Hack Reactor

"I can honestly say that my time at Hack Reactor was worth every penny (and hour of sleep). In just 12 weeks, I changed my career trajectory in such a way I know would not have been possible had I tried to study on my own. The curriculum is great, the instructors are great, and, most importantly, your cohort-mates are great. You may think you're paying for just the curriculum, but that's far from the truth. The most valuable part of your experience will be the people you're surrounded by. Make the leap!"

"As a former mechanical engineer, it's in my opinion that one of the most important skill sets every engineer needs is autonomy. Hack Reactor does a great job of building your autonomy. As you move along through the curriculum, they systematically remove more and more scaffolding until you're building full stack applications on your own and solving real engineering challenges. The staff is great, and they all have invaluable industry experience. The lecturers have a commanding knowledge of the curriculum and they practically beg you to ask questions because they want everyone to understand the material. The mentors, coaches, and counselors are all very eager to help out. In only three months, they build a relationship with you where you feel like you're part of a family. I had a great experience at Hack Reactor. I received the guidance that I wasn't getting from self-study, I learned to push myself further than I thought was possible, and I made some life-long friends along the way. That being said, you'll get what you put into it. There is an endless amount of information out there. They teach you to explore new concepts, and they challenge you to go beyond the core curriculum. That was my experience at Hack Reactor, and I hope my review helps others get a clearer picture of what Hack Reactor life can be like."

"Hack Reactor was an amazing experience, but most of all it was challenging. Class starts at 9am Mon-Sat and end at 8pm each day. I would normally not leave until 10pm. The curriculum is really thoroughly developed, and I feel it provides a great deal of tools for a software engineer. It takes a large amount of trust in the curriculum and staff, but it's honestly a test for yourself. You should expect to, at times, feel stressed at Hack Reactor, because they offer an environment where you are expected to make elaborate applications with frameworks and technologies you may have never used or heard of. They bring on the pressure, and you will learn that it is okay to feel that way and to succeed. One of the best things about Hack Reactor is the peers you will see there. There are very intelligent and driven people there, and being in that environment can cause amazing things to happen. Hack Reactor was an awesome experience and I am thankful I had this opportunity!"

"I heard about Hack Reactor back in 2013 when it was still called Catalyst. When I first heard about it from a college mate, I thought: "Bullshit, no way is it possible to learn enough to become a full stack engineer in three months". A year later, two more people I knew also went through the program. All three of these people I know personally all have software engineering jobs in the Bay Area. So I thought I'd give Hack Reactor a shot. Their curriculum has gone through iterations of testing and development, and it continuously gets better. I came in with basically no coding experience and was always worried that I wouldn't be able to handle the rigorous program. The classmates you meet here, and the staff and alumni are all super supportive, and genuinely do look out for you. Hack Reactor really does care about its students and their outcomes, and they will work with you even before the program starts. The skills I've learned, the network I've built, and the experience I've gone through at Hack Reactor is truly priceless. If you're unsure or still hesitant, just give the application challenge a test. I found it fun, and after finishing it, I knew that Javascript would be a fun language to learn... and Hack Reactor is the best at teaching it."

"I've just completed my 13 weeks at Hack Reactor. The experience is like nothing I've been through before. It's clear from day one that, despite the success of the program (as evident by their post graduate hiring statistics) that they're never satisfied and always looking to continuously improve. They also clearly listen to the feedback provided by the students (you can thank HR20 for the second microwave on the 6th floor). The program itself, is hard. It is a lot of work and there are many many hours that need to be committed. Hack Reactors curriculum really shines in this area, in my opinion. Despite the multitudes of subjects that are covered and the many hours of lectures, pair programming, and solo programming -- they manage to do it in a way that doesn't burn you out. On the subject of lecturing, every lecturer we've had are absolutely fantastic at their job. They can describe the subjects in intimate detail and are extremely patient when it comes to questions and clarifying the issue at hand. Overall I cannot recommend the Hack Reactor experience enough. If you are passionate about becoming a software engineer, definitely apply to Hack Reactor."