Week -20: As In 20 Weeks Prior

Week -20: As In 20 Weeks Prior

Applying to coding bootcamps.

So you know how people, when they’re blogging, they have that whole ‘Week 1: Hell Week’ and so going on when they’re starting something out (like a coding bootcamp)?

Well, given that it’ll be roughly 20 weeks before I enroll in whatever bootcamp I decide to attend, I’m dubbing this post ‘Week –20: As in 20 Weeks Prior’.

Now that we’re past clarifications, here’s the low down:

  • I wanted to start building stuff for a while now, specifically since early May of last year, the month I first started hearing about bootcamps when my dad showed me this Huffington Post article featuring Dev Bootcamp.
  • Last winter in 2013 I literally did the same thing I’m doing now and applied to 5 coding bootcamps (Hackbright Academy, HackerYou, Bitmaker Labs, RefactorU, RocketU). I talk a bit more about this brief experience and what ended up happening instead here.
  • So now, this winter again, I’m starting over my quest/adventure searching for the perfect bootcamp and will hopefully find my treasure this time.
  • I even decided to up my game a bit and am in the process of applying to 7 bootcamps along with a couple of internships as a backup plan.
On Quora, it’s been suggested that bootcamps are for those specifically interested in the web development industry, and that if you’re interested in more advanced theoretical fields, then an undergraduate degree, as well as a Master’s, no doubt, will be beneficial in the long-run and are therefore still of more value than a bootcamp alone.Since I’m in that somewhat sticky situation where I want to start building stuff right now, but am also interested in bio-inspired computing for the long-term, I feel as if a seriously well thought out web development bootcamp in the summer followed by me graduating with a CS degree and then getting my Master’s seems like a better idea overall. Goals in play - check.
  • Anywhoozies, here is what my thought process this time when applying for bootcamps:
  • at least 12 weeks (I want my summer to be spent well given that I’m basically free from May 1 all the way till September 1! I mean, that’s roughly 16 weeks!!)
  • JavaScript focused (I never really liked the idea of learning Ruby ever since I first tried it out. Plus, I’m more familiar with Java and the syntax is similar) or in one case UI/UX focused
  • awesome reviews (Ah, derp - for obvious reasons.)
  • awesome hiring rate (Even though I’m not looking to be hired quite yet, I will be in the near future!!)
  • With that in mind, here’s where I decided to apply this time along with one stand out thing that made me want to apply to the bootcamp besides already fulfilling the pre-reqs I set in place and also where I am in the admissions process.
  1. Hackreactor (excellent reviews all around with great hiring rate) - interview in January
  2. Fullstack Academy (same as with Hackreactor but on East Coast) - accepted! meeting with founder today!
  3. Makersquare (offers housing) - finishing up 2nd coding challenge
  4. Coding House (housing and coding combined) - finished interviews, no feedback yet
  5. DevLeague (first in Hawaii) - interview next Tuesday!
  6. Coding Dojo (scholarships abound) - accepted!
  7. Designation (UI/UX immersion) - accepted!
  • This is just a general overview of my progress so far - I’ll be having a separate blog entry for each bootcamp and my personal experience with it including details from the interviews I had. Each bootcamp deserves to be fully reviewed, after all.

Until next time - toodles!

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