Hi, I’m Brian, a former senior software engineer and now industry mentor at Pathrise. I have worked with hundreds of software engineers to help them land their dream jobs in tech. Check out my review of Nucamp.
- What does Nucamp do?
- Who is Nucamp for?
- What does Nucamp cost?
- Ratings and reviews of Nucamp
- Alternatives to Nucamp
- How does Nucamp compare to Pathrise?
What does Nucamp do?
Nucamp is a web development and software engineering bootcamp. They offer their courses online, as well as onsite in a number of cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Anchorage, and Albuquerque. Students can choose from 3 bootcamp options. The first is web development fundamentals, which lasts 4 weeks. The next is front end web & mobile development, which lasts 17 weeks. The last is full stack web & mobile development, which lasts 22 weeks.
The fundamentals course teaches HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Self-paced, the curriculum features recorded lectures, readings, and hands-on projects. Students make their own schedule while connecting with their peers and instructors via the course Slack channel.
Those in the front end track complete 12 hands-on projects. They learn how to use tools such as bootstrap, React, React Native, Microsoft Visual Studio Code, and Git & GitHub. People who enroll in the full stack program cover the same material as those in the front end track, as well as important concepts and tools in server-side development, including back-end with NodeJS, Express, databases with MongoDb, and storage.
Students complete 6-14 hours of self-paced work online per week, which includes recorded lectures and exercises. Those who select the onsite option meet in-person on Saturday from 9am-1pm to discuss projects with their classmates and instructor. Remote students meet for 4 hours on Saturday as well, but through live video conferencing. Attendance is important because class is not recorded.
After graduating, students receive a certificate of completion, which they can add to their LinkedIn profile. Students in the front end and full stack bootcamps can also enroll in a free 6-week career development program, which focuses on resume building, LinkedIn optimization, and interviewer preparation, after they finish their coursework. All graduates receive access to the Nucamp alumni network as well.
Who is Nucamp for?
If you are looking to land a job as a junior front end developer, Nucamp might be a good fit for you. Many graduates use the training to launch their own startups as well.
What does Nucamp cost? How much work is involved?
Tuition for the fundamentals course is $399. Those who enroll in the front end and full stack programs pay $1,372 and $2,070 respectively. They offer a number of payment plans, as well as discounts for people who enroll at least 14 days before the start date of the bootcamp. Payment plans and prices vary based on location and time of year.
Before enrolling, students must take a placement exam, which determines whether or not they should enroll in the web development fundamentals bootcamp or an in-depth track (front end or full stack). After completing the exam, they create an online account, select a payment method (credit card or PayPal), and register for their course. There is no formal application process.
Ratings and reviews
In general, reviewers praised Nucamp for its instruction, curriculum, low costs, and class times that accommodate those with full-time jobs.
Many reviewers on CourseReport explain that the flexibility and affordability were big components to their interest in the program. These students also praised the classroom format. One person noted, “Saturday classes were well-paced and full of exercises that tested what we had learned that week. Our instructor was always helpful and attentive.”
Speaking to the flexibility of the program, another grad said, “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a time commitment, but when it comes to learning, and being able to maintain your schedule, it is probably your best bet.”
SwitchUp reviewers enjoyed the program for similar reasons. One student explained, “Prices and learning materials are the most significant pros.” Echoing other positive reviews, a Reddit reviewer said, “I’m learning quickly and can reach out to my instructor and the NuCamp community by Slack whenever I have a question or find something useful to share with the group.”
But, a few students wished that the course materials went into more depth. One SwitchUp reviewer said, “The lectures could have been longer.” On a similar note, another person called the full stack curriculum “decent,” but mentioned that “it doesn’t help you link front end and back end.”
Alternatives to Nucamp
If Nucamp does not suit your learning goals or career objectives, there are a number of other bootcamps and online resources that teach software engineering.
- 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.
- Actualize is a full-time bootcamp that can be taken in-person at their Chicago campus or online at the same time.
- Students can also consider Kenzie Academy, which is a full-time tech bootcamp that offers in-person and online courses in software engineering & UX design and front-end engineering. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our review.
- Similarly, Prime Digital Academy has full-time and part-time courses in UX design and software engineering.
- Those looking for additional in-person or online software engineering bootcamp options can also check out App Academy, Hack Reactor, Turing, Launch Academy, Redwood Code Academy, and Flatiron School.
- Covalence, Code Fellows, devCodeCamp, and Galvanize offer full-time courses, as well as part-time options, for aspiring software engineers who might want to keep a job as they learn.
- Full-time bootcamps, Lambda School, Thinkful, Byte Academy, Zip Code Wilmington, and Pluralsight offer programs in software engineering, as well as data science and other topics.
- 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 and Epicodus are software engineering bootcamps with online and on-campus options.
- 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.
More alternatives
- Aspiring software engineers and web developers can also consider CodeX Academy, a self-paced coding bootcamp with mentorship opportunities. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our review.
- You can check out Udacity and Springboard, which are online educational platforms that students can use to brush up on the basics or advance their current tech skills. Read more about Udacity and Springboard in our reviews.
- SoloLearn, freeCodeCamp, and W3Schools are free online learning tools with tracks in Ruby on Rails, as well as other languages, which can help aspiring software engineers specialize their work.
- You can also check out Bubble no-code bootcamps to learn how to make products without coding. Learn more about Bubble in our review.
- 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.
- Online learning platforms like Udemy, Ruby Koans, egghead, and Coursera offer thousands of videos in a wide range of topics.
How does Nucamp compare to Pathrise?
Nucamp is a bootcamp for people who want to learn the skills to become a software engineer or web developer from scratch. While the program offers support on some components of the job search, not all students have access and they do not provide 1-on-1 mentorship
Pathrise is a full service organization that helps software engineers land the best job possible. Our mentors have experience on both sides of the hiring table and work 1-on-1 with fellows on each step of their job search, including resume & portfolio building, LinkedIn optimization, behavioral and technical interview preparation, cold emailing & reverse recruiting strategies, salary negotiation, and more. We personally tailor our curriculum to meet each fellow’s specific career goals and learning objectives.
Our program is flexible. There are only 2-4 hours of sessions per week and fellows can schedule 1-on-1 sessions as needed. All of our sessions are live, as well as recorded, so fellows can review previous material and keep learning. The Pathrise income share agreement (ISA) means that fellows don’t pay anything until they start working at a new job they love and we never require upfront payments or deposits.
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 our mentors to get help with your technical and behavioral interviews or any other aspect of the job search, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
