Bottega

I heard great things from my brother, who was teaching there, about the school so I figured going there was an ace in the hole. I still looked around but their curriculum was exactly what I wanted to learn which is why I picked the school over others who mainly focused only on JavaScript. I could not afford to not work for months to take the class so I did the online class. I have been studying programming on my own for over 3 years prior to this so this review is not coming from a complete beginner. I took the class in order to get some formal education for my resume. Jordan Hudgens teaches it and he is hands down one of the worst teachers I have experienced in person or in online classes. He skips over necessary information needed to understand topics and the things he does cover are so vague and horribly taught that learning out of a book and youtube is a better bet. He asks you to write programs where he has not taught you topics of things that necessary to complete the exercise. Lecture videos are all out of place and don't coincide with what is being learned. From the code he writes, Jordan seems like a good programmer but should absolutely 100% not be teaching it as he does not know how to teach it. To someone learning how to code and get into the profession, his teaching could not be more unclear even for someone who is not fresh to programming. I entered the class having a basic knowledge of material and ended up becoming confused with what was taught that I already had knowledge of. Don't expect to receive any help when needed. Many times I set up an appointment to get help with an employee when my schedule would allow with work and they either called hours after the appointment time when I wasn't available or never called. Once this happened that they never called and I set up an appointment for the next day where they never called again. I waited at a course checkpoint for a project for a week to be able to be approved to move on in the course. I talked to someone at the Lehi campus who wasn't even associated with the remote course who had it resolved in 5 minutes. If you really need to attend this school, attend the immersive course even if it means not working for months. I've since decided to seek out a new school to do an immersive course with even though Bottega still requires me to pay what is owed for how much of the class I completed. I can tell the in person class is worth it if you decide to go with Bottega. Neil Myers was the one who helped me figure out the mess and I can tell the immersive course would have been a great thing. Still, I would advise avoiding Bottega like the coronavirus. I'd give them a lower score if I could.

People need to remember that a boot camp is not intended to teach you everything you need to know. Its all in what you put in. 

I came in with zero coding experience and by the end of the 13 weeks can do things I didnt think I would be able to. 

Cons: Its a bootcamp things move quick, there are a lot of videos that you watch 

Pros: Endless mentorship, great staff

Overall: Like with all things in life its how hard you work and what you put in. If you think you are paying for a school to get you a job after you are wrong. You need to pay attention in class, do things after class and after the course is over continue to build skills. Bottega has lined up almost an interview a week for me. The issue is that I am still learning and the right fit doesnt always come along as most companies dont hire brand new developers. I have realistic expectations of gaining employment. If you are willing to do what bottega asks (attend practice interviews, submit your resume to them many times for input, call them for advice, set up a linkedin profile etc) they will support you along the way. I get weekly calls and emails from their job assistance to guide me where to apply or to tell me they set something up for me.

As for development Its up to me to become a better developer every day. When I work on a project even now I have help at my finger tips. Its great! 

I have gone through bottega and it is absolutely horrendous. in the beginning they did not put me into the slack channel to where I can ask for help

I did get a call for a mentor called Jordan(Canadian Jordan) but I thought he was Jordan Hudgens.

when I got stuck on my project I tried calling him but he never replied.

I ended up stopping for a few month and then I decided to push through. Ian was able to help me. get started.

Once I got started I meet an "awesome" mentor (Not awesome any more) Benjamin Nicolas that helped me push through and get through all the content, took me awhile to get through the courses, but I made it.

During my time on the course they had one mentor on at times and I had to wait for quite a while to get help on some thing.

Sometimes they would have only on mentor on at time. They had Neil Myers on and he did not the knowledge to help me on my ruby/angular project. I ended up using a lot of stack over flow to solve the projects.

A mentor(Ben) told me that he would help me with my project and he ended blowing me off on that day and ended up helping other students.

When I have ben working on my project Ben was mentoring me a little bit but once I got close to being done Ben just pawned me off to another mentor.

don't go in thinking that you will make friends with your mentors once I got done with the course the mentors do not keep in contact with you at all :(. They will say that they are too busy. the mentor that I am referring to is Ben

I was told that I would have job placement services. I had a conversation with Stephanie about setting up a time to meet with her. It was set for Tuesday. I looked at google and the meeting was scheduled for Monday instead. I ended up clicking accept. So I sent her a slack message asking about it around noon. She never responded so I got ready for her to call me at the designated time but she never called me I ended up waiting for 10 minutes and then I went back to work. she did end up call 15 minutes after but I was already back at work. I tried to contact her a couple of times but I was never able to get a hold of her.

Another thing that happened was while I was taking the course I completed the introductory videos of HTML/CSS but several month later while working on the course Ben told me that I had to retake the HTML/CSS portion after they updated it. Once I was three quarters of the way through Ben told me that I didn't have to do it.

Also all the courses and project that I learned to build is all on udemy.

Atteding Bottega has put my daughter light-years ahead of her peers with whom she attends college.  After a busy high school experience, my daughter opted to do what we called a "modified gap year".  She was interested in software development, but wasn't sure that was her dream career.   She chose to attend the full-time Bottega program.  Rigorous and intensive, she gained core competencies in both front end and back end development.  The Build-an-App-in-a-Day projects required her to apply her skills on real-worlld problems.  The career preparation coaching, weekly networking with industry experts, and learning in a professional development shop environment helped accelerate her skill development.  She is able to pay for her college through free-lancing web site development projects.  Her exposure to a real technology company environment built her confidence.  She knows how to communicate effectively, set and reach goals, work with others, and advocate for herself.   I would highly recommend Bottega as a great way to spend part of a "gap year"!  

Coding bootcamps are stupid. Bottega (and all other bootcamps) claim they have 95% placement rate wich is completely not true. Most of the students I know that went through the course either haven't found a job, had an internship and are looking, went back to their old jobs and are looking for a coding job, and very few that have actually found full time jobs. Bottega told me "when you finish you can get a job that'll pay around $50,000-$60,000 a year." Again not true. Most internships only pay $12-$18 an hour and most full time jobs pay junior programmers (bootcamp graduates withought a college degree specifically) $30,000-$45,000 a year. The truth is it is difficult to get into the industry withought a college degree. And the instructor Brayden Green says if you meet someone that doesn't want to hire you because you don't have a degree then tell them fine I don't want to work for you anyway. But the truth is that is the majority of companies especially since more and more people are finding out it's hard to trust the skill level of someone from a bootcamp. Don't go to Bottega or any other bootcamp out there. Just stay away from them all together. But if you decide you really want to go to Bottega you might meet a couple of guys that are just complete asses. Jordan Howard and Anthony Knoll. These guys are such losers, but that is what coding bootcamps attract. 

Before attending Bottega, I worked with computers creating graphics and even animating some impressive marketing videos, but I knew there was more out there in the world of coding. Thats when I started looking for coding schools and was extremly lucky to have landed here at Bottega. I'll admit to knowing nothing about coding other than reading and hearing about what it could do sounded too much like someone trying to explain how the Enterprise travels through space. I can't express how strange and amazing it feels to be able to do and understand things that I didn't even know were possible just months ago. The instructors, TA's and even other alumni helped me to understand what was going on and how to solve problems in new ways, so by the end of the course so if I did get a bug I couldn't fix, I could figure it out. They even helped me lay out my resume and find a job. Even after graduation, they still check up on us, let us know about job openings and have helped me through the entire application proccess from filling out the application to how to take the final technical interview. Overall I managed to go from not knowing how to close an HTML tag to creating fully functional (and good looking) web apps

Comprehensive and evolving. I dont consider Bottega a Bootcamp, I consider them a comprehensive coding school that is evolving with feedback and growing because of it. Like many institutions, they have done things wrong. But their leadship learns from mistakes and has a real, very visible passion for changing education for the better. That is why I continue to believe in Bottega and always will. The curriculm is comprehensive, and it continues to grow, even when you leave the Bootcamp into the job searching realm. Since ive graduated, ive been able to take 5 different courses they have released.(and they plan to release a lot more) That is getting your moneys worth.

The connections they have made with traditional educational Intitutions are very promissing and the accredidation they offer is something other bootcamps have not figured out yet. 

Like most things in life, your experience is what you make it. Some individuals dont get that, they expect to be handed skill in software development without any real effort. For this reason, Id be very weary of extensive negative reviews, because these are most likely people you dont want to be taking advice from anyway.

So a lot of people tend to think once they graduate a bootcamp they are just going ot magically get a job, with minimal effort. Bottega does an amazing job on helping you understand what you need to know, giving you the tools you need to get a job, and great curriculum. 

The content is always being updated, and added onto. They truly want to put out the best content in a bootcamp, and it is more of an actual school then just a bootcamp. Constant support and growth.

They do an amazing job with job placement, it really depends on you if you get a job or not. The instructors are great and know their stuff. The TA's are always their to help. They also happy to show you more resources for learning and expanding your skillset.

 

If anyone is willing to work hard this program will benefit you in amazing ways. It has opened up more doors for me then even the university I atteneded.

I am absolutely amazed with this Bootcamp!  I started out as a remote part-time student and loved the program.  I switched into the full-time course October 2017 and have had no regrets.  The part-time course was great but I only started part-time because of my family's situation at the time.  Dane from admissions knew that I really wanted to do full-time and was so honest and understanding to my needs.  I really appreciate how much information he was willing to go over with me just to make sure that I was comfortable with my decision.  Dane and I talked and he reassured me that the full-time class could work around my kids schedule and it really has.  

Andrew has been amazing.  Not only he is a good person and understanding of family needs but he is an amazing instructor.  I have a bachelor's degree in a different field and if my intro to computer programming course instructor would have had half the knowledge and skills that Andrew Wold has I probably would've continued studying programming in college.  Andrew makes learning software development easy.  His explanations are broken down and so detailed that it just makes sense.  If he ever teaches any other courses I will definitely be signing up!  I have to give a shout out to one of the TA's also Benjamin is awesome.  He is extremely knowledgable and always happy to help.  He makes asking for help at 10 pm easy.  As a remote student feeling comfortable asking for help is really important.  He's one of my favorite go to programmers because he knows his stuff. 

Overall I love this program and I am so happy to be enrolled in this school.  I still have two months to go but I know they're going to be amazing.  My level of understanding of of all things software development is amazing.  I'm surprised by how much someone can learn with the right curriculum and instructors.  A big thanks to Bottega Tech and Dane, Andrew, and Ben.  I recommend Bottega Tech to anyone looking for a great Fullstack Software Development school.

Incredible. I did a lot of research before choosing which school to attend. I could run you through all the comparisons I made but I'll save you the time. Bottega is a cut above all of them. Everything from their curriculum to their philosophy. They don't just believe in you learning a language or even getting a job. They believe in introducing you into the community and culture that will allow you to integrate yourself into your new career. They will push you, help you grow, and possibly make you cry... but it's for your own good.

I also know that after graduation, they continue to help you to the best of their ability. An alumni has continual access to their library and as new courses are added, they are available to the alumni. This is an incredible asset that hardly anyone else offers.

They also help with placement. They utilize any available asset or relationship that could help with placing your specific skills in a position with a good company. Let me not be misunderstood here... They do not send the whole classes resumes to everyone. They find out what you're good at, what your background is, and find a company that relates to those things to help you get placed there. These are good people, they car about the people that place their trust in them.

Make a good decision and go to Bottega.

Before starting the course through Bottega I was stuck in a job where I didn't feel like I had any room for advancement or growth and was just not going anywhere, but after deciding to go through the full-time in person boot camp I was able to find a job I enjoy where I don't even feel like I'm working, it's more like I'm just having fun doing a hobby while at work every day. The knowledge that I gained from their course has been invaluable to my progress and advancement at my current position. The curriculum is constantly being updated with the current technologies that are being used, and their teachers do such a good job taking the time to explain what you are doing and why that I've been learning about/doing things with confidence and success that weren't even in the curriculum because they gave me such a good base knowledge of how software development works that I'm able to figure out just about any task that's thrown at me with a little research. It was by far one of the smartest decisions I've ever made in my life, and I would recommend them to anyone looking into a bootcamp. Everyone I have worked with from their instructors to their management has been as helpful as they possibly can to me every step of the way for me, even after graduation. 

As a front-end developer for almost fifteen years, I've been trying to find a program to break into the back-end of the web that meets my needs and that I can trust is legitimate. Through my research, I found Bottega and within minutes of my first call, I knew I had found the one. Everything from admissions to support, courses and resources are all tailored to be as easy and helpful as possible. I find myself looking forward to diving into my work each day, and have even begun to recommend this program to friends in the field. I couldn't be more pleased. 

I had been going to college for a couple years but didn't really have a direction of what I wanted to study. I heard about coding so I started looking into it and researched what coding was like and also what the career was like. I decided I needed to learn more. I found Bottega on facebook and instantly sent a message. A few days later I went to the campus and met some great people. I loved being able to sit in with a class to see what it was about and ask any questions. I was so intrigued and wanted to keep learning. I really loved the course and I learned a lot. There is still a ton to learn but Bottega gave me a really good start. And luckily I'll always have access to the curriculum from Bottega because it'll take a while to remember everything I learned in the course. I would recomend Bottega to anyone. It's really a great course. 

About a year ago I had lost my job I had for twenty years.  I was contemplating if I should get back into the same fiels or a new one.  I then was driving down the highway and started seeing billboards about coding and relized I wanted to look into.  I got home and went to my Facebook and there popped up Bottega.  I then proceded to get in touch with them and the rest is history.  I enjoyed learning how to code there so much and the environment made it more enjoyable. I feel that every one there will do whatever they can to help take care of you wether its Job Placement or just encouragement.

I went looking for a bootcamp to have a chance at a career, after a bachelors degree didn't help me find one. I did a lot of research and ended up choosing Bottega because it had curriculum that seemed to be a few steps above the others. I also loved the effort they showed towards getting their students jobs afterwards.    Every positive review says this, and i will say it again. You get EXACTLY what you put into this course. The curriculum is state of the art. you wont find curriculum at this level any where else. The instructors are intelligent and know their code and the curriculum. There are SO many resources to get help, almost at any hour of any day. There is always someone there to assist you if you need it. This course gives you all the tools to learn full stack web development, make your own projects, create a resume and ace an interview. But you have to absolutely put in 110% time and effort into this.  You are learning a new language, a new way to think, a new way to problem solve and a brand new career. It doesn't come over night, but it does come with effort. 3 months is enough time, with the right dedication and tools, to break into the programming field and land a job.    This course provides the tools for you to change your life and enter a new, very lucrative career path. If you are willing to do the work, this is the way to do it and this is the place to do it. This is tough, but SO SO worth it.    I stick to this review! My name is Andrew Wilson 801-631-0757, come talk to me and get honest thoughts if you have any questions about my experiences.    DO IT!

 

Andrew Wilson

I "graduated" from Bottega in March and found a job within 2 weeks. However, the hiring team was more interested in my management experience rather than my programming "experience" and they straight up told me they would have hired me even if I didn't go to a bootcamp. At Bottega, you'll constantly hear, "You get out what you put in." I did put in the work; I was often one of the first people to class and one of the last to leave and was always ahead in the curriculum and did lots of side projects on my own time.

We changed instructors twice within 12 weeks. They had different strengths, but they both had sketchy things to say about each other behind their backs-- and they said those things to the entire class. It was very strange, and not appreciated by me or any of my classmates. For the majority of the course, we sat in the classroom with our headphones in and watched videos all day long with little instruction. Many times, I felt that I could have saved myself a lot of money and done the same work at home on my couch. I should also add that the last 3 weeks are just job hunting and "personal project" time. Nobody checked up on project progress or completion and many people didn't even finish their projects. So basically, the bootcamp and curriculum length is only 9 weeks.

On one of the days in the final weeks of class, we got a mass message from our instructor at 9:00pm that we were going to go to a job fair the next morning, so we needed to go get several copies of our resumes printed on nice paper and dress up to look professional. We all woke up early to look our best and to go to a store to pay for our resumes to get printed before class started at 9:00am. Once we all arrived to class, we found out quickly that the "Job Fair" was actually just a Google Doc with a list of tech companies in the area. Our instructor told us to "pick one" and physically walk into the company's office and ask if they're hiring. JOB FAIR?! So that event alone is indicative of how deceiving and unprofessional this bootcamp is.

When you graduate, you have the exact same portfolio as every single person that's gone through the curriculum. So when you're applying for jobs, your application looks the same as 15+ others. I attribute the majority of my success in the job hunt to the fact that I'm a minority female and that I'm an absolute pro at networking-- two things that set me apart from the rest of my cohort.

Bottega teaches primarily Ruby (there's seriously like, 2 days of vanilla JavaScript) and the instructors will flat out tell the class that there are hardly any Ruby jobs out there. Apparently, people that land Ruby jobs will likely stay there forever, so the job opportunities are sparse. Why we learned a language that nobody hires junior devs for, I have no idea.

I heard lots of prospective students touring around the building, and I heard the recruiters saying Bottega has 100% job placement, which is deceiving. Some of the people that graduated in December are just now getting jobs, and many people take teaching assistant positions at Bottega which pretty much allows them to retake the course. Many of my classmates have taken unpaid internships; which I think shouldn't be factored into the job placement percentage. I imagine that it's very difficult to pay off the ridiculous tuition costs with months of unemployment, unpaid internships, or $15 an hour as a TA.

While drafting resumes, we were told many times that it's a good idea not to put Bottega on your resume or LinkedIn. That showed lack of faith in the program and made us believe that they didn't want to be responsible for unqualified candidates in the job market.

The "graduation ceremony" was incredibly inadequate. We pulled up our own chairs around the desks in the office, had kids running around screaming, and had about 2 seconds worth of speeches from instructors and CEO. I was really embarrassed to bring my husband there and for him to see fhow unprofessional it was after we agreed to fork out several thousand dollars.

You are better off using the BILLIONS of free online resources to learn JavaScript. I have yet to see a job opening that doesn't want proficiency in JavaScript. As a female and a Slate employee referral, I was able to negotiate a much lower tuition cost, which I'm thankful for. That said, I still think it's a better idea to learn on your own (for free!) or preferably, get a degree.

All said and done, I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the president of the school, Scott. He pushed my resume everywhere and got me lots of interviews and he's truly the best thing about the school.