Lighthouse Labs

I attend the Bootcamp in lighthouse lab in Toronto in 2016. Their curriculum teaches the core of Javascript and Ruby, and also a lot of development related knowledge. It is profound and well organized. Also, students will take the weekly review to make sure to catch up with the whole courses. And you will have a chance to develop a midterm project and the final project. The job hunting service is also available to the students who are ready for a job. So, on the whole, my experience was good. But I can also feel the content in last two weeks ran into a rush, and I feel zoned out easily. By the way, I really like their mentors. they are knowledgeable to help me whenever I need a help.

I attended LHL during the May01-June2017 cohort. It was a very good experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to career shift into development or want hands-on experience. The strongest product of LHL is the curriculum. It is kept up-to-date and is continually updated to reflect industry needs. You will find lots of overlap between job descriptions and the technologies you'll be learning at LHL. 

Like any boot camp, it is important to go into it with the right expectations. You will learn a lot at LHL, but recognize that there will be holes in your knowledge. Their idea that the whole boot camp experience is around ~year is correct -- LHL will set you up with enough to take on a first developer job but the learning will have to continue after boot camp has ended. If you understand this and come in with a good attitude, you will be successful. 

LHL does a good job creating an environment that will allow you to learn an immense amount during the 8 weeks. As a student, its important to get comfortable as soon as you can, and you will enjoy / take advantage of the environment they have set-up. The LHL connection doesn't end after boot camp either, as this community enviroment translate into the alumni community well. 

Instructors are LHL are knowledgeable, and care a lot about student success. They are a valuable resource along with the available mentors, and they all do a good job assisting students in getting as much as they possibly can out of the boot camp experience. 

Career services do a good job of setting you up to be in a position to find work. Set realistic expectations, be willing to try different options, and you'll get a lot of CS. 

Overall, I will recommend LHL to anyone serious about getting into development. I've recommended it to friends but the number one thing is the expectations and attitude going into it. 

 

I am really happy about my time at Lighthouse, the staff is amazing,the overall culture super relaxed and inspiring and the instructors are really awesome, very knowledgeble and always available, even after the completion of the bootcamp.

It was a life changing experience and I have not only adquired knowledge that I would never adquired by myself in such short period of time, but I have learned how to learn, which is the most important skill in the world of programming, and thanks to it and thanks also to the great network I have built at the lab,  I have landend on my dream job as game developer in less than 2 month. I had no prior experience in game development but the coding experience I have developed in the bootcamp allowed my mind to learn fast every coding language.

I definitely suggest to enroll!

 

 

 

 

There isn't much more I can add that isn't already known about Lighthouse. There is a high placement rate for a good reason. The program is popular for a good reason. I attended the Lighthouse bootcamp in Sept of 2014 and it was pivotal in the new direction of my career and life really. I was very skeptical if I would be able to attain the necessary skills to start as a developer in just 2 short months. But not only did I leave with the confidence to start, I also had the tools to continue to learn and grow afterwards. I'm not the best with words so I will put in bullet form the highlights and challenges I encountered during my time at Lighthouse.

*Challenges*

• grinding: for someone coming in with little background in coding or computer science, working on projects/tutorials for the entire day was a grueling process. It was probably the hardest class I've ever taken. The pace is fast and the information comes at you like a firehose. Be ready to feel uncomfortable and make use of the TAs
• stubborn: partially related to the previous point. quality TAs and teachers is what you pay for. Don't bang away at a problem for 3 hours. If you can't find the solution ask for help, it will give you new knowledge, clear explanations and you can be better equipped for when that same problem comes up again. Make use of the TAs.
• life balance: spent my time from 8am to almost midnight some days for the 2 and a half months of the program. It's draining and would be difficult for those with families to take care of. Come into the program expecting a lifestyle change for the duration and a bit after as you look for work and get those interviews.

*Highlights*

• cool peers: the people that make the commitment to do a coding bootcamp are driven, dedicated and the kind of people you will enjoy working/learning along with.
• instructors: I can't stress enough how good the teachers and TAs are at Lighthouse. The lecutures are fun, engaging and clearly explained.
• projects: the project based work keeps things interesting. Which is needed to keep things focused during the heavy workload.
• iteration: Lighthouse is constantly changing and improving their curriculum to match industry changes and make the education better. Even during my time there, little changes and tweaks were made.

 

It is not 36 hrs as it says on the website. Every class starts with 1hr of just going through slides with words with an unethusiatic instructor. After the 1hr, you are free to go or do some exercises that take about 30 min to finish. 

Some days we get exercises to work on and other days we just do some reading written by the company. But the information is medicore and very short (about 5 min reading). We didn't do much. I felt alike it was place to hang out with an instructor. The whole class doesn't really have a goal. Rather, the whole course felt alike " here are list of things you should know related to some coding, and bye go home or whatever."

Honestly, the course can be silently more engaging and challenging or teach students how to learn better so that they can code some basic apps. On the last day we just looked at games (1.5 hrs of my money drained down the toilet) after the slides were done.  Also, I was told that the some course materials were too hard for students, such as learning parsing. The company refuses to change the material because it was in the Vancouver branch, and the instructor gave up on teaching material because he knows students can't learn it at their level.

The course is just so expensive for the materials, and quality. This is almost a scam to make money off people who are naive and not knoweldgeable in coding.

 

Did a ton of research, visited every bootcamp location in Toronto and had a friend go to Bitmaker while I went to Lighthouse. I just graduated this week and my friend and I have been sharing our experiences, and there is no doubt I got the better education. We actually co-coded together, and I think he might be smarter than me, but my knowledge of how things work, different frameworks and how to learn quickly were so far ahead that he said he might go back and tell them he wants a refund. He was near the top of his class while I was definitely amongst the second half. 

I haven't gone throught the Career Services yet, but they have been really transparent with how it works, how it's not a guarantee, but almost all grads I speak to says they got jobs, companies knew Lighthouse and they respect the quality of the grads coming out of the bootcamp as some of the best. 

Was a bit worried in terms of bootcamps at first, but really happy with this whole experience. It definitely matters which one you pick though, which is why I came here to give a review. 

There's little question that Lighthouse Labs is one of the better schools I've come across in the coding bootcamp world. I finished a little while back, but the current and after-grad assistance has been swell. It's been about 45 days since the end, and everyone in my cohort who wanted work as a dev in Toronto has found it. Each and every one.

The curriculum is solid, and has enough flexibility to allow individuals to make it their own thing to suit their interests. Web-framework for a rasberry-pi sensor network? Sure! Web-GIS tools? You bet. Diabetes monitoring templates for insulin pumps? True story, with a proven outcome! They can help you follow your dreams starting from the fundamentals up so long as you bring your passion to the front.

The cast of instructors and mentors are diverse in character as well as background, and are there to help offer results. They can help you build yourself in fundamentals and base frameworks so you can do that thing. 

In the iOS Bootcamp the pace of learning was intense, and it never lets up. And that is one of its best features. You never feel like you had an easy day, or a wasted day. The lectures start with intermediate topics and grow in complexity very quickly from one day to the next. You are always covering new ground, mastering new concepts, and taking on bigger and more complex assignments. By the end of the 8 weeks we were all creating projects we wouldn't have thought possible in week 1. The leap in learning you make in the 8 weeks in truly incredible. 
I had no background in coding, comp-sci, or programming but was still able to handle the workload, just barely. The TA's and instructors made sure that they were available to help, but never just handed you the answer. They insist that you learn as you go, rather than giving you the answer, which I am grateful for. With an extremely low ratio of teachers to students, help is always at hand, 12 hours a day. It is this close interaction with instructors and other class mates that I feel really makes all the difference. It is like having a private mentor for 8 weeks, 12 hours day, sharing all of their knowledge openly.

The staff are amazing. Instructors, Admin, and everyone else really come together to help make the bootcamp experience the best it can be for everyone. There are plenty of social events, as well as meaningful and important opportunities to interact with and get to know many of Vancouver's top tech talent. 
The only thing I wish had been done differently is the prep work they recommend you do before taking the course. It should be more in depth and tougher. I think students would get more out of the course if they were more prepared. Having said that, if you have any programming, coding, or comp-sci experience you will probably not need the prep. My comments are more directed at those of us without any background in tech.

I get that some people have been happy with their decision to go to lighthouse, but i’m pretty shocked that lighthouse has close to 5 stars. Who is writing all these perfect reviews? I’m sure a lot of people are happy with their decision to take this course, but I know plenty of others who are not. And it’s not because they didn’t work hard enough because believe me, pretty much everyone in my cohort worked their *** off. The reality is that two months of coding just can't make you anywhere close to a competent coder….and not everyone has months to spend afterwards trying to learn everything else they need to know.

I’m not trying to ruin the reputation of lighthouse or anything because the people who work there are really nice people. I just really want people to know the truth before dishing out so much money. Wish more people would leave reviews about their experience because if I had read them I probably wouldn’t have gone to lighthouse and I probably would have been better off.

***Make sure you read that outcomes report VERY CAREFULLY. It only covers students who were at lighthouse BEFORE sept 25, 2015.

For someone who really wanted to get into a more Tech focused Development role, I found this to be a great option to pursue. I had minor instruction on basic programming fundamentals prior to this course. Originally wasn't too excited about tech but developed a love for the limitless possibilities and practicality of the skills. Lighthouse Labs definitely helps to foster that focus on building things while learning along the way and sharing a space with startup companies using similar technologies to make new businesses and helping people. They definitely create an environment that encourages learning and leaves you wanting more. The teachers definitely put in more time to help you figure things out and the staff including career services put in massive amounts of effort to help you succeed. They really invest in you and do so much more than you would expect from traditional schools or career services. The only catch is that you have to put in the hours to get the most out of it and show that you really want to improve rather than just talking about it.

As someone with very little coding experience going into this bootcamp, I don't think I got as much out of it as others. Most of the people who did well either had engineering backgrounds or spent quite a bit of time coding before starting the bootcamp. I'm not saying it's impossible to do well without that background, but it will probably be a bit of an uphill battle. Plus, there is A LOT to learn after bootcamp to get yourself ready for technical interviews. I don't understand why lighthouse can't just make the program a bit longer but actually teach us most of the stuff we need to know to get a decent job...

If you're not a fast learner and you have had very little exposure to coding, please rethink taking this bootcamp (or maybe any bootcamp). Get some more experience coding first. If you don't fit into the lighthouse educational model, you will be quickly left behind. Lighthouse actually makes you roll over into the next cohort if you don't pass the first two tests. And they don't tell you ahead of time that rolling over is a possibility or that there are tests. I found out for the first time on the first day of classes, and of course you never think that you will be one of those people.

You can get a lot out of Lighthouse if you have the right background. If all you've done to date is some codecademy courses, you need to rethink your decision to enroll. I learned a lot of awesome stuff and the TAs were great, but I probably wouldn't do it again to be honest. It's just not worth the time and money.

Light House Labs is a scam... In the 8 weeks they cover very little as far as material and what they do cover they race throgh. They are very rude and inconsiderate. Your treated as if your lucky to be there and its an honor for you to pay they money.. They staff are paid $35k/year and promise that after you graduate you will make hundreds of thousands... Its a royal joke! Be very careful!!!

May 16, 2013: Course Report Admin combined the following with a duplicative review titled "Not Satisfied! Beware!​"

I went through a rushed interview process that seemed staged. As if the company was making false barrieres to entry to seem exclusive... I didnt worry about it becuase I was drawn at the "opportunity" to get a good job in the tech sector after... I pay over $9k to take the course and they had as work off www.codeacademy.com most of the time. We learned very basic material when it was marketed as cutting edge. No employers take these guys serioustly... Shortcut ... To make things worse, next door there is code core where they get an extra month of teaching/mentorship for the same price. I got ripped off and lied to by the staff at light house labs. Be careful.
 

My overall Lighthouse Labs experience was awesome. Unlike most other reviewers here, I came to LHL with a programming background. At the beginning I wasn't too sure if LHL will be the right choice for me to update myself with the current web technologies. After I done my research for their alumni, talked to the head instructor, and saw the curriculum I was then convinced that this is the right place for me to update my web skills.

  The teaching approach they do at Lighthouse might be different from what I used to get from university. At LHL, we only have about an hour of lecture each day and focus on hands-on for the rest of the day. I actually really enjoyed this approach of learning as I got to get my hands dirty into programming and problem solving and not focus too much on spending hours of lectures.   Another unique features that LHL provide to students are the TA supports. We have about 50 TAs around for supports after lectures and until late at night. Having TAs around are really helpful especially when we need a guidance on problem solving and it also helps us to learn faster. The TAs also helped us with code review and make sure we write a maintainable code.   Aside from those above, each of us also got assigned a pod leader who will conduct a weekly technical interview and group code review. The technical interviews really help us tremendously especially we will be starting to look for jobs midway of the program. 

+ If one works hard, one shall be impressed with the projects one produces. Lighthouse does offer an environment for that.

+ One certainly is given an exposure to multiple prominent tools, frameworks etc. e.g. Sinatra, Rails and Node.

- Often the purpose or utility of the exercises / assignments was unclear; often, the assignments provided no useful knowledge / skills towards the projects; so many assignments feel of no use at the end.

+ There were some excellent TAs / assistants / mentors who helped to understand the problem and the solution.

- Sadly, they were all in the evening. The morning TA's mostly provided band-aid solutions or solved one problem only to introduce another.

+ Lighthouse encourages that relationships with it and one's cohort mates be maintained after graduation.

+ Lighthouse provides career services

- Those career services may be slow, especially on the Toronto side

May 16, 2013: Course Report Admin combined the following with a duplicative review titled "Prior exp. in design / prog. needed."

This course may be marketed to the general public but in reality the way in which Lighthouse operated requires a person to already have experience, not just familiarity, with either design or programming.

A backend developer can practise at being a full-stack, as can a front-end dev. or designer, by supplementing their existing skills in one area with the other.

If a person has no experience or only familiarity in either area then it is too difficult. It is, afterall, a bootcamp, so there is no gradual process. Often, there wasn't even a process.

It was a bit like being visually shown a parachute then being thrown out of a plane. A person has only so much time to learn to find the lever and learn to use it.

 

When I signed up for Lighthouse, I was looking for a way to get out of the career direction I was heading down and quickly acquire a new set of marketable skills. The program more than delivered on that front - I found my niche in web development, and I'm happier with my current job than I ever though I could be at work. The fantastic instructors are well supported by an increasingly impressive roster of TAs and mentors, and the curriculum seems to be consistently evolving.  Attending class every day in such a bustling entrepreneurial space (Launch Academy), with such talented and motivating people was really inspiring (and sometimes intimidating), but very beneficial when it came to pushing grads out into the workforce. It will still take a lot out of you to succeed in the bootcamp environment - hours are long, the flood of information is overwhelming and frustrations are high - but with dedication, focus, and at least a bit of a natural proclivity towards problem-solving, Lighthouse will give you the tools to get there.

Let's start with the instructors and TA's. They are working developers. They are there because they love the field of coding and development and want to help others learn and grow. Get to know your TA's, ask about their work and learn from their life experience.

The curriculum is great. It is carefully crafted to teach the principles of programming and give you a familiarity with the frameworks and tools that you'll be using in your day to day work. The days were long and the information and learning did not let up. Every day brought another nuance or layer to what you had already learned.

I was one of the fortunate ones who had a job offer before graduation. The career services is great. They help you craft your resume and get employers in to see your work and interview you. You graduate as a full-stack web developer and you will have a lot of on-the-job-learning ahead of you.

Web and Software development is a journey of continual learning. And Lighthouse Labs understands that and prepares you for it. It has the feel of a trade school apprenticeship, but it's much more.

I expected a lot going into this course, and I was not disappointed! Not only is the course amazing, but the community is amazing -- It is welcoming and active, and I quickly felt right at home. As an Alumni, they do a very good job of keeping me in the loop and in the community -- I still feel supported by all of the staff, teachers, and TAs.

The curriculum is challenging, and you should expect to be busy, but it is manageable.

The job support is great too, they organize events and interviews to connect students with employers. 

Overall, I feel they prepared me well for my current position as a developer. It was the best education decision I ever made.