Blaizing Academy

Eleven Fifty was quite the rewarding experience. I came forth with a small background in coding. Nothing major, other than a small intro to HTML class that I've taken at a university. I felt the rate of what I was learning at college to be slow, and expensive! I made the decision to check out EFA (Eleven Fifty Academy), and it was life changing! Enrolling in their Web Dev course, I was able to take my skills beyond my expectations. In 6 months, I was able to soak in and demonstrate about 2 years worth of knowledge! 
Learning and applying the uses of modern web technologies to create production grade websites. The staff is courteous in providing you with support and resources along the way. They also have a great career services team, that helps tremendously in getting you job-ready. Highly recommended to anyone who wishes to develop new skills, or to those who are seeking out a change in their career.

When I had lost my job do to the pandemic, I wasn't sure what was going to be next for me. During this time I decided to do a career change and sign up for Eleven Fifty's Web Development Bootcamp. I came in with no previous coding experience and by the end of the 12 weeks, I was able to build an entire website. I never even imagined that this was possible for me until I began my course and had amazing instructors and learning assistance who helped me exceed my own expectations. It was through Eleven Fifty that I realized just how vast and amazing the tech industry is! While I did not pursue a job as a coder, my education through Eleven Fifty helped me gain the tech knowledge I needed to get a great job in tech! I highly encourage anyone who wants to continue to grow and learn new skills, that can help you no matter what your career is, to sign up for Eleven Fifty.

I was apart of an online part time course for software development. Learning online isn’t always the easiest with unknown subjects.  Eleven Fifty was able to provide knowledgeable teachers, learning videos/walkthroughs and good assignments. They taught in a way that made you search first for your question, than ask the teacher if the problem could. It be found. This can make the class frustrating, but it has been my best attribute in my new place of employment. As with employment, EFA’s career services is amazing. They met with me outside of normal business hours and worked hard to recommend jobs for me. I worked with them closely and was able to start a job the week after graduation. 

Eleven Fifty Academy is a wonderful coding bootcamp for those wanting to transition into tech. I was fortunate to attend their 6 months part-time Web Development course this past year to a learn a full-stack package that is highly sought out in the workforce (PostgreSQL, Express.JS, React.JS, Node.JS & Html/Css, Git, Firebase & Heroku deployment, Boostrap, Reactstrap, API's and more!).

I'm confident that these skills will land me a job in the near future, with interviews starting to line up . I have included the pro's and con's about the program below as someone that went from working in the nonprofit and education world to becoming a developer in 6 months:

Pros: 
1. Flexibility! The part time course allowed me to balance my family life, attend class virtually, and reach out for help/questions during non class hours. I had class two nights a week (5-9pm) and occasional Saturdays(8-5).  There was a lot of independent work outside of class as well, so be prepared to spend 20+ hours outside of class a week.
2. Instructors!  The instructors and learning assistants were fantastic and super helpful. You also have a mentor that you meet with weekly during the first part of the program. 
3. Full Stack program!  As a non tech person going into the program, I didn't fully understand how valuable being a full-stack developer was. I am forever grateful they approach it this way. It helped me realize strengths I didn't know I had that are incredibly valuable in the tech world. I'm also finding so many jobs to apply for that are seeking this skill set. 
4. Portfolio: By the end of the program, you'll have a large portfolio of projects to showcase to potential employers that reflect the skills learned. 
5. Community!  My cohort was super supportive of each other and we built a sense of community through the zoom chat feature during class. It really helped to have that comradery that is often absent in online courses. I went away from the course with fellow coding friends and a network I feel comfortable reaching out to. We also had opportunities to present our projects to the class virtually. That was a motivating factor to do your best with the awareness that your peers will see it :) We also used Slack to communicate during non class hours. 
6. Career Assistance: they offer job search assistance and resume review sessions. They regularly post entry level jobs and connect with employers interested in their graduates. And, they cheer you on and stay connected with you through LinkedIn! If you follow their recommended steps, you'll be successful. The career services team is awesome! 
7. Grading: They used rubrics for most assigned projects. This really helped me set realistic goals based on my available time so that I could reach MVP (minimum viable product) . You do have to maintain a certain GPA to stay in the course. 
8. Cost: I was able to receive a grant they have to help pay for the tuition. They have various funding sources to help subsidize cost and financing options as well. You also get a tuition credit following the program to apply to another course if interested. 
9. Values: They have a strong set of values and diversity is one of them. They commit fully to ensuring everyone feels welcome in the course, is supported and respected. They also have connections for women in tech to help increase representation in the tech world. 

Cons: 
1. Prework:  They assign prework before the course. I didn't mind the pre-work and it was great prep, but make sure you sign up for the course a few weeks in advance to give you time to complete it. I signed up about a week before it started and spent a good part of the week completing it.  My recommendation is pre-work should be sent out as soon as a student registers. 
2. Pace: The pace during live class was often too fast for me and I would need to go back and watch the recordings later. Don't hesitate to ask them to slow down and go back to a specific topic. Fully understand your learning style and find the resources you need to fully absorb the information. I learned quickly that the recordings worked better for me because I could pause them and take notes/look up additional resources at my own pace. 

In conclusion: Put in the effort. When they say network on LinkedIN, DO IT! Everyday. After graduating from this program, networking several hours a day on LinkedIN (post, comment, share, message people directly), I have my first interview lined up and recruiters are sending me job postings. Continue to work on projects after graduation as well. The learning doesn't stop after Red Badge :)

Pros:

• Well rounded approach to curriculum. Learned about the variety of applications of Python. Learned how to read documentation, ask questions of google, and start solving issues/questions for myself. "Teach a man to fish."
• Invest in additional educational opportunities as they arise. E.g. A local conference, testing opportunities.
• Instructors knowledgeable about a wide range of computer science related items.
• Staff top to bottom are personable, and approachable.
• Lunches and snacks are provided, and are tasty and well stocked.

Mixed pro/con:

• Curriculum: Network+, while miserable in a condensed bootcamp, was highly applicable and worth the energy.
• Half the workshops with industry guests were valuable, the other half were either redundant or didn't advance our education.

Cons (as of my time there):

• I never received a 1-on-1 code review. Just group instruction.
• No intentional or systematic way of regularly gathering feedback from students or industry hiring managers.
• The only resources available from career services were the personnel themselves and ad hoc opportunities provided through them. No tools, list of companies in the area, organized events to engage industry hiring managers, etc.
• I don't believe companies in Indianapolis have sufficient demand for Python, for entry-level developers. Do some homework/jobhunting first, and consider their .NET or Javascript courses. I found an administrative job in tech, but not as a developer.

Wow, I didn't know there were so many boot camps! I chose to go to a boot camp to fill in the holes quicker and launch into a real coding job (or at least be a part of the coding team/department). I graduated with a Business Information Systems degree about 13 years ago and since worked a few technology jobs before going into the classroom as a k-12 teacher for the last 8 years. I've always enjoyed coding and realized now was my chance to really make it happen. I think what Eleven Fifty Academy is trying to accomplish is tremendous. I do think they are overselling their product. Non-profit? I think they are very much for profit. $13,500 for 3 months of school? How do you put a number on the tuition cost? If you ask me it was only worth $3,000. I think the pay a percentage models once employed look better. You think you're going to be learning from experts. Nope, your instructor just took the course before you. You do learn valuable skills in these boot camps. Much of it you can learn on your own, now that Microsoft has open sourced everything. Attending the bootcamp you're able to network and build those connections. I feel like most students were there because they were out of work and desperate for the next opportunity. Eleven Fifty Academy did an excellent job removing students that didn't measure up. Since most attendees are in their 20s I would recommend this opportunity to those in their 20s if you know what I mean. Eleven Fifty did begin night classes. I wonder how that is going. I've heard so many not get jobs for months or years after graduating. If that were the case for me I would definitely not recommend a boot camp. The biggest lie is that they convince you you'll get a coding job when you finish. Maybe after a year or so of really hard work and maybe you'll land something. Eleven Fifty Academy can connect you with the Salesforce Pathfinder program! Awesome! Until you find out that those with degrees need not apply. This is a give back to the community program for the disadvantaged. Another big problem is that most of the students start with no previous coding experience. The instructors can walk you through tutorials but you can do online tutorials yourself. The instructor can go on vacation and then that is basicly lost time. Lunch is catered every day so that is a big plus and when it's not well that is lost time too. The whole experience felt like a drug rehab retreat. You spend 8 hours a day with the same cohort coding together walking 1/2 mile to lunch, eating lunch together, comparing tattoos (no we didn't do that), and playing ping pong and foosball together. It was definitely good times for someone detoxing from public education and teacher burnout. Oh, and don't forget the snacks. There's free snacks and soda all day long. I think because Eleven Fifty is getting help from the Governor to stay afloat they are relinquishing their identity, muddying their brand and in so doing capsizing their ultimate goal. If they were so successful you'd see LinkedIn posts daily. The owner wants a million coders so with this goal, quantity is more important than quality. Career Services is very nice and helpful but still just as clueless as you when it comes to getting hired as a .NET programmer. There's no shortcut to Senior Developer though EFA gets you started on the right path. Maybe you do a bootcamp to gain enough experience to find out that you don't want to do coding as a career. Either way you're better for it. Through Eleven Fifty Academy I was able to land my current role as an application support analyst which has given me fantastic experience and I hope that this role will prepare and propel me into my next opportunity in technology. We all need a path for skilling up. I recommend Eleven Fifty Academy for doing just that!

I was working as a bartender before finding Eleven Fifty Academy. I knew I needed a career change, and I had always been in interesting in coding. The JavaScript course required a lot of work -- both in and out of the classroom. I would work on problems in the classroom and find my mind still thinking of possible solutions after class. The class changes your entire mindset and engages your problem-solving muscles. My teacher was willing to guide me to discover my own answers, allowing me to build better researching skills. I became extremely close to my classmates as we pushed each other to learn as much as we could in a 3 month period. I secured a job one month after graduation, and haven't stopped acquiring new tech skills! It's a great course, and the community really wants you to succeed here!

I am very satisfied with Eleven Fifty Academy. I took a 12-week Course here back in 2017 shortly after they moved to Launch Fishers and Immediately after completing the course I was able to get a 10-week paid Internship with the company followed up by a full time software job at my current place of employment just simply due to the skills I was taught at the academy. Eleven Fifty did a great job in teaching me the skills and technology needed in today's world to help me get started in a great career field.

I've supported Eleven Fifty Academy since its inception.  The vision for this non-profit was pure & beautiful to me and I wanted to make certain I contributed.  As an instructor, apprenticeship director, and a continued community voice for this academy, I've seen hundreds of students pass through!  Every student is given opportunities to be great.  Those that lean into the opportunities succeeded wildly.  Those that don't, are the ones you'll see writing negative reviews on sites like this.  Eleven Fifty Academy is an enabler, not a guarantee.  But I CAN guarantee that if you attend, lean in, and take every opportunity that they offer you, you WILL succeed!  Again, I've seen it repeated hundreds of time.