Coding DojoReviews of codingdojo.com

I attended The Coding Dojo Jan-Apr of 2017. I enjoyed my experience at the dojo and would recommend this school to someone looking for a good bootcamp. Having been in the industry since shortly after I graduated I would like to see some changes at the dojo. I think the dojo should focus primarily on javascript frameworks like angular and react. I took the iOS stack while I was there and it is very unrealistic that anyone would find a job as an iOS developer after graduation. I would also like to see the program go from a 0-100 type bootcamp to a 20-120 bootcamp. Some students do not have a future as a developer and not everyone should be accepted to the program if they cannot complete some of the easier learning on their own. It would also be great to see some more events for alumni and students to network at.

Coding Dojo will give you as much as you're willing to put in to it. I attended the in-person bootcamp in Burbank having very little prior knowledge of web development (but some experience writing code), and came out of it feeling like a confident web developer. And yes, I was able to find a job as a result of the work I did at this boot camp. However, I dedicated nearly 12 hours a day to the curriculum and projects, and aggressively applied for jobs following the program. Coding Dojo offers a good variety of stacks for you to learn, so it helps to know what languages you are interested in learning or intend to use in your future career prior to attending. The curriculum is incredibly fast-paced, and the material for it is, for the most part, comprehensive (although there are some lessons that could be better-written). The instructors are attentive and make themselves available to answer questions. But if you are seeking more focused, one-on-one instruction at your own pace, Coding Dojo may not be the best fit. The instructors are flexible enough to accommodate to your own learning speed, but you will fall behind the rest of your cohort. The algorithm sessions and the way the lessons are taught encourages cohesion among cohort members, which makes learning the material easier overall as well in such a supportive group environment. I have to say I didn't have a perfect experience at Coding Dojo, though. During my cohort's attendance there, the institution was not entirely transparent with availability of some stacks, which led to some confusion in the planning of what stacks some of us wished to learn. Additionally, we lacked an on-site career adviser during the residency period when we were applying for jobs and building our resume, which added to some struggle transitioning into the career search portion of our experience. Overall, though, Coding Dojo offers comprehensive introductory curriculum that can make you a strong programmer, as long as you're willing to put in the work as well. I would still recommend this program to anyone hoping to learn web development.

I joined the San Jose campus in 2017. Listen to the suggestions from the staff and the teachers. When they say you should put in 100 hours a week and you should DEFINITELY come to algos every morning they mean it. There is a lot of freedom in this program; they let you approach it at your own pace and don't hound you if you're not keeping up or not staying late (basically they treat you like adults). That also means you're expected to take FULL RESPONSIBILITY of your own learning experience. If you skip algos every morning and barely get red belts you shouldn't be surprised if you're struggling to find a job afterwards. I specifically chose this program because they emphasized academic freedom and responsibility but you still find that a lot of people struggle with that level of freedom. Teaching is top notch and the instructors are very dedicated and invested in helping you learn. They're also pretty serious about the 'strength through struggle' policy so don't try to look for shortcuts. It was an intense program but I learned a lot and definitely enjoyed the program as a whole. The program rewards initiative and curiosity and I really appreciated their whole teaching philosophy. By the end of the three months I really appreciated how much the teachers helped me, felt like I learned a lot, but still felt like I could've done more and still want to learn more about programming. Career services felt like the weak link at the program. The guidance and advice was very generic (resumes, LinkedIn profiles, networking and interview questions) and offered very little help specifically regarding tech roles or the journey/process for new boot camp grads. I asked a few friends in the tech space that gave me a lot of specific advice (managing your GitHub profile, the Cracking the Coding Interview book, the importance of big O notation in interviews, HackerRank challenges, navigating the market as a new Junior Developer) that wasn't really covered at Coding Dojo. People should still attend Career Week, especially if they don't have a lot of experience looking for jobs in general, but after an outstanding three-month learning experience it was a bit disappointing to have just a satisfactory Career Week. I'm still looking for a job 3 months after graduating and most of my best leads come from my existing network. Applying online is really difficult, especially because most places want at least two years experience or CS degrees. If you do get an interview they really are just like the questions from morning algos so again GO TO ALGOS. Understanding the technical interview process is just as important if not more important than all the actual coding you do. Overall it was a great program and I'm really happy I did it. Be ready to take responsibility for your own work and progress. The teachers are very friendly and helpful but they also expect a lot of you. It's basically a sandbox of resources and opportunity and it's up to you on how much you take advantage of that. Come in ready to work and go to algos!

Coding Dojo isn't for everyone, plain and simple. If you need slow paced teaching to really solidify concepts and complete assignments, independent studying or online courses that let you go at your own speed should strongly be considered. The curriculum is accelerated which can create a lot of stress very soon. The expectations the instructors have with their students to grasp the material quickly is high. That being said, it isn't impossible to finish all three stacks knowing you put in good work, but that's just it, you need to put in the work. Keeping up is difficult, but if you're willing to invest your time in the platform, ask for help, work late and over the weekends, you'll see amazing results. The whole point of this bootcamp is to condense two to three years of a computer science degree into four months, to create self-sufficient, full stack developers. It’s not impossible, but it’s not easy. One thing I didn't completely agree on was the priority of belt exams over projects. At the end of every stack, you're required to take a belt exam to show you can create a fully functioning application with the material you learned in the prior three weeks. I understand the importance of grasping the concepts and being tested; however, encouraging projects and working in teams should have been the highest priority. Requiring projects is something the student(s) can look forward to because they can be creative and collaborative. Instead of needing to pass an exam before exploring project ideas, the projects should be the exams. I encourage anyone who knows a classic school environment isn’t for them, to explore Coding Dojo. The amount of information you learn in the very quick fourteen weeks is mind-boggling, and it’s amazing what different frameworks, languages, and databases you are exposed to in such a short amount of time. If you have a great app or website you want to see made, make it yourself with the help of Coding Dojo! Just remember, everyone’s journey is different and take one day at a time. It's the little moments that end up being the most rewarding.

I've had a bit of coding experience before we started, not much though. I would say I was pretty excited to dive deeper into the world of development. As things progress in the dojo, you start to notice a more hands-off approach as things get more complex. Often found myself dealing with different issues/bugs for hours that I should have only spent minutes on. When these add up, time ends up not being on your side. Assuming this is by design, I felt at first frustrated that I was learning as much as I was on my own, but I will say that struggle prepared me to be an independent developer. Our instructor did a great job. Advice for newcomers, I would prepare somewhat before jumping into a boot camp because any headstart you can get will be needed. By the first day, I had quite a bit of time spent preparing. When things start moving fast, don't expect your cohort to slow down for you. If you are looking for someone to hold your hand 8 hours a day, this may not be for you. Also if you only have eight hours a day to learn, this will take wayy more than that so again may not be for ya. It will take a bit of grit to excel and get the most out of it. Be clear with yourself why you want to join. Define your expectations and be ready to work to achieve them. I did those two things and am now a software engineer for a local company. Also, the real work starts after the dojo. As you finish your time at the dojo, know that it's only the beginning. There is so much more to know in the stacks you will learn. Plus, new frameworks and different languages that you will encounter as a software engineer. Be prepared to continue learning more. Also, job opportunities will not magically show up at your front door. Be proactive and have projects available to show employers or potential clients. My opinion is it's not about what you learn but what you are capable of doing with that knowledge that will make you stand out.

Coding is a difficult craft that takes years to master. I came into Coding Dojo with some experience programming, but had no experience with web development. If you have no prior experience and are expecting this program (or any three-month program) to completely prepare you for a career in web development, you may be disappointed, especially if you have dreams of working for one of the "Big Four" companies. Ultimately, it's up to you to take advantage of as many resources as possible in order to become a self-sufficient developer. Contrary to popular belief, junior software engineering positions are highly competitive and there are many people in the industry who look down on bootcamp grads. Before signing up for a this program, or any program, I would strongly suggest that you take advantage of some free resources, such as FreeCodeCamp, to see if coding is something that you enjoy and to decide if a bootcamp is the right fit. Many people are able to teach themselves using freely-available online resources/tutorials, but I personally enjoyed working in a community of like-minded people who were passionate about programming. I definitely learned more in three months than I had during three-years of self-study, and I'm very appreciative of the friends and professional contacts I've made at the bootcamp. When signing up for the program, the administrators stressed that the bootcamp would require 70+ hours of study. This is definitely the case, especially for students with little experience. Here are some of the strengths of Coding Dojo's model: Good instructors who care about student success Broad exposure to a variety of technology stacks Exposure to a front-end JavaScript framework (Angular) An introduction to SQL as well as NoSQL databases An introduction to some of the more common CS data structures and algorithms The program is relatively affordable when compared to other bootcamps. There are relatively few bootcamps that serve the San Jose area besides Coding Dojo. Here are some of the weaknesses of the bootcamp: Depth in different technologies is definitely sacrificed for breadth. Graduates from bootcamps that teach a single language will likely be able to create more advanced applications in the given stack. You will be learning how to implement relatively simple CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) applications. There are no entrance requirements for the course. This does tend to lead to a wide gap in skill levels among students in the cohort. Proficiency in algorithms is not as strongly stressed as learning the individual software stacks. In order to land a job (particularly in the backend) you will have to demonstrate strong proficiency in algorithms. My advice for those considering the bootcamp is to allocate at least 2-3 hours per day on algorithms while staying current on the BootCamp curriculum. In addition, I would recommend that while not coding you completely immerse yourself in the world of coding by reading blog posts, listening to podcasts, and reviewing documentation for popular frameworks/libraries. I graduated this week and will update this review after navigating the job-hunting process.

Coding Dojo was a pleasant experience. The material moved very fast but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing because you have an expectation of what you needed to know. The school was trying to make you job ready as fast as possible. People were very friendly and supportive. The only suggestions I would have is to focus more on object oriented programming and have more real life example projects that employers would want to see. Overall I enjoyed the experience and have had communication with my teachers past my time learning there which lets me know they are supportive in assisting my career. They didn't just see me as a number.

I came to the Coding Dojo with some experience in Software Quality Assurance; however, I had no knowledge of programming. The onsite program was a big challenge for me to get through but I'm glad that I did it. The instructors and mentors there were phenomenal and great to work with.