Metis

I did the Metis NYC data science bootcamp (live-online because of the pandemic) to transition into data science after working in finance for 4.5 years after college. I went into Metis with super high expectations because of its very high reviews, because... Read More it's accredited, and because my friend did Metis in 2018 and had a good experience, but maybe going in with super high expectations is unfair considering you can only learn so much in 12 weeks. Anyhow, Metis provided me a solid foundation in most of the key data science skills/concepts, and I was able to get a data analyst job I'm happy with within three months of graduation (your mileage may vary: I come from a brand-name school and have prior work experience at a well-known investment firm). But was I ever wowed by the bootcamp? Not really. I did like all my instructors and peers; I think the bootcamp itself, particularly the curriculum, needs a lot of polishing and restructuring, which is what I think Metis is doing for 2021 (they now have four different bootcamp programs instead of one), so hoping things only get better for Metis. Pros - Projects -- so important for your resume and interviews. Got great support from instructors to do them. - Really enjoyed my peers who were passionate and inspiring and some are now good friends. - Was able to get a job and make my career transition happen during the pandemic. - Think the NYC instructors are the strongest set of instructors across the Metis locations. - The overall Metis community (instructors, peers, alumni, employees career advisors) - Having access to the curriculum materials forever. Most of them are well-written, and I continually refer back to them. Cons - Did not cover A/B testing, which every data analyst/data scientist needs to know. Can't fathom why it's not emphasized in the curriculum. - Did not go into depth with SQL, maybe cause they just expect us to learn it on our own? But also something that you have to know really well to get past most interviews. - Sometimes class would end early (like right after lunch or even before lunch) so that we'd have more time to work on our projects, but I wish we'd use that time to learn the things we didn't learn like A/B testing. - None of the instructors/career advisors told us that business/product questions (e.g. how would you measure the success of a new feature on X company's mobile app? How would you investigate a 5% drop in engagement for Y feature?) are a key part of many data analyst/data scientist interviews. I was caught off-guard in my first data analyst interview when I was asked a product question by the interviewer and totally botched my response as a result and did not advance. - Curriculum materials are in a GitHub repo; it's difficult to find what you need sometimes because the organization of materials in the folders doesn't always make sense. - Sometimes we did all-cohort lecture series where the instructors from other Metis locations would lecture us. Some of the lectures were good; some were awful. Think my NYC instructors would have done a better job for most of those lectures.

The Metis Python course is extremely beneficial to anyone who would like to optimally leverage data in presenting their business results. The three-week course provided the ideal amount of time to learn the basics of Python. As a human resources executive,... Read More I have found that Python is an essential skill to master the intersection of human resources and technology. Stakeholders consistently depend on utilizing data to best illustrate how to attract and retain top talent, address gaps in areas of diversity, etc. Globally, as the workforce has been transitioning to work remotely, the ability to use Python has a greater significance today than ever before.

What makes a bootcamp great is the team who teaches and organizes it. Metis has an outstanding team of educators, who support and inspire you throughout an intense cycle of 5 projects. Career team is very professional, motivated to help, and is in possession... Read More of great deal of tools and connections to support you in career search. Wherever you are, this bootcamp pushes you to the next level. Curriculum is rigorous and challenging, but at the same time - a ton of fun. It is one of the most rewarding time and money investments I’ve made – absolutely worth it.

This bootcamp is an incredible mix between project-based learning and day-to-day lectures. The instructors were all incredibly interested in the students succeeding and understanding the material taught in the bootcamp. They always answered student questions... Read More thoroughly and thoughtfully, and spent the time to pay attention if students were with them, even in a virtual setting.
Towards the middle and end of the bootcamp, career services really kicked in and helped with resumes, cvs, and mock interviews. Of course it's up to each student to reach out to employers and get connected, career services dishes out helpful advice that is helping me in my job search.
I honestly highly recommend this bootcamp for those that want an intense 12 weeks of learning data science tools and concepts.

I attended the full-time immersive Data Science bootcamp at Metis. I know there is a lot of stigma around bootcamps, but I can assure you that by the end of the first week all your worries will disappear. The atmosphere was great and welcoming. The admissions... Read More process was definitely working because I have never been in a room with such driven and smart people in my life.

The course was intense, up-to-date and very relevant to what you'll experience in the job. You can see the amount of time and effort Metis has taken to properly curate the curriculum. Even though the curriculum itself was great, it wouldn't be anything if it weren't for the teachers and staff. They made sure to help you in every step of the journey. A big thanks to them.

There are so many thorough and thoughtful reviews already here for Metis, so I'll try to keep mine short and sweet. Metis was the best option for me because I was looking to build out my technical skills (Python, statistics, etc.) to get the job that... Read More I wanted. I tried self studying at first, but had trouble knowing what to focus on and staying motivated. I moved from Europe to the Bay Area to attend Metis, where I met the most wonderful, intelligent, kind, and diverse group of humans in my cohort, the staff, and alumni. This is a priceless network that I am still involved with and leveraging, and the people I met are now some of my closest friends.

The curriculum is thorough and the standards are high, but the instructors, teaching assistants, and your peers are there to support you throughout the program. This program is what you make of it, so if you put in the motivation, effort, and positivity, you will reap the same in kind. I'm happy to answer any questions about my personal Metis experience in more detail over LinkedIn, so feel free to reach out!

As an Air Force veteran looking to expand my data/tech skillset, I left my previous job hoping to find a program that not only provided a challenging learning environment, but also one that accepted Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition benefits and had experience... Read More training and working with veterans. Metis ended up fulfilling these criteria and exceeding my expectations in most ways.

Within New York, Metis stands as one of the few data science programs that is approved by the Department of Veteran Affairs for GI Bill funding due to its accreditation by ACCET. The Metis team also has a history of training vets and assisting them in finding employment after graduation (I was one of 2 vets in my cohort of ~20 students), and many of the Metis hiring partners have relatively strong veteran networks.

Outside of vet support, the approach to instruction, strength of the instructors (at the NY branch), and alumni network stand out as particular strengths of the program for me. It’s obvious that Metis incorporates many of the teaching techniques of its parent organization, Kaplan, in its approach to data science instruction. The program is almost entirely project based, with emphasis on collaborative learning through pair-programming sessions and blocks of unstructured time to work on projects and interact with TAs/instructors - if you’re serious about learning the material, the program gives you all the resources you need.

The instructors and TAs were generally outstanding - all very approachable, knowledgeable, and experienced in interacting with students at different skill levels. I also liked that the 3 instructors each seemed to complement each other in their teaching styles and areas of expertise within data science (I definitely had a personal preference in terms of which instructor I was most comfortable learning from, but being exposed to different styles was a benefit).

The alumni network seems particularly strong, with Metis grads at both high profile organizations and smaller start-ups. Generally speaking, there seems to be a generous culture of community/connection for grads. Many seem to remain active on a Metis alumni slack channel and from my recent experience, most have been quick to respond to requests to connect and network for job opportunities.

As a final thought, I should point out that my cohort transitioned to online learning for the final 2 weeks of the program due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the Metis team did a commendable job making the transition as painless/seamless as possible. The quality of instruction remained high and the team was flexible in its approach given concerns/challenges from students.

In summary, the program was a worthwhile experience and I’m happy to be part of the Metis community post graduation. Would recommend to anyone considering a data science program.

I was transitioning from an architecture, urbanism, and research career to data science, and hope to be a bridge between the two disciplines. I self-educated in computer science, python programming, and machine learning, but still didn't have a complete... Read More picture of how to do a DS project end-to-end and knew that there were a lot of tools to master still. I attended the bootcamp to travel that final mile and put my skills into practice in 5 end-to-end data science projects. I found the program and instructors to be delightful and did exactly what I wanted to do going into the bootcamp. I am still on the job search, less than a month out of the bootcamp so I don't have intel as to how it prepared me for the workplace, but I can reflect on the experience. Pros: -Great and committed Instructors -Well laid out curriculum -Visual explanation of many concepts (rather than just math+code) -Great overview of the latest machine learning methods -Good emphasis on communication skills and building work to satisfy a business problem -Seamless integration with live Chicago class - felt very comparable to being in an actual classroom -Committed career support -Excellent cohort (good level of applicant screening) Cons: -TA's seem to be not extremely helpful -Not many local hiring partners in my location -Can't think of many, except that the more prepared you are going in, the more you can get out of it. Overall, I loved the experience and thought the teachers did a great job of supporting any interests students had and furthering our understanding of key concepts. Pull the trigger!

Motivation: I am a mid-career student who has managed data scientists in the past but never really got very technical with implementing models. I took this course to become more familiar with machine learning and AI in order to complement my technology... Read More skills (programming/infrastructure) and to better manage data scientists in the future.

Curriculum: The curriculum is well thought out and focuses on both practical implementation along with theory. The curriculum is designed to truly give you both a birds-eye view and hands-on skill with all parts of machine learning/AI, big data, visualization, Python, environment setup, etc.

Teachers: The teachers are top-notch; they were experts who have held significant roles in industry and not purely focused on academic research.

Job Assistance/Training: The job assistance and training also gave me a great new vantage point with which to conduct a job search. They even provide amazing post-bootcamp resources like: career coaching, mock-interviews and an alumni Slack channel.

Bottom-Line: Metis was a great experience from beginning to end. I was part of the first online-only cohort and it was a seamless experience from interacting with teachers to collaborating with your fellow students and teaching assistants. I think all-in-all this was a great value for money but it depends on how focused you are to get the results you want!

Overview: Metis exceeding my expectation. The program is designed to provide a holistic understanding of data science including machine learning, programming, statistical analysis, and data communication. Through five end-to-end machine learning projects,... Read More I developed skills in data acquisition, database management, exploratory data analysis, supervised and unsupervised learning, data visualization, natural language processing, and much more. The program set me up for a successful career and I received a job offer very quickly after graduating.

Instructors/support:
* The instructors are eager to teach and help you understand the material. They offer instruction through classroom lectures, daily coding challenges, and one-on-one projects support. They are always available to dive deeper into a subject in one-one-one or small group conversations as needed and provided ample support to each student.
* The career advisors ensure you are prepared for your job hunt with workshops, resume support, and one-on-one advising. Throughout the job application and interview process, they help you understand your strengths and provide coaching and opportunities to practice skills that you aren't as strong in.
* The managing team is very helpful and curates the space for each cohort. With a large open area, ample tables and monitors, and a full kitchen, the space has everything you could need to be successful in bootcamp.

Preparation: From day one the program is intense and exciting. Prior to bootcamp, I participated in the pre-bootcamp training course to learn python and get a feel for machine learning and statistics. The pre course prepared me great for the bootcamp and set me up for a successful 12 weeks. Additional bonus, the $750 cost for that course is then deducted from the tuition of the bootcamp!

I strongly recommend Metis for anyone interested in transitioning to a career in data science.