Burlington Code Academy

I had always been interested in programming and had been trying to break into the industry on my own without success. I had heard about BCA from a friend and with the online course offering was fortunate enough to attend. The course was challenging and pushed the cohort to learn a lot in a short amount of time, but weekly projects helped solidify the lessons from the week and set benchmarks of what we'd learned. Bob, our instructor, was amazing and kept us moving at a steady pace while keeping (online) class engaging and interesting. The support we have received through career workshops and 1on1 meetings has been invaluable and will help me for many years to come. I highly recommend BCAs Software Development Bootcamp! Read less

I came to BCA after deciding to take a leap into the tech sector following a decade in non-profit advocacy and leadership. The staff was very understanding of my apprehensions coming into an entirely new field and very supportive in helping me identify transferable skills. 

Throughout the course, instructors and staff would always make themselves available to go over questions and provide additional guidance. That said, be prepared to work - you definitely get out what you put in. For me, this meant 3-4 hours of work per day outside of class, as well as 10 or more hours on the weekends. It paid off though  - within two months of finishing the class I landed a great job at an amazing local company earning more than twice my previous total compensation.  Read less

Wanted to leave a positive, but balanced review. Burlington Code Academy is great to learn the basics of coding. The curriculum is really good, though not very theoretical. I recommend going further in your education to learn theory (I'm getting my masters in Software Engineering). This is a really good way to test if you have a knack for coding and enjoy it. Bob is great! The career team is wonderful. I would say they promise a little high, if you are a woman especially, you won't come out of the bootcamp with an immediate job for 60k, but you will be able to break into the field. Also, the alumni network is super helpful.  Read less

After graduating from college with a Computer Science degree, I struggled to find a job in my field. In college there never seemed to be one focus, one thing that I continued to build upon and get better and better at. About 6 months later I came across Burlington Code Academy, signed up for the course and got going. It wasn't until taking the bootcamp that I truly found my passion for coding and development.

The team was extremely welcoming, supportive and knowledgable. If I needed any support, there was always someone there to help immediately, be it the instructor of my course, or a teaching assistant. If I had any issues outside of code, everyone was always understanding and willing to help in any way possible. I can't forget to mention the really great career coach that helps everyone revise their resumes, prepare for the job search, helps with negotiating strategies, cover letters, etc. It was a really amazing experience that I will never forget and I came out of it with the skills to actually land a job in software development. I also came out on the other side with a few things that I didn't entirely expect, like new friends, connections, and some good laughs.

Even coming from having a Computer Science background, I still found the bootcamp extremely beneficial. This is a course for anyone who wants to learn how to code in an efficient manner and is willing to put in the time, effort, and sometime struggles to get the results. Read less

Burlington Code Academy helped me do what I thought was literally impossible. After growing increasingly disenfranchised with my previous manual labor job of 5 years, I finally made the decision to change. One phone call with Alex and I knew right away that this is what I wanted to do.

The entire time through the program, I felt encouraged and valued for my input. The pace is great, the instructors are great, the staff is great. If you're tired of your current career, Burlington Code Academy is the best alternative. Thanks BCA! Read less

I just graduated from the UX design bootcamp at Burlington Code Academy, and it’s incredible to think how much I’ve learned over the course of this program. I came into this with an English degree, some administrative experience, and virtually no knowledge of UX, and now I feel confident as I begin my job search as a UX designer.
Rick Machanic, the teacher of the program, is amazing. As someone who has been in the field of UX for over 20 years and started his own successful design agency, he brought invaluable insight into the mind of a hiring manager and a vast knowledge of the UX process. He always went above and beyond for us, whether that meant offering mock interviews or giving detailed feedback on our work. We also had Collin Hadley, our incredible TA, who constantly pushed us and inspired us. He hosted evening workshops to teach us more about Figma, the design software that we used, and other UX topics.
The best part of this program was the 9-week capstone project, which allowed us to work on a real project with a real client. We worked in teams of 4 to redesign our clients’ websites, culminating in a capstone presentation of the full process. This experience was invaluable because it forced us to figure things out as we went along (with helpful guidance from Rick and Collin, of course!). It gave us experience in every step of the design process, from research to mockups, and exponentially increased our skills in Figma. It also provided great practice for soft skills like teamwork, presenting, and working together remotely; while I was a bit nervous about the remote aspect at first, I ended up really enjoying it, and it was a great way to explore different online collaborative tools like Invision.
On top of the capstone project, we also had daily lessons, worked on our personal websites, and redesigned an app. Every Thursday, we had a Lunch and Learn speaker who talked to us about their experiences in the field and answered our questions. We also gained access to a network of BCA alumni. We were only the second cohort of this program, so there’s still some room for improvement in terms of the structure of the course, but BCA constantly asked for our feedback so that each new cohort will be even better than the one before it. 
I learned so much in such a short amount of time and I’m so, so grateful to BCA for giving me this opportunity to enter this exciting and growing field. Before this, I felt so stuck in my career path, but now I have so many more opportunities and I can’t wait to start applying.
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I can't recommend this course enough to people either interested in UX/UI or looking for a career change. Everything about this experience was incredible. Not only do you get tons of help and aid throughout the course, but the end project is an actual job that has you walking away with actual work experience. Of course, the best part of the course is the instructor - Rick Machanic. He's genuinely and profoundly interested in getting people into and prepared for this industry. That being said, it is definitely a bootcamp - meaning it ramps up to be pretty intense near the end. However, no matter how rough or stressful it gets, you have access to constant aid and feedback from Rick and the TA Collin Hadley. You can start from knowing absolutely nothing about UX and you will end up with work experience under your belt, and a vast array of tools, people, and advice to aid you in the job search. This course essentially changed the trajectory of my life, so I can't say enough good things about it.  Read less

Applying for admission with BCA and completing their 12 week bootcamp was one of the best professional decisions I have ever made. It took almost two years for me to be able to make the transition to leave my current career even temporarily, and make the family time work to be able to complete the course. Once I was admitted to the program the leadership kept me informed and welcomed me into whatever course I was able to attend. I was able to complete this spring 2020 bootcamp, which was a challenge for everyone since we needed to move from an in-person format to completely online. Our instructor and director of education made the transition as pain free as it could have been, with extra hours dedicated for teaching assistance and learning extra skills needed to work and collaborate remotely. It is hard and feels painful at times, but you will be so proud of what you can accomplish.  Burlington Code Academy is committed to building a foundation of new developers with the skills and best practices to move forward and I encourage anyone making the decision to go for it! Read less

As a career changer, jumping into a course like this was a bit scary, and definitely a huge risk.  Quitting my job, dropping a decent sum of money, and not working for three months is a big ask when you have kids, but the folks over at BCA were always there to help, and figure out ways to make it happen.  They have been incredibly supportive of me from the beginning, and even now, two weeks out of the course being over they are still working with everyone to find jobs, continue learning, or just chat if the need presents itself.  The course was fast paced, challenging, and loaded with information.  I really enjoyed the projects we covered, and I felt like they solidified a lot of the concepts we were learning in the course.  This was especially apparent with the capstone project.  Being able to work with real world clients on real problems was huge, and gave me a solid footing when jumping into this new career path.  I can't express how happy I am that I took this course, and would recommend it over and over again! Read less

I am a very non-traditional coder.  Think female and old enough to be most coders mom's best friend.  I wanted to move into a job that offered more pay and more flexibility.  I looked at a variety of online and out of state options but settled on BCA for a couple of reasons. 1. I know people who went through the course and have found work they like. 2. After talking with Alex, BCA's COO, about ageism and sexism in the tech I was reassured that they have also been thinking about these things and working with their hiring partners to address them. 3. BCA works with both Vermont's Department of Labor and Student Assistance Corp. to help defray the cost of the course.
They are quality through and through. Halfway through our course, coronavirus hit and we had to go online.  BCA did everything they could to make the switch as smooth as possible while keeping up the level of instruction.
BCA is quite responsive - if you need help they can help you find help, from the instructors to the TA's  to past students who volunteer to tutor to an active "help" channel on slack, you can get answers.
In addition to the coding, BCA contracts with a local career coach, Etienne Morris, linkedin.com/in/etiennemorris who helped us get our resumes polished, informational interviews set up and how to negotiate wtih potential employers.
Finally, while I can't guarantee that every cohort will be filled with students as wonderful as mine was, your fellow students are inspiring. Read less

12-week course in full-stack development (JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Express, React, MongoDB and Firebase). 9am-5pm five days a week with 8 weekend projects plus a month-long capstone project that addresses specific needs of real groups in the community.
BCA provides an excellent foundation in JavaScript and web development, with plenty of practice in front-end and back-end design. While there is no coding prerequisite for the course, it is very rigorous and BCA highly recommends taking some time to get familiar with the three main languages they teach before joining the course. The weekend projects really help solidify the material covered, and the lengthy capstone projects, which are real projects submitted by local organizations, pull everything together in meaningful and unpredictable ways.
The instructors and support staff are outstanding: clear, detailed, and always available to assist.
There are weekly career workshops and exposure to local hiring partners, plus one-on-one career and resume counselling with a brilliant, caring mind in the field. The demo day at the end of the course brings in hiring partners as well as other area development organizations to see the capstone presentations and get better acquainted with each of the student teams.
The coding foundation they provide is thorough and meaningful, but is only part of what BCA offers: their goal is to grow the local talent pool and make the community aware of how developers can help to enrich and expand the way businesses and organizations operate. BCA is about developing coders who are an integral part of the community. Read less

I can't say enough good things about my experience at the Burlington Code Academy. At 31 years old I decided to leave a very comfortable sales job at a great company to pursue a new career in coding and haven't looked back. The curriculum is very thorough and cutting edge with an emphasis on helping students learn highly marketable skills like React and working with APIs. BCA instructors Bob and Josh were truly invested in my cohort's success in the workforce - this was evidenced by their tireless commitment to education, we never moved on from a topic until each and every student felt comfortable with the material which is probably a rare quality in bootcamps. I was also surprised to see that BCA instructors including TAs were often available during off hours which made me feel all the more supported. Also kudos to BCA's career coaching program which was such an asset to the cohort - this included 1:1 resume workshops, weekly lunch and learns on topics like networking, and negotiation workshops. Speaking of lunch and learns, BCA stuff also went above and beyond in terms of connecting students with prospective employers - this included weekly seminars from members of the tech community as well as facilitating networking during our capstone project. Would recommend BCA without hesitation to anyone seeking to make the move to a career in coding.  Read less

I signed up for the Software Development boot camp at the age of 42 to try to make a career transition. We started as an in-person cohort at BCA in Burlington in early February, then had to transition to remote learning about 6 weeks in due to the coronavirus distancing rules imposed by Vermont and other states. From the start, the experience was intense, very organized, and defined by the commitment of the BCA staff to our success. The TAs were available throughout the day, and instructors made time via Slack or in other ways in the evenings and through the weekend. The career transition support was excellent, with 6 career sessions plus 1-on-1 resume sessions with a professional headhunter / resume builder, as well as "lunch & learn" sessions each week with tech professionals / hiring partners. BCA also introduced us into a wide network of tech groups and alumni, who offered help, networking and support throughout. 
We were definitely helped in the virtual learning experience by having the initial 6 weeks together, but beyond that BCA bent over backwards to ensure the continuity of our experience over Zoom. The culmination with a virtual Demo Day, where we presented our capstone projects to hiring partners, project partners, and friends & family, was a great experience - very well organized and professional. As far as the education, I went from some familiarity with HTML and CSS to being confident I can figure out how to do a wide range of things in Javascript and any libraries/projects I might find using Google (because I've done it many times as part of class).  Read less

The intro course I took at BCA gave me confidence, as well as hard skills in software development with JS. If it wasn't for this course, I can say for sure that I would not be where I am today.
BCA is a very welcoming place, and they do a great job at getting a wide 'variety' of students. Having many different type of people from different backgrounds that all had a passion to learn development in JS was very beneficial to my own learning. There was a sort of feeding off each other that I had not experienced with any other courses.

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It was about this time last year when I first heard about the Burlington Code Academy (BCA). After making the decision to leave an industry and career that wasn’t for me, I signed up for the part time class that BCA offers. I then continued on to take the web dev bootcamp, that following summer. And to cut to the chase, I graduated from BCA’s program in late August 2019 and landed a full time salaried position at a local web development agency less than a month later. A job I wouldn’t have been qualified for, just 8 months prior.

 

What Burlington Code Academy Does Well:

• Exceptional Instructors and TA’s who are willing to go the extra mile.

• The founders of the school are both highly motivated to see you succeed and will also go the extra mile to see that happen.

• Giving students a strong foundational understanding of coding.

• Classes are well structured with Lectures, Labs, and Projects.

• Listening and responding to student input.

• The courses teach relevant technologies that are being used by today’s tech companies.

• Connecting you with local employers and tech leaders.

• The Capstone Project and final presentation were great real-world experiences.

 

What Burlington Code Academy Could Improve Upon:

• Prior to class beginning, communicating the commitment that is necessary to succeed.

• As a class going over higher-level solutions to projects and labs. Exposure to advanced solutions helped me improve my problem solving skills.

• At the end of the bootcamp more time should be spent on coding and less on the tangential material that is meant to broaden our horizons. I enjoyed it, but with the condensed schedule it ate into too much capstone project time.

• More movie nights ;)

 

All in all, Burlington Code Academy delivered on their promise to teach me how to code, and enable me to change career paths, in a very short time. It was quite the undertaking and requires a full commitment from you as the student. However, if you put your head down and focus, BCA will lead you to success. I owe them a big thank you wouldn’t be where I am without them.

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I think with this program, you really get what you put into it. This bootcamp gives you the tools to learn more about whatever you want on your own, get a job as a junior developer, or do some freelance work. 

The thing I liked most about BCA was their focus on projects. Every week you work either in a team of two or on your own to create an app or program. In the beginning, you're just creating command line apps, but eventually you make web apps that run in browsers. This makes the classes centered around solving problems and learning skills directly relevant and useful for creating apps.

The main thing I think the class could improve on is how class time is spent in later lectures. Sometimes an entire app would be explained all the way through without much interaction from the class or with limited demonstration of what is happening in the big picture. Early on in the class, lectures include plenty of ~15 minute "labs," which allow students to try out new skills and test their understandings. These labs occur less and less later on in the class, unfortunately.

I think perhaps this could be fixed by focusing each lecture on a narrow and specific individual skill or way of solving a problem, along with an example and a way for the class to try it out on their own. Alternatively, projects could take up more and more of the week as the class goes on, and lectures could be specifically centered around getting the class started on certain parts of their apps.

That being said, I think that BCA will rapidly improve and be able to fit more and more material into their already fairly comprehensive curriculum. These bootcamps are very new and people are still learning the best methodoligies around teaching them. If you want to learn to code in a short amount of time with a great group of people and avoid the headaches of figuring everything out on your own, this is the best option.

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Burlington Code Academy has a wonderful student-to-teacher (and teaching assistant) ratio.  I never felt like I was lost in a sea of information - there was always someone right there to offer support.  Their career counseling program was way more than I expected and defiantly a reason to choose BCA over other coding bootcamps. Read less

Before I started the Upright Education(formerly Burlington Code Academy) Software Development Bootcamp, I knew nothing about coding. Honestly, I wouldn’t have said I was good at using computers in general. I had a few close friends suggest I might be a good engineer and that I should look into it. I was ready for a career change and enrolled with Upright Education in February 2022. It was a totally new world that I stepped into but the material was exciting and every day had something new to learn. Between lectures, labs, workshops, and weekly assignments, there were various ways to absorb the material, which is helpful for people with different learning styles. I really appreciated that every week built off of the previous one, providing context for the material but also allowing more time to absorb some of the more difficult concepts.Although the pace is intense, and concepts difficult to start, the staff was always willing to help, even outside of class hours. The true value of this program is provided not by the curriculum but by the instructors, TA’s, and staff. They were seemingly infinite sources of knowledge but also really solid people who wanted everyone to succeed. I easily recommend Upright Education as the best place to start for anyone trying to get into coding as a career.
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The instructors and TAs here are very understanding and actually genuinely want to help you succeed when they see you struggling. Even though I was in a cohort of 10 other students I still felt like I was getting good individual attention for both my projects and job assistance. Read less