Codesmith

If you’re interested in Javascript, front-​end, and fullstack development, I highly recommend attending the free seminars offered by Will Sentance and the Codesmith team. There are few people out there that can be interesting and charming while describing execution context, and Will is one of them. He effortlessly conveys complex topics in such a way, you can’t help but be inspired.
Go to the meetups, meet the people, have some fun. I think the codesmith program is a great opportunity to fast track into the industry, while learning the most relevant programming language of modern computing.
I found this group at
, and was extremely impressed with the «how to get hired as a software engineer» meetup and «JS the hard parts» series.

I have attended the «JavaScript: The Hard Parts» three-​part Meetup series at Codesmith to better learn client-​side JavaScript. I knew how to code the very basics in JavaScript when I attended, but Will’s thorough and charismatic teaching style took my understanding to the next level. I actually attended the second installment first, but I was able to grasp the concepts because Will is very clear and concise in his teaching. He also constantly checks on the group’s understanding, making sure no-​one is left behind.
Even though I completed a different coding school’s program, Will was very welcoming and inclusive. This is important to point out because the JavaScript Meetups are attended by people from all types of programming backgrounds — some have decades of experience in strongly-​typed languages, while others are just getting their first taste of coding. Will is a phenomenal instructor — he cares about each and every student there and he is really down-​to-​earth. As someone with social anxiety, I can say that Will somehow makes me feel very comfortable in what is typically a difficult situation for me. I don’t feel cripplingly shy because he is such a caring, supportive instructor and individual, and I somehow don’t feel like a stranger there.
I would say go to these Meetups as often as you like! You will always be welcomed and you never know who you will get to meet. I have learned about so many other programming resources because I get paired with a new programming partner every time I attend (and this is coming from someone with social anxiety!). Trust me, you will benefit from the experience in ways in which you have probably never considered. I know I have and will continue to do so.
One final note: if you want to learn server-​side JavaScript, specifically node. js, Codesmith offers a Meetup for that as well.

The Codesmith team is outstanding. By hosting their excellent (and free) workshops they are bringing together and elevating the Los Angeles area Javascript community.
Attend a workshop, meet the Codesmith team, and the rest of the Javascript community. You are sure to benefit from the experience.
See you there!

I completed the 8-​week Summer academy at Codesmith this past summer and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. At the time I had just finished my MBA at USC Marshall and was looking to continue learning and challenging myself in the available months I had before I began my new role. I was familiar with Codesmith from their weekly Javascript — The Hard Parts sessions,
, and it was immediately apparent this was a well-​designed program with serious promise.
It was an intellectually challenging experience. My previous programming experience was limited, so the initial learning curve was steep. The full 12-​week program is designed around a 30% — 40% working familiarity with Javascript starting day 1, so I had some ground to make up, but I did. Within a few weeks I was working on teams building full-​stack applications, browsers games, and a hilarious web scraper that kept you alert of everything Donald Trump was tweeting. The progress I made in a matter of a few weeks was pretty remarkable.
Learning by building is the approach at Codesmith, and it’s effective. The first weeks of the program cover computer science fundamentals like algorithms, data structures, APIs, and databases, but they are taught via coding challenges and mini projects that merge theory with real world application. Some topics come more easily than others, and some days require an inhumane volume of coffee to finally debug an application, but the rate of concentrated learning is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. The remainder of the program is dedicated to working in teams on group projects. The Codesmith engineers kick off each day with hack hours as well which help you continually hone your coding chops.
The building is spacious and crackling with a palpable feeling of enthusiasm and hard work. Everyone is there to help, and you can feel it. I highly recommend the Codesmith program.

Codesmith has transformed my life in such a short amount of time. I knew I wanted to be a web programmer and I was going to teach myself JavaScript over this past summer. On my own I probably would have still been trying to learn the fundamentals, not creating projects to reinforce my knowledge in different frameworks and libraries. Codesmith didn’t teach me to program by giving me the syntax to a function, but they explained the process of a function and how its variable store works. Getting a deeper understanding of how a computer executes a callback function, for example, has gotten me further than solving a single problem on an online tutorial. I have learned how to be/​think/​act like a full stack engineer.
I didn’t come from a stereotypical tech background, I graduated with a B. A in American Studies a few months ago and now I have a good understanding on how servers, databases, and multi-​threading work. It is such a great feeling to be able to understand the process of what your code is doing, but there is so much more I want to learn. Technology is constantly evolving and Codesmith has equipped me with a skill set to keep learning on my own.

I had just graduated from college with a B.S. in Computer Science when I heard about Codesmith. At this point, I had a few job offers in hand but had a distinct feeling that I could do better. It was a difficult decision, but I’m grateful that I turned down those offers to join Codesmith’s 12-​week program.
As many Computer Science graduates would tell you, there are sizable gaps between industry expectations and what you learn in class and class projects. These are gaps that can only be filled with time and experience. For me, Codesmith provided just that opportunity.
Coming into the program, I considered myself fairly proficient with C++ and Javascript. I’d never touched Javascript or web development. 12 weeks later, I have a deeper understanding and command of JavaScript than any of the other languages I’ve used for years. I’ve also seen myself progress significantly both as a web developer, and as a software engineer.
It is by no accident that I’ve grown more than I had reasonably expected in 12 weeks. This is where I give due credit to the well developed values and philosophies at Codesmith, and to the people who embody and enforce them. Chief among these values is to never become complacent. Codesmith doesn’t encourage letting idle curiosity die upon getting something to work. It’s then that the fun begins as you’re pushed to dive deep under the hood to understand exactly how and why that something works, and why it’s relevant. The commitment to excellence here is infectious, and I found myself coming home after a long day of coding excited to code some more or listen to some programming podcasts.
I can’t give enough credit to the Codesmith community, which is full of incredibly talented, motivated, yet empathetic people. They will push you beyond your comfort zone and make sure you never settle for «good enough». It will require commitment on your part, but if you’re ready for that, I highly recommend checking out Codesmith.

If I had to choose a word to describe my experience at Codesmith it would be: transformative. I first heard about the program by reading the CTO, Will Sentance’s answer to a question on Quora:
A friend of mine from high school was interning with Codesmith for the summer and posted about their weekly «Build with Code» sessions which they host in Codesmith HQ Thursdays. I had no plans that day and decided to go, if nothing else but to support a fellow Falcon. I was treated to a lecture by Will on the fundamentals of web development and walked through a tutorial on incorporating video-​chat to a web app using Icecomm. At the start of the lecture, Will asked us a series of questions to gauge our level of experience. The only one I got was «Do you know what a variable is?»
That was the extent of my programming knowledge when I started the 8-​week academy at Codesmith in the summer of 2015. I am a political economy major at the University of Southern California and my only experience with programming had been a 2-​unit Java course that I hastily withdrew from. By the end of Codesmith, however, I had developed a full-​stack application that had been a dream of mine for years: an interactive tool for USC students to plan their curriculum over four years. See:
I also built a snake game, an integrated calendar-​chat app, and an alarm-​clock that posted messages to a Slack channel via web-​hooks when you pressed Snooze.
The difference between a college class and Codesmith is simple: at Codesmith you are surrounded by people who are all vested in your success. The Engineers in Residence that were recruited hailed from some of the top engineering schools in the country –UC Berkeley, Duke, UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania — and were always eager to help and incredibly supportive. Through a combination of lectures, pair-​programming challenges, and projects, the program helps you realize your goals as a web developer. The lectures were clear and informative, and the challenges were difficult enough to force growth as a learner. The «Hack Hour» problems at the beginning of each day solidify your understanding of JavaScript fundamentals and teach you creative ways to tackle standard interview questions. This immersive environment is critical for learning something as difficult as web development.
In addition, Codesmith provides access to the industry through a series of guest lectures which are open to the public. I personally saw Tom Occhino, one of the lead React engineers at Facebook, speak and they recently hosted Netflix tech lead Jafar Husain. The team behind Codesmith is committed to helping every cohort achieve their career goals.
If you are still undecided, I would recommend going to one their weekly meetups and meeting the people behind Codesmith who are all extremely talented and approachable. It’s a decision you won’t regret, I guarantee it.

I was part of Codesmith’s 2^nd cohort that went from late June to the end of September in 2015. During that time I’ve met, worked with, and befriended several intelligent, hardworking, awesome people. I can honestly say that, having gone here, I’ve changed my life for the better.
I didn’t have much of a coding background at all before coming here, but after my 3+ months at Codesmith I feel confident and happy in my abilities. Before applying, be aware that this is a VERY strenuous course; you will be here 60+ hours a week for 12 weeks learning exactly what you need to learn to build a strong foundation and break into the industry.
That being said, the staff is extremely compassionate and dedicated to the success of the students. If you have the passion and work ethic to push through the challenge, Codesmith can be a very rewarding experience.
The curriculum focuses on JavaScript, Node/​Express, Angular, and React, but also covers jQuery, databases, and authentication. The final 6 – 8 weeks are devoted to building projects.
If you aren’t quite sure if Codesmith, or even becoming a software engineer is for you, then I highly recommend that you check out one of the many free Meetup events that Codesmith hosts:
Beginners and experienced coders are welcome to come learn and meet with the teachers and students.
In the Los Angeles area I really can’t image that there is anywhere better to learn how to code. Codesmith is devoted to providing the best possible experience and supporting the growing community.

There aren’t enough good things that I can say about this place… Especially since there is a character limit for Unilocal reviews! With that being said I have created a review of my experience on Medium.
You can view that here:
And if you just want to watch the video version, you can see that here:
This place is wonderful and I highly recommend it to everyone!!!