Hi, I’m Brian, a former senior software engineer and now industry mentor at Pathrise. I have helped hundreds of software engineers land their dream jobs in tech. Check out my review of Code Fellows.
- What does Code Fellows do?
- Who is Code Fellows for?
- What does Code Fellows cost?
- Ratings and reviews of Code Fellows
- Alternatives to Code Fellows
- How does Code Fellows compare to Pathrise?
What does Code Fellows do?
Code Fellows is a bootcamp that teaches people the necessary skills to land a job as a software engineer. They offer courses onsite in Seattle, as well as a few online options.
Aspiring software engineers can choose from a variety of full-time and part-time options. While Code 101 is a 2-day course that can only be completed onsite, Code 102 has options. It can be taken as a full-time (1 week), part-time (2 weeks), or online (self-paced) course. On the other hand, Code 201 or Code 301 are only available onsite. But, students can enroll in the daytime track (4 weeks) or the nights/weekends track (8 weeks). The daytime track meets Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm. Alternatively, students in the nights/weekends track are expected to be on campus Monday-Friday from 6:30pm-9:30pm, as well as one full weekend day from 9am-6pm. Students in Code 401 meet Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm for 10 weeks.
Code 101 and 102
The Code 101 and Code 102 courses introduce people to the world of software development and tech. The curriculum covers the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In addition, students learn Git/GitHub and some computer science fundamentals, including variables, conditions, and loops. These courses prepare students for Code 201, which teaches HTML, CSS, and various JavaScript libraries. Those who take Code 201 learn how to create fully-functional web apps using a variety of in-demand tools. Code 301 covers APIs, SQL, and AJAX, as well as more advanced topics in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Finally, Code 401 teaches advanced skills and tools like Python, ASP.NET, and SpringMVC.
In general, students spend the first half of each session engaged in lectures that are not recorded. They also work on whiteboarding, in-class assignments, and pair programming sessions. For the remainder of each class, they participate in hands-on labs and have 1-on-1 sessions with instructors and TAs. Before class, students are expected to complete the assigned homework, which generally includes a mix of online readings, tutorials, assignments, and quizzes.
Code 401
People who enroll in Code 401 have 1-on-1 sessions with career coaches at various points throughout the bootcamp and receive guidance on elevator pitches, networking, resumes, and more. Code 401 students can also meet and network with potential employers through the Code Fellows Career Accelerator. To qualify for the Accelerator program, students must complete a qualifying interview, which helps prepare them for future technical interviews. As soon as students are ready to apply for jobs, they can create a profile on the Code Fellows Talent Portal, which sends them job alerts for open positions, including internships with partner organizations.
Who is Code Fellows for?
People with no experience in software engineering can benefit from Code Fellows. The bootcamp has partnerships with quite a few local companies and startups, so Code Fellows is a good option for those who are looking to launch a software engineering career in the Seattle area.
What does Code Fellows cost? How much work is involved?
Tuition for the 2-day Code 101 course is $99. Those who take Code 102 pay $1,000, while tuition for Code 201 and Code 301 is $5,000. Code 401 participants pay $12,000.
Candidates who enroll in Code 201, Code 301, or Code 401 can take out low-interest loans through Skills Fund or Climb Credit to cover tuition, as well as living expenses. Rates and repayment plans depend on an applicant’s previous credit history.
People who sign up for Code 201 at least 4 weeks before the start of class, as well as those who complete Code 101 before enrolling in Code 201, are eligible for discounts of up to $500.
Washington residents who are unemployed or facing an imminent layoff can receive funding through the Washington State Worker Retraining Program. Participants need to provide documentation that attests to their employment status before starting the course in order to verify their eligibility. Qualifying candidates can receive funding for up to 15% of tuition. In addition, veterans can use the GI Bill to fund their tuition and living expenses.
The bootcamp also offers need-based scholarships, which cover up to 70% of tuition for recipients. Those who are interested in applying for scholarships need to let the admission advisor know during their initial call. The admission advisor will send a link to a scholarship application, which requires candidates to answer a few short essay questions.
To apply to Code 201, 301, or 401, students fill out a brief online application, participate in an initial 15-30 minute phone interview with an admissions advisor, complete any necessary pre-work and the entrance exam, and pass the technical interview, which is conducted either onsite or via Zoom.
There is no application required for those looking to enroll in Code 101 or 102.
Ratings and reviews
Online reviews of Code Fellows are mixed, but skewed towards positive.
On SwitchUp, people benefited from the 1-on-1 support they received from the TAs, with one student observing, “There were 2 TA’s to help in our class and I swear they could tell when I needed help right away. I was even very stuck and frustrated the second day but our teacher even had time to help me 1-on-1 as he and the TA’s did every day, all day.”
People on CourseReport valued the bootcamp’s hands-on curriculum and the low student-to-instructor ratio. One grad described the bootcamp’s curriculum as “modern and relevant.” Another grad noted, “Our instructors and TAs throughout this curriculum were excellent in helping us all understand the material, and were eager to answer any questions we had.”
But, as another CourseReport grad warns, some students “were not ready when leaving the program to find employment. If you only take a 201 or 301 level course, be realistic about how much you can learn and practice in such a short amount of time. I needed more of the advanced topics covered in the 401.”
Echoing this, one Reddit reviewer said, “I finished about three months ago, and I found a software developer job with a well known tech company before I even graduated. About a quarter of my classmates are still looking for jobs.”
Alternatives to Code Fellows
If Code Fellows does not suit your learning goals or career objectives, there are a number of other bootcamps and online resources that can help you launch your software engineering career.
- One of the most well known bootcamps is General Assembly, which offers full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on a variety of topics like software engineering, data science, UX design, digital marketing, product management, and more. Read more about General Assembly in our review.
- Aspiring software engineers and UX designers who are looking for a full-time bootcamp can consider Kenzie Academy. Read about Kenzie Academy in our program review.
- Similarly, Prime Digital Academy has full-time and part-time courses in UX design and software engineering.
- Galvanize, Epicodus, and Flatiron School offer software engineering bootcamps in Seattle, as well as other cities.
- Similarly, Hack Reactor, devCodeCamp, Launch Academy, Redwood Code Academy, and Coding Dojo have courses for aspiring software engineers onsite as well as online.
- Thinkful, Zip Code Wilmington, and Lambda School are tech bootcamps with tracks in software engineering and other subjects.
- If you are looking for a self-paced, online software engineering or web dev bootcamp, consider enrolling in Covalence or Altacademy.
- Aspiring software engineers and web developers can also consider CodeX Academy, which is a self-paced coding bootcamp. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our review.
- Another option is Grand Circus, which teaches courses on Java, front-end, and C# .NET. Their campuses are in Michigan, but they also offer online options.
- Likewise, Tech Elevator is a software engineering bootcamp with online and on-campus options.
More alternatives
- Udacity and Springboard are online learning platforms with courses in software engineering, data science, and other topics. Discover how Udacity and Springboard can help you advance your current tech skills by reading our program reviews.
- Similarly, Coursera and Udemy are online learning tools with hundreds of courses in software engineering, data science, and other subjects.
- Codecademy is one of the most popular coding programs online. They provide free courses on many different programming languages. They also offer membership options ranging from $20 to $40 per month for more course options and greater support. Learn more about Codecademy in our review.
- You can also check out Bubble no-code bootcamps to learn how to make products without coding. Learn more about Bubble in our review.
- Finally, edX is one of the most popular online learning platforms. They have courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT as well as big tech companies like Microsoft. Learn more about edX in our review.
How does Code Fellows compare to Pathrise?
Code Fellows is a bootcamp that helps people develop the necessary skills to land a job as a software engineer from scratch. At Pathrise, people in our program should have prior experience in their field of interest so that they can fully benefit from our pair programming sessions, 1-on-1s, and technical workshops, where we provide a more specific curriculum based on what they will see in their technical interviews.
A full service organization, Pathrise helps software engineers land their dream job in tech. Our mentors, who have years of experience on both sides of the hiring table, provide 1-on-1 assistance on every component of the job search. While we place a great deal of emphasis on technical interview preparation, through workshops, pair programming sessions, and 1-on-1s, we also support job-seekers on resume & portfolio building, cold emailing & reverse recruiting strategies, behavioral interview preparation, salary negotiation, and more. Fellows learn life-long skills that can benefit them in future job searches as well.
Our program is flexible, with only 2-4 hours of group sessions per week and 1-on-1 sessions that can be scheduled as needed by fellows. All of our workshops and sessions are live, as well as recorded, so fellows can review them afterwards and continue learning. We personalize our curriculum to meet the specific needs of each fellow.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that helps people land their dream job in tech through 1-on-1 mentorship. If you are interested in working with any of our mentors to get help with your technical and behavioral interviews or any other aspect of the job search, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
