DonTheDeveloper Podcast

I invited on 3 graduates from the coding bootcamp Coding Temple to share their experience with the software engineering program. As usual, my goal is to get past the marketing BS and hear the REAL experiences of graduates. We dove into the pros AND the cons. Enjoy! Guests: Russell Anderson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-a-5201a7159 Sydney Romero - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-romero E...

I invited on 3 graduates from the coding bootcamp DigitalCrafts to share their experience with the web development program. As usual, my goal is to get past the marketing BS and hear the REAL experiences of graduates. We dove into the pros AND the cons. Enjoy! Guests: Jermaine Bailey Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jermaine-bailey-software-engineer Website - https://www.brandnetictechnologi...

I just hosted a recent review of Fullstack Academy and invited on 3 REAL graduates to share their REAL experiences. As usual, this is free of BS and marketing fluff. I hope this helps in deciding if this program is right for you. Enjoy! Guests: Mihir Bommakanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mihir-bommakanti Anna Vaigast - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-vaigast Gabriel Ytterberg - https://www.lin...

I invited on 3 recent graduates of App Academy to share their experiences. These types of review episodes are aimed at getting past the marketing fluff of each coding bootcamp, and diving into real, authentic experiences from 3 real graduates. I was completely wrong about App Academy. This ended up being one hell of a conversation. Enjoy! John Sims - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwsims Veronika Pil...

I invited on 3 recent graduates of the coding bootcamp, Flatiron School, to share their experiences at the program. This review is meant to get past the marketing fluff and dive into 3 REAL student experiences. We dove into a LOT in this episode, from the curriculum to even things like questionable clauses with their contracts. Enjoy! Guests: Oscar Ore - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscar-ore Ron S...

I invited on 3 graduates from the coding bootcamp, General Assembly, to share their experiences with the program. All 3 graduates ended up having pretty different experiences with different parts of the program. We definitely dove deep into the pros and cons of the curriculum, instructors, projects, and outcomes. Given that General Assembly has no previous data with Cirr.org, DEFINITELY challenge...

I invited 3 graduates from Code Chrysalis, a coding bootcamp in Tokyo, Japan, to share their honest and transparent experiences with the program. We went deep into the pros and cons. I loved that everyone here had fairly different opinions about what they actually liked and disliked about the program. One of my favorite parts was talking about how progressive American culture seems to be seeping i...

I invited on 3 graduates from The Tech Academy, a coding bootcamp, to share their honest and transparent experiences - no marketing fluff and no BS. If you're deciding if The Tech Academy is right for you, watch this first. Enjoy! Robert McCabe (guest): Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmccabe62 Twitter - https://twitter.com/macoder62 Rhodri Thomas (guest): Linkedin - https://www.linked...

I brought back 3 successful self-taught developers to share tons of advice for you. This episode is for you if you're struggling as a self-taught developer. Then, once you're done with this episode, if you haven't already, listen to the previous episode with these same 3 developers. Previous episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/948958/7246522 Jeremy Wall (guest): Linkedin - https://w...

You often hear about how so many aspiring developers struggle to break into the industry. I invited on a CEO of a coding bootcamp to share his top 5 reasons why most people don't become developers. It's brutally honest, but more importantly, we talk through a ton of advice on how to avoid these pitfalls. This one is really honest, so be ready. Ludo Fourrage (guest): Linkedin - https://ww...

It's been a while since I've reviewed Hack Reactor. I've received some concerns about the quality since they were bought out by Galvanize so I decided to invite 3 more guests to share their recent experiences with the program. If I need to review a program a 2nd time, I'm usually more critical. For those that enjoy when I don't pull any punches, you're going to like t...

I brought on a VP of Engineering to do a mock interview with an aspiring backend web developer. Kudos to Eric for having the confidence to do this on a public podcast episode. Remember, all backend interviews can look a little different, but hopefully, this gives you some insight into what an entry-level backend interview can look and feel like in 2022. Don Hansen (host): Linkedin - https://www.li...

I invited on 3 graduates to review their experience with the coding bootcamp, Eleven Fifty Academy. The variety of skill levels the Cares Act brought in really highlighted the challenges of not having a strict screening process and thorough prep work. As usual, we also dove into many things like the instructors, culture, curriculum, etc. Enjoy! Hosts and Guests: Don Hansen (host): Linkedin - https...

I invited on 5 graduates from Lambda School, now known as Bloom Institute of Technology. They all graduated in 2021; went through many of the talked-about changes; and had different experiences (positive and negative). If you're deciding on whether or not to become a student, watch this first to see if it's the right fit for you. Don Hansen (host): Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/...

I decided to bring on Vincent Woo, founder of CoderPad, who also published a couple of research articles around some questionable practices at Lambda School, now known as Bloom Institute of Technology. We had a fun, candid conversation around some of the shady parts of the coding bootcamp industry and where we thought the industry was heading, but also.. what could be done to make the industry mor...

I want to share TJ's story with self-taught developers out there who are currently struggling to become professional developers. He was resourceful and CREATED coding opportunities within his current company to get the experience he needed to break into the industry. I loved his story, and thought this was a really creative way to get that experience while he was still learning. I hope this h...

I brought on a successful self-taught developer to share the ups and downs of his journey of learning how to code. He shared so much advice for aspiring developers. If you're a self-taught developer struggling to find confidence or solidify a path to getting that first developer position, this podcast episode is for you. Host and Guest: Don Hansen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/donthedeveloper...

Many of you wanted to see what a senior technical interview looked like for software engineers. You asked, and thanks to Sophie and Dan, you shall have. Here's what an algorithm/coding portion of a senior software engineer interview can look like. I love how Sophie progressed the problem until Dan was truly challenged. How you handle that moment in the interview speaks volumes about your char...

If you or someone you know is a veteran that's trying to become a developer, or even break into tech, this episode is for you. Sean reached out to me wanting to share his journey of becoming a software engineer (as a veteran) and provide advice for other veterans out there that even just want to break into tech. This is packed full of advice. I hope this helps! Host (Don Hansen): Linkedin - h...

In this web development podcast episode, I invited on 3 graduates from TrueCoders. We got past any marketing fluff that you could simply find on their website and dove into all 3 of their authentic experiences with the program. We went over both the software engineering and web development programs. If you are considering TrueCoders, be sure to watch this first. Enjoy! Host and Guests: Don Hansen...

I think a lot of aspiring developers eventually get the advice that they should participate in a hackathon to help them grow and even find a job. In this podcast episode, I invited on someone who has hosted several hackathons. He shared all of the ins and outs of different types of hackathons. He even shared what to look for and what to look out for depending on your current skill level and goals....

Jessica just landed her first developer role. I invited her on to share her job search journey. We dove into the frustrating parts and also tried to figure out what really made her stand out. I want to continue sharing these stories and show you how different each person's path is to finally getting that first position - just like yours is. Host (Don Hansen): Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.c...

In this web development podcast episode, I invited on 3 graduates to review Scrimba - a front end focused educational platform for aspiring web developers. We dove into opinions about the curriculum, instructors, and projects. They even shared who they feel like this program IS for and IS NOT for. If you're considering Scrimba, it's definitely worth listening to what they had to say abou...

After graduating a coding bootcamp, it took Patrick 8 frustrating months to finally get his first developer position. He shared his whole job search journey. We dove into his day to day; job search strategy - what worked and what didn't; his frustrating interview experiences; and what finally helped him stand out from the rest of the applicants to FINALLY get his first developer position. Con...

I brought on the CEO of Formation (an ex-Facebook software engineer) who helps junior software engineers progress and prepare for mid to senior level interviews. She had a ton of expertise and experience to share with the industry. We talked about the different types of software engineering teams, at different sized companies, and how to prepare for them. If you find yourself nervous in interviews...