Grand Circus

I completed the Front End Bootcamp program in late 2020. It was a difficult, fully-consuming program but it definitely gave me the skills and familiarity with web development and coding methodology necessary to land a junior tech position. The course and final project demands are definitely designed to help land a job at the major fintech employers in the area (Quicken / subcompanies), at which many of my classmates found positions after their completion of the program.To respond in part to some of the negative reviews I have seen for the program: this bootcamp works in the same way as any education. You will only get out what you put in, and no degree or certification means that you will just automatically be employed. Companies take bootcamp certification seriously, but only if you are able to prove your skills in the interview process. The tech job search is a grueling, and it will take time, energy, and daily independent coding and preparation to land a position.I am very thankful for the support I have received and continue to receive (2 years and a full-time position later) from the Elizabeth in Career Services.Some things to keep in mind before starting at Grand Circus: I think bootcamps are generally designed for those who have an interest in coding and have a specific job in mind for which they want more specialized experience to feel qualified. People who want to better understand and design apps and web pages, and are already attempting to code daily out of interest! Transitioning from zero-coding or never using a computer will be extremely challenging, with or without the bootcamp.All of this said, I am definitely glad I did the bootcamp through Grand Circus, and I would certainly recommend the program to colleagues looking for a change in career path.

Great place to host events and learn about everything tech related. Our Metro Detroit WordPress Meetup hosts our events at Grand Circus every month and things always run smooth. We recently hosted a conference for about 150 people and as expected everything ran perfect thanks in part to the staff at Grand Circus! If you want to learn more about different technologies, change your career, need a place to co-work I would definitely recommend Grand Circus!

I am a C# .NET bootcamp graduate of Grand Circus. I attended the full-time program from November 2021 - February 2022.First and foremost, Grand Circus does a wonderful job preparing you for an entry-level role in software development. It is fast-paced, but it is not overwhelming. If you pay attention during class, ask clarifying questions, and simply put in an honest effort, you will graduate. You get out what you put into it.On the other hand, if you are expecting to coast" your way through the program

A big shout out goes out to Grand Circus and their free intro to coding class the staff are very knowledgeable. And the space is amazing. The tuition is out of my budget , but it’s worth it.

Grand Circus was a wonderful place to establish a solid foundation in the skills I needed to transition into and find success as a developer. I love their focus on Detroit, the passion of the educators, and their mission to help individuals navigate the path of a new career. Nothing is perfect, but the skills, passion, and community found at Grand Circus is a blessing to Detroit.

RUN...save your hard earned $8,900! All of these positive reviews are posted by people working for Grand Circus or Graduates that were lucky enough to land a position which Grand Circus uses to prop up their website with success stories about. Ever wonder why you can't find reviews on Grand Circus? Even Google Reviews are mostly hidden unless you pull them up using the Google Map view of the company. Other academic websites that allow reviews on Grand Circus are closely monitored and GC takes down any attempt to discredit this scam program.Where to even start. Enrolled in the Front End Developer bootcamp. 1 month in they wanted to make our resumes look like we have technical experience and explained that we would be able to apply for technical positions that require 1-2 years experience with the training we would learn in the 3 month course.... the results were as expected. Out of a class of around 16 people, only 1 got a job in a junior front end developer position because they had been applying for positions for the past 2 years and had years of experience before taking the class... the rest went home after the class wrapped up and that was all she wrote. Grand Circus offered a couple people Teaching Assistant roles to possibly boost the confidence of the graduates and improve job placement numbers (which they make up anyways)... but once the course is over you leave with a piece of paper and a pat on the back, never to have a reason to drive back to Grand Circus or offered any assistance afterward finding a position (oh but they do continue sending you indeed job posts!). The positions they help you find are all posted on Indeed... they will blast you with around 20 positions they find on Indeed which is their way of suggesting they have affiliations and partnerships with companies.... Once you graduate and get your piece of paper that's it. They have nothing more to offer you and are done with you. You will have the ability to attend job bootcamps which is basically their way of sharing jobs they found online and you will also continue to get Indeed job postings sent to you if you haven't been removed from their distribution list, but that's it. The final project was a complete joke and didn't showcase anything an employer would be interested in. The classes and assignments are mostly crammed down your throat and you have to work in teams so that you can struggle figuring out how to code things with others without really learning anything. The exams are very stressful and showcase just how bad the programs are since most people fail them. Once you fail 3 exams you are kicked out of the program with no refund, again not much of a loss since you graduate with a piece of paper and expected to find a job on indeed on your own.Best advice, talk to REAL graduates of Grand Circus if you can find them. Go to their offices and chat with students walking in and out to get their honest thoughts. If you rely on Grand Circus to pair you up with a student or graduate they will have you talk to ones that either work at GC or graduates that they heavily promoted on their website with success stories that will not talk negatively or reveal the ugly truth of GC.

I attended Grand Circus in their summer 2022 cohort for C#/.NET. I chose GC after a family member completed the program and liked the smaller class sizes compared to the large bootcamps you'll see advertised online. I also looked at the final projects coming out of various bootcamps, and saw that GC was more advanced in that area. I was self-taught in dev work for some time before GC but struggled to tie everything together to begin creating functional apps. Fearing that I'd plateau and get a bit overwhelmed in the next steps of learning to code, I enrolled in GC. I'm 6 months into my first dev job, and knowing what I know now, I'm grateful for what I learned at GC as it put me in a great spot to take everything we learned to the next level (and beyond lol). I highly recommend you spend time learning the basics of your desired GC curriculum before attending to really put yourself in a position to learn and quickly enhance what you already know. GC was an amazing tool for me to help finalize my journey of breaking into the tech industry (without a computer science degree).I wouldn't have been able to put together C#, a database, and then a framework by myself (which is what employers want). I personally needed the structure, deadlines and live instruction that you don't get by watching Udemy/Youtube.The journey into the tech world is really, really difficult no matter what road you take, and I have no regrets in choosing GC to help me reach that goal.

I graduated from the August 2015, Front End - JavaScript bootcamp as I was looking to make a career change. Grand Circus was the spring board I needed to increase my technology skills and created opportunities for me to network with employers looking to hire.I can't say enough about the support provided by the entire Grand Circus staff during the bootcamp. From resume support, mock interviews (both technical and traditional), networking pitches, tough love and pep talks, they are there to help you succeed.If you're seriously considering a career change into technology the Grand Circus bootcamps can help you do that. The curriculum is tough, but if you're willing to work extremely hard and don't give up before you've found the answer, you'll be ready for a new job as a developer. It worked for me, I was hired full time by a local Detroit start up 4 weeks after I completed the program.

Grand Circus is the best learning environment I have ever been part of! The staff does their best to make it a supportive experience. I admire that they focus on getting feedback from their students weekly so that they can always be improving the program. The JavaScript bootcamp gave me the tools for success and introduced me to my first employer. I have a career that I enjoy now, and my salary has quadrupled. The investment is worth it. Thank you, Grand Circus team!

I did the six month full stack bootcamp focusing on C# and graduated in October 2022. The staff was very helpful teaching the concepts in and out of class as well as helping me land a job within two months after graduation. I can’t thank Grand Circus enough for helping me change my life for the better. 10/10 recommended.