Why I chose Bloc

(Disclaimer: This post isn’t going to be about why I chose coding but how I chose to enroll in Bloc. For that, see my previous post!)

The first time I ever heard about the idea of coding and becoming a developer/programmer, it was tied to the idea of a bootcamp. As I mentioned in my previous post, the idea of enrolling into a bootcamp was suggested by a software engineer who knew others in the process of doing that very thing. After I had pretty much arrived at the decision that coding was something I was interested in and wanted to pursue further was to find out all the different options out there and what they had to offer. I didn’t realize that I was about to enter the rapidly growing world of the “coding bootcamp”. I discovered a site called Course Report which is dedicated to reporting and providing articles on coding bootcamps and provided reviews from students and informational posts. I quickly came to the realization that there was more than just a handful of options out there, and not only that, new bootcamps were opening every month it seemed like. To add even more confusion, they all touted the different technologies they specialized in and these various programming languages I barely recognized. My mind was racing…what was full-stack? node.js? mongodb sounded like a fruit or maybe an animal. I was overwhelmed.

In those first couple weeks I did a ton of googling and reading articles and posts about the pros and cons of coding bootcamps. Some were ecstatic about their bootcamps while others wrote scathing reviews. There were many questions that arose like what language do I learn first and why? Was this bootcamp thing for real and what was the success rate?

I had countless questions, and some I knew I couldn’t answer for myself without actually trying a program. When making big decisions like this, I’m the kind of person who likes to have all the facts before I make one. Sometimes it’s to my detriment, but usually I feel good about it in the end even though it sometimes can bug the heck out of people (ask my wife!), especially when I flip flop back and forth. To help with my decision I had to narrow down my options and state out my criteria. Most programs at the time were in-person and full-time requiring someone to basically code non-stop for at least a few months for like 12-14 hours a day. While I would have loved to do that, it wasn’t a realistic option for me because I had to keep my job for the income and for the health benefits. Plus I was wary of the risks of going all in. That really narrowed down the options and left mainly online programs as there weren’t really any weekend and night programs either, at least not where I lived. This left Bloc and a few others.

What appealed to me about Bloc was that they specialized only in delivering their content online. While others had online programs, I could tell that their main focus was on their in-person bootcamps and the online “version” of the bootcamp seemed like more of an after thought and was often a simplified version of their in-person curriculum. I didn’t want the content to be watered down or reduced. I knew that not being able to learn in person with other students and with an instructor would mean giving up some aspects of the learning experience, but I still wanted to learn as much as possible. Bloc also was focused on their mentorship style which appealed to me because most online learning is just you going through videos and chugging away at reading and doing quizzes and tests online. I wanted to have someone I could ask questions to and find guidance. It seemed that many of the mentors had diverse backgrounds and varying levels of experience, but I felt comfortable that I could find someone who was well-experienced and been through at least a few students. As for the technologies they covered, I actually went and looked at the job postings at various tech companies I knew to see what types of technologies they were looking for in an engineer. Bloc’s curriculum covered many of those technologies, so I knew I would at least get a foundational understanding of them. Cost-wise it was actually at least a few thousand dollars less than the traditional bootcamps (if they can be called “traditional”) which is understandable given it’s an online format, so that was a plus.

I realize that online learning isn’t for everyone. If I had a choice between online and in-person, I most likely would have choose an in-person one myself. I’ve had friends who have enrolled in and graduated from a couple different in person bootcamps and they are all working as software developers today post-bootcamp. Due to my circumstances, I felt Bloc was the best fit for me and provided what I wanted. Hope this helps all of you as you decide whether or not to embark on a coding journey yourselves!