Vanderbilt University Boot Camps

Before this bootcamp, I was taking online video courses on the basics of front end web development and putting in around 10-15 hours a week, and getting some real skills that felt like I could actually take this hobby and make it a career. All of those hopes went down the drain when I saw what employers are asking, even of an entry level junior dev. 

I wanted to find a bootcamp that would enhance my front end skills and drag me out of my comfort zone and into the scary world of full stack development.

And boy was it uncomfortable. In the best way possible.

Looking back 6 months and seeing the breadth of knowledge that myself and my fellow developers have gained, I can say without hesitation that this bootcamp was the right decision for me. 

Despite the financial and employment hesitations I had before committing to this class, I am coming out on the other side confident that I have real marketable value and will be able to make a fun and fulfilling career out of web development. 

If you are considering this or any other bootcamp, know that for every hour I spent in class, I spent two or thee outside grinding on homework, projects and additional content. It is difficult to balance work, life, class and homework. It is frustrating at times. You will have doubts. But if development is something you can spend hours doing and still don't want to quit the next day, then take the dive. 

I'm so thankful that I did.

Shout outs to all of the teaching staff, both instructors and TAs. They led us through a difficult and jam packed course with a sense of humor and humility that kept us grounded.

I toyed with the idea of applying to a coding bootcamp for the better part of 2 years before I came across marketing materials for the Full-Stack Web Development Bootcamp at Vanderbilt. Finally, with the newfound responsibilities of fatherhood and some encouragement from my family, I took the plunge. 

It was the right decision. Without a doubt. I'd say that I wished I had started a bootcamp sooner...but it wouldn't have been this one. 

I came into the bootcamp at Vanderbilt with a career history primarily composed of filmmaking, acting, and photography. No academic background in computer science or the like. The Full-Stack bootcamp was organized and taught in such a way that I was brought up to speed despite the lack of formal training. 

If you're considering a coding bootcamp, I cannot recommend this program highly enough. Every part of the process has been excellently handled, from enrollment and administration to impending graduation (just three weeks away!). Instructors are knowledgeable, professional, and eager to help, as are the TAs who assist them.

They are there to help when you need it -- and you WILL need it. Make no mistake, this course is doable and 100% worth it, but it is a challenge. There will be times when you feel like you have no idea what you're doing. But the instructional staff and Student Success Manager will help you get through it, if you're willing to put in the work on your end. 

Finally, what really sold me on it when I enrolled was the Career Services team. I'm just now getting really into the weeds with Career Services as graduation approaches, but I can already vouch that they are truly there to get to know your needs for the job search and help you navigate it. 

All in all, the Vanderbilt bootcamp has changed my entire life for the better and is helping me move into a totally new career field in a way and pace that I could not have done on my own. It's hard work, but if you want to make a big change, that's what it takes. Take the plunge.

This Bootcamp course has opened an entirely new world for me. After spending 5+ years in the automotive industry, I am about to embark on a brand new chapter of my life in a brand new industry (new to me).  During my time in the Development Bootcamp, I've learned I have quite the knack for network and application security. I'm now contemplating taking the cybersecurity course as I love the way the program is set up. 

The Bootcamp itself is extremely fast-paced and not for the faint of heart. This course will push you to your limits and test everything you think you know about yourself. If an aggressively fast-paced program is what you like, You will love this program. It is grueling but so very worth it. You will spend many hours outside of class coding to the point it may feel like that is all you are doing. You'll be better for it in the long run. Personally, my Instructors, TA's, and my SSM have been a HUGE help for me. Even falling behind on homework at one point, the support didn't stop. I have loved every second of this course and strongly recommend it to anyone seriously thinking about taking a Bootcamp.

Career Services is a wonderful tool to use if you need a job, you just have to put in every amount of effort you can into it. No one reminds you about turning things in for it or really talks about it in class, so it is entirely upon you to keep up with the Career Services side.

Vanderbilt university coding bootcamp is by far the best investment that I have made! As someone who never touch coding I would say I learned a lot from this program. Is this program easy? Hell Nah! it is really challenging but if you put in time and effort you will make it. There will be times you feel like giving up as life gets in your way but hey giving up is not an option. the instructors, the TA's and the student success manager are all amazing, they are all there to help you succeed in this course. I would definitely recommend this program to everyone who likes to explore the coding world!

This course is built in a way to give you the concepts and understand programming  but as well push you to have to put in the hours to actually learn. If you want to just come to class and expect to know how to code ... Sorry you won’t find that any where  but if you are willing to put in the hours you will definitely walk away with ability to continuously learn new technologies  post graduation. I ended up landing a job that required me to do about 30% of coding throughout my daily task and it is amazing. This class was by far the hardest thing I’ve done maybe even harder than my entire undergraduate degree but well worth it if you are willing to put in the time outside of class. I quickly learned that I wouldn’t enjoy having to code every day in the job force but definitely enjoyed being able to use my dev skills in any job. This knowledge pushed me ahead of other applicants and allows me to be very effective in my new role. Only thing I burned out near last month or so of classes.  but it’s because of having to learn new technologies in my new role while also packing all of the new technologies through Vanderbilt. All in all if you’ve been wanting to try a bootcamp I can definitely say well worth it take the risk and grind hard once your in!

 Unlike some of my classmates in the Bootcamp, I had just graduated from a local university with a bachelor's of science in computer science shortly before our class began. My prior academic experience of programming has given me a unique perspective on the effectiveness of the curriculum, and I am very happy to say that I'm a true believer in the program. As someone who has never programmed before, the skills and knowledge you develop in this program with JavaScript will be applicable to learning further programming languages on your own as you expand your skillset. One of the best things about this curriculum is it is prepares studentds to become self-learners in the field of programming. I'd also like to encouragre any recent computer science graduates who are interested in the program to sign up as well. It is an excellent, and cost effective, way to continue your education if you're having trouble finding that first job. Also, throughout this experience, the staff has been absolutely wonderful; TAs, Instructors, and last but not least, our amazingly compassionate Student Success Manager. She wears her passion and empathy for her students on her sleeve. The TAs and Instructors are knowledable, personable, and invested in seeing you succeed.  In conclusion, I would like to wish anyone reading this the best of luck with this program, and encourage all to take a chance on it. 

If you think that this will be a place where you can learn at you own pace and have everything explained in detail, you would be incorrect.  The class goes at break-neck speed. As someone who vacillated between being self-taught and going through a bootcamp, I will encourage you to do this bootcamp.  

You will still have to be self-taught.  You will spend numerous hours outside of class learning the material.  The benefit of this bootcamp is that you will have your code reviewed by experts in the field and have other peers that you can learn from and support each other through this experience.  You will learn best practices for writing your code and how to digest documentation that is written in "geekspeak." You will also learn the material at a faster rate than you would on your own.  The deadlines and homework will also hold you accountable for your learning. Let's be honest very few people exist that will be so self-disciplined to spend all this time learning for 7 months on their own.  The group projects will also give you real-world experience coding and using code source control with others to achieve a common goal. Also as a newbie, I want you to know that some, if not most of your classmates will have previous coding experience and work currently in field, so do not compare your learning speed to that of others.  

Since not only the instructors but as well as the TAs are  currently in the field, they can help you know what to expect when you enter the job market, help you define an area of focus, and review and prepare for your interviews.  The instructors and TA are also very supportive and will spend many hours outside of the normal office hours assisting you and answering questions. One on One tutoring is also available.  You will build a network of people and knowledge that will assist you in your job search.

 

This has been an amazing experience, the instructors are very knowledgable in their fields and are willing to go the extra mile to help you. The course work is challenging and it does require a number of hours outside of class to get the most out of the program. 

The Success Manager had been a great help to talk to, she has helped me work through some of the issues surrounding the bootcamp (job search nerves, impostor syndrome, etc.) and is always around and available.

Lastly the Career Services team has been fantastic in their presentations and information that they provide to help us with our searching. 

Overall: worth the investment. 

Vanderbilt's Full Stack Coding Boot Camp has been an amazing experience. The instructors are extremely informative, patient, and available when it comes to helping the students. Tutoring is an option, as well, so the support is always there. We also have a great Student Success Manager who is available to help with any issues that may affect our progress, such as life events and personal needs for learning. The curriculum has been designed to help students learn skills that are currently in demand, and the career services allow the students excel in the job market, as opposed to being somewhat competitive. The career aspect of this program is important to me, as I was laid off from a tech start up and will be looking to start a new career in coding soon after graduation. I am confident in the skills I am learning and the amazing support behind me.

I left my job after a buyout so I found myself looking to make a career change at age 55. I was googling bootcamps and Vandy's popped up. As a previous RN & perfusionist at Vandy, I knew that it would be a great place to go. Knowing myself and the way I learn best I also knew I would stay on track better with going to a physical school & having deadlines instead of trying to learn on my own. It was absolutely the best choice for me, I love the friends I've made and my awesome instructors and TA's. At halfway through, I have no regrets and am learning soooo much in every class. It definitely was out of my comfort zone so I want to encourage others to persist if interested and don't let fear stop you. If I can do it you can as well, it just takes grit and persistance and it does eventually sink in and get easier!

I started this program back in June with hopes of furthering my knowledge base in Data/Business analytics. I was contacted by the recruiting team to start my application. There was a lot of inconsistency with communication and I also had to sign a contract. I thought this was weird for Vandy but I dismissed as a lot of businesses have changed practices post Covid and Vandy is a good school. I don't have a lot of prior skills in data analytics and also work a full time job. I asked recruiting if I would still be able to complete the program successfully considering and I was informed that I would have no issues. Unfortunately, I realized that this couldn't have been further from the truth. For starters, Vanderbilt is not actually administrating the course and you are not actually a student of Vanderbilt. The school's likeness is used and I think they may screen the instructors but I believe that is as far as it goes and maybe not even that far. I bring this up as its not clear upon researching the program and some of my cohort and I joined thinking this is a Vandy college program. Secondly, you will be taught via firehose and the curriculum has zero pacing. I have experienced many educational programs at different levels for other reasons and while a curriculum may be aggressive and labor/skill intensive there is always a method to the madness and adequate flow to the design. This course had none of that. It really seems like they just throw a whole at you really fast and if you are lucky to retain it good for you but if not oh well. You dont really have time to analysis if you are actually understanding what you are being taught and by the time you do the class has already moved on twice. This is why A LOT of people fall behind and never catch up. You can go to the instructor and TA's during office hours which is before and after class once a week but firstly you are sharing them with the entire class and personally I was so in the weeds I didn't know what question to ask. I can say my instructor was knowledgeable and the TA's were there. I cant say I had a lot of help from the TA's though. There was a time a TA suggested I skip an assignment because they couldn't help me understand or get through a exercise. The school does allow you to have a tutor but you are only given and hour per week. I found myself supplementing my on education via other sources (LinkedIn, Youtube and etc) this infuriated me considering im paying over 10k for this course. You aren't even given a book to follow. FYI: Modules(learning material) are made by Trilogy/U2 and contain outdated videos and grammatically errors. All things considered I spent 30ish hours a weeks(1 1/5 hours in class, 1 hour with the tutor and all other studying and trying to teach myself) and I was still behind. I would say I struggled because I didn't have a lot of prior education in this but there were people who did and they struggled as well. Support is also practically non existent and you signed a contract so getting out after the 1st week is impossible as you will still be financial responsible even if you drop. I don't understand why this course is like this but in my opinion the smoke and mirror act is hiding their greed. Maybe others can and have gotten a lot out of this program but I definitely didn't. It was just an expensive lesson.