"Going to Boise Codeworks was the best decision of my life. The staff is amazing, fun, and knowledgeable. They help you with your job search. The curriculum prepared me for my job. I love my new career.
Attending Boise Codeworks was hands down the most (and best) life changing decision I ever made. When I decided to attend a coding bootcamp I had been studying on my own at home (nights and weekends) for several months. I had hit a wall and knew I was struggling to move forward without instruction or more time to dedicate to coding. I interviewed with several Bootcamps in my home city, and it became evident pretty quick that they were diploma mills. They made me promises that were out of their control, like guaranteeing success and job placement – this seemed like a red flag to me because they had no idea what I would be like as a student or if I would be good at coding. I started to look outside of my state, and I found Boise Codeworks online. I called and spoke with Brittany, and I am so glad that I did. She was amazing; she asked smart questions to gauge my skill level, she answered every question I had, she explained the curriculum, and she never made a promise she couldn’t keep. Instead, she promised that they would do everything they could to support my success and assist in job placement, but that it would ultimately be up to me to not give up. In addition to loving the curriculum and how the class was structured, I also loved the honesty and integrity that I felt coming from Brittany when we spoke.
When I actually arrived to take the course, I was terrified, but the fear faded within the first few weeks. Bootcamps are hard; they take a lot of dedication and patience while you learn how to code, and going into it can be intimidating. However, my fear was quickly replaced by excitement as I progressed through the course. The instructors are amazing. Mark, Darryl, and Jake all have a gift for teaching. They’ve mastered the ability to create a learning environment that is incredibly effective while maintaining a sense of joy and humor at the same time. They have seemingly unlimited patience (as well as extensive knowledge); I asked each of them questions on topics that I just couldn’t quite wrap my head around, and they continually found new ways of explaining it until I could grasp it without ever showing any sign of impatience.
As a student, I also knew that my voice was heard and that I would be respected – not only by the staff, but by other students as well. Zach did an amazing job playing the role of student advocate (among many other roles, like scrum master). He had an open-door policy and made it clear that we had a right to a respectful learning environment and he would ensure that any concerns or complaints were addressed and rules enforced.
The curriculum is also taught in a very logical order, starting with front-end basics, then incorporating frameworks, and eventually learning back-end skills. We covered HTML, Bootstrap, CSS, JavaScript, Vue, C#, .Net, Node, important design patterns, discussed architecture, learned how to think about data relationships, and so much more. There is so much to learn in the world of software development that it’s impossible to learn everything; but what they choose to teach is carefully thought out, as each of these technologies provides a stable foundation for continuing our learning when we leave. I can confirm that everything I learned has helped me immensely in my first position as a software developer.
Speaking of when it comes to an end: they prepare you for it. The staff takes the time to prepare you for the interview process in a holistic manner. You get practice doing whiteboard challenges; you have an opportunity to practice answering behavioral questions and technical questions; Brittany even gives you advice on building your resume, linkedin profile, and how to network. And once class officially ends, they continue to help you network and find your fit in your first new position. They definitely helped me find my first position, for which I am grateful.
Boise Codeworks is more than a bootcamp, it’s a community. I found myself excited to go to class every day and I was actually sad when it was over. I’m so extremely grateful to the staff for all of the dedication they put in to structuring and teaching their course; every single one of them truly does want to see their students succeed.
If you’re looking to change your career into software development through the route of a bootcamp, I have two pieces of advice for you: 1) Study before you attend. Make sure you like coding before you commit to it, because if you don’t love it you will struggle. Learn some basics before you start your class because I promise you will get twice as much out of it than if you go in knowing nothing. And 2) call Brittany at Boise Codeworks and schedule a tour. You won’t regret it."
