Nate Cottle

Review of Epicodus

I started Epicodus early 2018 and finished near th...

I started Epicodus early 2018 and finished near the end of 2018 at the Portland campus. Overall, I had a great experience while taking the course, I felt like I was challenged and that there were definitely great opportunities for growth.

Both of the teachers I had there were fantastic. I spent most of my time with Franz, who was an amazing teacher. He is friendly and understanding and made sure to get to know his students. He always gave helpful feedback but also let you struggle for a bit on your own and give you the opportunity to work through the issues in your code first (I see this as a huge positive, you don't learn without failure). The same can be said for Lena, while my time with her was much shorter (only one section of the course) she had a bright and friendly attitude and was there quickly to support you if needed.

While Epicodus and it's staff are a great resource to have both in and out of the classroom, you definitely get back as much as you put in. I'm sure that this is true for most code schools. If you go, put in the effort both in and out of class, and try your hardest to succeed and understand the concepts given to you then you'll be rewarded. The pair programming was interesting at first, but I felt like it made the cohort closer and help me both understand my code as I explained it to others and not be afraid to reach out to my classmates for help when I needed it. Every day is new opportunity to learn, especially in any field that requires programming, things are always shifting and changing and if you're not down to be continually learning, then I don't think Epicodus would be right for you. But, if you enjoy learning new things and challenging yourself, then I would say Epicodus is a great choice to develop yourself and new skills.

One of the largest draws for me was the onsite 'internship' at the end of the program. You get to interview with companies around the area and then join them for 5+ weeks to work on real projects in a real environment. While my internship wasn't the most stellar and there wasn't much for me to do at the company I was at, I still made the most of it and decided to learn new frameworks and languages. I definitely don't fault Epicodus for my internship experience, but I will say there's a small chance you won't get the company you want or that you'll be doing work that isn't best.

I definitely recommend Epicodus to others out there who are passionate about learning a new skill and diving into a completely different career. The coursework was challenging and fun, the internship was a unique experience, and the career support was great as well. I was able to find a job as a Front End Web Developer 2 and half months after finishing and while this wasn't a lead given to me through job assistance, they were still extremely helpful with tips for interviews and career resources. I had a fantastic experience.

Happy Coding!