Ad

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Q&A Web Development Bootcamp [COMMENT TO ASK A QUESTION]



Got a question about web development dev bootcamps? Ask them here or @i_stanford Your question shall be answered by myself, others with experiences from dev bootcamps or #quora research. Peace :)

VIDEO Advice links to my other blogpost, a youtube video about factors to consider when choosing a web development bootcamp. That includes: financial factor, time, emotional commitment, technology, learning curriculum etc.

Video Review of Hack Reactor Part One and Part Two

If you are interested in learning more and learning fast: use my personal paid service



Free Resources:
Words of Caution Before You Enter a Bootcamp
Looking for information specifically on Coding Dojo?  CodeDiv's Coding Dojo Profile Page with Q&A and resources to learn more. 

Contributor profiles:
Dilys Sun : blog host, currently a candidate at Coding Dojo, ex-tech-consultant, Stanford '10, the Codecademy girl
Victor: youngest student in the Coding Dojo pilot class, left high school to start coding early
Ben: dojo classmate, previously majored in game mechanics and design

More answers will be posted


Starting with Introspection

[updated may 22 2013]
As I mentioned in the video, the moment important deciding factors are who are you and what you are trying to learn. Knowing why you are trying to learn code, your learning style and your language of focus can pretty rule out the majority of bootcamps that won't work for you.

If you are in San Francisco, as of today, Coding Dojo does a mix of language, Dev Bootcamp is famous for being a Rails house, and Hack Reactor a Javascript powerhouse, not sure about App Academy. Hackbright is mixed and gives a diverse set of experience.

Other questions:

[updated may 22 2013] Question from user comment: how is the job placement afterwards.
The job placement is weak from the first class of Coding Dojo, but people see an increase in short term gigs and contracts. The strongest employer of the first class turned up to be Coding Dojo itself. Read more here

[updated may 22 2013] Question from Ryan

Coding Dojo claims to teach Rails , how many students do projects in rails? 
Most students do at least one Rails project. I personally did 2 Rails project and one codeigniter. I would say TDD teaching isn't strong in Coding Dojo. But TDD knowledge also depends on your knowledge of rails. 

I knew Rails before and thought learning the fundamentals including CodeIgniter MVC framework helped me understand Rails better, and I saw an improvement in my Rails work.

But the TDD part is lacking, I reiterate.


[updated may 22 2013] Question from Ryan

Are people employable after the bootcamp?
 That's a tough question to answer. Employment depends on many factors, especially a person's existing experience, network and ability to learn. The employment results vary. One guy who just started with Rails got a Rails job, while some others that are really good have yet to pursue or obtain a job.  Many get temporary gigs.

I would say in all bootcamps the stats are bluffs, especially the ones that actually kick students off. The stats scream inaccuracy to me. 

How we do in the job market is pending many factors just like any job search. I will not think many bootcamp is a magical pill. However, some bootcamps are more famous and hence more credible and well-connected.

[end of update from may 22 2013]

Why Coding Dojo over others?

Author: Dilys

  • The biggest is timing. I left my job to code. Can't wait for too long.
  • Pricing matters.Coding Dojo initial class was an affordable $5000, affordable compared to Hack Reactor (formerly Catalyst) for example which is $10,000+
          [Updates May 7 2013] - looking back Hack Reactor is still the priciest and single language            
          (really all about Javascript), retro reflect, Javascript full stack is a good single language to learn.
          Potentially better than the  Ruby and Rails combo. It also makes sense now why Codecademy
          was also focused on js first. 
  • Coding Dojo emphasizes fundamentals more than sexy techs like Ruby on Rails. Rather than spending the majority of time learning frameworks, the emphasis is on fundamentals, then MVC frameworks come more naturally
  • Diversity of technlogy: this boot camp has a good blend of old and new techs, e.g. PHP, SQL, Ruby on Rails, Django, CodeIgnitor

Why Coding Dojo over Hackbright?

Author: Dilys

    That was a hard decision indeed. Hackbright has great lady coders, many of whom I met in person and have received great impressions. Quite a few of whom found junior or entry developer jobs right after the camp. Good combo of pricing, network! (possibly stronger than Coding Dojo for now, and great opportunity for girls of course), sexy technology, and even some scholarship. The only problem for me timing. It was less frequent.
    Now that I am in the middle of Coding Dojo, I am starting to think it was also good to be in a co-ed environment. Has its rough patches, but definitely will emulate the working environment.


    Author: Ben (dojo classmate) and Victor (youngest dojo classmate only 16 and left high school)

    Well we weren't really allowed at Hackright. Lol :D



    How do you like the structure of Dojo? (off shore teachers, the LMS, etc.)

    Having offshore teachers was my main concern. After I talked to Michael and realized that he has a strong good philosophy that I accept, and that he's very smart, I decided to join, still having that concern. Now I am relieved. I worked with offshore workforce before, and it was challenging. But Michael's team is well trained, they are available from 4-8PM for any questions, code reviews, homework help, brainstorming etc... it was helpful for people like me who can't think of questions very fast, so if i missed out in the day time, and in the late afternoons, evenings during reflection it comes up, I almost have 24/7 help. They also create video feedback, which is brilliant in learning coding (I can explain more later).
    Also Michael and Charles are here for way more than 4 hrs a day.
    There are multiple helpers onsite, so I actually ran into the situation that I ran out of questions to ask, so I just listen to what my classmates have to say. There are multiple lectures throughout the day, video tutorials, office hours etc. More materials than I can get my hands on.
    Some of my classmates don't even interact with the offshore TAs too much, that's just their style. And they do well too.

    Would you reccomend dojo to someone with prior programming experience?

    YES! In fact multiple people have prior experience: e.g. 1 year PHP, school work in Java, prior Java/C, solid front end design pixel perfect photographer, javascript by heart... as long as you don't know web development by heart, there are a lot of things to learn. Also we are touching on old and new tech, you may know PHP, but you may not know Ruby on Rails, Django, or Hadoop, or SASS... you know what i mean?

    What do you like the least/best about Dojo?

    It's intense and it's intense.
    I am learning a lot and I am stressed out about learning a lot. Also that Coding Dojo has the philosophy of starting with the fundamentals: meaning you will have to learn the front end design HTML CSS, as well as if/else, loops in PHP, before you move on †o Ruby on Rails, Node Js.... what have you, and eventually 3 projects. I was very surprised at how useful CSS is, when I already a bit of Ruby on Rails. Going through the fundamentals completely changed my understanding of Ruby on Rails. It blew my mind. That's what I mean by learning the sexier technology later. Also the fundamentals are the hardest to learn, and takes the longest to learn outside class, when learning on your own.
    One big philosophy Michael has is to focus on the fundamentals then extrapolate the new tech, and also the boot camp having the point of helping you saving lots of time. You have to struggle to learn, but it will rocket you through your learning trajectory - when learning on your own.

    I'm not sure if you can speak to this yet but I'm particularly curious about job placement and competitiveness once a graduate from a bootcamp like Coding Dojo. Assuming limited engineering experience going in, how competitive are graduates in the marketplace to get junior development positions? Specifically, how many/what percentage of students in your (or prior) cohort landed a position by or within a few months of graduation?

    So many factors are in play. I would say those who are connected in the Startup world will always get jobs faster! Do you know what i mean? It is really about inter-personal connections. I think as a girl you may have the highest placement in Hackbright.

    At Coding Dojo, as we are the first class I cannot tell you the numbers. However, quite a few employers have shown up to recruit, so it looks promising. As I said it really depends on the person. From skill point of view, you will be very ready after Coding Dojo. But the prep work for algorithm interviews still take time for sure (dojo mates and I plan to take time after the first camp to prep).

     I have the suspicion that some bootcamps are very quickly pumping out a lot of students in a short amount of time, so popular camps are not necessarily better. That's why I didn't have a problem to be the FIRST class of Coding Dojo ;-) if you know what i mean?

     You are right, this is a good question to think about. coding is a lot of time and energy commitment. I would highly advise you to try it out in meetups, codecademy and other coding opportunities first see if you truly like it. It's like becoming a med student for the money of being a doctor, it is often the wrong reason, and students drop off like flies in med schools (just personal experiences with a lot of med school friends). I am not saying that you are or it is wrong to think money is important. Just that it get tough and draining, knowing exactly why and when is very important.


    What distinguishes Coding Dojo from other bootcamps? 

    PROS
    • Skillset, fundamental focused
    • Unique instructors, self-made examples, flexible learning
    • Higher availability with more affordable price
    • Good environment in South Bay, though far if commuting from San Francisco
    • Proximity to high-way, downtown Mountain View (speakers and startups, accelerators)
    • Proximity to Hacker Dojo, a vibrant venue for hacking in the local scene
    • Great speaker series, beyond expectation considering lack of prestige
    • Strong hacker, self-made, entrepreneurial culture
    CONS
    • Less emphasis on career building: networking, interview
    • Lack of infrastructure on job placement and the prestige to attract employment
    • Developers are entrepreneurial, probably less of fit to Silicon Valley modern web programmer scene
    • Less fit and susceptible to Silicon Valley hip coding culture 
    It is both good and bad that Coding Dojo has heavy emphasis on skill set building. Of course any time you spend on that less time on networking, interview prep etc... This is a good place if you know that you really want to learn hardcore development skills and get the ground running fast (the 2nd part is the nature of any bootcamp). In terms of job placement, Coding Dojo has had many speaker events, and some prominent speakers like Mark of Twitter Bootstrap, but because the dojo just started, the network is not as top notch as Hackbright and Dev Bootcamp, both of which have special places in the history of bay area bootcamps.

    Personally, I am fine with skill based camps, because I have had prior employments which I did well, and I am mostly here to learn web development. While jobs are important considerations, at the end of the day, I will be fine if the Dojo does not help me find one. However, I'd also much prefer that it does help!




    More answers will be posted



    49 comments:

    1. is there a reason why you didn't choose to go to hackbright?

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. : ) thank you for being the first to ask! ask more questions if you feel like it :D

        Delete
    2. I recently got accepted to Coding Dojo and just have a few questions.
      Why did you choose dojo over other camps?
      How do you like the structure of Dojo? (off shore teachers, the LMS, etc.)
      Would you reccomend dojo to someone with prior programming experience?
      What do you like the least/best about Dojo?

      Thanks!
      Tyler

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Really good questions! I will answer it in a few updates stay tuned. This is a growing document. As you can imagine the bootcamp is pretty intense ;-) so I can't write all at once. CONGRATULATIONS!! We have multiple developers here who have had previous experiences. I will explain more

        Delete
    3. Great comments! I look forward to the rest. Tell the other guys thank you as well.

      ReplyDelete
    4. Your blog is very useful and provide tremendous facts about politics. It going to change the way one think by a sharp angle.
      Web Development Chicago

      ReplyDelete
    5. An outstanding job i really like it this type of content thanks for the share...

      ReplyDelete
    6. Can you provide any update now that the program is over? How has everything gone and where are you now?

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. I posted some answers here to extend this blog post. Right now people are getting more shortterm gigs and quite a few people saw an improvement in their contracts. Overall placement is still weak. See details here. http://www.codediv.com/codingdojo-laadjs.php

        Delete
    7. Glad to read your post...Thanks for sharing such a nice information, its beneficial for me. I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post. Keep sharing.
      Web Development Company US

      ReplyDelete
    8. i must say that your blog is really very informative. I am looking forward for more such posts. Thanks.
      Web Designing In Pakistan

      ReplyDelete
    9. Hi Dilys, why do you say that Javascript full stack is a good singel language to learn, and potentially better than Ruby on Rails?

      I was recently accepted to CodingDojo, another bootcamp that is JS-focused (NodeJS in particular) and potentially a RoR bootcamp, so I am trying to decide which to attend.

      Thanks!

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. That is a really good question! I would like to dedicate a blog post regarding that. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, if you want you can subscribe to my newsletter http://www.codediv.com

        Delete
      2. That's great, I'll be waiting then! I checked out your codediv site and listened to the video on choosing a bootcamp too.

        Thanks!

        Delete
      3. Here you go : ) glad that you watched the video. Give it a thumbs up if you like it. Thanks for checking out codediv.com

        http://codesum.blogspot.com/2013/06/learn-fking-javascript.html

        Delete
    10. Web design and development services are the very important for business. Thanks for your great information, the contents are quiet interesting

      web design consultancy & web consultancy

      ReplyDelete
    11. Very efficiently written information. It will be priceless to anybody who uses it, together with myself. Sustain the good work – for positive i will try extra posts.

      ReplyDelete
    12. Thanks for your informative post. I will visit you again and see your new one.
      Top Five
      Firefox Add-ons – You will love these

      ReplyDelete
    13. This post is really informative and attractive and i get many new ideas from it.

      Thanks

      Ricky Braod

      http://codal.com/

      ReplyDelete
    14. The information are very truthful and a lot of sense. It is important that we should know much better about these for Web Developer. Thank you.

      ReplyDelete
    15. Me and my colleagues from web development companies http://www.nixsolutions.com/services/web-development-services/ were in HackBright. It's a great place where u can improve your skills and met a lot of interesting people.

      ReplyDelete
    16. What a great competition to hold. Thanks for keeping us up to date. I just went through some of your previous posts. Keep up the great work. Thanks
      web development company in United States

      ReplyDelete
    17. The website designing firm should have experience in search engine optimization techniques. Website Design Houston

      ReplyDelete
    18. With the increasing number of business websites and e-commerce sites coming up every day, there is no shortage of web development company India.
      web development company

      ReplyDelete
    19. In any case, with the rise of cell phone individuals discovered better approaches to kill that time and playing recreations on your cell phone is at present the most well known and acclaimed strategy to do it. Subway surfer hacks

      ReplyDelete
    20. While the UFC waits for its mainstream stars to return to the octagon, the promotion has booked a UFC 209 card that appeals directly to its. Lando Vannata knew he was ready for the UFC when he got the call last year to face No. 2 ranked lightweight Tony Ferguson on just two.
      UFC 209
      UFC 209 Live , UFC 209 Fight Card
      UFC 209 Live Stream , UFC 209 Fight


      The return of Georges St-Pierre livens up the UFC pay-per-view depth chart. At the time of his 2013 hiatus after a ninth consecutive. Set to take on Marcin Tybura (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at Saturday's UFC 209, Henrique (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will have one of his big examples.
      UFC 209
      UFC 209 Live Stream , UFC 209 Live
      UFC 209 Fight , UFC 209 Fight Card

      ReplyDelete
    21. Get NCAA March Madness Live for Roku. Watch live recaps, game previews, games, and more using the official app for NCAA March Madness. Log in with your TV supplier to savor unlimited use of live streaming video of games across TNT TBS and truTV.


      March Madness

      March Madness Live

      March Madness Live Stream

      March Madness 2017

      March Madness 2017 Live

      NCAA March Madness

      2017 March Madness

      March Madness Bracket



      Please note: Live video is available in the USA, its territories, and Bermuda. * CBS games are not accessible on NCAA March Madness Live for Roku. Please see March Madness Dwell on computer or your cellular device, or tune in to the CBS program, to see CBS games.

      ReplyDelete
    22. Following having a few times with mid-major March Madness championship video games claiming the schoolMarch Madness Live hockey spotlight, the Power 5 March Madness Live Stream conference tournaments learn to take center stage today. These types of are the games that will help define the way the bubble and the returning end of the NCAA March Madness Bracket Tournament bracket shakes away.
      March Madness 2017
      On Wednesday, Syracuse, New mexico, March Madness 2017 Live California, TCU, Ohio Point out, Wake Forest, 2017 March Madness Virginia Technical, Texas Tech, Xavier and The south all play game titles NCAA March Madness that will either help solidify their at-large berth/seed or make Selection Saturday more of an restless day. march madness schedule

      One other quick note: I moved Gonzaga back up to the top seed line after a third thoroughly impressive win over a very good Saint Mary's team in the WCC name game. That's not total, though. The Pac-12 event champion march madness schedule 2017 could easily end up there by the end of the week, particularly if the winner of the Arizona/UCLA semifinal beats Or in it game.

      ReplyDelete
    23. The Web Developer Bootcamp is definitely a course that beginners can take without feeling lost. Web Design Bangalore

      ReplyDelete
    24. Nc: Though a Tar High heel sandals sacrificed inside the ACC event semifinals, they Fight it out in the basics meant for a lot of the main about half. Justin Fitzgibbons, with developed a good skilled circumference game, together with a foul-free Fran Berries II include the car keys.
      March Madness

      March Madness Live

      March Madness Live Stream

      March Madness 2017

      Certainly, we understand Recognise Small number of hasn't built one further 3. This approach group, stored with proficient scorers that could as well lck down opponents, shall be their primary
      March Madness 2017 Live

      ncaa March Madness

      ncaa march madness live

      ncaa tournament

      March Madness Bracket

      ncaa final four

      No matter whether you’re even now over the wall this 8-9 performance, and also would like a consensus viewpoint on the Last Five randomly chooses, we’ve became anyone dealt with using a rating of 68 matchups inside the event. Now you may confidently generate for you to decide at hundreds of mid-major darlings you’ve become eyeing meant for angry potential.
      March Madness

      March Madness Live

      March Madness Live Stream

      March Madness 2017

      March Madness 2017 Live

      ncaa March Madness

      ncaa march madness live

      ncaa tournament

      March Madness Bracket

      ncaa final four

      Villanova: The most notable entire seed products. Inspite of the team’s placement inside most ruthless vicinity (the Far east, using matchups against Fight it out and SMU looming), Villanova’s three-man pungent major with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins has the probable to help try like indigenous winners.

      ReplyDelete
    25. the strongest remaining defensive unit -- ETSU was held to 0.93 points per possession and Virginia was held to 0.65. Plus Devin Robinson, averaging 19 points per game in this tournament, seems capable of producing the offensive juice to help Florida win a pair of games in New York City this week.



      March Madness

      March Madness Live

      March Madness Live Stream

      March Madness 2017

      March Madness 2017 Live

      ncaa March Madness

      ncaa march madness live

      ncaa tournament

      March Madness Bracket

      ncaa final four



      efore his Louisville squad lost to Michigan on Sunday, Rick Pitino said Michigan and West Virginia were the most difficult teams to prepare for because they play unique styles and present challenges often difficult to simulate in practice. And coach Bob Huggins backed that assertion with wins o

      ReplyDelete
    26. The NBA player staring at a 9:30 a.m. team breakfast in a hotel conference room the morning of the game can now log seven or eight hours of z's and still enjoy a tryst. Thanks to direct messaging and texting, some NBA players even arrange to have keys left at the front desk so dates can be inside the room when a player arrives at the hotel.


      March Madness

      March Madness Live

      March Madness Live Stream

      March Madness 2017

      March Madness 2017 Live

      ncaa March Madness

      ncaa march madness live

      ncaa tournament

      March Madness Bracket

      ncaa final four





      Much as the NBA dating scene has become streamlined, so has jet travel. In many cases, teams on a back-to-back used to take the first commercial flight out on the morning of th

      ReplyDelete
    27. With the increasing number of web design services providers online, picking up the best and the reliable one is quite a daunting task. Exza

      ReplyDelete
    28. The reason is that if your site is SEO friendly, then it will help you attain high rankings in search engines. Without high rankings, you won't be able to drive the most targeted traffic to your website.
      web design lessons

      ReplyDelete
    29. designing a website
      A website of a company with all the required information can bring more market presence of the company. Thus the importance of web design training in Kolkata is quite clear and it is bringing a new era all together.

      ReplyDelete
    30. You require jewels to construct your own particular domain speedier and more grounded than others. You by and large need to win the pearls by clearing the levels however with Clash of Clan diversion hack, you can get boundless supply of gemstones.Injustice 2 hack

      ReplyDelete
    31. Could each basic brand you see over the street be known as a way of life brand? No, it can't. Since a way of life brand to genuinely be effectively should have the capacity to end up something that individuals use to identify with each other.Motivational speaker

      ReplyDelete
    32. It was a very nice post. web design and Web development service have been described here read all about it.

      web development company India

      ReplyDelete
    33. Fortunately, some of the basic tools that you could use are either free or very cheap. And as far as the knowledge goes, You really could get away with knowing only a little HTML, LDA Interactive

      ReplyDelete
    34. Great Info! ...Thanks for sharing information with us. If someone wants to know about Taxi Service App and Health Management Software I think this is the right place for you.
      Taxi Dispatch App | Taxi Service Providers | Safety and Health Management System

      ReplyDelete
    35. This blog is helpful for people who searching for this types of details. Design your website at a affordable prices, hire a web designer in India,from a reputated Virtual Staffing Agency

      ReplyDelete

    React UI, UI UX, Reactstrap React Bootstrap

    React UI MATERIAL  Install yarn add @material-ui/icons Reactstrap FORMS. Controlled Forms. Uncontrolled Forms.  Columns, grid