Ironhack

 I finished Ironhack’s full time web dev course last week and I highly recommend it, if you want to work hard and learn fast.  I started with nearly zero coding experience and I built a game and 2 web applications during the course. Designing and completing these projects was important because it helped me understand and experiment with the new technology I had learned, now I have projects to show potential employers.

  I found the overall Ironhack experience to be friendly and supportive, but it also challenged and pushed me to work as hard as I could. The Ironhack staff are really down-to-earth, smart, dedicated, and love coding.  I really cannot say enough good things about the people there. Our class was one of the largest they’ve had, but individual help was still readily available. Communication with the instructor, TAs, and other students was easy and fast - we used SLACK, which is a commonly used communication tool in the tech world.

 Right now I’m doing the career week - the week after you graduate Ironhack helps with resumes, interviewing skills, and also holds a job fair. This was one of the main reasons I chose Ironhack and so far it has been a great help.

If you’re looking for a rapid career change or to further build up your practical coding skills in the least amount of time possible, the coding bootcamp might be just the answer for you. If you’re considering a few different bootcamps, here are a few facts that set Ironhack apart:

• An amazing support system, which means ever step of the way you will have access to expert guidance: from the application process and the course’s pre-work, through the program’s curriculum and building projects for your portfolio, all the way to updating your resume and job interviews’ preparation.
• Well-rounded, very practical and consistently updated curriculum. There’s a new full-time cohort at Ironhack every 2 months and each new group gets an updated and improved course, which means that when you graduate your new skills will be relevant and in demand.
• The environment of diversity and inclusion that fosters creativity and allows one to customize what course has to offer to one’s personal needs.
• The Ironhack staff. Friendly, helpful, knowledgable, professional and extremely invested in your success during the program and beyond. From the TA’s with the infinite supply of patience, who will explain things to you as many times as it takes for you to grasp them, to the program manager in charge of the weekly activities and learning environment (which, if necessary, is modified in real time according to your own cohort’s weekly reviews), all the way to the outcomes manager (aka your new bff - the guy who will guide you to landing that dream job), - the Ironhack team is an amazing group of individuals, who made your success their professional goal.
• The location: Downtown Miami, steps away from Brickell City center, with classrooms located in a beautiful co-working space with 24 hour access, awesome modern amenities (fully equipped kitchen incl. the espresso machine, rooftop access w/lounging chairs, a lawn and corn hole, free beer on tap…Do I need to say more?!)
• The alumni network: from day one you get to become a member of the extended Ironhack’s family connecting developers and designers of all skill levels across borders and oceans. So it will stay for the rest of your professional career.

Now for the difficult part. If you commit to a full-time 9 week program be prepared to put everything else in your life on hold: relationships, family commitments, workout routine, etc. There would be no place in your life for any interests or goals outside of your coding aspirations. The course is very fast paced, so your dedication has to be complete for the adequate ROI.

All in all, if you are eager to get you foot in the door of the Web Development world and are ready to put in the hard work, becoming an Ironhacker might be the best career move you’d ever make.

I attended Ironhack Miami June of 2018 for the Full time Web Developement Course with little to no experience in the coding language javascript. I loved the experience, fast pace , challenging and great location with tons of options with food and outtings. The staff are well versed in the language which makes your learning experience a very pleasany one until they leave. Books you should read before starting the course are Eloquent JavaScript, followed up with the book title " You dont Js ", and in that order. Working on the pre-work assigned to you when you reserve your seat in the Cohort is a great foundation and shouldn't be taken lightly. Ask questions with no mercy to the TA's and instructor or else you are wasting your time and money, remember its ok to not understand. This course is a sprint but if you stay quite without asking questions you are going to make your time and money . The course is no joke, but with the right mindset and with the right preperation you will be fine. That being said don't plan on working during the course if you are truely want to become proficient in JavaScript. I say this becuase unfortunately had to work due to some mistakes made by my recruiter on the loan dates since they tried to place me on the Cohort before the one I attend and this person forgot to change the dates back to the correct ones  (don't worry don't think he works there anymore). This even made me have to pay my loan back as soon as I started the course and work on the weekends.

Great experience over all, good luck to anyone accepting this challenge!

Attending Ironhack's full time UX/UI Design program was something that I was interested in but not sure if I should take on. Someone recommended it to me, and after seeing his success and all around improvement in life, I knew it was a chance I could not pass up. I'm so glad I did the program! Not only did I learn countless valuable skills that will help me as a designer, I gained an entire family, network, and support system. My instructor David served as a mentor and friend when he wasn't teaching, and the events and guest speakers hosted by Ironhack never disappointed. I feel ready to take on the world of design, and I've already started applying design thinking to all aspects of my life. I definitely recommend Ironhack if you are seeking to change your career, improve your skillset and make yourself more valuable, learn something new, or just gain a community that you know you can rely on!

I would 100% recommend Ironhack to any friend interested in Web Development. I believe that someone motivated enough will succeed with the assistance of Ironhack. It is not easy, and it is not a golden ticket to a job (although it can be if you work hard enough). Ironhack has a great network here in South Florida and companies absolutely notice their name on a resume or LinkedIn profile.

Continue reading for a more detailed look at my journey at Ironhack.

Background: I never worked in anything tech or programming related. I had some programming experience from undergrad and from there on out, I have been taking steps to improve my development skills but felt like I hit a wall.

Why I joined: I wanted to build a portfolio and break down that wall. I wanted to switch careers and become a developer/engineer. I chose Ironhack over their competition because of the MEAN Stack, these reviews, and the passion and family-like culture I received upon initial contact with the staff.

Staff: Ironhack keeps expanding and stays progressive with their vision and every employee really cares and believes in that vision. From the top down, everyone is approachable and makes you feel at home. 

• Your instructor? Ironhacker
• TA's? Ironhackers

They have been in our shoes. They know what it takes to push you and make sure they set you up for success. They are happy to do it. It is not a "job" for them, it's a passion. 

My cohort had a new instructor, Nick. Everything I had read about Ironhack before joining was about Nizar and I had high expectations. Nick did a great job, and he had a great team of TA's too. Lead TA - Sandra is a machine. You will not fall behind even with the fast pace because of this.

Experience: HIRED 6 weeks after hiring fair

To get the most out of this course, you will live, eat, breathe, and dream code. This is 9 weeks full time, and 1 more for hiring week. In these 10 weeks, do not expect to have a life outside of Ironhack. Make sure you have the full support of a significant other because it is not an easy balance. Your friends will be non-existent. It's a boot camp for a reason. Even with some coding experience, I would find myself still at Ironhack until 10-11pm most days. Project week will hit you like a ton of bricks. Beer on tap will keep you sane.

On the bright side, you are going to be in a setting with dozens of people who have the same mindset and goals as you. This makes it a lot easier.

What isn't obvious is that it does not stop after these 10 weeks. When you are looking for work afterward, it is also a full-time job. Expect to be looking for work for 4-8 weeks minimum.

And it doesn't stop there. If you get hired, it's going to feel like another boot camp. So make sure you take that all into account before jumping in and make sure you can be fully committed. 

Job assistance:  There is a hiring fair set up by Brito that at the very least will give you some practice on interviewing. I interviewed with 6 companies and with two of those, I went through their whole interview process afterward. I did not get hired by a company from the hiring fair (but others did).

Brito makes sure you are taking necessary action in your job hunt and guides you. 

I applied aggressively and was able to land multiple phone interviews and several in-person interviews. Rejected by plenty, but in the end, I was able to get multiple offers.

Conclusion: I would do it all over again if I could. I knocked down that wall and changed careers, and made great friends at the same time. 

Tips:  Take your LinkedIn and resume seriously. Attend tech events and meetups. Try to do coding challenges on HackerRank and/or CodeWars.

Feel free to message me on LinkedIn if there is anything else you'd like to know.

I was working full time as creative when I first heard about Ironhack. My schedule was busy and I was devoted to my career, but it was always a thought that would cross my mind over and over again. There came a point where I felt I needed a challenge, and after winning a scholarship through uber, I was able to raise the funds to attend the UX/UI cohort and still continue working at the same time. The 9 weeks I spent at their coworking space in Miami not only provided me with an intense curriculum, but also the challenge of solving real world problems and devising projects to make them a reality. We started as 22 strangers and left as a family looking for ways to make the world a better place through design. I have no regrets after attending this course and would reccomend to anyone that has an interest in problem solving, research, or design.

I finished the Ironhack Paris Bootcamp at the start of August '18 and I still can't believe it is already over !

I started as a total beginner and went to Ironhack in order to get the basics on the frontEnd and backEnd sides of the web development process.

The training is short but INTESE ! Nine weeks and hundreds of hours of organised learning and personnal one !

You have to be able to work hard and give up on some parts of your social life for a short period of time but it is so worth it! 

The teacher, the TAs and the whole staff are always there if you need anything ! The classmates are all in the same boat but you can count on mostly everybody to lift each other and work together !

The courses are really thought to satisfy your curiosity and also to attract future comanies.

Don't expect to become a web dev wizard at the end, but you'll be showed the ropes to improve and keep on going !

And one IMPORTANT THING : Ironhack is not just for 9 weeks ! Once an Ironhack, forever an Ironhacker !

I just finished my Web development bootcamp and it was an amazing experience.

I was scared to change my career but Ironhack taught me all the tools I needed to do so, including how to continue learning stuff by myself after the bootcamp, which is the most important for me.

The staff is amazing, very friendly, and is ready to give you the support you need. The teacher is the best you could hope for. It was like having a new little family :)

I just finished the bootcamp but we already have a lot of job interviews so I'm looking forward to what's coming next for me!

I graduated from Ironhack Paris by the end of may '18 and if I could, I would do it again right now.

To be precise on my personal background, I started as a junior and not a total beginner, I went to Ironhack to specialize myself in web development after having completed a longer, more general training which started my career shift.

About the training itself, it is short but intensive, more than 400 hours in 9 weeks, only talking about hours spent in class here, you will work at home too, especially during project weeks.
It can sound harsh, and sometimes it is, but everything's done for you to succeed. The teachers are always present and your classmates who are going through the same things as you are here too, you will always get some help when needed.

The content of the curriculum is thought to be in accordance with entreprises' needs and is evolving to keep it this way. Of course you won't know everything there is to know when you graduate, but you'll be prepared to have a kickstart and keep improving. 

The teachers were all cool but special mention to Nizar who was our lead teacher. His way of teaching has never been boring, good tone and speed for talking, good balance between seriousness and fun... This is really different from about every course I've attended before.

And as a last word, once you've graduated, you're still an Ironhacker, if you need anything during your job search (which could end during the hiring week, next week after graduation), you can call them for help, advice, contacts, drop by for events or just to say hello.

If you're willing to work hard, don't hesitate, go for it, this is not an expense, this is an investment in yourself.

I did a ton of research before choosing the right program for me, and the moment I found Ironhack I knew it was the right choice. From the very first point of contact with the company I could feel the passion from its team and it was contagious. I was eager to learn more and take my design skills to the next level, and what I got was all that and more. Much more than just a bootcamp experience, the Ironhack experience is about making new connections, new friends, making lasting memories. The hours were long and the work was hard, but it was all worth it. The program is very comprehensive and complete and I received all the necessary support and guidance I needed from my instructor David Fast and teacher assistant Snezana Dragusev. David kept it all fun and interesting, and did a tremendous job at getting the material across, and Snezana was always available to lend a helping hand and keeping the entire class in high spirits. The UX/UI course also comes with an exciting web development-focused week which supercharged my front-end dev skills, all with the help of web instructor Fernando Azevedo.

The entire Ironhack staff is exemplary, always on the ready to help you out, offer their guidance or just chat with! Huge props have to be given to Alia Poonawala (General Manager at Ironhack Miami), Jessica Gonzalez (Administrator), Patrick de la Guardia (Admissions Director) and Rebecca Willett, General Manager at Building.co, the coworking space where Ironhack Miami is located.

The Ironhack bootcamp also offers an amazing job support program, masterfully orchestrated by Outcomes Manager Daniel Brito. Brito goes above and beyond in helping students learn best practices for job interviews, job tracking, soft skills interviews and generally how to get out there into the real world after the bootcamp is over. The mock interviews and actual interviews are great practice, if nothing more. The guest speakers Brito gets to come in are also a real treat and a part I looked forward to every week of the course. There really is no better way to learn than to hear from actual people who are in the field and have tons of experience already.

All in all, I went into the course expecting to leave with a lot more UX/UI knowledge, but I left with so much more. I am more confident in my own abilities and skills and feel more ready to tackle the world and find the opportunities I long for. This is an experience I will carry with me and refer back to for the rest of my life