Holberton School

I have been loving my experience at Holberton and their commitment to making software engineering accessible for everyone. I am deaf, so when I was accepted and requested accommodations, they immediately went to work making sure I would have an equal experience with other students. This showed me that Holberton truly does have a commitment to educating different types of software engineers, and isn't just in it for lip service.

I entered the program knowing almost nothing about programming/computer science. I just knew some HTML/CSS and VERY basic bash commands. Now, 5 months later, I have a strong knowledge of C and have built some pretty cool and robust programs. I love how the projects by nature encourage us to implement best practices for each language and really understand what we're doing instead of just writing code that works. The project based model enables us to be self-reliant and try to figure stuff out on our own before turning to the staff, which is a skill future managers will really appreciate. Peer learning also helps us gain the skill of leaning on our peers (which will be co-workers in the future) and the group projects replicate what it's like to actually work as a software engineer with others. There is also an emphasis on practice interviews, which is known as the toughest part of getting a job in the industry, which makes me even more confident in my ability to find a job once all is said and done.

This program is really tough and requires a lot of your time/attention but I can honestly say I've never had so much learning. I was an accountant with no passion for what I was doing and now Holberton has reignited my passion for learning. I'm so excited to start working as a software engineer when the time comes.

I was part of the first batch student of Holberton school. I picked Holberton school as an alternative to a regular four year college education. I had this thirst to learn more about technology and building software. I thought Holberton was a good option for me as it was a two year program that would give me the proper time to really get a good grasp on what a career as a software engineer would involve and allow me the space and time to grow as young professional. Holberton school did not disappoint! I had an overall great experience. The content was fun and challenging. I had a good sense of community there, learning along side my peers. I loved that I also got to gain experience during the internship phase. I got an internship at a small medical tech company (where I am still currently working). I would definitely recommend Holberton to anyone who wants a strong foundation and be able to develop a good network to build  a software engineer career on top of.

My name is Cece and I'm a student at Holberton School. I'm in Cohort 6 which started in June 2018. I am almost done with my first 9 months and have nothing but good reviews for this school. When I started at Holberton, I barely knew how to write a function; now it's just second-nature for me. I will admit that the course load is intense, but it's all worth it. Holberton is great because you learn more than how to code. You learn coding fundamentals that will carry you throughout your career. I've gained valuable lessons on how to network and be a professional. Plus, I didn't need a communications class to teach me how to talk in front of others. Instead, Holberton provides students with oppurtunities to give a presentation in 3 minutes; allowing you to work on public speaking and being comfortable in front of others. If you're looking for a school that values learning and its students, Holberton might be a good fit for you :)

I've given instructors 5 stars, but Holberton has no formal instructors. Instead our peers are our instructors. We learn from each other. In the event that my peers can't help, I have access to faculty and Holberton mentors (Industry professionals) to get my answer.

Pros:

In 7 months, I've become proficient in C and Python, and currently am gaining a ground-up understanding of web infrastructure and web based applications (Nginx, Haproxy, MySQL, HTML/CSS, Flask, etc.). The program doesn't take shortcuts, and emphasizes a foundation of core concepts before delving into specific applications, coding languages, frameworks, etc. Learning C before Python probably isn't the fastest way to get started coding, but offers a much deeper understanding of what exactly happens under the hood, but you'll be be able to pick up new concepts and languages much faster in the future. I've been happy with the curriculum, and I feel like the pacing and progression have been well thought out. It's been intense, but I've never felt legitimately overloaded.

The peer learning model has been productive for me, but you also have to be ready to break out of your shell, ask questions, and make it work for you. This is not a traditional classroom environment, nor a traditonal academic teaching model. Just getting the "right" answers for "good" grades (a la college) will ultimately not be productive or helpful (afterall, nobody is going to ask what your "grades" were at Holberton).  This isn't a program you can expect to skate by on by just showing up and checking the right boxes. The program is intensive, and you will only take what you put into it.

Cons:

Peer learning is partially dependent on quality of peers. The school needs to ensure applicants are ready to succeed in the program and buy into the leanring model. Old habits die hard, and changing peoples' mentality of how school and learning works doesn't happen overnight. 

The SF campus is cool and offers alot of options for workspaces, but noise and disruptions from people hanging out and laughing are too common.

When I was looking to transition into a tech career, I looked into both traditional college options as well as boot camps, the former being too long and expensive (I couldn't afford to be not working for four years) and the latter being too short (I didn't think I could learn enough in just a few months or less). After researching Holberton's 2-year program, it felt like the perfect balance, long enough to get a solid programming foundation as well as having deferred tuition. It meant that the school is investing in its students and if the students don't succeed, then the school doesn't, and it speaks to the school's ethos and quality of curriculum.

Along with that, I loved the hands-on, project-based peer learning model. You really don't know how much you understand about a subject until you try to teach it to someone else, and peer learning gives you the opportunity to find out. Not only do you learn technical skills, but from the very first day you're taught real-life skills necessary to succeed in the industry, such as problem-solving, self-sufficiency, and helping those around you as well as yourself. Soft skills are important too, given the peer learning model -- learning to communicate and collaborate with other engineers is just as important as being a good programmer.

Attending Holberton was an amazing experience for me because it changed my perspective on how to learn, how to collaborate, and what education can be.

Holberton School is in a league of its own when it comes to providing students with the necessary skills to go into software engineering. Not only do you learn computer science fundamentals that most other 'bootcamps' gloss over, but you learn key work environment skills such as public speaking, project planning, and teamwork. The program is not for the faint of heart. You must truly be ready to work your ass off, because the curriculum moves fast and hard. But if your goal is to become a software engineer in a relatively short period of time, Holberton offers the tools that you need to learn, and to learn how to learn.

Holberton allowed me to transition from working in the public education sector to my current role as jr. software engineer intern. It also allowed me to discover my passion for machine learning. While ML is not offered in the first year of the curriculum, I chose to pursue a final project that was entirely machine learning based. With the time-management and research skills I acquired at Holberton, I was able to have a functioning ML model to present at the end of my first year.

Highly recommend!

The Holberton School offers anyone who's excited about software engineering (and willing to work really hard) a chance to reinvent their life for the better. Before attending the Holberton School, I completed my freshman year at Santa Clara University. I was frustrated by the lack of hands on and experimental learning. It felt like high school - where students where more focused on absorbing information quickly for high stakes exams than actually understanding things. The Holberton School is the opposite. It's a unique space where all your peers are there because they want to learn. You get to solve problems together, build cool things, and ultimately be the master of your own education. For me, overall, the first four months have been great. My advice to you is - don't wait. If you want to apply - dive in. Go for it. It's worth it 100%.

By far the worst place to go.  No lectures, they don’t teach you shit and you end up in a income shared agreement without learning jack shit.  You are better off using Udemy, LinkedIn learning,Lynda, YouTube and just books on coding.  Again emphasis on THEY DONT TEACH YOU SHIT. they want you to research everything and do it on your own. You can do that from the comfort of your home.  This is the biggest scam out there. Avoid this so called “school”.. I left in the middle of it all and I wish I left sooner instead of waisting my time at this shit hole.  

The worst admission process, I have tried. I thought it's a rumor that, schools and boot camps admit new students and drop them to keep their acceptance rate low. It helps their prestige. I have made several websites and have CS degree, in the admission process, they asked to make a simple website, which I did but they rejected my application. when I called and asked for feedback, they said they will look into my application and give me a feedback in few days. It has been 2 weeks and they didn't respond. I called them again and they said there is nothing they can do. But I was just asking for feedback!!!!!!

Holberton is simply the best school for learning how to learn. The approach they take to teach you is the right one. They don't hold your hand and they don't tell you what to do. You have to manage your own time and decide what you want to learn. They have their main curriculum you complete and mandatory exercises you have to do and from there the world is your oyster. There are many different ways to solve a problem and many different approaches, they will make you find the edge cases yourself and ask your peers for help more often than you might think. Setting up an environment where everyone feels like they are a part of something great. Every day you learn something new and on the day that you don't you get to learn more about your batch peers and spend time in SF surrounded by tech and conferences you can attend to for free (Holberton gives free passes to lots of them). From Fireside chats with senior engineers working at Netflix and Instacart coming to speak to students about their experiences all the way to the knowledgeable Guillaume that is there to challenge you and answer all the abstract questions you might have. Its one of the best places ever to learn anything tech related and I cannot commend it enough. One of the best decisions I have ever made.

As a current student of Holberton School I can't rave enough about this place. The founders have established an almost perfect environment to learn how to be a software engineer. The school is located blocks away from Yahoo, Slack, LinkedIn, Salesforce, and many many more of some of the best tech companies. It truly feels like a tech startup when you enter the building with all types of seating/standing work spaces. Students have access to meeting rooms and plenty of whiteboards. I chose Holberton over a four year CS degree because I felt like it was the better value both money and time wise. No money upfront means the school is truly committed to making sure that every student has the real-world skills necessary to compete in today's job market. After 4 months of study I'm very pleased with my decision.

1. Holberton school's list of mentors is impressive. They represent a range of tech companies both in and out of the San Francisco area. They are accessible and active in all things Holberton. As a student I genuinely feel that Holberton's mentors care about helping students succeed. In 3 short months I've met a number of them and attended conferences, meetups, and events through mentor invites.

2. The curriculum is challenging. You will learn and be given support when extra help is needed. The peer learning model is excellent for learning how to work as a team and how to support your peers. This skill set can be used anywhere in life

3. While studying at Holberton you will be consumed with learning software engineering. In 9 short months you will learn a wealth of information. I've been told the Holberton curriculum equates to a four year CS degree and it feels like it. You will learn how to learn fast, prioritize your time, and juggle tasks in a safe environment. 

4. You will learn more than just code. You will learn about systems, best practice, business, public speaking and networking. The only bad thing about Holberton is the vast amount of information you are exposed to and expected to assimilate. It can feel overwhelming but definitely prepares you for a challenging software engineer job.

It is NOT an exaggeration when they say the program is intensive. There are tons of materials to get through on a daily basis, and you have to put the time and effort to get the claimed results. It is a hands-on learning environment where you learn by doing rather than sitting in front of a lecturer and trying to retain that information. The curriculum is peer-learning based and there are no formal classrooms or teachers. You do have access to plenty of resources such as your peers from former and current cohort, staff, and mentors.

Another great advantage is that the school highly encourages and supports networking opportunities by listing and hosting relevant events and meetups where you are exposed to people and opportunities to connect with.

I personally really like the culture and environment of the school where you can approach anyone on the floor and ask a question and they will help you or guide you to a better resource.

When people complete the 9-month foundation it seems like ~60% of students get a job after teaching themselves everything they need to know and then searching for 3 months to 2 years, while the other ~40% goes back to working the same low-wage jobs that they worked before the program. These students are then told to pay up if they make over $40k/yr.

In order to graduate you need to complete Year 2 or get a job as a Software Engineer. It seems like only a handful of people ever even completed Year 2, since it's written by students, haphazardly slapped together, and requires you to be there in-person for another 9 painful months.

They didn't provide the career coaching or mentorship that they promised at the beginning. Their whole pedagogy is "Figure it out and if you get stuck then ask someone for help". Brilliant advice. Is it worth $23,000-$85,000? That's up to you to decide. Personally, I would've just finished Freecodecamp if I knew what Holberton really was underneath the hood.

I will admit that Guillaume was a cool guy and Holberton School's only saving grace. Sylvain was chill too. Julien Cyr and Julien Barbier though were rude and aggressive in almost every interaction I had with them. They acted like they were royalty and us students were just peasant serfs coming to Holberton for salvation.

I saw Julien Barbier:

1) Threaten 4+ people(including myself) with expulsion for making unfavorable comments or not hitting their tweet quota.

2) Expel 3+ people with health conditions who couldn't keep up with their coursework. They then shake them down to pay their ISAs, even though they never got coding jobs.

3) Publicly shame 2 students on stage for not completing their end of year projects.

Also, they allegedly operated without approval to be a school for the first 2-3 years, were never fully approved to give out ISAs, and committed fraud to get approval from the gov. Here's the news story: https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/02/26/san-francisco-based-holberton-coding-school-facing-fraud-accusations-from-former-students/

This is a prime example of what happens when you pump up a great idea with investment money and create the illusion of value with the sole intention of selling the company off for an inflated exit.

I wouldn't recommend Holberton School. There are so many more affordable alternatives that could get you hired much faster and actually treat you with respect in the process. Go to Thinkful, Rithm School, HackReactor, Freecodecamp. You'll be much happier.

Holberton School has been a revolutionary experience in my life. I have learnt so much and have been exposed to so many people from all walks of life. The mentorship and support that students receive is unmatched.

You must be ready to make the change in your life and you must be willing to dedicate yourself to this program for the 2 years. This is especially true of the first year of schooling, before the internship. 

If you are ready to take a chance on yourself and believe that you want to be a Software Engineer, then Holberton School is the place for you. 

I love the Holberton school program for it's hands-on approach and project based curriculum. There is no theory and you start coding on day 0. What I find super valuable is that we touch a great variety of programming concepts. You start with low level language C and get familiar with Bash and then you move to higher level programming languages like Python and JavaScript. We also learn DevOps, setting up and managing our servers, deploying codes. As for a beginner like myself I find this extremely helpful to figure what aspect of programming I enjoy the most. So first 9 months of intense studying brings you to a descend level, so you can apply for interships. You need to study hard and a lot, but it's totally worth it. Especially looking at the success of previous years students you realize that the program is well designed to help you achieve your goal. That's a great motivation for me. And I am looking forward to upcoming intership and the second year specialization! 

I was a Tech Recruiter for 4 years before I decided to join Holberton. After getting BSCS  I went into recruiting but talking to engineers made me want to get back to it. I knew I probably forgot a lot from school and having no hands on experience wasn't going to help me get a job as engineer right away so I decided to sign up for one of many coding schools or bootcamps we have here in SF. I did quite a bit of research and I'm glad I chose Holberton. And here is why:

First of all, their curriculum. Comparing to many other schools it doesn't focus on just one programming language. From working in the industry I know that you have to be able to learn different languages if need be and if you do that while in school too it just gets you more prepared for once you start working. And you don't only learn how to code. You learn how debug, configure and manage servers and how to deploy applications. They don’t teach that in college. All this is part of being an engineer and if you don't have at least some idea of what any of this is, ramping up once you get a job is going to be so much longer and harder. So you learn a little bit of everything here. Puts a little perspective on what Full Stack actually means. Also the staff takes feedback on curriculum and that is how they improve it with every new batch. It's amazing.

Second: it's not just 3 months. I know myself and I know that learning things in 3 months is not for me. If you think you can learn something and be great at it in 3 months, maybe one of those other bootcamps are for you. After studying CS for 4 years I knew I wasn't going to process everything in 3 months and Holberton offering 2 yr program was exactly what I needed. But don't be fooled and think that these 2 years are going to be easy. It's intense program and you have to work really hard. Everything builds on what you learned previously so it all starts falling into pieces once you have to incorporate it with new topic. But if you don’t keep up it can get you in trouble. You have to be comfortable asking for help. It’s a must!!

Third: Peer Learning Days (PLD) and Reefinery are great. PLDs are giving you the opportunity to catch up if you are falling behind and also help others that might be struggling with something. This is great because when you're helping it makes you realize how much you understand the topic and how well you can explain it. If you can't explain it you probably don't understand it well yet and right then and there you can actually fix that by asking questions because that day is all about learning with your peers. And of course there are always students from previous batches, mentors and staff to help you. But people showing you how to find the answers is the best part about it. Reefinaries are like mock interviews you do with your peers and you go over material previously covered. So you get to check how much you learned because you have to do everything without access to internet. It's how it would be in the real interview so it prepares you for it.

Fourth is community. I have made so many friends here and I know we will be friends long after we are done with school. We work together on projects but we also travel together, run, hike, go out and have fun together. And this is not just with your batchmates but also with students that joined school before and after you.

Fifth is one that was really important to me. It's the payment structure. I know it's hard to be in school for months or years and not earn any money. It's really hard. Believe me. I know. This is where I was considering those 3 months boot camps but then I realized if I pay in advance and I don't like it or I don't get a job that money is gone. And it’s a lot of money. I know you may say that Holberton costs even more. But Holberton takes care of that in a different way. They don't take money until you make money. The way I think about it is that it’s in their interest to train you well and help you get a job. The better they train you, the better you'll get paid and therefore they get paid more and it's win-win. If I make good money I won’t even feel those 17% of my paycheck. But writing a check for thousands of dollars before I even know what I’m getting myself into was scary.

I think I can go on and on with how many things I like about this program. You can always just stop by the school and ask to talk to students in person about their experience. Everyone is super welcoming and open. So stop by and say hi!

Holberton School has an amazing vision of fixing the education system. Their curriculum gives you challenging projects that teach you how to fix problems and build software.There are no teachers at Holberton School and the program teaches you how to learn instead of focusing on one specific technology. That makes a huge difference in how we address the projects and how we learn from it. The school highly focuses on peer learning and makes sure that you get the basics right. Their coursework, with plenty of hands-on projects, is just what anyone would need to transform themselves into a full stack software developer.

I am currently a student at Holberton School. In the first year, we covered algorithm, low-level programming, front-end, back-end, sys-admin and devops. In the second year, the program gets more intense and one can choose to focus either on System programming and Algorithms or Web Stack programming. I love the challenging projects and fear to miss the fun in either track and opted for both ;) . On top of those tech tracks, we also train on soft-skills like networking, public speaking and writing which gives us more confidence and also a huge advantage vs tech-only developers. I am hooked by the program!

Coming to the no of opportunities one receives, we get a ton!. In my case, I got a chance to work as one of the data scientists in a project for the NASA Frontier Development Lab 2016 program which was hosted at SETI Institute.