seem qualified based on their linkedin profile.

I think the most valuable thing this program offers is the mentorship support. Having a dedicated person who you can go to for help makes learning much easier. I can't really compare the experience with the more expensive bootcamps because I don't know what they are like. But if you are not able to shell out 10k or more, my guess is this could be a good alternative.

The curriculum covers most fundamental concepts in frontend web development and is enough to get you prepared for some entry level roles. Especially if you have some experience with other roles in tech. If they could add some classes on automated testing, it would make the curriculum more complete. The content is mostly text based and easy to follow, with lots of exercises and walkthroughs. Mentors were very helpful and usually responded within the same day I asked them questions. I thoroughly enjoyed the program.