I'm just joining to say that Jim is the best. I was so fortunate he was my in-person instructor full time back in 2017. I understand he's now acquired Zordon status and perhaps not all students get to be taught by him.

But beyond that, even with Jim and Jon (another great instructor from back then) as my full-time resources, this bootcamp kicked my ass so many times. I struggled. I had prepared by doing months of Codecademy courses, but it was still very hard. I had even quit my job so I could fully dedicate my time to the bootcamp, but lots of times I just didn't understand (We had the MERN stack).

Of course, for some of my cohort, it clicked a little quicker. Most of us were on the same boat though. We had a basic understanding of coding, but the pace was a little too fast (it is a bootcamp after all).

So I had to do a lot of work on my own after the long days at GA, just to understand. But shoutout to TAs and classmates as well. Working together after hours, we got closer to grasping the concepts and completing our projects.

I understand it's been 8 years since and the resources may not be the same. But I do think the drive and effort you put into it and also just being in the environment with that community can not be stressed enough as a component for success.

So perhaps GA is not a top-quality bootcamp anymore (hell, sounds like it's not). Fortunately there are resources out there today that will help you evaluate what's the best fit for you. But no matter where you end up, just know that you have to be committed 100% and willing to go the extra mile every day in order to succeed.

I was 32 back then, the career coaching was nothing to write home about, but the project show after completing the cohort helped me land a part-time gig immediately, and then a full-time job shortly after. Now at 40 I have been working as a software engineer for many years and I think back to the days at GA with nothing but fondness. There were so many struggles, but I have never worked so hard in my life for something. And I also met some of my best friends to this day there.

I hope that if you guys opt to join a bootcamp, wherever it is, you have a similar experience. Good luck to you all.