Bloom Tech Coding Bootcamp Review from Alumni (FKA Lambda School)
At this point if you’ve had any interest in possibly going into the tech field, I’m sure you’ve heard about coding bootcamps. I remember when I was first doing research on how to get into the industry and I found that there were pretty much three options: college degree, coding bootcamp, or self-taught. Now I won’t get into how I eventually decided to go the coding bootcamp route on this post because there are pros and cons to all of the options that you need to weigh taking your personal situation into consideration. I will say that coding bootcamps are definitely gaining ground in terms of legitimacy and are really starting to be taken seriously by big companies who are extremely eager for new talent in a time where there is such a shortage. So when doing your research make sure you try to get the latest information because this field is definitely changing. This post is specifically about my experience with the coding bootcamp I graduated from: Bloom Tech. I am in no way working for them or making any money from this, its just my honest opinion about my experience with them.
There are a ton of videos online about people’s different experiences or opinions on what the best route into the industry is but at least when I was looking a couple years pre-pandemic, there were a lot of people for coding bootcamps and a lot of people against them. Many people would say that the bootcamp was 100% worth it and lead to them getting an entry level job as a developer which opened up new opportunities for them. And then on the other side of the fence were people that had bad experiences where they paid many thousands of dollars to get a mediocre course that abandoned them once it was time for them to look for a job. I, myself, was very skeptical about these different companies that offer coding courses but eventually I found one that really caught my attention: Lambda School. At least that’s what it was called when I first enrolled. It switched its name to Bloom Institute of Technology or Bloom Tech for short (In my opinion, the name change was a great decision for all of their alumni that have the school’s name on their resume, it appears much more professional).
The reason why Bloom Tech caught my eye initially was because of a software developer I followed online that had some posts about Bloom Tech even though he wasn’t affiliated in any way. He had spoken with alumni and just really believed that it was a quality coding bootcamp. This led me to researching it and finding that it really was different than most coding bootcamps.
First of all, let’s talk about money because that’s an important factor for many people. Bloom Tech has an ISA (Income Sharing Agreement) system where you don’t have to pay any money out of pocket and you only make payments if you get a tech job making over $50k. And the contract is voided after five years so there really was no way for me to lose. This system essentially takes the risk away from you, and puts it on the company where they’ll only get paid if the bootcamp successfully gets you into the tech field. The 17% of your gross payments end after 24 payments or if you reach the max dollar cap before the 24 months. You are not forced to take any job and you also don’t have to make payments if you lose the $50k+ tech job. This was different from most bootcamps at the time, although I know other bootcamps have since implemented similar systems. I would generally say that its a good sign if a bootcamp offers it. Of course always make sure you completely understand the ISA completely. (I believe the Bloom Tech ISA may have changed for the better as I know the founder Austen Allred was taking in feedback regarding the ISA’s and considering changes.)
(I 100% recommend you follow Austen on Twitter or at least take a look at it if you’re considering going to Bloom Tech. He’s sort of Twitter famous, gets responses from people as big as Elon and other CEOs, and it gives a good insight on the man behind Bloom Tech.)
Once I decided to attend, I applied for their Full Stack Web Development course and was accepted shortly after. I selected a start date in October 2020 and pushed it back multiple times as I was preparing to not have to work until I got a tech job. The Bloom Tech counselors were more than understanding and helpful through out that whole process.
I ended up starting in April 2021. The course was six months long if you didn’t have to or chose to redo any of the units. Each unit was a month long. The way each day pretty much went was you would have material to go over before class and then you’d have a live class for a couple of hours (the class was also recorded if you for some reason missed it). After class, you’d have an assignment/ project to do with the option to attend/utilize a couple help sessions with either the teacher or a coach if you had any questions. Overall there was a lot of support in place but you had to take the initiative and attend those after class sessions. Also a lot of the coaches wouldn’t give you the answers/ solutions but would instead guide you to one. I know this bothered some people because they felt they didn’t get helped but trust me its for the best.
The units were as follows:
- Web Foundations: HTML, CSS, Git, JavaScript and UI Principles
- Web Application Development: React, Redux, React Router, HTTP/Ajax, and Functional Programming Techniques
- Advanced Web Development: Advanced React, State Management and Web Applications
- Back End Development: Node.js Web APIs, Data Persistence, Authentication and Testing
- Computer Science: Intro to Python and OOP, Algorithms, Data Structures, Graphs, Hash Tables, and Coding Interview Tips
- Labs: Participate in our in-house apprenticeship by building a real-world project in a small team
The whole program ended up taking me a total of about eight months. It is very common for people to redo a unit if they are not yet comfortable with the information they’ve learned, although it’s important to understand that you will never be comfortable when it comes to any of these technologies. You will always be in a constant state of learning either more about a technology or about changes made to the technology. Also its important that you understand that you definitely will not be an expert in any of these technologies after just graduating from Bloom Tech. The approach that Bloom Tech takes is to teach you enough for you to be able to get an entry level position in the tech field. The shallow level of understanding and skills you will have acquired will allow you to be able to pass tech interviews and set you up to learn when you get into a job. I remember being told by an instructor, “You will most likely end up learning more in six weeks at your job than you did in your six months here.” And that’s not a bad thing. There is no way to become a great developer from nothing in just six months. Completely throw out that idea, no matter what bootcamp or course says it.
I’d say the majority of the instructors were awesome, knowledgable, and encouraging. Every time I reached out to a counselor or a career coach, they helped out to solve whatever the problem was. Also something that I value a lot is that I ended up making some friends that I know will also be great developers in the future. It’s mentioned in the beginning to start networking with different students while in the program but I can’t stress how important it is even to just get through the course. I got so much help from other students that maybe understood a certain topic a little better than me, and then I was able to return the favor with topics that I was able to understand more easily. It also teaches you a lot about the value of pair programming and working as a team. An invaluable skill that jobs look for.
After graduating from Bloom Tech (and also before), you get a lot of help from career coaches to get you and your resume ready to start applying for jobs. (I even got my resume checked, to ensure the career coaches had given me good advice, by a couple friends that both have 15+ years in the tech field and they both told me not to change a thing on my resume. They were sure I’d find a job eventually.) I even know that alumni come back for help when looking for their second or third job. Also, alumni seem to really look out for people going through the same process as they very often post in job board channels about opportunities at their current companies that they recommend students apply for.
One thing that I wish I knew was how hard it would be to get my first tech job after graduating from Bloom Tech. Unless the company has a direct partnership with Bloom Tech (many do), most jobs don’t care that you graduated from Bloom Tech, they only care that you have a good understanding of these basic technologies. What this means is that it can be quite hard trying to find your first job. But that’s the case with all bootcamps and even college degrees (unless it’s from a top college). Pretty much every job wants a developer with experience so your goal is to be as good of a candidate as possible for when you come across a company that’s willing to take someone with limited experience and give them the opportunity to become the developer they need. And there are many companies that are willing to give you the mentorship and training needed. That also brings up the importance of being proactive as someone looking for their first tech job. There are many things you can do to show that you’ll be a great developer if given the chance. Side projects, network, develop apps, contribute to non-profit code projects and just studying overall. I really recommend you do as much as you can to be proactive during your job search.
After about two months of looking for my first tech job, I received an offer for a Full Stack Developer Intern role at a startup that leads to a job. I’ve been working with IOS development in this new role and while I admit it’s been hard, I do feel confident in knowing that I can learn new languages and technologies after having gone through Bloom Tech. I personally was no where near as proactive as I could’ve been but I got lucky. And yes, I’m technically not in my first tech job yet (Internships technically don’t count as work experience), but I’m on a good path to being a Junior Developer soon. With that being said, I’ve been more than happy with my experience at Bloom Tech. In fact I’ve already recommended this path, and specifically Bloom Tech, to many of my friends.
In summary, I think attending Bloom Tech can be an amazing, life changing decision. I do believe it’s important you understand what you’ll be getting from Bloom Tech though. It’s not a magical certificate that will guarantee you’ll get into an entry level tech job. I don’t necessarily think its for everyone but if you are set on getting into the tech industry and are willing to put in the time and effort then you’d probably benefit from it. I’ve also seen/ read countless stories from Bloom Tech alumni about how it’s been one of their best decisions. I honestly have no bad things to say about Bloom Tech (hence why I’m willing to talk about my experience). Bloom Tech is definitely not perfect but in my experience they were amazing with me. It’s completely opened up doors that were previously closed to me, and I’m extremely thankful for that. I’m not exactly where I want to be yet but I’m definitely on the way.
-Christopher Henao
