DonTheDeveloper Podcast

freeCodeCamp is a free online educational program for all aspiring developers. What I really wanted to get down to are 2 things. 1) What value does it provide? 2) Where does it fall short? We definitely answered both of those questions, and much more. As a bonus, there's tons of advice for aspiring developers packed into this episode - especially for those that don't have a lot of money...

I invited 3 Career Foundry graduates on to talk about their experience at the coding bootcamp. It's a self-paced program. While they don't have instructors, it sounds like they have mentors and tutors to help you along the way. This is another coding bootcamp that offers a "job guarantee". We read some of the requirements they impose on students in order for the coding bootcamp...

I invited 3 Devmountain graduates on to talk about their experience with the iOS program at the coding bootcamp. It sounds like they prefer hiring former students rather than developers with real experience, which is an interesting choice. What I really loved about this episode was that everyone really shared some nose to the ground and just grind stories that I think will be inspirational for man...

In this web development podcast episode, I made the statement that within 5 years, under 50% of junior software engineers will have a Computer Science degree. Software engineering is a field that updates too quickly for college curriculums to keep up with at a fast pace, which is often why they're outdated. They put students in a massive amount of debt without any guarantee of a job. Alternat...

I invited 3 Springboard graduates on to talk about their experience at the coding bootcamp. If I'm not mistaken, this is one of the longest coding bootcamps I've reviewed so far. It sounds like they don't have instructors. It's certainly an interesting way to structure a coding bootcamp to say the least. Most importantly, I'm very concerned about how much of a guarantee th...

I invited on Nucamp’s CEO, Ludo, to address much of the feedback from my previous video where I brought on 3 graduates to share their experiences at Nucamp. Given that it’s such a cheap coding bootcamp, we dove into many of the tradeoffs he chose to make when forming Nucamp. I think this is an interesting window into a coding bootcamp CEO's philosophy on curating and managing a coding bootcam...

I invited 3 LearningFuze graduates on to talk about their experience at the coding bootcamp. While they advertise as fullstack it feels geared for frontend. Also, we dove into a couple of rants about in-person vs remote experiences and how most fullstack developers are not really fullstack developers.. Enjoy! Guests: Kevin Tolentino - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinstolentino Jerry Ong - https:/...

I invited 3 graduates on to talk about their experience at Brainstation (coding bootcamp). With Jessica’s pro Linkedin tips, Nikki’s insight into unpaid internships, and Kate’s attempt to demonetize my video to keep us on our toes, I think this episode ended up turning out really well. Let me know what you think. Guests: Jessica Kwok - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-kwok Nikki Noriega - https...

I finally got to invite 3 graduates on to give me an update on what their recent Fullstack Academy experience has been like. As many of you know, I graduated from FSA years ago, so I was REALLY excited to get to hear what they've been up to. With being acquired and forced to go fully remote, it sounds like there have been some challenges. In this episode, we dive into all of it - the good and...

I invited 3 graduates on to talk about their experience at Code Fellows. This coding bootcamp is unique in that it breaks its curriculum up into modules and even allows you to choose your own path to learn the tech stack that you want to learn. It felt like this one really focused on producing resourceful developers. What do you think? Guests: Chris Ball - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ball Adrienne...

I invited 3 self-taught developers on to talk about their journeys of becoming professional developers and share advice on how you can follow the same path. At a time where opportunities are limited due to the pandemic, we need all options on the table more than ever. If you believe that the only way to become a professional developer is to invest in a college degree or coding bootcamp, why not li...

You might have started hearing about women's only coding bootcamps popping up. Listening to some of the women I've mentored, I can promise you that some of these don’t deliver on their promise to set women up for success in the tech industry. My main objective for this episode was to see if this coding bootcamp helped women become more confident and resourceful, and actually put them in...

I absolutely loved the vibe of this group. It was just a silly, wholesome podcast episode. We shared humble experiences of what it’s been like for us as developers and more specifically, working mainly on the frontend. Then we came up with a strategy and mapped out on a timeline, of becoming a frontend developer - just starting to job-ready. Best of all, we focused on the self-taught route. If you...

I invited a few graduates on to talk about their experience at Ironhack. At 9 weeks, this coding bootcamp is 3 weeks shy of the typical 3 month-long coding bootcamp. Is 9 weeks enough time to prepare you for a professional developer position? We dove into that, as well as other pros and cons of the program. Enjoy! Adrian Visnieski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-visnieski Henry Doce - https:/...

I invited a few graduates on to talk about their experience at Actualize. This is another coding bootcamp that seems to be meant for giving working professionals an opportunity to transition into software engineering. We also had a really honest conversation about learning a less marketable stack - Ruby on Rails and Vuejs. Finally, we dove into something that you should NEVER put on your resume an...

I invited a few graduates on to talk about their experience at Nucamp. At less than $2000, this coding bootcamp is probably the cheapest coding bootcamp that I've reviewed so far. The target audience definitely seems to be focused on working professionals that are looking for a low-cost entry into the software engineering industry. Towards the end, you'll also get to hear me go off on a...

I invited current and ex-Google software engineers on to talk about their experiences of what it's like to be a developer at Google. We dug into rumors, perks, day to day, and the interview process. We even took some time out to compare it with software engineer positions at smaller companies. They actually got me to change my mind about whether or not I could see myself working at Google! Gu...

I got to talk with some coding bootcamp graduates that graduated from Le Wagon, a highly rated coding bootcamp on Course Report. This one was very interesting, especially given that the classes are hosted primarily out of the United States. Up until now, I've focused on coding bootcamps that resided mainly in the US. Also, this coding bootcamp redefined what a full-stack developer can truly b...

I'm a full-stack developer that is terrible with design, and I'm slowly learning more about UX and accessibility each year. I can't tell you how valuable it's been to start dipping my toes in the UX world, and how much of a better developer it's made me. So, I invited 3 people with UX/design backgrounds to talk about why it's important for developers to at least get c...

I initially invited 3 VPs of Engineering on to talk about how to improve software engineer retention on teams. Ultimately, they ended up sharing great advice for developers wanting to grow. We also dove into hot topics like the pros and cons of white board interviews; WFH policies during COVID-19; and requests for salary raises. I really think this was a great podcast episode that has tons of usef...

I invited 3 graduates on to talk about their experience at Thinkful. We dove into the application process, curriculum, instructors, and job assistance. One thing that was really surprising to hear was the extremely high dropout rate (76%) in Gage's cohort. We definitely covered the good and the bad for this coding bootcamp. Guests: Gage Eide - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gage-eide Anthony Bos...

I invited a few Devmountain graduates on to talk about the coding bootcamp. We dove into what their experience was like and if it provided the education and support needed to become professional developers. It sounds like they ended up moving basecamp so that students didn't have any pre-work going into the bootcamp. This brings a variety of skill levels into a coding bootcamp. Was this a goo...

I invited a few App Academy graduates on to talk about the coding bootcamp. We dove into what their experience was like and if it provided the education and support needed to become professional developers. We dove into some really interesting tangents that I absolutely loved. For example, are some coding bootcamps predatory? If so, what does that look like? Guests: Peter Choi - https://www.linked...

I invited a few Flatiron graduates on to talk about the coding bootcamp. We dove into what their experience was like and if it provided the education and support needed to become professional developers. Guests: Andrea Barr - https://www.linkedin.com/in/abarrdev Sarah Laloggia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlaloggia Dominique Skaf - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominique-skaf-57b3971a0 --------...

I invited a few Hack Reactor graduates on to talk about the coding bootcamp. We dove into what their experience was like and if it provided the education and support needed to become professional developers. Guests: Nathan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemullins Patricia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciashirazi Nicholas - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nrpartridge/ ----------------------------...