The Best Durham Coding Bootcamps Of 2023

I enrolled in this course as a supplement to my Computer Science degree in order to learn relevant industry tools that were not taught during my coursework. Albeit fast paced, this course is loaded with relevant industry skills and resources to either jumpstart or boost your career as a Software Engineer!

I was traveling for work and I wanted to make a career change to be closer to home and spend more time with family.  I decided that software development was the path I wanted to take.  I heard about Momentum from a trusted and respected friend who is in the industry and has worked with people that were involved with the program.  

I spoke with members of the staff before joining who were honest and genuine about what to expect and some of the challenges I would face and how they will guide me through it.  I could easily see why my friend recommended them and because of how sincere they were about being with me through the journey I signed up and have never regretted it.  The staff truly cares and Jessica, the CEO, is incredible.  I've never seen a CEO that knows every single student on a first name bases and is with you every step of the way.

From day 1 in the Momentum program, you dive straight in to code.  There is no wasted time and you get experience right away in Git, GitHub, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python, Django Rest Framework and React.  They live Agile methodology and do everything they can to get you job ready.  The material is dynamic so if more companies are looking for people with certain skills, Momentum will adjust to incorporate those skills.  It's intense and difficult but it's by design and later you thank them for it. 

One of my favorite parts was Friday Huddles where they have guest speakers from companies big and small like Google, IBM, Red Hat, Pendo, Spreedly, Tiny Earth Toys just to name a few.  Many of the speakers came through the Momentum program and you get a chance to talk to them in a casual setting and they have all been straight forward and honest about their journeys.

If I had to pick what the best thing about joining Momentum has been, it would be the community.  You are placed in a team based on when your program starts.  My teammates are like family now, we spent everyday together finding solutions to problems through coding all on zoom.  We had members in different states because of the remote setting and it didn't matter.  You forgot that they were in different locations and still got to know them very well and we would do anything for each other.  The thing I didn't realize before joining the program was that you join a team but you also join a community of past graduates, new students and staff all through Slack.  There is something about Momentum staff and students, maybe because 99% of them are career changes and share your story, but everyone and I mean everyone truly wants you to succeed.  I was amazed how you instantly get access to all these Slack channels and can read past threads with resources and if you reach out with a question, a ton of people who you don't even know jump in to help.  People share pictures and things that make them happy, share links for cool things related to code or meetups and you become a mentor for the next team too. It's a really great community of people and it just makes you feel like you made the right choice.

I know this is a long review but I have to end by saying the part that I had the most questions about before joining.  How does Momentum help me find a job in software development? I don't know where they found her, but Katie is their head of career services and she doesn't wait for you to graduate before helping you.  It's incredible how she's able to manage so many people but I feel like I know her just as well as my teammates. She has provided tools for resumes, cover letters, applying for jobs, networking, finding companies, tools I didn't know existed. Momentum's mission is to get you in the business and even after the lessons are completed, they are still with you until you find a job.  You are always part of the community and a member on Slack even after you find a job so you'll never feel that you are on your own.   I'm not the first to say this and I definitely won't be the last.. I wish I had did this sooner.

Cognixia's Generative AI and Prompt Engineering was nothing short of extraordinary! The course content was thoughtfully curated, providing a deep dive into the world of generative artificial intelligence while catering to both beginners and those who may have had some prior knowledge in the subject. The instructors guided us through the intricacies of training generative models, explaining complex concepts in a manner that was easy to comprehend, and even showcased demos for those of us who were more visual/hands-on learners. At the end I earned my Generative AI and Prompt Engineering Certification from Cognixia which has given me new skills, empowering me to make a meaningful impact in the Artificial Intelligence industry going forward. The comprehensive curriculum, engaging practical components, and supportive learning environment of this course made this experience invaluable, and I would absolutely recommend it!!

As someone who wanted to make a 180 degree career change and quickly develop marketable coding skills without breaking the bank, Parsity was the perfect bootcamp for me. From a top level perspective, it checked off a lot of the boxes I was looking for: fully remote learning environment with the flexibility to work at my own pace (and either full-time or part-time), continual mentorship and support from the staff both during and after the program, and insanely good value when comparing their price to the average cost of a coding bootcamp.

The curriculum was very well structured with a natural progression of concepts. The first half focused on the Front End - We started with a review of JavaScript fundamentals and CSS/HTML before moving on to DOM manipulation, working with APIs, and then diving into the React framework. In the second half of the course, we transitioned to the Back End, learning how to build our own web servers and databases with Node, Express and MongoDB before putting everything together and developing Full Stack applications. At the end of each week, we were assigned a mini-project that covered what we had just learned. These were very challenging, but always engaging and I really felt like I was building something practical while working on them.

Despite the bootcamp being fully remote, I still had great opportunities to collaborate with other students. In the middle of the course, we had a week-long paired programming hackathon, and towards the end, the entire cohort worked together on a group project simulating an Agile-style sprint in which we were tasked to develop a functioning Full Stack application in 2 weeks. I'd say this experience along with our independent final project was probably where I learned and grew the most. Everything really came together here: putting all the coding skills I'd been honing to use, working/communicating in a group setting (and dealing with the unique challenges this can present), planning out design and structure at a larger scale, using Git flow effectively, and presenting an app as if demoing to a client. These projects were easily my favorite part of the program.

On top of that, I received a ton of support from Parsity in the job search after graduating. First of all, we had dedicated time spent solely on career development, including refining our resumes and LinkedIn profiles, writing effective cover letters, networking, and preparing for the interview process. I also had access to a fantastic Career Services Coach that met with me frequently and was always available when I reached out. I got a ton of helpful advice that was tailored to my own particular job search, as well as mock interviews structured for the specific companies I was focused on. The assistance I received after graduating was invaluable, and ultimately played a huge role in me landing my first developer job.

All in all, if you're interested in programming and want to shift your career trajectory, I highly recommend Parsity. I never would have believed a year ago that I could learn so much in such a short timeframe and actually get hired as a programmer. But it's true - coding bootcamps are a totally viable pathway and Parsity is a great one with great value. Enrolling was one of the best decisions I've ever made.