Coding Dojo - Sunnyvale, California

Me M. M.

I came into the Coding Dojo bootcamp with very little prior coding experience. However, I found out that becoming a good developer is possible even if that person had totally different background. I also came from a different background and decided to change my career to Web developer after taking a basic Python course from online. One of the reasons I want to become a web developer is that I can create whatever I can think of with coding. In order to learn more and improve my coding skills, I decided to attend a coding bootcamp.

The reasons I chose Coding Dojo were that it offers 3 full stacks and also has a great curriculum. I gained a lot of knowledge and learned a lot from there within 14 weeks. The instructors are really helpful and knowledgeable. Their teaching strategies are really helping us to become efficient developers. Their 20 minutes rule is training us to become independent and self-sufficient developers since we have to figure out how to fix the bugs and how to improve our codes on our own by reading documents online when we work in tech industry.

I also like their career advising since the advisor is really helpful and provides us a great source of strategies and tips in networking and interview processes.

I really recommend Coding dojo to future web developers who are willing to learn and put a lot of efforts in order to become a self-sufficient developer.

Moon A.

I came into the boot camp with a little bit of prior experience. I was about half way through my computer science degree and felt that the learning was going a little slow. I wanted to go somewhere that would boost the speed of the learning and teach me some of the newer web technologies out there. When i went to the Dojo, I realized that they had a great curriculum and a great environment to learn.

The biggest thing that I can say is, you get out what you put in. I came from a technology background but saw very successful students that had different backgrounds, such as finance. The ones that put the time in (12 - 15 hours daily and sometimes even the weekends) really did an excellent job learning and were able to excel. Others that didn't put time and effort in, didn't do so well. Coding Dojo lets people in from all backgrounds because they believe that anyone can learn this, given they have the motivation. I completely agree with them. They also believe in strength through struggle. When you come to a bug, they want you to try and work it out without asking for help the first 20 minutes. This really helped me and caused me to learn even more, since I was actually surprised at how much I could figure out on my own.

When I couldn't figure something out though, there was our instructor there and TAs to help. The TAs are usually from previous groups, but are still working on personal projects or want to expand on what they learned. They will bend over backwards to help you figure out any problem. It was really great, because if they didn't figure out the problem right away, you were able to follow along with them in the troubleshooting process and help solve your own problem.

The curriculum was great and very up to date, they know what people are looking for. We did modern technologies that really were relevant in the field. They showed me how to interview, helped me work on algorithms for interviews, and even reviewed my resume. After a few tricks that they showed me, I was getting calls daily for open positions, I didn't even need to use their recruiting network. I got hired as a web developer the week after my boot camp.

Coding Dojo was a great experience and as long as you are going to use a little effort to help your future, I definitely recommend it. They teach you in a way that you can pick up other languages, frameworks, and technologies within a weekend. That type of learning quick is what the employer wants, as you can never know everything in this field. So just take my advice, go to the Dojo!

Sourabh P.

I had a great experience with Coding Dojo at their San Jose location. I had applied to several coding bootcamps, but made the decision to attend the Dojo based on location and price. I have no regrets!

The instructors and staff did a great job of welcoming us from the start. However, be known that this is a very hands-off learning process. Do not expect to get an answer to a question whether the instructors know it or not. They are meant to help guide you and show you the proper way to learn to code and teach yourself to be a self-sufficient developer.

My cohort went through PHP, MEAN, and Ruby on Rails. We were not given an option to choose which technology stacks we wanted to do, however I believe that has changed now. If given the option, I would have went with Python, MEAN, and iOS/Ruby. There is not much demand in the job market for PHP, especially amongst startups. Python and Javascript are the two main languages that seem to be the most in demand by companies.

Make sure to study algorithms and take it seriously when the instructors do a daily algorithm. Studying that will be taking your first steps to becoming an engineer. Also, you get out what you put in; thus make sure you stay the full day and put in a full day's effort. Do not get stressed if you fall behind the rest of the class, just try to focus and ask for help when needed.

A coding bootcamp is not for everyone...It is 12 weeks out of your life where you are spending a minimum of 10-12 hours a day at your computer or in class. Know what you are signing up for and make sure your family and loved ones know that you will not have much free time. Best of luck to everyone!

Valentyna G.

When I started look at the different boot camps Coding Dojo was the best fit for me. I was looking for the fastest way to pick up new technologies I was not familiar with. And I loved their approach of teaching - "Strength trough struggle" and they bought my attention with doing algorithms every day.

I remember my first day at the Dojo. I was so frustrated, a lot of going on, so much material to learn, new people around, do this and then that and so on. I realize that I have to adopt really fast. And I did.

The things to remember going through the program are have enough of rest, eat on time, do your best to understand the material, look at your classmates code, see different approaches to the problem, work in groups and remember why you are doing this, remember your goals so you can keep going!

I have learned a lot during the last three months. A lot of new technologies, how to use them. But the best things that happened to me during this time is meeting so many great people and getting to know them.

I would totally recommend having this experience to everyone, remember to value people around you, remember why you are doing this and love coding!!!

Ramyatha Y.

If you are looking for a career change or want to be a better developer, I would definetly recommend Coding Dojo. Personally , Coding Dojo really changed my perception about coding. Today, I can code in any language and handle any framework. All thanks to my instructors who were very helpful and kept us motivated. Be it any time they would always be ready to help us.

Another great thing about Coding Dojo is the career services program that they started recently to help the new grads, is worth appreciation. They are really trying hard to get us opportunities.

Lastly, I would like to say, Coding dojo can help you 45-50 % , the rest is what you make out of it and where you want to be. Have a clear goal and work hard , then you can make the most from the Bootcamp.

Chris H.

I joined Coding Dojo because I ran into a wall when trying to learn programming on my own.

I was really excited about the idea of learning 3 languages in a short amount of time.

The environment that Coding Dojo puts students in, fosters collaboration and a lot of pair programming.

The instructors and TAs aren't going to hold your hand through this program. You will have to be very diligent and organized with your time.

If you go into this program with finding a job and building a career as a developer, you seriously need to put the time in and forget about outside distractions.

Because all of the instructors and TAs went through the program, they were pretty good at answering questions about assignments.

Some of my classmates did not have any programming background, but by week 3/week 4, they were caught up and comfortable with the language.

Take advantage of these hackathons and project weeks. During the short amount of time, you will learn a lot and reinforce what you know. You will also be exposed to the process and environment of working in a small team.

One of the most important things to remember is don’t get discouraged.

Kerrin A.

During my time at Coding Dojo, I went from being a person with absolutely no coding experience to someone that feels confident in his ability to design and implement full web applications in both Python and Javascript using the MEAN stack. I was also fortunate enough to take the iOS track and have been able to develop basic iOS applications. I have not yet deployed anything on the app store but am in the process of finishing a few projects that I may deploy.

I would have liked to get more face time with some of the instructors but other than that the platform was very helpful. I learned how to fix and/or analyze most of my problems on my own and feel confident that I can take that skill into the workplace when needed.

I am satisfied with the knowledge I have gained over this time period and would recommend Coding Dojo to anyone with no coding experience that is looking to break into the industry. I believe it is a great entry level program.

One thing I would like to see are modules that go over advanced concepts in every language studied.

Ryan T.

I came to Coding Dojo trying to redefine myself, and it helped me do just that. I had a bit of experience programming before, but nothing formal, and most done on my own.

It's not easy. If you don't have the dedication to invest a sizable amount of time, you will not succeed. The amount of time people put into this program really shows in terms of ability and results. It's supposed to be a struggle, but like their slogan says: strength through struggle. Even with my previous experience there were plenty of times that I just wanted to bang my head on the table. But the great thing about coming in every day and putting in a decent amount of time is having the TAs and instructors there to help you. It's also great knowing that your cohort-mates are also struggling with you; it shows that what you're trying to achieve is not something just anyone can do.

It's fun. I truly enjoyed myself here, and I've gained a number of good friends through my cohort and the instructors. I met a lot of different people and learned a lot not only through the platform but through them. There were times we didn't get a lot of work done, but it was okay. Stay away from the ping pong table.

It's rewarding. Seeing yourself build projects from scratch that you originally had no idea about and probably thought were close to witchcraft is incredibly satisfying. And when you look back at how far you've come, you'll wonder why you ever doubted yourself to begin with.

This program IS for everyone. The instructors do a great job of not leaving anyone behind. I definitely would choose Coding Dojo over any other programming bootcamp.