- The people are super nice and I have yet to meet a brogrammer who works here. Everyone is approachable, humble, and helpful.
- They take the monkey theme to a level I am very comfortable with. On top of their employee directory, MonkeyBook, and the plethora of plush monkeys and plush bananas of various sizes stashed in every corner, they also named their conference rooms after fictional monkey characters such as Marcel (Friends) and Mr. Teeny (The Simpsons). Everyone's desk is labeled with a banana name tag, and in my case a "green banana" name tag because I am new (see photo below). But best of all, they name their projects after species of monkeys, such as Howler and Rhesus.
- The project I'm working on is called Mandrill. I love mandrills. They are the most sexually dimorphic monkey, meaning that the males look very distinct from the females. But the most interesting fact about them, of course, is why their faces are so colorful, which I happily shared with my manager when he asked me what interesting facts I knew about mandrills.
- My mentor Sara is super awesome and amazing and fantastic. She has been checking in with me to make sure I'm not overwhelmed. It's even comforting just knowing that she is nearby, even if I'm not asking for help, because she is like my safety net.
- The project I'm working on seems interesting. I haven't written any code yet, just looked through documentation and specifications. But it seems like it will be doable maybe. Maybe.
- I discovered the SurveyMonkey freezer. It is full of ice cream. Don't worry, I'm not stuffing myself with treats all day long.
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My green banana name tag
Hopefully I can report more this weekend. I am trying to get into the actual code right now so I may or may not have something interesting to share on my next post.
Personally I find the idea that a mamdrill's bizarre face is a visualization if its genitals to be a bit disturbing. But that's just me...
ReplyDeleteHey Ava,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new job! I'm trying to decide on Hackbright vs. Dev Bootcamp vs. hold out and apply to Hack Reactor once I've learned more javascript. I was wondering what your advice would be... how was the job search? Do you know how much of your class is employed? Thanks for any advice you have!
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt really depends on your personality and your needs. I know I would not have done well at HackReactor or Dev Bootcamp, but my best friend went to HR and loved it! I think what really sets Hackbright apart from the other schools is the community. I needed to be in a place where I would be encouraged by my classmates and feel safe trying new things, not in a place where my classmates are competing with me. I knew being in a competitive atmosphere would be really toxic for me - that I wouldn't feel ok asking for help. If you are motivated by a little "healthy competition" then Hackbright is probably not a good place for you.
If you are interested in HackReactor, you should look at my best friend's blog: leaena.com. I'm sure she would be happy to share with you why she loved HR so much and what you can do to increase your chances of getting in.
As for my class, I was one of the last ones to get a job. I think it took me a while to find the right company and I am not good at feigning enthusiasm for a company that I am not very excited about.
Email me if you have more questions! avasaintjohn@gmail.com
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ReplyDeleteThere is another really good training center to learn everything in UI. Its called Go-Live Labs, They actually turned out to be an amazing deal for me.
ReplyDeleteThey offered me Free – Yes FREE!!!! 12 weeks programs – The most complete program I could ever dream of.
The catch? You have to work with them in a consulting role for one year. Or you pay $8000 in 4 installments if you leave and join a full time position. Compare that to others now!
I recently interviewed with them and got in. Check out their website. Not only do they give one on one attention to all of us in class (small class of 6) but also have a career department that actively circulates our resumes and gets us interviews. The previous batch got some awesome job offers since they knew all the latest JavaScript Frameworks like Angular JS, Backbone JS & Core OO JS.
There is an interview but it’s mostly to assess how seriously you are pursuing a career in UI/UX and if you know basic programming. They demand minimum 40 hours in their classroom and Lab per week. They do 3 classes of 4 hours each per week.
They are still growing so you may not have heard of it. I am learning so much! They are in Sunnyvale downtown on Murphy Street with a nice Training and Lab space. Check them out here http://GoLiveLabs.io