App Academy

I am now in the job search after App Academy's curriculum.  The claim is that you'll work 80+ hours a week.  This is 100% accurate.  Everyone here is brilliant, and everyone works their absolute butt off.  I have a background in elite international sports, and this is by far the hardest I've ever worked for an extended period of time.

You will learn a HUGE amount of web development in a hilariously short amount of time, and by the end of it, you'll be building a clone of a full scale web app in 10 days.  I did spotify, and it is a project I am tremendously proud of, and had a great time doing it.

That said, it is hard.  App Academy will challenge every part of you.  It straings you mentally, emotionally, and physically, and puts a tremendous strain on any relationships you have during the program.  Talk with your significant other about it before attending, because you will barely see them during the 12 week program, and when you do, your mind will be on code.

Its tough.  I'm happy I did it, but there are few words to describe how challenging of a program it is.  If you fail 2 tests you get kicked out. My cohort started at 72 people, and ended as 55 people, so over 20% of people failed out.  These people were good, smart, hard working people who just couldn't quite do it.  Its.  Tough.

 

App Academy has been an intense ride. There were many highs and lows throughput the process but I do feel like I've learned so much in such a short span.  a/A teaches you how to learn quick. Although recently they have published the course online, the support system here is the real value. The instructors/TAs here are super supportive and patient. The pair programming experience was both amazing and dreadful pending on the people. Everyone who was enrolled definitely have the potential but quite a few folks have been dismissed from the assessments...but doesn't mean they won't become a developer one day. This program definitely isn't for everyone because it's both fast pace and stressful. My real grip with the program is that I wish they did deep dive a bit more on topics but at the same time, you can only fit so much in a 12/13 week program. 

 My biggest advice for anyone who's aspiring to take this journey:
- make sure you understand the concepts well. Don't just be "oh I get it". You should be able to explain it to anyone. The material does build on top each week and some topics will be reintroduced a week or two later.
-get some sleep. to be honest, the homework does HELP you but don't lose sleep over it. they do go over the topic/concepts the next morning but I would advise not completely ditching it

App Academy is the most fun and rewarding thing that I will never put myself through again.

 

The 90+ hour workweeks are incredibly grueling and the course only picks up pace as time goes on.  However, being surrounded by dozens of people in the same shoes as you who are all friendly, hard-working, and highly motivated is a blast.  I met several people who I hope will become lifelong friends, and after 10 weeks of hell, I really feel like a full-stack web developer who will be able to find a job in tech.  My only gripe is that parts of the curriculum, especially most of the homeworks, feel totally irrelevant and useless - wastes of my time when time is so precious and every hour of sleep counts.

App Academy is incredibly difficult and fast paced, but you learn an impressive amount in such a short time. The program really trains you to be a fullstack software engineer - by the end of the course you will build fully functional applications. I am also able to have full on conversations about the different technologies and languages that we've learned and used, whereas before beginning app academy I hadn't even heard of them. The TAs and other students were always happy to help out, and career coaches are here for assistance as well. If you are trying to get into software development but don't have the traditional background, I'd highly recommend the course.

I learned a lot from the 13 week coding program with little experience in coding. The program is very intense and time consuming. I spent over a month on the alpha course, which is the online study curriculum you're required to finish after you got in the program and i'm glad i spent at least a month cos otherwise there's a good chance you wont be able to keep up.
I'm now in the job market, 2 weeks after graduation. They have a job search system that prepares you find a job between 3-6 months on average. With the deferred the tuition program, the risk is pretty low if you can get through the program without failing out.

Signing up for a bootcamp is inevitably going to come with questions and hesitation, but as a person who has experienced the difference before and after the a/A full-stack course, I can safely say that it is a worthy investment if you are ready to put in the work. The amount that I learned in these past few months easily surpass the my expectations in both value and workplace usability.

Highly recommended to anyone who is willing to put in the hours necessary to learn the material. Especially recommended to those unsure if programming is for them because this course is definitely one that shows that coding is for everyone.

Before App Academy, all I knew was that I wanted to be involved in coding and wanted to learn as fast as possible. The problem was where could I go that wouldn't involve student loans and 4 more years of school, but still be competitive and respected when it came time to apply to jobs. My friend told me about his experience at App Academy and at first I was intimidated by their numbers, but after more research I realized it was definitely the right choice. The application process was smooth and they provided me with all the tools I needed to succeed and get accepted into the program, from jump start to the alpha course. Once the program started it was a ton of learning, but now that it's over every moment of it was worth it. If you put in the work, it will pay off and you will be surprised by your own skills.  

I heard about App Academy through a friend who said that the program had absolutely changed her life. At first this sounded like hyperbole, but after a few long chats with her, I found that she truly credited the program with turning her life around and now that I'm also an App Academy graduate, I can see why. 

App Academy takes students from all walks of life and has constructed a thorough curriculum that provides all the tools that are needed to launch a career as a developer. I would recommend it to anyone who's up to the challenge. It was well worth it. 

App Academy has changed my life. It was one of the best and most rigorous experiences that I've had. Before coming to App Academy, I was a complete amateur. After 3 months I now have the knowledge to go out and build a website. I would definitely recommend App Academy to anyone who is interested in joining a coding bootcamp. The environment is intense but it will only push you and make you work harder. The instructors are all great and want to help you. Be prepared to spend up to 90 hours per week as you will be thrown a lot of material at you with no time to catch up. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I am glad I chose App Academy.  

I was complete rookie coming into App Academy, first as a Bootcamp Prep student and now as a Full-Stack student. From day 1 I was immediately sold with the culture of the workspace and the professionalism of the instructors. I'm now in the last 3 weeks or job search portion of the Full-Stack curriculum and, I am confident that with the support of the staff and network, I'll be able to complete this transition into a career as a Software Dev.

Some thoughts for prospective students:
1. You'll hear time and again, that the Full-Stack course is not easy. If you're not comfortable coming in early and/or staying late, working weekends and really grinding, you will not have a good time.

2. The instructors are excellent, caring, invested, patient and knowledgeable. Be proactive with using them as a resource.

3. If you're transitioning into this course from a full-time job, I would strongly recommend leaving your job with at least 2 weeks to prepare before the course starts. The pre-course curriculum estimates 1 month for completion but if you're working full-time it'll take twice that long.

When I was searching through all of these reviews myself just a few months ago, I was a little scared at what everyone was saying about App Academy. And after going through the curriculum, I now understand what they were saying about the difficulty of this course and why they were saying it. BUT I also understand why App Academy still gets all these amazing reviews. 

Difficulty: 
This course is HARD. On day 1, the head instructor made a joke that we should tell our friends and family that we're going on a 12 week cruise. He was joking, but at the same time... he wasn't. My personal experience of the workload at App Academy was get to class around 7//7:30am to finish up whatever homework I didn't complete the night before, 9am-6pm class time. 6pm -8:30//9pm homework and then rinse and repeat for Mon-Fri. Generally I would take Friday night off to give myself a mental break, but Saturday and Sunday you could find myself and most of the App Academy Students in the classroom Studying for the Assessments. 
TLDR: This class is no joke. You cannot have a social life and succeed in this bootcamp. (At the very least don't expect to unless, you may be able to get a night out here and there if somehow you're ahead on the material)

Assessments:
Yes this is one of the few BootCamps that relies on Assessments. Yes they are very stressful. Yes there is a lot of practice work given to help you pass these assessments. Yes they are hard. HOWEVER, I couldn't be happier that we had these assessments. At the end of the day, you can sit through the lectures, you can do the homeworks and finish the in class assignments, but practicing and studying for these assessments is what really drills the information into your brain. Keep in mind though, you can be removed from the program if you fail two assessments. This can make the program a lot more stressful for people who are either not good test takers or do not put the work in. These assessments are not made to trick you, but made to make sure you know the minimum amount of knowledge to continue with the program. Without that minimum knowledge, you will not succeed with the rest of the program.
TLDR: Assessments are hard, but not if you keep up with the work and study on weekends. Bad test takers, beware

Instructors:
The instructors are absolutely awesome. All instructors are extremely knowledgeable in the topics being taught, and clearly have extensive experience in teaching the material. They're all also extremely helpful

Culture:
The Culture at a/A is extremely welcoming, and I can tell that I will remain friends with many of my cohort-mates for many years to come. We've spent many many hours in class together and even more on slack.

Worth it?
100%. We are just starting the job application process now, but from everyone I've talked to who is in a place to hire Software Developers, App Academy consistently trains the strongest job candidates from all the other BootCamps in NYC. No matter your background or previous experience in coding, you can succeed in this class with the right amount of work. I personally did not have any coding experience and am currently feeling super confident going into the job search process. 

TLDR of the entire review - If you've already made the decision to take up a bootcamp,  willing to sacrifice 12 weeks of your social life, and wand the best bang for your buck, App Academy is the choice.

If you are interested in software development and willing to devote yourself full time to the program, App Academy will give you the skills to succeed in a developer role. Be prepared to spend upwards of 90 hours per week learning the material, and be ready to do this for 12 weeks straight - as soon as you start to come to grips with one topic, lectures begin on the next. The pace is rigorous to say the least.

That said, the payoff is immeasurable and experience unquestionably positive. I've never learned so much so short a span of time, all while surrounded by diverse peers of incredible ability. I can't recomend the program enough for those willing to devote the time necessary.

If you're thinking about applying for this program, let me just tell you now that you're going to have to give up a lot of time to get the most out of this program. 

Also I want to add that people with no prior experience coding can excel in this program, so long as you put in the work. Most of my cohort-mates did not know how to code before entering this program and still did well.

The program is fast-paced, so you will not have time to go back on things you may have missed and everything builds upon another so you will have to keep-up, otherwise you'll fall behind.

After week 9 I am now capable of creating a full-stack application, which is crazy considering how much I knew (or should I say how much I didn't know) 9 weeks ago.

You will need to put in work. In order to make the most out of this program, you will need to put in 80 - 100 hours a week studying, doing the readings, completing homework & projects. But trust me, it will all be worth it in the end.

At the end of the day, I can't say that this program is for everyone. You will have to want to learn to code badly enough to be successful coming out of a/A. If you're serious about it and willing to put in the time and effort then I can confidently say that App Academy is your best bet.