Is New York Code + Design Academy Worth It?

Table of Contents

• James’ Background Before New York Code + Design Academy
• James Tried Teaching Himself But...
• How NYCDA Helped Launch James’ Career
• How Coding Skills Help James Run his Business
• Life After Bootcamp: Running 17 Web Dev
• Was Coding Bootcamp Worth It?
• Advice For Launching a Business after Bootcamp

There are many ways to define success after bootcamp and one way to succeed is starting your own business! James Sullivan attended New York Code and Design Academy’s Software Engineering Immersive instead of college, and launched his own web development agency when he graduated! James tells us how NYCDA supported him in his entrepreneurial endeavors, what sort of clients he works with, and why that all made coding bootcamp worth it for him. Watch the video or read the summary.

Name: James Sullivan
Graduated: 2017 from NYCDA’s Software Development Immersive in New York City
His New Job: CEO of 17 Web Dev
Mark of success: Starting his own company

James’ Background Before New York Code + Design Academy

• James was planning to attend college on a Lacrosse scholarship, but got injured and wasn’t able to go.
• James had some ideas for tech projects but didn’t have the coding skills to build them.
• He heard about NYCDA via Instagram and realized it was a great option for him.
• He chose NYCDA over other coding bootcamp options because it had a combination of rigor and structure.

James Tried Teaching Himself But...

• He realized it would take too long to get where he needed to be
• He needed the curriculum and structure of a coding bootcamp

How NYCDA Helped Launch James’ Career

• While other students were getting help from NYCDA career advisers to look for jobs, James was getting help in launching a business.
  • He bounced ideas off staff
  • He learned how to price project work
• “A web agency can be anything from static website development to software development and mobile app development.”

How Coding Skills Help James Run his Business

• At NYCDA James learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Ruby on Rails.
• He gained the skills to both interact with clients, and discuss technical specifics with his team of developers.
• “I realized that there are no real problems; there’s always a solution to every problem.”

Life After Bootcamp: Running 17 Web Dev

• Before coding bootcamp James was working part time jobs, living paycheck to paycheck.
• Now he’s building a company, employing three people, and building a portfolio of projects he could not have done beforehand.
• James likes working with other small-to-medium size businesses.
• He likes creating solutions by using tech:
  • “How we can make your business run smoother with the code and technology we know of.”
• His first project was for a Manhattan-based company called Short Term Stow and he now has a number of clients.
• He works in Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, React, React Native and Node.JS.

Was Coding Bootcamp Worth It?

• “I can’t think of a more worth it investment of my time and money for an education.”
• “I don’t think I could have gotten a better experience if I’d gone to college and studied computer science.”

Advice For Launching a Business after Bootcamp

• James recommends bootcamp grads build out their projects.
• “You do have enough experience and knowledge to start your own company or build your idea. You are given a full stack and skill set at bootcamp.”
• “I don’t think you need college or business school to start your own company, it depends on your relentlessness and determination.”
• James says people should value their education, and then make the world their classroom.
  • “I’ve taken this company and made it almost like my own college or classroom that I probably couldn’t get inside an institution.”

Find out more and read New York Code + Design Academy reviews on Course Report. Check out the NYCDA website.