Helio Training

 I attended the Immersive Full Stack Web Dev Bootcamp at the Draper Helio Campus in the Spring of 2020. I graduated at the end of April and accepted a job offer as a Software Developer at the end of May.  My Background  To get the most out of my review, I think it is important to understand my previous experience. At the time of taking the class I had an engineering degree and had been working as an Environmental Engineer for two years. I was always interested in programming, I took a Java programming course in college and had dabbled in many different programming languages. I wanted to change careers, and I knew I needed a immersive experience.  What I Liked  

• Our instructor, Kevin, was awesome. He not only had the expertise, but had the patience and took great care to make sure everyone had the experiences they needed to be successful. It is hard to keep the class going at a pace that is good for everyone, and I think Kevin did a great job. 

• What I learned was useful. The technologies learned in the class should get you a job or allow you to learn other technologies quickly. The job I was offered uses C# and .NET and I learned all of that outside of class. If you put in the work, you will have the skills and knowhow you need for any tech stack. 

• The Draper location is great. It was a great learning environment. 

• Classmates were awesome. All the classmates I had were there to learn and were respectful. 

• Career services did an excellent job preparing me for networking and interviews. 

• Helio had an excellent response to COVID-19 and did their best to provide the full experience online. 

 Improvements for Helio  Resources and requirements could have been communicated better to the students. Many students, including myself, were unaware of several learning resources until midway through the course. Several things were hard to find, being in separate locations (LMS or Teams). These resources weren’t vital but would have been nice to have on hand.  Curriculum - The curriculum was a bit chaotic. This is something they were working on at the time, and I am confident that they ironed out all the wrinkles.  Tips On Being Successful  Do the pre-course work! Do it!  Set aside the time. The 13 weeks you are in the course should be dedicated to the course.  Ask Questions. Everyone at Helio is eager to help and they are super nice! Don’t be afraid to ask.  Both Windows and Mac will work fine. Come with the computer you are the most comfortable with.  Start with simple projects that check all the requirements. When it comes time to make your own apps, start small and make sure you have the basics covered.  Apply to all the jobs. I had to apply to 40+ jobs before one stuck, be prepared to work hard after the class is over to get a job. 

My experience at Helio was excellent. I took the immersive full-stack course, having absolutely no experience with coding or programming, and in under four months, I am well on my way to becoming a legitimate junior web developer. My classmates were incredible, and we all helped and encouraged one another. Matt, my admissions advisor was helpful from start to finish, checking in to make sure I felt good about what I was learning and that I felt comfortable in the class. Career Services Manager Amy provided training on how to write great resumes and how to prepare for job interviews. She is there long after the course is over to help you find a job. Mentors are available if you need extra help outside of class hours, and they are kind, patient and non-judgmental. The instructors teach, but they also let you struggle to find answers on your own. They understand that this will help students build problem-solving skills that will benefit them in the real world. One thing to be aware of is that you really need to be proactive and take responsibility for your own education. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand a concept. The teachers and mentors are willing to help, but they need to know if you are struggling. My only suggestion would be for the instructors to check in every few weeks with each student to make sure they are understanding fundamental concepts. Otherwise, those afraid to ask questions may fall behind.

Hey everyone, this is going to be the most honest and serious review I have ever written here on Google reviews. If you’re looking for a place to learn these types of “boot camps” then I would recommend going back to school to learn it. These boot camps are full of nothing but lies and promises that they try so desperately to cover up. I did take both boot camps for the web dev certificate. The first class was online and the second class was a hybrid of going to class and doing it online. I will say that the instructors knew their stuff from frontend to backend like pros! Both had worked in pretty high up tech companies and businesses so it was nice to hear about their experiences to get us jacked up to learn and get out there to look for a job. Now for the actual people like HR and the higher ups suck at their job like you wouldn’t even imagine. Also when you look over these reviews most of these reviews are from the people that work for Helio not the ones that have gone out and found jobs. Anytime I needed help trying to finish something that HR wanted you to complete to show that you’re “efficient” to get the certification she was absolutely terrible at her job! I will call out this specific person on here. Her name was Amy and she was so mean and just sucked at her job. I would ask for help with certain things so I could progress on getting my certification and all she had to say was “it’s in the work I sent over to you” or “it’s in the powerpoint/presentation I did…” I mean come on now, I am here to learn and hopefully get a certification so I can get out there and get a job! This isn't high school anymore just help the student out and explain things better. I’m not asking for my health but to better understand!

 Just awful…

Here’s another very depressing thing as well, with helio they try and suck you in by this six month guarantee bull crap… I have had a few people go out and do several if not a dozen interviews only to be turned down by them for only having this certification. Helio claims they have all these hook ups to getting you job but that was another huge lie! Also you need to understand that this type of market is so washed out, its heavily saturated and if you do complete the course and do get a job don’t expect to get a job making 60k a year. You’ll be lucky to earn half that for the first couple of years...Know that Helio once you are done with the courses they never follow up they never check in to make sure things are going okay. Do you want to know why? Because they go through tutors, instructors and TA like toilet paper. No offense. During the duration of the 1 and 2 courses we went through three TA’s and the last class we didn’t even have a TA to help out till the very end of the course… How pathetic is that? I won’t name the student I have kept in contact with the most after these courses. He was the smartest kid in the class and loved everything there was to know about coding and web development. He went to several job interviews to be only be offered around 15$ an hour! Like I said above this job industry is heavily saturated. I read an article saying for every one tech job there are two graduates… Your best option are not these bootcamps that fill your head with lies but to go finish school or learn for free online like Udemy, Freecodecamp and Youtube. The resources are endless. Good luck and don’t get burned over $9,000!

 

I chose Helio because they demonstrated that they would be there for their student beyond the duration of the course. The opportunity to shadow a future class to further solidify one's knowledge and understanding seemed like a great way to support students that really wanted to stick with it but may have struggled through the class. So like they say if at first, you don't succeed try try again! So I was sold and enrolled ready to take on the challenge. 

Jumping at the opportunity to get the precourse work done and completed before the class started was a great move. This helped to expose me to some of the things we would be learning more in-depth through the class but was just enough to help the first two weeks go smoothly without feeling lost or behind the class. Once we started to get more into JavaScript I found myself feeling a bit more confused but also building excitement. While I was starting to feel like I was having a hard time fully grasping the material I was starting to see more how it all came together and that my only limitations seemed to be my imagination. 

Knowing fully well that this course was going to be a challenge before I signed up I was ready to work hard and persist. I continued to struggle through the troubles I was encountering with understanding the material. Asking some questions but also trying to do what I could to discover the answer on my own. One regret I have is not asking more questions when I found myself stuck and could not seem to find the answer. 

My biggest obstacle was my own self-doubt. When things got hard and I felt stuck for all too long I found myself questioning my ability to really grasp and pick up the material we were going over. Thankfully I am persistent and determined. I started to work through some of the confidence issues I was having with a few small wins that showed me I was starting to understand. 

I still struggle with things to this day but find myself looking forward to the challenge knowing that I will gain that much more confidence once I overcome it. The structure of the Helio program is not to teach you all that there is about web development but rather to guide you down the best path for learning how to learn the material. They focus to give you a solid foundation with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and various other tools and tech you will use in the industry but the main objective is to help you find the best path to continue learning on your own.

I completed the course getting proficiency before graduation and after taking a week to celebrate I was back on the computer to continue learning and start feeling like more of a master. I still struggled with somethings and after a few months going on my own learning journey, I found myself taking Helio up on that opportunity to shadow a class. It was not until I returned to the class that I realized just how much I had learned the first time around. It is easy to forget about how much you learned because there is so much to keep learning.  It was when I started to help others and work on teaching them what I learned when I really started to see just how great of an education Helio had provided. So thankful for the opportunity to shadow that is helping me step into the light and keep my dream alive.

I attended the Full Stack/Full Time Web Dev Bootcamp at the Draper Helio Campus in the Fall of 2018.

 

About Me:

    Before we begin, you need to know a just a few things about me.

In a bootcamp setting like Helio, every student joins with different levels of understanding in regards to Computer Science and Web Development. I had none- of either.  My background was in people management, sales and marketing. I was a basic ‘user’ with no prior exposure to the complex world of Computer Science or technical trades. I chose to attend a web dev bootcamp not because I absolutely knew I wanted to be a programmer but because I knew I needed to upskill myself in an environment of accountability with someone being a ‘sherpa’ to me in this big new world. I also knew this would be a challenge and having an in person resource 45 hours a week would give me ZERO excuses to fail.

 

    My learning can be broken down into two basic components. What I learned about myself and what I learned about Web Development.

 

What I learned about Web Dev:

Helio will teach you (if you trust the process) Javascript, HTML, CSS and how to interact with your terminal like a real programmer. To make it a full stack you will learn about APIs, Database Schemas and basic CRUD operations. They will teach you how the languages are used within libraries and frameworks and the unique elements around each framework. Also you will learn about the Software Development Lifecycle and many, many, many more things not mentioned here.

 

What I learned about myself:

    I can do hard things. Attending Helio has given me credibility with myself and the confidence I need to continually progress as a person who values technical skill sets. During the bootcamp, I was always totally out of my element. This is GOOD NEWS!  Growth only happens in the pain and the constant feeling of never really being sure about what I was doing and sorta just rolling with it is good for anyone to experience. Lastly, I walked away with a deep sense of pride in what I had accomplished. I was more proud of myself for finishing Helio with proficiency than a 4 year degree and many other professional experiences that I had previously held on high. Also, my problem solving skills significantly improved.

 

 

 

Advice to Future Students:

• Watch CS05 Lectures on YouTube for context about what you are doing.

• Do the pre-work they assign, multiple times.

• Take time to prepare yourself. While I do not suggest online training as a replacement for the bootcamp experience, it will serve as good context for what to expect when you do enter the bootcamp so you can ask better questions for clarity.

• Learn how to learn.

• Learn how to read documentation.

• You likely will want to give up many times- don’t do it. If you are open, you will NEVER regret this experience for many reasons listed above.

• This will be challenging. Breakdowns and freakouts are expected. Just when you think you understand something, a new element and level to understanding that thing will make you feel completely inadequate again. This is normal learn to enjoy it. In a sick way, I actually crave this now that I am graduated...time to upskill!!!!

 

Advice to Helio:

• Questions? My least favorite part. Questions? Huh… of course I have questions. About pretty much everything..where to even start?!?!?

Advice: Instead of waiting for the class to ask questions, it would be nice to have instructors check for knowledge to expose those black holes.

• Continue the lectures, and afternoon coding sessions. Also continue to review content multiple times for understanding.

• Continue to be supportive of your students! I cannot thank you all enough for your patience and support. The personal connection I had with everyone (instructors, career services and even the president of Helio) will not be forgotten. Special shout out to Wes and Tanner in Draper. Yall are Tops and I appreciate you so much!

• Make sure that students are aware of all the different career paths in tech. Programming might not be for everyone but being technically literate surely is!

• Keep the class sizes small. So great for 1:1 understanding and attention.

 

Helio is an awesome place to learn. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Be prepared to put in work though as this is not a passive learning environment, you will have to put in plenty of time to actually learn how to code as it is not simple memorization. Pricing is great compared to other bootcamps!

     

After fiddling around with a free online code school, a friend put me on to Helio Training. I got so lucky! There are several bootcamps in the SLC area, but from the research I've done, none compares to Helio Training. I initially signed up for the After Hours Fullstack course, but soon found myself without a job on a Friday. I called Matt up and he got me into the Fullstack Immersive course the following Monday.

The admissions dept ROCKS! It's been a thrill of a ride learning all the tech, peeling back the onion and looking behind the curtain, understanding how all the parts and pieces of the computing world interact. I was so excited to come to class everyday. When I went home, all I could think about was coding. I could never have learned and been exposed to all that I have been on my own.

The staff, instructors, and class mentors were fabulous. The expert help you recieve from the career services dept is without equal. Dave, the president of Helio Training, is on the sidelines cheering you on. He always wants to know how you are doing, what they can do better and is always willing to listen to your concerns. Everyone involved really wants you to succeed.

However, you have to do your part by coming to class committed, ready to learn and meet the checkpoints they have outlined for you, so that you can succeed. If you aren't willing to do that, you are shooting yourself in the foot and wasting your money. It was a great experience bonding with the class and making friendships that will last for years to come. Change your life and become a part of the HELIO family today!!

This course may not be the most pleasant at all times (more on this later), but if you make the plunge, and you commit and work hard it'll be one of the best things you do.

The title of this post sums it up pretty well. Boot camps inherently will not be 100% pleasant. You're jamming everything together in a very short span to learn things.

As for myself, I'm a current student that's doing really well in class. I've dedicated a lot of time into researching languages and finding out what's going on behind the hood. If I could get one thing across it'd be that try to learn the best methods that help you learn on your own. 

If you come to Helio and expect to learn with no effort on your own part you will be dissapointed. If you come to Helio and expect to learn while missing half the days that class are held you will be dissapointed, and should re-examine yourself. Basically, they can't plug in a chip and teach you whatever you're coming for.

I'll be honest with you now, you cannot expect to know everything after this bootcamp. Anyone who tells you that you can learn everything about web development without years of experience is wrong. You need to work, you need to get serious, this is like learning another language (which it is).

A couple of recommendations for anyone joining:

• Attendance - How would you learn without being there? (Seems like a basic point but honestly, you won't do well if you don't show up)
• Proactive Action - Have the confidence to push forwards yourself. The teacher will help you through guided learning, but you should be pushing the boundaries yourself. If you're ahead of the rest of the class, push forwards further as your teacher can't just abandon everyone else in the class.
• Realistic Expectations - If you're a veteran in the industry and join a class with people trying to break in, you can't expect the entire class to cater to you. If you want an awesome career but only go into their part time class, or only put in half the effort, you'll be dissapointed. You pay for what you get for, and if you want the best, you need the advanced course in tandem with the part time (or just take the immersive).
• Don't Give Up, but Don't Let Up - It will be stressfull. Relax and realize others have done this before, you'll make it. Try you best, realize you're still growing, and don't give up! 

Don't rob yourself of future opportunities. If you work hard, and have a level head, you'll do great here. We're all human, and all the employees I've met here want you to succeed.

Is Helio perfect? No. Is it always pleasant? Not always. Could it be the best thing for you? You're damn right.

Just like eating vegetables.

I attended Helio from Fed - May 2018. I was in the full stack immersive class. The class provides all the information on all the current technologies that are being used in the Salt Lake Area. Our instructor went through all of the coding languages that we were learning quickly and provided several placed to learn more and improve skill. In class, we were given the basics and expected to put in time after hours to dig deeper and improve our skills. We spent the first 8 weeks learning the current stack being used and the last 5 weeks are spent creating projects for our portfolio. During the last five weeks, we are allowed to customize our learning by asking what we are looking for in order to complete our project. The career assistance was amazing and gave great advice on how to write a resume, dos and don'ts of interviews, and mock interviews. Great place to learn to code and had an amazing experience but you get out what you put in and takes work but well worth it.

When I first started the part-time full stack course I knew very little about html/css and had basic computer skills. It was A LOT of information to cover in 14 weeks and you do need to study outside of class, with that said I was able to challenge myself to learn something completely different, become a better learner, and learn the latest programming languages and applications. You definitely get what you put in. I couldn't have done it without the support from the mentors, instructors, and staff!