Code Chrysalis

A year ago, I was a professional ballet dancer, who did not even know the difference between software and hardware. Now I am working as software engineer at the startup in Tokyo. Can you imagine?

It was last summer when I joined Foundations Course of Code Chrysalis, one-month curriculum of JavaScript for an absolute beginner. I was very impressed by the depth of teachers’ understanding in JS – but more than that, I could not believe they are just the graduates from CC’s three-month program, having learned all they know just by attending to it – and that is, one and only Immersive Course.

So Foundations course was already more than what I expected in terms of the quality of the exercises and lectures, and which led me to the “successful application” of Immersive right after I graduated from Foundations.

Following 1-2 months of the comprehensive pre-course, the most memorable 3 months started. From Monday to Friday, from 9 to 6, everything was about coding. It was very intense, but I never felt down due to the lack of my skill and experience, because I had warm support from the instructors and the founders, and knew it was not only me but my classmates who were going through many challenges.

This journey is definitely not easy, and you might not even notice how far you have come. And that is exactly how I felt when I, to my surprise, got a job offer, only 2 days after my graduation.

The fact that this incredible community in Tokyo is growing rapidly, and all the graduates are very friendly and helpful to each other, means that you will have more chances than the previous cohorts to find an engineering job in Japan, as more and more graduates started working as a future CTO in Japan. You might think that you can learn coding anywhere, and which may be true, but here at Code Chrysalis, you will be immersed more than you have ever imagined.

November 10, 2019

I am an American born and raised with some background in Shanghai. After graduating college as an Electrical Engineering major and working at a stale job for a year, I decided that I wanted to do something more challenging and more in demand so I started learning programming in my spare time. I was looking up coding bootcamps when I saw a news article on Code Chrysalis and found that it was a bootcamp in Tokyo. It has always been my dream to work in Tokyo so I thought this was literally the perfect opportunity. I did a bunch of research, found the price to be much cheaper than the popular bootcamps in the Bay Area, and checked to see that the stack that they teach was up-to-date and competitive so I followed my gut and went with it.

It wasn’t just all easy moving forwards. Saying that I was challenged during the course is an understatement. Signing up for this bootcamp is 3 months of isolation where you do nothing but code from 9-6 and that’s the minimum. Most of my weekends were spent working on sprints, team projects, and preparing a 45 minute tech talk that we present to the public. Code Chrysalis didn’t just challenge my technical ability, it also forced me out of my comfort zone completely. They honed our abilities to code, network, communicate with teammates, present to crowds, and most important face new challenges. By the end of the program, I was at the level of a junior developer technically, but I was confident that I could rise the ranks very quickly with what I learned there.

I now have a job in Tokyo at an English speaking startup that sponsors my visa and I literally owe it all to Code Chrysalis. They are not just a bootcamp, but a network for jobs, the Tokyo tech scene, friends, and games. I cannot recommend it enough.

November 13, 2019

I was working for many years as a software engineer in Japan but it was not so challenging. So I wanted and decided to challenge absolutely different things with international people. Luckily I found Code Chrysalis which is perfectly matched to me.

Code Chrysalis gave me many different kind of experiences, not just learning and working with international people but also key things to be an autonomous expert (includes body relational exercises). All I have done here were so valuable, extreme and made me stronger through each curriculum and projects for 3 months. For instance, I was not a person speaking well before people but now I don’t have any problem with that because my face has become an iorn mask through bunch of speech. What I want to say is whatever it is such as techs, relationships even games! something you feel uncomfortable, you can make it your comfortable here.

Also you can find a new interest in your life and test it as well. For me, during the course, I found the new interest and got a job where I can do it with international people in Tokyo.

November 14, 2019

Code Chrysalis is an excellent coding bootcamp. There’s no doubt that the course curriculum itself is outstanding. You can learn software engineering with the Bay-area latest style while living in Japan. It teaches you to become autonomous.

However, since a lot of ex-students have already written about the application process and what the immersive course is like, I’d like to share the three best things about Code Chrysalis beside the course itself.

1. Psychological safety
If you want to seriously achieve in something, you should immerse yourself in an intense environment and must get out your comfort zone. And then you need to do try & error until you feel like you got this. To do that, “Okay-to-make-a-mistake” atmosphere is really important. Code Chrysalis knows that and they provides mentoring and takes great care of their student’s to build psychological safety atmosphere within the class.

2. Awesome classmate and Networking
This course is very intense. To be honest, the 12-weeks program was really hard. Since you overcome this hard obstacle together with your classmates and the staff, they become pretty much like family. This friendship is the one of the best things I got from this course. Also they do a lot of meetups, such as giving a tech-talk in the public event, which is part of the course. you can build a wide network of connections through the course by being exposed to the public.

3. International environment
I think an ONLY-English program is super rare in Japan. Don’t quote me but I’m pretty sure there is only one or two international diverse environment in Tokyo. Being Japanese, I think it’s really hard to put yourself in an only-English communication environment. But because of this environment, I gained the confidence in my English work for an international company. This is tremendous achievement for me.

November 17, 2019

After working as a DBA for many years I had the unique opportunity to spend the time to learn some new skills. I had some options for this, but I will always be glad that I chose Code Chrysalis. The technologies we learned (JavaScript, Git, Express.js, Node.js, GraphQL, REdis, Kafka, the list goes on) more than met the expectations of what I wanted to learn, but what I hadn’t expected was learning a new mindset.

The immersive course isn’t just about learning how to write JavaScript well, it is learning how to think about technology projects and probably most of all learning how to learn in a new way. I was not comfortable for much of my time in the program, but it pushed me just enough to learn more than I ever have in such a short period of time. And to then use what I learned to build things. It also reminded me that being comfortable is not always a good thing in an IT career.

Lastly, the most surprising aspect of Code Chrysalis wasn’t the tech that I learned, but the camaraderie I found with people taking a similar journey.

December 2, 2019

Before I discovered Code Chrysalis, I was working as an English teacher for an elementary school in Japan. I really enjoyed my job, but there was no chance for me to progress. As such, I didn’t really feel like I had a career at all.

I discovered Code Chrysalis in July of 2017, when I attended a meetup called ‘Intro to JavaScript’. It was my first encounter with coding, and I immediately knew it was something I enjoyed. I spend around 6 months learning by myself, before successfully passing the interview test and getting a spot at CC.

Before the course began, there was a comprehensive ‘precourse’ of materials to complete. This gave me plenty of work to do, and ensured a more even knowledge level once the course began.

The course itself is divided into two parts. In the first six weeks, you learn about every aspect of full-stack software development. Front-end, back-end, database, a grounding in computer science, algorithmic problem-solving, UX/UI design, and pair-programming. You’re introduced to a wide range of technologies which are actually used in industry.

The last six weeks are dedicated to taking what you’ve learned, and building things with it. You’ll build a minimum of three full-stack applications, and are given almost total freedom in what to build and how to approach the projects. Your only limit is your imagination!

One week is spent building a full-stack app using a language you’ve never touched before. This was intimidating, but it showed me that even though the language might be totally alien, the concepts of full-stack can be carried over.

Interspersed throughout the course are soft-skill classes. Things like resume writing, technical and non-technical interview practice, whiteboarding sessions, and peer-review. These are the sorts of skills that are very difficult to practice alone.

The last few weeks of the course are dedicated to a single project. I was amazed at what it was possible to build given a limited time and a few other equally passionate people.

The staff are very attentive and supportive; they really care whether you succeed. And I met five other incredibly talented students who will be my friends for life.

The support didn’t end when the course was over. To this day, I still receive advice on career advancement, notice of exciting opportunities, and a support group that is invaluable.

Nine months ago I was an English teacher. Now I’m a Full-Stack Software Engineer. Change your career.

December 12, 2019

I have had a variety of jobs over the past two decades, none of which were technical. Nor were my previous studies technical in nature. I was working in regional Queensland and I had become interested in coding. While I had done some some self study, I lacked a coding community to learn from and gain direction from.

After researching a number of bootcamps in America, Australia and Tokyo, I chose to attend Code Chrysalis due to a balance of reasons. Cost, time, syllabus and a recommendation by a friend who is a 10 year veteran of software engineering in Tokyo.

The course provided the structure to learn, progress and gain marketable skills. While the course has projects, goals and deadlines there is still freedom within that framework to explore areas which are of interest. I meet amazing and diverse people from the people in my cohort, other cohorts and the staff who I am still in regular contact with.

My cohort during the three month immersive was a mix of people with engineering backgrounds, other technical backgrounds or no prior technical background like myself. It was 12 weeks of hard work and long hours, but at the end of it I was able to find employment as an engineer in Tokyo and transition into a new career at the age of 43.

Code Chrysalis is about building a community of engineers and providing support, even after the 12 weeks is over. During my job hunt I was able to get advice, book practice interviews and white boarding tests with the staff. I know that even now if I need someone to review my latest CV draft or run a practice technical interview I can contact Code Chrysalis and they will help me out.

May 25, 2020