App Academy is a coding school that offers online and in-person training programs and it has no tuition fee until you’re hired as a software engineer that earns over $50,000. This sounds way too good to be true, and after this we can ask ourself that is app academy legit?
Well it’s actually this business model which has made App Academy one of the most respected coding schools in the industry. It’s placed over 3,000 people into high paying full-time software engineering roles.
App Academy knows the skills and knowledge it takes to be a successful software engineer, and they teach this to their students in order for them to get the best job possible.
If you don’t succeed after completing the program, you won’t pay anything and that’s how it should be.
If you’re still not convinced that App Academy is legit, this article is going to go into more detail about what App Academy offers, what the costs are and what doing these courses can earn you.
What Is App Academy?
App Academy is a coding bootcamp based in San Francisco founded by Ned Ruggeri and Kush Patel in 2012.
They describe their program as having a “job-guaranteed” financing model where payment is deferred until after you have completed the course.
You’re also not required to pay any tuition fees if you’re unable to find relevant employment within the first year of completing the course.
The bootcamp offers a full-time software engineering immersion program, along with coding preparation programs to allow students with minimal experience to gain a head start in the field of coding.
The curriculum covers full stack web development with a primary focus on JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, React, Redux, Flux, JQuery and SQL.
Whilst App Academy offers this program in both San Francisco and New York City, its programming can also be accessed online.
The Application Process
App Academy has quite a rigorous application process. As of 2014, they reported an acceptance rate of about 5%, meaning it’s quite difficult to get in to begin with.
Students aren’t required to have any prior coding experience, but they’re expected to complete preparatory work before the formal course begins.
It’s a multi-step procedure, but before anything, you’ll need to fill out this application form if you wish to join the program.
Make sure to fill out all the relevant information about your educational and professional background, employment history, ability to attend the program and future aspirations for self-sufficiency before the program closes.
Next comes the coding exercise (see also ‘Best Coding Learning Sites‘) we’ve discussed, and after you’ve completed that, you’ll be invited to both technical and non-technical interviews at the end of the process.
Users who reviewed App Academy noted that they received a decision quite quickly after the interview procedure.
The Program
App Academy has a ‘16 week program’, this is then broken down into 3 sections with over 500 hours of formal instructional time.
Here’s a breakdown of the program.
- Weeks 1-7 – You’ll be introduced to introductory level programming concepts, such as Ruby, Rails and SQL.
- Weeks 8-11 – You’ll then move on to learning about other programming concepts, such as JavaScript, Read, Redux, Flux and others.
- Weeks 12-16 – You’ll take on full stack projects, advanced algorithms and job search. The job search curriculum is related to resume help, whiteboarding, technical interview training and salary negotiation. After you graduate, you’ll be required to work on your projects on-site for an additional 2 weeks. So all in all, the total participation time will be around 18 weeks.
A lecture will introduce the session and the majority of the time will be dedicated to projects and pair programming. There will usually be a few teaching assistants around to offer help, but students are encouraged to use their own resources due to wait times.
The Cost
For the full 16-week software engineering bootcamp, it costs around $17,000. There is also a longer bootcamp that lasts 24 weeks and the price for this is $20,000.
Remember, you’re only required to pay back these fees if you fail to successfully complete the program, or you fail to get a sufficient job within a year of completing the program.
You’ll only start to pay the fees back once you earn over $50,000 as a software engineer.
App Academy Courses
The 16-week and 24-week program isn’t all App Academy offers. It also offers two options regarding preparing for the bootcamp.
Bootcamp Prep Live
If you have no experience whatsoever with coding, and want to get a jump on the competition, consider using bootcamp prep live to develop your abilities before you take the plunge. In just 4 weeks, you’ll have a good grasp on coding.
As well as technical instruction, you’ll also practice for interviews by participating in simulated ones. Once you’ve finished this course, you’ll receive a $2,999 tuition refund if you’re not accepted into this bootcamp prep course.
App Academy Open
This is a great option to prepare yourself for the upcoming bootcamp as all of the bootcamp’s training materials are completely free and widely available to all students, which can allow you to get ahead of the competition.
There’s more than 1,500 hours of educational content, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby on Rails are all covered here.
The only thing you won’t have is access to the guided help you’d receive as part of their immersive bootcamp. But, this is an excellent place to start if you’re struggling to decide if the coding bootcamp is right for you.
Final Thoughts
If you want to be a software engineer, this bootcamp is an excellent place to get your foot in the door. They guarantee you a job, or you won’t pay a dime, which is more than some colleges can say.
The biggest downside to App Academy is the difficulty of their programs, so as long as you’re prepared for a challenge, you’ll be fine. Using Bootcamp Prep Live and App Academy Open can help minimize the difficulty, as you’ll get a feel for what’s expected.
