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 DevPoint Labs.
- What does DevPoint Labs do?
- Who is DevPoint Labs for?
- What does DevPoint Labs cost?
- Ratings and reviews of DevPoint Labs
- Alternatives to DevPoint Labs
- How does DevPoint Labs compare to Pathrise?
What does DevPoint Labs do?
DevPoint Labs is a bootcamp that helps people learn the technical skills necessary to land a job as a web developer. Students can choose between part-time or full-time options in Salt Lake City. They also offer a remote option, allowing students to participate in live classes with 1-on-1 instruction from anywhere in the world. As of August 2020, all courses are operating remotely due to Covid-19.
Before starting a DevPoint Labs web dev course, students complete 3-4 weeks of online pre-work to learn the ropes of HTML and CSS. The pre-work curriculum features recorded lectures, hands-on projects, and quizzes.
Students in the 11-week full-time bootcamp meet Monday-Friday from 9:30am to 5:30pm. The 11-week part-time program meets Monday-Thursday from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Students participate in lectures, workshops, programming challenges, lean methodologies, group exercises, and hackathons.
The web development courses teach HTML, CSS, Javascript, Ruby on Rails, SQL, JavaScript, React, Redux, and more. For their final project, students are challenged to create a polished web application for their portfolios. Students showcase their final project at DevPoint’s Launch Day.
Full-time students from out-of-state are given free housing in Salt Lake City. Housing includes internet, gas, water, furniture, a washer, and a dryer. Students also have access to mock interviews, industry guest speakers, networking events, and a chance to get exposure for portfolio work at the Launch Day showcase.
Who is DevPoint Labs for?
People with no experience in web development but are looking to move into this career path could benefit from DevPoint Labs. The full-time program is especially helpful for people who are based in Salt Lake City, and for those willing to relocate.
What does DevPoint Labs cost? How much work is involved?
The price of the program depends on the course. Tuition for the full-time web development course is $11,000. Students who enroll in the part-time web dev course pay $5,500. Note that the tuition for full-time courses, if taken on campus, includes housing as part of the price.
DevPoint Labs offers 50% of tuition through their Women in Tech and Diversity in Tech Scholarships. Financing is also available through Mountain America Credit Union. Rates and repayment plans depend on an applicant’s credit history. The G.I. Bill is also accepted.
Unlike many bootcamps, DevPoint Labs does not have a formal technical interview. The admission process begins with a written application asking candidates to share their background and motivations. After submitting their application, select candidates are invited to a behavioral interview.
Ratings and reviews
DevPoint Labs has mostly positive reviews. They have a 4.7/5 star rating on Career Karma and have been listed among Course Report’s top 25 courses for over 3 years. Graduates praise the curriculum’s hands-on approach to web development, but some have mixed feelings about the pacing and their job preparation.
A student on Course Report raved about the program’ hackathons, friendly environment, and practical web dev instruction, but warned “the bad news: no one is going to be able to determine whether you get a job coming out of your bootcamp experience, or what that job might be, except for you.”
Graduates on Career Karma report being extremely satisfied with the passionate instructors, hackathons, and the challenging curriculum. However, they report that it can be difficult to keep up with the pace. One graduate describes the program as “the place if you want a ton of info shoved into your brain at once.” Another student warns “The intensive class schedule can be difficult for people who aren’t willing to commit”, but still found DevPoint to be a valuable investment.
On Quora, one graduate praised the course’s practical focus and fun environment. However, he was worried that the “course pacing was sometimes uneven, and could leave students behind if unprepared.” Overall, the graduate was very satisfied with his course.
DevPoint Labs is rated 4.57/5 stars on SwitchUp, where students praise the course for its fast pace and practical web development curriculum. However, one graduate felt the program offered “amazing material but little to no support with career services or job placement.” On the whole, however, reviewers were satisfied by the program and the valuable web dev skills they gained.
Alternatives to DevPoint Labs
If you decide not to enroll in DevPoint Labs, there are a number of other bootcamps and courses that can help aspiring web developers develop the skills needed to land their dream job.
- One of the most popular bootcamps today 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.
- For students interested in bootcamp housing, The Software Guild takes living and housing costs into consideration with their pricing. They offer online courses in web dev and software developments, as well as in-person bootcamps in Java and .Net/C#. The Software Guild provides an extra discount to Louisville students.
- You can also check out Boise CodeWorks, which is a full-time, in-person coding bootcamp.
- 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.
- Similarly, Coding Dojo is a good option for those looking to start a career in software engineering and data science because the bootcamp courses focus on fundamentals and skills needed to land an entry level job in tech.
- Aspiring designers and web developers and designers can check out Bloc, which offers courses in those topics.
- The well-known bootcamp Lambda School offers a 9-month program where students can learn the fundamentals of web dev and data science while deferring payment through an ISA.
- Likewise, Holberton School and Byte Academy are tech bootcamps with courses in web dev, software engineering, and data science that offer ISA options. Rithm School also offers ISA financing, with a reputation for low student-to-teacher ratios, meaning extra personalized attention.
More alternatives
- The bootcamp BrainStation offers programs in web development, web design, data science, marketing, and product management. Like DevPoint Labs, BrainStation emphasizes project-learning and collaboration, offering immediate feedback for students.
- The Menon Labs fellowship helps people learn the skills to get a job in web dev, data, and product management.
- Students can also consider Kenzie Academy, a full-time tech bootcamp that offers in-person and remote courses in 2 tracks: front-end engineering and software engineering & UX design. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our review.
- Similarly, Thinkful and University of Arizona Bootcamps offer courses in web development, UX/UI design, and data science.
- You can also check out Bubble no-code bootcamps to learn how to make products without coding. Learn more about Bubble in our review.
- For students seeking lower-cost web development courses, Simplilearn, Learn UX, Treehouse, and Pluralsight could be worth pursuing. While they may not have the same level of instructor support as full-time bootcamps like DevPoint Labs, these programs offer a wide range of courses to learn essential skills for a career in tech.
- 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.
- Likewise, Udacity and Springboard are online learning platforms that offer thousands of courses on a variety of tech subjects. Learn more about Udacity and Springboard in our reviews.
- 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 DevPoint Labs compare to Pathrise?
DevPoint Labs is a bootcamp for people interested in learning the web development skills needed to find a job in tech. While an interest in web development is suggested, most DevPoint Labs students join the program with no web dev experience. Pathrise job-seekers should already have some background in their chosen field to prepare for the technical curriculum.
As a full service organization, Pathrise assists with all phases of the job search including portfolio and resume optimization, cold emailing and reverse recruiting, technical and behavioral interviewing, and salary negotiation. All Pathrise sessions are recorded for fellows in our program to review afterward.
Our program is flexible, with group sessions and 1-on-1 sessions tailored to our program fellow’s schedules and needs. Pathrise offers an income share agreement (ISA) so fellows don’t need to pay until they land a job they love and start working.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that utilizes 1-on-1 coaching to help students and professionals land their dream job in tech. If you want to work with our mentors to ace your technical and behavioral interviews and optimize your job search, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
