Coding Dojo: worth the money?
October 9, 2014 4:16 PM   Subscribe

So I'm seriously considering doing one of these newfangled coding bootcamps, Coding Dojo in particular. Before I drop a lot of money on it, I want to ask - is it worth the money?


I have some programming experience, but not really anything from this century. I have a BA in linguistics, a masters in theology, and work experience in accounting. I want to switch gears and start a career that has actual jobs and pays actual money. So, my questions to you are basically:

(A) If you've gone through the program: did it help you get a decent job? Or... not?

(B) If you hire developers, would you take me seriously if I applied?
posted by hishtafel to Computers & Internet (10 answers total) 11 users marked this as a favorite
 
Re: B

Maybe.it would really depends on whether you knew anything about software development.Just having a certificate from a closing school, or even a BS in comp sci is not enough.you still have to have the chops.
posted by pyro979 at 4:33 PM on October 9, 2014 [2 favorites]


I know a few friends who've gone through Hackbright, and found excellent jobs as developers. They were above-average at presenting themselves as skilled, informed coders and employed a judicious amount of fake-it-til-you-make-it.

When I look at resumes, the code academies don't tell me much. I need to see evidence of time spent solving problems in a work environment, or strong problem definition skills if it's a first code job. Knowing what not to do and ability to communicate priorities in writing makes up for a lot.
posted by migurski at 4:46 PM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


I have heard that there are coding schools out there that don't charge you anything unless you get a job. App Academy seems to be one: "App Academy does not charge any tuition. Instead, you pay us a placement fee only if you find a job as a developer after the program. In that case, the fee is 18% of your first year salary, payable over the first 6 months after you start working."

So, maybe look into that?

Second, software development is a craft. I'll try to make an analogy to something more concrete. Say you want to have a career as a woodworker. You study, and learn the theory of how to shape and join wood into useful objects. That's great! Now, you get a job at a woodworking shop. There's a lot more to learn! The other people in your crew have particular ways that they organize the shop. When they work together, there are semi-formal ways to communicate, to coordinate the work. There are standards of how the tools are to be used and maintained, to keep them in working order for everyone, and keep the shop as a whole operating efficiently.

For many software developers, they learned the theory part of the job in a structured academic setting, and then picked up a lot of the practical skills on the job. So for example, a hacking bootcamp will probably get you a decent familiarity with one programming language, applied in one particular domain, like iOS apps, or web app development. Hopefully they will make you aware of other things like version control, software architecture, good coding practices, and automated testing.
posted by rustcrumb at 5:53 PM on October 9, 2014


A very good buddy of mine from college started the App Academy that rustcrumb links above with a few of our other college buddies. While I don't know the program, I can at least vouch for Ned, Kush, and Jonathan being extremely bright, kind, and honest dudes. And yes their program is free until you're gainfully employed.
posted by phunniemee at 7:21 PM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


This is the first time I have heard of coding dojo. I just read their curriculum and my first thought was that there is no way I could learn all the topics they cover that quickly. I'm not sure how difficult it is to land an apprenticeship, but I would lean toward something like thoughtbot's program. That is assuming you are in San Francisco.
posted by phil at 8:01 PM on October 9, 2014


Having gone through this decision process myself, some are worth it and some are not. Ask very specific questions about placement rates -- meaning placement in the field! Many of the places I applied were "placing" just graduated students who didn't find jobs to teach the next round. That sounds like a bad deal for everybody. So also ask about who will be teaching you and if former students will ever be in charge. One place I applied to also said they'd be giving us Team Treehouse accounts for the first part of the program -- Team Treehouse is a $25/month MOOC that I had been doing on my own for months! No reason to pay the bootcamp money for that. I find Quora to have good reviews, but this industry really lacks regulation and is changing a lot.
posted by sweltering at 8:55 PM on October 9, 2014


One of my proteges went to a coding school in Boulder, Colo. I can't remember the name ATM. I do not think most people understand coding is another language and that learning to code is to learn another language, which takes a lot of time. My protege was at first fixated on the lifestyle appeal, the promise of working in a start up business and potentially make billions of dollars. He lasted four months in his first job after coding school and I do not believe he currently has a job in the industry. Really, sitting down and understanding why you desire to be a coding professional is very important, before you go out spending money like this.
posted by parmanparman at 10:34 PM on October 9, 2014


I also looked at the course listing and that looks pretty intense. I can't imagine you'd be able to go from 0 to expert in 12 weeks. I don't know, though, maybe you can. Would I hire you? Sure, if you had a great portfolio and were able to answer basic data structures and algorithms questions. With a lack of a B.S. or any experience besides that course, I'd be worried that I'd be spending a lot of time training you. BUT, maybe the types of people who succeed in those programs are just way smarter than I am. :)
posted by semaphore at 2:17 PM on October 10, 2014


If you want to check out the different schools, there are reviews at Switch, Bootcamps.in, and Techendo.

I'm currently attending App Academy in San Francisco, so I won't be able to answer your first question from personal experience for a bit. Attention is paid to industry best practices, and the job search curriculum is weeks long. Checking with the previous cohort, 50% found jobs within a month of the last class & job fair.
posted by Pronoiac at 11:01 PM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


The New York Times has an article about the various bootcamps, and it's being discussed at Hacker News, if you want to see what potential colleagues think of them.
posted by Pronoiac at 5:25 PM on October 14, 2014


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