App Academy

App Academy is really hard. I repeat. It is really hard. There is a lot of work. You will not be able to complete everything, but that is not that goal. The goal is to understand and be able to integrate a lot of what you learned into a full-stack and then eventually be a strong candidate enough to get a job. You will learn algorithms, recursion, Ruby, Rails, SQL, React and more. You learn mainly applicable skills, but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of theory being taught too. Overall, a good experience. But, it is really hard, so be ready. You will inadequate a lot. But you are not. You will surprsie yourself how much you know. It just happens, But only if you put in the work to understand.

App Academy was a great experience for me to transition into software development from an engineering background. The curriculum is rigorous and more immersive than attempting to learn on your own because you will spend a minimum of 70+ hours a week on the material. Many of the TAs are great educators and are invested in your success. If you are willing to have no life for three months but come out as a real software developer then this course is for you. 

Pro-tip:  Study some programming such as algorithmic problems on Project Euler and Codewars beforehand, it'll help a lot.

I'm really glad I made this decision to change careers and to attend App Academy. The whole entire journey has so far been very challenging, yet extremely rewarding. From studying throughout the application process, to the nerves of interviewing, to getting accepted, to studying some more during the pre-course work, and to non-stop studying throughout the curriculum. The structure during the technical curriculum (weeks 1-10) can be taken for granted easily, because a completely new, but equally (if not more) stressful challenge arose once we moved over to the less structured job search curriculum. 

Much of going through this program is self-directed and self-taught, with guidance from the readings, lectures, projects, and homework. The instructors are not as hands-on with the students as some may expect, but they are available for questions at all times. This should be taken advantage of to the fullest. The assessments are extremely challenging and stressful, as if you fail to pass two of them, you are dismissed from the program. Be ready to feel behind, feel stressed, question multiple times your decision of choosing this path, but be ready to also enjoy coming in everyday, and feeling like this was the best decision you've made for your career so far. I would absolutely recommend App Academy to anyone trying to decide if they want to pursue this career path.

AppAcademy's program is rigorous and intense, anyone thinking of attending the program should be ready for the fast paced nature of this course.  The experience at App Academy was definitely worth it though.  There is a strong sense of community that is fostered by the caring TA's who go above and beyond to make sure students are ready for whatever faces them throughout the curriculum.  Students form a sense of camaraderie throughout the coursework which is rewarding in itself.  All of that aside, the program allows for someone with practically no knowledge of coding to being ready to create full stack websites on their own.  The availability of resources is great, so an individual will always be able to get closer to a solution provided they are willing to try.  Going through the program, I felt as if all the staff wanted the students to be ready  for whatever faces them in any job opportunity  and that they are ready for what comes next.  The only downside I experienced is that the curriculum itself does not cater to platforms other than MAC OSX.  Being one of the few with a windows laptop, I had to set up Ubuntu on my laptop before the program started by myself.  Other people who did not have MAC systems eventually caved into buying a macbook during the program to make life easier.

To start, I want to say that App Academy is as challenging as everyone makes it out to be. Be prepared to spend 10-12 hours a day studying, 7 days a week for the first 9 weeks. Although there were many stressful days and sleepless nights, the amount of knowledge you accrue throughout the curriculum period is crazy. One of the aspects that I really liked at app academy was just being able to surround yourself around incredibly talented individuals, who are all working towards the same goal as you. It really fosters an environment that allows you to push yourself further.

A typical day at App Academy during the curriculum period consists of checking in at 9am, lecture, pair programming, and flex time, which is pretty much a circle time where you discuss with your designated group about what you learned that day. Some of the TAs were previous students and were very approachable, though at times during pair programming, none are on the floor/available. There are lecture videos and homework  you are tasked to watch and complete every night, which usually take a few hours to complete. Assessments are given almost every week during the curriculum period and they require tons of studying. Be prepared to simply eat, sleep, code, repeat. I will definitely miss struggling with the friends I have made here - it's like graduating college all over again.

If you are serious about a career change to software development, then I would recommend you go to App Academy. Before the course, I did not know too much about coding coming from a background in science and doing some self learning. In the short amount of time, I probably learned more than a year's worth of self studying. 

For the first 8 weeks, you are going to be going to a/A and getting a lecture in the morning and then coding until 5:30PM with some exceptions. After that, you will have homework, which includes assignments, readings, videos, which generally take about 1-3 hours in the earlier weeks and going up to 5 hours as you progress through the course.

You spend your first 2-3 weeks, going over Ruby to practice/learn coding fundamentals. The next 3 weeks are spent learning SQL and Ruby on Rails, where you can create your first website! After creating your website, you learn JavaScript for about a week and then React/Redux to learn how to improve your website. I honestly wish more time was spent on the JavaScript portion of the curriculum, but at this point everything is moving along even faster. You spend weeks 8-9 creating a clone of a website like Instagram, SoundCloud, Facebook ect. This is probably the first time where you are actually building a project from scratch to finish and its great once you accomplished it! However up until you finish, it will most likely be a struggle and a big learning experience.

After that is done, you get to move to the job search portion, where you build another solo project and a group project of your choice, which was also pretty fun/struggle! During this time you also learn and work on skills not related to coding such as resumes, cover letters, salary negotiations. After that you have around two weeks to work on learning algorithms, which are key to getting a job. You pretty much self learn/have limited help during this time and you basically set your own schedule more or less.

Overall App Academy is great for getting introducing you to being a software developer. You should be fine if you put in the work. The assessments you take are similar to the practice ones they give you. Depending on how fast you learn/study, you might have some time off on Fridays and maybe a couple hours on the weekend to relax and do whatever you want. Good luck with the grind!

Before I attended App Academy, I read all these reviews and thought everyone was being dramatic about the intensity. I have a degree in engineering and thought that was pretty difficult to obtain. My degree did not aid in any kind of way with getting through this program. It was actually more intense than my engineering degree. You are so limited on time that you must push through no matter what. There is no time to procrastinate and catch up later (college). 

My daily schedule consisted of starting class at 9 AM and go to sleep at 1 AM/2 AM. There are homework and readings every night. Rinse and repeat. Don't be scared though. Anyone can get through this program if you work hard. Don't give up! Ask yourself at the end of each day if you did everything absolutely possible to understand it. We all learn at different rates, do what you need to. Oh yeah, try to get some sleep...haha

So I am writing this review while still in Job search curriculum at App Academy and I just wanted to give some advice to people that think to apply. First, LEARN TO CODE before you apply. I spent two years learning Java and CS topics like data structures and algorithms in Foothill college. That helped me to understand concepts of programming while preparing for coding challenge and later in the program. This doesn't mean you have to spend two years, but few months of intense learning will help a lot, and I would also strongly recommend to take Ruby course on Codecademy or similar website. Second thing, if you get accepted to JumpStart, don't just do homework problems and think this is enough. This is huge mistake. You should do a t least three times more than homework. Many people that relied only on homework failed to pass JumpStart assessments. Third thing, WORK HARD. The curriculum in A/a is designed the way that you WILL NOT have free weekend. Every weekend you will have stuff to work on. It's very easy to fall behind. Overall the school is great and gives you practical knowledge to be a junior dev. Course also covers general CS concepts like data structures and teaches you algorithms towards the end of the course. Every day you are required to leave you feedback about instructors, and they read those reviews and take steps to improve   program. 

Getting accepted to appAcademy was hard, and completing the course was even harder. I came from a Theater background with ZERO software development experience. I studied for the first admittance exam, and was conditionally excepted. I went to jump start and failed both assessments. I had to take another admittance test—which at first they forgot to process—and then was finally accepted into a cohort the following fall. And then the real work started. I’ll second anyone who says they didn’t sleep much. It’s mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. I failed my third assessment by 1 Point so I spent the second half of my cohort terrified that if I failed again my time at appAcademy would be over. But I did it. I made it through to the end. I made full stack web applications. I made a game in javascript. I learned new technologies like React. I got a job in a field I had ZERO experience in a year ago. In addition to all the technical assets I learned at appAcademy, I also became better at believing in myself. You’ll learn a lot here. If you’ve got the time, and tenacity I’d absolutely recommend it. Absorb everything you can, but don’t lose yourself along the way.