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About SecureSet Academy
SecureSet Academy brings the bootcamp model to cybersecurity education with comprehensive, skills-focused programs for launching a security career. Launched in 2014, SecureSet was the first cybersecurity immersive program of its kind and is committed... Read More
SecureSet partners closely with top security employers to provide the skilled talent the industry is searching for. The path to launching a highly rewarding security career can take 5-10 years; SecureSet teaches you the skills you need in less than a year.
As part of WeWork, we are a sister school to Flatiron School. Together we are working to expand our in-person and online programs across the country, and the world, and further increase accessibility to our transformative education.
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Courses
Average Ratings (All Programs)
4.62/5
- C. Willy
- CORE Engineering
- Graduated: 2019
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"Reap What You Sow"
I am rating the school highly, but first you need to know this…
As the title alludes to... if you don't put yourself into it; you will get anything out of it. Prior experience is nice. Being smart is good. Knowing how to turn on a computer helps...BUT;... Read More
I was probably the second oldest student they ever had… I asked. So with old-people vitamins in hand, I went back to school. Old?…I was in the workplace before computers were common, let alone networked and I learned how it all works in 20 weeks. The understanding of not just the “nuts and bolt”, but the industry best practices, laws, policies and risk management is a huge part of it. There is a technical portion too; network security, cryptography, systems security and more…YOU WILL BE CHALLENGED!
It can be intimidating, but then you realize the other students in your cohort (yes, cohort) are in it with you. The instructors are also in it with you and the career advisor will be knee deep in your business to get off your rock and meet and greet the hiring organizations THEY BRING INTO the school to meet you. Kinda like your fist high school dance so don’t hug the wall.
When you finish, you will feel like you need more time…education…something. You will not feel ready. Here is the shocking truth, if you did all the things I wrote about; then you are industry entry ready at a minimum.
What about me. I just graduated 12-20-2019, got fat on the holidays, I have some meetings coming up with a company I am interested… and, well. The next paragraph hasn’t been lived yet. Make a plan and stick to it, and when you finish then maybe we will be working together in the future.
Cyber Willy
Comment- Ryan Dozier
- CORE Engineering
- Graduated: 2019
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"Best decision I made as I transitioned from the Military!"
This was the best decision I could have made as I decided to retire after a 20 year career in the military. The curriculum in the CORE Engineering program covers such a broad range of subjects that it really allows you to decide what path you want to... Read More
Kimberly and the Career Services portion of the course is by far one of the most valuable tools you will get while attending SecureSet. There are programs and degrees that can give you close to the same education. But, no one is offering the services, connections, and network that Kimberly can.
Overall, I am glad that I decided to use my last few months in the military to attend SecureSet as I transitioned.
Comment- Christopher Hughes
- CORE Engineering
- Graduated: 2019
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"Easy decision"
- Marcelle Licciardi
- HUNT Analytics
- Graduated: 2019
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"The best decision I made in 2019"
I attended the PREP program July 2019, started the Hunt in Sep 2019, and graduated in Dec 2019. I loved my experience so much and would encourage anyone interested in transitioning from the army or changing career to check SecureSet academy. It’s amazing... Read More
I am so glad I did this course specially at SecureSet! You will thank yourself for investing in your future and in an industry that has tremendous growth and tons of opportunities specially in Colorado Springs!
Comment- Anonymous
- CORE Engineering
- Graduated: 2019
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"Amazing experience"
- Hector Hernandez
- CORE Engineering
- Graduated: 2019
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"Intense, challenging, and educational!"
- Bradley
- CORE Engineering
- Graduated: 2019
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"Challenging curriculum and incredible instructors."
This program was introduced to me at a crucial period in life where I'd recently lost my job and worried immensely about my future and that of my family. Having shunned the technical aspects of computers and their operation for most of my life and having... Read More
Of the Pros I discovered - some highlights(and there many) were having instructors with decades of industry experience, as well as having some of them literally coming straight from high-stake incident responses and able to relay crucial perspectives aligning with the lessons at hand. The curriculum is not entirely technical as there are also classes on Strategy and Threat Analysis which brought critical thinking to eye-opening topics, and there were daily discussions of the most recent breaches which helped highlight the need for industry professionals. Understanding that this is a fundamental learning program, all the instructors regularly pointed out additional resources for deep-diving into topics as well as giving their input into the reputability of the different books, classes and optional certifications. The last Pro I'll mention here is the Career Services part, where not only incredible employers came in weekly for talks and interview classes, but extra credit was given for attending career fairs, conferences and local Cyber-Industry meetups and workshops.
The only Con that I would state was that sometimes labs wouldn't work exactly as written or the Virtual-environment for the labs would not allow for all the students to "get on" it at the same time. Though frustrating for students and instructors alike there were always alternatives to do the labs more from scratch on personal virtual machines, that ultimately forced extra learning opportunities to remediate the same issues - which I believe may help the less technical students like myself when it comes to applying the knowledge in an actual workplace. I also realize that the curriculum is dynamic in that it is still evolving and will continue to do so in response to the needs of the industry, and that the school seems willing to keep upgrading the infrastructure and labs to meet those demands.
I feel the bottom line in undertaking a program at SecureSet is that if one puts in the hard work, and is open to being active with Career Services - that this is a great way to get a broad-based and fundamental understanding of enough topics to get into the Cybersecurity industry, and make some high-quality friendships in a Cohort environment.
Comment- Anonymous
- CORE Engineering
- Graduated: 2019
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"High expectations led to huge disappointments"
- Anonymous
- CORE Engineering
- Graduated: 2019
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"Great way to start a cybersecurity career"
- Eric Kufta
- CORE Engineering
- Graduated: 2019
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"A Very Disappointing Experience"
The pros: I left the program half way through after finding a job. Scott, head of career services, offered sound advice and went above and beyond in helping me with my resume. I did have some industry experience which allowed me to leverage contacts and... Read More
My biggest issue was with the curriculum. The lab directions and powerpoint slides were wildly out of date and had many typos. The labs required you to work within a system called "Cyber Range" which had ongoing issues making it difficult to impossible to use at times. More often than not, the first 30 to 60 minutes of lab time was directed towards deciphering the directions/ intent of the exercise. I was disappointed that the instructors did not review the labs beforehand so we worked through these troubles together during time that we, the students, had paid for.
There was lots of turnover with instructors during the program which was due in part to the acquisition by Flatiron School. The quality of instruction overall varied heavily. There were a few teachers that were excellent (partly because they diverted from the assigned curriculum), some that were incapable instructors and a separate lot that were thrown in to teach a subject that they had no expertise in (due to the sudden turnover).
As mentioned previously, career services offered me a good deal of help on my resume which worked for me. Speaking more generally, I did not feel that the connections with employers were that solid and SecureSet was not being tapped directly for talent. The salaries for the graduates I spoke with were very low ($45k-$50k) and were mostly for analyst positions. In regards to this, it seems to make more sense to do the HUNT program which is cheaper, shorter and apparently offers a similar outcome.
The disorganization within the curriculum and management was apparent to me after the first week. I was very aggressive searching for positions in hopes that I would not waste money here (you pay-as-you-go, so if you quit half way then you only pay half). I learned a lot about systems from one excellent instructor and cannot discount that but I do feel like I was grossly cheated out of what was promised. I hope that the acquisition with Flatiron School will fix these issues since there is a huge gap in cybersecurity expertise and this experience could be a great opportunity for those with the skills.
CommentSecureSet Academy's average rating is 4.62 out of 5.0 based on 66 review(s).