Command Shift

I learnt so much in this course. As a career changer i wanted to learn full stack software development, get hands on experience and become career ready. This course helped me to achieve that. I am currently working as a junior software developer.

This course helped me to be prepare for work in the industry. I got experience in all parts of software development lifecycle. I got support with my CV and interview which helped me to land my first role. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who is a career changer like myself or a career starter or looking to update their knowledge with the latest tech in software development. 

Important tips for new starters: 
- Make sure you read your course materials including the extra bits, 
- Prepare your questions before online classes (the teachers are very good with answering your questions and giving real life examples), 
- Learn how to research software issues (this course will teach you how to approach any error you could possibly have, basic principles, what steps to take, hugely important in career)
- Finally make sure you enrol!

After 5 years working in Civil Engineering I decided it was time for a career change. I did some research on Software Engineering bootcamps in the North West area and ultimately landed on Manchester Codes. The course was structured very intuitively from start to finish and their online learning platform made it a very enjoyable experience. The sessions run by the Manchester Codes tutors were very informative and allowed an opportunity to raise any problems you were facing with your progress. 

I got out of the course exactly what I wanted and was offered and accepted a Junior Engineer role before the course had finished!

I jumped on the bootcamp as a way to learn software development for my current role, but by the end of the bootcamp I had got a job working for an Agency in Manchester. Since then I've moved on and havent looked back. The in-class support through to the career advice was great.

The bootcamp content was awesome, it started off with a great foundation everything explained fully with examples. Then when moving onto more advanced topics our cohort would mob, or pair on problems to further reinforce the learnings. This is massively helpful in teaching how to communicate and has transferred into my current role (especially with COVID and remote work life!)

It was the best decision to join Manchester Codes, literally has changed my and my family's life (sorry for the cringey cliche!)

My experience with Manchester Codes was nothing but positive.

The bootcamp provided a great overview of web development fundamentals that led into covering backend and database concepts and frontend frameworks (React) which ended with a final team project that pulled it all together.

In my experience, the instructors were fantastic and always willing to help. Additionally, there were course tutors that could also be called upon for those needing any extra assistance.

Like most extra curricular courses, what you ultimately get out of it is up to the individual and their ability to put in the work (it can be a lot for some, but very manageable), but the school provides you everything you could need.

The after course completion is fantastic, there are lunch and learns that previous students can join, and there are always good new jobs being posted.

I had a job straight-way and I wouldn't have been able to get it without the skills I picked up from the bootcamp.

I decided to study with Manchester Codes as I was looking to return to a developer role after a career break. I’d lost a lot of confidence and was looking to update my skills.

My 6 months at Manchester Codes have been intense – although there are only 6 hours of scheduled lessons per week, the bulk of the assignments and learning is carried out outside of the classroom. It’s demanding and I’d recommend putting any social life/hobbies/parenting(!) on hold as much as possible for the duration of the course!

Although intense, I found it to be massively rewarding and a fun and supportive environment in which to learn current coding practices. The instructors are dedicated and are always on hand to offer support remotely.

There’s also post-course job seeking guidance that helped me feel confident applying for jobs. I would not have landed my first Software Engineer role at the BBC if I had not taken this course.

I took the Software Engineering bootcamp course at Manchester Codes, graduating in March 2021. I loved the hands-on, practical nature of the course. I felt like we were taught how to code using the most up-to-date, industry-recognised languages and technologies such as NodeJs. The projects and coding exercises were great for getting hands on keyboards and building actual things that could then be added to a portfolio and shown to potential employers. 

The remote nature of the course suited me perfectly. As a mum of two young kids, I appreciated the flexibility to fit the work in around my childcare responsibilities. The workload is a lot - I did around 25 hours extra studying per week and some of the course material is very challenging but the support from tutors, mentors and fellow students via Slack was really good. I never stayed stuck for long. 

The online platform that the course uses isn’t the most inspiring in the world compared to others like Codecademy but the content is sound and it does the job. The quality of the evening lectures was high and the tutors were always very willing to answer questions and give any help needed. I loved the fact that the tutors were all professional Software Engineers who were teaching on top of their ‘day job’.

Before the end of the course, I got a job as a Software Engineer, through Manchester Codes’ connections with companies in the region. I was relieved to find that the course gave me a great foundation to start the role. A year on, I am still absolutely loving it. Doing the course with Manchester Codes was the best decision I’ve ever made. It allowed me to change careers and find an interesting and fulfilling job that works for me and my family. Thank you Manchester Codes!

After spending 12 years as a general manager in hospitality I wanted to pursue a career in tech, something I had wanted to do since leaving school. I had completed the free course they offer a few times over the years, but hadn’t taken the plunge until now, and so glad that I did.

I was completely new to coding, other than a brief into to C++ in college (about 2 weeks worth) and had reservations about how quickly I could learn the skills to change career.

The course starts at an easy pace, guides you through setting up your machine, a look at some of the common developing languages (HTML, JavaScript) and builds upwards from there.

You study twice a week in the evenings for 3 hours, where tutors give detailed lectures, provide support, and just generally create an environment where your class can ask questions and share ideas. You’ll build small projects on the side which you can work on in your free time, and all the team at Manchester codes are readily available to you via Slack if you want to reach out to them, even if just for a general chat. There’s Saturday drop in sessions which are optional but a good way to meet people in your cohort and to get one to one help from a tutor if you need it.

One of the main benefits of choosing Manchester Codes is that you are entering into a supportive community of past and present students / tutors / external hiring managers, who genuinely want to see you succeed. Past students/tutors pass back job opportunities from the companies they work for, hiring managers look to employ students from Manchester Codes specifically and advertise their roles directly, and there is a dedicated careers advisor with great connections who will help you get your foot in the door.

Like any learning, you get out what you put in.. I only needed to spend a couple hours of my free time to begin with, and by the end of the course It was about 15-20… but I quickly learned to love what I was doing and further my knowledge, and gained the confidence I needed to not only apply, but be successful in getting my first tech job, before I’d even finished the course, and I’m so happy I took that first step 6 months ago.

For anyone wanting to get into this industry and is unsure of how.. this is the perfect place to start. 

I would gladly recommend Manchester Codes to anyone considering a career change into software engineering.

Completing a boot camp was a decision I considered and weighed for a long time before finally pulling the trigger. I was concerned about the viability of switching careers with no prior experience and whether a boot camp could realistically prepare you/ultimately help get you a job in the industry. I can safely say that my experience with Manchester Codes was everything I could have hoped for and more.

I considered a number of boot camps initially, but settled on Manchester Codes due to the comparatively lower cost and positive online reviews. I wondered whether more expensive boot camps would be worth the difference and whether that difference would ultimately count towards preparing me for a successful entry into the industry. I can safely say that this was the best value for money move I've ever made.

The tutors were reassuring, patient and understanding throughout. As someone who went into the course somewhat anxious about whether it was possible, this was key in helping me maintain a positive approach on the course. There is a good mix of tutors/mentors who have gone through the boot camp route themselves and also those that took a more traditional route. Everyone was always willing to help in any way you could want, but it's important to remember that you have to be willing to identify when you need help and to seek it. There is a high concentration of really awesome people in the Manchester Codes community and you will be part of that throughout and following the course.

The course content itself was nice and practical with a good variety of challenges and resources. The projects you build track well with your learning progress and maintain an ideal level of difficulty all the way through.

The post-course assistance was really helpful and the role I ultimately landed came through a referral from the course recruiter. I was assisted with CV reviews and general advice on interviewing all the way through.

If you've spent some time looking into development as a career and practised on your own to be sure that this is something you want to commit to, then you will not go wrong with Manchester Codes. It's important to ensure you can commit 14-21(ish) hours a week consistently throughout. Don't be afraid to ask questions and seek help, everyone is happy to assist and have been there before.

Good luck and don't stress!

The instructors are very knowledgeable and are always available for support or feedback. The course material is excellent and you learn real world skills with the projects you do.The pace of the course is intense but very satisfying to see how much you learn in such a short period of time.The careers advice during the course is priceless and if you put the effort in you will have no problems getting an interview / job offer.Not only do you learn new skills but you become part of an amazing community that continues after the course.

It's been a few months since I finished Manchester Codes and it's safe to say I would not be securing a Front End Engineer role now, when I didn't even know the basics less than a year ago without Manchester Codes.
I was looking for a bootcamp that I would be able to manage along side my busy full time job and MC stood out for me more than other schools due to all their success stories, as well as them making a conscious effort to make the course more accessible for under-represented people. The price of the course is reasonable compared with other coding schools, however it is a lot of money to have to commit to, so having the diversity grant available definitely made it more accessible for me.

The course itself was probably one of the toughest things I've done to date - very fast paced it does require a lot of commitment (20 hours a week is recommended) however I did find myself spending every spare minute I had working on projects! The tutors are really helpful, approachable and have the very up to date knowledge on development so no questions went unanswered. In terms of the content delivery - I did find it a bit powerpoint heavy and wordy when it came to projects and I found myself looking for more video content that would aid my learning. I think adding more of this in would make MC even better. 

If you are looking for a coding school, I would highly recommend Manchester Codes. Even after finishing the bootcamp I still feel part of the community and the team have been more than happy to give me advice and support as I begin my new career. One piece of advice I would give is before jumping straight in, do some self learning beforehand and familiarise yourself with terminology and basic concepts; I think this would have made my experience a bit easier as I would have been able to pick up new concepts faster than I did, and probably would have spent fewer evening shouting at my computer!

When looking for courses it was absolutely crucial to me to find a part time boot camp so that I could keep a roof over my head while developing my career. Manchester Codes provided this perfectly giving me the flexibility to really dive into the course material and lectures whilst still holding down my job. The course itself was challenging, offering core modules and additional optional projects should you have a good knowledge of the tools. The stand out feature for me was the level of support. Manchester Codes has built a great network of like minded developers eager to help each other learn. I am pleased to say that I have now landed my first junior developer role at a large tech company thanks to the wonderful team at Manchester Codes.

I'm just finishing the 6 month part-time Software Engineering Fast Track course. Overall, I'm really pleased I decided to join Manchester Codes. I've learnt a lot in a relatively short space of time and I've met some truly amazing people - both staff and fellow students.
The big plus - I've just landed my first role as a developer! While I could have gotten to this point on my own eventually, I know I wouldn't be here now without Manchester Codes. The career guidance, CV help, support + encouragement and networking opportunities provided by various members of the team were major factors in building my confidence and job-readyness.
The tutors are all knowledgeable and experienced and the round the clock support via Slack exceeded my expectations. Also, they are all lovely easy-to-talk-to people who help create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere in the cohort, which can be challenging when remote (especially as previously they were not remote).
The course content, I believe, gives a reasonable enough grounding in the included topics and if you complete all the projects and study related concepts and topics, you will be ready to apply for jobs at the end or soon after the end of the course.
However, this will not happen just by attending lectures and following the walkthroughs. It is really important that to get the most out of a course like this that we take responsibility for our own progress and dedicate an extra 15-20 hours a week to studying/coding. This will require some strict time management and self-discipline if you are working full-time. And perhaps some favours from partners/family to help lessen your homelife responsibilities if possible.
I had already done a Udemy web development course before I started at Manchester Codes and this meant that much of what I learnt with Manchester Codes was already partly familiar to me. I found having this foundation really helped - Manchester Codes went further on each topic and I was able to build on this previously gained understanding. I think this made it easier for me than some others who were starting from near 0. For this course and any bootcamp, you will find you need to use materials from other sources such as FreeCodeCamp to help support your learning - and there's not much point in the bootcamps recreating what's already out there, so I think it's fair enough.
Things in my opinion Manchester Codes could improve:
Materials
The projects are well chosen and their outcomes useful and educational, but some guides were confusingly written, and there were some mistakes in places which caused frustration for students when projects didn't work properly (all problems were solved though!). Also, they are all text-based, more visuals would be appreciated, perhaps even videos.
Lectures
Sometimes lectures felt disjointed from the project we were working on. All topics were useful, but for me, it would have been better to tie in lectures to the project being worked on at the time. Also more lectures needed exercises and practical elements. I'm not a fan of lectures about programming to be honest. It's hard to take in especially after a day's work! Shorter lectures with exercises for us to try during class time would have been more effective. This was done at some points but mostly not. (And when we did get to do exercises in class it was really fun!)
Recap - things they are great at:
-Teaching programming skills - code alongs, demos, explanations-Setting projects that will help you get job-ready-Support with all your coding woes-Careers Support-Networking-Community building-Taking feedback - they ask for it every week and often adapt accordingly

I started the Bootcamp 11 months ago while working in construction and now 5 months after graduating I've been working as a Junior Software Engineer for almost a month. As the course is part-time you are still able to work full-time which for me was a huge bonus. You learn all the best practices taught by working Software Developers who clearly care for the work they do and will help as much as they can. After finishing you can expect really hands-on career support, regular check-ins, CV advice, job posts and when I had an interview lined up I even got connected with a past employee who was able to give me great advice. One of the best decisions I've made and I couldn't recommend it enough.

I did this course at the end of 2020 and it took me 6 months to finish, the course was great and got me on track to working in the tech industry just 1 month after completing and most of my cohort also ended up in employment after.

So the course its self is split up into. An introduction to programming so HTML CSS etc, then Front End, Back End and a final group project that builds on everything you have learnt.

The intro i found a little strange in it's approach they basically set you off without any teaching for the first few weeks and give you some tasks to complete the idea is that you learn how to source information (google everything) and figure out the problems on your own, while this is a great skill to learn I feel as though it is a little to much to begin with and can put some people off. After all you pay to get taught right!!! don't get me wrong the tutors are actually there to help you every step of the way its just a shock to start with and I wasn't not expecting that. credit to the tutors tho they are really help full.

The course then goes through all the fundamentals of computer programming to set you up for your first role in the industry and I can honestly say 100% that is does this, while you dont finish the course feeling like you are the new Bill Gates you come away with a bucket of new information, skills and strength's that are desirable for any junior position. You will learn how to think like a programmer solve problems like a programmer and communicate like a programmer. You will build a great portfolio consisting of around 10 projects that you can present to employers

Lowlights
The material could be better maintained and proof reading was needed on a few projects. somethings did not make sense or had become out of date, after a quick convocation these issues got resolved, and they are still updating there documents and trying to improve.

Back End is the area that makes the course difficult as they are trying to pass on so much information in such a short space of time and they do there best to deliver but I think there is still room for improvement it feels very overwhelming and when I finished I wanted nothing to do with it. On the flip side I now work in the Back End and its not actually that bad!

Highlights
Great staff, great projects, great communication, great students. Everyone struggles together and succeeds together there is a great support net and there Saturday sessions are a game changer or they were for me, any projects I would be struggling with I could sit with someone and they would really give you the time to go through your code and help you understand whats going, I have kept in contact with the tutors and other people from the course, I got a-lot more out of the course than I expected too, Not only did I have this new world of information and skill set I met some amazing people, the tutors really go out of there way to help you.

After the course you have access to there job coach and I feel as though they will not stop until you are sorted out. even now almost 2 years later I still get asked how I am doing in my role and would I like any help with my CV for applying for new roles in the future. They care alot and it shows, the positives of this course out weigh the negatives by far. and I have even recommend this course to my Friend and they enrol this September 2022

Last bit
Prior to this I had zero experience, other than a few youtube videos and research on Python, JavaScript and HTML but just tried to figure out the basics, obviously the more prep and lessons and projects you do before the course the better prepared you will be. I am also Dyslexic and have Dyspraxia and this was a big concern for me taking on a course like this, while they do not offer any extra support from this I found it didn't really matter in the end if you work hard you can learn how to program. Overall I would always recommend this course to people as long as they are willing to put in the work.