Concordia Bootcamps

Decode was definitely the right choice for me. I do think that it's possible to teach yourself coding and get a job so Decode is not your only option if the money is a deterrence. For me though, I knew that I needed a supportive environment and a structured path to get me where I needed to be. Decode was definitely this and seeing as I got a job within 2 months and really enjoyed my time, was worth the money to me. 

I gave the course 5 stars not because it's perfect, there is always room for improvement, but because Jacques, the instructor, knows this. He was always very curious as to whether we liked what he was teaching and the tools he was using to do so, and that's probably one of the most important qualities in an instructor. I think this course is only going to keep iimproving as he gets feedback. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this course if you're looking for a career change!

Decode was by far the best choice I've made in my life thus far. Jacques is an amazing instructor, and all of the TCs were super helpful. It will be one of the most challenging things that you will ever do. I learned a lot about myself personally and professionally during the 8 weeks, but it was 100% worth it ! They also care to keep mentoring you once the bootcamp is over, something I didn't know when I applied but I really appreciated afterwards.

I found a job after 1 1/2 months and would recommened this course to everyone!

I'm very new in Canada. In the middle of 2018 me and wife understood that we are going to live in Montreal for real. We have been waiting for 6 years of that moment in the immigration process. All my life I worked in accounting. That was a chance to restart my career. It was a bit scary moment to restart from zero but on the other hand it opens some new bright perspectives.

I had a dream to be a coder. I implemented a lot of software during accounting career and always envy developers who could create and improve that software. So my choice was defined.

Even before arriving in Montreal I started to search for a way to become a developer in Quebec. A university - long and very expensive. Cegeps - 2 years and the quality couldn't be good. I need something intense with job opportunity just after. A codecamp. It's a revolutionary way to get into a profession especially with high demand domain like software development. I believe that's the future of modern educational system.

I arrived at Montreal in November 2018. I visited all three most famous codecamps in the city and their final project presentations. I compared their programmes. The price I found almost the same. Those were my arguments for DecodeMTL:

1. People.

  Kevin and Jaques are serious and very reliable persons. I talked to them personally and understand them clearly.

2. Modern stack.

  React and Nodejs are the most popular and trendy in modern web development. No php and jquery - old stuff. Just what I needed.

3. Entering test.

  That showed that You have to be committed and motivated to start with DecodeMTL.

  I applied at the end of November and passed entering challenge at the beginning of December. I was astonished when Kevin told me that next cohort starts at January is already full. I had nothing than to beg and convince him to take me on. Fortunately, he did.

From day one of the the codecamp I had feeling that I'm in the exact right place to study how to code. People in the cohort were awesome. We communicated a lot, shared our previous experience and brainstormed challenges.

First month was a bit unexpected for those of us who had absolutely no experience in web development. But Jacques assured us many times that we need just continue to do our work to keep progressing. Here I highly recommend for those who have no idea about HTML and CSS just go to youtube and find the best crash course about before You start DecodeMTL.

But anyways as Jaques said at the end of first month everyone of us was pretty confident about basics of JavaScript, HTML and CSS.

Second month we dived into React. In less than a month we made huge progress from zero in React to redux state management.

Jacques is amazing professor. He found a way to explain very advanced topics in simple way. He worked for Google and that fact makes You trust him from day one which is very important. But not least. As You know him better he start to like him more and more. Jacques communicated with us in very cosy and friendly way. We discuss a lot with him during our lunches. Jacques found the best way to communicate with each of us. Jacques has very thin sense of humor and use it in appropriate moment. My picture of Jacques was like this: somewhere in between weird geek with crazy ideas and smart uncle who knows how the world works.

Our general day was divided into two parts. First part is for learning something new with Jaques and second part is practicing that new by doing small projects with the help of teaching assistants(TA). We were lucky to have Scott, Richard, Cristian and magic Josh. Each of them is super nice person. They explained to us many nuances of code. It's very important and makes a huge difference between codecamp and online course when You have an opportunity to show your code and ask a question at any moment. Especially when You stacked. They shared with us real experience from there jobs and assured us that we will become at least middle devs in one year or so.

Unfortunately, the course war 8 weeks only for us and I envy new decoders who have 12 weeks long.

At the end of the course we made two full-stack projects in teams. Final project we presented on special event with HR from many Montreal companies. Our team Konrad, Jonathan and me created a site www.movielists.ca. We used git and profited real teamwork techniques during the projects. It was an amazing experience.

Next week was devoted to job search technique under Kevin management. Kevin has profound understanding of labour market: the needs of most companies in Montreal. Kevin took care of everyone of us and his goal is that we all get jobs. Kevin knows a lot of people in Montreal and many people know Kevin well. Decoders are profiting that situation. After DecodeMTL You are part of alumni and can reach everyone from there just by slack him/her. Those people work for many companies and can present You to their companies.

Personally, I felt like I was in big family for those 8 weeks.

After one month after I finished DecodeMTL I was presented by Elisa - another DecodeMTL graduated to a big international company and got the job after two week of entering process.

I want to say to DecodeMTL team again: Thank You So Very Much!

It took me a while before finally taking the jump and applying to Decode; even though it had been personally recommended to me, I just wasn't sure if I was ready not only for the time commitment but also the investment. I went for it and I have absolutely no regrets; in fact I miss it and wish it had gone longer! It was a rollercoaster and you go through all of the ups and downs with your fellow classmates, and everyone is there to support each other.

By week 1, I didn't know what I was doing. By week 4, I didn't know how in the world anyone would want to hire me. But you gotta keep going and by week 7 and 8, working on the final projects, the confidence i had was day and night compared to the very beginning and that was only during the course of two months.

Jacques, the instructor, and the TAs are amazing, really care and are there to help you, even when you feel like the dumbest person in the room sometimes. It is hard work and you have to give it your all, you have to be there both physically and mentally. Would I do it all over again? Absolutely.

My journey with Concordia Bootcamps was amazing! I was skeptical at the beginning because I couldn’t imagine being able to code after only 8 weeks especially considering the fact that I never coded before. The pre-bootcamp preparation proposed was very helpful and I managed to pass the admission test quite easily. I felt confident with my basic knowledge of JavaScript at this point but I still had a lot to learn.

8 weeks later, 3 colleagues and myself managed to build a mobile app using React Native. We were all surprised by the incredible evolution we went through.

Then the job searching process began and believe it or not, after only 2 weeks and a half, I had two job offers on the table. I accepted an amazing offer, better than I could’ve imagined when I started all this, better than the conditions I had working as a Senior Digital Marketing Specialist! I will be forever grateful to Concordia Bootcamps for giving me a better life. As a new mom, I didn’t think I could still change my career path and I was happy to be proven wrong. I discovered a field I’m passionate about, I met amazing people and I evolved as a person.

Thank you so much!

I decided to join DecodeMTL because I wanted to change careers. I come from the food industry and was worried at first that this dramatic change would be too difficult. However, the minute I started the bootcamp, all my fears immediately dissipated. Right away I felt like I was in good hands. Jacques is an amazing instructor who cares about his students and their learning progress. We were also very lucky to have a fantastic TA. But what is especially great about DecodeMTL is that they really care about your success after the bootcamp is over. Kevin goes above and beyond to help you with your job hunt and you really feel like DecodeMTL is not just a money maker but really a community of people who help and support each other.

If you’re looking to become a web developer, I highly recommend DecodeMTL. I landed a great job with amazing working conditions after the bootcamp. It’s hard work and you need to be 100% committed, but it’s worth it.

 

I was really hesitant to apply for the boot camp, as a software developer myself, having more that 10 years of experience in .NET and C++, I never worked in developing full-stack web application using JavaScript, but as this skill was highly in demand, I took the decision to do it anyways.

during the boot camp I was amazed by the quality and quantity of the information you learn in such a small time, I learnt a lot of new things that give me the skills and the confidence to apply for any job.

As soon as I finished the boot camp and did my final project presentation, I got three interviews with the companies' recruiters who attended the last hiring event, was able to get three offers and chose the best one. 

 

In summary, Decodemtl was a great combination of education, networking, good people and a very good recruiting agency.

So i started the bootcamp in October 2018 and i can honestly say it was one of the best desicions i have ever made! When i started this bootcamp, I had no experience in computer science whatsover, apart from doing a few small online courses on HTML and CSS.It is really intense but i feel like it covers everything in order to prepare you for a job. After the 8 weeks of intense coding, i got a job(with good benefits and good pay) in less than two weeks!  So i can definetly say that it was worth it! Jacques explains everything really well, and him and Jordan were extremely helpful anytime i have a question, i was NEVER shy to ask a question, no matter how stupid it was sometimes (lol). Also, Kevin really helps with the Job Assistance, he really cares and always checks up on you to make sure you are on the right track to get interviews. Overall i would definitely recommend this bootcamp!!

Decode provided a comprehensive bootcamp in becoming a web developer, with an emphasis on fundamentals and continuous learning. Additionally, Decode provided the necessary knowledge and tools in starting a career as either a front-end, back-end, or fullstack developer using JavaScript and/or Node.js, along with understanding and using a framework (React) and other tools.

Overall, the instruction was great and the teaching assistants were for the most part excellent. I feel that more topics could have been covered in the course, but then again topics you could cover for web development are virtually endless, and the material had to fit into 8 weeks.

Great experience, and well worth my while.

When I first got the idea of doing a coding boot camp, I felt like it was a huge risk. And truthfully, it can be! I quit my perfectly fine job and enrolled in Decode because I wanted to make a fast change.

It's really crazy what you can do in just 8 weeks. If you're bored by your current job, industry, whatever - and want to make a super quick change into a computer science career, this is the program for you. If your end goal is to get a programming job ASAP, Decode is the right stack - they teach you the latest technologies in demand, unlike other boot camps in Montreal.

The boot camp is an intensive, condensed program with all the useful parts of a university computer science degree, and then some. A CS bachelor's degree to Decode's boot camp is like university to technical college. 

Now, about the course itself. The first 2 weeks are the toughest, as this is when your body and mind struggle with the fact that you're probably going to be at school for 10 hours every day. It really does require full spiritual and physical commitment, but this also means that almost every person in your cohort is 100% motivated and ready to learn, so it's a really awesome environment to be in.

During my cohort, we could've used a little more academic support - a couple more TAs would've been nice. Also, I do wish that a few more technologies were covered, but we have given feedback on this subject for future cohorts. There is after-grad support in terms of job search help. And also academic assistance, if you ask for it. But ultimately, the power is in your hands so be resourceful! 

It's been just under 2 weeks and I have a job offer. I'm super happy that I experienced Decode and would recommend it to anyone looking to get into software development today! 

Honnestly before doing the bootcamp I wasn't sure what I should expect from it, either some more technical knowledge on my resume which would have been valuable (for a career Web- related)  or enough skills / confidence / pleasure to start a new career. 

That was the later. 120%. 

The curriculum (React / Vanilla JS / Node ) where we solely focused on Javascript was one of the reason I choose this bootcamp over the other ones in MTL. Why ? because I trully believe it offered me the best mix of current job opportunities / future market perspectives / quick prototyping stack for side projects. I was not disappointed at all 

The staff. Jacques (the main teacher) and the TA (teaching assistants) were really a great help and support navigating through all the new concept you need to learn. They are all very knowledgeable and passionate about teaching. They made several adhoc workshop based on our questions / interests (Redux / Jest / Enzyme etc). Kevin and Natasha were really helpful in the post bootcamp job search. They do their best to connect you to the right employer. 

Of course it's demanding and you have to be fully dedicated to it. Not only through the courses, but also in doing the workshop at home/over the week end. As I see it, the bootcamp provides you all the tool and support to achieve what you want (aka for me was pivoting in my career), how much you get out of it depends mostly on you. 

That being said one of the key takeaway from this bootcamp for me was the pleasure I had doing it. Being in a class where all the students were fully dedicated to learn, 100%, was creating a really inspiring atmsophere. Plus with all the different backgrounds, I felt and still feel we're part of a community. (I wear the Decode Tshirt at work :) )

After that, I found a job in 1 month, and had even the privilege to choose among several offers. 

My biggest fear before the bootcamp was about my technical level, not  being sure I would be ready enough and maybe thinking that Decode would try to fill in the class despite the basic knowledge needed. No body wants to spend X thousand $  for something not appropriate.

Trust Decode and their interview preparation process, they're looking more into your logic than in a formal lvl of technical knowledge. At the end what is important to them is what makes a difference for you - aka finding a new job because that's their selling point. No jobs - No bootcamp.  If they believe you have what it takes, be confident.

 

Decode is the perfect fit for anyone looking to get a job as a junior web developer. Everything about the course is relevant and practical. 

When it came to job applications, Kevin was outstanding in coaching me through the process. He is extremely well connected in Montreal and which is a huge advantage for decode students. I was fortunate enough to land a job a few weeks after graduating.

To make the most of your experience, I would strongly suggest you follow many of the free/paid tutorials online and build some basic applications before attending. 

DecodeMtl does exactly what it promises. It is a high intensity bootcamp, where they will provide all the necessary tools and resources for you to come out as a competent web developer. They provide you with great instructors, resources and teaches you by making you write lots and lots of code. I am a software engineering student and had a fair bit of coding experience before joining the bootcamp (not in JavaScript though). So naturally, at first I was worried if this course was too basic for me but on our first meeting Kevin had assured me that I would be challenged. They kept their word. I got to learn a lot in a very short span of time. If I had to teach myself all this through online resources, it would have taken at least a couple years more. They also focus on the latest technologies which traditional schools or universities don't in my experience. While you won't learn about time and space complexity of algorithms and data structures, instead you will learn relevant practical coding skills needed to build actual deployable products. I certainly came out as a programmer with a lot more confidence in my coding abilities regardless of the language I am working with. After you graduate, they provide a lot of assistance to you for landing a job. I personally had to go back to school but Kevin assured me I could come back whenever I was looking for a job in the field. My only criticism would be, I thought the bootcamp was a week to short. As you really learn the most and the fastest near the end. Also the TAs stay up to 6 everyday, sometimes till 9. It would be even better if they stayed till 9 more often but then again no one wants to stay in office that late :p. My final advice would be, if you do decide to do this, understand that it is a huge time commitment and expect to stay late into the night. While Decode does their part, it is upto you to grind out the results. You got to do your part to get the best results. 10/10 would recommend.

I had a solid experience with Decode despite having very little programming experience. The stacks that were taught are extremely relevant in my opinion. I landed a job as a Wordpress developer after graduating, and with my experience in sales and management, I feel comfortable leading a team of developers.

Pros:

-Intense and gruelling; best way to learn

-Project-based (you're writing code all the time and producing original applications)

-Job placement services: it shows that Decode puts their money where their mouth is

 

Cons:

-Not enough TA's (although this forces you to be more independent and figure things out on your own)

 

My two sense: this coding bootcamp works best for people who have strong fundamentals in programming and who want to find a job as a junior web developer. If you're thinking about enrolling, my suggestion is to spend at least 3-6 months learning to code on your own in Javascript and get comfortable with it. This way you won't feel like you are punching above your weight. Fortunately Decode offers a free bootcamp prep course that you can finish in that time.

Good luck!

I was skeptical about bootcamps in general. Comp sci students take a minimum of three years to be ready to apply for software development jobs.

However, the 8 week program really gave me enough practical knowledge to be able to do well in the position I'm in now (funded, high-growth startup). To my own surprise, I passed the technical interview "with flying colours". Most comp sci graduates finish school with really good theoretical knowledge of how to build algorithms and the like. That's really interesting knowledge, but most jobs don't require too much of this type of skill. They require knowledge of modern libraries and methodologies, all of which I learned through Decode.

So, if you already have a university degree (like I did), don't go back to school. Do a bootcamp. If you're in Montreal, do Decode. They've been around the longest, and the Kevin/Ziad combo probably know more people recruiting software developers than anyone else in the bootcamp business in Montreal. This part is really important for organizing a proper demo day (I found my current gig there).

I also want to give a shout-out to the post bootcamp job assistance. The support doesn't end after 8 weeks. They do mock interviews (both technical and culture fit), they help review your CV, and put you in touch with a bunch of different recruitors. It's surprising how much this can help out in your career change.

TL;DR - Before Decode, I had no experience with coding. 10 weeks later, I had a job. 

If you're considering DecodeMTL, I would highly recommend it. There is seemingly endless ways of learning web-development, but for me Decode made the most sense.

Decode is an intense two months, but if you throw yourself into it, you will be in a good position to succeed afterwards.

Everyday, you have tutorials for several hours in the morning, and then the rest is spent on workshops that build off that material. The projects that you end up doing are fun and portfolio worthy. We built everything from a weather app, to a reddit clone.

One of the things I most appreciated about it was the fact that we as students, had 1-on-1 teacher access for about 11 hours everyday, and they never hesitated to answer your questions via slack outside of school hours. They won't straight up tell you how to solve your problems, but they will help steer you towards figuring it out on your own and will always make sure you understand why you got the result you did.  

The final Demo-day was a unique experience. This is a very cool part of the course. You end up presenting your work to a room full of potential employers, and it was through this I met the company I now work for. 

They don't just kick you out the door at the end of the 8 weeks. The next week - if you want it - is for helping you with the job search. They do mock interviews both regular and technical, and help you currate your portfolio, resume, and linked in.

If you want a program that asks a lot of you, but gives you a lot in return, Decode is it. From the top down, they genuinely care about you succeeding, and if you put in the effort, you will. 

 

My experience at DecodeMTL was extremely rewarding. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to launch their career in web development, regardless of your background. The class size is small and very dynamic. You will learn a lot and work a lot - expect to spend your days and evenings there. If you are looking for an easy pass into learning how to code, this is definitely not it. Decode will teach you everything you need to know, and have a really good support system with the TA's, but they will not hold your hand. They will make sure you are really understanding what you are doing and why you are doing it. The more work and focus you put in, the more reward you will get out of it. 

I would recommend going into the program with as much javascript knowledge as possible. This will greatly assist with the learning curve and will allow you to understand the more difficult concepts much quicker. I would recommend doing the Decode prep course, as well as an extra month or two of hard study, prior to starting the bootcamp - you will get much more out of the program. 

The quality of instruction is really good. Ziad and the TA's do a really great job of simplifying complicated topics. Ziad loves what he does and really wants his students to understand and succeed. 

If you're disciplined and driven, you will thrive at Decode. Clear your schedule for 8 weeks and make the most of it. 

10/10 recommend.

 

 

I completed a full-time Data Science bootcamp with Concordia, graduating in December 2023. The course is intensive and covers a lot of material in a short time, but if you put in the effort, you’ll definitely learn a lot. Pros: Numerous workshops throughout the course to practice newly acquired skills, plus very friendly and helpful instructors. The career services afterward were also quite good. Cons: The bootcamp is a bit pricey in my opinion, and the course notes could be improved.

Being an immigrant, securing a decent job without a Canadian university degree is a real challenge. I consider myself fortunate to have discovered this bootcamp, as it opened doors for me to enter the field of data science. It's undoubtedly demanding and rigorous, necessitating long hours of study, but the rewards are well worth the time and effort invested. Moreover, the support from the bootcamp team post-graduation was exceptional. I want to express my special gratitude to Kevin Khoury and my career coach Penny Mancuso-Kaplan for their invaluable assistance throughout this journey.