Bloc

Bloc was a terrible experience for me. They greatly exaggerated the flexibility of their program. There were only a limited number of mentors to choose from, and you had to choose from their available times. Even if you got a schedule that worked for you, you have to change your mentor every section, so there was no guarantee you would keep the same meeting times. This made it nearly impossible to have a steady work schedule while working on the program.
Then about 1/3 of the way through the program, Bloc decided to change not only the mentor system, but also the signed agreement for tuition reimbursement. I received an email from a program director stating that there would now be a final assessment that must be passed or the tution guarantee was void. I never agreed to this, or has a...

I'd like to give 5 stars here.
What I like the most about attending Bloc, is that it is up to you to gain what you want. The support is always there for you. The program is excellent, it is very hard...but you will get designing and coding from nearly day one. It is a hands-on program, be brave. I'm only looking forward to getting into a new carreer...and there is plenty of help with that. They will not do the leg work for you but they will definitely give you great legs and a path to start moving on.
The program is challenging, it is not easy. So make sure you have a good 20 hours a week to invest. The most difficult part for me is Frint End Development. I think the program could be a bit more detailed on that part. Baby steps, I have to do a lot of outside study and research on F...

I am at 50 % of the curriculum right now and I fully recommend this program!

There is an immense amount of technical support for almost 16 hours a day on slack, through your mentor and the grading team. The curriculum is mostly project based, therefore, the theory is not as extensive as in other programs, but on the flip side, students get to apply what they learn!

At first, I was surprised( and a little frustrated) because every checkpoint will go over some information, but then the assignments are not necessarily related to that info -- the reason is because the curriculum wants to force you to research instead of just copying from the checkpoint examples. Once I realized how much more i retained by having to seek the information , I started to enjoy this as an integral pa...

I am taking the design track at Bloc, and I am very happy so far! The course is thorough, the team helps you stay on top of your work in a positive way, giving very specific and constructive critique on my work.

They have a ton of extra resources that help you learn to intuitively think, talk, and feel like a more experienced designer, like daily design critiques and other "extracurricular classes" you can join.

So far Bloc's Design Track has been a solid, professional, and thorough course. Very happy I chose them for UX/UI design!

In regards to the negative Bloc review because of an Amazon gift card incentive, this doesn't even come from Bloc, it's an incentive given by the review site to anyone who reviews ANY of the schools - and there are about 40 of them. Has nothing...

This is very honest review. I was pretty nervous to try Bloc, Im a social person and by nature not one who likes the idea of sitting on my computer all day or taking online classes (college really gives those a bad rep, I know). I did a TON of research on bootcamps because I had a friend who had taken one and got screwed (i.e. didn't learn anything) so I called every bootcamp I heard of or found to learn about what really went on - and surprisingly, many of the in-person bootcamps were low on the rankings. I have to say I was surprised, but after dong all that research I chose Bloc and it has been amazing, They really figured out how to make online learning stimulating and enjoyable. One of the things I was told but only realized how big of a difference it makes once I started is the fa...

I am currently enrolled in the Designer Track at Bloc. I have already learned so much related to UX Design, Visual Design, and Front End Development.

When I go to local meetups for design I used to always be hesitant since I have only been doing bloc for 2 months. I thought I wouldn't know enough to participant or even have a conversation.

In fact it turned out I had already learned all the topics covered in meetup presentations. When talking to others that wanted to break into the design industry, I felt so well equipped for my future job search. I knew all of the topics, theories, practices, and even lingo.

All that's really left is to keep implementing these skills, receive feedback, and develope my portfolio.

I am so highly impressed with the content taught by bloc. ...

Bloc’s Design program provides an in-depth knowledge and practice of all current user experience trends, preparing one for the job market

Ive been at Bloc a couple months and am loving the self-paced nature of the program. As a teacher, I understand that a students' learning can ebb and flow - with a self-paced program (and a lot of self-motivation, of course) it really was the only choice for me. I am able to keep my current day job and if I need help I have a mentor and the experts on the bloc Slack channel. Graders that survey assignments have also been incredibly helpful in breaking down what I may have trouble understanding. Overall, I cant find any downside to this program.
I recommend highly!

I have been a retail manager for over a decade now and decided that it was time for a career change lest I get stuck in this role for the rest of my life so I did some research and stumbled onto Bloc. I applied for and got a $2000 much needed scholarship which really helped me out. I'm not finished the course yet but it is fantastic so far. There is always someone to ask for help when you get stuck and they start preparing you for job hunting from the beginning. I would strongly recommend Bloc to anyone thinking of a career change.

Pros: One-to-one meetings with a design mentor, easy-to-follow course track, links to additional resources, career prep, great support staff, group sessions, robust slack community, video lessons, some solid student discounts on design software & subscriptions.
Cons: You definitely have to be self-motivated -- nobody is holding your hand to complete the needed work. This isn't so much of a con as a "know thyself" recommendation. If you are fairly independent, driven, and have time to devote yourself to the curriculum, I cannot recommend Bloc enough.

Good program. I have learned a lot.

Hi I am a Bloc student who is currently 4 months into the Web Dev Track with Bloc and I am at about 66% completion. Learning a new skill is never easy, and I started Bloc with absolutely ZERO coding experience. So when you're told their curriculum can and will be diffcult, you can believe them! But with those challenges come learning oppertunities and chances to deepen your understanding. The curriculum thus far has been challenging but rewarding, and I've truly enjoyed learning an entirely new skill. As long as you are willing to commit the time and effort, I believe anyone can excel with Bloc. Even if you are struggling, you can feel confident that their mentors, techincal coaches, and success team will be ready to assist you along your journey.

I’ve been working as a print designer for many years, and for many years, I’ve been wanting to expand my skills to pivot to web and mobile design. Bloc has given me the structure and mentor support to realize this goal.

The program has a flexibility and nimbleness baked right in. I’ve seen the program expand to include new methods of teaching content, including invaluable daily sessions that can be attended live, or viewed as recordings. The Design Program Director is accessible to students with a daily design critique, and there’s a growing library of recorded technical sessions to help deepen understanding.

And student support happens through multiple channels: there’s a slack channel where students can learn from each other and from industry professionals who are mentoring st...

Enrolling in Bloc's Designer Track was on of the best decisions I've ever made. The curriculum was challenging but intentional and I never felt like I was wasting time, and the feedback from senior designers was incredibly valuable as well. My mentor sessions twice a week were rich with feedback both on my work at Bloc and support for getting a job, and the group sessions that began about halfway through my Bloc tenure both pushed my designs to the next level and helped me feel like part of the Bloc community even though the program was 100% online.

I felt prepared for success in a design career and spoke to designers in the field with confidence - I got a job offer at a fantastic company about two months before I finished the program. My manager has been impressed not only with...

I'm currently enrolled in Bloc's Web Development Track. Thus far, it's been very challenging, but very rewarding. Bloc definitely keeps up with the industry. I was referred to Bloc by a co-worker who completed the program a year ago. I was very interested, and when he told me what he learned, I was definitely impressed. When I enrolled, I noticed it had changed, but for the better. Bloc will help you learn by building projects, and you will be meeting with a mentor once a week. This has definitely helped. You can talk to a real person about what you're struggling with. They have many resources like live group sessions where you can learn about the concepts in a more hands on environment. If you're stuck on an assignment, Bloc utilitizes Slack so you can communicate exactly what you're s...

Some facts:
Completed software developer track from Sep 2017 to Jun 2018 (10 months) at a full-time (~50hrs/week) pace.
Had 3 years of programming experience as a Mechanical Engineer prior to enrolling in Bloc.

Bloc provides you with a great structure to speed up your learning and progress towards a software engineering job. They are not going to teach you anything that you can't already find online for free. However, the value from Bloc comes from having a structured curriculum that lays down boundaries of how much learning is enough for a junior developer. In addition, Bloc mentors are a good resource to help you develop best practices and give you a glimpse of what software engineering looks like. The quality of mentors varied quite a bit. Some mentors were truly committed and i...

I'm a design student with Bloc and I'm very glad I decided to take this course. They've taught me things that I wouldn't have thought to learn myself, like tons of design software, color psychology, step-by-step coding, logo design, and so much more. The feedback I get on my assignments and the online technical coach assistance has been a huge help for me, along with weekly mentor appointments. I'm only about halfway through and I feel like I've learned so much! Plus, there's a scholarship for women so let's get coding ladies!

Everything has been so convenient and flexible about this program and the Mentors are awesome and down to earth. Meetings are every week where we discuss topics, go over curriculum, and talk about your progress. Besides that the road map to success is easy to follow, no complaints here so far!

A bit of background first; I've been a designer for quite some time now, however having mainly a focus based in print, branding & logo design, I've been wanting to shift my focus more into digital products. I initially did some research on ux/ui courses and found that Bloc would provide the most value for me (with the addition of Frontend development available through their Designer Track program). There were a few other schools I looked into as well (general assembly, ucla ux/ui [in person program]), however I felt that Bloc fit my busy schedule best. Allowing me to work on my assignments at my pace helps me better balance my 9-5 job and home life and still get my assignments completed. The one thing that I do not like about Bloc is that they do not offer more flexible time limits on t...

You're always going to get out of it what you put into it, and Bloc is designed to help you along the way, while pushing you to operate in a real world scenario by trying to scavenge for answers on your own to things you're having issues with, then backstopping it with mentor help if you can't find what you need. The 1 on 1 mentor time is great, though sometimes it feels like it's not enough! I'm still in the program and my mentor has been FANTASTIC, and I feel lucky having them first one out of the gate to help me along with things. There's been equal amounts of excitement and frustration, but that's what happens in any situation when learning a new skill. It's tricky sometimes getting the right answers quickly in their mentor slack channel, but they're there to help and I've alway...