Holberton School

Figured this would be a wonderful platform in which to speak on my current school Holberton. Personally I identify as someone who always loved to learn but was never a fan of rote memorization in classrooms simply for the sake of test taking or sitting in a lecturn for an hour without the chance for discusson. At Holberton they focus on peer learning and self accountability in your work, which for the last 4 months has made for the best learning environments I have found the privilege of being a part of. The school's curriculum is geared towards teaching us how to think and introducing us to the various tools/languages we would use in order to lay the foundation of being a full stack engineer or for some going into more minute detail of an industry they have already been a part of for years. Students in my group range from all different career backgrounds, ages, identities and experience and everyone is able to get something out of it. I would definitely check out the school's model if you find yourself wanting to start anew and have a true grasp of the functionality of programming for any tech carreer you want. 

I've been at Holberton School three months and a few weeks at cohort 8 and I'm glad to be here. We're the first cohort in Bogotá, also, and my impressions of Holberton School are mostly positive. The routine here helps to catch up with the common workflow for coding, and this is specially useful if this is your first encounter with any programming language. 

For most of my friends who works in the tech field, facing C the three first months was weird because of its complexity, but our project forces us to think in a variety of options to solve some tasks (I even see them as quests sometimes). The work environment here is great and you can find people really skilled at programming and people who is newbie on this field. 

I really enjoyed all the Unix commands component and, despite all my struggles with C, I think it was amazing for my problem-solving skills. It's hard, that's true, but it has been an amazing ride. We don't have formal instructors and maybe for people more used to formal education, this can be a deal breaker. Instead of teachers, we have support of other fellow students, our mentor or students of the same cohort but in other locations and most of the times, we get the help we need and we understand as the tasks goes.

I think we've received support from all the staff, even in personal situations which affects our performance. Holberton is home for a lot of students here and I'm glad to be here. 

Tasks go quickly and it's hard to be up to date but most workflow on the tech field goes at that rhythm, it's exhausting but it fills you with energy at the same time. Be aware of how far you've learned in three months is gratifying. At this moment we're facing Python and it's cool how your problem solving skills gets stronger every day, a little bit. If you're in Bogota and you want to study a really intensive coding programming, Holberton can be your option. 

Holberton is one of a kind bootcamp. With an emphasis on peer learning, there are no teachers, but students learn from each other and learn how to both learn and teach difficult concepts. There are PLDs or peer learning days, mandatory days where you can learn from others and refineries where you train with your peers following a detailed frameword and sets of questions for interviews.

In contrast to most programming bootcampts we don't start with a fancy text editor and HTML, rather with a plain Linux terminal and Emacs or Vim. We start programming with C to understand how the hardware works at the low level before going to Python and so we are able to build our own libraries for faster speeds on Python programs.

We learn Unix, Devops, Git, Python, Front end, Backend, Databases. Not just what you learn in a typical bootcamp, but this program goes beyond everything else.

I have been here for two months (first cohort in Colombia) and all I have to say is that I consider a precious gem all the knowledge I have acquired. It is a really hard and intensive program, there is no doubt of it. Since first day, you will be told that projects won't be easy and it will get harder and harder over the time. However, the knowledge and skills you receive in exchange make the hard work worth. In this program you will have to read a lot and develop the self-learning skill. You will be challenged to develop the team work skill as well. Finally, after two months, I can take a look back at the beginning and I can say I learned a lot from C and GNU/Linux besides the soft-skills I have developed. Best decision if you want to become a software engineer who also knows how to work in teams, share your ideas, etc.

I have been loving my experience at Holberton and their commitment to making software engineering accessible for everyone. I am deaf, so when I was accepted and requested accommodations, they immediately went to work making sure I would have an equal experience with other students. This showed me that Holberton truly does have a commitment to educating different types of software engineers, and isn't just in it for lip service.

I entered the program knowing almost nothing about programming/computer science. I just knew some HTML/CSS and VERY basic bash commands. Now, 5 months later, I have a strong knowledge of C and have built some pretty cool and robust programs. I love how the projects by nature encourage us to implement best practices for each language and really understand what we're doing instead of just writing code that works. The project based model enables us to be self-reliant and try to figure stuff out on our own before turning to the staff, which is a skill future managers will really appreciate. Peer learning also helps us gain the skill of leaning on our peers (which will be co-workers in the future) and the group projects replicate what it's like to actually work as a software engineer with others. There is also an emphasis on practice interviews, which is known as the toughest part of getting a job in the industry, which makes me even more confident in my ability to find a job once all is said and done.

This program is really tough and requires a lot of your time/attention but I can honestly say I've never had so much learning. I was an accountant with no passion for what I was doing and now Holberton has reignited my passion for learning. I'm so excited to start working as a software engineer when the time comes.

I was part of the first batch student of Holberton school. I picked Holberton school as an alternative to a regular four year college education. I had this thirst to learn more about technology and building software. I thought Holberton was a good option for me as it was a two year program that would give me the proper time to really get a good grasp on what a career as a software engineer would involve and allow me the space and time to grow as young professional. Holberton school did not disappoint! I had an overall great experience. The content was fun and challenging. I had a good sense of community there, learning along side my peers. I loved that I also got to gain experience during the internship phase. I got an internship at a small medical tech company (where I am still currently working). I would definitely recommend Holberton to anyone who wants a strong foundation and be able to develop a good network to build  a software engineer career on top of.

My name is Cece and I'm a student at Holberton School. I'm in Cohort 6 which started in June 2018. I am almost done with my first 9 months and have nothing but good reviews for this school. When I started at Holberton, I barely knew how to write a function; now it's just second-nature for me. I will admit that the course load is intense, but it's all worth it. Holberton is great because you learn more than how to code. You learn coding fundamentals that will carry you throughout your career. I've gained valuable lessons on how to network and be a professional. Plus, I didn't need a communications class to teach me how to talk in front of others. Instead, Holberton provides students with oppurtunities to give a presentation in 3 minutes; allowing you to work on public speaking and being comfortable in front of others. If you're looking for a school that values learning and its students, Holberton might be a good fit for you :)

I've given instructors 5 stars, but Holberton has no formal instructors. Instead our peers are our instructors. We learn from each other. In the event that my peers can't help, I have access to faculty and Holberton mentors (Industry professionals) to get my answer.

Pros:

In 7 months, I've become proficient in C and Python, and currently am gaining a ground-up understanding of web infrastructure and web based applications (Nginx, Haproxy, MySQL, HTML/CSS, Flask, etc.). The program doesn't take shortcuts, and emphasizes a foundation of core concepts before delving into specific applications, coding languages, frameworks, etc. Learning C before Python probably isn't the fastest way to get started coding, but offers a much deeper understanding of what exactly happens under the hood, but you'll be be able to pick up new concepts and languages much faster in the future. I've been happy with the curriculum, and I feel like the pacing and progression have been well thought out. It's been intense, but I've never felt legitimately overloaded.

The peer learning model has been productive for me, but you also have to be ready to break out of your shell, ask questions, and make it work for you. This is not a traditional classroom environment, nor a traditonal academic teaching model. Just getting the "right" answers for "good" grades (a la college) will ultimately not be productive or helpful (afterall, nobody is going to ask what your "grades" were at Holberton).  This isn't a program you can expect to skate by on by just showing up and checking the right boxes. The program is intensive, and you will only take what you put into it.

Cons:

Peer learning is partially dependent on quality of peers. The school needs to ensure applicants are ready to succeed in the program and buy into the leanring model. Old habits die hard, and changing peoples' mentality of how school and learning works doesn't happen overnight. 

The SF campus is cool and offers alot of options for workspaces, but noise and disruptions from people hanging out and laughing are too common.

When I was looking to transition into a tech career, I looked into both traditional college options as well as boot camps, the former being too long and expensive (I couldn't afford to be not working for four years) and the latter being too short (I didn't think I could learn enough in just a few months or less). After researching Holberton's 2-year program, it felt like the perfect balance, long enough to get a solid programming foundation as well as having deferred tuition. It meant that the school is investing in its students and if the students don't succeed, then the school doesn't, and it speaks to the school's ethos and quality of curriculum.

Along with that, I loved the hands-on, project-based peer learning model. You really don't know how much you understand about a subject until you try to teach it to someone else, and peer learning gives you the opportunity to find out. Not only do you learn technical skills, but from the very first day you're taught real-life skills necessary to succeed in the industry, such as problem-solving, self-sufficiency, and helping those around you as well as yourself. Soft skills are important too, given the peer learning model -- learning to communicate and collaborate with other engineers is just as important as being a good programmer.

Attending Holberton was an amazing experience for me because it changed my perspective on how to learn, how to collaborate, and what education can be.

Holberton School is in a league of its own when it comes to providing students with the necessary skills to go into software engineering. Not only do you learn computer science fundamentals that most other 'bootcamps' gloss over, but you learn key work environment skills such as public speaking, project planning, and teamwork. The program is not for the faint of heart. You must truly be ready to work your ass off, because the curriculum moves fast and hard. But if your goal is to become a software engineer in a relatively short period of time, Holberton offers the tools that you need to learn, and to learn how to learn.

Holberton allowed me to transition from working in the public education sector to my current role as jr. software engineer intern. It also allowed me to discover my passion for machine learning. While ML is not offered in the first year of the curriculum, I chose to pursue a final project that was entirely machine learning based. With the time-management and research skills I acquired at Holberton, I was able to have a functioning ML model to present at the end of my first year.

Highly recommend!

The Holberton School offers anyone who's excited about software engineering (and willing to work really hard) a chance to reinvent their life for the better. Before attending the Holberton School, I completed my freshman year at Santa Clara University. I was frustrated by the lack of hands on and experimental learning. It felt like high school - where students where more focused on absorbing information quickly for high stakes exams than actually understanding things. The Holberton School is the opposite. It's a unique space where all your peers are there because they want to learn. You get to solve problems together, build cool things, and ultimately be the master of your own education. For me, overall, the first four months have been great. My advice to you is - don't wait. If you want to apply - dive in. Go for it. It's worth it 100%.

By far the worst place to go.  No lectures, they don’t teach you shit and you end up in a income shared agreement without learning jack shit.  You are better off using Udemy, LinkedIn learning,Lynda, YouTube and just books on coding.  Again emphasis on THEY DONT TEACH YOU SHIT. they want you to research everything and do it on your own. You can do that from the comfort of your home.  This is the biggest scam out there. Avoid this so called “school”.. I left in the middle of it all and I wish I left sooner instead of waisting my time at this shit hole.