Coding Dojo

Please do not attend this bootcamp. I'm giving a fair warning to anyone who is thinking about attending. Online instructions with outdated videos on old technology stacks with old versions with unproven instructors without industry experience, what can go wrong? Absolutely everything about this bootcamp experience has not been up to par considering that I learned 95% more from FREE sources online and plus the fact that there is no Job Assistance in the program. I will give one star for some instructors giving more Effort than others, but having them shuffled or fired, and the overall lack of professionalism throughout the whole experience leaves me wishing i never stumbled on Coding Dojo in my bootcamp search.

Beware of the sales tactics and supposed discounts for minorities and bring a friend? Seriously, this is suppose to be about programming and bringing more tech individuals into the workforce.

My experience at Coding Dojo was nothing short of life-changing. The program is designed to change people's lives and after completing it, I can say it did just that for me. The combination of online material, in-person demos/lectures, and being able to work directly with other students truly make for a perfect learning environment. 

The online material you work through daily is challenging and really helps you become self-sufficient. The content is delivered well and the projects help keep you coding while learning.

The instructors also make a huge difference providing support and in-person demos. The instructors here in Washington, DC were knowledgeable and very helpful. 

Lastly, the "classroom" environment is fantastic. Having people around you working on the same things and helping each other really allows you to cope with any feeling of being overwhelmed. It is a tough program, and you will learn a lot if you can stick with it and put in the work.

Coding Dojo enabled me to acquire skills that are literally changing my life. Simply one of the best choices I have ever made. 

After a lot of research and a few interviews I had decided to attend CodingDojo in the DC area. I did not know what to expect, especially since I was in the first cohort of that area, however I cannot express how grateful and fortunate I was. I had awesome supportive teachers as well as a small group of classmates that were all very nice. Maybe I got lucky but it made coming to class a lot more appreciable and I was very motivated to learn more code and dive into specific subjects that particularly interested me. I found that the instructors and other students encourage you and get you excited to work on a certain project. What was most unbelievable was that I learnt so much material in such a short amount of time!

Please do understand that everything you do in the program has to be from yourself. No one is going to push you, you have to be self motivated. Also be aware that it's not like an instructor is going to baby you through everything. One great takeaway is that this program is trying to teach you to become a dependent coder, which is a glimpse into the real world where you should be checking stackoverflow or google first when you run into a problem. The teachers are super useful and if you are stuck on something for a while, they will sit with you for at least an hour or longer to help you debug.

There is so much material and there is no way that you really become an expert in a certain thing unless you put in the time. Even after I graduated I still am taking it upon myself to learn more everyday, because technology is always advancing and once you stop trying to learn you might as well quit the programming profession in general. Anyways after a couple of months out of the program I did find a job! So I honestly recommend this program for those who are really seeking a life changing experience.

Do your research and you can see this is a very flawed curriculum, from the founder, to the instructors, to the staff, look at their LinkedIn profiles and make a decision from there,

Plus look at Coding House and Coding Dojo, you see why these are at the bottom.... eerily similar....

The students who are successful, well, why haven't they shared the negative aspects, not even one, makes you really question the curriculum....?

Go to an info session, I've been to a couple from different bootcamps, everything here is a Sales Tactic. That many languages in a short amount of time? Ask a working developer, Ask a technical recruiter? Ask a graduate about Coding Dojo

While the learning platform is not perfect and can sometimes be confusing, overall, my experience was a very positive one. The Dojo does a great job of teaching you things that would take much longer to learn on your own, providing a great learning environment. While somewhat hesitant about joining the coding work, I feel very capable having made some real world applications. The things they say about this place are true, in that you get out what you put into it. They won't hold your hand, if you want to excel you have to put in the time, effort, and determination. And that definitely should when you compared those that would consistently do algorithms and those that wouldn't or comparing how well they do on the belts, moving forward in the platform, ect. This is especially true in debugging your programs, there was a huge difference by the end in those that tried to do it on their own and those that always asked for help. In closing, If you want to get your money's worth out of Coding Dojo, you have to put your all in to get it, you can't just sit back and expect them to somehow magically give you these skills, do that, and it'll be worth it. 

After realizing I wanted to grow my technical knowledge in coding I decided to enroll in Coding Dojo. I have had little experience here and there and wanted to boost my skills to further my passion in to web development. Being at the Dojo for three months taught me a lot about fundamentals and multiple stacks where I feel it would have taken longer had I done it myself with out the resources and support they provide. The instructors have been great motivators and support through my whole process here. And the platform is always improving, providing more detailed instructions and descriptions to follow. Personally, I have had some struggles and there were times where I really wanted to give up, but being able to talk to classmates and teachers really kept me on track. I also really like the fact that the Dojo is open 24 hours allowing me to spend extra time on holidays and weekends. Since there is so much to learn I often found myself spending over 10-12 hours a day including weekends. I really enjoyed the algorithms as well, doing them in the morning provided daily exercises to start your brain up in the morning.

While I was there I learned incredible amounts, had more than enough networking opportunities and was able to land my first dev job after leaving the Dojo at a company that is doing a lot of good for the community. Not only that, but what I learned while at the Dojo transcends the content itself as I learned how to truly learn. My first job is using a framework that I had never heard of before and in a language I had never used. Since I was able to go through the 3 full stacks, I got a big picture view of a typical full stack and was able to apply that to learning the things I needed to. I've had a lot of positive feedback at work with how quickly I'm moving and the quality of my code for a Junior Developer. I feel confident that I got all of the skills I needed at the Dojo.

Other opportunities developed out of my time at the Dojo which have had a positive impact on my development and the community. First Hack Dallas was started as a collaborative effort by 6 other Coding Dojo Alumni and myself as a way to help new developers get more comfortable with the tech scene, have something to add to their portfolio, and as a way to serve a local organization serving the local community. www.firsthackdallas.com

As a former teacher, I didn't have the means to pay for this without a loan.  My investment was well worth it, though and will be paid for within about 6 months of employment. Thanks Coding Dojo Dallas!

When I started look at the different boot camps Coding Dojo was the best fit for me. I was looking for the fastest way to pick up new technologies I was not familiar with. And I loved their approach of teaching - "Strength trough strangle" and they bought my attention with doing algorithms every day.

I remember my first day at the Dojo. I was so frustrated, a lot of going on, so much material to learn, new people around, do this and then that and so on. I realize that I have to adopt really fast. And I did.

The things to remember going through the program are have enough of rest, eat on time, do your best to understand the material, look at your classmates code, see different approaches to the problem, work in groups and remember why you are doing this, remember your goals so you can keep going!

I have learned a lot during the last three months. A lot of new technologies, how to use them. But the best things that happened to me during this time is meeting so many great people and getting to know them.

I would totally recommend having this experience to everyone, remember to value people around you, remember why you are doing this and love coding!!!

NO Turning Back!

The healthcare profession has always been my ultimate dream and success means nothing more than landing on a stable job in one of the best hospitals in the country, well paid. However 10 years in this field made me realize that there’s more to success and life than living one’s dream. What compelled me to reinvent my career and venture into the Tech Industry is the thirst for personal growth and professional advancement to meet the growing demands of the constantly changing and advancing times. No doubt technology is taking over the world and to ensure survival and security, one must try to fit into this modernization. Thus, my decision to get into coding!

Being a newbie in the field both entailed courage and determination. It took me so much bravery to risk my stable job for something promising but completely unknown to my intellectual being and skills. I had to be determined to get out of my comfort zone and try something challenging and different. But what made it hard for me to shift career is finding a place where such opportunity is worth taking. I’ve looked into various bootcamps, read good and bad reviews about them, visited their websites but could not see myself into any of them until I came to know about Coding Dojo from a friend. She’s a career shifter like me and seemed to be satisfied, happy and changed with her decision. I was encouraged to try the “3 stack in 14 week immersive onsite program” and experience for myself what my friend had. The negative feedback posted in bootcamp sites didn’t stop me from enrolling as  this is expected in any field, even med schools and hospitals do get bad remarks from their students, patients and clients. Nothing is perfect in this world and it all depends on us as to how we perceive, embrace and deal with imperfections. Oh well, those criticisms somehow made me skeptic and a bit critical on my first day at the Seattle campus. But I was relieved by the warmth of the Instructor who approached me as I was quite timid that time and he helped me set up on the first day. The orientation and first class clearly intimidated me as it gave me the impression that this program is serious and demanding (not that I didn’t anticipate it as my pre-course email already gave me the idea). It requires more than just my time and money but my commitment, diligence, patience, sense of responsibility, discipline and motivation. It seems to me that this bootcamp is a “you get what you put into it” program. I wanted to quit the moment the expectations were set but I gave myself a chance. I thought I need to give my best at least for a week and see where it will take me. I took the initiative to introduce myself better to my Instructors, made friends with my cohort-mates, participated in the activities and acquainted myself with the platform which is equipped with awesome features, very organized and complete with the tools and stacks I need for the class. Of course I exerted effort to understand algo and finish the pre-course track prior to attending so my basic will be strengthened as advised by the Admissions and the staff over the phone who are all very friendly and swift in responding. It sure made it easier for me to cope than coming into class a complete idiot. I survived my first week and so I decided to push through the second… the third, to a  month, then two until I graduated without even realizing how much insight I gained, how my confidence in the stacks I learned was boosted to a 100% and 1, and how my character was modified, my perception cleared - I was a totally different person but a fulfilled, competent and confident programmer! Surely it wasn’t all smooth sailing, I had those times when  I get frustrated with just not getting it but the instructors always have a hand to help and to encourage, there are times when I get depressed because I had to compromise “me” times of rest, leisure and sleep to finish my assignments and to research but after completing the activities, I’ve never felt this much accomplished. And since the tuition is over $12k, I had other expenses and no other source of income other than my savings and a little family help, it was a bit embarrassing for me to have my overdue at the Dojo but they were very considerate that they extended my payment without taking it against me saying that the student’s goals have always been at the top of their interest and they don’t mind bending the rule a little bit just so I won’t get distracted and discouraged by financial incapacity in pursuing my goal. I was moved and energized to keep going, I felt like my goal was a priority to them and they put value in it as much as I do. Some bootcamps just wanted to get paid and the students welfare and concern are irrelevant. Not to mention, even as an Alumni they offer free career services to help me find a job. I am taking advantage of this right now together with my free extended 6 month access to the platform while I’m seeking for a job. The Dojo made me feel that I and my goals are important even when I’m not in the campus anymore; They played a big part in my growth as a person, in my advancement in my new chosen profession and they are taking part in my success (though I feel successful at this point in time).

To my fellow career-shifters who are curious and have been wanting to give coding a try, I highly recommend Coding Dojo - it sure is the place to be! It changed my life and there’s no turning back! Why not see for yourself, (I’m a living proof) it’s worth every penny but please be advised that you have to earn the prize in the end. There’s no easy way and shortcut to success and the greatest success you will ever achieve in your life is the one that you have invested and sacrificed yourself into. Go for and after it!

My experience with Coding Dojo has been a great one! Solid curriculum. Solid platform. More affordable than the other bootcamps out there.

I had a lot of fun doing the HTML,CSS courses and especially jQuery. It was a lot of work but I learned a lot. I learned a lot about web technologies that I never knew about and never had a chance to learn on my own. The environment is casual, comfortable and collaborative, and the Coding Dojo team is always friendly and helpful. I also enjoy the design and layout of the platform that allows me to learn relatively well on my own at my own pace.

Overall, I feel like the experienced I gained were perfectly great. Coding Dojo helped me a lot in enhancing my programming skills. It served as my guiding star in learning different web programming languages. It helped me in pursuing my dream as an aspiring software developer.

It is an amazing opportunity to become part of this amazing and solid bootcamp.

Coding Dojo helped me hone my coding skills to a higher notch. I was a self-taught coder in my earlier years but only learned fundamental HTML, CSS, and a little jQuery. The bootcamp helped me understand the importance of vanilla Javascript as well as using advanced JS plugins that I can utilize in future projects.

Within 14 weeks, I was able to improve from the basics to learning three stacks of software development. This made me confident to find a stable job as a web developer, too.

Would definitely recommend Coding Dojo for entry-level software devs and non-coders alike.