Grand Circus - Detroit, Michigan

Karissa P.

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!

Joseph S.

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.

Joshua C.

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, you will not have a good time. Grand Circus (or any bootcamp for that matter) is not a 3-month ticket to an instantaneous 6-figure job. You will have to work for it.

With all that being said, Grand Circus was nothing short of an amazing experience! From the instructors to the career services team, I felt like I was fully supported the entire way through. I always felt like my questions were answered, and help was freely given whenever I asked for it. If you put in an honest effort into everything you do here, the Grand Circus team will have your back.

One thing I really appreciated about my experience was that my instructors didn't sugarcoat anything. Coding can be challenging, but it is worth it! You will have some nights where it feels like nothing is working in your code; the very next morning you will come at it with a fresh perspective and wonder why you were even stuck in the first place.

The career services team will teach you a lot as well. They will cover topics such as overcoming imposter syndrome, how to build a resume, connecting with others on LinkedIn, etc.

Similar to the instructors, the career services team doesn't sugarcoat anything either. From day one, they will tell you that half the battle in becoming a developer is the job search itself. It is likely that after graduating you may have to send out 100+ applications before you land your first job.

That said, if you network properly with others from the very start of the bootcamp (and yes, I literally mean from the VERY start of the bootcamp, which the career services team will also tell you to do), you will have MUCH easier time finding a job than your classmates. Network early, and network often. That is the great key to finding your first job as a developer!

Overall, Grand Circus is a gamechanger for anyone thinking of switching careers to become a software developer. The program is challenging, but very rewarding in the long run. If you are doing a full-time bootcamp you will need to take it seriously. For 3 months, it will be as demanding of your time as a full-time job. However, throughout that time you will be surrounded by an incredible support system of instructors, career services, and your classmates!

Alexa J.

I did a lot of research before committing to the Grand Circus JavaScript full time bootcamp and I can wholeheartedly say I made the right decision. Here is a list a of the reasons why and, hopefully, this will resonate with someone else who has been feeling discouraged when looking into some of the more widely recognized programs:

1. Smaller cohort sizes: a more intimate class size means more opportunities to ask questions, to get to know your instructors and TAs, and to collaborate with your classmates more easily on labs and projects. When you commit to a bootcamp you are signing up for the highs and lows and, when you are in the thick of it, I can promise that you are going to want the camaraderie that comes with spending time with the same 6-12 people every day. You are going to want to know them in a way that you feel comfortable asking them for help and you are going to want to feel confident asking questions during class time. Because of the small class size, GC can cultivate that environment. In fact, the instructors encourage students to leave their mics unmuted so you can interject and ask for help at any time. I, personally, have found this to be extremely beneficial to my learning style.

2. Mentorship/tutoring opportunities: GC provides both mentors and tutoring sessions that you can sign up for based around your own availability. Previous bootcamps I had looked into and done prework for did provide a mentor, but that person was assigned to you randomly and often times it was a person hired by the bootcamp who, not only had never been through that particular bootcamp but who had actually never done any type of bootcamp at all. While still skilled in coding, they had no real idea what you were working through non-technically. With GC, the mentors are alumni students who have volunteered to speak with you and can relate to you on your experience throughout the bootcamp. If you choose to connect with a mentor, you are provided with a long list of alumni with their profiles and availability to find a match that works for you. They are there to help you through the non-technical stuff. On top of that, tutoring sessions are separate from the mentors, unlike other programs I had researched. You can schedule tutoring sessions as frequently as you want if the tutors are available at a time that works for you, and they are full one-hour sessions.

3. Career Services: GC has a soft skills program that is built into the actual curriculum so that you are not expected to take time out of class to speak with them. They are there to help you through your resume, LinkedIn profile and interview prep. They also offer 1:1 sessions that you can sign up for as many times as you’d like to help with all things related to the job search. One thing I love is that they also take time to focus on things like imposter syndrome and overcoming that. I think the biggest concern most people have when it comes to finding a job in a new field is how to tailor their resume using their previous skills and they work to help you through all of that.

I hope this information can help someone with their bootcamp search. As rewarding as the experience is, it’s also one of the most challenging things I have ever done so try to make it easier on yourself by choosing a program that suits your learning style and offers resources you will take advantage of as needed. GC is a friendly and inclusive environment that has shown in multiple ways that they care about the mental health of their students. These are the things that are important to me, personally, when going through an experience like this and GC has aligned with all of that so far.

Kaige M.

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.

Mara J.

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.

Landall P.

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.

Esurance S.

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.