Coding Bootcamp Reviews?

April 13, 2013 1:50 PM

I'm interested in independent information on the coding bootcamps that have sprung up in NYC. Especially the Flatiron School.

I'm looking for data and/or anecdata on the value of a program like Flatiron School or Dev Bootcamp, especially regarding employability. I'm considering a career change from finance to the tech industry and would like to know whether one of these programs would give me the skills I need to do so.

About me: Interested in computers / coding since young age. Didn't take any CS courses in college. I play around in Python for fun but haven't completed any large projects / lack a Git portfolio. Currently 27 and work on Wall Street.

posted by prunes to Work & Money (4 answers total)

Response by poster: I actually meant to link to General Assembly, rather than Dev Bootcamp. The latter isn't actually in NYC. Additionally, I'd love to know about any programs I might have missed.
posted by prunes at 4:21 PM on April 13, 2013

Another program: Hacker School in Brooklyn.
posted by zippy at 5:01 PM on April 13, 2013

I'm in the current batch of Hacker School (and actually it is in Manhattan this batch, they move around) and I don't think "coding bootcamp" would describe it accurately. More like "writer's workshop, but for programmers". There isn't any curriculum or much structure, you choose what you want to learn and work on and just do it.

However, if you already program a little bit and want the time to work on large projects and get a bunch of code up on Github, you can definitely do that there. And it would be in the company of lots of other smart, motivated, friendly people, which I have found to be a huge benefit. They will try to help you find a job after the program is over as well (though I have no experience with that yet).

I'm so glad I did it and it truly has made me a better (and more confident) programmer. (I had some professional programming experience prior to attending, but I'm also self-taught.) Feel free to send me a message if you have any specific questions about it.
posted by firefleet at 8:57 PM on April 13, 2013 [4 favorites]

Maybe one of these resources might help: BootCamper.io , Bootcamps.in. You might also try checking out the Programming Bootcamps topic over at Quora.
posted by The Biggest Dreamer at 8:43 AM on April 14, 2013