It's really hard to stay on track or find the help you need when you're studying alone. It often feels like you're the only one trying to learn this stuff and you don't even know if you're doing it right.
Our goal is to give you the freedom to turn your ideas into reality and to follow a career you actually enjoy. Over the course of 12 weeks, you'll solve programming challenges and develop the skills used by professional developers. You will build real web applications from the very beginning and you'll leave feeling like a real developer.
This is more than just a world class program -- you will work closely with other students at every step of the way and be a part of a strong community of motivated teachers and learners so you don't have to go it alone anymore.
Basically, it's all the best parts of taking an in-person class with your friends and the flexibility of working online from home.
Our core Web Application Engineering Program is built with "busy professionals" in mind. Though we cover a lot of material, you should be able to complete your week’s work in 20-30 hours. You’ll be part of a small team of just 8 students who progress through the 12-week program together. When you get stuck, you’ll have access to teachers and mentors so you won’t spend long scratching your head.
You will learn everything you need to build and deploy professional web applications.
It starts before you're even admitted -- check out our prep work mini-courses to get up to speed on important topics like development basics, web design, engineering and an introduction to coding. After you're enrolled, we'll work with you to make sure you're firing on all cylinders by day 1.
Once the program begins, each week will cover a new set of topics. You'll learn from tutorials, custom video lessons, project demos, and code reviews before doing assignments and building projects to show what you've learned. The projects are the focus of the course -- we'll get you building early and often!
How to approach and break down problems like an engineer
Using Git to collaborate with other developers
Building great looking websites with well structured HTML and CSS
Using front end frameworks to save time and create more beautiful sites
Using Javascript and jQuery to make websites interactive and smooth
Object-oriented programming with Ruby, the language built for programmer happiness
Using databases and SQL to store information
Building and deploying web applications using Ruby on Rails
Making buttery smooth sites with AJAX
The best approaches for finding web development work.
Erik is an engineer who previously worked with App Academy, a premier in-person coding bootcamp in San Francisco. He founded The Odin Project and has educated hundreds of students as part of a mission to bring exceptional and, most importantly, social coding education online.
We will provide you with many of the components you need to get a job in web development: the technical skills, proficiency with the tools of the trade, a professional workflow, a kick start for your portfolio, relationships with mentors and the engineering foundations you'll need to keep learning.
That is a great start but the next step is up to you. Some students will be ready to start applying immediately after completing the program and others will need to continue to become comfortable with the material. The best way to become an attractive candidate is to keep building cool and challenging stuff that you can show off to employers.
At the end of the program, we'll provide you a host of resources to help you take that next step, regardless of what it is.
After speaking with hundreds of students who were struggling on their own, it was clear that existing resources couldn't meet the need.
In-person programs require you to quit your job and move halfway across the country, not to mention costing anywhere from $10,000 - $100,000+. An online solution offers significantly more flexibility and cost savings.
But other online programs either cover just a fraction of the content or they only let you interact with other humans a couple of times a week. We believe that community and support are some of the best reasons for doing an in-person program but no one else is getting it right online.
That's why we don't just surround you with other students, instructors, and mentors, but actually encourage you to collaborate on projects with them. This level of interaction between students isn't being done online by anybody else.
If you want the flexibility of learning online with the strong community and support of an in-person program, this is the right program for you.
The cost for the program is $4500. That is significantly less expensive than a semester at university or an in-person coding school.
We require a $500 non-refundable deposit upon acceptance to reserve your place in the cohort and the remaining balance must be paid in full one week prior to your start date.
If you would prefer to space out the cost, a payment plan is available for a total of $4900 over 4 months. The $500 deposit is still required. Details will be provided during your interview.
Our application process is designed to make sure that your 7 other classmates are as exceptional as you are. It consists of the application and an interview. The interview is conducted via Skype (or Google Hangouts).
The interview will test your ability to solve problems using code. The goal isn't to trip you up with syntax but to hear how you think through a problem and communicate your solution. It's okay if you're a beginner -- we provide you with the resources you need to get up to speed on Ruby beforehand.
This course is designed to give you a strong foundation in web development. Though our core technologies are Ruby-on-Rails and Javascript, we are really teaching the fundamentals of software engineering. You will have a great starting point from which to expand your knowledge into other areas and you'll find it easier the more you learn.
Additionally, no matter what client-based technologies you get into -- whether iOS, Android or Javascript frameworks -- you'll need a server side to handle data storage. You'll be able to build that back end in Rails using what you've already learned!
Short answer: that depends on you.
We have chosen Ruby on Rails as our foundational technology because it is one of the easiest to learn and one of the fastest to launch. We give you the tools to build and launch, and we also teach you an approach to learning that will make it easier to keep going.
That means if you work hard to understand the theoretical concepts, really throw yourself into the material, and practice the engineering mentality we encourage, then where you take it next is a wide open door.
NO!
We hear things like “I thought that ship had sailed” all the time. It’s a common misconception that you have to be a certain age to learn web development for the first time. We've seen students from 17 to 70 succeed.
We firmly believe in a "flipped classroom" model where you can learn at your own pace and then apply it by building projects with the support and supervision of classmates and instructors.
You’ll start your week by reading material and watching videos to get up to speed on the week’s topic. Then you’ll dive into a series of exercises that hammer home the concepts. These can be done individually or by collaborating with your classmates.
You’ll watch one or more project demos and then take on the week’s project with one of your classmates. Projects are due by Sunday night and there will be periodic quizzes to make sure you’re keeping up with the material.
Most of our students are currently in the US and so our program is designed to accommodate the way students in US time zones work. You will need to partner with other students on projects and scheduling that becomes difficult between largely different time zones. While we're open to students from around the world, you would need to be mindful of those issues until we add international cohorts.
You’ll have live access to your classmates at all times and instructors and TAs will be available to answer questions via video and chat throughout the week. During project periods they'll work with you to make sure you're on the right track.
We strongly believe in collaborative learning, so we encourage you to work with other students on the assignments and require it for the projects. It's hard to learn faster than when you're building a project with someone else!
You’ll have lifetime access to the course materials (which are always improving) and to our alumni portal, where students can exchange everything from ideas, to job tips to collaborating on future products.
We'll also send you on your way with a clear path to your next step, whether that's starting a startup, building some more cool stuff, or looking for a developer position.
You only need an internet connection and reliable access to a computer capable of using video chat and installing the necessary software. A Mac is ideal but not required.
The prep mini-courses are freely available to anyone who wants to learn from them. They will certainly help you to gain a better understanding of how to build successful web applications but they are not required before you submit your application.
That said, we do encourage you to run through them (especially the last course on coding) prior to doing your interview to make sure you're at the right level to succeed.
We expect enrolled students to have completed the prep work prior to beginning their cohort.
The free prep mini-courses are designed to take 1-2 weeks each to complete. They are meant to be completed in order from Web Development Basics to Web Markup and Coding but...
If you're in a rush (for instance to prepare for your interview), focus on the final mini-course called Web Markup and Coding. It covers HTML/CSS and Ruby programming, the most immediately applicable skills to your interview and your time in the program.
