Bloc

Bloc has changed the course of my life and I never had to leave my hometown. Computer Programming and Web Development have been something that I always wanted to do but never had the right direction to follow and always ended up feeling very lost and intimidated. Bloc changed that perspective completely. I chose the full stack web development track. My first mentor and I studied the Backend curriculum first which included a Ruby Foundation and then the Ruby on Rails framework to build web applications. After 6-8 weeks I really felt like a different person in front of a keyboard. Programming was no longer intimidating it was fun and it was all I thought of day in and day out. I went to sleep thinking about my code then woke up wanting to get back to the program. Bloc gave me an opportunity to have a career in something I am completely passionate about, thats more I could ever ask for. I digress, Finishing the Backend with Ruby on Rails my mentor took two weeks to help me learn ReactJS because he knew I was going into the frontend after our mentorship and he really explained to me why I was doing certain things in my codebase to help me understand the framework and language correctly. I felt really happy with just the backend experience itself, I almost wanted to start to apply for Ruby positions. LOL. I couldn't do that I had 3-4 months of Frontend curriculum to learn. I was completely blown away with my frontend mentor he was so educated and had taught physics and almost every subject I had ever heard of, he wasn't only an amazing programmer he was as good or better as a teacher. My frontend mentor made me think of web applications and coding languages in a completely different way, I was challenged and tested at every turn and that made all the difference not only did he teach me JavaScript, jQuery, AngularJS, and even how to build an Alexa Skill for Amazon he taught me how to solve my own problems in my programming and how to test and how to think first then act my way out of the bug. The entire Bloc experience has changed my life for the better and they have helped with every part of getting prepared for the interviewing process and how to get employed with your new skill. I would recommend Bloc to anyone who wants to become a Web Developer. 10/10

I'm nearly finished with the Bloc UI/UX track and I absolutely love it.  The curriculum is top notch, and weekly meetings with my mentor allow me to get feedback quickly.  I've learned a ridiculous amount and feel confident putting it into practice. My mentor has so much valuable experience that I'm just 100% grateful every day that he considers mentoring other folks! I've already created a rather full portfolio and I couldn't have done it without Bloc.

The only thing I would caution is that if you aren't a good time organizer or self-starter Bloc may be hard. You have to find the time to dedicate to your work and be prepared for your meetings. If that skill is difficult for you then you should consider a traditional classroom. For me I wanted something virtual and remote, so Bloc was perfect.

I couldn't recommend Bloc any more highly!

I'm currently 2 months into the Full-Stack Web Development Track.  I have found Bloc to be the perfect fit for my learning style.  I started learning web development on my own about a year and a half ago and have struggled grasping concepts with no one to really explain the why some piece of code should work like it does.  Bloc has helped with that and more.  One of the biggest selling points for me was the Mentor that I was assigned to.  He has helped me so much over the last 2 months, not by giving answers but guiding me to the answer so that it sticks in my mind better.  

The curriculum so far has been great.  They explain a concept and walk you through it then turn around for an assignment and have you work the same type of concept on a diffrent part of your app.  I know for a fact that I am farther along the journey to becoming hirable than I would of been without Bloc.  I have a strong understanding of a Rails application and create most features that I like to see in apps.  The projects focus on more specific topics than do the foundation app.  

I honestly can not speak about the job assistance as I have not get to that until later in the course, but I will update this review upon graduation from Bloc.  Overall it has been a greate experience so far.

I'm a copywriter who works closely with designers, and for a long time, I've wanted to learn UX & design skills myself. So far, Bloc has done a fantastic job of equipping me with the knowledge and skills I was looking for. The course moves quickly while still honoring the complexities and nuances of the discipline — from user research, to wireframing, to prototyping, to full-fledged design and coding, we've spent time in each part of the process. I'm actually as competent as my designer coworkers now in newer tools like Sketch & InVision.

My mentor is awesome and responsive — he's an experienced UX designer & "digital nomad" with unreal design chops, and he goes above & beyond to send me extra resources and inspiration. 

I can't recommend Bloc highly enough. You obviously have to be self-motivated, but if you keep your eyes on the prize, you'll get a ton out of the course. In my opinion, there's no better education for your $$.

Like many people jumping into the bootcamp world, I entered the realm with suspicion... making any sort of investment to an institution is a big leap of faith and requires a lot of research and pre-work before you place your name on the dotted line.

With that said, all of my hesitation was soon washed away when I was greeted with Blocs student advisors and technical staff, of whom have demonstrated world class technical expertise in full stack and software engineering fundamentals. As a current student, I cannot speak any higher than I am right now when I say these people will support you and your efforts to better yourself in development. This program is intensive and requires a very large chunk of your day every day to see progression, but you WILL see progression and you WILL succeed if you put the time in. 

That is where Bloc differs from the other bootcamps I have experienced. Bloc holds you to a high standard of work ethic and supplements that drive. You must have the hunger to learn, Bloc like any other educational institution can only support your pursuits - but they do it with grace and a level of patience I have never seen in any formal classroom. 

I have recently completed the RoR full stack course and I must say that it has definitely been worth the money. More than anything, having a mentor helped me get over the hump of learning to code. Not only that, but the tips and reccomendations my mentors gave me where invaluable. 

I give job assistance 2 stars because bloc didn't really help me. Most of the connections are on the west coast and I live in Atlanta, Ga. This hasn't been too much of a problem for myself (I'm outgoing), but I just wanted to be clear what this rating was directed toward. 

I've been doing the same job for the past 5 years and the question of what's next for my career path has been popping up in my head of what's next for me? I couldn't afford to work part time or quit my job so I enrolled in the full stack developer bootcamp. Since than I had to take a break for holidays, unexpected events by Bloc team has been very helpful! Going through the curiculum can be quite challanging but simple googling or Slack chat room and some of your questions will be answered. Mentors though, I've had two. Quite amazing. The first one was quicker to respond to any quesitons than the second. I still have about half of it to go through, but would highly suggest! Go for it! Happy hacking!

I left my 15 yr career as a sales profesional 2 years ago with the thought that I would teach myself and become a remote iOS dev.  After a year and a half I was starting to get interviews, but when it came time for the technical interview I was always being told that I needed a bit more knowledge and skill before I was hireable.  So I started looking at bootcamps.

bloc.io seemed like the best situation for me because I live far from a major metropolitan area and I liked the idea of 1 on 1 mentorship.  I carefully looked at the mentors and chose one(Brandon Alexander) who looked like they were living the career I wanted.  Turns out my choice could not have been better.  My mentor, though tough, was a wealth of knowledge and went above and beyond when it cam to helping me learn the skills I needed.  I credit him with my ability to land the job I did.

I would highly recomend bloc.io if you are self motivated and willing to put in the time.  The support structure is great.  Thank you bloc!!!

I enrolled in the 3 month intensive Ruby and Rails bootcamp through Bloc. I have to say I honestly thought that I wouldn't be as prepared as I am. I still have 2 weeks left and I am currently on a plane to San Francisco from NYC for a job interview. I couldn't have gotten here without Bloc and my mentor, Brittany. (HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER!)

I've been able to work on several projects including one that is close to my heart. My favorite part about Bloc is that I am able to find my own solutions for problems. We all know in coding that there is always more than one way to solve a problem. Some schools want you to learn one way and they really try to drive that way into your head. At Bloc I am encouraged to learn ALL the solutions and then use which one I think is most useful.

I also love their mentors. I meet with mine 3 times a week and even through severe sickness she kept on me and encouraged me to do my best. She has become more than just a teacher but a friend. Bloc really puts a lot of effort into the mentor mentee relationship and I think that is a huge reason why I've been so successful!

The lessons are easy to follow and keep up with. Even when they get hard and you inevitably fall behind, your mentor will work with you to catch you up and make sure you are truly understanding everything rather than just finishing the lesson to get it over with.

I really can recommend Bloc enough. I might have a job by the end of the week and I haven’t even graduated yet. You won’t be sorry, trust me!

I started the Full Stack Developer program in February and I am happy with the progress I have made so far. I am taking the course part time (15-18 hours a week) while still working a 40+ hours a week job M-F. I haven't completed the program, so I cannot attest to every single aspect, I wanted to write a review about what I have experienced so far in order to help others looking into a program like Bloc make an educated decision.

The coursework is thorough and they step you into new elements gradually. I am a week away from completing the foundation block of the  Ruby course which means I will soon be getting into the projects phase, and I feel that I have been adequately setup to complete those projects.

When starting the program you are able to chose which mentor you would like to work with. I was able to choose from 8 different people, all of which appeared to fit many different student personalities. My mentor is incredibly knowledgeable, he responds to my messages in less than a day, and makes the most of our weekly Screenhero meetings.

I looked in depth at several other online mentor-led programs, with Thinkful and Careerfoundry also rising to the top of my list. In the end I felt like Bloc had the best combination of total classroom hours (many programs are much shorter) and a good price structure. You most definitely have to be self-motivated to succeed with this, or any other, online program, but if you have the drive Bloc gives you the tools. What is nice about a program like this is that if you have the momentum you can work beyond the 18 hours a week and finish the foundation block ahead of the pace, which leaves you more time for the projects.

In summary, I am happy with everything I have experienced up to this point. I would -and have- recommend Bloc to anyone wanting to learn to program. I will update this review as a progress through the program. If you want more details I am also keeping a weekly blog about my experience noelworden.com.

i started the full stack track at Bloc around 4-5 months ago.  I enrolled in the part time 15-20 hours a week.  I am currently working full time, 40/ hr a week, on top of my Bloc curriculum.  This is why I picked Bloc.  I didn't want to quit my job or give up my life, but I still really wanted to enroll in a dev boot camp.  Bloc gave me this opportunity.  I have learned so much since I first started, and my mentor is an awesome guy.  I am currently working on my first project with backend!  Super excited about that.  The only problem I've found with this program is that with the mentor meetings only occurring once a week for 30 minutes (because I'm in the slowest program), I often wish I could have a session sooner or more frequently.  Overall I am extremely pleased, and I will be sure to post an update the further I get in the program!!!

Bloc’s Ruby on Rails program provided an excellent introduction to the field of web development.  Bloc really makes an effort to return a good value for your investment by making the most of the Ruby gems and the capabilities that they provide in the Rails framework.  The program covered a lot of ground.  I took the course after retiring from the Marine Corps and it was a steep learning curve.  What I would recommend to anyone taking the Ruby on Rails course is that you have some HTML/CSS/JS/front-end skills as part of your foundation, it will help to make the most of the instruction.  The mentorship part of the course is where the real value lies; as a beginner there were things I wouldn’t have known to ask, and then later the pair-programming really tied it all together.  My mentor was professional and very helpful, in terms of providing insights, engaging in dialog and responding quickly; I always felt part of a solid program going through the course.  

I had very little coding experience before joining Bloc's full stack web developer track. It has been a very challenging course, however, I am satisfied with my progress thus far. It's amazing to see the fruit of your efforts during the project and capstone project phases.

I've completed the backend portion and am halfway through the frontend. I've worked with several mentors and have found each one to be very knowledgeable, helpful and unique in their teaching approaches.

I work full-time, so Bloc's flexible schedule was very appealing to me. I also like Bloc's ongoing course improvements and offerings such as the new software engineering track. I'd strongly recommend Bloc for busy working professionals looking to make a career change.

I'm currently enrolled in the full stack program at Bloc.io. Bloc is an awesome bootcamp that really believes in you learning the material. I did months of research prior to choosing a bootcamp and Bloc checked all the boxes for me. Little did I know that it would exceed my expectations even further once I started.

The course material itself is very informative and challenging (in a good way). It really challenges you in a way that makes you actually learn the concepts. There are many websites out there where you can code Ruby on Rails and other languages but when it's all done, you quickly forget some of the important features of that specific language. Bloc's course requires you to code it in a way that makes it "stick" in your head.

If you still struggle with the material, you have a mentor available to help you 1-on-1 which is a priceless tool in my opinion. I've attempted to learn programming on my own with constant failing attempts. Having a mentor available to ask questions and talk to really helps me get over those rough times where I get stuck on certain code.

Blocks maintains the rhythm of learning and the Rspec material is latest and the best. No other sources has such a material on Rspec up-to-date.

I'm currently enrolled in the full stack program at Bloc.io. I just finished the back end portion and I'm getting ready to start the front end here in a few days. Bloc is an awesome bootcamp that really believes in you learning the material. I did months of research prior to choosing a bootcamp and Bloc checked all the boxes for me. Little did I know that it would exceed my expectations even further once I started.

The course material itself is very informative and challenging (in a good way). It really challenges you in a way that makes you actually learn the concepts. There are many websites out there where you can code Ruby on Rails and other languages but when it's all done, you quickly forget some of the important features of that specific language. Bloc's course requires you to code it in a way that makes it "stick" in your head.

If you still struggle with the material, you have a mentor available to help you 1-on-1 which is a priceless tool in my opinion. I've attempted to learn programming on my own with constant failing attempts. Having a mentor available to ask questions and talk to really helps me get over those rough times where I get stuck on certain code. I'm not sure on the different options you can choose from on meeting with your mentor but I meet with mine twice a week which is perfect in my opinion.

Overall, like I said earlier, I researched a lot of bootcamps prior to starting last fall and I'm glad I did because Bloc really is the camp you should choose over the rest!

I am an FST student almost done with my program.  The curriculum is very thorough, and the team at Bloc is very passionate about seeing students succeed, providing a lot of job support, moch interviews, etc. The apps we make during the program are fun to work through and leave you feeling accomplished. Having a good mentor is important as it can increase your productivity drastically, and give you someone you can ask questions to anytime.  There is also a great community of students through Slack, and Facebook that is great for networking and just meeting like minded people.

One thing that I think would help with students looking for jobs is some time spent on data structures and Big O, as they are important going into the interview process.

Overall great experience with a dedicated team of people to help.

Hi,

I am student at Bloc on "Full stack web development" track.  I am traffic engineer and I had some porgramming experience before Bloc, but not as a developer which is big difference. I  just finished Rails back-end development and I have to say that I am very pleased with a whole experience at the school. 

Curriculum is good with very logical "work flow" , which is very helpfull. However, I think that the most important thing is to use your meetings with mentors in a best possible way. I have been encouraged to ask any kind of questions when I was stuck with the curriculum or projects. I asked a lot of things which are connected directly to the rails development but they were not part of the cirruclum and my mentor answered on all of them.

It is very important that a student is self-driven and eager to study alone too. You have to be prepared to work as a developer and that means that you have to learn new things all the time. I think that the main role of the mentors is to teach you how to be independent and to push you forward when you are scared. It is not easy and those who want to learn development on a bootcamp, have to be prepared to work hard and to be challanged and frustrated from time to time. 

I have to mention that people who works in administartion are very responsive and flexible and I haven't had any problems there.

If I need to say something negative about the school, I would say that the curriculum should be slighty changed. Bloc has Software engineer track, but I think some of CS fundamentals should be presented in other curriculms too. 

Anyway,  I would recomend Bloc to anyone who knows what he/she wants and who sees the bootcamp as a service that can help them (especially in the begining) to find a way to developer's world. There are a lot of things online too, but it is much better and more efficient when somebody just filters those information and teach you what good practice is. 

A

I am currently enrolled in the Full-Stack Web Developer track. I have been in retail in the tech industry for over 5 years now and I quickly learned that Bloc has the right idea about education in the booming technology age we live in. I have never been a "Technition" by nature but more of a "Sales" guy that is good at talking with people. The mentorship has been the biggest game changer for me as I have tried to learn this desired skillset. I've struggled, I've wanted to pull my hair out at times, and I've had break throughs that have given me confidence that I have a bright future in this field of work.