Tech Talent & Strategy

Its hard to find teachers who genuinely care for their students anymore. This was the biggest assest I took away from the Ruby on Rails class at Tech Talent South. The after-hours help along with the almost full-time availability of the the staff made it easy to ask questions and not feel like you were lost in a sea of code. Class was much more than just a learning enviorment as I felt at home in the classroom. 

After the didactic portion early in the morning there were always buisnesses to tour. I was able to see the way the tech industry operated in real-time instead of in a classroom. It was invaluable for making networking connections around the city. 

The class did a great job of helping me break the fear factor of learning programing. 

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Tech Talent South introduced me to a new way of thinking, problem solving and patience within myself in how Ruby on Rails is used.  As someone who took the class to prepare for a career change, I feel the knowledge was provided and that I have been introduced to a new path of opportunities. TTS taught me the technical creative skills to add to my resume and to keep going! Personally, I wished the daily class length was a full 8 hours and 5 days a week, because I wanted to learn more. 

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I took the summer ’15 part-time course and walked out on the last day feeling like I didn’t know a thing.  With exactly half the class time of the full-time class, there was quite a bit of independent learning, and for a subject this in-depth and my lack of exposure (and learning style) that just didn’t work for me.  I went back for the full-time class for fall '15 and the experience was like night and day.  That is not to say I am a proficient coder, but I definitely have a strong foundation to continue my education with.  In 8 weeks, this program is not going to teach you everything you need to know.  What it will do is give you the skills and knowledge to find out if you like this, where your strengths are, and the beginnings of a path that you will create based on what you’d like to do.  

The instructors are not going to hand you easy answers.  They’re going to challenge you to find them yourself, but will absolutely be there for you during office hours, for coffee, or extra help sessions if that’s what you need.  Each instructor has their own style and you will naturally gravitate to some more than others, as it is with any learning situation you are in.

If you are diligent, take the initiative and reach out when you need help, and do all the work and reading you will get something out of this, even if what you learn is that coding is not for you, despite the interest you may have had in it.  And if at the end of it all you feel like you need to do it again to make it all sink in see if there’s room for you to audit the next session.

Failure is only an option if you choose that you want it to be.

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Learning to code is something I've always had a love/hate relationship with. I went to college for art and discovered graphic design, something I deeply love and have since pursued as a corporate career. However, I always knew there was something about design that didn't fulfill me, no matter how many Pantone books I shoved my face into, or typefaces I fawned over. Once a piece went to press I always felt a sense of sadness and dread, because the project was over (except if there was an error in press... That's where the dread came in).   Enter web development! I realized that learning to code would elevate my career to the next level and potentially land me new jobs and opportunities. After many failed attempts to teach myself to code after work, I tagged along with my boyfriend to a meeting with Andrew, the Community Organizer, in their coworking space. I was immediately impressed with his professional demeanor and willingness to help. My boyfriend and I decided to take the plunge together, with me taking the part-time track.    I'll be honest; after the first class, I called Andrew for an emergency phone convo regarding my horror at what I was getting myself into. I remember methodically explaining to Andrew that "I just want to make websites" and "surely your front-end development class would be just fine?" but he wouldn't let me quit that easily — and I'm so, so glad he did.   Sure, I got front-end exposure. But what I got beyond that through my teacher, Shane, was the total understanding of what is going into the creation of the problems I would be trying to solve for clients in the future. I learned the fine nuances of Ruby and programming languages, how to weave in the colorful thread of CSS after setting the stage with HTML, and ultimately compounding that knowledge in the final act of creating a real web app with Rails.   Shane, our instructor, was of particular encouragement. He clearly cared about our progress in the class, but showed little mercy to giving up or claiming to "not understand". What most impressed me was the way he answered questions — or rather, returned our questions with another question and forced us to think through the problem with him, rather than allow him to give us the answer. Another interesting facet of his teaching style was to pair us off every class with a partner, and only allowed one of us to "drive". The other partner had to pay rapt attention to the material and help the person on the computer work out problems. Throughout the duration of the class, he supplemented his wisdom and encouragement with real-life anecdotes from his day job as a developer, justifying our struggles to be normal, and that documentation is your friend!   Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Tech Talent South Code Immersion course. It has reignited my love for design, given a higher purpose to my career and has even gotten me some freelance work as a front-end developer for an agency just a week after graduating. Booyah.   If you're looking for a challenge and are willing to work hard to learn something <BIG>, I suggest Tech Talent South!"   Read less

My background is in economics, finance, and investing. For over two years, I had outsourced the development of a ruby on rails app for my startup...and for both maintainence and a number of other reasons, I wanted to learn the fundamentals of programming myself.

The TTS full-time course (3 hrs/day, 4 days/wk, for 8 weeks) was incredible for taking me from zero to fairly confident when creating web-based applications in ruby (on rails). Along the way, we learned some of the basics of JavaScript, pulling in APIs, and a strong foundation in CSS (HTML was almost an afterthought after learning ruby).

The setting and working with classmates (peers helping peers) were great. The instructors were all incredible and took time to develop each day's lesson.

Hugely recommended, especially if you're considering the "cheap" path of an online course...take those AFTER TTS, not before.

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My coding journey started during the summer.  I wanted to make a career change and the technology scene seemed very enticing because it touches almost all of today’s world.  In the beginning, I was waffling among the countless tutorials and programming languages at my disposal.  Quickly, I realized that I couldn’t do this on my own and started looking for help in any way, shape, or form.  Those searches directed me to the world of code immersion classes.

I recently finished the Fall cohort of Tech Talent South’s Code Immersion Program.  I couldn’t be happier with the results of the class.  From an educational standpoint, the foundation the class gives is astounding.  It doesn’t seem possible to learn the things that I now know in eight weeks, but it happened.  The instructors contain a wide breadth of knowledge and present it in a way that helps you practice and retain the course content.  They understand what it’s like to be in a newbie’s shoes because they were once in the same position.  The curriculum is challenging, but it drives you to learn. 

While the coursework is wonderful and engaging, the outside of the classroom events really help set TTS apart.  We interacted with actual businesses and people in the coding community.  It was exciting to see the concepts we had learned in action and what it takes to develop for a company.  What I found particularly amazing was the willingness from others to help the newly found members of the coding community.  I would have never known about certain events, people in the community, and how great the Charlotte tech scene is without Tech Talent’s help.

The Code Immersion Program is truly exceptional because of all the above mentioned items and also your fellow students.  Everyone is motivated, wants to learn, and most importantly wants to help.  I would do it over again in a heartbeat and recommend Tech Talent South to anyone who has the desire to be a programmer/developer.  One quick caveat, like with most things, you get out what you put in.  The good news is that TTS has such an extraordinary program, the only thing that limits you is the time in a day.

Like Marty Huggins says, “It’s worth a google.”  Good luck in your journey and don’t be afraid to talk to the folks at TTS or any of its recent graduates.  We’re all very excited for you to come join us and want to help in any way we can.

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If you find yourself here, questioning whether or not the code immersion program is worth it, and if you will actually gain the skills you need to become a developer, do yourself a favor and take it from me: Just. Do. It.

It had been a long time coming for me, trying to teach myself to code for months. But after working a full time job with bookoos of overtime, I just didn't have it in me to try and learn to code on my own. I missed a classroom environment, direction, and the feeling that I could actually produce something functional. Sure, there are plenty of resources out there online, but it was like copying an exercise here on Codecademy, or following along blindly to Team Treehouse. I couldn't make anything on my own. It wasn't what I needed. And I found all that I was missing in Tech Talent South.

Don't think that my success means it was easy. It wasn't. It was challenging. But in a way that kept me wanting more. It is not an exaggeration that I was coding non-stop. Striving to understand every facet. Even in college, I did not have this much passion for learning something new. The instructors are encouraging, knowledgeable, and relatable. They did whatever they could to work with each of the students and make sure their environments were set up correctly, and that they understood the lessons. The lessons were excellent, at that - concepts were explained thoroughly with real examples and execution.

There were many outside of class activities and opportunities in the course. You get the chance to visit several startups in Charlotte and are encouraged to become part of the development community. Seriously, if you take all of these chances, you will not be discouraged. You will find that you have many options, and the doors are completely open for you. Just keep in mind that the learning doesn't stop after 8 weeks. But it does build your foundation, which is truly what you need to excel as a developer. You won't finish this course and know everything there is to know about development - that world is vast and beyond the scope of the class - but you will come out with enough chops to keep learning, and to know how to take control of your own future, your career and your success. 

Before I started this class, I worried about finding employment after the end. But it is truly about how much you put into it. If you do the pre-course work, pay attention in class, DO YOUR HOMEWORK, take part in networking events, meetups, tours... this will be one of the greatest investments of your life. TTS has paved the way for a new future and career for me. I am so thankful. 

Seriously. Just do it. 

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I've wanted to learn how to program websites and apps since college, but I came to this realization too late in my undergraduate career. I spent the last 3 years working arduous jobs that left little room for me to explore learning code. I tried a few online courses, from EdX to Code Academy, but after working 14 hours days, the last thing I wanted to do was learn a new language.

For all intensive purposes, computer programming is a language in of itself: it has syntax, grammar, and depending on the language, even slang (i.e. shortcuts). Think of how hard it was to learn Spanish or French or even Latin in middle and high school - coding is just the same. That is why when I had the financial and scheduling means to learn programming, I turned to the Tech Talent South Full-time Code Immersion class. I can't begin to say how glad I am that I made this investment.

I have yet to apply for a computer programming job - there's still more learning I want to embark on before I feel comfortable enough to say: "I am a programmer." I work at a data company and now I am in a position where I finally understand what the software engineers are talking about during their presentations; I even have a better idea of what they are doing simply by looking at their code. This course has provided me with a foundation to now build a home on. It's only an 8 week course - I don't think anyone learned to speak English in 2 months. But these last 8 weeks have opened so many opportunities now. That is why I gave "Curriculum" only 4 stars when it should be 5 - because after the 8 weeks are done, we are not done learning. The great instructors made that clear: programming is really a lifetime of learning. I work with developers who have been coding for 20-30 years and they still need to go online for help solving programming errors.

It takes a lot of effort on your part as a student to learn to code and should not be taken lightly. I had many doubts going into it (maybe I should wait until next year, maybe wait for another program, maybe just do the part-time, etc). The best advice I can give is sign-up, learn these essential skills, and build something for your team or yourself. 

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What a whirlwind.

I showed up on the first day with no coding experience. I barely knew how to turn on and off my computer. Now, I've built multiple static websites and completed one huge Ruby project. (Before doing TTS, I didn't even know what things like "static sites" or "Ruby" were.)

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What TTS provides:

Intensive coursework and homework

Funny, engaging and available teachers

Networking opportunities up the wazoo. If you want to get into the local tech community, this is an awesome and fun way to do it.

What you need to bring to the table:

Time and hard work. TTS gives you all the tools to jumpstart your career in tech, but you have to show up, literally and metaphorically. Cliche as it sounds, you will get out of the course what you put in.

Up-to-date computer. Those with older models sometimes struggled to keep up because the software didn't always work.

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I will also note that TTS is friendly to all genders. Did not feel male (or female) focused or dominated.

Other advice: if you have the time, take the *full-time* course. 

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tl;dr: TTS is a great launching pad for a career in this industry.

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Hey everyone, I attended the full time immersion course in Charlotte, NC and I will say it was more than worth it. I spent roughly 3 months researching whether or not I wanted to attend a bootcamp and I mean agressively researching. I decided on TTS since it was local and the price point is lower than most but please don't mistake the low price point for poor quality because you would be sorely mistaken. I went into TTS with some experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery which I aquired through Codecademy and Treehouse. I learned more in the first week of TTS than my 5 months of self teaching. TTS instructors were awesome and very helpful. At TTS you are expected to put in work, don't expect to just go in and then leave after the instruction, you need to be accountable for your own education and put in the work neccassary, TTS can only help you so far and the rest is on you. TTS provided me with the skills I needed to land a job within 2 months after graduation. I usualy never write reviews but I felt that TTS deserved a good review for how great they were and how much they have done for me on my journey to become a web developer.

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If you are deeply considering a code immersion program like I was, trying to debate if it’s worth it or not, endlessly reading reviews, you should definitely consider Tech Talent South. 

Just a bit of my background to know where I came from: I already knew programming in multiple languages, but none of the more modern, widely used languages in today’s technologies, like Ruby or JavaScript. Seeing the growing demand for programmers with this kind of experience and wanting to shift into this job industry, I decided I needed a jumpstart to learn these new skills quickly. I considered self-teaching, taking an online course, or attending a course. Once I found that Tech Talent South was in my area, I decided to go with the local option of attending classes in person, because I could surround myself with like-minded individuals and get a chance to meet others in my area working in the industry versus sitting on my own. After a phone interview, I went in and enrolled into Tech Talent South’s Spring 2015 Full Time cohort.

Choosing to go with Tech Talent South has paid off very well. It kept me accountable in learning all of the material and led me to discover all of the great individuals and events happening in the tech industry that I had no idea of prior. After going through the whole Tech Talent South experience (interviewing, talking with both the founders, attending the classes and events), I can say that Tech Talent South is run by an awesome group of people, especially in the New Orleans community.

I will highly recommend enrolling in Tech Talent South if you’re looking to develop new skills and there’s a location in your area. Value wise, I think it is a great way to get a step into developing and programming in this industry. The instructors, Sia and Gant, taught me a whole lot more in a lot less time than reading books and watching online videos would, all while giving pro tips on how things work in the actual world from their experiences. Tech Talent South also provides the members with a job board of companies in the area looking to hire graduates and the community manager, Lindsay, is actively seeking speakers to come in and give talks to the classes. Overall, it was a fantastic experience that has given me the skills to land a job in the industry along with meeting some amazing people and having a fun time. 

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I recently, as in a week ago, completed the spring immersion course. To keep this short and sweet => This is a good program with good, caring, engaged people who continually self-examine as to how they can improve the curriculum.

Do you come out as a senior developer? No, not unless you went in as one, however, the fundamentals are given and those applied, coupled with networking, a resume, diligence and patience, will pay off.  

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I recently completed the Full-time Code Immersion program in Raleigh,NC.  It was like drinking water from a firehose...and it was addicting.  Before I took this course, I had relatively little experience with code.  I had made a few games,programs and songs when I was a kid but nothing with the newer programming languages (HTML5,CSS3,Javascript, Ruby on Rails)   Thanks to TTS, I have learned these languages and now have a solid code foundation.  The staff provided me with a wealth of knowledge and resources all the way up to the last day.  (Erin/Ray) Thanks to the wonderful people here, I am building a new network of people/companies.   Even after graduation, they continue to give support and email me area code events.  The staff are very knowledgeable, personable, and helpful. They really keep you connected and on your toes.  With each passing day my instructors, Tim and Dan, made code more understandable and less intimidatating.  The instructors here really know their stuff! They are friendly and answered all the crazy questions I had. (and I had a lot to ask) I loved all the guest speakers and the tours of the companies. I thought it was useful to hear so many different views/applications on the same subject.  ...the free coffee and awesome barista (tuesdays) were great too!  I was even given the opportunity to teach their "Kids Code Tuesdays" program.  (I loved it so much that I taught every week!)  I made great connections and friends.  Above all I learned how to code.

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I recently completed the Full-time Code Immersion program in Raleigh,NC.  It was like drinking water from a firehose...and it was addicting.  Before I took this course, I had relativley little experience with code.  I had made a few games,programs and songs when I was a kid but nothing with the newer programming languages (HTML5,CSS3,Javascript, Ruby on Rails)   Thanks to TTS, I have learned these launguages and now have a solid code foundation.  The staff provided me with a wealth of knowledge and resources all the way up to the last day.  (Erin/Ray) Thanks to the wonderful people here, I am building a new network of people/companies.   Even after graduation, they continue to give support and email me area code events.  The staff are very knowledable, personable, and helpful. They really keep you connected and on your toes.  With each passing day my instructors, Tim and Dan, made code more understandable and less intimidatating.  The instructors here really know their stuff! They are friendly and answered all the crazy questions I had. (and I had a lot to ask) I loved all the guest speakers and the tours of the companies. I thought it was useful to hear so many different views/applications on the same subject.  ...the free coffee and awesome barista (tuesdays) were great too!  I was even given the opportunity to teach their "Kids Code Tuesdays" program.  (I loved it so much that I taught every week!)  I made great connections and friends.  Above all I learned how to code.

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Pros:
I was not exactly sure what I was getting myself into when i decided to sign up for the part-time class. I had some previous Java / C++ programming experience from college, but I did not keep up with it and kind of had a bad taste in my mouth from those classes. I remember them being very difficult and frustrating. While the part time code immersion class was still difficult, it was much more engaging and fun that what I initially thought it would be. Our instructor, Paula, was very friendly and patient with me. She never rushed anything if we had questions and made us feel comfortable and tried her best to match our learning pace. She would often stay a few extra minutes to help explain and solidify some of the tasks we worked on during the class. Overall, the course was a great re-introduction to programming and helped clarify some of the intimidation factors that I had with coding. 

Cons:
If you have a busy work schedule as I do, it can be difficult to balance work, life, and class. I know this was the case for many of my classmates. Though we covered a wide range of relative coding and design topics, I think that the course scope could be reduced a little to focus more on the core concepts of Ruby programming a little more in depth. Or maybe the class could be closer to 12-16 weeks rather than 8 weeks so that we have ample time to absorb all of the information. Students with more coding experience may feel more comfortable with the fast pace.

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Ive spent the last 8 weeks learning to code, building web apps, meeting developers, touring companys and meeting people I would have never had the chance to if it not for this program. I didnt just add acouple of concept and contacts to my network. I built a new one! I recommend this course to anyone and everyone whom wants to either code personally, professionally or wants to built a network within their city in the tech space. From coffee to beer, from arrays to scaffolds and gems oooo the GEMS. You learn quite abite but get a chance to expereince alot more.  

 

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I recently completed the full-time Tech Talent South program in Atlanta. First, I will say that the Tech Talent South website does not lie when it says that you will learn a lot. From starting with HTML/CSS we moved into bootstrap and then into ruby and finally spending the majority of the time focusing on Ruby on Rails. In rails, we built a simple blog, twitter app, ecommerce app and many other projects during the course. After 8 weeks of almost non-stop coding in HTML/CSS, Ruby and Ruby on Rails I can honestly say that I learned quite a lot of material. I am still going through and digesting everything that my brain took in. Overall the course was very good and I felt that the instructors were very helpful. I often stayed after each class to do some more coding and an instructor was always present to answer any of my questions. Another great aspect of the course were the field trips/ guest speakers that came and spoke to the class. These experiences provided invaluable insight to the world of being a developer. I would highly recommend this course to anyone that was thinking about getting into the world of coding-for you will learn a lot! 

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Before I started the Learn to Code course in Charlotte, I wondered if I'd really be coding in only 8 weeks. But after completing Tech Talent South's full-immersion Learn to Code course, I can tell you for sure that it's for real.

I think of it as an equation:
Learn to Code in 8 weeks = discipline/dedication + resources/support system.

The first half of the equation was up to me. Just like anything else, learning how to do something new takes hard work. You must do the homework, come to class, play an active role, ask questions…that sort of stuff.

The second half of the equation was all Tech Talent South. They provided all the support, resources and tools needed to learn to code in 8 weeks. They provided an engaging classroom setting (you learn by doing…no lectures here), skilled and knowledgeable instructors (they have a genuine interest in your success), and extracurricular networking and education events with companies and leaders in your community (so you can get a job when you finish).

I can't enough good things about my experience with Tech Talent South and learning to code. I highly recommend them.

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What first attracted me to TTS is that is affordable and they offer a part-time program. I wanted to learn to program to gain both technical and management skills. While it was an investment, it has already paid off in helping me get a new job as a Senior eCommerce Manager and to make informed business decisions while I work on my own business. Our instructor was a senior level Ruby programmer who adjusted the pace of the class to meet our needs and made himself available outside of class time. I am thankful TTS helped me get started in my endeavor to learn to code and they continue to be a resource to us even after the program ended.

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I studied under Tech Talent South's Winter-2014 part-time cohort and was able to focus on exactly the stack I was interested in learning more about with no impact on a busy full-time work schedule. I've been working in information technology for 7 years in an academic medical context. As a Sr. Applications Support Developer with a specialization in robotics-based medical simulation, I was interested in learning more about the programming behind some of the web-based applications that help breathe life into the simulators I support. Though I had some HTML and CSS under my belt through undergrad/grad school, I began learning a little more about web-based app development on my own through web resources like Codecademy, etc. While these resources were helpful, I was finding a need for more meaningful contact with folks who had been in the trenches of professional app development. As I was beginning to create a thorough, self-directed study plan to pursue, a friend told me about TTS and I was ecstatic to discover that they offered a part-time immersion program in Atlanta. Having researched dev immersion programs in cities like San Francisco and Chicago, I found myself interested in what some of the programs were offering, but moving, albeit temporarily, would've been pretty tough both personally and professionally. For what I wanted to learn, TTS was practically tailor-made both in terms of class content and the part-time schedule. I was able to continue working full-time, enjoy the challenges of a part-time immersion program, and study with experienced programmers in a classroom that was only a 5-minute drive from home. Of course, occasionally grabbing a beer after class with our instructor and fellow students made the experience all the greater. TTS offered a challenging dive into the stack of programming languages shared on their site and I was impressed not only with the experience and expertise of our instructor, but particularly his commitment to go the extra mile during and outside of class to really mentor us and ensure that we understood what was being covered. In addition to the exposure we got to the languages covered, I really valued the emphasis on honing the crucial creative and critical thinking skills innate to good programming. While I wasn't able to attend anywhere near as many as I would've liked to given my work schedule, I was impressed by the number of opportunities to attend guest speaker engagements at TTS, not to mention how hard the TTS crew worked to ensure we knew about meet-ups around town, job opportunities, and alumni discounts for tech events. Since completing the part-time immersion program, I've grown considerably in my current position. I've had not only the opportunity to play an integral role in the development and support of web sites relating to the Center I support, but I'm able to speak more fluently and adroitly about web-based applications I co-support with vendors. TTS immersion has been an empowering and beneficial experience for me... It instilled a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning.

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