One could not be happier with a decision than I am with mine to attend the Austin Immersive at Hack…read moreReactor. Like a lot of people my age, I have always been infatuated with technology and began messing around with computers and code at a young age. Over the years I have taken countless online courses but nothing ever seemed to stick. That being said I never really understood any of the deeper concepts needed to actually write meaningful code until I started the prep program for Hack Reactor. I had never heard of coding schools like this before a few years ago and never did my research until my brother in law went to a coding bootcamp in Cleveland in 2017. I was very curious about his experience and started doing my research. He had mixed reviews and was definitely overwhelmed with the pace but I was intrigued nonetheless. After a couple weeks of research and talking to admissions with multiple schools I finally decided to get started with the paid Structured Study Program provided by Hack Reactor. It was the most in-depth and fast-paced training I had ever been through. Even if you decide to go to a different school this prep program is amazing. Once I was about halfway through the SSP program I decided to take the technical interview to get into Hack Reactor and passed! After a lot of research and family discussion, I decided on the in-person immersive in Austin and it was incredible in so many ways. I was thoroughly impressed with how much the staff cared about our success and about us as people. The team was led by Linden Kueck who turned out to be as loving and helpful a teacher/leader one could ever have. I learned an unbelievable amount about computer science, data structures, algorithms and Javascript in a very, very short time but I am also very grateful for the unexpected lessons in team dynamics and soft skills like how to effectively work and communicate with other developers in the real world. Aside from the unexpected, I can't express in words how much I learned in such a short time. The pace was nothing short of insane and I was not sure I was going to remember anything that was being taught or if I was even going to finish the program. Then all of a sudden things just started to click and I was instinctively writing clean, readable code and building applications all on my own. These guys know what they are doing. After graduation, the team continued to help immensely and the career coaches were amazing as well. I interviewed for just over a month and landed a full stack engineering position in my hometown making 6 figures. The job hunt in this industry is difficult but Hack Reactor was there to help the whole way. If you are serious about coding as a career move and are looking to do it quickly, I don't see how anyone could make a better choice than the Austin campus at Hack Reactor.

I had joined the 2nd cohort at MakerSquare in fall of 2013. Prior to MakerSquare, I had tried…read morelearning Ruby and JS on my own, through countless books and online tutorials. Having completed a few guides, I realized that my ability to learn "how to code" was hindered simply by my style of learning. I love interactive q/a style learning, which is what led me to MakerSquare. Of the different programs out there, the one thing I would urge others to consider is that they place a heavy amount of weight onto prework completed (how much work you've done ahead of time) and community-fit. If you're a solo worker and not a fan of collaborative environments, you may want to consider other programs. Anyways, long story short, I would whole heartedly recommend this program. As classmates, I had former programmers, retail store workers, a professional photographer and even a former elementary teacher. Out of the program, each of the students were working as professional front-end engineers (junior developers) within weeks of graduating. So safe to say, MakerSquare has a great professional network, and they know how to teach code. The classroom environment (the location on Congress ave) was a bit cramped at times. But from what I've heard the class size is now capped at 18, vs. 30 or so when I went through. All the 'issues' I had (space constraints, less than ideal student:instructor ratio, and focus on advanced concepts (algorithms and data structures) has been completely addressed. According to the staff, Cohort 5 is operating on an almost night/day difference of curriculum than what I had. So not only do I give the program 5 stars, I would (and likely will) retake the course to take advantage of their newest curriculum.

I completed the UT CELTA program in 2015 before moving to Spain. I found the program very…read morebeneficial in preparing me for the challenges of teaching English as a foreign language. I had no idea at the time how challenging and different the process is from other class room activities. I have taught technical classes in networking and video technologies over the past several years and thought that experience would have adequately prepared me for teaching English AFL but discovered the process is completely different. The UT CELTA program provides the tools to teach where a common language is missing. This can be frustrating for both the student and the teacher and having a toolset to bridge the missing and most common form of communication, speech, addresses and prepares the instructor for the specific challenges of teaching a foreign language.

It was absolutely a great chance for me to take CELTA at UT Austin. I enjoyed and learned a lot…read morefrom this course. The tutors were so supportive and helpful and I benefited a lot from their great feedbacks. The best part of CELTA was learning to manage my time more efficiently and making lesson plans in a very organized way. The UT CELTA provided me great job opportunities in Japan where I could apply the strengths and skills I gained in this program.

I had a blast taking improv here. I was scared to death approaching the building for my first…read moreclass. But then the instructor got us playing improv games and I found out that in improv a person has to focus on the here and now. That took away my nervousness because I forgot about myself while paying close attention to what my scene partners were going to say or do next. And there were so many outbreaks of laughter! I highly recommend Merlin Works for learning to communicate clearly, focusing on the present moment, building confidence, thinking on your feet, teamwork, and having more fun than one human being usually has in eight weeks.

I highly recommend Merlin Works, the instructors are amazing, helpful and caring, it's hard to…read moreadmit failure but the class and the instructors make it much easier, there seems to be a no judgement zone which helps build success. They know how to build a team environment. You don't have to be into theater or comedy to enjoy this class, but if you are looking to improve yourself at work or at home or even with your friends, this class does it. Thanks for an experience of a lifetime.

This large and modern campus which is also home to Austin PBS was once a shopping mall. You can…read morestill feel the elements of the mall in some areas. For example, you can definitely tell that one of the lab/classes was once a Limited or some variation of that store and its multiple entities. Parking is great and ample. I really like being able to park in a covered garage. It's an easy campus to navigate once you get the hang of it. Extremely clean, open, bright, and cutting edge.

Amazing school! They…read moreturned a mall into a state of the art community college. Imagine taking a class inside of what use to be Hot Topic. What a great and creative way to repurpose a space! I took a jazz class here and it was incredible. The teacher Dr J, was top notched. Highly recommend a class here or stop by and check out the art museum. 10/10 Textbooks

I was looking for a career change when I was thinking about selling my small business. I decided on…read moretaking the 10 week online data analysis course. These courses might be great for someone who has their company paying for it but to me they're extremely overpriced if you're footing the bill and looking for a career change of any kind. Goes way too fast and it's just not likely for a 10 week course coming from no experience to become proficient enough to get a decent job in the field. The "advisor" told me no experience was necessary and the "front desk girl just finished that course and got a job". To me it feels like a lot of the for profit schools that tell you all you can do and charge a ton. There are basically free sites/courses that can teach you the same thing. I messed up and I accept that which is why I'm leaving this review to help the next guy/girl.

A+ for their Web Development Immersive Class…read more Before coming to General Assembly, I had little to no experience with coding. After 12 weeks of focus and hard work, thanks to GA, I have built a strong foundation for a career in front-end development by gaining exposure to a broad range of technologies. The intructors were fantastic. The experience they bring to the classroom taught us to think like developers by providing just enough guidance to maximize our time in the program while allowing us to struggle through obstacles the right way rather than taking shortcuts. I can honestly say I learned more during those three months than I did in college. Moreover, the outcomes team provided more than enough tools, and networking opportunities to land a job I was excited about. Make no mistake though, you will get out whatever effort you put into this course. Don't sign up if you're not ready to work hard. Beyond providing a hard skillset, this course inspired me to challenge myself and enjoy the learning process again. With each new project comes new puzzles to solve, and with each new language comes new obstacles to conquer and skills to master. On the whole, I'm thrilled to be graduating with the confidence to take on the ever-changing field of web development.

Obviously, when you take courses at one of the World's best universities you get a good result and…read morea good learning process, but I couldn't expect that it would be so good... The teachers and the staff are absolutely confident in what they do, because all of them have a big experience and many of them taught English to foreign students, so they know what you need and how to provide it to you. Big variety of levels according to your English, including Academic English Program, which is really helpful and strongly recommended for those who plan to do their Graduate program at a university. They prepare not only for study itself, but also to the daily life in an american university. Social activities and different events, that the teachers organize, make the environment really friendly and happy. The prices are very fair, honestly I think that eventually you get more than the amount you pay. It's a really good place to study English.

If you are uneasy to use English, this school would give huge improvement in English to you. I have…read morebeen here about 7 months and I started studying English with this school. I had a phobia that speak English because I had never used English in my life before I came here from South Korea. I only used to speak it at school for tests. This school helps me a lot to get enough self- confidence in English. Even though I am still making on it, I strongly recommend you studying at this school. If you do, you are on right way to get a new language.