I went through a similar program in San Francisco - Devbootcamp. They are opening a sister program in Chicago. I went on to a 6 month apprenticeship at Groupon, and am now accepting a position at Hashrocket.
Some feedback - depending on the starting level of the class, 4 weeks is INCREDIBLY short. Taking a look at our class (Devbootcamp #1) - over 75% of the class went on to take dev jobs in some capacity with a $80k average salary...I don't know the validity of those marketed numbers. However, we put in 8-10 weeks. I wrote a HN post after that class "334 Hours of Ruby on Rails" (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3794069). Weeks are compounding...I don't believe you can really hit your stride in just 4 weeks without prior ruby experience. This would be a great introduction class - but job ready, I'm highly skeptical. Apprenticeship ready - sure.
If you want more than just a taste of Ruby on Rails - I would take the leap and try to get into one of the Devbootcamp classes in Chicago or San Francisco. I've also heard good things about Hacker School in NY.
Not speaking for Shereef...but, he mentions that the spring cohort was incredibly motivated. Accepting anyone willing to pay the fee would really take away from the power of the program. I don't know if that was Shereef's plan, but the spring class motivated themselves and each other. It was an infectious environment to be around others who were determined to bang their head against the wall until they broke through. If the class was not pre-filtered for these qualities - it would have been a very different atmosphere.
This kind of made me laugh. I've used RentShare before - and I'm pretty sure Chris Toppino isn't a made up name. Nicely done.
It's a waste of emotion to get angry over misplaced advice. I would say advice is a waste more often than not. Yet, people are compelled to hand it out. The advice that you're talking about is a selfish act. "I haven't spent any time thinking about this...and I probably won't think about it much again...but I really want to help in this moment, and I want you to appreciate me." The advice is not based on "arrogance and presumption of idiocy". They haven't thought about your perspective on the matter at all. It's too big of a problem, and would take too much time to give it that much thought.
They don't give a shit if you follow the advice - rather, they prefer you thank them for their "interesting" perspective and say you'll give it some more thought. Why not allow that to be your reaction, rather than fury???
I started using Boomerang last summer as I had so many emails that were getting lost in the mix. It was like having a personal assistant always reminding me to follow up.
Excited that you have moved on to a calendar assistant as well. It's definitely where I struggle the most. Looking forward to using the product.
Well, first - what you described isn't a chicken and egg problem..it doesn't actually relate to this situation at all. Those are pros and cons of having a co-founder.
There are a ton of reasons why a co-founder is a pain. However, the positives far outweigh any negatives...the stage of the company doesn't matter. Disagreements are valuable. The workload is simply unmanageable on your own. The road to success / failure can get really lonely without a co-founder.
Building a successful company is unlikely. Building one without a co-founder...odds just got worse.
1) Unless you're Instagram - a big startup will cost you much more than 2 years of life. The monetary price probably doesn't matter much as you will have acquired funding.
2) I also think the expected value of any given random point on the "startup dartboard" is smaller than the values you threw out there.
That all said...my interests align with yours. Hitting singles is more attractive than swinging for the fences. Goals change though...Rocket Lease may be a safe bet on your part. If traction picks up and it becomes an undeniable juggernaut...I don't think you or anybody else wouldn't take the "big startup" ride.
I think it best not to make decisions solely based on monetary risk/reward. There are many free resources out there...agreed. However, I have developed my own tight community of junior developers, many who will go on to be intermediate and eventually senior level developers. I have an entire network of mentors who are already senior developers. I'm taking interviews for junior dev jobs. I just learned how to code 2 months ago. Good luck spending 300+ hours in front of a computer in 2 months AND building up a network this large. I don't know what monetary value to put on that...it will vary from person to person.
Devbootcamp doesn't make sense for everybody. It made sense for me. I would rather learn how to program with a pair or several pairs than sitting in my room learning from a book and the internet. I've tried that already. It's not for me.
Yes. Our product was already built in Python. I had no preference for a language...I didn't know anything about languages. The developers that I was first referred to were python devs.
How I went from Python to Ruby? I tried Python a couple of times on my own, "Python the Hardway" tutorials, etc. I was looking for a mentor to step through the process with me. Devbootcamp came along and offered a room of mentors. I jumped all over it. I'm not concerned with the language, just the ability to code. I plan on learning Python sometime in the near future as well.
We were encouraged to take a daily reflection on what we did that day. I kept a general journal of what I was learning. By week 3, I started logging hours specifically on a notepad and in excel. Really awesome how much ground we covered as a class in that short time.
There is no legit way to learn something. You either learn it or you don't.
The correct question is - "Can you learn how to code in 8 weeks at Devbootcamp?" That answer is yes. I'm not sure if it was by chance or a product of the people that Devbootcamp admitted into this class...but this class isn't here to learn by osmosis. We all work hard.
Another good question would be..."If you are incredibly motivated, can't you just learn how to code on your own?" That answer is also yes. There is no magic or voodoo that happens in this office. There are no secret formulas that a person will miss out on by passing on DBC.
Buford - if you actually are curious on what is going on here...why don't you stop by?? We're at Market and 5th - just down the street from you. Incredibly friendly group...super excited about ruby and love sharing everything that we've just learned. It is an amazing feeling being in our position...and I would personally be happy to share the experience with you.
Appreciate your feedback. I've worked along side him for 5 years in our previous jobs. We've also done a few other projects together, although nothing on this scale. He has also been involved in this project since its inception. That said, we've got a lot of work in front of us...but using our past working history as an indicator, we're certainly on the right track.
I've received a lot of positive feedback...already been in contact with several (seemingly) talented developers. On top of that, this hacker community has been so eager to reach out, introduce themselves, and offer advice, motivation, or to buy me a beer. This is truly a unique and very lucky community to be able to all work together and pull for one another. Glad that I've recently become a part of it.
Hey, I appreciate it. I know I need two people...that's why I want to find one really, really hungry developer.
You never know...we may work together one day in the future. I've still got loads to learn on my end, and whether this project is a success or not...I'm hoping it teaches me a lot. Best of luck to you and your ventures in DC.
SpaEmergency is a gift certificate website. A person goes there to purchase a gift for someone else. That person then has to call the spa to book an appointment. We are an online booking hub. Clients typically book for themselves or a significant other thru our site...no need to call the spa. We don't currently do gift certificates, but that's a big game...and something I would eventually like to offer.
SpaFinder is a huge name in the spa industry. There focus isn't (yet) on online booking. They offer it with their POS system (14 spas using in Chicago), which other POS companies do as well. Changing over from one POS to another is a pain, and a long process. They are a lot bigger in the gift certificate world as well.
To answer your question vaguely - (1.) I get a technical co-founder - (2.) I bust my ass
Thanks. It's been a tough road...always going up hill. I hope your prophetic words ring true. We'll get to SoCal eventually...I'll be sure to knock on your door when we do.