Bloc

I am currently enrolled in the Software Engineering track and loving it. I was skeptical when I first enrolled because I usually stay away from any online courses or classes; I don't usually do so well in them. I chose the Software Engineering track because I wanted to have a well rounded knowledge so, when I do go out and find a job I am well versed in all things tech. 

I went into this program with little to no knowledge in this subject and now when I hear myself conversing with other people and using the jargon I realize just how much I have learned in only three and a half months. 

Like I said in the beginning, I am not one to take online courses but, because I have a mentor to reiterate what I had just learned in the checkpoint, I am learning a lot. My mentor really helps me understand. He draws out diagrams with me and quizzes me sporatically to reinforce what I learned and make sure I know what I am doing.
I have been very lucky to have picked a mentor that works for me but, if one does end up with a mentor you don't like, you have the opportunity to switch mentors discretely.  

The cirriculum is set up in checkpoints and assignments. They both range in difficulty, some are harder then others and some are easier. 

With that said, I would recommend Bloc to everyone wanting to learn how to code and later get a tech job. Honestly, I love writing something and then being able to see what I did and how it works. I am really happy with what I have learned and excited to learn more! 

Prior too my bootcamp experience with Bloc, I had no idea how to code or build web applications. Just a dream pursuing a career as a web developer and working with some great people.

Overall the curriculum is very thorough and well written. In addition to having a great curriculum, they are really good about making sure their content is up to date. As a Blocster you'll always have access to your materials and the updates they provide. 

One of the best parts about my experience with Bloc was working with my mentor on the Frontend portion of the track. My only wish is that our sessions were a bit longer.

If you are interested in learning web development Bloc is a a great online bootcamp and very resonably priced.

I'm currently in the process of refining my portfolio and hoping to land my first job as a developer very soon. It's been a tough journey so far!

I enrolled in Bloc's UX/UI Design course a little less than 2 years ago. I was formerly a teacher with no technical or design skills whatsoever. The curriculum was thoroughly written and as a former teacher, this was greatly appreciated. I love even more that it has been updated and I now have access to the new curriculum. The relationship I gained with my mentor is priceless. He walked me through each checkpoint with such grace and encouragement. My mentor also provided honest feedback in order for me to grow as a designer. He asked open-ended questions that would cause critical thinking. I believe this course prepared me for what is expected in the "real" design world. Upon completion, I have been able to freelance consistently from home, which is exactly what I wanted to do. I have recently obtained a full-time contract position with a well-known software company. I am still able to work from home, but I get to interact with an incredible design team and get experience with working within a corporate setting. I owe all my skills and knowledge to Bloc. 

Bloc is an amazing program and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to delve deeper into the world of coding.  

I became interested in development because I have an entreprenuerial streak and wanted to learn how to build out some of my own ideas. Bloc has provided me with the skills to do just that.

Furthermore - I am going through the job-prep phase now and I am confident that this will further prepare me for finding work as a developer.

The recommend Bloc for the following reasons - 

1. Mentors - Bloc has amazing mentors - and I absolutely loved working with mine. The fact that you are assigned a single mentor - and they work with you one-on-one really allows them to cater to your learning style and customize the material so that it is presented in a way that is clear for you. Their mentors are very high quality, and my Mentor, Chris, was beyond helpful.

Furthermore - for anyone who has learned on their own and spent copious amounts of time banging their head against the wall - the mentor is there to make sure you do not get stuck and can progress forward. Having this help and not having to waste time was invaluable to me.

2. Curriculum - The curriculum itself is great and I liked the way it was strucutred. It allowed for more hand holding at the beginning and then worked its way to more freedom towards the end. The fact that you are able to build several applications by yourself throughout the course - allows you to see the progression of your own skills as you move thorugh the curriculum.

3. Cost and accountabtiliy - I wanted a program that would hold me accountable and push me - but also one I could afford. Bloc is much less expensive than the other bootcamps so I could actually afford it. Furthermore - it created a framework where between the curriculum and the Mentor - I was able to hold myself accountable and push myself. 

Again, I would highly recommend Bloc - it is a great investment in ones' skillset -but like anything else - you get out of it what you put into it. So if you are willing to work hard, Bloc will help you leverage that effort to get you to where you want to go.

I honestly feel like Bloc has the potential to change your life.  In many ways it has changed mine and the best part is that it will continue to.  

If I wanted to find a job as a developer I'm confident I could find one - especially if I'm willing to relocate.  I am an entrepreneur and wanted to learn enough to be able to create my business ideas.  What I learned in Bloc has given me power to make my ideas become a reality.  

I chose Bloc for three reasons.  

1. The first was it was online.  I simply couldn't relocate and I needed something flexible.  
2. Even though it was online I wanted something intense, something that pushed me, something comparable to an at-location bootcamp. I was so impressed with Bloc in this aspect. The first few weeks are very guided and directed and not that difficult. Slowly it becomes more challenging until you get out of the guided work and you begin building apps on your own with the help of your mentor.  There is flexibility here so for the person who finds this in and of itself challenging gets the challenge but for others who want to do more I was able to work with my mentor and do more advanced work. I loved that customization for me.
3. The leads me to the third reason I chose Bloc. The mentors. This is the heart of Bloc and what makes it stand out. I met with my mentor three times a week!  When I originally signed up I didn't realize it would be so often. I got to work with him on my capstone project which is a business idea I wanted to create. It was amazing to work together with my mentor to create a business.  Just this was worth it for me.  

I now have skills and knowledge I didn't have before. I am better. I have more potential. I couldn't put a price tag on this. Invest in yourself. But, that's just my opinion.  

Let me start by saying that I am fortunate in that my job was willing to pay for me to take the Bloc Front-End Course part-time (36 weeks). Had I not gotten this class for free, I might be writing a very different, much more negative review.

It's cool that they dive deep-ish into JavaScript and Angular, but the curriculum is ridiculously basic. Every lesson is broken down into checkpoints and assignments. Checkpoints are lots of hand-holding, telling you exactly what code to write while doing an OK job at explaining concepts. Assignments are abusrdly simple, sometimes as ridiculous as asking you to write less than 3 lines of code. I had assignments take me less than a minute to complete. Timewise, I'm 50% done but curriculum-wise I'm basically finished and working on my capstone/ portfolio site. I wished the program was more challenging.

The major plus of Bloc, as many mention, is the mentor relationship. My mentor was very talented and knowledgeable, but he wasn't very engaging. Also, there has been no pair programming as advertised, he'll type up something and not really explain his thinking despite my asking him. He has also been late to meetings, rescheduling at the last minute, and doesn't have the kind of energy I need to propel me through this kind of self-paced learning. Others seem to have lucked out more than me.

I will give Bloc some credit. This experience was a pressure test to see if I like programming enough, and the good news is I do! I'm basically considering this Bloc experience as my "Bachelors" before I apply to Flatiron School's Learn Verified program.

Having a mentor and the external expextations to pracice design everyday is amazing. However, for $5000 I'd expected the ciriculum to be waaaaay better. Each checkpoint is broken into 2 sections, the lesson + the assignment. The lesson leaves you wanting since it's just a really boring video of someone doing the assignment without explaining what the code or design tools means–he just says, outloud, the exact thing he is typing. How would the possible think that is useful?? 

In the same respect, the curriculum workflow is very off-puting at times. 

I also strongly belive that UX/UI course is title is misleading. There is only a short section on user research and testing, and very little information on what UX even is. While there are a lot of wireframes, it feels much more like a primer to front-end design than UX, and an incomplete one at that. 

I'm located in the South Bay, CA, and being so close to SF meant I had a lot of different options to choose from for a UX bootcamp. I did a lot of research, and eventually landed on Bloc because my manager at the time allowed me to work part time while doing this on the side. And I'm so, so glad I did.

In the time that I started and ended Bloc, General Assembly raised their bootcamp prices by $2k+. I had a friend that was doing their UX program at the exact same time as I was doing Bloc, and it was great to compare and contrast what and how we were learning.

GA is great if you like learning in others and in group settings, but frankly, I didn't want group projects and stressing about who does what, like in high school, spending money and figuring out commute. I think the guest speakers are the coolest part about GA, but... you can find so many great talks online now. 

I liked that Bloc allowed me to pursue my career part time, my small business, and this all at once- I was busy, but I could pace myself and work and learn from home. I learned all the basics, all the tools, and my mentor was amazing, so fast at answering any questions I had, and I was still in touch with him through my job seeking process and after. The facebook group was also super helpful and everyone was very kind and helpful on that- virtual student feedback was very valuable.

Bloc is sitill developing its cirriculum, so it's defiitely not perfect- but the student advisors are all really kind and open to suggestions. I'm not sure why people expect these programs to be magical and give you a job right out of it- that's quite impossible- but if you work hard, ask lots of questions, Bloc is the perfect partner. Highly reccommend. 

I was attending when the full-stack program was less than $5k.  While I was in the program, they changed the curriuculm twice and then began advertising that the true full-stack course would begin soon.  I would be allowed to switch by paying the additional money, of course.  To me, this felt like a classic "bait and switch," which I know was not the intention of these changes; however, it did show to me that the product they have is not tested or complete.  My mentor spent a lot of time explaining to me when I was frustrated, that the curriculum team had made changes.  Some parts ended up being harder or missing instructions.  I also spent time talking to other students that said they had subscribed to all these extenal services and were studying an additional 10-20 hours on top of the program, because the program itself wasn't sufficicient for their learning needs.  Sorry... I want something that is actually a complete, strong product.  Bloc was not for me.

    Even though I have completed 150% of the curriculum materials, I had to spend much of my time locating and learning additional supplemental materials in order to be able to understand the program's course materials.  I found the course materials to contain many undisclosed errors, and the directions often were vague, resulting in time wasted and frustration. 

I also had a hard time finding a mentor who was able to simply explain some of the questions I had with the curriculum, but after some trial and error I did connect with the right person and was lucky to be able to keep in touch with him.  Had I not made the effort to find the right mentor, I would have been stuck with a mentor who was unfamiliar with areas of the curriculum concepts with which I had the most questions.  My coordinator was not as helpful in facilitating this as I had hoped and it was hard to get an immediate or timely response from her via email.  This resulted in having to call her then wait and hope she would take some action quickly before next meeting started.
  All the mentors don't really have materials prepared for your meetings, they just react to whatever questions you might have....so the overwhelming portion of most meetings were spent with the mentor "thinking about" your question, rather than efficiently providing answers.  So even if you have a good mentor who might extend your time for a free half hour, you should only expect two or three issues that you might be having with the curriculum to be resolved in any half hour or full hour session. 

After I completed all the material in over a month's less time than expected, my mentor and I didn't know what to talk about or where to take the discussion to make best use of our remaining meeting time.  He said he might come up with more material for me to learn, but ended up pointing me to other online coding schools with tutorials and exercises.  I basically went back to doing my own research for materials to learn and asked him questions if I got stumped along the way, but his ability to answer really depended on his familiarity with these outside materials.

In my opinion, their job support program as advertised is purely propaganda and should be called into question.  As I was told by the career person, the best resources available for students to find a job is the Slack Student Group, as well as their 'psychology' webinar for career support. 
I attended once, and the topic instantly put me off.  Unless you're too afraid to apply for jobs, that webinar might be for you.
  Also, advertised as part of your deal is that you are supposed to be able to benefit from their free curriculum updates, but shortly after I graduated, somehow I wasn't able to see my curriculum page even when I've logged into my account.  I can see anything in my account except my Roadmap.  I sent them a message to request to fix my issues, but they still have not responded at all.

It's been an agitating and frustrating journey for me.  Worse comes to worst, the result is I will have to apply to another similar program, and do it all over again.  Hopefully at the end of this journey I can get a job as a reward.  It's the wasting of money and more importantly, my time that really bugs me.  If you don't expect to get a job in the end, just want to pay for materials to learn and don't mind the price, you might try it yourself.  I still would not recommend it though.

 

 

 

 

Like many others, I came to Bloc after having tried the many free/low-cost online coding programs (e.g. Treehouse, Code School, etc). In college I had thought about computer programming, but ended up deciding a pre-dental path. After college I found that my interests lied more heavily with programming and I started to research coding bootcamps. I ended up choosing Bloc in large part due to the flexible pacing. I knew that I would want to start on a part-time track and possibly finish at the full-time pace. I did exactly that and the transition was seamless.

 

I had a truly amazing mentor. She had previous teaching experience and it really showed. Rather than simply giving me the answers to problems that I struggled with, she gave me the tools to identify the issue, find/understand possible solutions, and implement the appropriate solution. These are skills that I use daily as a software engineer. That's right, my time with Bloc did lead me to full time employment as a software engineer. And to top it off, it was my mentor's husband (also a programmer) who referred me for this position.

 

I was very happy with my Bloc experience. The staff that I had the pleasure of working with were incredibly helpful, gave great advice and were very supportive. I had the opportunity to meet several of them at their HQ meetups last year. Prior to joining Bloc, I had several calls with one of their student outreach advisors. He helped me understand what I could expect from Bloc, what Bloc would expect from me and also gave me insights about what I could expect from other bootcamps. When I spoke with support staff from other programs, I did not feel the love like I did when working with Bloc.

 

I did feel that the entry-level curriculum was lacking a bit. By the time I hit the Angular portion of the course, I did not feel like I had a good grasp on Javascript. Some of this may have been my bad. I was so excited to start building things that I wanted to get the foundation phase done quick. From what I've heard though, Bloc has totally updated their curriculum since I completed the course. That's what is so great about this program. They take feedback from prior students and make adjustments/improvements. 

 

In the end, with Bloc I learned a ton and was able to transition to a completely different career path. I do think it is important to keep in mind that you, as the student, are responsible for keeping up with course material and putting in the time to make sure that you understand what you're doing. You will only get as much as you put in to this experience. The mentor is not there to hold your hand every second of every day. They are there to help guide you, motivate you and occasionally help you get unstuck. Do your research to determine if this style of program is right for you. It was for me and I hope many others find that to be true. 

 

 

In my experience, Bloc, the program and the employees, has been as good as I could have expected.  The course work is specifically designed to insure that students learn the skills necessary to find employment and succeed as a developer.  They are also willing to grow, and therefore, expand existing course material.  This, to me, imphasizes their willingness to improve and make sure they are providing the most up to date learning environment for their students.  My mentor guided me through the course material rather than just giving me the information.  This allowed me to retain information and allowed the experience of solving difficult issues to be more rewarding.  Perhaps most importantly for people interested in learing code, Bloc has an well organized system to help you find a job as a developer. They honestly care about your success.  I am glad I joined Bloc, and I would recommend Bloc to anyone who is willing to put in the effort to learn web development. 

In my experience, Bloc, the program and the employees, has been as good as I could have expected.  The course work is specifically designed to insure that students learn the skills necessary to find employment and succeed as a developer.  They are also willing to grow, and therefore, expand existing course material.  This, to me, imphasizes their willingness to improve and make sure they are providing the most up to date learning environment for their students.  My mentor guided me through the course material rather than just giving me the information.  This allowed me to retain information and allowed the experience of solving difficult issues to be more rewarding.  Perhaps most importantly for people interested in learing code, Bloc has an well organized system to help you find a job as a developer. They honestly care about your success.  I am glad I joined Bloc, and I would recommend Bloc to anyone who is willing to put in the effort to learn web development. 

I have used many online courses and tutorials including: Treehouse (paid), Codecademy, Code School, and Udacity.  Bloc has some unique features that stand out.

1. Mentors.  My mentor pushed me toward self-reliance.  I want to make web and software development my career.  I need to be able to communicate to employers that I can do the job.  Ben pushed me to look up answers and think critically through my challenges.  He was not there to spoon-feed me information.  When I was a police officer, I had the same kind of mentoring.  It is the kind of mentoring that actually produces competence.

2. The organization of the curriculum.  While working through the foundational material and my projects, I have never wondered, "What am I supposed to be doing next?"  Bloc's apprentice dashboard is incedibly helpful for keeping track of accomplishments and staying on pace to complete the apprenticeship.

3. Focus on building applications.  I want to build applications...I should probably build some applications.  This has been my life with Bloc: read, think, build, evaluate.  Repeat.  I don't watch someone build something and dream about building something.  I get to build things and see them work in real life on my machine and out on the web.

I am just a few checkpoints away from my Rails program graduation.  I know how to build applications, I know how to find answers to my questions, and I am not afraid to work hard to build working applications.  Bloc has made an incredible impact on me.

 

About me:

I have a bachelor's and master's degree.  I am making a career change.  I am in my late 30s.

Thought was a comlete waste of money. The instructions on how to do anything were very obscure and if you wanted to know more there were links to Wikipedia (?)

One had to download software but there were links to other sites for instructions on how to install it and then your instructor tells you it wasn't the right way, then he also had a different teamwork viewer than Bloc says is recommended and you waste your whole one-on-one session reinstalling everything. 

My first instructor was knowledgable but there were so many inconsistencies with so many things, that it super confusing. There was also a baby crying in the background the WHOLE session, to add to the frustration. My second instructor was nice but it was too late.

Bloc is so disorganised i cannot even start explaining. Don't waste your money! 

Half hour sessions with under equipped teachers were a waste of time. My teacher had a blog post from about a year before about how they're learning rails and now they're in charge of teaching me? It shows, they're not hiring good developers to teach students. No group project which seems like a no brainer since people want to work as a team.

If you're looking to build half featured applications completely alone with the assistance of someone with 6 months of experience who has to google documentation, then you're going to love Bloc!

I graduated the Bloc Full Stack Web Development apprenticeship and it was one of the most fulfilling things I decided to do.

I wanted to level up in life and gain some useful skills.  Stuck in an unsatisfactory dead-end career, I decided to formally get some training on development.  My knowledge of programming had been limited to self-taught books and online tutorials.  I "shopped around" and considered brick and mortar schools as well as other online/remote schools.  What led me to Bloc was their value.  How I considered the value was by tallying the languages and technologies the apprenticeship taught along with the total amount of hours dedicated to learning divided by the dollar amount.  That, and being coupled with an experienced mentor got me to sign up with them.

I'll admit, I was VERY hesitant learning from a remote school.  I wanted the satisfaction of someone being able to look over my shoulder and review what I was learning.  Bloc's remote mentorship proved to be an excellent substitute.  Depending on the pace, you meet one to three times a week for roughly 30 minutes each time and you share screens so your mentor can see how you're doing and answer questions.  This one-on-one meeting turned out to be very useful, as I was able to focus on my work and not be slowed down, or left behind by a class of students of varying skill levels.  I felt my mentor was able to fine-tune the curriculum to my speed and skills.

Bloc was great when I started and got better as I advanced in my program.  Throughout the course, I was able to give feedback on my mentor and the program itself.  You could see that Bloc was slowly evolving and considering the feedback to make things better.

I would recommend Bloc to anyone who thinking about a career in programming and has no clue where to start.  I think those with no or little knowledge will benefit the most this program, however, even those who just want to polish their skills or learn something new will be able to take away a lot.

Sign up here for $100 off Bloc! https://www.bloc.io/?ref_token=MjMwMzM1MQ

From a proud alumni of the Bloc Full-Stack Apprenticeship:

TL:DR Do it! :D

I started in Oct, 2014 with the slowest course (36 weeks) because I was working a full-time job and am married. I finished July, 2015, averaging about 9 hours per week, although 10-15 was recommended. I wish I'd had more time to study, but 9 hours worked pretty well.

Almost halfway through, I wrote this post on my blog sharing my experience so far and also how preparing before Bloc was a great help.

Overall, the program definitely met my expectations. I was an embedded software engineer for 5 years before Bloc but had almost no web development skills. Bloc took me from basically zero to pretty much being able to do (or at least learn!) anything I please.

The course structure of 1/3 foundation and 2/3 projects was perfect for me. You can really learn a lot in the project section, especially if you get creative and make your projects unique.

My biggest regret is not making sure I had a good mentor. I had my first mentor for the first 1/3 of the course before dumping him and getting another one. However, the second one was hardly better, so I ended up finally switching to a good one about a month before the end. They were nice people, but they didn't take a proactive role in helping me. They basically only answered questions I asked, yet I didn't have many questions because I picked up everything easily. At the time, I didn't realize the value I was missing.

So my main recommendation is to insist on getting a good mentor and ruthlessly switch until you find one that really helps. Hopefully Bloc has improved their monitoring of this, but regardless, you are the one paying and the one that knows how much a specific mentor is helping. You want a mentor that will proactively review your code/project and give helpful feedback (not just "looks good"). Someone that truly wants to spend the whole session helping you instead of getting done as fast as possible (Levi Kennedy was the excellent mentor I ended with!).

I also didn't have the greatest experience with their job prep (basically no help at all), but I think they've improved this at least some. I tried to find a junior job but never did (search is currently on hold due do other life factors :)

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me @flybayer

P.S. Sign up through my referral link for a $100 discount!