Springboard

Overall, I really love Springboard and it was personally a really great fit for me. Overall: This program was a lot of work. I thought I would finish well before the nine months...I did not. Realistically, I had a full time job and was taking this course... Read More and I would say that their suggestion of nine months is very accurate. It also allows you time to circle back to old projects and improve them and really let your brain be the awesome sponge it is and absorb all it can. I got real feedback on my projects from hiring managers, career coaches, and my mentor, all of which were actually rigorous and making sure your work is up to standard. As the title says, If you stick with Springboard and really actively try to improve your skills, I got a job before I even finished the program with my new skills (and a good one at that). Pros: - My mentor was my absolute lifeline and made the program feel "real" which for me, as someone who avoids social activity at all cost, was huge because I had to talk to her weekly making sure I had something I could bring to her to talk about every week. Basically, I'm the kind of person who goes "all-in" on something for like two months and then forgets about it and drops it, my mentor was the core component of that not happening. - The support system is great - Sometimes I think things like career coaches, mentors, etc. are overrated, but I was surprised at how much value I actually got from these mandatory meetings I would have otherwise passed on. Room for improvement: - My IDP (real job experience) wasn't great, but Springboard staff was extremely helpful in navigating the situation, I would say my IDP experience was more or less a rare experience and other Springboard students seem to have had a great one. I wouldn't really expect to get a job from the IDP if you had any hopes in that. However, the career coaches at the end of the program will be very helpful to you in finding a job so no worries there. I would say, even if you don't have the best IDP experience, it's still job experience to put on your resume which is huge. - Its very easy to just say you completed the reading by checking the box without actually doing it, I would love to see some sort of short quiz that verifies you went over the material incorporated into the program even if it isn't graded, just some sort of feedback to myself that I should go back and read more carefully. In Summary: I've talked to other people from other bootcamp programs who don't have nearly as good outcome as springboard. A lot of them are six months out still looking for jobs and (with peace and love) don't have nearly as solid case studies (in some cases these programs don't even make you do case studies which are ESSENTIAL in landing a job) ...as Springboard students.

I appreciated that Springboard was so considerate of their students—offering pauses to accommodate varying work/life situations and always being willing to help out. The curriculum was engaging and Springboard does a great job overall of making students... Read More feel like they've grasped the material and have people to reach out to for support if needed. They also make sure you have the appropriate job materials in place (LinkedIn, resume, elevator pitch, web portfolio...) and have had a chance to practice mock interviews to prepare you for your job search. What I would offer for improvement would be the portrayal of the job guarantee. I think it would be great if Springboard was more directly involved in connecting students with internships, relevant resources, or even potential employers based on their background, interests, and demonstrated success while working through the curriculum (The IDP project is not quite an internship). At first, this is what I thought was meant by job guarantee but I realized when attending the coaching calls that the student is expected to build a network on their own and try to find people who will be willing to do informational interviews with them and then try to leverage those connections. This is fine, but a bit different from what I thought would be provided and I think that if Springboard was more proactively involved in helping students connect with relevant people or resources that could turn into opportunities this would make their program even stronger and the job guarantee more compelling.

I really loved the go at your own pace of Springboard. It was one of the main things that drew me towards this bootcamp. They do a wonderful job supporting you all the way through, but not too much if you don't want it. I personally like to figure things... Read More out myself more often than not. I felt supported, but not like anyone was over reaching. My only complaint is that I personally feel like some of the job guarantee requirements are a bit too much. But other than that, it was wonderful. I would absolutely recommend the program to anyone looking to take a bootcamp.

There is a lot of material online that teaches data science concepts such as machine learning and deep learning. Anyone capable of completing an online boot camp could probably successfully learn on their own. Springboard gives benefits beyond the actual... Read More curriculum. There are no concerns about the curriculum - they curate online sources so that you don't have to worry about assessing quality. While there were occasionally problems with dead links, these always seemed to be fixed relatively quickly. Springboard was the strongest in career coaching. I'm confident in my technical skills, but have always felt uneasy while networking. Springboard's coaches offered plenty of assistance in that regard. I have no regrets about taking this course.

I started out with the Intro to UX Design course then enrolled in the UX Design Career Track. I was very pleased that they offered the short course first so I could get a feel for the curriculum and gauge if UX was going to be the best path for me. The... Read More career track course was challenging and comprehensive. Working with a mentor and real clients for the IDP project were both great experiences.

If you want be challenged or enjoy being challenged, then Springboard is for you. If you want to be successful in as little as 4 months to 6months, then Springboard is for you. When I started Springboard I wasn’t very sure what I was doing. All I knew... Read More was that I want to transition to new career. I have a mechanical engineering and Mathematics background and wanted to transition into data science. It took me a year of research before choosing Springboard. I tell my friends that Springboard built me and they understand why. In just 4 months of intensive studies I built my first computer vision system, and performed 3+ personal data analysis and predictive modeling projects. Springboard mentors and coaches are another level, those guys will push you and work with you till you start seeing yourself for who you are truly. Springboard offers flexibility so I took breaks to have fun and returned to the course to help my sanity. Although I went really hard on myself because I was on their job guarantee, I really think it would be the same experience for anyone who wants it as bad as I did. One month before my course completion I was getting interviews already. A month later after completion, I had 4 job offers to choose from. And that wasn’t enough. Even after I accepted one of the initial offers, more came in. I started the course in January and finished in July. I took multiple breaks which sums up to 2 months. I invested 40+ hours a week in July while working full time job to finish the remaining course. I started the program as a prep student and then took the exam and was admitted into the career track. If you aren’t afraid of challenge, I encourage you to try it out. They have slack community I found helpful throughout my prep course and career track course. As soon as I was admitted into the career track, and understood the basics I started using stack overflow and library documentations more when I need help or trapped. The mentors( meets you 1:1 weekly) also gave me resources that helped me. All of my mentors were working as in an industry in a data science field and gave me up to date information. If you find me on LinkedIn, I will be happy to share more and answer questions you may have about my experience.

It was very easy to move through the curriculum and check things off as you go. Videos generally helped lots, especially with small things like where a button is. Mentors I'm sure can be hit or miss, mine was great. I'd like to see them expand on how... Read More to display the projects you do online as a portfolio, but it's easy enough to do it yourself.

It took me almost a year to find a boot camp. I landed on Springboard as it was the only one that was self-paced and online which allowed me to maintain my current employment. It wasn't easy but the support system in place helped me be successful and... Read More finish the boot camp ahead of the 9 month timeline.

Enrolling in Springboard's software engineering career track has been one of the best decisions of my life. I started with nothing and ended up doing four capstone projects which were completely designed and developed by me. I would recommend this course... Read More to anyone who wants a change in their career path.

Prior joining Springboard, I had some technical background and experience with Data Science but struggled to actually get a job. After going through the process judiciously and with great dedication, I can confidently say Springboard has helped me build... Read More a robust and very competitive portfolio. The curriculum typically covers everything needed to succeed. My favorite part of Springboard is the one-on-one mentorship where you could brainstorm, learn and typically create a connection with a professional who is willed to help you succeed. Also, the career coaches are really helpful. The underestimated section where many students miss out is the Springboard slack community where you get all the answers, motivation and collaborations on almost any topic. However, I would suggest Springboard encourage collaborations between students by adding a group capstone project. This would benefit on many levels -- technical skill like git usage and soft skills like teamwork, collaboration etc.