Tech Elevator

When I knew that I needed to make a change in my career and was looking at different bootcamps it was a real challenge. This may not be the easiest choice because of the price, but it is the right choice. I'm a recent graduate from the summer 2020 cohort, because of the virus finding a job has become a lot more difficult. However, Tech Elevator's learning and job assistance during and after the cohort is amazing. I'm not sure if this will chance in the future or not, but currently they have an instructor dedicated to assisting students with their personal development.

Anyways TLDR, price high but worth, job support during and after great, best bootcamp you can buy.

I chose Tech Elevator after attending a virtual open house and attending a MeetUp event where I heard some employees speak on the value of the program. The admission process of an interview and two aptitude tests stood out to me as a reason I wanted to join this bootcamp. They aren't out to take money from hopeful students and just see if they get through the course - Tech Elevator carefully vets their students to make sure they have what it takes to devote 14 straight weeks of rigorous and fast-paced learning. The staff will tell you over and over - this program is not for everyone, but those who it can work for will see outstanding results. 

Before starting at TE, I was a paralegal for 3 years. I wanted more growth and something to challenge my mind every day, so software development was my top choice. The staff and instructors at Tech Elevator were better than I could have hoped for. We covered so much information in such a short amount of time that I personally believe would be impossible to do successfully without the right staff. The instructors are knowledgeable, available to help, and most of all committed to your success (shoutout Margaret Green & Rich Seeds!!). The Pathway director made herself available constantly for questions and guidance as well (thank you Caitie Zajko!!). The team at TE makes the experience. Even the alumni open themselves up to new students for networking and connecting at new companies. I should note that my entire cohort was remote, so even though we never met in person, we had no problem forming strong bonds as a group. 

I was hired as a Software Engineer for Ford Motor Company within two weeks of graduation. I am the only one on my team now who did not receive a 4 year degree in computer science. My managers told me I was chosen because my coding assessment and my understanding of the concepts taught by Tech Elevator were stronger than some of the people with 4 year degrees. This is a HUGE testament to what you can get out of Tech Elevator if you apply yourself. It is far from an easy process - you will struggle, struggle some more, have a breakthrough, then get right back to struggling. But you cannot see the forest for the trees, so when the TE staff inevitably tells you to trust the process and that you're making progress, believe them, especially on the days it does not feel like it. 

I was fortunate enough, even amidst the pandemic, to be offered a role from PNC as well as Ford. I was also offered follow-up interviews with 3 other companies. I bring this up for two reasons - 1. The Pathway Program will turn you into a lean, mean, interviewing machine. You will know your resume like you know the alphabet. You will have to present elevator pitches on your goals and background. You will have the shiniest LinkedIn in town. The job preparation portion of the program at TE is unrivaled - make sure you get the most out of it!! 2. Before starting Tech Elevator, I never touched a line of code. I knew NOTHING. But I showed up every day ready to learn and ask questions, and was met with an enthusiastic support staff and classmates that could relate to me as we carried each other to the finish line. Now we are all celebrating our new job titles together. Lean on your classmates!!

If you take anything from this review, let it be this: 14 weeks is not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things. The opportunity to meaningfully change your career and your life in such a short time is almost unheard of. It will be hard to show up every day when things get difficult or you feel yourself slipping behind. It's even harder when it's a holiday weekend and everyone's on the beach but you're inside on your computer doing a capstone. But remember it is only 14 weeks. Make the most of every class, every homework assignment, every capstone, and every presentation. Utilize all of your time to growing your knowledge base. You will thank yourself for it later when everything comes together. 

Overall Experience:

Phenomenal.  Everyone at Tech Elevator cares about your success and progression in your transition into a new industry.  Couldn't have asked for a better group of individuals to help guide us down this daunting (but rewarding) path.

Instructors:  

I attended the first Philadelphia cohort (Cohort[0]).  My instructors, Rich and Andrew, were awesome.  Both had loads of experience in the industry, and they were more than willing to share it.  While we, unfortunately, went 100% remote about halfway through the cohort, the instructors' were never phased by it & were just as helpful and instructive as they were when everything was done in person.  I was, admittedly, probably one of the more annoying members of any cohort that they've had to date -- sending messages at all hours of the night -- and while they would perhaps make fun of me on occasion for it (in good humor), they were typically always happy to provide a prompt response, regardless of the hour.  I am grateful for their time & willingness to oblige my oft-absurd requests. 

The instructors that Tech Elevator hires are amazing -- Rich and Andrew among them, as well as Walt and Andy, who kept us engaged with lectures & developmental projects once the cohort completed. 

Curriculum:

This section contains my only gripe with the program.  And, granted, like all of us who have attended Tech Elevator, I am relatively new to the industry -- there's a good chance that I have no idea what I'm talking about. 

Throughout the bootcamp, in modules 3 and 4, two of the major topics that we covered were Spring and Vue.  Both of these seem to be used somewhat infrequently in the industry, from what I've gathered (or, at least among companies in local Philadelphia job listings).  While Spring is quite common, we learned what I might call a basic/legacy version of Spring, whereas many companies nowadays use Spring Boot.  Moreover, while Vue is a popular JavaScript framework, many companies tend to prefer Angular or React over Vue.  Having said that, working with the version of Spring that we did provided an outstanding foundation for the MVC framework, and Vue is very similar to Angular/React and other front-end frameworks & was a blast to work with.  So, even while I may have been slightly disappointed in that respect (mostly in hindsight), the information was still incredibly valuable & certainly didn't harm my job prospects any.

On that note:  It sounds as though Tech Elevator has transitioned into teaching Spring Boot, and Angular/React are as easy to pick up on as ever via other resources.  This industry requires a LOT of self-learning and gumption -- there's a 99.9% chance that your post-Tech Elevator job will require you to learn something new.  Odds are, if you're accepted to Tech Elevator, you're already the type of person to embrace that learning curve! 

Pathway & Job Assistance:

The Pathway team is awesome.  Caitie, the Philadelphia cohort's Pathway Director, is an inspiring individual & works harder than just about anyone that I've ever met.  She was there virtually 24/7 to ensure that we were taken care of & on top of things in regards to the non-technical aspects of the industry and concomitant job hunt -- occasionally to a "what the hell?" degree (e.g. she will actually message you at 11:45 on a Sunday night if you haven't submitted something that's due on that Sunday at midnight, which was a common deadline for Pathway stuff).  It's easy to disregard the Pathway side of things with all of the technical information shoved into your head, but it's truly all to your benefit, and she was incredibly helpful throughout.

The rest of the team was incredibly helpful as well.  They'll take care of anything from interview & resume preparation to raw pre-interview hype-up sessions.  Could not have asked for anything more here.  The Pathway Program is one of the primary reasons that I signed up for Tech Elevator, and it was even better than expected. 

COVID-19:

While, as mentioned, I enrolled & completed the program amid the outset of COVID, this did not seem to remotely dissuade the Pathway team nor the Instructional team.  Everything proceeded as smoothly as it possibly could have.  Unfortunately, COVID did have the adverse effect of deterring a number of hiring partners & companies that Tech Elevator had lined up for Tech Elevator's "Matchmaking" sessions.  Our program only had 4 companies in total attend, while it seems that the norm for Tech Elevator's past bootcamps is 10+ companies, or in some locations, 20+ companies (with very direct connections).  The majority of my cohort, as well as the most recent cohort, which was done completely remotely, seems to have received and/or accepted offers, so I wouldn't let the COVID situation detract from your desire to attend an online-based bootcamp -- be it via Tech Elevator or another program. 

It was tough under the circumstances, but again, things went about as smoothly as possible.  I would expect that things will be remote through at least the end of the year (2020), but sincerely, I wouldn't let that fact dissuade you from considering this career transition; in fact, the current job market may even be more of an inspiration to do so -- much of the technical industry needs individuals to support all of the remote-based applications running nowadays!

Location:

In Philadelphia, in non-COVID times, the campus is located in the heat of Center City -- an awesome area with a ton to do nearby.  If you're able to attend in person, you will surely spend a lot of good time with classmates & TE team members around the city. 

Recommendations / Tips:

Study up on your path of choice (Java / C#) beforehand if you can!  It is absolutely not necessary, but if you have the time to get comfortable with basic OOP & data structure concepts, you will have a major leg up on most of the class on Day 1.  If you're able to delve into any SQL/relational DB stuff as well, you'll likely feel very comfortable through the first half of the cohort.  Anything beyond that (MVC, client-side programming, etc) is setting you up to kill the course.  An understanding of basic HTML/CSS will definitely help along the way, which many enter the program with some familiarity with (and is also required to learn in the pre-work), but you'll pick those up regardless. 

None of that is to say that it won't be worth the steep cost & time commitment -- because it absolutely will be.  That said, you can set yourself up with a very comfortable foundation for the material you'll learn by covering some of the technologies/languages mentioned above on websites like Pluralsight or Treehouse (which require a $25/mo subscription, approx -- I used Treehouse to start, as Pluralsight is a bit faster paced), or free websites like FreeCodeCamp.  This is in addition to the pre-work that Tech Elevator requires of you.

I would also recommend checking out websites like CodingBat to start working with data structures (you may need to review some of the aforementioned websites' material before you jump in here) -- and moving on to websites like HackerRank and LeetCode when you're more comfortable with those structures.  While this may not be something you need to keep up with once you're hired to a position, it is very common to encounter "coding challenges" during interviews (especially in the remote world that we're currently occupying, it's increasingly common to have pre-employment screenings via company-specific HackerRank assessments, for example), which are largely based on knowledge of these data structures and basic programming concepts (e.g. loops & conditionals).

Again, absolutely none of this is necessary -- most of my cohort started off with no technical experience whatsoever (some with varying levels of front-end and back-end knowledge), but in my experience, preparing ahead of time was a huge help.

Harvard's CS50 course is something that I would also 100% recommend checking out if you have the time, as it'll set you up with an amazing foundation of Computer Science concepts (e.g. data structures, memory allocation, algorithmic complexity, etc) that will carry over through Tech Elevator and beyond.

Final Thoughts:

Tech Elevator is a wonderful program that has changed the course of every graduate's life.  It is certainly not easy, but I wouldn't describe it as "the hardest thing that I've ever had to do," as many reviewers have.  Granted, I can see where they're coming from -- this program is no joke, and you will have your work cut out for you & then some.  Expect many 12+ hour days, especially during your final capstone!  

Technical interviews aren't meant for leisure -- the program will not guarantee you a job, and you'll have to be diligent in ensuring that you know your shit.  That said, you'll have every opportunity to learn everything that you need to know to immediately embark on a new & rewarding career!  Embrace the challenge, enjoy it insofar as you can, and you'll resurface from the deluge just fine -- if not in a better position than you could have ever hoped for :)

This bootcamp was incredible. I decided to do a midlife career change from Social Services into IT. All of the college programs I looked at would have taken at least 2 years to complete while working full time. This bootcamp was able to pack in all that knowledge into 14 weeks, and I'm now a survey programmer for a marketing research company. It took me a little bit to find the right position for me, but Tech Elevator offers a ton of career support/advice/assistance. The bootcamp itself was very intensive, and built upon the previous day's knowledge with a new task/lesson for the next day. There is a quiz every morning, and a new assignment almost every afternoon.

If you aren't motivated, this bootcamp is not for you. But if you are motivated, and will not accept failure from yourself, this is the way to go. I applied to this school I believe on a Tuesday, was accepted by the next day, and started the following Monday. I had to walk away from my career within the matter of a few days (as there was only one slot left in the upcoming class), so failure was not an option for me. Like they say, this bootcamp is like drinking water from a fire hose, so make sure you're up to the challenge.  I'm glad I drank water from the fire hose, because I'm now in a great place in my career, and I couldn't have done it without Tech Elevator.

I have nothing but good things to say about my Tech Elevator experience.  The staff are friendly, hardworking people who do everything in their power to help you succeed, they are more than happy to give you extra help if you are having a hard time.  The curriculum was well thought out and well paced.  The professional development portion of the bootcamp was incredible - getting the first job is always the hardest and they made that process so much easier for us.  I feel lucky to have found Tech Elevator to help me in my career change, I don't think any other bootcamp would have compared. 

Tech Elevator was a game changer for me. I knew that I wanted a career in IT, I just didn’t know where to start, since I was already 15 years into my career.  My ideal position was one where people were valued, there was freedom (and expectation) to constantly learn, upward mobility, and the ability (in the near future) to work from anywhere. I found out about TE through working in TechTown Detroit. For a time, I worked on the same floor as TE staff’s main office, and so I saw the instructors and directors frequently. I thought about taking the aptitude exam many times, but was settled in my career and didn’t see how I could take such a big step into something so unknown to me.  At the same time that I was becoming unsettled internally, we were informed that our contract was set to end within 2-3 months. Though unexpected, it was exactly the push that I needed.  From there it was a whirlwind; I discussed my plan with my husband and with his support (you will NEED a strong support system) I took  the aptitude exam. Jeff contacted me very soon after and I completed a full aptitude test and then interview process. You’ll hear it over and over again (thankfully) if you make it through the admission process, you deserve to be there and YOU CAN DO IT!!! Our instructors, Margaret and Andy (though different teaching styles) were amazing and went above and beyond every. single. day to make sure they were available every step of our technical journey. As you will hear during the interview process, it is a HARD 14 weeks, and you have to prepare yourself. There were just over 20 people in our cohort (cohort [1]), different circumstances, previous “lives”, knowledge  levels, different reasons for being there, but everyone earned their spot. One of the most important things I would suggest you take heed to, from Day 1 is to ask questions! There’s so much information coming so quickly, that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Asking questions early can help to mitigate (not eliminate; this is hard)  being confused too often; this is the piece of advice I wish I’d followed sooner.   Thankfully, among teammates and instructors someone was ALWAYS willing and able to help. 
As important as the technical learning was, what TE also provides is the Job Pathway program. Nicole did a FANTASTIC job of adding structure and organization to the soft skills part of our program. She knew her stuff; creating an elevator pitch, resumés, preparing for interviews (behavioral as well as technical), follow up, keeping track of career progress. She was so on it! Jeff (along with Nicole) did a great job of keeping us motivated and focused on the end goal; finishing and moving on to a position that we love. Thanks to TE I was offered a position before graduation, and am now almost 6 months in, with a new career that I love. I am so thankful for what Tech Elevator offers in a program. There is sooooooo much to learn, TE was the perfect springboard. Best of luck!!!

I went to school and got a degree in kinesiology. After graduating, I found no use for my degree without further specialization. Unable to decide which direction to go, I worked in the restaurant industry. 

Finding myself over worked, under payed, and unappreciated, I had to make a change. A friend recommended a coding bootcamp which lead to me to start researching different schools in the area. I found that tech elevator was the best decision based on quantity and quality of content, experience level of instructors, and location (tech elevator is located in the tech town building and parking is provided).

I definitely made the right decision. Even though I had no coding experience, I was still given to tools to succeed and learn how to make functioning applications. While the program was intense and material was heavy, I felt it was still extremely doable and found myself with plenty of time to do side projects and have some free time on the weekends. 

The other positive thing about tech elevator is the pathway program which develops your soft skills and gives you the tools to get a job. It really bridges the gap between you and tech companies to help you land a job. It also teaches you the importance of working with a team, which is HUGE in tech! 

Even though we ended the program during the pandemic, the instructors worked very hard to connect us with companies and keep our skills sharp. While I ended up accepting a job from a company I met during in school, I am sure that my school would have connected me another company after graduation. 

If you’re a hard worker, like to solve problems, and motivated to make a change in your life, the cost of the program is well worth it. 

A quick summary of who I am before reading my review. I had a passion for technology coming out of high school and attempted to take some course in programming. Things didn't seem right at the time, so I came out of school with my Associates and shortly after I found myself doing full blown construction. The experience was great but I knew that fire for computers was still there. Then Tech Elevator came on my radar.

Tech Elevator was a fantastic program. Words can't describe the experience and nor can Covid but it was still unforgettable. Walking in I was unsure I would be able to fit the professional profile with my background experience or that I would be able to learn and become a programmer in 14 weeks literally. The academic side and the flow of the program made things come easier. The experience and knowledge that the staff has is vast and incredible. Any time you were unsure of something teachers/faculty were always there with open doors begging for us to ask questions. The pathway program was truly an experience in itself. It really taught me how to present myself and to be confident in who I am and what I have to bring to the table. Everyday there were smiles and hair pulling but it was all so worth it. I wouldn't trade it for any other opportunity. 

If you have a true passion for programming and computers then Tech Elevator is where you belong. Don't doubt yourself or your abilities, and as a couple wise people once told me, "Trust the program" and you'll do wonderful.

Thank You Everyone who was a part of the experience and kudos to all of you! Best of wishes!

My Background: Before Tech Elevator, I graduated from Oakland University with a degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice. After college, I worked at a law firm for about a year with the intention of going to law school. However, after discovering through my work at the law firm that I wasn't as interested in the material as I thought I would be, I decided to start searching for a different route. Throughout my search, which included considering a career in psychiatry and in mortgage banking, the one field that consistently appeared in all my searching was technology. Eventually, I decided against grad school and started looking for ways to get into the field of technology.

Choosing Tech Elevator: Once I decided on technology, the next step was getting some education in relation to the tech field. I had never written a line of code in my life, so I knew I would need a program that would start with the basics. In addition to a program that started with the basics, I was also looking for a program that would cover a variety of topics throughout the curriculum, and Tech Elevator checked both those boxes.

Tech Elevator Curriculum: During my 14 weeks with Tech Elevator, we covered four different sections of material. The first section covered Java, the second section covered SQL, the third section covered Spring, and the fourth section covered JavaScript. This curriculum was perfect for someone who was just starting to code for the first time in their life. By covering a variety of topics, I was able to acquire a base of knowledge in both front end and back end development. That base of knowledge is something that has helped me tremendously in my days after Tech Elevator graduation.

Job Search: During the Tech Elevator curriculum, coding isn't the only subject you will learn about. The pathway program is a program designed to increase your effectiveness when it comes to searching and interviewing for jobs. From completely revamping your resume to guiding mock job interviews, this program will be equally beneficial to your experience as the coding aspect is. In addition to preparing you for the job search, this program also gives you a boost when it comes to the search itself. Throughout the program, you will have the opportunity to meet with all sorts of tech companies in your area. They will present details to you about their company, and you will then have the opportunity to ask them questions and even talk freely with them. This was extremely valuable as it led perfectly into the matchmaking events. These events are events held by Tech Elevator where tech companies from the area come in and interview the students for entry level jobs at their company. For me, one of the first companies I interviewed with at the matchmaking event was a company called Slalom. Eventually, Slalom hired me in as a Tech Enablement Analyst.

Employment: Since starting at Slalom, I have been able to build on the base of knowledge that Tech Elevator provided me. Without the knowledge of both the front and back end, I would have almost certainly taken much longer to pick things up at Slalom and begin developing actual applications. However, because Tech Elevator did provide me with that base, I was able to begin developing an application only a month after my first day.

Final Thoughts: Tech Elevator was a terrific decision for me and my career. If you are looking to find a way into the technology field, or even just to sharpen your tech skills, I can't recommend Tech Elevator enough. The staff was always available to help with any problem you might have, the curriculum covers both front and back end, and the pathway program is a huge help when it comes to actually getting into the field. Overall, Tech Elevator just checks all the boxes.

I had a fantastic experience with Tech Elevator that landed me a job offer two weeks before graduation! I came into the program with no software development experience but I had natural problem solving abilities that ensured I had what it took to be successful in this program. Tech Elevator provides you an entire team of instructors who can all explain the course material in multiple different ways to adapt to individual learning styles. They also provide you with a Pathway team who prepare you and guide you through the entire job search. 
Considering the program is only 14 weeks long, there is not enough time to cover concepts that won’t be useful on-the-job. As a result, Tech Elevator is no joke. It is very fast-moving with important content every day, contrary to standard college courses. Everything is presented in such a way that you don’t even realize that you just learned an entire month’s worth of college material in a single day. That said, I am so glad I didn’t waste time trying to teach myself all of this material because I never would have gained the level of understanding that I have after only 14 weeks.  

This time last year I was 3 months into a new restaurant job where I was finally making great money and was actually getting full benefits for the first time in my life. Turns out, money isn’t everything and I still found no joy in delivering onion rings. I had heard about coding from a few friends and had seen it portrayed in movies. Seriously, this was my only experience with coding. I dabbled on some of my nights off with HTML and CSS, thinking that paired with my art degree this might be a good fit. I shopped around Philly bootcamps, considered a commute to New York, even briefly considered online programs. But I knew in order to be most successful I needed to stay close to home and have to show up there everyday. Tech Elevator first showed up on my radar through Course Report! Out of every program I looked into they seemed the most genuine and committed to the success of their students during and after the program. I applied to be a part of Philly’s first TE cohort, which wasn’t as easy as simply signing up like other bootcamps I had seen. Getting accepted was the first of many personal accomplishments I would experience over the next 3 months.

I won’t sugar coat it, this program is TOUGH. I never shed actual tears but the pressure and anxiety I was feeling week to week was real. I was so far out of my comfort zone, but reminded myself that nothing worth doing is easy. The first few weeks I held on to the idea that I might be home for dinner by 5 and maintain a social life on the weekends. By week 4 I was staying at school till 7 or 8, refusing to leave until I had my brain wrapped around whatever totally new topic we had covered that day. Things got even crazier as the Pathway Program ramped up. We were giving elevator pitches to prospective employers once or twice a week, juggling resume prep and mock interviews to prepare for looming matchmaking and still, learning something new and mind bending everyday. Our instructors, our pathway director, and campus director provided us all with the resources we needed to succeed and their long hours and commitment did not go unnoticed. The staff consisted of a couple seasoned TE vets from Pittsburgh as well as few new hires who were teaching, leading and learning with us. Because of our smaller class size, Cohort 0 really felt like a small family. Then, COVID-19 hit. On Friday we talked about the option to attend remotely via Zoom and by Sunday it was mandatory.  While going remote was not ideal, it was reality and within a week felt like the new normal. Nothing slowed down, we had all the same expectations and assignments, and we had to learn to keep ourselves accountable. I barely even noticed I wasn’t allowed to leave my house cause I didn’t have the time to leave my office anyway! We saw some employers drop out which was disconcerting, hiring freezes were all around us and the job search became an even more daunting task. But we kept at it with the same determination and cast an even wider net and remained open to all opportunities.

I am happy to say that as I write this I am in the midst of finalizing all of my employment paperwork for my job at J.P. Morgan Chase, an employer that I met through matchmaking at Tech Elevator. My offer came through on Thursday, and I am one of the lucky ones to have an offer in hand on graduation day. While the work in the tech industry has not slowed down, companies are simply in the process of figuring out onboarding remotely which is delaying them from being able to extend offers. But there is no doubt in my mind that in the coming weeks I will be hearing from fellow classmates as to where they will be starting. It was terrifying to quit my job, I hadn’t been unemployed since I was 14 years old, I had a home and plenty of bills to pay. Everything was riding on my success at Tech Elevator, they made a promise to help change my life and for me, they completely delivered. 

Possibly the best money I spent. I pored over reviews and spent months looking for a coding bootcamp. No regrets, super happy with my decision. Granted, I graduated pre-coronavirus so things may be a little different now, but knowing what I know about everyone at Tech Elevator, I have no doubt that the latest graduates are in the best hands. Their goal is not only to prepare you for a job, but to get you one. I seriously recommend them to my friends and random people whenever it gets brought up.

My profile before Tech Elevator:

• Had some experience with programming (Java in high school, Arduino/Raspberry Pi/Python stuff in college, Android development as a hobby after). Already knew I loved it
• Was a tutor for a couple years, then an assembler
• Bought a Web Development Udemy course, but couldn't focus on it and finish
• Didn't know how to get a programming job, or if I was even qualified
• Thought about getting into software for years, but didn't have an actual plan. Any time I'd start trying to learn something, five new questions would pop up for every answer I'd get

Just a few reasons I love Tech Elevator:

• The instructors are amazing and really care about your learning. Always happy to share their experiences (and they each have tons of experience). Some of them are working on some pretty cool stuff outside of work as well, I'd ask them about it!
• The academic fellows are also graduates of the program, so they know exactly what you're going through. They're also always there to help
• Pathway people are on top of it. I'm pretty sure Katie Detore remembers where every student ended up lol. They meet with you individually, and you can also reach out to them with question or concerns. It's great
• Pathway program does more than show you how to write a resume. There are panels, visitors, employer showcases (companies coming to speak to you), mock interviews, real interviews... 
• "Always learning" and "get comfortable with being uncomfortable" are phrases I heard a lot there and they've stuck with me. I'd never been one to do extra work outside of work, but now I see myself seeking out new things to do and learn

Me after Tech Elevator:

• Associate consultant working at one of the many retailers here in Columbus. I can't imagine what my life would be like right now if I hadn't gone through the bootcamp and gotten a job in an industry where working remotely isn't a foreign concept
• Making more money. Thinking of buying a place soon
• Happier with my job
• Not that this field is immune to coronavirus, but I'm not that worried about losing my job. Chances of it happening are relatively low, and even I do, I'm still seeing recruiters reach out.

Advice:

• Especially for those who aren't working or have kids while in the bootcamp, put as much time into this as you can. If you're done with your assignments, work on side projects or learn something else. As confusing as some of the topics may be at first, go to Meetups. 

My experience at Tech Elevator was fantastic. I've never felt so valued from day one at any other school or job. I have wanted to change careers for years but with a master's degree and being 12+ years into my career I just felt worried about making the switch. I knew I didn't have the time to put my life on hold for 3-4 years of school, so a short three month bootcamp that seemed confident I would get a job after seemed like an amazing option and I now wish I'd done it years ago. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic that caused our class to go remote, caused many hiring partners to freeze hiring and generally caused us all concern, we were all able to finish the program and most of us got offers before the cohort had even ended. I still ended up with multiple companies I had opportunities with and ended up getting my dream job, and making significantly more than I was before I entered the bootcamp. Tech Elevator is intense- it's basically like doing a 4 year degree in 14 weeks and I had never experienced school that was so difficult even with previous college degrees. You really do have to put your life on hold to complete it. Don't try to work during but just trust the process that you will have a job on the other side. 

I was afraid of leaving my secure lifestyle to make an all out change but I'm glad I did! They give you all the training you need to start out at any tech company. So far I'm three months into my current job and I don't feel like I've been struggling at all. Not only do they prepare you to become a developer but they help train you to interview and set up plenty of companies to interview with. From start to finish they guide you every step of the way so that you leave with a job and feel confident to start your new journey. 

I attended Tech Elevator for the first Detroit cohort in summer 2019, learning Java. The program was challenging, but it did a great job of preparing me for my first job in technology. Along with the full stack knowledge and experience I gained, the Pathways Program was an invaluable tool for strengthening interview skills and polishing resumes. The Pathways program also includes employer showcases where local companies come in and speak about the tech stacks they use and what kind of work they do - I landed my job by connecting with one of the companies involved in these showcases. It's hard work but I would recommend Tech Elevator to anyone who is ready to start (or advance) their career in technology.