Ironhack

What can be said about Ironhack that has not been already said? In a world plagued by universities with obsolete educative methods, Ironhack offers a new style of course, perfectly tailored to suit the real demands of the labour market.

 

In order to be as useful as I can I will describe my personal experience. I arrived to Ironhack from a completely different background, having studied Law and Business. I first delved into the world of computer programming a few months before, but there seemed to be too much material and no structure. It was then that I found this bootcamp.

 

What do I value most of Ironhack:

 

1. Their course is designed to empower you, and teach you to teach yourself programming. Ironhack gives you the means to learn by yourself.
2. The course is very particularized, and you are given support and close feedback. After all, they have a ratio of 1 teacher for every 8 iron hackers.
3. The iron hack community. Ironhack is an experience which transcends education and it certainly does not finish after the bootcamp ends. Not only does it offer a hiring week, increasing the probability of finding a job, but you form a growing community of Ironhackers, with extensive knowledge in all areas of software development.

 

Beware, It is no an easy experience. In the 9-week-long course you will face frustration in all its shapes and forms. However, would it be worth it if it wasn’t so demanding? If you are tired of your job,  are thinking about learning software development, or starting your own business, Ironhack gives you a head start in an industry which is growing increasingly year after year.

 

PD: Don’t bother in trying if you are lazy.

 

I graduated from the full-time Web Development (Miami) cohort in October 2017, and I had a very positive experience overall. Here’s the TL;DR of my review of Ironhack in bullet points, but I highly encourage you to read the rest of the post if you’re considering attending this bootcamp and want to get an unfiltered and real opinion from a recent grad who now works full-time as a Software Engineer.

• First and foremost, if you’re going to go into the web dev program, it absolutely has to be because you feel genuinely passionate about this field and working as a developer one day. If you’re doing this for money, you’re doing it for the wrong reason and at some point during the program you will realize you hate what you’re doing and you wasted $11K.


• Daniel Brito (placements manager) and Nizar Khalife (head instructor for the full-time class) are absolute gold and two people you will learn a ridiculous amount of great things from. Without a doubt, these two guys alone are worth the cost of the Bootcamp and, quite frankly, without them Ironhack Miami wouldn’t be as solid. Listen to them, let them guide you, they do know what they’re doing. The rest of the staff are also very nice and friendly people.


• Remember that no bootcamp is some sort of magical experience — the end result and your overall success in it really boils down to the amount of effort that you put in. And you have to put in more effort than probably any other endeavor you’ve taken on in your life. This is no exaggeration. 


• Everyone’s lives are different, but do whatever you can to enroll in the full-time cohort and not the part-time. Doing this stuff full-time ensures you will be significantly more focused and with less distractions. Trust me, this is critical.

To elaborate some more, Ironhack is a great experience that will without a doubt push you to your limits and make you feel outside your comfort zone almost constantly. This is a good thing, and it also means that the more passionate you are about being a developer, the more you will learn and the less frustrated you will feel when you don’t understand something. One way to know if you enjoy doing this stuff every day is to prep yourself before you decide to enroll (lots of free resources out there, Google it). You do that by making a daily schedule (as in, 5-7 days a week) where you spend at least a few hours each day learning to code and problem solve using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS on your own. Keep this up for a few weeks and you’ll get a better idea as to whether this is something you’d enjoy doing as a full-time job or not. If you walk into Ironhack with that level of commitment, you will definitely do well and you will also get along super well with Brito and Nizar. 

Brito in particular is someone who knows almost everyone in the tech community in South Florida, and he's also a great guy to talk to. He’s the person who will bend over backwards for you to help you find a job, help you grow your professional network, and give you all sorts of actually useful advice (no fluff or BS) on anything from job hunting, to résumé building, to how to talk to potential employers. But this is only going to happen if you’re dead serious about the program and finding a job afterwards. He is NOT there to do the work for you, you first gotta put in the effort, you gotta hustle, and you gotta love what you’re doing. 

Nizar is the one other person you want to listen to and learn from. The man has a substantial amount of real developer experience and the ability to almost glance at a problem and tell you what’s wrong with your code and what you can do to fix it. He’s also extremely patient and very good at helping you understand abstract concepts. Overall a fantastic instructor.

All in all, this is the best bootcamp in South Florida, by a long shot. Ultimately, it’s up to you and no one else how successful you are in the program and whether you find a job at some point later. Brito and Nizar are priceless. And if you like what you read in this review and are willing to work really hard, then don’t waste any time and reach out to Ironhack! 

I approached this course in the same way that I approach life: with skepticism. If you are in a similar position, I recommend that you consider making the investment in the course.

I entered the course thinking I was not a social person. However in this classroom, I was surrounded by a subset of likeminded people who were interested in bettering themselves. The environment is supportive, motivating, and, honestly, fun. Nizar was my instructor for the Miami Web Development cohort. He is kind, intelligent, and a truly gifted educator. He has the ability to meet you at the point in a process where you begin to lack understanding and adapt his explanation in a way that best suits each student.

Brito’s guidance through the subtle nuances of negotiating employment in this field was invaluable. To my shock/horror, in tech your skillset alone will not get you the best job. It’s who you know and how they see you in terms of your personality, drive, and ability to learn (for which your skillset serves as evidence). Through his preparation, I was able to make contacts, secure interviews and perform in those interviews with a higher level of comfort and composure.

Post Ironhack, I received several job offers, and I accepted a position at a company that cares about its employees and fosters growth from within. I have a fundamental understanding that will allow me to continue learning and sculpt my skillset to fit any area that catches my interest. In addition, I’ve made lasting friends and mentors of both my classmates and the staff.

Tech is an incredible industry to work in. Job satisfaction, flexibility, advancement: it has it all. This course creates an entry point for you into this world, that for me, would have been otherwise inaccessible.

I've been working for several years in the videogame localization industry and I won't lie about it: I used to love my jobs. However, the main issue is that there are so few videogame companies in Madrid that your whole working life actually depends on these companies. In addition to this, I was tired of seeing how my job experience was unfairly valued and pretty useless for some job positions(even for some basic ones).

Due to the of all these reasons, after having been a victim of a massive layoff plan, I decided that it was actually an incredible opportunity to pursue new challenges and learn brand new things in order to get new job opportunities.

Why Ironhack?

After doing some research, I've discovered Ironhack. "A 2 month web development bootcamp? That sounds great!". If only I would have know it before... I didn't really want to enroll in a internet free course and I wanted to avoid at all cost to go back to University( I didnt' have the time for that), so Ironhack sounded like a perfect match for me. Many people thought that I was out of my mind to spend such amount of money for a 2 month course, but I didn't really care they sounded like shallow opinions to me. It's all about making a big long term investment on you and your future and it's definitely worth it!

Ironhack experience

There's no way I'm gonna fool you, if you don't have any coding experience the bootcamp can be pretty tough and intensive (no wonder they call it bootCAMP). It's like studying a final exam for 2 months in a row, but it's definitely worth your time and sacrifice since you'll get a great knowledge in Web Development. I won't say that it's flawless course because I had mixed feelings in some lessons and I won't say either that everyone will become a super-pro web developer, but after all it's not important at all. What counts the most is the overall experience (amazing staff, good TA's, great CV and incredible classmates) and how Ironhack unleashes your potential and gives you the right tools and knowledge to start your Web Developer career. 

 

I was studying with the intention of leaving the building sector and getting a job in programming, which is one of my hobbies. I thought of IronHack as a way to speed up the process.

No doubt the best thing about bootcamp is the community in which IronHack welcomes you. It puts you in touch with former students, highly reputable professionals and leading companies in the sector.

The experience was very intense, the days are very long but still go by very quickly. For two months you live by and for coding. There were good times and bad moments, but in the global computation it has been very edifying, fun and one of the best experiences of my life.

I've taken the knowledge I had as an amateur programmer, added one more ton and learned to focus them on real and professional projects. I have also learned how to plan a project, organize my work and get an MVP according to my time and ability. Finally, it gave me access to the interview where I got my current job, which I love.

My experience was amazing. Iron Hack is really professional and thorough in setting you up for success. Nizar was the lead teacher for my Web Development course and he’s literally Dumbledore. He’s very intelligent and  always available, but his patience and love for coding is what really is memorable. I don’t know if there can be anyone better to teach, he set such a high standard for me.

Throughout the cohort Daniel Brito provides great presentations by notable figures in tech. Those provide a great perspective on what a tech environment provides from experienced insiders. After the cohort, Brito leads career placements. Though not guaranteed yet highly likely, he really sets you up for success to landing your first job in tech. Aside, he also leads the hiring fair at the end of each cohort grabbing a variety of companies himself...crazy. 

My experience at Ironhack was even better than I expected.   I was a graphic and industrial designer but I did not dare with digital products. I did the UX / UI bootcamp and after only two months, I am already able to work on any technological project. The amount of tools and resources you get in these classes is overwhelming! so much that later I had to spend a couple of weeks assimilating and ordering in my head and my computer, everything learned.   I was very lucky with the classmates, who came from very different profiles and contributed their knowledge in a kind and generous manner. From every person and every hour that passed, I learned things!   But the most surprising thing was the number of job offers that I was able to apply with my new profile: "Ironhack UX / UI Designer". Through the contacts of Ironhack Hiring Day and Linkedin, I did about 20 interviews in the two weeks afterwards and I had to discard some offers! Amazing! Now I work for SAGE, an international company with very good working conditions. What more could you want?

For me studying in Ironhack was something spectacular. Everything I experienced went beyond my expectations and imagination. I wish all the courses, schools and universities in the world were at least half as good as Ironhack is.

I completely recommend Ironhack to anyone of any age willing to be part of a journey that you will never forget and that will make you feel proud of yourself. I remember myself sitting in the classroom not believing that the class was over and was time to go back home. I also remember feeling more confident with everything I was learning and being surprised by my teacher's skills and knowledge. Plus my classmates were great and I met a lot of nice people.

As a top business school student I had the opportunity to visit the HQs of GOOGLE, IBM, Salesforce and Microsoft. There was no visit in which they didn’t underline the importance of coding skills for the majority of positions, including sales and marketing. After this, I decided to change my fresher summer and go for the web-dev bootcamp at Ironhack.

After these almost 3 months, I can say that this is a great plan for any undergrad’s summer.

One of the first things you realize at the start is the great diversity of profiles at the bootcamps: from MBA students to entrepreneurs and freelance architects. I was one of the youngest Ironhackers but after a couple days I fell in love with and was part of this IRON-OHANA!

The core part of this Iron-Ohana and the magic ingredient of the whole experience is the staff. As an aspiring entrepreneur I admire the fantastic team they’ve created in just a couple of years. They will be your friends, advisors and life-savers during the bootcamp!

During the bootcamp I was constantly surprised by the fast progression in the field, though I’ve got to say that this is directly proportional to the level of effort you put in.

It’s tremendously hard, but it does pay off! Now in the tech courses at uni I’ve noticed a great advantage and I’m also working on developing my bootcamp’s final project.

There’s a piece of advice I’d give to every future Ironhacker: Don’t make the error of having other time-consuming activities during these weeks. Focus and you’ll go from zero to code-hero!

The experience in IronHack has been the most challenging and attractive experience I have ever faced. A Bootcamp fully oriented to people who mostly has ever written a line of code, it  is also a rich experience for people like me who has worked the last two years as Full-Stack developer. The bootcamp has helped to strengthen my weak spots in JavaScript basics and asynchronous paradigm knowledge. It's true that all that knowledge could be acquired surfing the net but working on it everyday helped me to become a great web programmer. 

For other Americans out there, just come to Paris and learn to code with Ironhack. This program was incredible. I learned a lot, plus I got to spend the summer in Paris. If you hold an American passport, you are allowed to stay in France for up to 90 days, so you can attend this program without having to worry about getting a Visa.

The course itself is intense, you will learn a lot, you will probably find yourself on the verge of tears, but in the end you will achieve more than you thought possible. All of our instructors are experts and could handle any questions we threw at them. The rest of the Ironhack staff was friendly and helpful and I consider them all friends now. 

This was a Full Stack Javascript course. Prior to the course, I had a little experience with HTML and CSS, and I had failed several times to learn Javascript on my own. On day 1, I was close to a beginner. By the final day, I created a Full Stack Application that I successfully presented in front of our class and invited guests.

For me, the most unexpected positive aspect of this program was the introduction to the startup world in Paris. The organizers arranged for weekly presentations from people in every aspect of the tech scene in Paris. We listened to web developers, CTOs, founders, VCs, and attorneys. This aspect of the course was above and beyond what I was expecting when I enrolled and provided us with a context for the technical skills that we learned.

This course bootcamp was one of the hardest things that I have done in my life, but I would absolutely do it again!

I attended Ironhack Paris and it was one of the best decisions I have made. The instructors were knowledgable, accommodating, and willing to to listen and change things about the program on the fly as feedback came in from the students. It was very educational. At first I could tell it was their first time int that location but they quickly ironed out any wrinkles and addressed every issue. I definitely got my money's worth. The environment was casual but the curriculum was strict and required a lot of work to be done so you need to find a balance between how casually you will work, and how you are going to get the work done. I would love to do it again for another language such. I attended full stack Javascript so perhaps an iOS course next time.

I graduated from Ironhack Miami's full-time web dev bootcamp in April of 2017, and to prospective applicants I would point out the experience as being key to transforming my career. While I was at the bootcamp, I woke up almost every day feeling like I was making progress on my goals (in fact, I never missed a day of those nine weeks). This meant that not only did I learn what I was taught, but I was in an environment where everyone around me was focused on bringing out the best of themselves and those around them. If you've ever been in a toxic workplace or even just the wrong crowd, then you know how important it is to surround yourself with kind, excellent people. You can't pay for that, and you can't detect it through your web browser either, but I will go on the record that Ironhack has that kind of environment. And I got my first programming job through them, btw.