App Academy

App Academy is an investment in your future. With hard work and dedication you can get through the program and be qualified for a fantastic job. I found a job rather quickly after graduation, and although your mileage may vary, there is a very real demand in the computer science field. They will teach you the skills necessary to land a great job. It is a very rigorous 3 months however, so be prepared. If you have the right mindset and a dedicated attitude to learn you will be successfull here. Be prepared to start your day at 9am and end at midnight or close to it every weekday. Take homework seriously as it prepares you for the next day. Weekends don't leave much time for relaxation as you will most likely be studying intensely for an exam (it is very easy to fail an exam even if you understand the material, so don't underestimate them!). Exams are scheduled such that you usually can only study on the weekend right before. Basically you should pretend fun doesnt exist for 3 months - slacking would be dangerous.

At first, I was skeptical about Bootcamps in preparing someone to be ready for a Full Stack Development role in 13 weeks. But after the first week, I immediately knew choosing App Academy was the best choice for myself. The entire curriculum was thoroughly thought out, the instructors were excellent and knowledgeable, and the community is inclusive-oriented which made meeting amazing people from all walks of life a breeze. The curriculum is demanding, you will be tested, you will change, and you will find the program to be one of the most satisfying experience.

I recently graduated from App Academy, and as the title said above, it was an intense but also enjoyable experience.

Background: I had very little to none coding experience before joining App Academy. I wasn't able to attend the Jump Start either and had to studied by myself with the onilne material they provided before taking the online technical challenge to get it. After that, there was a prep-course that we had to complete online before actually starting the co-hort. All to prepare us for the very intense 12-weeks program.

The program: Yes, it is intense, very. And no, it's not a scam, people do become "software developer" after the program. How good? It depends. You truly get out of it what you put in. For me, that was 12 weeks of little to none social activities. My daily routine was school at 9, and got home by around 9-10pm, or even later. Most of the time I felt behind, but so did most of my classmates. The reason for that was most of us have no CS background, and the course was very very intense. But we all helped each other to get through it and the TAs did the tremendous jobs of helping and supporting us as well. In short, you can think of it like: being 30lbs over-weight, and signing up for some 12-weeks programs that promise to get you lost that 30lbs + the 6 packs. Imagine the effore and commitment that you have to put in to get that result. Now multiply it by 10. You get the picture.

Pros: pair programming was one of my favorite experiences in the co-hort. Each day I got to pair with different memember in my class, and it all gave a different experience one way or another. TAs were also very helpful. And the materials were very well instructed.

Cons: not much, and it's very much personal or opinionated, so I won't lay out too much. But as much as I enjoyed Ruby, I think the industry is steering more toward Python now. The rest of the materials are still good and up-to-date, especially React and Redux.

Overall: would definitely recommend it to anyone. But if you think this is college-like, you may wanna reconsider. App Academy doesn't teach you everything. It does, however, teach you how to teach yourself everything.

Attending App Academy has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had thus far, and I have not even started job hunting yet. If you attend, be prepared to drop pretty much everything else from your life for the duration of the program. Also be prepared that if you don't truly love programming, you may get burnt out during that time.

I'm truly amazed at how much I have learned in such a short period of time, and how hard I've been able to work to achieve that goal. As cheesy as it sounds, now that I've made it through the program, I feel as if any goals I have are achievable if I can muster this kind of work ethic.

There are certainly things about this program that could be improved. However i do like that as the course went on, and especially now in the job search curriculum, you become more and more independent as you learn how to teach yourself. Some people may feel they want more hands-on instruction, but I thought they provided a good balance.

I'll update this review during or after the job search if I feel differently.

If you are looking to get into web development/coding, look no further than App Academy! 

The process begins with some very difficult technical coding challenges to even be admitted (I was recently told by some TA's that the coding challenges to get in are harder than those given by many companies!).
Once accepted, you'll spend a month mastering the prep work to get up to where you need to be for day 1 - THIS IS IMPORTANT!! If you do not have complete mastery of the prep material, you will fall behind!

Reading reviews and talking to graduates, they'll all tell you to be prepared to spend 100+ hours reading, writing, breathing code - impossible right? The truth is, you'll spend every waking hour dedicated to coding - you'll wish you had more time to prepare for an assessment or to finish a feature on a project. The curriculum is definitely challenging and will bring you to your breaking points - all of this is to push you further and to ensure you know what you're doing. Along the way, you'll meet 80 awesome students all in the same stage as you - and you'll be advised by some really cool and really knowledgeable TA's.

tl;dr
If you are looking to change careers and want to get into coding/web dev. make sure App Academy is at the top of your list to apply for - also be prepared to dedicate the entire next 3 months ( don't worry, your future is worth the sacrifice ;) ).

Having just finished App Academy's main curriculum, I can say with confidence that this program is not for everyone. Although I was extremely engaged by the material, had a great time working with the TAs, and have met some great people in my cohort, it's clear that coding bootcamps, especially App Academy, demand a work ethic that not everyone is prepared for.

Be prepared to spend 12-14 hrs a day working on code (commuting time included). Be prepared to undergo serious pressure as failing assessments can lead to direct expulsion from the program. Be prepared to embrace the fact that there will be some concepts that will stump you into submission. Be prepared to sacrifice your life as you know it to succeed in this program.

Would I do it again? Definitely.

I came from a minimal coding background and my skills increased exponentially. I loved the curriculum and being in a pure learning environment--I thought of it like supercharged undergrad (having been on the quarter-system I was used to a faster pace). 

Why I'm giving 4 stars: there is little to no diversity at all. I could count on two hand ALL students in my cohort who are queer, female, and/or of non-caucasian or non-Asian descent.Having grown up in the East Bay, I was shocked and discouraged by the lack of diversity in the classroom. It also became evident that most students came from educated, middle-class backgrounds and didn't have anything to lose by quitting their jobs to enroll in a coding bootcamp. 

Coding bootcamps are a business, period. But I personally believe that because they advertise themselves as a sort of trade-school-esque-alternative to college, they should make an effort to market themselves to the communities that statistically enroll less in 4-year colleges: individuals from working-class backgrounds and select minority communities. 

Bottom-line: the curriculum is fantastic, the people are great. just be prepared for a lot of work and a relatively sterile and uniform social environment for 3+ months.

If you have some coding experience and know that web development is the career for you, then absolutely enroll in a/A!  The curriculum is incredible, and constantly being updated, meaning that when you graduate you’ll be well-positioned to land a job at one of the many companies who want to update their tech stack.

However, you get out what you put in...  If you’re very motivated, and know that this is the career for you, then chances are you will put in the work and get the results.  On the other hand, I would strongly advise against using a/A to “try out” coding as a career.  You’ll just be taking up a spot that could be filled by someone more likely to succeed.

I have always been interested in development and prior to attending app/Academy I had been reconsidering going back to school. I had worked in many fields and hated most but wanted to make a change, I finally decided it was time for me to pursue my passion, developing apps. Still, I'm no spring chick and going back to school didn't seem like a valid option given time and financial constraints - thus enter app/Academy.

In my 12 weeks at app/Academy I truly learned more than I thought would be possible. Having gained the knowledge and resources in such a short amount of time has been an invaluable experience. The staff is incredible and super helpful, the curriculum structure is seemingly perfect and the pace is non-stop. When we were warned that it would be challenging they weren't kidding. I will say if you are ready for this, are willing to dedicate your life to it for 3 months, and are excited to make a change, this can also be easily one of the best experiences of your life as well! I am looking forward to my my new career as a software developer, thanks to a/A!

I'll start with some background because I remember reading these before I started a/A and wished people gave more thorough backgrounds. I have a B.A. in Chemistry (class of 2015) from a state university and I was working as a Research Assistant before doing a/A, I had little experience in programming before attending the program. I graduated from a/A at the end of August and was given my first offer which I accpeted in early November as a Full Stack Software Engineer in SF.

I couldn't have accomplished my goals in the time line I did without a/A and the people I met through a/A. The curriculum is great and so are the people that you will meet during your time at a/A, there are a lot of bright aspiring people that are excited to make the change just like you so it provides a great environment for learning. It is an intense course, but thats what you're signing up for, you wouldn't get the same results without it, but its doable.

The hardest part for me and what I was always worried about was the job search (it sucks... bad). But thats how job searches are, a/A will set you up with a good foundation resume / cover letter and application strategy (and a job fair where a few companies come out every few months) but thats about as good as it gets, its up to you for the most part. Just know from the start there is going to be a lot of rejections (350+ apps, 14 phone screens, 1 onsite / offer for me). You just can't give up, theres a lot of jobs out there, you just have to meet the bar for a company to give you an offer.

It's ok (and normal IMO) to feel skeptical about bootcamps especially at this time when some have gone out of business. The more technical you are (STEM majors, especially engineering or math majors) the easier it will be to pick up the material and find a job, but if you don't have a STEM degree that doesn't mean it isn't going to work out but its going to be more difficult and stressful.

All in all, if you know you want to do this, you can, but this is going to be your life for 5-10 months. 

I'll also say the friends I made helped me a lot through a/A, its a stressful time and having people around to break the stress of the curriculum and job search was essential for me.

Coming from a non technical background, it was a very tough 12 weeks for me. Thankfully all the Teaching Assistants are passionate about making sure we learn the material and become software engineers. The curriculum is very well rounded, covering Ruby, JS, SQL, and much more. The aspect I like most App Academy is the environment and culture. Everyone wants to learn and is also eager to share the knowledge he/she has. At the end of the 12 weeks I was surprised by how much I have learned grown. But most importantly I made some great friends along the way.