CodeBoxx Bootcamp Outcomes Review

Since its creation in 2018, CodeBoxx has become a standard-bearer for accessible education, offering a software engineering program that caters to students of all backgrounds and a “learn now, pay later” scheme that eliminates the worry of paying upfront. But while the coding bootcamp succeeds at providing easy access to tech training, some wonder: Does CodeBoxx also provide guaranteed entry into the tech industry?

Do You Need to Learn to Code? 

“Everyone should learn how to code.” This has been the rallying cry in today’s digital age, where learning to code is now considered to be as essential as learning how to read, write, and count. 

This unfailing belief is not just tied to code’s ubiquity in the workplace. It’s also due to its power to unlock computational thinking, one of the most prized skills in the market (whatever your role or industry is). Fortunately, as widespread as coding is, so is coding education. This is why others have dubbed coding as the next great equalizer of this generation’s modern workers. 

The rallying cry has changed: “Everyone should learn how to code, and anyone can.”

Thousands of aspiring developers from all backgrounds have taken on this challenge. Some have pursued a computer science degree, while others have chosen to learn in a silo via online learning resources and YouTube video tutorials. Yet not everyone has come out the other end with programming skills strong enough to hold a job in tech.   

The gap seems to point to an imbalance in the tech education space. Students are either forced to take out student loans while sitting through programming lectures or pay $0 for a shallow discussion of all things programming. Working to even the scale is coding bootcamp CodeBoxx, which delivers a hands-on training experience that’s payable only after the student lands a job in tech.

So, What’s It Like to Learn at CodeBoxx?

“It’s hard,” says Emmanuella Derilus, a graduate of CodeBoxx’s Software Development Immersive, when asked to describe her learning experience. “I feel like ‘rigorous’ is an understatement when [talking about] the CodeBoxx curriculum.” 

True to its bootcamp brand, CodeBoxx offers intense and immersive training packed into 16 weeks. The promise is that after four months, you’ll be a full stack software developer who’s ready for hire.

Because of the gravity of this promise, the school demands a full-time commitment to learning from its students. For Emmanuella, this meant leaving her nine-to-five job as an administrative assistant in the social services industry to attend CodeBoxx. 

“For me, there was no option to fail,” she recounts. “So, I read everything relevant and practiced everything multiple times before getting it.” Doing so had her spending 14 to 16 hours a day, just building and solidifying her programming knowledge and skills. 

Louis-Félix Béland, who likewise had no prior experience in programming, also had to pull long hours to stay on top of his CodeBoxx training. “I woke up [early] every morning so I could get a headstart on the day’s [coursework]…Every day, I worked until I was tired,” says the former salesman.

“Training with CodeBoxx is like drinking from a fire hose,” Emmanuella adds, “but you figure out ways to make it manageable.”

The CodeBoxx Classroom Experience

The rigor of the CodeBoxx program is not just rooted in its curriculum. It also has to do with its flipped classroom setup. 

Through this approach, students don’t just sit through lectures that simply telegraph everything they need to know, as they would in a formal classroom setting. Rather, they’re encouraged to first explore on their own or with their peers and use all the resources at their disposal before seeking answers they couldn’t find themselves from their instructors.

This eliminates any instance of passive learning and instead fosters a process of autonomous and logical discovery among the students. Lectures are defined by Q&A sessions with CodeBoxx instructors, daily scrums with coaches and campus directors, and weekly meetings with their mentors.

“Being able to focus on actual work rather than [sitting] in class for three hours and itching to actually do something was way better,” says Louis-Félix. “It made me better at learning by myself and thinking before asking questions.”

Students receive a document and a video at the beginning of every week. This contains project requirements from their fictional client, Rocket Elevators, that they need to account for when building apps. Put another way, there’s no shortage of challenges in the CodeBoxx classroom, and there’s little to no room for slacking off either.

The projects do more than hone your programming skills. Through pair programming and team-based projects, you also learn to value team victories just as much as you would celebrate solo wins. CodeBoxx makes an excellent collaborator and technical communicator out of you, two skills that often get overlooked in favor of technical output yet are most needed in the marketplace. 

By the end of the program, you won’t just be graduating with a piece of paper. You’ll be entering the market job-ready and with a complete information system to show off.

Can You Get a Job After CodeBoxx?

A quick dive into the numbers prove that CodeBoxx has been delivering well on its promise of transforming its students into employable software developers. According to CodeBoxx’s recent outcomes, the school has garnered an all-time job placement rate of around 90 percent with their starting salaries averaging $47,000.

This is especially impressive given that nearly 70 percent of CodeBoxx’s student body had no prior programming experience before the coding bootcamp or formal education in the university either. Representatives of this number are Emmanuella and Louis-Félix—a former administrative assistant and an ex-salesman—who both went into the program as novices and came out ready to develop apps. 

CodeBoxx graduates have landed jobs in companies like eBay, Cybercat, Fungo, La Capitale, and Lucky Brand. Others have gone on to secure employment at CodeBoxx’s Digital Business Solutions Unit or simply Boxx Solutions, an environment that doubles as a workplace and mentoring ground for select CodeBoxx graduates. 

The way the unit works is simple: CodeBoxx graduates master their technical and soft skills under the expert guidance of CodeBoxx’s senior developers. Simultaneously, they get to work and develop real-world software and applications for real-world clients. So, they learn and earn at the same time, something which is usually an either/or for working professionals. 

“My days follow the same structure, although they’re never the same,” shares Emmanuella, who secured a job as a junior full stack developer at Boxx Solutions. “I usually start at 8 am, [check my] email, and make a list of my tasks of the day. If I am working on a project, I start on that.” 

“Then I stop at 9:15 am for a scrum to meet with my people and discuss my progress, followed by a coaching scrum. I go back to what I have to do and, in between, I answer any questions CodeBoxx students might have,” she adds, as she also works as a mentor for current CodeBoxx students.

“I usually work until I am tired…until 4:30 pm and, because I am obsessed with things that refuse to do what I want them to do, I often return after my office hours and work longer.”

“I wake up every morning working on different projects, which is not always easy,” echoes Louis-Félix, who likewise found employment at CodeBoxx’s Digital Business Solutions Unit as a junior full stack developer. “It’s a fun experience, and I still have much to learn every day.”

Tip for the Aspiring CodeBoxx Student

“Before starting, I wished I believed them when they told me that CodeBoxx would take over my life and that to succeed, you have to treat it like a job,” says Emmanuella. “Be prepared to work long hours, dream about code, and meet interesting people both staff and students.” 

“The process will not be easy but every little thing that you get to work, whether it is a function or a whole site, will feel like you won the lottery. Even now as a professional, I scream with joy with every success.”

“You will be rewarded in the end,” adds Louis-Félix. “I wish I knew how fast four months pass when you are so focused!”

Get with the Programming at CodeBoxx

Nearly three years since it entered the edtech space, CodeBoxx has succeeded at not just being an accessible pathway to tech training but also a clear path to employment in the tech industry. This is true for CodeBoxx graduates like Emmanuella, Louis-Félix, and many others who launched their careers in software development in a matter of months.

If you want to take the same path, sign up for CodeBoxx and make your way to a tech career.