A Guide to App Academy’s Online Part-Time Coding Bootcamp

For anyone looking to shift careers (or start a new one entirely) into tech, bootcamps are by and large the most efficient way to learn the skills necessary to finding a high-paying job.

Rather than earn a first or an additional college degree in computer science, coding bootcamps teach you the most important skills and languages you’ll need to become a competitive applicant.

While bootcamps are highly regarded in the industry, they have always had one pitfall: you have to dedicate yourself to them full time to be successful. That means bootcamp students would have to quit their jobs or completely alter their schedules to fit the curriculum into their lives.

That was the case, until App Academy introduced a part-time coding bootcamp.

This is App Academy’s Online Software Engineering Program – Part Time. Over the course of a year, remote students around the globe will build a foundation of coding skills, programming languages, and portfolio projects they’ll use to find a job as a software engineer. We use the same top-of-the-line curriculum and world-class instruction as our full-time courses — the kicker is you don’t have to quit your job or upend your schedule to gain the best coding knowledge in the bootcamp industry.

This course is perfect for working professionals, students, parents, or anyone who otherwise wouldn’t be able to dedicate their entire day to our full-time programs.

In addition to creating a more flexible, accessible learning environment for students, our part-time bootcampers also have the option to elect an income share agreement. That means you can start this course with a $0 deposit and pay us back only if and when you get a job as a software engineer making $50,000 or more (as of April 2023, we are no longer requiring a deposit for first time enrollees in our Part-Time Online Software Engineering Program). We only succeed if you do.

“App Academy’s part-time program meets these students where they’re at, with highly effective learning that fits into your life,” says Brian Green, Head of Product. “A full-time bootcamp takes up your whole life, from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep for four months, six months, or however long it takes you to graduate─followed by a full-time grind to find a job.”

In one short year (minus holiday time and breaks), you’ll be able to step into a brand new career with earning potential and upward mobility to boot. Let’s deep dive into our part-time program, what you can expect to learn, and how we work with you to achieve your goals.

App Academy’s Online Software Engineering Program – Part Time schedule & hours

This bootcamp program is a remote course, meaning it’s open to students everywhere. The only exception are New York-based students; due to New York regulations, App Academy is not able to offer our part-time online program to residents of New York. We are working to be able to make this available to New York residents in the future. New York students are eligible to apply for our full-time Campus Software Engineering Program.

Students will meet for live lectures on our weekly schedule, and those live lecture times must be met. In order to create a more flexible environment, students are allowed to join our East Coast or West Coast lectures, regardless of time zone. During weekdays, lectures run for three hours. On Saturday, lectures run for six hours. Students have Fridays and Sundays off to relax and study or prepare for the following week’s material:

Monday – Thursday:

East Coast — 6-9 p.m. EST

West Coast — 7-10 p.m. PST

Saturday:

9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. PST, for both the East Coast and West Coast cohorts

The total time spent on curriculum is 48 weeks, just under a year. This includes 52 weeks of actual class time, with 4 weeks for holiday breaks. Additional time should be considered for the job search process.

Program tuition and payment options

When it comes to choosing the right bootcamp for you, cost is a huge factor to consider. Payment options are equally important, as every student’s financial situation is different.

Unlike traditional educational models like colleges and universities, App Academy offers students an option to complete the course with a $0 deposit and no tuition due until you get a job making $50,000 or more. This is called an income share agreement, and it’s a common practice in non-traditional educational institutions.

What makes our income share agreement model so successful is that we have to succeed in order for you to succeed. If we don’t do our part in teaching you the curriculum or helping you find a job with our 1:1 career coaching services after graduation, we haven’t succeeded in our mission to help every App Academy student find a career in tech. The ISA is just one of three payment options available to our part-time bootcampers:

Income share agreement: $0 deposit and zero tuition to start the program. Pay tuition only after you get a job earning $50,000 or more. Then, 15% of your monthly salary for 3 years with a maximum of $36,000 (whichever comes first). This plan is available to all US citizens and Green Card holders, with the exception of residents of California or New York.

Deferred plan: $0 deposit and zero tuition to start the program. Pay tuition only after you get a job earning $50,000 or more. Then, $36,000 due in monthly installments over 18-36 months depending on compensation. This plan is only available to residents of California who are US citizens or Green Card holders.

Upfront plan: $22,000 due upon enrollment. This plan is available to all students, regardless of citizenship status, with the exception of New York residents.

Applicable skills you’ll learn in App Academy’s Online Software Engineering Program – Part Time

All of our remote students — both full-time and part-time — learn the same world-class curriculum that has landed thousands of alumni jobs in tech. Once you’ve learned these skills and programming languages, you can go on to master them and learn others to help expand your skill set.

Our team of instructors will guide you through critical front- and back-end curricula that are designed specifically for software engineers. We regularly refresh the skills we teach so they fall in line with what’s most widely used in the industry and what’s most relevant at the time. Everything we teach is determined by the current job market and what’s most important for incoming software engineers.

Python and JavaScript are two of the top three most popular programming languages for engineers and developers to learn. Source.

Everything you’ll learn can and will be applied to creating stunning portfolio pieces you can use in the interview process. Here are just a few of those skills you’ll learn and why they’re so important:

Python.

Python is an object-oriented programming language. After being introduced to computing decades ago, it’s regained a lot of popularity with engineers, web developers, and data scientists because it’s easy to read and can be used for all sorts of projects.

Python is a great first language to learn — and overall a great programming language to know. Apps like Instagram, Pinterest, Spotify, and Netflix were all built using Python.

JavaScript.

Once you build the foundation, JavaScript is used to put the nuts and bolts into a project. Anything on a mobile app or web page that moves, scrolls, jumps, slides, or is otherwise “interactive” can be built with JavaScript. It’s the icing on the cake that’s used widely in front-end development. Nearly every major website we use on a daily basis — Google, Amazon, Facebook, and YouTube, to name a few — have JavaScript-baesd elements.

HTML & CSS.

HTML & CSS are often categorized with JavaScript because they too are front-end elements used to structure the layout and formatting of a web page or mobile application. Within their foundation, you can implement other programming languages like Python or JavaScript.

Other notable skills.

Learning code and implementing your skills on course projects is just the beginning. These are some other crucial skills you’ll learn during these 48 weeks that will be helpful when you enter the workforce:

• Version control with Git to record changes to specific files overtime to see how they’ve changed
• Use a database language like SQL to store, manage, and manipulate data within a database management system
• Create two-way communication between a browser or user and a server using WebSocket
• Front-end data management and user interface rendering with skills like React and Redux
• Prep for interviews and know how to answer frequently asked questions about your experience and your portfolio

“It can take 12 to 18 months of full-time dedication to make the transition into tech for those in our full-time bootcamps. Not everyone can do that, purely logistically. Not everyone can put their life on hold to learn full time. Our part-time program meets students where they’re at.”

Daily life as an App Academy part-time student

Because this is a part-time program, your day-to-day life looks a lot different from that of our full-time bootcampers. We understand that you’ll be juggling a lot as a part-time student, so we provide a more accommodating attendance policy and only give assessments every other week, rather than every week. We’ve also redefined how you’ll learn material by familiarizing yourself with it ahead of time.

Check out the legend below to learn what a typical day looks like both in and out of the classroom. You’ll notice that on weekdays, students have an hour’s worth of homework prior to starting class:

“Our part-time students take a flipped-classroom approach. Students will learn new material through our learning management system before coming to class,” explains Brian Green, App Academy’s Head of Product. “That way, class time is less focused on lectures and more about Q&A sessions with instructors to make sure everyone understands the material, along with a heavy emphasis on hands-on practice through pair programming.”

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This solo learning is equally as important as learning under instructors or with your classmates. A huge skill in software engineering is being able to teach yourself on the spot or find solutions to your answers, so this model really allows students to build that muscle.

Graduation & employment from App Academy’s part-time bootcamp

All of our students, regardless of program, have the same expectations and desired outcomes: to get a job as a software engineer.

In addition, all students in all programs have the benefit of working 1:1 with a dedicated career coach. Our career coaches are there to help students navigate the job search process by running mock interviews, fine-tuning resumes and portfolios, and aiding in the negotiation process when offers start to come in. Our career coaches have specific technical acumen or other skill sets in coaching and career development that make them uniquely qualified to work with our grads.

While our full-time students will have already quit their jobs, our part-time students will only resign from their current roles at the time the job search process begins. This will allow students to fully commit themselves to finding a new role and transitioning into their new career.

Make the most of your time with App Academy’s part-time bootcamp

We know firsthand that not everyone has the means — financially, emotionally, or physically — to attend a full-time bootcamp. It has always been and will always be our mission to make coding education as universally accessible as possible. Creating a part-time program is another crucial step in making that mission a reality.

If you rely on your current job for income, you’re a parent, or you have obligations during the day you can’t miss, our part-time program is the best choice for you. For those looking to complete their coursework sooner and enter the workforce faster, we have two full-time programs worth considering.

Here’s a link to App Academy’s Campus Software Engineering Program deep dive.

Here’s a link to App Academy’s Online Software Engineering Program deep dive.

Here’s a link to a side-by-side comparison of all our programs so you can ensure you’re applying for the best one for you.

If you’re looking to change careers to the high-earning, fast-growing track of software engineering, App Academy is right for you. If you’re ready to apply, we’re eager to meet you. As always, you can check out Course Report for honest, unfiltered reviews from past alumni.

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