All Episodes
March 1, 2021
Career Foundry Coding Bootcamp Review
I invited 3 Career Foundry graduates on to talk about their experience at the coding bootcamp. It's a self-paced program. While they don't have instructors, it sounds like they have mentors and tutors to help you along the way. This is another coding bootcamp that offers a "job guarantee". We read some of the requirements they impose on students in order for the coding bootcamp to have to honor the job guarantee - completely unrealistic expectations.. Also, see you if you can find the easter eg…
Feb. 22, 2021
Devmountain iOS Coding Bootcamp Review
I invited 3 Devmountain graduates on to talk about their experience with the iOS program at the coding bootcamp. It sounds like they prefer hiring former students rather than developers with real experience, which is an interesting choice. What I really loved about this episode was that everyone really shared some nose to the ground and just grind stories that I think will be inspirational for many people. Guests: Perez Willie-Nwobu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/perez-willie-nwobu-240b5b116 Jak…
Feb. 15, 2021
Computer Science Degrees Are Becoming Obsolete For Software Engineers
In this web development podcast episode, I made the statement that within 5 years, under 50% of junior software engineers will have a Computer Science degree. Software engineering is a field that updates too quickly for college curriculums to keep up with at a fast pace, which is often why they're outdated. They put students in a massive amount of debt without any guarantee of a job. Alternative paths such as coding bootcamps and self-paced online programs are on the rise, and rightfully so. Wi…
Feb. 4, 2021
Springboard Coding Bootcamp Review in 2020
I invited 3 Springboard graduates on to talk about their experience at the coding bootcamp. If I'm not mistaken, this is one of the longest coding bootcamps I've reviewed so far. It sounds like they don't have instructors. It's certainly an interesting way to structure a coding bootcamp to say the least. Most importantly, I'm very concerned about how much of a guarantee their "job guarantee" actually is. What graduates shared with me is a red flag in my eyes. Hopefully this gives you some insig…
Feb. 2, 2021
Interviewing the CEO of Nucamp Coding Bootcamp
I invited on Nucamp’s CEO, Ludo, to address much of the feedback from my previous video where I brought on 3 graduates to share their experiences at Nucamp. Given that it’s such a cheap coding bootcamp, we dove into many of the tradeoffs he chose to make when forming Nucamp. I think this is an interesting window into a coding bootcamp CEO's philosophy on curating and managing a coding bootcamp. Previous episode where 3 graduates reviewed Nucamp: https://www.buzzsprout.com/948958/6757864 -------…
Jan. 25, 2021
LearningFuze Coding Bootcamp Review in 2020
I invited 3 LearningFuze graduates on to talk about their experience at the coding bootcamp. While they advertise as fullstack it feels geared for frontend. Also, we dove into a couple of rants about in-person vs remote experiences and how most fullstack developers are not really fullstack developers.. Enjoy! Guests: Kevin Tolentino - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinstolentino Jerry Ong - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerryong89 Michael Poole - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-poole -------…
Jan. 19, 2021
Brainstation Coding Bootcamp Review In 2020
I invited 3 graduates on to talk about their experience at Brainstation (coding bootcamp). With Jessica’s pro Linkedin tips, Nikki’s insight into unpaid internships, and Kate’s attempt to demonetize my video to keep us on our toes, I think this episode ended up turning out really well. Let me know what you think. Guests: Jessica Kwok - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-kwok Nikki Noriega - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-noriega Katelin Cook - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelin-cook ------…
Jan. 17, 2021
Fullstack Academy Coding Bootcamp Review in 2020
I finally got to invite 3 graduates on to give me an update on what their recent Fullstack Academy experience has been like. As many of you know, I graduated from FSA years ago, so I was REALLY excited to get to hear what they've been up to. With being acquired and forced to go fully remote, it sounds like there have been some challenges. In this episode, we dive into all of it - the good and the bad. Guests: Niko Sward - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nsward Kali - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kal…
Jan. 14, 2021
Code Fellows Coding Bootcamp Review - "A Holistic Experience"
I invited 3 graduates on to talk about their experience at Code Fellows. This coding bootcamp is unique in that it breaks its curriculum up into modules and even allows you to choose your own path to learn the tech stack that you want to learn. It felt like this one really focused on producing resourceful developers. What do you think? Guests: Chris Ball - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ball Adrienne Easton - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-easton Gwendolyn Buchthal - https://www.linkedin.com…
Jan. 12, 2021
How To Become a Self-taught Developer (Advice and Stories From Actual Self-taught Developers)
I invited 3 self-taught developers on to talk about their journeys of becoming professional developers and share advice on how you can follow the same path. At a time where opportunities are limited due to the pandemic, we need all options on the table more than ever. If you believe that the only way to become a professional developer is to invest in a college degree or coding bootcamp, why not listen to a few developers who carved out their own path? Guests: Aaron Billings - https://www.linked…
Jan. 8, 2021
Hackbright Academy Review - Does This Women's Only Coding Bootcamp Actually Empower Women?
You might have started hearing about women's only coding bootcamps popping up. Listening to some of the women I've mentored, I can promise you that some of these don’t deliver on their promise to set women up for success in the tech industry. My main objective for this episode was to see if this coding bootcamp helped women become more confident and resourceful, and actually put them in the software engineering industry. We got to talk about whether or not Hackbright Academy delivered on that p…
Dec. 31, 2020
The Self-taught Path of Becoming a Frontend Developer (And What It's Like To Be One)
I absolutely loved the vibe of this group. It was just a silly, wholesome podcast episode. We shared humble experiences of what it’s been like for us as developers and more specifically, working mainly on the frontend. Then we came up with a strategy and mapped out on a timeline, of becoming a frontend developer - just starting to job-ready. Best of all, we focused on the self-taught route. If you don't have money to spend on an expensive college degree or even a coding bootcamp, this episode i…
Dec. 22, 2020
Ironhack Coding Bootcamp Review
I invited a few graduates on to talk about their experience at Ironhack. At 9 weeks, this coding bootcamp is 3 weeks shy of the typical 3 month-long coding bootcamp. Is 9 weeks enough time to prepare you for a professional developer position? We dove into that, as well as other pros and cons of the program. Enjoy! Adrian Visnieski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-visnieski Henry Doce - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrydoce Rodrigo Moura - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodrigo-jorge-moura ----…
Dec. 17, 2020
Actualize Coding Bootcamp Review - Does This Coding Bootcamp Teach You Enough?
I invited a few graduates on to talk about their experience at Actualize. This is another coding bootcamp that seems to be meant for giving working professionals an opportunity to transition into software engineering. We also had a really honest conversation about learning a less marketable stack - Ruby on Rails and Vuejs. Finally, we dove into something that you should NEVER put on your resume and Linkedin profile. Enjoy! Guests: Daniel Afkhami-Ardekani - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-ard…
Dec. 8, 2020
Nucamp Coding Bootcamp Review - The Affordable Coding Bootcamp
I invited a few graduates on to talk about their experience at Nucamp. At less than $2000, this coding bootcamp is probably the cheapest coding bootcamp that I've reviewed so far. The target audience definitely seems to be focused on working professionals that are looking for a low-cost entry into the software engineering industry. Towards the end, you'll also get to hear me go off on a rant and squash bad advice that came from a huge personality in the developer community. Don't ever be afraid…
Dec. 2, 2020
What It’s Like To Work As A Software Engineer at Google
I invited current and ex-Google software engineers on to talk about their experiences of what it's like to be a developer at Google. We dug into rumors, perks, day to day, and the interview process. We even took some time out to compare it with software engineer positions at smaller companies. They actually got me to change my mind about whether or not I could see myself working at Google! Guests: Jeremy Wall - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywall Joon Park - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joonp…
Nov. 22, 2020
Le Wagon Coding Bootcamp Review In 2020 - “Le Wagon is focused primarily on entrepreneurs”
I got to talk with some coding bootcamp graduates that graduated from Le Wagon, a highly rated coding bootcamp on Course Report. This one was very interesting, especially given that the classes are hosted primarily out of the United States. Up until now, I've focused on coding bootcamps that resided mainly in the US. Also, this coding bootcamp redefined what a full-stack developer can truly be, which REALLY made me re-think a couple of things. If me butchering a french name for an hour straight…
Nov. 16, 2020
Why and How Developers Can Learn More About UX, Accessibility, and Design
I'm a full-stack developer that is terrible with design, and I'm slowly learning more about UX and accessibility each year. I can't tell you how valuable it's been to start dipping my toes in the UX world, and how much of a better developer it's made me. So, I invited 3 people with UX/design backgrounds to talk about why it's important for developers to at least get comfortable with the fundamentals and the steps you can take to start getting more knowledgeable in these areas. Guests: Andy Avel…