Firehose Project Review

by Kyle Prinsloo       Last updated Nov. 3, 2016

Have you ever had an emotional moment that was too overwhelming for you?

That happened to me recently. Just over 2 weeks ago, I took the free intro course on Firehose Project and it was one of those emotional moments.

OK maybe I am being a bit over dramatic about it, but in all honesty it deserves all the hype!

To put things in perspective here is my full review of how I found it:

Who is Firehose Project?

If you haven’t heard of them already, Firehose Project is an online education platform that teaches you how to become a software engineer (web developer) through a highly intensive, real-word curriculum.

It’s a hardcore online bootcamp that is unlike most others out there.

What makes them different from the other bootcamps?

There are so many coding bootcamps around and it seems like hundreds are starting every day now.

This leads to more competition = more confusion about which bootcamp to choose.

When I was compiling this list of what makes FHP stand out from the rest, I was quite impressed.

Here are some points:

• You will learn the programming languages and technical skills that are important in today’s leading businesses and start-ups.
• Group projects so you will learn how to collaborate with other developers. This is highly underrated and often overlooked in most other bootcamps.
• They have over 100+ mentors (instructors) with a rock-solid coding background with some working at the likes of PayPal, eBay, Flickr, Shopify, BBC, Yahoo and other big names to name a few.
• Ken & Marco, the founders of FHP, are also mentors as well. It’s not like they are a two-man team… they have a fast growing team and they could easily be focused on more important things but they choose to be involved with the mentoring as well. How many online coding bootcamp founders do that?
• You will leave Firehose with an understanding of how to create advanced web applications (dynamic websites) and to solve complex algorithms that are realistic in the business and start up world today.
• Submit your code and get it reviewed by experts who will point out if it’s all good or if it can be improved.
• Awesome and helpful community group with fellow students and code mentors to discuss any struggles and/or wins along the way.
• Technical job interview preparation.

My honest review:

I’ve completed quite a few courses (see breakdown here) so when I took the FHP course I wasn’t expecting too much to be honest.

I thought it was like most other courses out there, but I was honestly surprised by it.

In one word… WOW!

The part that really blew me away was the fact that I only signed up for the free intro course and not their full immersive online bootcamp course.

The value that you get in the free intro course is incredible.

I always try and view it from the perspective of a complete beginner so I can explain it to that audience from the same point of view.

In fact, I asked 2 friends (complete newbies) to try the intro course and they were both blown away.

They said it was challenging at first, but as of now they are confident in what they’ve learned and they want to study web development even further because of it!

Ken, the instructor in the (intro) course, has a real gift of teaching and he explains things in a simple way that makes sense to beginners.

Why you should study through FHP:

• Personalisation: They are concerned about your goals and they work towards achieving your goals.
• 1-on-1 mentor sessions for help when you really need it as well as coaching.
• They teach you about algorithms which many bootcamps do not.
• Receive a start to finish real world equipping.
• From learning to code, to building your portfolio and experience, collaborating with a team, improving your CV, interview preparation and coaching – it covers it all.
• Most online bootcamps cover 50-80% of what Firehose offers and many of them are well over $10k – they are the full 100% with nowhere near that cost.

All of these features and benefits are available in the full 22-week Firehose bootcamp program.

Their free 2-week intro course preps you before entering into the full program, but even the free program is as good as a many paid programs out there.

What is their curriculum like?

Their curriculum covers the skills and challenges that are needed to become a software engineer. It’s robust, comprehensive and it’s designed to help you tackle real-world problems – not just the theory and the fluff.

Here’s an overview of what their bootcamp covers:

• Build and launch fully-functional dynamic web applications
• Develop algorithms, design complex data structures and learn important computer science principles that you can apply in your career
• Build an advanced web application as part of an agile team like it is done in the real world
• Create a sophisticated coding portfolio on GitHub and learn how to use it
• Apply and understand MVC architecture, Object Oriented Programming, inheritance and test driven development
• You will cover things like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, Rails and Algorithms – everything needed to become a great all-round software engineer.

Student success stories:

When it comes to choosing where and what to study, you will ALWAYS be interested in knowing what other people think of it.

The Firehose success stories are really good. Take a look at these 5-star, in depth reviews on Quora from real students here.

They’ve also got over 40 great reviews on their website. Here are 3 which stand out:

The Firehose Project was the best investment I’ve made in my life, and I am in debt to the people and community that make it so special.

I learned more in my first two weeks with the Firehose Project than after 10 weeks in another bootcamp and accepted a full-time developer job after receiving multiple offers.

I honestly feel I really got every penny worth of education. I have a job that I really enjoy, and I make money while doing something I love.

Is it worth the investment?

Short answer: definitely.

I’d suggest starting out with the free intro course here. All you need to start is your name and email. No credit card or complicated forms.

The only thing you will need is dedication, passion and discipline.

Firehose Project is a great way to learn more about coding and how to build web applications.

I highly recommend them to anyone considering an online coding bootcamp and to those who are serious about pursuing a full-time career as a software engineer.

Thank you to Ken & Marco for allowing me to write this review.