Code Fellows

I graduated from the Python Development Accelerator in the Spring of 2015. The course was fast paced and focused on real world programs and methods. After graduation, I was prepared to enter the work force and knew how to present myself and had the tools to continue my learning and experience on my own time.

I would and do recommend Code Fellows to my peers quite often with the only caveat having to do with the job market. Seattle is indeed hiring developers like crazy, but the industry is still warming up to graduates of code schools like Code Fellows, IF you don't have technical experience already.

In my experience, Python graduates have the most difficulty finding good jobs after graduation, not for lack of skill, but just because of how the industry is. Python specific jobs are few and far between, while strong developers who have Python as a tool in their tool kit, are in high demand. One of the main problems that I ran into was, companies that are looking for python devs, are looking more for backend devs that know C, C++, C#, Java, and Python is a plus. If they are looking for purely a python dev, they rarely have the bandwidth to absorb a junior dev. Having said that, the jobs do exist, they are just hard to find, and are often a sluggish process as experienced devs are put on the front of the queue.

JS specific jobs, on the other hand,  seem to be more common and can absorb less experienced developers. If someone asks me for advise on what class to take, I answer differently depending on the person. If you have little to no technical experience and no CS degree, like I had, the JS class might be a better way to get into the industry. If you are already a developer, have technical experience, or a CS degree.. Python could be a good fit. 

I also can't leave a review or tell people about Code Fellows without mentioning the Python instructor Cris Ewing. The guy is amazing. He loves the industry, programming, python, and teaching. He pours his heart and soul into his students and will do everything he can to help you understand the material, IF you are hungry for it. Cris is excelent at what he does, and is a very busy person. If you are willing to put the hard work, effort, and time it takes to absorb the information, he will always have more for you to learn. If you just sit back and expect to be spoon fed.. You will get just as much as you put in. 

The last bit of advise I give people is be patient with the job hunt. Sometimes it takes a while. I am not really sure where they get the statistics on job placement, but in my course, they aren't really that close to reality. I think with the JS courses, the placement statistics are pretty spot on. In my class, only a couple people out of the 12 person class had jobs in the first two months, and right now, at the 9 months mark, I know of at least two people that still don't have jobs, but are good developers. It just takes a while to find a job sometimes. I had right around 40 interviews before landing my job, which from the first contact, to my first day on the job, was 15 weeks. And that was without any "give us a couple months and we'll get back to you" which is something I heard a lot. The process just takes a while.

So if you are doing a complete career change, get a CS degree. If you can't, or don't want to, take the JS course, or be prepared for a long job hunt. But having said that... I don't have a degree, but have a 'just out of college' level job, about 2 years before I would have if I did the traditional school route. So I still count it as a win!

I'm a software developer with thirty-odd years experience, from x86 assembler right on the silicon up through C and C++, to SQL stored procedures and SOAP Web services. But learning JavaScript full-stack dev was like hacking through a swampy jungle - there are a LOT of opinions out there, and like anything else, half of them are below average.

Where CF really added value for me was their deep experience with what hiring managers are actually hiring for.  After 8 weeks in the Mongo/Express/Angular/Node stack, I was ready for interviews, and in fact accepted a job offer during the last week of class.

There was a little bit of instability in the TA staffing, as both our TAs got jobs during the course (is that a bug, or a feature?), but the curriculum was solid and the instructor was outstanding - knowledgeable, articulate, and pretty funny, which doesn't hurt.

Would definitely take another CF course.

This class was seriously awesome. It was 8 weeks and covered a multitude of topics. Two of these weeks are dedicated to projects.  I actually got a job offer in the seventh week. They literally do everything they can to get you employable. You just have to put your effort forth. You get what you put in to it.  If you don't put much into it you will just see it as a waste of money.  They have a fairly structured program. You have 3 hours of lecture every day M-W and following that 3 hours of lab. On thursday you go over data structures and algorithms. This is essential to getting a job. Even though code fellows acknowledges that making a canidate do a whiteboarding test at job interview is not the best way at evaulating their skills they teach it to you because its just the way the job industry is. On Fridays they teach you about the strategic ways you should be applying for a job. It was super benefical because they help you form your resume, personal brand and linkedin. Their staff is very helpful and encouraging. The lectures help you understand the topics and you do homework and projects to nail in the concepts. The structure of the program is the key to making you employable. If it was just 8 straight weeks of lectures it wouldnt be the great program it is. The curriculum is dynamic and based off of what gets you a job. It is modern stuff and they dont teach you anything that wont help you get a job. During my interview I was able to answer all the question they asked becuase of what I learned. It so crazy that 2 months of learning can get you so far. This program is really a dream come true. If you want to work hard and change fields it can be right for you. 

Having been both a student and a TA at code fellows I can tell you that it's a wonderful atmostphere. The teachers really know what they are talking about and you can always ask someone for help.  Everyone is very patient and always willing to help.  You will learn everything you need to know about being a web developer in any course you take.  From the basics of yoru language, to how the request/response cycle works, to RESTful applications and datastructures and sorting algorithms, you will know how things work when you're done.

CF will always try to help you out with your studies and your job hunt.  Their space is made available for you, you get a mock interview and some solid help with writing your resume.  At the very worst, you get your money back if you can't find a job, but with only 3% of students unable to find a position, I doubt that will happen.

As a TA, I tried to continue this tradition by always making myself available to the students.  Generally, I could answer their questions off the top of my head, but if I couldn't I was more than willing to sit down and figure it out with the student.

It's really difficult to be in bad mood while at CF, if not impossible.  It's less of a school and more of a big family.  It's large enough that you get the benefits of the name, yet small enough that you get to know everyone.

I might be moving on for now, but I have a sneaking suspission that I'll be back :)

Hello, This is my expriance with Code fellows Foundation II: Front-End Design & Development

Instructors:

CF have the best instructors, they will do everything to make sure you have the best understating of any information they teach. Feedback on homework was minimal, but they were always available if I or any of the course participants needed help.

The course:
The course itself on the other hand was a disappointment. I had some coding experience before from self-study and the help of teamtreehouse.com, so I skipped Foundation 1. 

The class was almost identical to Foundation 1, they even had a better intro to JS. What differentiate the course from foundation 1 was the advanced CSS part. Sadly we skipped half of it "SCSS Part" because we spent. Part of it become we spent a big chunk of time ( almost 30%+ of the course) On Git because half of the class didn't take the "mandatory" Git workshop before the class started. the other reason is because course curriculum was not planned out to fit the course time.

The course had many faults and I think CF realized that. couple of month after graduation CF were offering a SASS/SCSS workshop (we were giving a discount, but I think we should have got it for free) and at the time I am writing this review the course disappeared from CF website (looks like no longer offered).

Taking the Foundations I course was an eye opener for me.  I was already working as a QA Test Engineer for a small tech startup but lacked the knowledge in Javascript and other programming language.  Code Fellows bridged this gap and gave me the knowledge and skill to be able to do my job better.  They gave me the resources to be able to help myself in finding out the information I need to be able to find the answer that I needed.  All in All the class was well worth the cost. 

I feel so much more confident in my web development skills now that I have gone through the Computer Science & Web Development Bootcamp. It differs from the F1 night class in that it is more intense and more in-depth. For the majority of us, it didn't prepare us technically to go straight into a development accelerator from the bootcamp, but I feel like it did prepare us for what the experience would be like -- the long days filled with assignments, pair programming and the final project.

The curriculum is great, but a lot of it goes by so quickly, you'll need to spend time digesting it further after you graduate. They say the class is like work, but sometimes I would have preferred a bit more instruction. Overall, though it wasn't perfect, it was a great experience. Not for everyone, but for those who really want to be immersed in web development and build up a solid base of knowledge.

I rated the job assistance a 1 because it doesn't come with this class. Although, you are added to the alumni channel where jobs are sometimes posted.

I recently completed the Computer Science and Web Development Bootcamp offered by Code Fellows at their Seattle Campus. Our instructor was Sam Hamm, who has lots of previous teaching experience (in music) before becoming a Code Fellows instructor.  Frequently instructors fall in one of two camps. Some are obviously brilliant and know the content, but are awful at teaching.  Some are good teachers, but you can tell they're barely a chapter ahead of the students in the textbook.  Sam is a great teacher who also knows his stuff pretty well.

The course is advertised as fast-paced and intensive, which is basically true.  But it's not really that challenging.  If you complete the pre-work and come prepared you shouldn't have any problem.  Of course, the bootcamp is designed to take someone with no previous coding experience and introduce them to the basics of javascript and web design.  We had a pretty broad spectrum of expereience levels in our class, from people with degrees in informatics to people who haven't done any coding before whatsoever.  Coming in with a little experience helps. I think having done a little bit of Python and C++ in my past let me catch on a little quicker.

I learned a ton, however.  I basically went from knowing very basic HTML, heard of CSS, and never really touching Javascript before, to being able to put together almost professional-level interactive web pages.  This class doesn't teach any back-end.  Everything that you learn is front-end. So it's not the whole picture but nor is it designed to be.  It's a great introduction to web development, learning how to use git and github, javascript, html, and css fundamentals, and learning how to do some basic web server setup using Node and express.

I'm giving one star in Job Assistance because this class isn't designed to get you ready to be a full developer.  The Code Fellows way is to eventually take one of their Development Accelerators (DA), after which they guarantee a job or your money back. I haven't taken a DA so I can't speak to how well their job assistance is after one.

Three levels of classrooms and labs near the Amazon campus in South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington.   It was a hard class but the instruction was great and so was the support and help from teachers, ta's and students as well.  Lecture in the morning, lab in the afternoon.  Reading or tutorials at home each night.  I think immediate level of understanding varies according to your experience previously, but they really want you to succeed and they will help you as long as you help yourself.  The experience was invaluable to me.  I have a lot to learn btu I know I can get there with Code Fellows.

Greetings, 

I have recently graduated from the iOS dev accelerator at Code Fellows (Seattle).  The course was awesome, demanding, and inspiring.  There is absolutely NO WAY I could have or would have learned all that on my own in 8 weeks or even likely in 6 months.  I am switching careers from biotech and had spent the past 2 years attending university part time.  I was told about Code Fellows and bootcamps in general and after interviewing both grads and developers in the industry who had not attended a boot camp I decided that getting a certificate like this and spend the next 2 years in the industry would be a much better education compared to just attending classes at university and earning a second bachelor's degree.  

Fast forward to the Dev Accelerator (DA).  I would recommend spending minimum 6 months on the stack you are thinking about taking before you jump in.  I was woefully underprepared but I figure at $5 per question I got my tuitions worth from the instructor over the 8 weeks.  He was patient, very knowledgable, probably 10 years my junior ;)  but I honestly cant say enough good about him (Go Brad!),  To be successful in the DA, really have nothing else going on during this time in your life, be passionate about coding and learning, dont sweat the small stuff, and work your tail off.  Dont quit, just drink more caffine!  

There was a good amount of job search guidance in the program but they dont give you a job, just like everything else in the course you need to earn it.  You do the work, they provide support, guidance, and some leads.  If you are looking for rescuing from your current dead end job (like I was) you will need to break out of your own shell and put yourself out there. 

Would I do it all over again?  After preparing more, you bet I would!  

We are learning how to create mobile apps in Objective-C and Swift. We use industry tools and frameworks such as Cocoa, Xcode, UIKit, Git, and more. The class will dive deep into UIKit, asynchronous code, CoreImage, NSURLSession and JSON, MapKit and CoreLocation, AutoLayout, Source Control, Core Data, Animation, and the app submission process. I also took the computer science bootcamp as well as the Foundations II workshop for IOS.

It was after a lot of consideration and researching that I decided to quit my job in retail to attend classes at Code Fellows. The only exposure to programming I had was free online courses, and I knew I would need something in person to take the next step. I spoke with alumni from seveal coding academy's in and around Seattle. And after weighing all options I knew if I wanted complete caree change my best option would be Code Fellows. I've started with just the Foundations 1 course and am completely loving it. I plan to take several more courses finally ending with one of the many development accelorators they offer. I have no question in my mind that I will be ready to enter the work force as a computer developer. 

Seattle Code Fellows is a great little code school right in the heart of downtown. Its literally next door to Amazon headquarters so you really get the feeling of being part of the tech community even as a student. The best part of the school is its focus on taking raw talent into developers. 

They practice a methodolgy of having you start with a night course or two to make sure you have solids basics. The instructors at least for the python class (Cris Ewing) really care about the students.

They do a decent job on job placement but I think they could probably improve with some internship opportinites right out of the gates. 

Over all strongly recomend!

In my Yelp review, I compared an investment in Code Fellows accelerator program to an investment in a classic Burberry trench coat. To continue that analogy, let's say that a few months later, I discovered that the lining on my coat started unraveling, which is unexpected for such a pricey item. I was part of the iOS Development accelerator program at CF and while there are things that could be improved, I would go through the program again.  

The Cliff Notes version: CF will teach you how to ship apps and how to ship them fast. It will not teach you how to be a good engineer. It will take you about 25% of the way to getting a job, the rest is up to you.  

What Code Fellows does well (from my experience within the iOS Dev accelerator):
- Teach you how ship apps and how to ship them fast (we made 8 apps in 8 weeks, all of them are quite impressive and varied in functionality and types) 
- Give you a taste of what's it like to work as a developer (sort of). I learned a lot working with other developer wannabes and also with backend developers. 
- Expose you to these things called data structures, algorithms, memory management, and blah blah... other skills that you don't necessarily need to ship apps fast, but you actually need to build good, sustainable products.
- And most importantly, they still treat you as if you're a student, even after you've long graduated. It's like the good ol' pension plan. It's a little too good to be true and probably not sustainable if poorly managed. 
- Give you the most up to date tools. Brad, the iOS instructor, is super passionate about his craft, so we learned the latest and greatest (WatchKit, Parse iOS SDK, etc).
- Screen incoming students well. I really liked the people in my development accelerator. Great diversity too. 

What CF does not do: 
- It doesn't have a strong network... yet. If you ask most CF alumni, you'll rarely find that they got their job from CF. CF is still a young company, establishing and expanding their networks in multiple cities. I think it would've been better if they had partnered with companies to get students working on real-world projects (like GA does) or to get students hired as interns or apprentice (like Ada Developer Academy). 
- It doesn't teach you how to be a good engineer. The old project management adage is true: fast, cheap or good, pick two. In this case, pick one (fast). There needs to be a bit more structure in the lab/homework part of the course. I wish I'd been tested on my knowledge of the topics discussed in lectures, either through an online quiz, HackerRank puzzle, etc. When I went to school here, the lab portion is pretty open: 4 hours to work on homework (with assistance from TA and instructor) or do whatever you want. 
- It doesn't train you to write beautiful code. This goes hand in hand with the previous point. I had a senior engineer look at my code, and it was embarrassing and insightful (thanks Aaron). I wish they'd put more emphasis on incorporating coding style guidelines when we were learning, but I'm not sure how much more stuff they could've crammed into our brain. It would also be helpful to learn about how to think like an engineer in a bit more systematic detail. 
- Again, it's a young company, so they're still working kinks out. There are some things they could be a bit more buttoned up about. Unfortunately at $10k a class, I don't think people are willing to tolerate much. 

So there, my two cents on my classic Burberry trench coat. Would I do it again? Yes.

My overall experience at Code Fellows is a positive one. The staff are incredibly helpful and very good at their jobs. The curriculum is a tough thing to rate due to the fast pace at which the industry can change. That being said what we learned was pretty excellent stuff! Having had zero experience with code before starting Code Fellows, I would strongly advise that a prospective student take a CS100 class somewhere to begin wrapping your head around the concepts that you will encounter. For instance, I spent two months after the accelerator learning how to code and not job searching... Which leads me to the job assistance. During the program you have at least one half of a day set aside for guest lecturers or staff to talk to your class about the best processes for getting a job. Which is helpful. But the "job assistance" that you get is two mass emails sent at the end of your program to their partners. Which isn't helpful. Outside of that you're pretty much on your own, you must complete a survey once a week describing your actions towards landing a job, which is fair. The problem with the process is that you quickly run out of companies that you would actually like to work for in the state that you would like to work. Its been five months and change since I finished my program, I have zero prospects and have had three responses to my applications. Total. So in sum, the course work was awesome, the instructors are awesome and the staff is awesome. I just wish they were more honest about how much experience you should have and what they really do to help you land a job. 

I took the Foundations 2: Ruby course, then the Ruby on Rails Development Accelerator. I'm very good at self-directed learning, and have been a hobby-level programmer for several years, but I felt like I needed an extra boost to get an actual job.

In hindsight, I think I would skip the F2 course, becuase you can learn the basics of Ruby elsewhere for much cheaper (Codecademy, Code School, or Treehouse). The instructor was great, but I found I spent most of my time helping other classmates because I already knew the concepts. However, doing the F2 course "got my foot in the door" at Code Fellows, and made my enrollment process for the DA a bit easier.

The DA was very intense. Thankfully, our class was very small, so we got lots of one-on-one time with the instructor and the TA, which helped a lot. Just like other reviewers have said, what you get out of it depends on how much you put in. We were all very dedicated, and spent well over 60 hours a week working...but even still, some of us fell behind by the end of the course.

Their philosophy of teaching is called stacked learning, which takes some getting used to. It takes a week or two to "click" into that mode, but it's much easier once you do! Lectures are 3 hours a day Monday thru Thursday, with lab time the other part of the day. Friday mornings are for the "Professional Development Curriculum", and the rest of the day is more lab time.

Honestly, I don't feel like I got much out of the Professional Development Curriculum. I came from another part of the IT industry, so most of my resume still applies, but I can see how it would be more helpful for people coming out of completely unrelated industries. But a word of caution: they don't provide much in the way of "job placement", it's more along the lines of "job-search assistance". I was assuming that since they've got the job guarantee, they would be actively trying to get us in the door with their business partners, but all they do is give their partners access to our resumes before we graduate. I was not contacted by any of their partners. However, when I had questions specific to my application process with other companies, they were very happy to answer questions, and were very excited for me when I finally got a job.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go to one of their quarterly info sessions and talk with some of their instructors then. I would also try to stop by during one of their weekly "Open Houses" to get a better feel for what it feels like during the day, and talk with more instructors and staff then. Since I had previous programming experience, I would skip the F1 and F2 classes, and apply directly for the DA.

I think Code Fellows has done a really good job of getting us prepared for skills that we will need to be contributing members in the job market today. Each class is constantly being updated to reflect the frameworks and libraries currently being used and making sure best practices are taught.

This bootcamp had a lot of potential and came with the right goals but the implementation and day to day classes were poorly planned. I believe having had better instructors that have a broader perspective, longer backgrounds, and overall understanding of all aspects of programming is necessary to have a conducive learning environement and that was, unfortunately, not present in this bootcamp.

The class format has changed since I attended, but when I went it was 8 weeks of intense instruction with lots of hands-on practice, talks by successful developers and entrepreneurs, and opportunities to network with local startups. I already had some dev experience so I think I had an easier time than some, but everyone got enough instruction to make a career change. It definitely felt like Code Fellows was located at the epicenter of the local startup scene.

The one area I wish had been stronger was individual help on getting a job. My mentor was pretty hands-off and offered generalities and the job development position at the school was in flux while I was there. From what I hear, it has improved since then. I successfully transitioned to a full-time ruby on rails software engineer from a previous career as a project manager and credit Code Fellows with making that happen.