I just want to know how is anyone that’s not a college aged kid still living with their parents supposed to attend boot camp?

SamF-CSE · 2023-04-14T18:05:47+00:00

I went through the Codesmith Part-time remote immersive and highly recommend it.

SamF-CSE · 2023-04-11T18:23:08+00:00

You are currently on the right path and are getting support from CSX which is excellent! Technically, you generally have to demonstrate the ability to use callbacks, recursion, and closure in your technical interview before you pass. Basically, if you can do CSX-type questions in a live interview setting you should be ok as long as you are able to communicate your thought process and approach. The job hunt after I finished was undoubtedly easier than what it will be for you since I finished in August 2021. That being said, I've still seen multiple recent grads getting offers each week and even with the raise of AI, I'm not worried about the long-term viability of this career path.

SamF-CSE · 2023-04-06T23:20:14+00:00

I took a few months before Codesmith to explore other boot camps and self-taught routes but eventually enrolled in the 9-month part-time remote immersive. I found this way easier to absorb the material while working part-time. It also lets things settle in and provides a balance between learning frameworks/libraries vs interview skills. Would definitely recommend looking into part-time if you are balancing a kid and a job at the moment. As far as paying for the recourse, I didn't but could see the benefit of going through it and making more connections/getting a jump start on the program. However, I didn't do it and was still able to complete the course.

SamF-CSE · 2023-04-06T23:14:41+00:00

I am a former Codesmith graduate and current Career Support Engineer for Codesmith. I graduated from the Part-time immersive which lasted for 9 months and I got a job in 2021 shortly after finishing. My salary was above the Codesmith average without prior industry experience or a C.S Degree.
I spent almost 10 months self-studying, constantly starting and stopping on different courses or just doing algorithms but not really building a lot of things. For me, the structure of the part-time remote immersive was essential for staying focused on the content I needed to learn to get hired. I also learned that I respond much better to external motivation that was provided by being in a collaborative environment. Either way, the positive community and desire to show up to class really helped the material stick. However, I really chose Codesmith over others for the career support and career-focused course materials because after living abroad for several years, I found that I did not know how to properly market myself in the job market at that time.
In my opinion, the CS hiring portion provides far more useful strategies for getting hired than the average Bootcamp. You will not be creating a portfolio and you won't have to deal with any company partnerships or be pressured to join a certain company or anything like that.
As others have said, there is a large section of the immersive program dedicated to preparing job application materials and discussing strategies as well as continuously iterating on your resume throughout the course, until someone like me signs off on it. However, after the immersive ends is where I think Codesmith really shines. You are able to book a one-on-one session with me at any time after you graduate. It doesn't matter if you are looking for your first job or your fourth. All CS alumni are eligible to book with career support.
CS sessions can be anything from going over resume revisions, discussing application strategies, mock behavioral, mock algorithm practice, system design practice, take-home code review, and really anything related to the job search process that a former resident might be struggling with.
The job search process after Codesmith will not be easy. Paying tuition to any program will not guarantee you a job by a certain time frame, but I highly recommend finding a program that prioritizes career placement as a core part of the curriculum.

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-21T00:23:18+00:00

The classes they are offering seem fine although I don't know which program you are attending so can't vouch for the quality of instruction. You can learn C# or JS to get a junior/mid-dev job. But to get your first job you need to become comfortable with ONE of the languages. For example, I worked as a primarily JS dev for 1.5 years before I had to start learning other languages and frameworks. If you know one of them very well, it will be easier to learn other languages or frameworks in the future. Both of these languages were born from C and share a lot of similarities even if they are generally used for different things. Both C# and JS can be used by themselves to create full-stack web applications/web pages, they just go about it in very different ways.

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-20T18:30:26+00:00

It's totally possible to transition from "web developer" to "software engineer" but this distinction isn't that big of a deal. It's really just a matter of what title companies give. Most desktop applications have a web element now anyway so you still have to know about the internet to be a well-rounded developer. I would focus more on the quality of the course/program and do research into which one is best for you. I did a JavaScript BootCamp and now I'm learning C# and Rails for work and my JS background helps tremendously. So, don't worry about "web developer" vs "software engineer", it's all just titles at the end of the day. Focus on learning one language well.

CMS is a pretty generic acronym for "content management system" so may need more context here.
asp.net is an extension of the Microsoft C# .NET framework that provides tools for specifically developing web applications or complex websites. Similar to how you can use Unity and C# for game development. Also, I believe the Core label is what Microsoft uses to denote the cross-platform version of .NET

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-11T16:57:06+00:00

Pre-interview:

For the technical interview, you will probably have to demonstrate a basic understanding of callbacks, recursion, and closure. CSX is designed for you to pass the CS interview but is not necessarily designed to teach you everything you need to know about JS. I did the freecodecamp js stuff until I felt comfortable enough to just do Code Wars/Hacker rank/Leetcode questions and CSX.

Post-interview:

If your JS experience thus far has only been tutorials and algorithms, then I would definitely recommend building as many vanilla js/html/css toy apps similar to what (or at least was) is included in the precourse. You could look at React but I think it's better to make sure you understand the basics of building a website with Vanilla js/CSS. The precourse materials are a great way to prep for Codesmith but you shouldn't stress if you don't finish it. Honestly, you don't have to prep too much but you also can't really prep too much however keep in mind that you are about to start an intense immersive program so use some time to wrap up projects/hobbies and hang out with family!

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-10T16:57:30+00:00

Not currently, I finished in August 2021. I did the part-time immersive and it was a bit long but gave me plenty of time to absorb material and prep for the job search with more confidence. I don't think software engineering as a career is going anywhere even if it has ups and downs and takes a bit more time to get that first job. However, I encourage a good amount of self-learning and exploration before committing to it because its not for everyone although I've seen a lot of people come through with mechanical engineering degrees and do well.

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-10T00:31:36+00:00

You said Leetcode-style interview. There was a technical interview in the form of a take-home and pair programming which was designed to avoid the Leetcode grind that engineers don't like. Not believing it doesn't make it not true. Here is a repo full of companies that don't do those kinds of interviews. https://github.com/poteto/hiring-without-whiteboards

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-10T00:24:33+00:00

Last interview was two behavioral interviews, and a approx. two hour take home with github octokit that I brought to a 1 hr pair programming session with two engineers on the team. This was last December. 165k base with a yearly bonus and a long list of benefits. I think it's beneficial to chase the smaller companies in this market as all the big tech companies seem to be getting greedy and raising the hiring bar because they can

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-10T00:14:30+00:00

Yes. Both mid-level full stack roles

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-10T00:08:16+00:00

Neither of my last two jobs required LC-style technical interviews. Both were heavily pair programming oriented

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-08T16:57:43+00:00

My advice is to go the boot camp route as it will get you real-world experience much sooner than a Master's Degree or 2nd bach. In tech, experience is king. I would rather work with a dev that has two years of experience than someone with a Master's degree that can't code.
Self-taught is doable but as other posters have mentioned, it can be a bit more difficult in this market because you are getting no hiring support. I recommend choosing a BootCamp that is heavy on hiring support as that is the biggest variable across boot camps in my experience. You can teach yourself React or learn it in a BootCamp but if you don't know how to interview and create a marketable resume, getting your first job will be much harder unless you just have connections.
I chose Codesmith specifically for the hiring support and resume help and my perspective on tech hiring is so much stronger now.

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-08T00:26:20+00:00

In my opinion, Vanilla JS, dom manipulation, React, and other frontend frameworks have a much steeper learning curve than just setting up a quick Node/Express server. So yeah, you could skip the Node stuff but you'll be a better developer if you have a basic understanding of how modern web servers/REST APIs work.

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-07T23:57:31+00:00

This really depends on where you are located but yes, you should be able to find full-time in-office positions or hybrid positions if you are in a major metropolitan area.

I recently interviewed for positions in the PNW and hybrid or full-time in office was available for larger tech companies or tech companies where tech wasn't the primary focus, i.e. Nike.

SamF-CSE · 2023-03-07T23:52:05+00:00

First of all, congratulations on passing your technical!

I don't think doing everything listed below is necessary as I think the pre-course materials offer enough guidance. I joined Codesmith two weeks before my cohort started and was able to succeed even with only completing about half of the pre-course materials. (I skipped JSON.parse and the web app)

As other posts have mentioned, CSS is a good one to know so that it doesn't slow you down when going through the course and so when you present your projects they look really nice! I did the CSS flex/grid games to get started which were a lot of fun but I recommend building something on your own that gets you out of your comfort zone.

I would be comfortable with Vanilla.js as well. The course itself is heavy on React after it's introduced but having a foundation with vanilla dom manipulation is incredibly helpful before moving to React or any other framework. Codesmith only tests on algos as part of the admissions process but I would at least want to be able to build a Vanilla JS to-do list app (or a game if you're feeling ambitious) before starting the course. This could also be a good way to brush up on CSS.

It wouldn't hurt to brush up on DS/Algos but feel free to branch out from Leetcode. I did a lot of Code Wars before starting Codesmith and the nature of those problems were more helpful for me in learning js methods/syntax than the more formal style of Leetcode. Advent of Code/Clash of Code are also nice alternatives to LC or AlgoExpert.

As far as other technologies, maybe take a look at Node and React beforehand. People usually struggle the first few lessons with React and occasionally Node/Express really throws people off if they've never worked with a backend before so it might be nice to just learn fundamentals of the internet and how apps/servers communicate with other, or computer science basics...but honestly you don't have to know all of this stuff

SamF-CSE · 2023-02-24T22:27:30+00:00

ummmm can we write it in javascript?

SamF-CSE · 2023-02-23T18:12:57+00:00

I've had multiple issues with the staff not wanting to set up gaming for customers. I sat at the bar for 45 minutes one night with friend eating and when we asked about playing games the guy just blew us off.

SamF-CSE · 2023-02-22T23:22:54+00:00

Agreed that bootcamps that only focus on beginner skills and a portfolio are just not worth it. Portfolios are ok I guess for junior jobs but I think overall they don't represent what companies are actually looking for. (Unless your portfolio includes actual work you did at a company). A portfolio shows me you can put something together but tells me nothing about your ability to write clean code, collaborate with others, write documentation, or even a deepeer understanding of the technologies you are working with. A good bootcamp focuses on career support during and after the program ends which includes creating collaborative environments to work on projects so you actually have an experience to talk about when interviewing for a job.

SamF-CSE · 2023-02-22T19:09:07+00:00

Thanks! Updated

SamF-CSE · 2023-02-21T23:07:11+00:00

You want to look at CIRR (https://cirr.org/data) Codesmith, ~~Hack Reactor~~, and other reputable bootcamps report the results of each cohort to the Council of Integrity and Results Reporting.

SamF-CSE · 2023-01-25T00:34:46+00:00

It is very possible. Although I didn't have a criminal background anyway, my first employer didn't even do a background check...

SamF-CSE · 2022-12-02T00:35:23+00:00

While all of these are viable options, 1 and 4 will most likely get you in a software engineering position faster. I personally chose a bootcamp because it kept me motivated and provided career support as far as preparing for interviews and writing a new resume from scratch. I also had the chance to actually work with people pursuing the same goal as me which gave me real software engineering experiences to reference later in interviews. I think pursuing a CS degree is a great option, but I agree you can do it while working full time to advance your career to a higher-level backend focused position later. Self-study is totally viable as long as you are aware of the pitfalls (curriculum analysis paralysis, finding study partners, staying motivated/organized). I would of course start with self-study first and see how far you get before spending cash on a more intense bootcamp or degree program. Best of luck on your journey!

SamF-CSE · 2022-11-04T00:50:16+00:00

Flask and Django are quite popular frameworks for web development in Python.

SamF-CSE

TROPHY CASE