{ Join our free two-week remote prep course }
ALL THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO START YOUR BOOTCAMP JOURNEY
Get up and running in two weeks
{ all classes capped at 20 students }
Private Prep is a free taste of the Rithm experience: rigorous learning combined with a friendly and supportive community, in the span of just two weeks. In this course, we will cover problem solving and essential JavaScript topics for you to be successful in your future bootcamp experience.
Apply nowWhat should I expect?
Private Prep is a live class, taught by our real instructors. You’ll have time to ask questions and interact with the instructors, plus have a chance to get feedback on your code. You’ll also meet and get to know other people at the same point on their coding journeys.
When should I join?
Join Private Prep any time, regardless of your application status to our full time cohort. Some students join early in the admissions process to prepare for their technical interviews and see what Rithm’s all about, while others join after they’ve passed their interviews to brush up their skills before the cohort begins. Wherever you’re at in the process, you’re welcome to join us!
How do I get started?
All you need to do to enroll in Private Prep is submit an application and speak with our Admissions Coordinator, Britt, who can answer any questions you might have and walk you through the process. After that, we’ll invite you to take a short coding assessment (a shorter, easier version of our full time program assessment). Once you’ve passed that, you’re in!
What will I learn?
In Private Prep, we’ll cover topics such as problem solving strategies, string methods, array methods, numbers, objects and object manipulation, debugging and errors, and nested data structures. This is the perfect opportunity to get up to speed in a small, personalized learning environment.
Four nights to accelerate your learning
{ People who attend Private Prep are 3x more likely to succeed in a bootcamp interview }
Problem solving and algorithms
Solve difficult problems by developing a solid problem solving process. Understand == vs === in JavaScript and the differences between them, explore arrays and common array methods like splice, slice, push, pop, and more. Learn about three common types of loops - counter loops, for…of loops, and while loops, and learn when it’s best to use each one. End the evening with some problems to work on—we invite everyone to post their solutions in Slack for instructor feedback, and for a chance to read each others’ code, cheer each other on, and learn and collaborate.
Working with arrays, objects, and numbers
Move past the basics and master some of the tricker parts of JavaScript. We’ll discuss some more problem-solving techniques, then dive deep into strings, numbers, and objects, and talk about mutability/immutability. Learn about string operations such as length, indexOf, includes, slice, split, and more. Convert strings to numbers in multiple ways, and learn about the subtleties of NaN. We’ll also explore objects and object manipulation in depth: adding and accessing information, dot vs bracket notation, comparing objects, checking for keys in objects, and looping over objects. You’ll get a few more practice problems to check your understanding with, and to submit for feedback and supportive collaboration.
Functions and debugging
Dive deeper into JavaScript functions and callbacks. Learn how to develop a thorough debugging process using the Chrome Developer Tools. We’ll examine the differences between reference errors, type errors, and syntax errors, and explore a little behind why JavaScript throws the errors it does. We’ll also practice with functions, discuss parameters and arguments, and dig into callback functions, including the built-in methods of forEach, map, and filter. As always, there will be some coding challenges to practice with and we encourage you to share your work for feedback, cheering, collaboration, and conversation.
Nested data structures
Get comfortable working with nested data structures to store and fetch different pieces of data. We’ll review looping over both arrays and objects, and practice working with nested or multidimensional arrays, also known as matrices, and get comfortable writing nested loops. We’ll also be sure to discuss and practice using nested objects, and access and manipulate data within them. Finally, we’ll revisit the concept of references and types in JS, and how understanding these can help you compare and assign values accurately. At the end of the class, we’ll give you tips for further study and improvement, and talk about what students can expect when attending a full-time bootcamp like ours. You’ll also get one final coding challenge that’s much larger than the previous ones, with the opportunity to work together with your classmates if you’d like.
**We strongly recommend attending all four evenings in a row to stay on track.
Upcoming Sessions
{ All Private Prep sessions are held live on Zoom }
{ All class times are Pacific Time }
Student Testimonials
{ What people say after taking Private Prep }
“The knowledge you acquire during Rithm’s Private Prep course is unmatched. The care, expertise, and drive of the instructors, the curriculum structure, and content quality far exceed any university lecture I’ve ever attended. Whether you plan on attending a boot camp or your curiosity is just piqued, you don’t want to miss what Rithm has to offer!”
-Michael Paglione
Private Prep 11/2021
“I strongly recommend Rithm’s private prep course to anyone even thinking about applying to a coding bootcamp. The instructors are ridiculously knowledgeable in the field, while also being passionate educators (such a rare combo!). This course helped fill in so many gaps in my JS knowledge and I couldn’t be more grateful or glad to have attended.”
-Melanie Wong
Private Prep 01/2022
“It was very easy to ask questions to both the instructors and class. I liked the small group size. It's easy to get swallowed up in a large online class, so this was nice to allow everyone a chance to speak.”
-Taylor Hood
Private Prep 03/2022
“The pace and material was on point. I have some JS already under my belt, but I have never been introduced to the material from such a logical approach.”
-Peter Cardillo
Private Prep 03/2022
“My values as a student feel aligned with Rithm's classroom values. I felt welcomed and like my presence was valued.”
-Hannah Mayer
Private Prep 03/2022
“[The] instruction and the Slack channel were amazing to promote learning and discussion of important topics. The class and course were able to fill in a great deal of detail that had been missed in my self-study.”
-Clair Hawkes
Private Prep 03/2022
Meet your instructors
Joel Burton
Teaching Background Developer BackgroundWhile I studied Computer Science for my undergraduate degree, my first career was in teaching health education. I’ve been teaching application development for over 10 years, both independently and as part of academic programs. I led the development and teaching programs at Hackbright Academy, where I was the Vice President of Education and Chief Academic Officer.
I’ve been a software developer since the 1990s, focusing on security, big data, and web application engineering. Early in my career, I worked at Apple, then at Planned Parenthood, and had a career consulting on application development, focusing particularly on Python and open source web frameworks.
Kadeem Best
Teaching Background Developer BackgroundI am a dynamic educator who believes in education as a tool for empowerment. I actively seek out opportunities to share my extensive knowledge with people who are willing to learn and who are excited about their areas of expertise, in addition to continuing my own professional growth as a software developer. I've been teaching in a post-secondary setting in Canada for more than 6 years, at institutions such as Seneca College, Humber College, and George Brown College. Education is very personal to me since it has transformed my life in so many ways, and as an educator, I wear it like a badge of honour.
Since I was a child, I've been captivated by problem solving and the power of computers. Unsurprisingly, computer science and software development attracted my interest at a young age. After graduating from high school, I pursued a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and later postgraduate studies in Information Technology. I've worked in the software development industry for the past ten years or so. My areas of expertise include web application development, e-commerce integrations, database design and implementation for financial services.
Elie Schoppik
Teaching Background Developer BackgroundBefore founding Rithm school, I was a Lead Instructor at two other web development bootcamps. Over the course of the last 4 years, I’ve helped support hundreds of students through full-time immersive programs. I’m passionate about writing curriculum and teaching through examples to make complex concepts easily accessible.
As a self-taught developer, I’ve experienced firsthand the professional and personal growth that comes with learning how to code. I started exploring web development and just haven’t stopped. I’m a sucker for new technologies, but JavaScript is my first love. I’ve had experience working on a number of development teams and co-founded a startup in 2012.
The signup process
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Fill out the application below. If you are brand new to JavaScript, we encourage you to first go through our JavaScript Fundamentals CourseComplete a short coding challenge to make sure you've learned the basics. Click Here for tips on how to take the coding challenge and you can try a practice one here. Once you fill out the form, we'll send a challenge along. If you don't complete the coding challenge, we'll work with you to build a personalized study plan and invite you to take another challenge in two weeks after some more studying.Once you've passed the challenge, we'll invite you to join our next Private Prep!