Alchemy Code Lab

Choosing the right coding bootcamp for your experience and career goals is hard. Not every program is the right match for every person.

One helpful resource are independent review sites. Learn from the unfiltered experiences of people who've been through the program and what kinds of job opportunities it led them to.

You can find reviews of Alchemy on all of the major code school review sites:
🌟 Course Report: https://www.coursereport.com/schools/alchemy
🌟 Career Karma: https://careerkarma.com/schools
/alchemy-code-lab/
🌟 SwitchUp: https://www.switchup.org/bootcamps/alchemy-code-lab

Applying to Alchemy includes 3 steps:
1️⃣ A short optional info session
2️⃣ A short application form
3️⃣ An conversational interview with admissions to discuss your current situation and future goals

Learn more in this interview with Course Report.

Admissions Spotlight: How to Prepare for Alchemy Find out what the admissions process looks like at Alchemy! From technical skills to soft skills, here’s what incoming students need to know to get into Alchemy.

New developers are often surprised to learn something that Alchemy CEO Marty Nelson makes it a point to share with our students on their first day at Alchemy: what makes a good developer is not what you know, but what you can figure out.

If you're considering a software development career but aren't sure what skills make the transition easier, Marty shares more in this interview with Career Karma: https://www.alchemycodelab.com/news-events/alchemy-ceo-on-what-makes-a-good-software-developer-and-how-to-become-one/

Coming up on August 23: PDX Women in Tech's virtual happy hour is a great place to grow your tech network. Plus they'll have volunteers available for resumes reviews, mock interviews, and networking!

August Virtual Happy Hour — PDXWIT Level up your tech career! Join PDXWIT and host Matrix Networks for our monthly happy hour where we will learn some tips and tricks that’ll help you land your next job. After hearing from expert lightning speakers, we’ll have volunteers available for review resumes, mock interviews, and networki

Next Friday, August 5, join us for a tech talk with Dan Minkevitch, principal software engineer and former instructor at Alchemy! Everyone in our community is welcome.
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We asked Dan what he wishes he'd known when he started out in software development.

"It's important to focus & become proficient on the "how" of writing code before diving into the "what" and eventually the "why."

Early on, I often got too caught up in the "why" behind the code I wrote — e.g. 'why do we need to do X before we can get to Y?' versus 'how do I do X?'

At the early stages, knowing the why didn't always necessarily help me with the how. In fact, sometimes it confused me further. However, once I got proficient with the how (e.g. syntax, control flow, etc), understanding the what & why became a lot easier.

This isn't to say that the what and why aren't important! Exploring those avenues is what leads to growth from junior developer, to mid, senior, and eventually staff/principal.

But curiosity is a double-edged sword: it's the fuel of growth, but can also lead to overwhelm & confusion. Make sure you're comfortable with the foundations of programming before exploring more esoteric topics like program design and the underlying concepts that turn your code into interactive software."
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When is the right time to begin a new career? 🧐

The answer is different for everyone. But we can tell you when our next cohorts are starting! Knowing when you'll graduate means you can take concrete steps toward your longterm career goals.

We encourage you to apply early to secure your spot. Applying early also gives you more time to work with our admissions team on financing and scholarship options.

https://www.alchemycodelab.com/admissions/

The best way to figure out if learning to code is the right way for you to change careers is to ask questions.

Each week we host an info session so you can explore questions like:
• What kind of coding experience you need to apply?
• What kind of jobs our graduates get?
• How do you pay for code school?

RSVP to join our next info session on July 19: https://alchemycodelab.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAldOygqDguHdwe06IOVgUOg7WVUBS_I1Gw

Coming up on June 28: PDX Women in Tech's Job Board LIVE event is a great place to meet recruiters and companies with open roles.

Job Board LIVE: Get Hired Up! — PDXWIT PDXWIT Job Board Live: The networking event that comes to you! Are you ready to get hired up?!? Then this virtual meetup is for you. PDXWIT’s Job Board LIVE is tailor-made to help you find the career of your dreams.

Join us in congratulating our November 2021 cohort. After more than 1,000 hours of software development practice...they graduated! 🎓🎉

If you're curious what these can build, check out these projects: https://bit.ly/Nov21-Alchemy

This Friday we're excited to welcome back recent grads Diyana Mendoza-Price, Zack Lyon, Dylan Floyd & Michael Rider to tell us about their early days on the job.

They'll share their experiences going from coding students to working software developers, challenges they’ve encountered in their new full-time roles, and how their experience at Alchemy has applied to on-the-job responsibilities.

Curious about Alchemy and want to attend this talk? Email [email protected]. We'd love to see you.

It's the final week to sign up for our free Developer 101 course starting on Monday, June 13! Sign up now: https://www.alchemycodelab.com/developer-101
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In 5 classes with our software engineering instructors you'll learn:⁣⁣
1. How to change careers and get started in professional software development⁣⁣
2. Managing code using GitHub, Git & VSCode⁣
3. Using HTML and CSS⁣
4. Using modern JavaScript in the browser⁣⁣
5. How to use automated testing, how test-driven development works (TDD), and organizing code into functions⁣⁣
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This is *not* an online tutorial or pre-recorded video. We teach these classes live and online, exactly like our full-time program so you get real-time support and feedback. ⁣
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If you have questions you can always email us at: [email protected]. ⁣⁣
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Tech education authority Course Report asked CEO Marty Nelson what being "job ready" means for new software developers at Alchemy.

"For us, "job ready" is being able to make production-quality contributions to the work that needs to be done, with a high degree of professionalism and value-oriented focus. Job ready also means being able use that first job to acclimate to the industry and launch a career. Our goal is not just to get students any job, but to help them launch a really successful career. We aim for students to be moving into senior or leadership roles within 2-3 years of attaining their first tech job."

Read the full interview on Course Report's blog: https://www.coursereport.com/blog/how-alchemy-gets-students-hired