CodingNomads

The Coding Nomads Team:

I attended the Java bootcamp in Bali and the entire experience was amazing. The Coding Nomads team was great. The instructors teaching styles and how they ran the course really impressed me. It was a great blend of structure but also freedom to choose some of your own routes if you wanted. They were very good at taking the temperature of the class as a whole and individuals, as well as very proactive at spending more time on a topic or having extra time with people if they needed more one on one guidance regardless of time of day. If we were all digging in to a challenge/exercise from the day before we often had the freedom to spend more time on it instead of moving on to something else. Also they were just generally awesome people in there own right. People that I can confidently call friends going forward. I am and will continue to be in continued contact with them, be it for advice, mentoring, networking, etc.

 

Course and Content:

Overall, I thought the amount of content and technologies that were covered was on point. I have a different perspective than the others in the course as I had a position lined up for me with my current company. I transferred roles from software test engineer to Java developer. One of the reasons that I was granted the opportunity was that my manager saw the course content and outline and was very impressed with how it aligned closely with the technologies they used. I chose to pursue Coding Nomads mostly because either the other available bootcamps were way too expensive and/or were more frontend style technologies mostly for web or app development and not Java/backend rooted. Saying, there was also opportunities to dig into more frontend work and technologies, if you enjoy that (some people did in fact).

 

Location:

Obviously, Bali is an amazing location for many reasons. You might think that there would be too many distractions or it doesn’t seem like a serious place. It works though. Getting away from time and the normal routine really seemed to help me to focus in on the opportunity and challenges without the other distractions. There was a really nice blend of working hard, and often long hours, with taking time to enjoy Bali. The CN team was great at offering suggestions and also organising group adventures during the off time. Some of the most amazing times I had with everyone there. The coworking space we based out of was Outpost in Ubud. It was a great place to hold the course. Great amenities (events, pool access, etc) and people. You also got a glimpse of the remote working lifestyle that other professionals were living at Outpost. 

 

Beyond the Bootcamp:

I am now applying my coding knowledge at work and I feel that the course prepared me very well. I definitely need to build up my experience in general and improve which takes time, but the major hurdles have mostly been getting up to speed on the practices and methods of software engineering that my work uses and applies for specific domain knowledge. That is something that would seem inevitable regardless.

 

I really cant say enough about the bootcamp itself, the Coding Nomads team, and overall experience and adventure. Its a total package. 

 

This is a review for the CodingNomads cohort taking place in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico between September 23rd, 2017 through January 7th, 2018. The program consisted of 8 weeks on-site learning at a co-working space in the center of Playa Del Carmen, as well as 5 additional weeks of full-time remote work, where we are still currently working on our final projects. Overall, I think that this boot camp was a great investment in my both my time and money. I highly encourage anyone that is serious about learning Java to consider attending for the following reasons:   1.) The technologies you learn.    Most coding boot camps are centered around learning web-development, CodingNomads differs in that the course is structured around java, which is the most used back-end language in the world. During the course, you go from learning the java fundamentals all the way up to be able to able to write complex data structures and algorithms. You will also learn spring, a popular Java framework that allows you to create secure web applications, create your own Restful API services, be able to integrate your code with relational databases as well as much more. During the course, you also learn how to use the command line, git, SQL for managing databases, and many services on AWS, including EC2 which allows you to deploy your code on remote servers. Most importantly you will learn to think and solve problems like a developer.    2.) The Instructor.   Ryan is extremely knowledgeable with over a decade of experience working as a professional developer. With his recent real-world experience, he is able to organize the course so that you learn the technologies and best practices currently being used. Ryan is really good at breaking down complex topics so that they can be easily explained. Above all, he is extremely generous with his time. On several occasions, he has spent over 12 hours in class helping students, and he routinely offers time on Sunday’s for students to review the material.    3.) Getting away from distractions.   The concept of traveling to a foreign country to learn computer programming might sound like a pretty strange idea, however, for me it provided the perfect learning environment. Traveling really helped me step away from all the distractions of everyday life, so that I could solely devote my time to learning as much as possible. During the course, you are almost exclusively surrounded by like-minded people who are also trying to learn how to code, which I found was something that was extremely beneficial and something that not every boot camp can offer. The co-working space we used was a short walk from my apartment and Playa del Carmen provided nearly all the everyday comforts of the United States.    4.) The price.   I think that you will be hard-pressed to find a better deal on a boot camp than CodingNomads. The base price for the course was significantly cheaper than all the other boot camps that I researched, with the added benefit of a decreased cost of living from being in a foreign country. Additionally, the cohort I was in was very small, so I was able to get lots of individual attention, something that you might not find in some of the larger more expensive boot camps.

This was an amazing experience! I learned to code while I was in paradise on a small island in Thailand. While I was researching bootcamps, CodingNomads was one of the first ones I discovered and I kept coming back to it as I was researching others. It was the clear choice due to its curriculum (the fact that it was gonna be in an exotic destination was a bonus, of course), all other bootcamps focused more on front-end web development technologies, where core concepts in software development are never taught. The ones that did focus more on core software development were too expensive, sometimes more than twice as much as this one. Ryan (the instructor) was a great teacher and obviously has had a lot of experience in the field working as a software engineer in San Francisco for a very long time. The one thing I would strongly advise candidates that decide to join this course is to read the first 5-6 chapters of Java: A Beginner's Guide (the official guide by the developer of the Java language, Oracle) before arriving at the destination. It shouldn't take more than a week or two, but will make your learning experience much more effective.
Also, Ryan, Kim (the business manager and his wife), and all the others from the course were awesome! We had a great time together!

Having the opportunity to learn Java, SQL and AWS, traveling to a new place, meeting new people and paying less than in most bootcamp is something you can't miss. The CodingNomads bootcamp is very well organized and teach what you will need to be a successful junior software engineer. Ryan, the instructor has a lot of experience in software engineer and really love to teach so you can be sure that you will learn even when things get really difficult because Ryan will kindly explain things as much as is needed, you will be studying in your free time, you will be doing a lot of homework and most important you will be coding. It takes a lot of work but you can be sure it will be worthy. I don't have enough words to express my gratitude towards Ryan and Kim. They are successful young people, they have a lot of knowledge and are willing to share that with everyone. If you are looking for an amazing affordable bootcamp to learn to code, you should do this one with CodingNomads.

So I went to a coding bootcamp…

It was awesome!

CodingNomads delivered on so much more than I thought possible.

Here are the reasons to attend:

-Ryan (the instructor) and Kim (admin and wife) are great people and care about your success.

-Ryan is a real life software engineer with lots of experience, not an intern, not recently graduated. He knows his stuff, and he’s there with you every day.

-You learn Java, SQL, and AWS. These are core technologies that are in demand! Don’t take my word for it, Google it. --> most used programming language, most used database language, most used cloud platform.

-This course is less expensive than most.

-You get to travel to an awesome location with other people that are doing the exact same thing!

-Travelling to a new country (or at least away from where you live) gives you all the opportunity to focus on what you’re there to do.

Other things to note:

-Expect to work hard, programming isn't easy for most

-Learning new things and getting good at them takes time and grit, this applies to the hiring process as well. Expect a challenge

-Travelling is fun, but class takes up a lot of time. If you want to be employable afterwards, keep your priorities in mind.

This isn’t the right place for a life story or the answers to all the questions you most likely have, but I’d be happy to share. CodingNomads has my email and can put you touch. And if you’re interested in a coding bootcamp at all, you should really reach out to Ryan and Kim. They’re super genuine people and will definitely help fill in a lot of the details.

 

I was lucky enough to have my company sponsor this bootcamp, but I was worried about finding the time outside of work to make progress. My mentor did an amazing job of tailing the course to my needs and interests. I had some prior experience in DS + ML, so I moved through the online courses pretty quickly. My mentor then went above and beyond to bring new and challenging topics to our weekly meetings to keep me engaged, interested, and educated. He also gave great career tips and advice, despite me not actively looking for work.  This is the most effective way I've learned anything since college!

 I took part in the Python Fullstack Web Development course in 2019 which consisted of 8 weeks part time online as well as 4 weeks in-person tuition in Bali.  The online part of the course was very informative and useful in allowing you to know the basics of programming before the in-person component. You’re given assignments that you work through at your own pace but have the added advantage of a mentor that you have calls with once per week (they’re also on-hand to help you whenever you have any problems). I’ve always been a self-learner but it was definitely helpful to have a mentor to guide you in the right direction when you get really stuck.  The in-person component of the course in Bali was the really outstanding part for me though. The class size was small and the instructor was extremely knowledgeable, having worked several years at a FAANG company. It was a great environment to learn as all the other classmates were really friendly and motivated to learn. We would frequently stay behind after class and help each other out to complete the assignments for the day, which helped me to solidify my knowledge.   After the bootcamp I took a few months to continue learning and decide on which area I would like to specialise in. I enjoyed the data side of the course the most and decided to delve more into this area. Whilst this was different to web development there were lots of overlapping concepts. I ended up interviewing and getting a job as a data analyst not long after finishing the course! 

I attended the Bali 2018 Java bootcamp and had a great experience! The instructors — Ryan and Caden — were both friendly and knowledgeable. The material we covered was also highly relevant for the software job market. After attending the course, I was able to find a software developer job in less than two months. It took a lot of effort and self-motivation, but I consider the bootcamp to be a critical factor in successfully landing a job in NYC.

Along with an excellent learning experience, the bootcamp was also a lot of fun. Exploring Bali as a group was a great way to unwind after class and stay motivated to work harder. Taking an intensive course abroad and removing myself from everyday commitments made me even more productive than when I was studying at home.

I highly recommend CodingNomads to anyone that wants to learn real-world skills, but you still have to put in the work yourself. The in-person bootcamp is also great if you want to find a community of like-minded travelers and digital nomads.

One word about going to a boot camp, the progress you make is entirely up to you. Overall its students' mindset and "getting it done" attitude is more important.

I'm just reviewing what I felt in the Bali 2019 python course.

Being in part large class, the help was spread thin when it really was difficult. Django part of the course was not well structured.

Reflecting on my experience looking at the content curriculum and what was actually done I would have to say the structure of the course was not completed as stated in the pdf.

Yes, we did get the grasp of the concepts but it was rushed at the end since there was a lack of understanding of the fundamentals, on a group bases. Some students flew passed others.

If you look passed the curriculum the support it was quite it felt quite competitive at the end of the boot camp as time was lacking.

By no means, I am not saying don't go to this boot camp.
I'm reviewing anonymously as this would sound somewhat negative but we did learn heaps and did some interesting coding.

My experience overall with CodingNomads was great and I'm glad I choose to be a part of the program. I've found this to be a great value for the money. It's about 1/3 of the price of most server-side programs in the US and provides an amazing life experience in addition to the course. Our group was small, so we had significantly better access/attention than otherwise. Also, this is more than just a job for Ryan and Kim - we worked and traveled together constantly, and they've been incredibly supportive of us in and out of the classroom. 
I felt that the program had more of a start-up feel than that of an established bootcamp. This allowed the structure to be flexible and accommodate the pace/needs of the group. We also had the opportunity to talk about newer technologies that weren't part of the curriculum and get to know seasoned developers who were also working in the co-working space.
Coding bootcamps are ambitious and a lot of work, and this one is no exception. I think it's best suited for someone who's self-driven, knows what they want to get out of the course, and can speak up when they have questions.