Coding Dojo

CodingDojo was a great experience for me. If you have the drive to learn something new and exciting and are committed to putting 110% effort, CodingDojo will make you a self-sufficient programmer. CodingDojo is not about  just  teaching  how to program,  but also how to solve your own problem and learn/absorb new ideas. Instructors were great. They did their best to make sure that students really learn the concept. I was really amazed by the fact that quite few participants,  without any Computer Science background,  had actually excelled in the program.

When I decided to joined this place, even I was not convinced  that I can learn 3 full stacks in three months. But, CodingDojo has done it. I have learned 3 full-stacks and all the credit goes to Micheal Choi and his great band of CodingDojo instructors and teaching assistants. They were available, almost round the clock to answer my queries and explain the finer concepts,  many times over. They also provided services of a professional recruiter to help with my resume.  Micheal Choi, the owner, is a great individual, who has a great passion for teaching. Some of his ideas for explaining difficult concepts are really innovative. He really encourage and motivates people to learn. All in all, CodingDojo is a great place to be and three months spent here has the potential to change the course of your life.

I was skeptical of Coding Dojo's program as it touts instruction in three stacks instead of focusing on one like most other boot camps. But after having completed the coursework at the Dojo and working as a programmer for a couple of months now, I would be remiss to not give Coding Dojo credit where credit's due. The Dojo made me a believer.

The important thing to know about the Dojo is that if you are going into it without any knowledge, experience, or interest in computers, it will be tough. The Dojo provides tons of prep work before beginning the official boot camp, and this stuff is especially important to master before you begin if you're really green.

That being said, The Dojo does a wonderful job of not just teaching the 3 stacks, but also providing great introductory computer science information.

The course moves FAST. As others have said, as soon as you feel like you have a firm grasp on a concept, you'll either be using that concept to do something new or switching gears. But because the groundwork is laid out quite well, it becomes easier and easier to pick up new languages and framworks. And that is, I think, the crux of what makes Coding Dojo work - You learn how to ask the right questions (to your classmates, to your instructors, and to the internet), and you learn how to figure things out quickly for yourself.

For some, this style may not be the best. You are often left to your own devices with video and text instruction, but if you absolutely positively cannot make something happen, you have a room full of classmates and instructors who are there to help you. Some might prefer a more traditional classroom lecture environment (and there are plenty of lectures at the Dojo, but they are certainly not emphasized as much as trying things out for yourself). And it could certainly be said that one could save the money and find resources online to teach yourself.

But Coding Dojo provides an environment of collaborative learning and support and a shared spirit of grinding through it together which is invaluable when trying to learn so much so quickly. And at the end of it all, you'll finally get to come up for air and realize you're now a programmer! And if you run into something you don't know how to do, you'll feel like you know how to figure it out.

And as I've learned after programming professionally for a couple of months, that's pretty much all there is to being a good one!

I have an MS in Computer Science and I've been working as a software engineer for 30 years. But my work had mostly been focused in a specific area, and I wanted to learn more about web-oriented technologies. So I took the 3 month course at CodingDojo. 

Although bootcamps are generally regarded as a way for non-programmers to learn web development, I think CodingDojo is a great solution for experienced programmers as well, who want to come up to speed quickly on the open-source web development technologies that are widely used in the industry today. At CodingDojo there is heavy emphasis on the practical knowledge that is needed to write and debug web apps quickly, with lighter coverage of the basic computer science topics with which I was already familiar (i.e. algorithms and data structures).

If you have no programming experience at all I would advise you to learn introductory-level programming skills before starting at CodingDojo. However I have seen some exceptionally bright students with no previous programming experience succeed. 

Before enrolling I considered learning web development on my own, and of course its theoretically possible to do so using freely-available online resources. But I think you would have to be an exceptional person to be successful on your own. CodingDojo provides direction (i.e. 'what should I study?'), structure (assignments with due dates and tests), and live instruction where you can ask questions. 

Most importantly it provides a social environment in which you work with your fellow students, helping them and learning from them, just as you would in a real work environment. Compared to when I first started in this field, software development is now more of a group activity. Although you do have to be able to sit alone in your office and crank out code when you need to, you also need to be able to collaborate extensively with co-workers and customers. CodingDojo lets you practice these important collaboration skills. I guarantee you will learn some things about yourself that you didn't expect.

CodingDojo founder Michael Choi was my cohort's primary instructor for the first 6 weeks. He's an entertaining and effective instructor with a knack for making the material interesting, and cutting through to the most essential concepts. He often teaches by using "demos", in which he quickly writes a complete web app from scratch. I advise you to watch these demos closely. You can learn a lot from watching a skilled programmer work, but in the real world you might not get the opportunity very often. These opportunities are gold so don't let them slip by.

All in all CodingDojo was a rewarding experience for me and I'm glad I enrolled.

    The Coding Dojo experience has been everything I hoped it would be and more. I had a background in laboratory research and wanted to make a career switch into the technology industry. I came into the bootcamp with basic computer science skills, I had built a website but really only had basic html and css skills. 
    I knew that the bootcamp was going to be a lot of hard work but I was more than willing to put in the hours. They preach “strength through struggle” here at the Dojo and I truly believe that is the only way to learn this material. If you just want the answers and are not willing to work to discover them yourself you won’t enjoy the process and more importantly you won’t grow as a developer. But if you have a passion for computer science and are willing to work hard than you can learn more in three months here than you ever would in a typical college computer science program. The instructors here are very talented, and some are experts in specific areas so if you know you want to focus on iOS apps theres a guy for that, or say you struggle with cloud services, theres a guy for that. I came into the bootcamp with a specific project idea that I wanted to develop and I think its great way to help accelerate the learning process here. I found that putting in extra hours on my own project idea was far less painful than constantly working on assignments, even though the assignments here are interesting and crucial to the learning process. My skills improved so rapidly that every couple weeks I was creating new features for my project that I would have never thought were possible if the bootcamp didn’t expose them to me. At the end of the bootcamp I had a polished site that I built from scratch and deployed in the cloud. I have a been able to put together an impressive portfolio with the projects I have completed during my time in the camp, and it’s translating into great opportunities for me here in the bay area. Next week I have a meeting with a Data Scientist at FaceBook and I have recruiters contacting me all the time. 
    So if your really willing to put in the hours and not cheat yourself the Dojo experience is proven. 

I also studied a lot on my own before, had lots of previous industry experience but was having trouble with interviews and with prospecitve employers feeling confident in my ability to be productive with current technologies.  The bootcamp seemed to clear that right up.  Intensive work days made sure I was not 'stale' with my experience was fit for the rat race that is Silicon Valley.  I was amazed that some folks could start from scratch and make it through but I'm on the older side.

I know its expensive and the job market has adjusted to these 'bootcamps.'  It still offers a great way to learn a lot and get a feel for how the job market works.  "If you put the hours in"  I would think you will get not only a good job but a good career.

Google hired me early in the bootcamp since combined with my previous experience, they knew I could fit in and contribute.  If you lack experience you can st

going to coding dojo's bootcamp is one of my great investment for my future.  Have been wanting to take up web development for years now and they made it available in just a few weeks. It was hard for me to find time since my job schedule varies from 9-5 to 9-end-of-work-next-day.with some weekend work as well.

The instructors was great and they do their best to make sure that the students learn. and since this is a bootcamp, it is a fast-paced school that requires a lot of advance reading, learning and research. I also saw others prosper and excell in learning even without a background in IT.

They also have assistance on how to prepare your resume. A one-on-one with a consultant on how to prepare resume and portfolio. Their residency program allows the alumnis to continue enhancing their learning and preparing their portfolios.

This is a truly great experience and school.

Coding Dojo was one of the best investments that I had ever made. I come from a marketing background and was looking for a career switch into web development. After finding out about coding bootcamps and doing some reaserch, I found Coding Dojo to be the perfect fit for me, especially as a person coming from no background in computer science.

The Coding Dojo experience is a three month intense journey to becoming a web developer that is both extremly challenging and rewarding. The motto here is "Strength through struggle." Like all things in life, you reap what you sow. If you stick to the program and put in the long hours practicing and working on the material, you will definatly learn a lot and become a self sufficient programmer. I was skeptical of the program at first, but am not a true believer. During the program, I earned my black belt, and since completing the program a couple of weeks ago, Ive launched my first iPhone and Apple Watch app in the app store, and was part of a group that placed first at a UBER hackathon. 

The staff here at coding dojo are extemely helpful and friendly, and the environment is designed for learning. The facities are open 24/7...literallly 24/7, and you have access to resdient TA's and Instructors during the day, and remote TA's during off hours. The learning platform is extremely well done, and allows students to learn or review the material at their own pace. 

After graduating from the program, the founder offers a residence program that you can apply to for those that are looking for a career switch. During the program, each student is assigned to a instructor to mentor them in building their portfolio, working on their resume, going through algorithms (one hour a day in the afternoon), and hunting for jobs. In exchange, residents take turn teaching algorithms to current students in the morning and TA'ing duties once a week to help them reinforce the concepts they learned during the bootcamp. 

I highly recommend this program to anybody looking to make a career switch. Its a lot of hard work, but its totally worth it in the end.

Coding Dojo has been the most uplifting, empowering, and educational experience in my life. If you are ready for a wake up call and a healthy challenge you need to do this. It is a boot camp, so be ready to struggle, lose sleep, and feel like a god when your code works.

Don’t worry, you will not be alone, and you are in good hands. “Strength Through Struggle” is the motto here.

I cannot say enough good things about the staff and instructors here. They have all been through the boot camp themselves and will help you when you are ready to throw your laptop against the wall. This challenging environment is a catalyst for knowledge, innovation, and success. The moment you feel comfortable with one technology you will be learning the next one.

Coding Dojo has created an amazing community. Be ready to meet very intelligent people of diverse ages and backgrounds that are just as hungry for success as you are. By the end of the boot camp you will have a great network of professionals, friends, and perhaps a few enemies ☺.

If there is one piece of advice I can give, I would say enjoy the process. It is truly amazing to see yourself and your peers grow at such a rapid pace. It will pay off I promise.

So I'll keep this short and sweet, since I should actually be working (lol). Also, I don't write reviews. I've written less reviews than I can count on my fingers. 

I graduated early 2015. I am employed at a start-up where they pay me to code. I am technically a back-end developer but they throw me on front-end projects when needed. I can confidently say, for the first time, that I love what I do.

Developing is hard work, don't let anyone let you question that.  Getting through the Dojo was hard work. Job searching was hard work. Continuing to learn new frameworks and libraries gets easier, but is still a pain in the. But leaving my job, Boston, and going to Coding Dojo was also one of those experiences that I look back as a turning point in my life. I seriously went all-in and carved out a new career path. Sometimes you have to take risks to make changes like this happen. 

If you are looking for a way to learn that is taught through  videos , with no real help from anyone with real experience then this is the place for you. The reason they are ablel to keep their numbers up in the high nineties for employment is because they hire their former students as "residents" and then play favorites to who of those gets actually "apprenticeship pay". If you're not one of the  upper tier students, you can forget about being treated with dignity. I fortunately was not one of the slower students but I watched as they were given the cold shoulder, eyes rolled when they asked questionl.  One of my fellow cohort members who was pair programming iwth me asked the owner of the school, if he thought everyone would get a job, the owner madea sarcastic quip and a less than positive comment towards those students. This was odd, since it went against everything that they kept saying they were for.l was shocked because the less than flattering quip was said not so quietly and in the main computer area.  Once, they have socked you away in your pigeon hole, you can expect to be the last on the list when you have a question. One girl, kept asking for help from the instructor and never received any, since the instructor would ignore her to continue to chat with my tablemates.

They foster this us vs. them mentality and drive a wedge between the two groups with a few of us being able to stradlle both  worlds.

I am able to learn from videos , but i could have spent ten grand on a nice bigscreen and sound system and paid a small amount monthly for something like treehouse and done the same.

Job assistance is non existent. 

I received two black belts and a red belt. The requiremtnes for them to assist us they said. I was never contacted and when I asked they responded with a tutorial on this stuff

I came in to Coding Dojo with a background in finance. I was very young in my career (1 year into the workforce) when I already realized this wasn't going to cut it for me. Having very little experience in coding (Code Academy, Treehouse), I knew I had a lot to prove to everyone and myself. This would be my mantra throughout the Dojo and is what probably got me through the tough times; trust me, there will be a lot.

The curriculum is solid in terms of the progression that it takes you. You constantly build on top of what you did. The next step is always a challenge, but if you did things right on the previous one, you won't be lost for long before you figure out how to solve the next one. Some of the exercises will repeat albeit in another language. At first, I was a bit skeptical of this. Why are we doing the same things again?! Now that I'm working, it helps me tackle new libraries or frameworks because I always have a base to start off with. Most people like to do the classic to-do list app, but beyond that I have a few simple apps I can always fall back on if I want to learn something new. There is always something new to learn in tech and Coding Dojo trains you to adapt quickly. One thing that was a bit lacking in the curriculum was linux commands and deployment. I think there was a course on it, but it wasn't very effective. The topic itself wasn't hard to learn but having practice in this part of the process is critical.

The environment at Coding Dojo is super chill. Michael Choi really wants to make it a very open and comfortable environment for everyone. Participate in sports days even if you suck in sports. Do stuff with your cohort, it becomes easier to ask for help if you're cool with each other. If you're applying for the summer, play sports everyday! Thats what some of us did and it really did wonders for us. Bottom line, get to know your team and don't forget to do things outside of coding!

I was able to find a job less than a month after finishing. The hiring network was just starting to pick up when I was there so I can't comment on that. I will say that the team behind recruiting and marketing have been working diligently to push Coding Dojo to the next level. I was right beside them everyday so I know.

Always be out there to prove yourself. You are not entitled to anything, you have to earn it. Coding Dojo is only the beginning; it will jump start your career, but there is still so much to learn. Never give up! There will come a time when you want to quit, but keep fighting!