I'm John, and I was one of the six students in the original batch[0] that met over the summer. I've only been out of college a few years (so YMMV if you're more experienced), but for me Hacker School was one of the two or three most important adventures I've had. (And, like most good things, I believe the benefits are ongoing.)<p>I first met the Hackruiters in June when I got in touch looking for a job. I had moved to NYC two years before to work at a non-profit and was ready for a new challenge. My best friend and I had spent the better part of a year moonlighting on side projects we dreamed might become startups, and--even though they went nowhere--I had realized I wanted to get back into programming.<p>Dave set up a Skype date and I told him about my background: I'd been a math/science kid who spent his teens coding, but ended up studying art history and architecture (because of varied interests) in school. I had done some technical internships, though, and was curious if I could rebrand myself. What kind of work could I do to make myself a better coder and ultimately become a developer? Dave had some initial suggestions and we agreed to talk again after a while.<p>I'll never forget sitting in the most boring staff meeting of my life and opening up Gmail to find a short (but warm!) e-mail from Dave asking if I'd like to join a school for hackers. There were to be no teachers, no assignments, and the dates and location were still totally in flux. It sounded perfect. Within the week, I arranged to take a leave of absence from my job. New York is not cheap, but I'd spent two years packing my lunch and avoiding taxis in the hopes that I would be ready when a cool, slightly risky opportunity came along.<p>I've spent a lot of time talking about my own background for two reasons. First, I hope you can empathize with me and--in doing so--will consider applying. I think there are many people with non-CS backgrounds who would benefit from and be a benefit to Hacker School. The other reason, however, is that Hacker School is exactly what you expect: if you can imagine a month (or three) working on projects that interest you with some of the brightest folks in the most exciting city in the U.S., then you've pictured it precisely.<p>Many alums will talk about the employment benefits of Hacker School; indeed, I honed my coding skills and talked to 6 NYC-based startups, eventually short-circuiting interviews after falling in love with one where I now work. For me, however, Hacker School was about finding a home with the kindest, most egoless group of smart folks I've met--a group that Dave, Sonali, and Nick are especially skilled at assembling. If this sounds like your thing, you should give it a shot--and I'll buy you a beer/coffee some Saturday when we (students and alums alike) head out in the evening to talk code and socialize.