The Iron Yard

Before attending TIY I had some minor experience working with HTML & CSS. I was coming from a completely different career (mostly project management in non-profit settings) trying to break into the world of web design/development. It was really difficult finding the time & resources to learn, especially in the area of learning JavaScript. I had read books, blogs, online tutorial sites and traditional college courses. What I was learning was very slow going and sometimes I wasn't sure if what I was learning was really the best practice of the day. I also have a family which really upped the pressure to get to a livable income all the more pressing. 

I found TIY and did some research. It was relatively new at the time, but everything I found really impressed me. I made the leap and while it was perhaps one of the most difficult undertakings I have gone through it was so worth it. I learned cutting edge technology, best programming practicing, and industry standard workflows. They went deep very quickly and the process felt like taking a drink from a fire hose, but I was learning things to a greater extent then ever before and at break neck speed. After completing the program it took about 4 months to find a front-end junior developer position, but the wait was definitely worth it. I received four different offers! Now I'm working working with a great team of talented programmers.

At TIY I didn't learn everything, but I learned a great foundation that I'm now building on. They helped me learn how to think like a programmer and become a better problem solver.

Your Iron Yard experience is going to depend very much on a combination of a great number of factors. I'll list some and fill in my own experience where I'm comfortable. You'll see why I'm not so comfortable in a moment.

 

1. Your level of experience - Are you already an experienced programmer? You may very well be better off not dropping $12K and 3 months of your life and finding other less intensive ways to gain the skills you're looking for to redirect your career. TIY must also cater to those with little-to-know coding experience, and you'll be hard-pressed to find an instructor to tend well to both sets of students. If you are new to coding, TIY might be a great option for you. You'll learn a lot, be pushed hard, and be able to find some entry into a new field that you might not find otherwise. 
2. Your instructor - How long has your instructor be teaching at code skills? Are the glowing reviews you see about them from the same people who are their Facebook friends? Seriously...good technical people have fans who think they walk on water. That doesn't mean they're great instructors for a code school. Really scrutinize both their resumes and their teaching styles. If they express a sense of continuing to experiment with their teaching methods, be wary...they haven't done something like this before. From campus to campus, TIY instruction quality seems to vary widely.
3. Your local job market - Some markets have a dearth of coders, and employers love all the grads from TIY. In job markets where employers have a higher bar for talent (think Austin-Durham-Washington), employers may like the idea of hiring TIY students, but, in practice, no matter how hard students have worked, very few will have an easy time finding a job. For every person who raves about how TIY helped them find an awesome job, there's someone else who worked their tail off and struggles many months later. And should your job search flounder, TIY will put the onus on you. YOU are not marketing yourself well in interviews. YOU aren't applying to enough places. It's never about how they may have failed you.
4. You'll be beholden to them. They do network well with local employers. This is also means that, if you have some rough patches with TIY, you may want to tell others about this, but this is going to get back to TIY, and your reputation will suffer. They've got you by the metaphorical balls, because their recommendation is valuable.
5. Your life. Can you drop everything for 3 months? Because you'll need to in order have a chance at the best positive outcome.
6. Campus logistics. Are the chairs and desks comfortable? Do you care about such simple ergonomic things? You could be miserable spending 8 hours a day in cramped quarters with the noise of dozens of other students. Would taking an intensive internet only program from home or coffee shops be better? Or do you think you'll thrive off all of that "energy"?  TIY doesn't make any attempt to make you physically comfortable. It's a boot camp, for sure.

The course moves from one application to another at such a rapid pace that if you do not understand something your screwed. Every ounce of information acts as a piece to a puzzle..Without understanding all the pieces your screwed. You go to a 3 month school but most of the employers in Houston require at least 3 years experience. If you do not have the 3 years of experience you might get hired but the pay will be way under what TIY promised you would make. The cousre consists of 35 percent lecture and 65 percent lab. During lab time you are limited with your instructor because everybody is so confused they are begging to spend time with the instructor, thus your time with the instructor is very limited. TIY use to guarantee you a job upon graduation but you had to complete all the homework on time to qualify for this guarantee..( it's impossible for even the seasoned veteran ) TIY has sense done away with this guarantee because it is fictional..My adivice would be either hire a personal tutor ( it's cheaper and more hands on ) or learn on your own through books, application, and practice. The course ranges from 10 - 12k. It's expensive, it's fast, and in my opinion not worth the money..

I have just completed my program for Front-End Engineering and I have to say it was a great experience that is more than worth the price of tuition.

As someone with a little tech experience (but not in Front-End Engineering), the program couldn't have been better for me.  I can't think of any other way I could have learned so much in the time given to now confidently say that I'm a Front-End Engineer. It really is incredible to think of the transformation.

The course is very challenging as they make very clear from the beginning, and I can tell you that it is definitely a large commitment of time. They tell you it's 60-80 hours a week and it's true.  If you don't commit that time then you won't succeed. If you're not willing to commit yourself to the program then this definitely is not for you.  With the challenge though is a great reward.  It amazes me to think that after three months I can create a fully functional web application having knowing nothing at the beginning.

The people, staff and students both, are wonderful and I was sad to say goodbye to them at the end of the program.  The instructor was awesome, he knew his stuff! He's not only knowledgeable but a good teacher as well.   All of the instructors that I met were able to teach complex subject matter in easy to understand  ways. The staff strives very hard to make your experience there the best possible, and are always there to help in any way.  They dedicate themselves and commit a lot of their time to the students.

The classes are very structured but this is a learn-by-doing environment so it may be different than a traditional school that may hold your hand along the way.  The mornings consisted of lectures where new concepts were introduced and then you have an assignment using those concepts from the lecture to re-enforce what you have learned.  Your skills build as you go along so all the previous concepts learned are put to use along with new ones.  By the end, you know how to build any front-end you can think of.  I can honestly say that I could re-create this Yelp application given a lot of time to do so.

So if you're up for a challenge and want to learn how to code, you can't go wrong with the Iron Yard!

My experience at the Iron Yard was amazing. It was challenging coursework and tight deadlines, but there was always alot of support to get everything done. My instructor was a seasoned developer with a lot of ties back into the community, which motivated me to become more active in meet up in rails girls events. I especially loved all the extra events and wonderful speakers that we had. My classmates are brilliant and interesting people that I love talking witih. We often helped each other overcome obstacles. It was great learning in an inclusive non-competitive environment. I feel prepared to move into a job or to start my own freelance business. The Iron Yard Academy gave me more than I expected and was definately worth the expereince.

I have worked in sales and customer satisfaction for a tech start-up and wanted to gain a technical skill. This course provided those skills and with the knowledge I gained I now have the foundation to quickly educate myself further.  You will learn how to code, but you will also learn tech industry best practices and the general management processes they use. You naturally develop a network of relationships that will help you stay on top of dev culture. They will spend the last few weeks and the time necessary after you finish to get you HIRED. It should be noted you will also be exposed to a world of GIFs you can only dream of. If you take this course serious and apply yourself it will transform you into  someone who can utilize the web on a deeper level to accomplish your goals, whatever they may be. 

I attended the Ruby on Rails course in Charleston and it was absolutely the best thing I've ever done!   I learned so much in the 12 week program and graduated with a solid foundation in programming, the instructors truly give 110% everyday.  This industry is constantly changing and their pledge to "teach you to think like a developer" was definitely fufilled-  I started a new career 3 weeks after graduating and had to learn 2 new languages in the first month and they prepared me very well for that.  If you're thinking of choosing The Iron Yard, you can't go wrong.  I highly recommend them!

Honestly, I was very skeptical about joining the Iron Yard. To be honest, their statement "Learn to code...Get a job...Guaranteed or money back!" is what drew me in. I had nothing to lose I figured. 

It was one of the biggest transitions of my life! Moving from MN to FL for school and planning a marriage was added pressure to succeed or fail. I placed a lot of trust in The Iron Yard to live up to their words.

Class was intense! I fumbled and drop the ball more often then I could count. I wanted to give up. I allow pride to hinder my learning opportunity by not requesting help when I desperately needed it. 

I struggled like many of my other classmates. It could’ve been worse, but I had an amazing cohort who was supportive. I had a pretty supportive instructor. Sometimes I never understood the advice he would give me and things didn’t make sense all the time. In these moments, I would recommend you hang in there.

After over coming those barriers, I am happy to say, “I graduated”. Never Code in my life, but now I am a developer. Overall I would recommend The Iron Yard to anyone who wants a career change, love software development, or is interested in learning a new programming language.  

I wasn't sure it was possible - to learn to code, to be employable as a web developer, to change careers - in 12 weeks.  I had never written one line of code.  I didn't even know where to start on my own. But in spite of my uncertainty, I went to The Iron Yard and now I know it's possible. 

The bottom line is that The Iron Yard will not only teach you the tools and skills that you need to be a successful developer, but it will surround you with directors and instructors who care about you and your future.  Knowing that there are people working just as hard as you are to ensure your success is what makes The Iron Yard unique.  I'm not sure if you can find the same anywhere else, but I am sure that you'll get that at The Iron Yard.

So I'm going to review The Iron Yard Front-End Academy(Charleston, SC).  It's a little wordy so get ready -I didn't review it in a single sentence -

Let me lead off with this - I was scared and unsure about the whole deal.  The claim is "Learn to code...Get a job.. Guaranteed!" . 

Kind of a bold claim, isn't it?

I totally put my trust in this school- in a new city that I didn't know.

The pace is fast- I won't kid you.  We learned things quickly.  Other people are going to understand faster than you, but if you listen in class you will pick up things that you don't realize until later.  

Our instructor led us into concepts he knew we wouldn't grasp so quickly, so he set aside hours a day to work with you 1-on-1.  If it weren't for this kind of help, I may not have understood the concepts.  Funny, looking back I can't believe I stressed over such things!

What I think is - this school teaches very job-related everyday experiences.  When I got on the job, I was very happy that I was already familiar with the concepts!  It was a great relief that I'd done this before (although not understood it-- that comes later!).  We recently restructured our workflow and I was not only familiar with GitHub but I had a hand in structuring the flow!  That was a huge confidence builder!

The JavaScript that we learned was very useful.  I was worried that I'd have to do things that I wasn't familiar with.  Everything I've been asked to do was covered in my course , and the new concepts we are going into - I understand them enough to pull them off.

The job placement was amazing!  I was interviewing with companies that I thought would never talk to me.  Having taken the course, I had all the skills they were looking for.  

I wrote this review for the person who is considering entering this program.  I wish there had been one one for me.  I can't say enough about The Iron Yard(Charleston, SC). These guys literally gave me the keys to change my life.  Along the way I made some of the best friends I'll ever have.  Just do what they ask and you will be fully equipped to take on a job in this field.  

So thanks to The Iron Yard I'm a front end engineer at an exploding startup in Chattanooga, TN and I'm very happy I rolled the dice! I highly recommend this course and if you decide to dive in - you won't be sorry.

I know I wrote a glowing review and it may sound over-the-top but I'm not kidding - this course is for real! If you want to ask me direct questions you can reach me at aleague888@gmail.com(my name is Andrew). I will be happy to answer any questions or even help out during the course.

Take it easy, 

Andrew

Being a developer is more than just following tutorials or replicating solutions to common problems. The true test of a developer’s skill is his or her ability to solve new problems or old problems in a new way. By setting students on the right path without explicitly giving them the answers, The Iron Yard teaches its students to “learn how to learn.”

As with all things, you’ll get out of the course what you put in; the more you invest, the stronger your commitment and drive to push yourself, the more skills you'll master and the better your chances of finding a fulfilling job after graduation. That being said, The Iron Yard will give you the tools you'll need to become a truly great developer.

If you're looking for a differentiating factor between TIY and other code schools, I'll say this: the passion, drive and genuine care you'll get from instructors and staff is top-notch. I graduated 4 months ago, and still see my instuctors and classmates on a weekly basis. From industry meetups to demo days, volunteering in the community to just grabbing a beer, the support doesn't end at graduation.

I went from zero coding (honestly, I did very little HTML/CSS and almost no Javascript preparation) to now being confident in writing web apps. The 3-month immersive boot camp was one of the most challenging experiences I have gone through, but the reward of having a hard skill to enter into the workforce is huge. The campus environment is very supportive and though I often felt exhausted, the support system kept me going. Though I'm only a week out from finishing the course and just now entering into the job search process, I am confident in my skills, process, and ability to continue to grow in the tech developer scene. 

The pros of attending this school are the teachers and the staff. The St. Pete location has talented individuals who are passionate about teaching. The staff is wonderful as well. You have alumni and individuals who know how to network! The curriculum stays overall the same but the pacing might differ in every cohort. I was in the Ruby on Rails course with Gavin Stark. He would record our lectures to later go back and watch/listen to them. There were homework assignments every night that involved making new things but sometimes it was just adding features to the same project. The languages that we touched on were Ruby, PostreSQL, Bootstrap, Rails, jQuery/AJAX, and a little overview of Javascript and ReactJS. I had an overall great experience and the only con I have is that I wish the course was longer. If it were longer we would have been able to cover more on testing and also more of the front-end languages. Everyone in my cohort had a positive attitude about what they were trying to accomplish in 12 weeks. There were only 2 people I can remember who didn't want to put in work and they left in the beginning, which was for the best because they were slowing down the other students. If you plan on doing this make sure you really want it, plan ahead (financially & mentally), keep a positive attitude, and work hard.   After TIY I had to learn other languages and after 2.5 months I got a job working with another back-end language and framework. I had the support of Toni and Katherine who guided me and wrote recommendations letters to employers. Going to a coding school won't guarantee you a job, but hard work will! 

I recently completed the Iron Yard and I have nothing but good things to say. The course was incredibly thorough and I learned a massive amount. I went into the program with zero coding experience and I left feeling pretty comfortable with junior level front end development.

Everything you read about the bootcamp being like "drinking from a firehouse" is 100% accurate. This course is not for the feint of heart. It is a full time gig and you will absolutely struggle to come up for air at times. That said, the staff is there to help and they were incredibly supporitve throughout the entire process. Take advantage of them. All of them. Seriously, do it. 

Pro tip: get on your instructor to have post cohort work/lesson plans set up for you. I think my whole cohort would have benefitted greatly from this. 

Disclaimer: This review is based on my personal experience. I think the types of programs offered at The Iron Yard are ideal for some, but not a good fit for others. For me, it was the perfect launchpad into a new career. 

 

The format of the course was lecture 9am - 12pm Mon-Thur. And then project work from 12pm-5pm after. Friday is weekend assigment work all day. I was often there as late as 11pm. Personally, I found this format a breath of fresh air compared to college lectures, as we dug in and had to solve problems and think on our feet nearly right away. I lucked out in a sense, to have a terrific teacher, Jeff Newburn. He is a skilled orator and genuinely cares about his students. He was available for 1 on 1's to help or answer questions, another neat feature of the format. This format of lecture in the morning and application of what you learned for the rest of the day allowed me to learn at a rapid pace that I never experienced in college.   One of the more underrated features of attending the Iron Yard is the continued support afterwards. After graduating, we are still allowed basically 24 hour access to the beautiful facility. I took a breather once graduated, but after a couple weeks, I was back at the school studying and working. I still frequent the school to this day, and use it as a co-working space for side projects. Co-working spaces can cost up to $200+ / month, so being able to use the school as a co-working space is a great treat.   As far as job support, the campus director, Gabe Shepherd was instrumental in finding job placement opportunities. He was not the director when I attended, but when he came on afterwards, he was like a man on a mission in finding opportunities for students. It's not always easy finding the best fits, but he does all that he can.    Overall I had a great experience. The format is definitely conducive to those who like to learn at a fast pace, and are hungry to learn.    Advice for prospective students:   1. Most importantly, DO NOT come in cold. Do the prework. Do it twice. Be as prepared as possible.   2. Get a feel for your teacher before you sign up. At our campus, the teachers give free lectures once a month (or something like that) that are usually crash courses for the language they teach. GO and see if you gel with their teaching style.    3. It is what you put into it. Work hard. Act like you're paying ~$1000 / week to be there (you are). Use the beautiful workspace to your advantage.   4. Don't expect all your answers to be in a book. Google, Youtube, Stackoverflow and mini blog posts are all your friends in solving problems, both as a student and continuing into your profession. 

No resources were provided resulting in students spending much of their time scanning the internet for learning material. For the high cost of the school, the least they could have done was provide organized and relevant reference resource material. I have since discovered the education from the Iron Yard is not much more than what one can get online for free or for a small fee. I expected some well thought out and planned lessons but the program consisted of lectures and assignments that were inappropriate for the skill level of the students. The assignments were never properly evaluated so the learning opportunity was missed by lack of any sort of teaching method. The director and instructor were very upfront about the style and fast pace of the course but I believe the school should NOT promote themselves to potential students who do not have web development and/or programming experience as the instructors are NOT at all skilled to teach beginners as they claim. My experience at the Las Vegas Iron Yard was regrettably disappointing and somewhat demoralizing.