We try to explain what it’s like to attend a Big Nerd Ranch bootcamp. We’ve written about it on our website, describing the courses and the locations, and we’ve even made a video starring the man in the hat himself. But sometimes the bootcamp is best explained by those who have been on the front lines.

Adobe developer Raymond Camden recently wrote about his experience at our Beginning iOS class with TJ Usiyan and Mark Dalrymple, saying,

From the moment you arrive for a BNR course to the time you leave, every need is taken care of. The instructors were kind, patient, and had great personalities, which is important since you’re spending so much time with them. It really seemed like every little detail was thought of.

…At 6 days of training, you are looking at less than 1k per day of training. That’s more than fair, heck, a bit on the cheap side. You can’t hire me for 8 hours for less than that. The price also covers hotel, food (three meals and snacks) and transportation to and from the airport. It gets better though. You also get access to forums for support before, during, and after the course. These forums are active and your instructors participate. Once you take a class you can use these forums any time in the future, which is great since it takes time to really process what you’ve learned.

Courtney Humphries of FNC Inc. wrote a three–part series about learning iOS development with TJ Usiyan and Mikey Ward. Courtney’s posts dig into the specifics of what is covered in class, and points out that there are moments to clear your head. It’s just that some of those moments occur when you’re flying through the trees at 55 MPH.

Ziplining at Historic Banning Mills.

Three developers from West Virginia Network took a class with us last November. One of them said,

I have never learned so much in such a short time in my life. They took us right into the work problems, throwing curve balls as we went. The instructor, who helped write several apps for large corporations and taught at companies such as Facebook, was always there to answer our questions. He helped by leading us through steps to solve the problems ourselves.

And we’ve got contributions from students and instructors on our own blog:

• iOS developer (and bootcamp instructor) Fernando Rodriguez Romero learned about building Android apps.
• Jamie Daniel attended three of our bootcamps and built an iPhone app that will help save lives.
• Steven Vandeweghe attended one of our first bootcamps, and has since developed 10 apps and founded his own company.

Tell us about your bootcamp experience in the comments below!