Alchemy Code Lab: Find Top Courses & Training Locations

Alchemy Code Lab graduates make an average of $80,000 per year after completing their studies. Through live online classes taught by highly experienced professionals, students gain expert level skills in web development. Alchemy Code Lab is committed to diversity, partnering with community-based social organizations for minorities.

Launched in 2016 by Marty and Megan Nelson, Alchemy Code Lab is a Portland-based coding school. Marty has applied his 20+ years of experience in the space to create a high-quality curriculum with real-world applications. The Nelsons started Alchemy as a way to enrich the local tech community in Portland, but in 2020 the school expanded to provide live online education nationwide.

Alchemy’s flagship course is the Professional Software Developer Program. It was designed to provide graduates with the necessary skills and experience to launch their tech careers. The Nelsons have made their mission to connect with the tech world and provide coding career preparation more accessible through diversity scholarships as well as partnerships with organizations like Women Who Code, PDX Women in Tech, and Creative Mornings.

School Locations

Alchemy’s main campus is located in Portland, Oregon. However, those who wish to learn from home can take their courses from any location with their remote offering.

Subjects Taught at Alchemy Code Lab

There is only one program available at Alchemy Code Lab, and it focuses on building students’ coding and development skills. Within this subject, students will learn current programming languages, frameworks, and development methods to prepare for a job as a Software Developer or similar role.

Looking to compare Alchemy’s offering with your local tech schools? Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool can help—simply search key terms like coding bootcamps, web development classes, or software engineering courses in your area to see what is available in your vicinity.

What Classes Are Available?

The Professional Software Developer Program is Alchemy Code Lab’s only course at the moment, but it is a robust offering that would be a solid choice for many aspiring coders. Because it covers computer science fundamentals as well as full stack development, it is a versatile course that can prepare students for a variety of careers like Software Engineer, Web Developer, Full Stack Developer, and Mobile Developer, among others.

At a glance, Alchemy’s program consists of 25 weeks of full-time instruction, during which students will train on an individual basis as well as partner with other coders and team groups to build real projects that can eventually be added to a portfolio. The topics covered combined with the length and depth of the class mean that students graduate prepared to enter a higher level role than most bootcamps. Rather than starting as a Junior Developer, they can apply for more established positions right off the bat.

Class Formats

Students can choose to take the Professional Software Developer Program in-person at Alchemy’s Portland campus, or remotely from the location of their choosing. Either way, they will need to be available for the full-time commitment of 40 hours per week for the entire 25-week course. This means daily training from 9 am to 6 pm (PST) Monday through Friday; if taking a remote course, students will still have access to instructors during all training hours.

Though each cohort of “Alchemists” is 20 to 30 students, Alchemy keeps the ratio of students to instructors low (seven to one) to ensure that everyone has the same potential for success. This means that each individual can receive all the help and coaching they need on a daily basis, getting personalized support from start to finish.

Admissions Process

To join an Alchemy cohort, you must first fill out an online application which consists of personal information as well as relevant details like education, tech background, and your goals. If your application passes the admissions team’s initial check, you’ll be brought in for an interview. Then, if all goes well, you’ll be invited to formally enroll for the program and asked to pay a $1,000 deposit to save your spot in the cohort. Lastly, before you can officially start the program, you must complete a 40-hour pre-work session and finalize funding for the rest of the course.

Pricing & Payment Options

Tuition for Alchemy’s program is $24,000, which is high compared to other bootcamps in the field—but they are also purported to have a higher starting salary for graduates at $80,000. There are numerous financing options for those who cannot afford $24,000 upfront, including an ISA (Income Share Agreement) model. In the ISA, graduates do not begin paying tuition until they are making at least $50,000 per year, at which point they begin paying in installments of 9.5% of their monthly pay.

Other financing options include loans through companies like Climb Credit, which can be less expensive overall than the ISA if you repay your debt in a timely manner. If you have veteran benefits or a GI bill, those can be applied toward tuition as well. Alchemy also offers a few different diversity-based scholarships for women, veterans, the LGBTQ+ community, and students from other underrepresented groups.

Career Support Services

Unlike other bootcamps that often offer career support at the end of the program or after graduation, Alchemy Code Lab students start their career preparation from the beginning of the program. Professional development is offered all throughout the course including resume and online profile help, guest lectures from industry experts, mock interviews, and demo days to showcase their work to potential employers. Career support doesn’t stop when Alchemy’s program ends—in fact, many grads are even hired by Alchemy’s tech consultancy, AppLab.

Alumni Outcomes

The outcomes for Alchemy graduates are promising—according to their 2021 statistics, the average salary for grads is $82,000. This is more than the local median in many U.S. states, and it also helps that tech is a field where you can jump to higher salaries as you move from one position to the next. In 2021, the average Alchemy student found a job within 8 weeks, and 86% of people who attended the program (even if they did not graduate) found a job in their field within six months.

What Do Students Say?

Student feedback is one of the most effective ways to get a real idea of what it’s like to take a course at any given school. Across review websites like Switchup and Course Report, Alchemy Code Lab’s reviews are typically favorable. Most students rate it at or near five stars and give high praise to their experience.

Alchemy graduates praise the school’s passionate instructors, supportive learning environment, thorough curriculum, and lasting community. One student called Alchemy a “stellar school in the field of web programming,” and they went on to say that, “the teachers are top-notch, the TA's are top of the line, [and] hiring help here is above and beyond.”

While most students have positive things to say about their experience at Alchemy, some found the experience to be a little too challenging at times. A reviewer equated the rigorous curriculum with “drinking through a firehose of knowledge,” and several others agreed with the fact that it is easy to fall behind in such an immersive format. This can be said of many full-time bootcamps that require 40+ hours of work per week, though, so it is important to be sure that you are ready for such a commitment if you decide to apply to Alchemy or a similar program.

Pros & Cons

While searching for the right bootcamp, you’ll find that all schools have their positives and negatives. The lists below can help as you take these factors into consideration before making your final choice.

Pros of Alchemy Code Lab Courses

Immersive, full-time coding bootcamp
Preparation for a variety of tech careers (full stack development, software engineering, etc)
Numerous options for financing (including Income Share Agreement) and scholarships for those who need help with tuition
Live online training available; students can learn from their home or office
Long-term career support and networking opportunities during and after the program

Cons of Alchemy Code Lab Courses

High cost; $24,000 may not be affordable to everyone, even with financing
Only one program available, no specialized cohorts like data science or web design
Curriculum can be challenging, too rigorous for some students

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Alchemy Code Lab

School Locations

Subjects Taught at Alchemy Code Lab

What Classes Are Available?

Class Formats

Admissions Process

Pricing & Payment Options

Career Support Services

Alumni Outcomes

What Do Students Say?

Pros & Cons

Top Courses at Alchemy Code Lab

Professional Software Developer Program

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Subjects Taught at Alchemy Code Lab

Software Engineering

Map of Alchemy Code Lab Locations