LearningFuze

I completed the 12 week course in December 2017 and what an intense exhilarating journey it was.  I wanted a career change from working in retail and I always had a knack for technology.  Coming in with no prior experience, I had a hard time trying to learning so many things so fast, but coming in everyday learning the material and practicing, practicing, and more practicing I never would have thought I could be where I am at today in my web developement process!  The staff is amazingly dedicated and so helpful! Dan, the lead teacher is literally there for 10-12 hours a day willing to help and Andy and Tim are really knowledgeable and are always happy to help you with any issues.  Since I have graduated Learning Fuze, TJ the program manager has helped be prepare my portfolio and go over my resume and I know I will be well prepared as I start looking for jobs in the real world later this month!

I am very thankful that I chose to come to LearningFuze. Five months ago, I left a job in HR, with hardly any technical background. And now, I just started my first job as a web developer. LearningFuze accelerated my ability to successfully transition to a new career. Though there is still a ton that I don't know, I am surprised and how much I was able to learn in 3-months. More than anything else, LearningFuze laid the foundation to continue learning and have categories to place that new information.

There are a lot of things I could say, but I'll focus on two major strengths that stand out to me about LearningFuze: 
1. Post-Graduation Support 
2. Job Support

Post-Graduation Support: I've had the experience at other schools of being cut-off from the community as soon as you graduate. This was not at all the case with LearningFuze. They have a dedicated room for Alumni and I always felt welcomed. After graduation, the staff continued to invest time and energy into me, my portfolio, and my job search. If you continue to invest the time and effort, LearningFuze will continue to invest the time and effort until you find your first web developer job.

Job Support: LearningFuze provides amazing networking opportunities and job support. Because they have been around for multiple years and have an established staff, they have strong connections with companies in the greater Orange County area. These connections will often be the foot in the door for a new developer. I want to give a specific shout out to TJ Kinion. TJ does an amazing job of getting to know students, informing students about job opportunities, connecting students to networking events, and providing resume and interview guidance. I owe much of my current opportunity to his work and support.

If you are looking to restart your career, and you want to pursue Web Development in Orange County, I highly recommend this program.

Feel free to check out my LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/in/soren-baird

I am currently half-way through the 12 week full immersion program, and I love it.

So why did I describe LFZ (Learning Fuze) with those three words? Allow me to explain.

Intense. Learning Fuze is going to be one of the biggest commitments you will make in your life. You will get out of this program just as much as you put into it. That said, there are great instructors here always willing to help that make your life so much easier. I'm by no means the hardest worker here, but I can see so much improvement in not just myself but all of those around me that is unparalleled to anything I've seen in any colleges.

Family. When you come to LFZ, you are committing yourself to over 12 weeks of 10-14 hour days here. All of the staff and all of your cohort buddies become your family. You build bonds with them second only to your own relatives. 

Fun. Despite the fact that you will be drowning in things you can learn, it won't stop you from having the time of your life. I have enjoyed these 6 weeks beyond measure and I know it will only become more so as I continue in this program.

If you are reading this review and aren't sure if LFZ would be the right fit for you, the question you really should be asking yourself is "How much am I willing to invest into this?". If you are enthusiastic about programming and are willing to invest the time, this is the right place for you and I wouldn't wait to come here!

LearningFuze took me from my first taste of web development, through building my own live website, to support during my job hunt. The curriculum starts out with regular assignments and lectures. Later, the structure of the class becomes more typical of what you would see in a real-world development environment: project focused, working both individually and in teams. Through it all, there is plenty of support available from the instructors.

Just a few weeks after the end of official instruction, I was hired as a web developer thanks to a connection I made through TJ, one of the instructors. One of the first things I noticed at my new job was that I already felt comfortable in a working development environment. LearningFuze was able to emulate that environment so faithfully that I entered my new job already with a sense of how the day-to-day proceedings worked.

Definitely the best investment I’ve ever made!

I just recently graduated from learningfuze and without a doubt I can say it was the best learning experience of my life. Before the program I was pursuing my degree in Computer Science and working as a junior developer for a family owned company. I found little enjoyment in my work because I had almost no knowledge in programming. Learningfuze helped me to develop skills in html/css/js/react/node/php. Now, not only do I enjoy programming because I'm finally capable of writing complete code, but I also enjoy learning in general. Learningfuze taught me how to learn like a developer and take creative approaches to problem solving. I feel much more confident in pursuing my degree and expanding my programming knoledge.

As for the instructors of learningfuze.

Bill, Dan, Scott, Andy, and Collette are the reason I was successful in this program. They all have an unbelievable passion for programing and love to help others. No matter how much a student stuggles in the course, they will always go out of their way to ensure the student catches up and has a firm grasp on the subject. 

I would recommend learningfuze to anyone who enjoys a challenge and truly wants to pursue their career as a programmer.

Here is the truth.  It's all about you!  

Are you self motivated?  Are you willing to do everything in your power to succeed?  Are you willing to shut out all external distractions (facebook, friends).  Do you have the full support of your family?  Can you afford to live 4-6 months (3 months bootcamp/1-3 job search) without income?  Do you understand that you will have to hustle even after the bootcamp?  Are you ready for a complete life changing experience? 

If the answer is no stop.  Save your money.  Move on.

If the answer is YES continue reading.

Dan, Bill and company are amazing!  They will be there as early as you want (6am no problem).  As late as you need (midnight or lock the door after you leave).  They will let you in on the weekends.  Their program is always evolving to meet new technology standards.  They work hard to provide you with everything possible to help you succeed.

I've never ever seen the kind of dedication lead instructor Daniel has for his students.  He has literally spent 12hrs+ everyday for years to help motivated students learn.  Dan is extremely passionate about development and even more passionate about helping people.

I was not the best developer in my cohort (middle of the pack at best).  All I had was hustle, hardwork and a smile.  I recived two job offers within 4 months of starting the bootcamp.

Believe the hype.

Learning Fuze is the real deal.

Are you?

What sets LearningFuze apart from the other boot camps is how well connected they are in the job market. The Director of Operations, Bill, knows just about every tech-related person in Orange County. No matter what industry you’re coming from, you know that networking is the key to finding a job. Bill leverages his connections to help you find that job after you graduate.

 

Another thing that sets LearningFuze apart from other boot camps is the culture. Where most bootcamps have classes that start and end at a specific time, LearningFuze keeps their doors open for as long as you need. The Lead Instructor Dan really invests his time into you and makes sure you truly understand the concepts being taught. His resolve has fostered a culture where students are often coming in early and staying late to get the extra help. Our cohort came in at 8am and left at 10pm every weekday, and about 5 hours on Saturday. The LearningFuze instructors matched our time spent, and even came in at 630am to offer “zero period” lectures twice a week. The fact they were there with us 13-16 hours a day goes to show the level of dedication of the LearningFuze staff.

 

Beyond Dan and Bill, there are a plethora of resources available for you at LearningFuze.  Senior instructors are there to mentor you on your projects and offer you tidbits from their pools of immense wisdom.  Junior instructors help you tackle your issues, and really invest their own time to learn better ways they could teach and help you be well-equipped for your career.  Guest speakers from various companies come in almost bi-weekly to provide stories about what makes a successful career, how to present yourself in an interview, pitfalls to avoid on your resume, or just random insight on the tech industry.  

 

The most successful students are the ones who put in the most time. Dedication, not skill is what makes a successful bootcamp graduate.  If you put in the time, so will the LearningFuze staff. You'll never feel yourself in a position where things are moving too slow. My best advice would be to find a small group of people willing to commit 12 hours a day to code, and just do it. Passion and determination are contagious, and soon your whole cohort will follow suit. It's much easier to learn in an environment where everyone else is willing to put in the time, like you. After all, that's why you're looking for a boot camp, right? If you could learn coding all on our own, you wouldn't be here reading this review and looking into bootcamps.

 

Here are some tips from a graduate who got an offer less than 10 days after his first application:

• Be ready to spend 12 hours a day, 65 hours a week coding.  The more polished your projects are when you complete them, the less polish you’ll have to do post-graduation.  This is a time investment; let your post-graduation time be spent focusing on applications and interviews.
• Cut off all unnecessary distractions.  Deactivate your facebook, mute your group chats, change your social media passwords, unsubscribe from all news, uninstall your games. 
• Cut back on all responsibilities.  Cancel your gym membership, tell your significant other you'll be spending less time with each other, drop all your hobbies.  You have plenty of time to catch up on all of these later when you celebrate your offer.
• Treat every day like it’s an interview.  Your instructors and peers are your references; you being a hard-worker will definitely make them more inclined to see you succeed.
• From Week 1 Day 1 all your projects are “production-level”, aka your Github is your resume.  If the Past-You builds good habits early on and learns what is best practice to write clean code, your Future-You (and prospective employers) won’t be as confused when you go back and comment your code from 3 months ago.  
• Do NOT stop your good habits after you graduate.  The worst thing you could do for yourself is take a vacation.  Keep the momentum rolling because you definitely won’t be sharp for any interviews if you’ve allowed any of those 3 months of knowledge crammed into your brain to leak out. 

This is a life-changing 6 months (1 month prep, 3 month course, 2 months portfolio and applications).  Learn as much as you can now and get your dream job.  You dont have to go as hardcore as me, but understand that the more time you put into your education now while you're at LearningFuze, the better jumpstart you'll have for your career.

If you're a recent college graduate who is having a difficult time finding a place to gain experience. Take some time to look into this program. It's been 12 weeks and I can confidently say that all the time I've spent here has taught me new set of skills that I'm can't help but be grateful for.

The lead instructor Dan is very knowledgeable. There have been countless times where my logic has been challenged to allow me to gain more perspective on how to approach and solve problems. At the end of the day, the long hours spent here boiled down to stregthening my logic and collaborating within an atmosphere where we can apply our problem-solving abilities.

The program is going to be difficult, but if you're ready for the dive, be prepared to be exhausted during multiple stages of the experience. You'll be happy that you worked hard.

LearningFuze gives its students a wonderful opportunity. It is still up to the student to grab it and run with it, but who could ask for more? Dan is a wealth of knowledge and a patient teacher. You truly can get out as much as you put in. The real-world setting is really paying off in the workplace, as I already have experience with many aspects of life as a web developer beyond just coding. In addition, the ratio of students to instructors is fantastic and help is always just a question away.

With their assistance, I was able to get a job quickly after graduating, and even now that I'm out of the program, Dan checks in on me regularly to make sure everything is going well. I'm sure that if I encounter any challenges,the team at LFZ would all be available to me as an ongoing resource. 

Thanks, LearningFuze!!!!

I had a great experience at LearningFuze learning web development. I was doing graphic/web design originally and had wanted to delve deeper into the development side. The curriculum focuses on teach a set of core programming languages before splitting into front-end and back-end technologies. I enjoyed how project-based the curriculum was and the applications that you get to develop really help you to hone your skills and allow you to learn how to build fairly sophisticated and polished apps. The program is very fast paced and intense and you have to put in a lot of effort and work to learn the material in 3 months time. Although regular hours are from 10-6pm,the facility stays open after hours and many students stay late (8 or 9pm) to continue working on practice problems and projects.The instructors here are smart and knowledgeable about web development and know their material really well. Dan, the lead instructor, is very passionate and dedicated to teaching and usually will stay late to answer questions and help out students. LearningFuze also provides job assistance once the program is done to aid you in your job hunt. You are encouraged to come back and continue learning, and I came back several times after graduation to listen to lectures again and get help with improving my projects and portfolio.They will make sure that your portfolio is polished and completed, and once ready, introduce you to their network of contacts. This was very helpful for me as I find the job search to be a frustrating and drawn out process. With their help, I was able to find a job at a startup company working as a programmer.

So advice for potential students?

-Before coming, make sure you can fully dedicate yourself to learning web development for 3 months. This program is intense and will take up all of your energy and time. 

-Don't fall behind on assignments/ projects. The material is cumulative and builds up quickly

-If you need help with anything, just ask!

- Come to one of LFZ's info sessions and talk to the instructors and students there to make sure this program will meet your needs. 

Coming from a non-technological background, it was a big relief for me that Learningfuze caters people who have or have not had experience.

Things I really appreciate about LF:

-The course is 12 weeks, but you also get two weeks of additional class that will prepare you for the basic such as HTML and CSS.

-During and near the end of your time, someone will be there to help you assemble your resume and assist you in the job search.

-You will be given the opportunity to choose if you want to go back-end or front-end, but they don't limit you if you want to learn both. 

-Advanced topics are offered to anyone who is willing to come early on Tuesdays and Thursday mornings before regular instruction begins.

-Alot of guest speakers (past students and professionals in the field) are invited, which provide great opportunities for you to network.

The curriculum is focued on learning the principles of computer programming, which to me was more important than just memorizing code. They will teach you how to approach solutions, and place an emphasis on learning the logic behind it. The course is tough, and you will need to be self-disciplined if you want to succeed. Noone will be here to hold your hand, but they will be here if you ask for help! Be ready to feel vulnerable, but it will eventually make you a better programmer. You get more out of the program, than just learning how to code. You also learn how to ask better questions, as well as learn that its ok to not know everything. If you do join Learningfuze, you will find yourself surrounded by funny, helpful, and passionate people who truly love what they do.

For reference, I graduated from LearningFuze in September 2024.
I’ll start this review by mentioning that I was very skeptical about coding boot camps based on discourse I had heard from some people in the industry and Reddit. I am a career changer who after debating for months about going back to school for a bachelors in computer science decided to go the bootcamp route. For those who might be having the same doubts, here’s what I have to say. It really depends on your situation and your goals. If you don’t mind taking a few years and going back to get a cs degree, then that’s probably the better option. As a cs grad you’ll have access to internships and new-grad positions, as well as having a shiny cs degree. For those who don’t want to spend years going back to school and learning all the theory behind computer science then the boot camp route is still a viable option in 2024, but it won’t be easy.

For those, who have decided that the boot camp route is where you want to go then here’s my review on LearningFuze experience. I have to preface this that no matter what path you take self-taught, boot camp or cs degree it will not be easy and you have to work hard. I think that some people especially during peak covid times thought that the boot camp was a quick and easy route into tech and its just not true anymore. LearningFuze does a great job at giving you the resources and the support to get job ready but you still have to put in the work. Doing the minimum is not enough to land a job anymore. 
The instructors at the school are fantastic. They all have extensive industry experience and possess a wealth of knowledge. It's evident that they genuinely care about teaching and are committed to ensuring their students succeed. I was taught by Brandon, who has since left LFZ, and Shawn while the main senior instructor, Robert, was on break. They are incredibly helpful and guide students without simply providing the answers. Even now, after graduating they are always willing to help with anything.