Lighthouse Labs

You meet your teachers and you know
it will be fun to be a member!
Each day your skills just grow and grow;
each day unique, you will remember!
You will be there for Don's great lectures
with nicest smell of coffee cup.
You won't have time to make conjectures
when meet Khurram.. you hurry up!
You can talk Python with Murat,
and choose TA to ask a question.
Charlyn will make you a magnate
providing jobs with nice agression.
You will enjoy sublimest pretty
with sunny teacher Monica.
All this is in the heart of city
creating code as music from harmonica!

The web development program at Lighthouse Labs was, well, intense. There was a lot of content to cover in the 8 weeks, but the instructors did a great job at delivering the information in a way that was easy to digest. There was always mentors around to help us with our work, and the atmosphere was very inviting and conducive to positivity and learning. The fact that they share space with Launch Academy allows students to network with industry professionals, and get a feel for startup culture. While this course is not for the faint of heart, with enough will and determination, anyone can excel in this program.

Before signing up for Lighthouse Labs, I had some prior coding experience doing web development and taking university computer science classes, but what I really wanted to do was mobile development (which isn't really offered in depth at any university). I had looked at some tutorials online for iOS development, however they weren't quite enough to take me to the level I needed to be at. 

I thought extremely hard about joining Lighthouse Labs primarily because of the cost. Upon joining, I realized that the course was actually filled with amazing content and very knowledgable teaching assistants! In other words, the bootcamp at Lighthouse Labs was worth every cent! 

I thought my prior coding experience would give me an advantage over other students, however I was wrong (in a good way). Not only was the bootcamp challenging, but I learned lots of new things; and what I learned wasn't just about iOS development, but about software development in general! Now I feel like I actually understand computer science instead of just hacking away at something I don't understand. I don't want to say that you shouldn't go to university or college, but from my experiece, I felt way more job-ready upon completion of Lighthouse Labs than from my university program.

The first four weeks were the most challenging becase of all the new knowledge being thrown at you and all of the assignments I had to complete. Once I absorbed all that material, and completed my first, real project, I felt confident enough to do anything in iOS. Not only do I feel confident to code on my own now, I feel confident enough that I can accomplish anything if I just put my mind to it!

Close to and after the end of the program, Lighthouse does a pretty decent job at connecting students with its network of employers. It is extremely difficult for junior developers to find work. That is why Lighthouse Labs sets up things like employer speed dating events (where students breifly meet and interview with various employers), resume and interview workshops, and lastly, sending student resumes to employers that would be a good fit to students.

In conculsion, if you are thinking about learning mobile or web development, join Lighthouse Labs. You won't regret it!

Having no prior knowledge of programming, I was extremely skeptical of educational institutions that claim to prepare you for a new career in two months' time. I was extremely motivated to change careers at the time, and so I took the plunge.

Not only does Lighthouse provide you the skills to become an employable web developer, it also provides you with the opportunity to integrate yourself with the local tech community. There are countless occassions where you are exposed to entrepreneurs, senior web developers, and other important members of the industry. By the time you graduate, you will have known many developers and business that are in the area you are trying to find work in.

And find work you will, because the career services at Lighthouse is stellar. They do their best to match you with an employer and expose your resume to more companies than you could ever do by yourself. 

As a person who initially had no industry contacts or programming experience, I am highly satisfied with what Lighthouse has provided me.

I can still remember the first day, it was the only time we ever got breakfest treats served to us in the boardroom table. I guess the staff wanted to sweeten things up since they knew it would be a rough week for us. the first week went by and every day seemed like an odessy, with every task increasing in complexity and building upon the knowledge bse of the previous one. So many lines of code written, tested, deleted and rewritten. The next couples of weeks at lighthouse have infamously been name "hell weeks", two exams and a midterm project, orms and http protocols. 

if you make past that while feeling like you've actually become a better developer, you should be proud. the last month of the program will be significantly easier and enjoyable. 

Overall it was a great experience, the staff was always more than willing to help, and TA' s are there until late. Lectures are short and usually straight to the point and exams are well designed.   

My experience at Lighthouse Labs was life changing for multiple reasons. One, I was immersed into an excellent curriculum with interesting learning material that challeneged me to work hard and learn fast. Never, however, was I without the support of LHL's enthusiastic and caring TAs.

Two, LHLs welcoming, nurturing, and fun culture creates a perfect environment not only for networking and creating promising future career connections, but also a network of friends and warm connections in the Vancouver tech community. As an alumni I feel I always have the support of the staff at LHL. 

Three, I feel that LHL has prepared me well for the internship I was hired for rigth after finishing the program. My supervisor (senior dev) is impressed with my level of knowledge and speed of learning. 

Coming into the program with very minimal coding experience, I feel my career change was extremely successful and within 2 months at LHL I am capable of working in the tech industry and I have a network of connections for future career purposes. 

My experience at Lighthouse Labs was very positive, and totally exceeded my expectations. I really wasn't sure if it was possible to learn to code in just 2 months but I actually was coding my own apps *from scratch* by the end of the program. For my final project, I made an MVP for an app that helps you create online invitations. I think the biggest thing is that you spend more time working on apps then you do in lecture, so you are learning a lot more. And, being sorrounded by other programmers and smart people helps you grow a lot as a developer.

I left my comfortable white-collar job to pursuit my fascination with technology and software development - it wasn't easy but it has paid off.  The people running LHL really care about what they're doing and it definitely shows.  They have outstanding teachers with decades of combined experience from different backgrounds.  The facility is awesome, their staff is kind and helpful and they give you access to some of the best and most innovative people our tech community has to offer through guest lectures, presentations, and talks each week.

I went from zero to having a solid foundation in coding concepts, from which I've been able to continue my learning at a fast pace.  They teach you how to learn and solve problems so that you can be self-sufficient after the 8 intense weeks (because in this industry the learning never stops - and that's awesome!).

I had zero web development experience before joining LHL but found the teaching style extremely approachable. Instructors are technically very expert, and actually good at communicating that expertise. TAs are plentiful and friendly. Everyone teaching has actual experience developing in the field and the emphasis is definitely on getting things done. There's only 90 mins of lecture a day, to explain fundamental theoretical concepts, but most of the time is devoted to actually building things and breaking them. Don't expect to be spoonfed, instead expect to be trained in how to decipher documentation, how to take an application apart to find its point of failure, how to think logically through a problem - in short, what programming is actually like in the field. I thought it was a good balance between theoretical and practical aspects of software engineering.

Culture is fantastic. There's such a palpable and contagious enthusiasm for learning, people (teachers) are there because they want to be. Being located in a hub of the tech scene doesn't hurt. It's an immersive introduction to what working in tech is like. 

LHL is also very well networked and if you're at all competent, it won't be hard to land some kind of job right away and start gaining some real professional experience. 

Lighthouse Labs was a great experience. It was intense, challenging, and equally worthwhile. The skills I've learned while at Lighthouse Labs have allowed me to change how I look at situations, identify a problem, and engineer a solution for that problem. 

The instructors were tough, but fair. They're always willing to come and help. They will help us not to give us the answer, but to help us look at our problem in a new way that allows us to realize or find the solution.

The TA support was incredible. They, too, stood for teaching rather than spoon-feeding, and every classroom experience helped us come out richer. 

I will always remember my time at Lighthouse, and the amazing skills that I have gained by being there. Out of the sheer amount of hours my fellow students and I spent together, I've made friends that I will always keep. I would recommend this to anyone!

I was part of the November 2014 cohort. Making the desicion to join Lighthouse Labs was one of the hardest and ultimetly one of the best decisions I have ever made.

The teachers at Lighthouse are amazing, smart and patient as are the assistents (there are always a few working and they where a big help to me). Beyond learning to code (which you will) the community of teachers, students and mentors is an invaluable benifit of attending Lighthouse Labs.

Having graduated Lighthouse Labs I was able to secure a job right away and gain experiance with a company I otherwise would not have had the skills or the connections to join.

I would 10/10 recommend anyone truly intrested in tech and who is ready for a challange to attend.

I worked for a few years in research and was looking for new challenges. I had completed a couple of online courses that made me realize that programming is really fun but these were of course not enough to start a new career. Having already spent a few years at university, I didn't really see myself doing it again but I came across Lighthouse Labs by chance. Within a week, I had applied, gone for an interview, been accepted and decided to join the program. Of course I was worried I wouldn't be able to complete the course or wouldn't be able to find a job/internship afterwards but I decided to take the 'risk'. Lighthouse Labs graduates seemed to be doing very well so it didn't seem very risky anyway, clearly the teachers were preparing the students very well for what's on the other side and I felt that I would 'just' need to work really hard and learn as much as possible.

I am very pleased with my decision. The program was intense (make sure you spend as much time as you can on the prep course, it really helps!), we learned so much in a short period of time and it is absolutely life consuming but so much fun! I was really excited every day so find out what we would learn next. The environment is very nice, being at Launch Academy is just perfect, people who work there are really friendly and it's a very inspiring and warm environment.

Everyone at Lighthouse Labs is supportive and friendly, there are TAs around pretty late in the evening and on the weekend to help us and it is nice to be able to talk with them about the tech scene and the work they do.

Lighthouse Labs has a very good network which helped me start an internship a couple of weeks after the Demo day...no bad at all! ;-)

I attended Lighthouse Labs January 2014 cohort. As someone who worked in healthcare for almost 10 years with very little coding experience, but a desire to get into the tech industry, I had no idea where to start. Do I try internet tutorials? Do I know what online tutorials to choose? Do I have the disipline to learn this stuff myself and put in 16 hour days to learn it?

Going to Lighthouse was honestly one of the best and hardest things I have ever done. The program in Vancouver was absolutely life consuming... as it should be. I figured that I would sacrifice 2 months of my life and come out better on the other side because of it. The experience certainly did not disappoint. 

More important than the "stuff" you learn there is the philosophy and work ethic you learn there. It is this that will give you the confidence to tackle the problems you'll face when you leave the program, and not be afraid to take on big challenges. 

I entered into a 3 month co-op after the program which turned into a full-time position as a developer. 

The TA's worked in tech, knew their stuff and were all around awesome. 

The other students in my class were an amazing bunch and I couldn't have imagined spending 2 months with a better group.

July web alumni here, and I can say that Lighthouse Labs changed my life. My primary goal with Lighthouse Labs was to get into the Vancouver startup scene as a developer, and I greatly succeeded at that. I have a software engineering undergrad degree from McGill and had two years of corporate tech industry experience, so I knew I could do well if I worked hard. I worked my ass off on both coding and networking from week 1 day 1 until week 9 Demo Day, and it paid off. I started my new 'software developer at a startup' gig after only 1 week after Demo Day. The instructors and TAs are all great, and the alumni network is pretty phenomenal. The fact that it is located at Launch Academy with HIGHLINE (probably the best incubator/accelerator in Canada) is just icing on the cake. I still stop by often to see friends, network, and talk about my career/goals over beers. Take the iOS/web bootcamp at Lighthouse Labs if you're serious about choosing developer as a career.

I was in the September 2014 web dev Cohort and had a great time building my skill set and exploring the world of web development.

I was hesitant at first, as I knew little about coding before enroling; but I know an opportunity when I see one. A gaurenteed job after 2 months of hard work is more than worth it, especially when the alternative is a 4 year computer science course, which costs far more and does not gaurentee a job. I'm now coding professionally in vancouver and love my job.

The Instructors know what they are doing, and are experienced members of the industry. Furthermore, they are friendly and there is almost always a TA on hand.

We learnt more than how to code: they teach you how to learn, and how to pick up new coding languages quickly. For example, I learnt python on my own in less than a week- something I would have never been able to do before.

I got a job afterwards, which was amazing. They encourage you to get out, meet people and join meetup groups. Lighthouse labs provides tonnes of resources to make employment afterwards a breeze.

Overall, the experience was phenomenal. I learned lots, and am now an active member of the extensive and growing alumni community. The truth is, Lighthouse labs is the best way to become a developer in vancouver. If you are hesitant, don't be: it will change your life.

I am a former student of Lighthouse Labs, I joined their June 2014 cohort. I had a non-technical background in business development and marketing with very minimal coding or technical experience. I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I learned more practical and immediately applicable skills in two months than I learned in three years at university. It was extremely challenging and pushed my limits – exactly what I was looking for! 

I definitely couldn't have done it without the support of my fellow students and Lighthouse Labs' top teachers and teaching assistants. I came out of the course fully prepared to enter a company as a junior developer and was successful in doing so.  One of the greatest things about being alumni at Lighthouse is their incredible network – as a former student, I am always welcome back to my second home and it is a very warm environment. I often go there to work on my current projects for both the social aspect and also the incredible support. 

Job prospects after the course were excellent, they have a great co-op network and encourage students to participate in networking events as well as holding their own in-house events.