Live & Learn at Coding House

Most programming bootcamps describe themselves as “immersive,” with students spending up to 80 hours per week in front of their computer screens and in lecture, learning to code. Coding House takes this immersive model one step further, setting their cohorts up in a house during their 8-week tenure at the program.  

More time to code should equate to better coders, right? But we’ve seen The Real World, and had a few questions for Coding House about their unique program. Udita Plah, Director of Operations at Coding House, was nice enough to provide us with a few answers. 

Udita explains that Coding House has decided on this live-in model because “full immersion is the best way to learn. You have no other distractions and all your energy and time is focused on your goals. Students also build a high level of camaraderie with their teammates and work very closely together.” Does this mean that just anyone can live in the House? Not exactly, says Udita. “All live-in students are submitted to background checks and a rigorous interview process. We also have house rules and a tough code of conduct.” This does a lot to quell our reservations about living with a bunch of strangers. Plus, of the many applications (over 120 for the inaugural immersion course!) each cohort consists of only 10-12 carefully-selected students.

What does it mean for students to be constantly coding? Because students live where they learn and get 3 catered meals each day, they have more time to focus for those 60 days. Not to mention that they’re not worrying about breaking for dishes or commuting. In those 60 days, Coding House covers an ambitious amount of material- several phases including HTML, Node.JS, Angular.JS, Mobile and Rails. Students are taught by live-in instructors, available to answer questions 15 hours per day. Udita says these instructors “have written the books on programming. They all have industry experience as well as plenty of teaching experience, and expansive life experience.”

Of course, running a bootcamp is rewarding, but Udita explains that they’ve learned in this first cohort as well, and will continue to grow: “Students like to be pushed. We are always surprised at how much our students are willing to learn and finding that point, just before they break, is always a challenge.”

So should you apply to Coding House? If you’re a highly-motivated student looking to be challenged around the clock, and you can live with others, then go for it! Coding House students don’t all fit a certain profile; students can be career changers or looking to start their own companies. Either way, Coding House will work with you to identify your goals. Udita explains how Coding House can help if you are looking for a job after the program is complete: “We have contacts throughout the Silicon Valley that are eager to hire junior developers. These companies are offering a bonus that will be applied towards student tuition, should they be hired.”

For more information about Coding House, check out their School Page or their website.