Turing School of Software & Design

So I went through the Turing program in March of 2015; they just had the back-end program, no front-end yet. 

I feel the investment of time and money into Turing is definitely worthwhile. I was in a situation where I was looking to change careers from nursing, and Turing was the perfect program to make that happen. I don’t feel the quick 6-8 week long bootcamps out there, are nearly enough to successfully help someone to change careers.

I will say, I was fortunate enough to complete the Turing program without repeating any modules. This was not true for a large part of the students while I was there. Any given week, plan on committing at least 60-80 hours of your time to the school. You’ll be in class for 40 hours during the week, but expect another 20-40 hrs on evenings and weekends to complete projects, struggle through problems, Googling the hell out the internet… To really succeed in the program, expect nearly everything else in your life to take a back seat. I do wondering how I would have reacted if I had to repeat a module. I found myself to be absolutely exhausted by the end. Many students at the school, while I was there, either had to repeat a module, or decided on their own to take a module off to regroup and have a break from it. That being said, taking a break wasn’t really an option for me, so I did push through and was burning the candle from both ends.

I won’t comment on the instructors specifically, as several of them have moved on to other positions in the nearly 3 years since I was there. Reading other reviews though, it does sound similar in that they will throw students in the deep end for awhile and let you struggle. I think that’s a good thing though, people learn when they have to struggle to find the solution. If you’re not good at asking for help though, be ready to change, otherwise you’ll definitely drown over there in the deep end. As far as the emotional/mental health while you’re there, which is literally half the battle, if you don’t have a support system at home (which I did have), the instructors and staff at Turing were ceratinly there for students. You just have to know you can reach out, they can’t read minds if you’re struggling, whether that be technically or mentally/emotionally.

Turing is one of the more difficult coding programs out there, hands down. Expect to work extremely hard. If you can do that, Turing is with out a doubt, worth it. I was utterly exhausted at times, I was miserable at times, I cried many times, and I constantly questioned whether I should be doing this, but I was able to make a very successful career change, and I felt extremely ready for the working world as a programmer. Hind sight is always 20-20, while in Turing, I struggled and therefore wasn’t the happiest person, but afterwards, working as a developer, I am extremely thankful of Turing and how they prepared me to be an effective developer.

I honestly don't know what else to say. I can't recommend Turing enough. If you're looking to transition into the field of software development then this is your best bet. The instructors genuinely care about you and your career path. Jeff, even though he is incredibly busy, takes the time to get to know you and takes your feedback seriously. I loved everyone in my cohort and made some lifelong friends throughout my time at Turing. Now, it's been about a year and a half since I've left Turing and I still recieve career support from staff and keep in contact with many people that I met. I've worked with other 'bootcamp' grads and, though I generally support the bootcamp model, it makes me thankful that I chose Turing because I feel better prepared than most other bootcamp grads that I've come across.

I'm forever thankful for both my time at Turing and all of the staff members there that are dedicated to helping people create a better life for themselves.

The Turing School of Software & Design changed my life. I am now making twice as much money as I ever have before at a fulfilling job. I am incredibly grateful to Jeff Casimir and the staff at Turing for their work and vision. I can vouch for the legitimacy of the program and career prospects for graduates. I am not an anomaly, either. Read the Jobs Report. The numbers are in line with what I saw. I won’t say that the program is necessarily a good fit for you, though. I saw a lot of people drop out of the program, so I encourage you to try to determine if this is the right path for you or not before dropping 20 grand on it. I’ll spend the rest of the review describing what I think a prospective student should do or consider before signing up.

Turing did not hand me anything. It’s not a place you show up, attend the necessary lectures for a few months then wait for a job offer. I worked very hard to learn the material, build up my professional materials to be an attractive candidate and then slogged through the emotional torment that was the job hunt. Can you work hard 6-7 days a week, 10 hours a day or more? Can you continue working hard when you’re sure it’s futile and you’re wasting your time? Because you will feel like that. Doesn’t make it true, but you will have those thoughts.

Do you like programming? When I applied to Turing, and this is still the case as far as I know, you could get in without ever having touched a computer before in your life. They assessed my problem-solving skills and personality via collaborating on an LSAT question. I do believe anyone could learn to program, but I do not believe everyone would enjoy it. Luckily, there are so many free resources to explore you can easily get a feel for programming and whether or not you want to make a career switch around it. Please, spend 50 hours or so playing with codecademy.com and codewars.com before you decide to take off at least 7 months of your life and pay a lot of money to pursue this career change.

Are your ducks in a row to take 7-10 months off work? Family, pets, financial obligations can all derail a Turing career. Don’t underestimate the time commitment, as well as the emotional drain the program takes on most people. It is fun and rewarding, but also incredibly difficult. Don’t hamstring yourself by overextending yourself.

Have you done a Try Turing event http://trycoding.turing.io/? It will give you a good idea of the Turing culture and teaching style, and save you $500 if you decide to do Turing.

I chose Turing over several other programs because I wanted to go somewhere that was more than a job factory. I wanted to have an experience that was a wholesome place to truly transition into a new career. If the only thing motivating you is the paycheck, you’ll have a tough path forward. If you like challenging yourself and working closely with others, Turing is the best place in the world to start a career in software development. 

I moved from Portland to Denver to attend the Turing School of Software and Design, and moved back to Portland when I was finished. I was the last person in my cohort to get hired, and the staff were still doing weekly check-ins with me 6 months after I finished. It was obvious to me that they were committed to making sure I completed my career change. 

Turing is a different experience than any I've heard of in Portland so far. The Portland developer schools tend to be 3 months while Turing lasts 7 months. Some of the Portland schools ask only 20 hours a week, or have graduates teaching classes. Turing occupied at least 60 hours a week for the whole term. The Turing staff were knowledgable, aproachable and passionate. The learning environment might not be appropriate for everyone, but it worked for me and the people I studied with. I have recommened the school (even when people didn't ask or care) to anyone I can talk to about their job or education. 

I don't have time to relay my full thoughts as this program is incredibly intense & I have about 5 big things to juggle in my final week. That said, I hope there's an edit button so I can come back & explicate further!

Overall, my experience has been tremendous; I have gained so many incredibly valuable skills and truly feel ready to enter the world of programming. I've found out that this requires a ton of skills that I didn't really foresee, but I am super thankful to have gained them and feel at a level above most juniors exiting a "bootcamp".

At times, I've felt like my head was swimming and my emotions were going to explode, however, my classmates & the staff were always here to reassure me I could do it. There is so much camaraderie and instructors are totally willing to work with you to get you where you need to be, willing that you have the time & grit to get through it.

I'm making a 180-degree switch in careers (I was mostly a farmer and cab-driver prior to Turing), and I couldn't have done it without this level of instruction and community support. The school's values also align with mine and it was easy to see from the get-go that they have my best interests at heart and are not just in it for the money. This non-profit highly values diversity, inclusion, and helping their students gain high-fulfillment careers in tech. 

I seriously doubt there is a better education of it's kind out there.

I worked in the trades and had no real good way to get into a new career with our going back to school but was not happy about the idea of another 4 years of schooling. I was very lucky to find Turing. I started with zero knowledge of computers, and and finished with a very solid understanding of programming and development and got a really great job as a full stack agile software developer immediately after graduation.

The pace was insane. It was too fast for me and I repeated 2 modules but I still wouldn't have gone anywhere else. They are not looking to just let anyone in and graduate. They hold a very high standard of education and it transformed me into someone ready for the work force. The curriculum is top notch, and the instructors care very much about the students. The hidden gem of Turing is the other students you'll be with. Turing has a way of finding great people to admit so everyone is always helping each other which got me through multiple jams during late night sessions studying and finishing projects. The incredible pace was matched by the resources and support.

Jeff Casimir has a very strong passion for helping people. There was a bit of social education which wasn't what I came for but I admire their passion for helping disadvantaged people and the local community.

Seriously, it's the only place to go.

I went into the back end program with only about half of a free online course under my belt, so to say that it was a struggle would be an understatement.  The days, nights and weekends all sort of blended together, but I never felt like I was wasting time.  There were always resources available, from the incredibly dedicated instructors, to the crazy network of mentors that Jeff Casimir has built over the years.

I ultimately pulled through, and am very happy with the direction my career has taken since.  I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who wants a career in software development.

Turing is a community.

It's not a bootcamp. It is not a business. It's not a guarantee. It's not easy and it's not for everyone. But if you've found this review because you are confident you would like to pursue a career in something Turing can teach you, it could be a dream opportunity. It was for me.

I graduated from the back-end program in April 2016 and am currently employed as an Associate Software Engineer in the New England area. My post-Turing job search consisted of 3 months, 4 on site interviews, and 2 offers.

Some of Turing's defining characeristics are its non-profit status, Jeff Casimir's reputation and experience in education, its duration compared to the industry average, its support of honest and transparent graduation/employment statistic reporting (which is sorely lacking in the industry right now), its constant self-reflection and "how can we do this better" perspective, and its desire to engage more women, minorities, and folks facing disadvantages in the software engineering community.

TL;DR

Would play again 10 times out of 10.

Graduated August 2017.

Turing was able to transform me, someone with a few months of self-taught ruby experience into a full fledged software engineer at a NYC Tech company.

You probably have read about the challenging nature of the curriculum and how it was the most difficult experience for each respective graduate. This is all true, and I found it the same. The special-ness of the community and curriculum is really one of a kind. However, I would like for this review to really indentify if Turing is for you. 

1) This is not a place to go if you just want the end goal (big money job) without the likeness (i really dont like the word passion) for code. The only way through this program and into an employers hands (which is getting harder by the day) is to really like what you are doing. The largest successs that Turing has produced has been students who exemplified this. Students who have stayed later, put in more work then needed and had truly immersed themselves. Although it's possible, a part time commitment would have been a disaster for me (easily sidetracked with a proclivity for laziness). 

2) This is an unconventional educational experience, and needs to be welcomed with zero preconceived notion of what education is. I've seen doctorate grads be on the same level as college dropouts. 

3) Please please please make sure you are interested in code before going. This is not an impulse decision!

Overall, Turing provides a rock-solid curriculum taught by instructors who truly care within a diverse community of hungry individuals. For the real review now....

1) Instructors *****: Most of the instructors who were best for me are gone now, however Turing does a great job of creating a staff with a diverse set of teaching styles and personalities that you are bound to find one that inspires you. I am a bit worried with the recent overflow of student -> instructors, but I have not seen a drop off in learning outcomes. 

2) Curriculum *****: Phenomenal, always in flux and truly agile. Don't ditch the difficulty! The "oh shit" --> "i'm useless" -> "holy crap..maybe" -> "project review" was eye opening for me as a learning process and a real confidence builder. I'm now confident to take on any challenge on the job and being able to figure it out. 

3) Job Assistance **: One area I would say that could be improved. I had very llttle corresponence post grad with the jobs team (one lead) (Full disclosure: This could be in part to me as well, I was focused on New York Only, and networking with alumni on my own) . Alumni are the real winners here. They are always helpful and spread apart the globe at great companies. If you are worried about job placements...see number 1 above. This is a perk of Turing, not the end goal. A strong, persistent developer will always be able to find a job, it is up to you to get to this point before graduation.

Overall, Turing as a decision is hard to recommend without a strong asterisk. That asterisk is you. What are your goals, who are you and why are you looking at coding bootcamps? If you truly feel this is what you want to do, it would be hard pressed to find a better school than this.

Lastly, one cannot review Turing without a mention of it's social mission. A small part (depending who you ask) of the Turing experience is awakening it's students to contemporary liberal ideology. Overall, it is a welcoming and not forceful introduction. This was never a real focus for me, as the coding education is what truly inspired, and this was fine. I always thought through what Turing did best (code), inherently does a far better job at creating great, open-minded people, not the explicit group sessions (gear-ups). As an FYI, my non-commital nature to their admirable political and social mission never impacted my outcomes, grades or helpfulness from the staff and Jeff Casimir

That being said, I will always be thankful for this experience! THANK YOU!

I graduated from the back-end program in August 2016. I currently work as a Software Developer in Rails + Angular 2.

I chose between Turing and Galvanize and the main reasons that swayed me towards Turing were:

1. Jeff Casimir's reputation in the industry
2. The non-profit status, which I didn't have a lot of concern for their mission at the time, but more that they couldn't sell my educational experience to investors to expand the program further and further.
3. The ability to repeat modules. I was terrified to make a career change and afraid that I wouldn't be able to make it through the program on my first try and didn't want to be dragged along for 6 months not understanding anything past a certain point because I didn't understand a specific concept. (I didn't repeat any modules in case you were curious).
4. After visiting the (old) basement (the new one is really nice too) for my interview, I was blown away by the energy that went through the space, people in every available space, extremely focused and concentrated working through projects and helping each other.

The program is constantly changing and my review is probably hideously outdated when compared to the processes / curriculum, but I love the ability for them to change when something doesn't work. The teachers have your best interest at heart and want to see you succeed and learn, even if it means calling you out when they know you're not giving your all. The community is amazing and the network of mentors is uncomparable. I graduated and it took me 87 days to receive my first offer. That might seem like a long time, but in the end not coding bootcamp can hand you a job at the end of the program. There were people in my cohort that had job offers before graduation, but they put in the work of networking and making those connections early. You graduate and show up as someone with no professional experience. Turing helps you with professional / personal development and how to approach and overcome the hurdles of entering a new industry.

I also now work in a framework we weren't taught at Turing (Angular 2), but didn't have any trouble diving in and learning. I know it sounds cliché, but you really do learn how to learn different programming patterns and aren't pigeonholed into a specific language.

Turing was great. They helped me transition from a career I disliked and become a better person along the way. I'll be in their debt forever.

I'll start by saying I graduated three weeks ago, and am now in my second week of work as a software developer with a good company. I came from a non-tech background (BA in Creative Writing and a career as a commercial fisherman). I did my research about a lot of coding schools, and Turing was exactly what I expected and was pitched. It is extremely demanding time-wise, but the emotional stress varies widely among students. 

The curriculum seems about as good as possible for 7 intense months, and the core teachers are all exceptional. As many people have said, one of the best part is the other students. We've all made a lot of life-long friends. A few people have been rubbed the wrong way by the PC side of the school's mission, but students should be aware of this element before enrolling and be prepared to participate in tough discussions or quietly disengage from that part. The job-assitance aspect of the school is continually improving, and many students find jobs through referrals from the staff (myself included). 

If you're looking to transition into a software career through an intensive program, Turing is in the top tier of options. 

I chose Turing because I knew of Jeff Casimer and what he had done at gSchool. At the time I approached Jeff the Turing program was an ember in Jeff's mind, but I knew that it would be the right choice. It was a little bit of a bet to invest my future in something that was just starting out but my has it paid off.

At Turing, they don't just teach you how to code in ruby or rails. They use those languages to provide you with a set of tools that will allow you to go out into the workforce and work on almost anything you want to, in any language you want to. That is so much more valuable than learning just a language. Since I graduated I've been able to follow my interests and pick up new technoligies relatively quickly.

The other amazing thing about Turing is the network of people. The people, teachers, students, alumni, and mentors, at Turing are awesome. Everyone continues to insire me to learn more and also better myslef as a person. The mentorship program, where alumni and other developers in the field can mentor current students has been not only helpful to those students I mentore, but helpful to me. It has been an invaluable asset in increasing my confidence in my knowledge and also teaching me new things all the time.

Turing was and continues to be a source of knowledge or personal development for me. I highly recommend it.