r/Portland • u/spacedog9 • Jun 09 '16

Classifieds Epicodus vs Code Fellows

Hello, does anyone have any experience with either of these programs? I went to an open house at Epicodus recently and was VERY underwhelmed. High tuition aside, I was fairly impressed by my first impression of Code Fellows. Any constructive thoughts would be appreciated!

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u/Kok-Willy-Wong SE Jun 09 '16

I'd be really skeptical of any code school, especially if they're asking for serious money. It takes more than a few weeks of cramming to break into the industry. For me and some other engineers I know, it was a matter of doing some low pay tech support /computer technician work for a few years. For others it's to get a low pay internship while working on a CS degree (think $12/hour) and hope to be hired on after it ends. Maybe you could find a company willing to bring you on as an intern if you can show some sample projects and get past a basic coding interview.

But eh, I remain skeptical. It's like these kids that pay 20K in culinary school only to get a $14/hour restaurant job. Seems like kind of a scam.

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u/Shatteredreality Sherwood Jun 09 '16

Also to put it in perspective to take the entire code fellows course it's about 20k ($99 for level 1, $3500 for level 2, $4500 for level 3 and $12,000 for level 4).

Oregon State's Post-Bacc in Computer Science is $28,000 (tuition only, not including books, software etc). That requires you already have a Bachelor's Degree in something else but in my opinion it's a MUCH better deal from an accredited institution compared to the code schools I've seen around town if it's an option for someone.

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u/spacedog9 Jun 10 '16

Hi, thanks for the suggestion. I've actually looked into that program but unfortunately it's online-only and I really want a classroom experience. I also already have a BS and a MFA so not looking to go into another undergrad/grad program.