Hi, I’m Brian, a former senior software engineer and now software engineering mentor at Pathrise. I have worked with hundreds of software engineers to help them land their dream job. Check out my review of Epicodus.
- What does Epicodus do?
- Who is Epicodus for?
- What does Epicodus cost?
- Ratings and reviews of Epicodus
- Alternatives to Epicodus
- How does Epicodus compare to Pathrise?
What does Epicodus do?
Epicodus is a bootcamp for people looking to develop the necessary skills to land a job as a software engineer. They offer full-time bootcamps onsite in Seattle and Portland, as well as part-time programs online.
Full-time
Those who enroll in the Epicodus full-time program meet Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm for 27 weeks. The bootcamp includes 20 weeks of in-person coursework. Then, they do 2 weeks of internship preparation and a 5-week unpaid internship with a local company. In addition, career coaches offer guidance on various components of the job search for up to 1 year after graduation.
The bootcamp’s full-time program covers the fundamentals of JavaScript, C#, HTML/CSS, and more. Epicodus uses a project-based curriculum, so there are no lectures or breakout sessions, though instructors are available to answer questions. Working in pairs, students spend their mornings completing hands-on projects. In the afternoons, they continue working on previous projects or start new ones from scratch. At the end of every session, each group participates in a peer code review with another pair. Finally, students complete 30-60 minutes of homework each night as well.
Part-time
Besides their full-time bootcamp, Epicodus offers 2 part-time options: introduction to programming (10 weeks) and JavaScript + React (20 weeks). Available in-person and online, the introduction to programming course meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for 6 hours each week. Students learn the fundamentals of HTML, CSS, Git, and JavaScript. Those who take the in-person JavaScript + React program meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm-9pm, as well as on Sundays from 9am-3pm. This course is at the intermediate level, so students should have some background in JavaScript and React before enrolling. In addition, sessions for the part-time courses are live and not recorded. Therefore, attendance is important.
Who is Epicodus for?
People who have no experience coding and are looking to develop the necessary skills to land a job as a software engineer can benefit from the Epicodus bootcamp. The program is a good option for people looking to launch a software engineering career in the Portland and Seattle metropolitan areas.
For those with some experience who are looking to advance their current skills, the part-time courses are good options as well.
What does Epicodus cost? How much work is involved?
Full-time tuition for students who pay upfront is $7,800. Those who wait until the program starts pay a $100 deposit to secure a seat and $8,800 by the end of the fifth week of the program.
People who finance their education with loans must pay a $100 deposit. Candidates can choose from 2 lending services: Skills Fund and Climb. Both lending services offer low-interest, fixed-rate loans. Rates and payment plans depend on an applicant’s previous credit history.
On the other hand, the part-time JS+React and introduction to programming courses cost $5,400 and $100 respectively. Students who continue on to the full-time program are eligible for a $1,100 discount if they pay by credit card, debit card, or electronic check transfer.
Epicodus has partnered with Women Who Code and Lesbians Who Tech to offer scholarships to outstanding candidates who identify as women, non-binary, queer, or trans. Those who qualify complete an additional online application on the partners’ websites.
In addition, Washington and Oregon residents who are unemployed, receiving public assistance, low-income, or veterans, may be able to receive funding for Epicodus through state employment retraining funds.
To apply to Epicodus, candidates must fill out a short application and complete an informational call with an admissions counselor. After receiving an acceptance, candidates sign the enrollment documents and pay their initial deposit.
Ratings and reviews
The online reviews of Epicodus are mixed.
People on CourseReport felt that they benefited from the curriculum and the job search materials. According to one reviewer, Epicodus provides “great individuals who are available to guide you in the right path to be as presentable as possible on paper and in person before going into the job search and interviews.”
But, another CourseReport grad felt that “the curriculum was dated, and sometimes help wasn’t available very quickly from instructors.” Similarly, one Yelp reviewer described the curriculum as “jumbled”. They said that “what you’re really paying for are the connections, structure/accountability to show up every day, and the internship.”
On SwitchUp, grads from the part-time and full-time courses also said that the curriculum was outdated. However, students from both programs benefited immensely from the pair programming sessions, with one grad noting “you don’t realize how much you can learn until you are constantly having a different pair of eyes and perspective next to you.”
Echoing this, one Reddit reviewer recommends spending at least 60 hours per week on classwork. He warns that “if you just go to class and do what they ask then leave and don’t spend hours everyday studying, you’re not going to get the outcome you want.”
Alternatives to Epicodus
If you decide not to enroll in Epicodus, there are a number of alternative bootcamps and online resources that can help aspiring software engineers.
- 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. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our program review.
- A self-paced coding bootcamp with a full stack development track, CodeX Academy also includes career assistance and 1-on-1 mentorship opportunities. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our review.
- Tech bootcamps bootcamps, Galvanize and Flatiron School offer software engineering bootcamps onsite in Seattle and other cities, as well as online.
- Similarly, Hack Reactor is a software engineering bootcamp with in-person options in Seattle.
- You can also check out Bubble no-code bootcamps to learn how to make products without coding. Learn more about Bubble in our review.
More alternatives
- Thinkful and Lambda School are tech bootcamps with tracks in full stack web dev, data science, and some other topics at Thinkful.
- Other options for people interested in online or in-person software engineering bootcamps include Bottega, The Software Guild, and Actualize.
- Looking for a self-paced, online software engineering or web dev bootcamp? If so, you can consider enrolling in Covalence, Altacademy, Rutgers Bootcamps, or Launch School.
- Udacity and Springboard are online learning platforms with courses in software engineering, data science, and other topics. Learn more about Udacity and Springboard by reading our program reviews.
- In addition, 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. Learn more about Codecademy in our review.
- If you’re interested in using online learning tools to advance your current tech skills, you can also check out Coursera and Udemy.
- Finally, edX is one of the largest 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 Epicodus compare to Pathrise?
Epicodus is a bootcamp for people who are interested in learning the necessary skills to land a job as a software engineer from scratch. At Pathrise, job-seekers in our program should already have a background in their field of interest so that they can participate fully in our industry workshops, pair programming sessions, and 1-on-1s, which prepare students for the questions they will see in their technical interviews.
A full service organization, Pathrise helps people land the best job possible. 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. Besides placing a great deal of emphasis on technical interview preparation, we support job-seekers on resume & portfolio building, cold emailing & reverse recruiting strategies, behavioral interview preparation, salary negotiation, and more. Fellows learn skills that can benefit them in future job searches as well.
All of our workshops and sessions are live, as well as recorded, so fellows can review them afterwards and continue learning. 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. We personalize our curriculum to match each fellow’s specific needs.
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.
