App Academy

While having a structured learning environment, and a well-curated curriculum is essential for success in absorbing so much material in such a short time. I felt the most important yet unadvertised aspect of App Academy is the camaraderie and mutual support engendered by its people. 

I learned so much from my classmates who were all diligent and brilliant . They inspired me to try harder and keep up. The TAs are knowledgable and supportive. My advice to any prospective student is to have faith in the program and also have blind faith in yourself.

App Academy was a challenging experience, but equally as rewarding. I was very nervous going into the bootcamp, and even even considered dropping out in the very beginning. With the help of my TA's, however, I was able to over come my anxiety and persevere. There will be times that you feel overwhelmed, but do your best to absorb what you can and by the end of the program you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish. Also, never sacrifice sleep for work. The curriculum goes at a steady pace, but will not wait for you to recover if you start to lag. Finally, make sure to talk with the TA's if you need assistance, they are all great people and more than willing to help with questions or other problems. 

I just finished the online curriculum that began May 27, 2019, and ended November 8, 2019. The curriculum is no easy task. It takes everything you have. I was only able go through the course because I had an amazingly supportive partner that did everything while I studied and coded. Seriously, you will have no time to do anything besides study, code, and sleep. If you do anything else your performance will suffer. Be prepared to give up everything else in your life for the duration of the curriculum. I was putting in 80 hours per week and more. You get very few reprieves during your time in App Academy; it's called a bootcamp for reason. Do the readings. Do the homework. I will repeat: DO THE READINGS, DO THE HOMEWORK. Pass the assessments. You won't have time for anything else. You will do fine.

That being said, the curriculum is fairly good/decent, and will tell you what you need. Some spots are a bit lacking. The real value, however, is in the instructors. Without their guidance this would have been a much more difficult mountain to climb. My cohort was incredibly fortunate to have a pair of amazing instructors who not only did what App Academy expected them to do, but went well above and beyond. They gave up weekend days to help us study for assessments, one of them helped us from the airport on their day off while traveling, stayed after class to answer any questions, recorded these after-hours sessions for those who were unable to attend due to various reasons. In addition to that, make friends! You will help them, then they will help you. You will understand something they don't; they will understand something you won't. I made a tight-knit group and we have been helping each other since. You will keep each other accountable. The full stacks might seem a little rushed, but you will come back to them later.

The job search is definitely another mad dash afterwards. Just because the curriculum is over, doesn't mean the bootcamp is; it's over when you get hired. You are give a lot of help and support to get you started; resume help, portfolio site help, how to deploy your full-stack sites, and more. Afterwards, once you are given the green light to start applying (they might keep you from it for a week so you can polish your full-stack projects and do a mock interview to make sure you are ready), you are required to do at least 25 job applications per week to hold to your end of the tuition contract, along with continual studying/improvement of your skills; all of this is logged in an online system.

If you can get through the next 6 months (less for in-person) and trudge through the rejections in the job hunt, you will be glad you went to App Academy. Make no mistake: it will be tough.

If you're a hard worker, then App Academy is the place for you! From the very beginning of the application process, I was impressed with how much I learned from just following App Academy's free online Intro to Ruby coursework. My trust in the curriculum never ceased. The atmosphere is one of the best educational atmospheres I've experienced - I'm sure this is because of App Academy's amazing TAs. It might be intimidating to hit the ground running with tons of new material every week, especially with App Academy's test fail-out system.. But at App Academy, you will be a part of a great community of people who are as hardworking as they are talented and smart. You will all struggle together and learn SO much together - all the hard work will pay off!

If you are willing to put in the work, this program will undoubtable prepare you for working as a software dev. Definitely not for everyone and would only consider if you are willing to make a/A your only focus for 4-6 months. Workload and pacing is extremely fast and many struggle to keep up (more like 90 to 100 hours a week), but extremely rewarding in the end. Due to the competitive tuition models, there is definitely a ton of filtering in the admissions process, as well as several systems/assessments in place throughout the course to make sure students are giving their full effort and not just along for the ride. Transition from 12 week to 16 week is apparent and still being worked out, but the sheer amount of material and resources available is truly incredible. This being said, this is a double edged sword in that there is always something to be working on and you will never really feel like you "completed" anything before moving on... but that's the point. Constant exposure to a wide range of material day in and day out. Pair programming daily; get ready to work with others and be able to explain your thoughts and programming decisions on the fly. Really forces you to do the daily homework and show up prepared each day, ready to learn even more in lecture. Job and career coaches are really dedicated to helping you get your materials together and seem to genuinely care about your success after the program ends. Course work is really relevant and tailored to languages and frameworks that are considered relevant/trendy in the industry, as well as plenty of attention given to theory/algorithms/more theoretical material that will help in interviews, as well as just general programming knowledge. Big focus on Ruby/Rails in the beginning, with a hard shift to JavaScript about halfway. Will feel very comfortable with both by the end. You are very on your own for the projects. Instructors will help with large bugs, but other than that, you pretty much utilize what you learned in the previous 12 weeks of the course. Speaking of instructors, they essentially hire the most well rounded ~2 students from every cohort, so they're an amazing resource for help and advice. Overall, amazing experience and would recommend to anyone who is looking to change their career/get their start in software development. I feel very prepared in regards to the languages /frameworks i've learned here, but also things like OOD, TTD, algorithm and database design, etc.

App Academy was by far the most stressful time of my life and at times straight-up miserable... That being said I would not trade the experience for anything.  Going through  App Academy 24 week course is one of the things I am most proud of. Just for a bit of context I am a 21-year-old high school dropout that didn't finish the 10th grade and was in and out of homeless/domestic violence shelters with my mom and sisters. sufficient to say we missed a lot of school. My son was born when I was 16, married my high-school sweetheart at 17, and my daughter was born when I was 19. The point is that there was every reason for me to think that I wasn't good enough to have the title Software Engineer. However, 3 weeks ago I finished the 24-week online course and can say with a high degree of certainty that I will land a job in the next few months (Will update onChange). This is not to say that the course is not hard. It was the single hardest thing that I have ever done. When they say 100 hours a week they mean it. I personally did at least 16 hour days 7 days a week for 20 weeks( throughout the main part of the course). Did many all-nighters and even more 20 hour days to stay caught up. Basically, if I wasn't sleeping/eating I was studying. App Academy doesn't just teach you all of the skills to be a successful Software Engineer, as corny as it is to say they really do teach you how to learn. The very dedicated, patient and knowledgeable T.As brake very hard concepts down to the absolute base foundation, then start building on it at a pace that is continuously pushing you passed what you thought was your limit. I would like to take the chance to shine a light on a T.A named Trevor. He is a shining example of why App Academy is the best. aA hire's Caring, knowledgeable and relatable engineers to give you the best possible chance. I think I can speak for any/all of my fellow coroutines that regardless of the language/stack/problem, we have the skills to pick up whatever is put in front of us and quickly be able to perform the task at an industry-standard level. The Friendships and relationships that I made over the last 6 months will last a lifetime. In conclusion, the decision to commit to app academy should not be taken lightly, it definitely lives up to the name Bootcamp. I can admit that I was not smartest person in my class but what I lacked in natural intelligence was overwritten by a lot of hard work and a very well laid out plan. If you are truly committed to becoming a software engineer then app academy is for you.

I came to this program expecting to be handed a job right after the last day but it's not like that. You will have to pump out 25 job applications per week or risk getting charged 30 grand. You also can't fail more than two test or they charge you that 30 grand. Sounds bad but if you're someone that's shy or submissive then this bootcamp will shape you to be more assertive. You pretty much have to.

As for the actual content of the course they teach Ruby which I heard is soon getting replaced by Python. If you're considering this bootcamp then wait a bit for that change. The JavaScript part is solid. The instructors genuinely want to help you. I went from no experience to being able to make websites in less 6 months. The also have modules for Job Searching which really helps. 

Getting a job after will depend on how much work you put it and where you are at. If you're in California or New York and willing to relocate you're for sure getting a job. The instructors could actually hook you up with some. Anywhere else I wouldn't know. Go google it.

Attending App Academy was one of the most difficult, demanding, exhausting, but completely rewarding experiences I've ever had. The instructors are really great people and the course format is excellent. They demand that you pick up and master languages and frameworks extremely quickly. They are always available and willing to work with you to really understand the material. The projects, assignments, and assessments are really well designed and I loved working so intensely with the other students in my cohort. I made a lot of friends. Being forced to work really hard and meet very tight deadlines together (online video-chatting 10 hrs a day) makes you learn a lot about each other and how to communicate and collaborate effectively. I really admire the instructors for their patience tireless attempts to facilitate understanding. I would highly recommend attending App Academy if you are trying to break into the Software Development industry or improve your skills and experience.

App Academy is all around outstanding, and I genuinely mean it when I say life-changing. I have met some exceptional individuals who I have the honor of calling friends. Because of App Academy, I have grown a community and network, went from knowing next to nothing to being a full-fledged software engineer, gained job search, interviewing, and negotiation knowledge that I will take to my grave, and that's just the beginning. I believe that App Academy provides a near flawless and perfect experience for anyone that has a passion for and a want to transition into Computer Science/Software Engineering. 

I've learned more through a/A than if I had continued to be self-taught. a/A laid a strong foundation on fundamental concepts that apply across various technologies. I've become a stronger debugger, problem solver, and engineer. Each night we had readings and homework to prepare for the next day's lecture and pair-programming project. The TA's are supportive and knowledgable about the curriculum, as they were students themselves prior to becoming a TA. They can be overstretched but they do their best to help.

The striking system for assessments kept me accountable to stay on track. We got one free fail and had to do a retake if we failed a second assessment - failing the retake meant dropping out. This can be daunting but there's a great amount of support and resources. Your chances of failing decreases immensely if you reach out to the people around for help when you're stuck and devote a strong amount of time into studying. a/A also provides practice assessments for test preparation and they will recommend you to do them many MANY times.

After the last assessment, you'll begin working on projects to apply what you've learned into building your portfolio. There will be less handholding and more independence, which more or less simulates what it's like to be a Software Engineer.

I recently just finished up at App Academy and I want to say to anyone thinking about attending that the program is great, and that being said the people are even better. Whether it be the management staff, the instructors, or other students/graduates  nearly everyone involved at App Academy was very welcoming, helpful and really strived to foster an inclusive learning environment. Really can't emphasize enough how much I've learned in the last few months, and not just about coding but about being successful in general.

My experience at App Academy was great! I had so much fun learning how to code and am grateful for this life-changing experience! Like many of the online sources say, it IS really challenging. In the 3 months that you dedicate to App Academy, it is essentially the only thing that you can focus on. However, it is very rewarding in the end and you gain so much knowledge in such a short amount of time. Here are some personal tips and key points that I picked up from my experience at App Academy (Please note that this is from MY experience, and people accomplish/approach things in different ways):

1. App Academy is challenging, but not INSANELY challenging. In my experience, I was able to keep up with App Academy's curriculum while maintaining some social/personal life. Other people say that they dedicate every day, every hour, every minute to App Academy (which is fine), but I felt that there was more free time than initially expected. I would be able to spend my Saturdays and sometimes Sundays doing social/personal stuff, and I honestly felt that this was needed.

2. SLEEP is important. The instructors at App Academy can't stress this enough either. I think the thing that kept my stress level low and made my experience enjoyable was the fact that I forced myself to sleep with my regular schedule (I slept at 10:30pm and woke up at 7:30am everyday). I never felt tired during the working hours and I was still able to keep up with the curriculum. 

3. You have to put in the effort to maintain this healthy lifestyle. The only reason why I was able to have fun on the weekends and get 8-9 hours of sleep everyday was the fact that I worked hard during the working hours. It's just as they say - work hard, play hard. If you actually pay attention during the lectures and actually put in your effort during the projects, you'll be able to absorb the information better, especially if you're not tired or stressed. My previous advice isn't to show that App Academy is easy, it's to show that there is a way to maintain good health and a happy lifestyle while going through the rigorous curriculum. 

Closing thoughts:
I definitely don't know as much as those who dedicated every minute of their lives studying and working on App Academy, but I can confidently say that I was one of the happiest people there and truly enjoyed everyday of my experience with low stress. My approach was all about balance in my life, and I succeeded and made it to the end! Obviously, people work differently. If you need to lose some sleep to catch up on studying, that's fine. If you need even less days to study and can spend all weekend relaxing, that's fine too. I think the main thing is to not worry about what/how others are doing, and only focus on yourself and what YOU need to be successful and healthy.

App Academy was a difficult program but rewarding when you get through it. This is a bootcamp and it was meant to be gruesome. At times certain days would be a slow grind to do the projects but these are part of the learning process. The instructors will do their best to prepare you for the materials taught. You need to believe in their system and do your best. App Academy's curriculum will prepare you to be a developer in the current job market.  At the end of the day the work and time you put in this program will determine your success.