I went to Hacker You this summer hopeful that my l...

I went to Hacker You this summer hopeful that my life would change and it did in ways that honestly exceeded my expectations and hopes. In 9 weeks I did not learn everything there is to know about progamming and everything that might come up on the job. But I learned something more important, how to be a developer.

We learned skills like HTML, CSS, JavaScript and some React. More importantly we learned how to take in and apply information almost immediately. We made 7 projects (including our portfolio sites) in 9 weeks and each project was a direct reflection of the concepts from class.

The learning environment is ideal with a mix of classes and project work time where an online "helpcue" allows you to request the help of a mentor. You rarely have to wait more than a few minutes to get the perspective and help of a mentor. There is a mix of solo and group projects so you also learn things like git collaboration and how a group project might feel.

The instructors have a lot of perspective to offer about things you might encounter in "the wild", but upon graduation there is also a robust alumni community and slack channels like "helpme" and "freelance" where grads from all the cohorts regularly communicate and suggest solutions when people are stuck at work.

I was hoping to get a job soon after graduating. Although it was tough feeling the hard knocks of job hunting, Heather (the CEO) was personally involved in the process running regular "job seekers" meetings and keeping tabs on each grad's progress. One day after 6 weeks, 45 applications, 8 interviews and countless emails sent, I was offered 2 great positions within half an hour, one of them being my dream job (where I now work and love).

So yeah, just do it! Any bootcamp will be a great experience if you want to become a web developer, but HackerYou offeres an unparalled community and support network.