Grace Hopper Program

Highly recommend attending Grace Hopper Academy! Attending this program changed the trajectory of my career path for the better. Prior to attending Grace Hopper, I worked in public accounting at a Big 4 accounting firm. Although I valued the experience I had in my prior career, I knew for quite some time I wanted to transition into the tech industry, so I started to teach myself how to code during my “free time,” and I then attended Grace Hopper and was part of its 1st graduating cohort. Overall, the program is very well structured, has amazing instructors, and an overall positive vibe. After the program ended, I felt very well equipped when searching for jobs and the Career Services Team was very helpful throughout the whole process. It took me about 2 months to find a job. I included more details on the program itself below (although some details may or may not be the same now):

The program was 17 weeks in total. During the first 4 weeks, we worked remotely and drilled into core programming concepts, such as object-oriented programming, asynchronous programming, and recursion. The next 13 weeks were held on campus. During this time, we learned about computer science fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, Big O space & time analysis), databases (MongoDB/Mongoose, MySQL/Sequelize), front-end development (AngularJS/JavaScript MVC, HTML5, CSS3), and back-end development (Node.js, Express.js, APIs). The first half of the 13 weeks consisted of learning through a mix of lectures, hands-on workshops, and pair-programming. During the last half of the 13 weeks, we applied the knowledge we learned to build full-stack web applications both individually and on teams. During this period, I felt empowered when I was able to create full-stack applications with the skills that I had learned at Grace Hopper Academy and became excited about embarking on a career in software development. 

In addition to the curriculum, we had the opportunity to interact with guest speakers from a variety of technical backgrounds. These speakers were all very accomplished and gave me a glimpse of what my future in software development could entail. These experiences were very inspirational and motivated me to continue down this exciting career path.

I started programming 2 month before getting accepted to GHA and got a job offer as a software engineer within 6 weeks of graduation. 

It is a 4-months program - 1 month online prep course + 3 month onsite which includes two phases: the program itself and the job search phase. The latter is what distinguishing GHA from other bootcamps, after the program is finished, the hiring team will work with you during your job search: resume writing, job applications, networking, mock interviews, hiring day. These folks do their best to help you get the job you dream of. 

Joining GHA was the best career decision I've made, and I highly recommend checking it out if you consider transitioning into software development. 

Rigorous curriculum, amazing instructors and staff. Joining GHA is def top 10 moves of my life, number one being my religious use of coconut oil. 

On top of being an incredible coding school, GHA also places a huge importance on fostering a supportive learning atmosphere. Self-care is emphasized and priotarized and from the get go you are forced to find balance.

I was offered a position with one of our hiring partners just a few weeks after my graduation. I would definitely recommend GHA to any woman looking to take her coding skills to the next level. 

tl;dr Exceeded my expectations & best decision I've ever made.

I was a student at Grace Hopper Academy in early 2016 as part of the first cohort. Before attending the bootcamp, I barely knew how to program. I left my job as a CPA before starting GHA, but it took a long time to convince myself that I could make it in this field without any background in CS. My advice is that if you're interested in programming but are afraid of a career change, stop doubting yourself! If you really want it, go for it. My only regret is that I didn't believe in myself sooner. You also really can't go wrong at GHA. All of the people in my cohort had diverse backgrounds, but were also some of the brightest and most ambitious women I have ever met.

I looked into several bootcamps such as App Academy and Flatiron School, but GHA was the obvious first choice for me for many reasons: Fullstack Academy's reputation, GHA being an all women cohort, deferred tuition, and my awesome interview experience with one of my instructors. During my interview, my interviewer taught me a concept that I had been struggling with on my own very clearly and patiently, giving me a sense of the teaching style. 

I had 1 main instructor for our 4 week prep phase before the bootcamp started, 2 during junior phase (first half of program) and 2 during senior phase. Every instructor was not only knowledgeable, but also relateable, engaging, and just a fun person to be around. The curriculum is jam-packed, but highly effective and continually evolving with each cohort.  

Learning fullstack javascript was also a great decision. You get the opportunity to dive into advanced concepts and come out with the ability to quickly pick up and learn new technologies on your own. At the end of the course, the cohort participates in a Hiring Day, in which you present your final project to a select group of employers (our cohort had around 20 companies) and participate in mini-interviews with the companies you're interested in. I, along with many of my classmates, ended up with job offers just 2 weeks out of Hiring Day with great companies. 

GHA is definitely the best decision I have ever made. It's not only a fun and highly rewarding experience, but you also become part of a huge network of GHA/Fullstack Academy alumni that are always giving back to the community. I couldn't have asked for a better bootcamp experience.

I highly recommend Grace Hopper for
1. The community - everyone from instructors, staff and students operate under a no asshole rule but they go beyond that. People go out of their way to help each other out.
2. The learning opportunities - the instructors are subject matter experts that love their craft, which makes learning really fun. The material is also highly relevant to the course and to the real world - I received an amazing job that is using the tech stack we learned at Grace Hopper.
I'm so happy with my decision and highly recommend it for anyone else who wants to pursue a career in coding!

TL;DR

The education I received from Grace Hopper Academy was invaluable and provided me with the tools I needed to obtain a job in the field and progress my career. Moreover, I established very strong friendships that benefit me both personally and professionally. If I could do it again I absolutely would, but would strongly recommend managing expectations - not all aspects of this program are great.

Grace Hopper Academy:

Grace Hopper Academy is a specific cohort of the Fullstack Academy school, specifically the all women’s program. The curriculum is the same, there is often intermingling, and teachers rotate through all cohorts.

Comparison to Other Bootcamps:

I take as many opportunities as I can to speak with graduates from other programs - App Academy, General Assembly, Recurse Center, Hack Reactor, Hackbright Academy, etc. The impression I get is that Recurse Center is only a good option if you are very self-motivated, independent, and have a solid foundational knowledge. Otherwise, Hackbright Academy and Fullstack Academy / Grace Hopper seem the best options. Most feedback on others have been a bit negative.

The Curriculum:

Most bootcamps seem to focus on Python, Ruby, Javascript - usually in a mixture. Grace Hopper teaches full stack javascript, currently focusing on their "NERD" stack (Node.js, Express.js, React, and Databases using SQL). Only focusing on Javascript allows the program to do a deep dive into the language that already owns the front-end and is being increasingly adopted for back-end. I would recommend this approach to most others, but would be hard pressed to decide between Javascript and Python. 

The school takes feedback seriously when it comes to the curriculum, and are constantly aiming to keep it up to date with where the industry is going.

The depth in which computer science concepts (data structures, data types, algorithms) were covered was adequate for understanding questions in entry level interviews, and certainly provides a solid foundation from which to easily continue learning.

Teachers vary in competency, but by and large are good.  Just because they are an instructor there does not mean they are knowledgeable on everything or even good at instruction. There seems to be an issue here with a culture of, “We are here to help! But also, no one helped me so figure it out for yourself.” It can be a bit jarring. If you have made it through the process to get into this program, odds are you are not the type of personality that just wants knowledge handed to or problems solved for you. Expect this type of dismissal sometimes when raising questions, and push further when you are told to just look it up online (as if you haven’t already).

Bootcamp Prep (BCP):

Unsure of if this still exists or if the details are current: BCP's tuition rolled $350 towards the overall tuition of the program. This is a great incentive to take it. If you are coming from no background in programming or computer science, this is likely necessary at a minimum. 

The Program Schedule:

• Builders:

At the discretion of the fellow that interviews you, you may need to take Builders, the precursor to Foundations. I would recommend asking to take it either way, because it’s very useful and provides more time to get your computer set up to their specifications. This does not cost extra, but does mean that your work starts two weeks prior to Foundations.

• Foundations:

A part time, remote program which covers javascript fundamentals. If possible, I recommend treating this as full time. The better you do here and the more you understand, the easier the main program will be. If you continue to work during this, it will be manageable but hectic. This lasts 4-5 weeks. You will have time slots to ask fellows questions. I recommend utilizing these times and asking as much as possible. Some concepts may be tricky.

• Junior Phase: 

Junior phase is the first half of the program - 6 weeks. Class sizes are really big compared to when they began this program. Originally being more like 16 people, now class sizes are mid to high 30s. Most days consist of a review Q&A a half hour prior to class beginning at 10:00 AM, lecture, a solo assignment, and pair programming guided projects. The pair programming is an integral part of the curriculum, and it will be something you do every day. Focus less on finishing the project and more on understanding everything with your partner before moving on to a next step. The pairs are randomized, and you can (and should) provide feedback after each pairing. This will become relevant in Senior Phase.

Your cohort will have a handful of fellows, which are students who just graduated and circle back through the program as the next cohorts mentors. Keep this in mind for perspective on their knowledge level. Classes have two or three teachers that cycle through on different topics, so there is less rapport built with specific teachers than before when there was a pair assigned to a cohort. 

• Review week (“Async Week”): 

Depending on when your cohort begins in the year, this may be a week or a month (for example, December holidays makes this a month). This is a week you work remotely again. There is enough to do that I would recommend treating it as if school is not on break. While this entire program is very demanding of 3-4 months of your life, my perspective is to lean into it because it is so short and you should take advantage of everything. 

This week will have you working on making a boilerplate and understanding OAuth. Boilerplate will be good to understand in your future career, because projects can often jump off a stock boilerplate codebase. OAuth is pretty important to understand, so keep at it this week.

Instructors use this period to determine who will replay Junior Phase (with additional tuition charged). Two from my cohort were replays from the previous cohort and two replayed into the next cohort. Seems like 0-3 is average.

• Senior Phase: 

Junior Phase pair programming reviews and ratings come into play heavily in Senior Phase. There will be four major projects: 

------> Presentation
A video or blog post on a specific topic you researched. 

------> Grace Shopper
A week and a half e-commerce website project with a group of four. This group is based on your ratings from Junior Phase. This project incorporates MVP (Minimal Viable Product) stages and code review with instructors.

------> Stackathon
A solo project lasting a half week and weekend. Hit the ground running and ensure you have a good direction with your instructor before the weekend comes and you won’t have access to assistance. Some instructors may not have experience or knowledge of mobile development, so be careful what project you choose.

------> Capstone
A two and a half week project with a group of four. This is group is based on your ratings of all students in a survey taken after Grace Shopper. By now you may understand more the importance of doing this. You pick the technologies to use, but the more technologies you try to cram into this project, the worse off you will be - both on a technical struggle standpoint, as well as when you need to speak about your projects in interviews in the future. Hiring managers will care much more about how you attempted to solve interesting problems on an unfinished app than a super simple, shiny game built on Unity. 

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The group members for Grace Shopper and Capstone can make or break your time there, so take rating pairings seriously.

I’d recommend keeping a list of ideas and researching interesting concepts for the Presentation, Stackathon, and Capstone starting in Junior Phase (Async Week at the latest). This will allow you to have plenty of input in how these go. Moreover, Senior Phase moves very fast so the sooner you finish the Presentation - which there is no class time allotted for - the better you’ll be. I would recommend doing this in Async Week.

Almost every day is begun with a REACTO (Read back for understanding, Examples/Edgecases, Assess/Approach, Code, Test, Optimize) problem or the occasional lecture. REACTO is this school’s approach to algorithm and coding interview preparation.  You will be paired randomly with someone for a week and switch off each day on being the interviewer and the interviewee. The problems can be quite difficult, and I personally used this time to, again, focus less on finishing the problem and more on working with my partner to understand as much of it as possible. REACTOs done here are, on average, on par in difficulty that interviews provide. 

The work involved with presentation of the Capstone seems somewhat relevant to product management and pitching ideas. However, the format is off to me. You spend too much time making a video and script for a presentation as if the app you make is full, finished, and worth presenting. You will certainly never show this video to any potential employers. I would recommend focusing more on thinking and practicing (with your group) talking points on interesting code or design you used, problems you came across, how you did or would solve them, and so on.

Launch Day: 

This is a hiring day in which companies come to campus for a mini career-fair which includes both Grace Hopper and Fullstack Academy cohorts. Somewhere around 4-10 from my cohort accepted offers within two months from companies they initially met on Launch Day. It’s merely an intro, an initial point of contact. Some companies may not be hiring but come anyway. Some may be hiring in 3-6 months. Some may be hiring for other cities like Boston. Some may be only hiring customer-facing, non-technical roles. These are things to keep in mind.

The roster for this day varies, but there are strong partnerships with some that come often (American Express, JP Morgan Chase, Simon Data as examples). You are assigned to four companies and have little say in who they are. Still, there is a networking session after in which you can approach anyone. I recommend taking advantage of that, and even trying to catch someone before it starts.

Value:

Fullstack Academy: $17,910

Grace Hopper: $19,610

These are not low numbers, to be sure. Contrary to their marketing, the Grace Hopper absolutely does have upfront cost in the form of a $3,000 deposit due before beginning. The final total after graduation is somewhere around $16,600. Note that BCP tuition may be deducted here. Monthly payments after accepting an offer will be along the lines of $1,800 for nine months.

With the three (or four) months of full time commitment, $3,000 deposit, two to four months (on average) of job searching after, this is a huge investment and is out of reach for a lot of people. Sure, the tuition repayment for Grace Hopper makes it slightly easier for women to take this route, but not by much. If you cannot afford a full 10 months off without income, this probably won’t be an option for you.

The CIRR report they show is usually dated by a year or two. Cohort graduates near mine, ending in the second half of 2018, saw in the $70k - $100k range - typically ~$85k. With that result, it seems quite clear as being worth it. I do not see or hear any stories of people going through this and exiting the industry after (even after 2-5 years). I know myself, and self study would not have been nearly as adequate to set me up for success.

You’ll make an excellent network of peers and friends and have so many resources to take advantage of once you begin.

Career Counselors:

This is a good example of how parts of this program can be helpful for those with little to no experience in a certain area. If you have gone through career changes, job interviews, networking, etc. there is quite a bit here that can feel very dumbed down or a downright hinderance. Keeping the perspective in mind that they are providing a really solid framework and tools available if needed will help you not be disappointed in the lack of depth. Sometimes, there doesn’t actually need to be depth, and sometimes there is only so much they can do to help you. Which leads to the problem of expectations. Do not allow this or other bootcamp’s marketing to shape your expectations into thinking that after this program you’ll be handed a job or it will be super easy.

That said, I will reiterate that they do provide a lot of resources and framework.

There is a career counselor dedicated to you when you graduate, but they have dozens of other graduates to help as well. Still, they were relatively available.  I felt they were inconveniently unavailable the day I received an offer. Interpersonally, I felt quite disappointed with the career success staff. The habits and guidelines they propose for the job search are a great start, but should only be used if you are not actively in the interview process with one or more companies that need more attention.

Job Search: 

This will be brutal. Expect to not get an offer for at least three months. You can get lucky, you can know or meet the right person. But do not expect that you’ll stand out to any company in any way. Too many people underestimate how rough this will be, how much rejection you will face, and how long it will take to get even one offer.

Hit the ground running and have a strategy for this time period. You need quality, but you also need quantity. Those from my cohort that applied to only a couple places a month are really struggling. The career counselors have a guideline they propose for this, and I’d recommend that as a starting point. 

Another point is know what you want. You can certainly get an offer for a tech support role or a client-facing role that doesn’t actually touch any code except when they let you for half a day on Fridays. But know what you’re willing to do and what you want to do. Keep in mind that the first job is the hardest to find by far, and once you have one the next will be easier. Stepping stones.

Alumni Network:

You will certainly make strong connections in your immediate cohort. I would recommend interacting with your Seniors and Juniors to triple that exposure. There is a dedicated alumni slack workspace. 

I feel confident that the network I have established from this program will help me moving forward. Moreover, it appears that most graduates from bootcamp programs are very receptive to one another. Traditional computer science graduates are hit or miss.

This will end up being on you to be a part of the change in the industry which has its fair share of gatekeeping.

Grace Hopper Moving Forward:

Like many trade schools, this has some potential problems with lowering admission requirements and diluting the reputation in pursuit of profit. As of right now, I did not find this to be the definite case. Moreover, the impression I receive from other bootcamps is that Fullstack Academy is the best when it comes to this.

I would definitely recommend attending Grace Hopper! Overall, I had a great experience and was able to find a job as a software engineer fairly quickly after graduating.

In doing boot camp research, I found that Grace Hopper/Fullstack's curriculum was the most robust and industry applicable of NYC boot camps. Also, the fact that it's the only all-women boot camp on the east coast (I'm pretty sure) was a huge selling point for me.

The curriculum was very thorough and delivered very very fast-paced. Not everyone makes it from the first half of the program to the second (project based) half. Even more stressful than the huge influx of information were the presentation-based projects. I definitely appreciated them, because it made it easier to talk about different technologies confidently. I hope they continue having that as an integral part of their curriculum.

I thought the instructors were a great mix of people in the industry and people who graduated from GH or Fullstack themselves. They seemed genuinely invested in your success, which is not something you hear about a lot of boot camps.

The culture at Grace Hopper was amazing. I loved how they emphasized collaboration over competition. For the most part, they seem to choose students who are easy to work with. I came out of the program with a lot of new friends.

Their career service team is really aggressive, in a good way. They are really great at what they do, which made it less stressful to find a job after graduating.

Overall, I had a great experience at Grace Hopper, and would recommend it to any woman looking to change their career.

It's difficult to encapsulate the transformative experience I've had at the Grace Hopper program at Fullstack Academy in a few words, but I'll try! I have never before experienced an educational environmental that condensed such a high amount of marketable skills in such a short time frame. This however, would not be possible without the incredible instructors and helpful fellows who are determined to see EVERY student succeed. This is also evident with the deferred tuition plan that comes with participating in the Grace Hopper program. This means that Fullstack is so invested in your potential that they will not accept payments unless you have received a developer or software engineering role within a year. Within just 5 months I have gone from for loops to full stack applications that non technical users can enjoy. And even with an undergraduate education, I can honestly say this has been the most rewarding educational experiences I have ever had. If you enjoy coding and want to push yourself to the next level, Grace Hopper will not disappoint.