BrainStation

I completed the BrainStation 5-week intensive in Data Science in August/September 2019 through the Toronto campus, and had a fantastic experience. I was entirely new to the world of Data Science, although come from a background in Structural Engineering, so had soe limited experience with Python and data analysis. I was surprised to realize how creative Data Science can be. When combined with an analytical background, creativity can really guide you in this field in terms of how you interpret data, understand human behaviour behind data, and come up with corresponding test models based on this.   

The instructor was thorough, made time for individual students while also maintaing the schedule. You have to be present for each class as they are live and it is intended that you follow along with the material while interactively coding and analysing on your own screen. I learned a ton! We went through the basics of Python programming first, which was essential for me. I would HIGHLY reccomended completing the Prep Course they provide you with (for free), prior to embarking on your first class, or within your first week. The 5 weeks was certainly intense, and I made time for about 3 hours of "homework" each week. The final project was fun as we got to chose our own data set to work with!

I recently completed the “User Experience Design Certificate Course” offered by BrainStation, and I really enjoyed it. While there is an option to take the course over an 11-week period, I decided to complete the course in five weeks. The accelerated version is great, but there is quite a bit of material covered in a short period of time. If you feel like you can keep up with the fast pace, it is a good option to consider.

What I liked most about the course:

• The online course is live. You have to sign in to the classroom and participate.
• The class is interactive, so you’re listening to lectures but also applying what you’re learning
• There are breakout rooms for students to practice interviewing each other, sharing their designs, etc.
• There is a project component to the course, so you have to apply what you’re learning before you can complete the course

I do want to mention that:

• This is an introductory course. I wouldn’t recommend this to people who have a background in UX design.
• The accelerated version of the class requires people to pick up the concepts and tools we’re using quickly.

So this was my first time attending an online class. Never have done it before and was assuming it would be easy, in which it was. But that was not my goal to join the course in the first place. I originally signed up for the summer course in the new york offices but to reasons partaking the instructor that was supposed to teach that class it was disbanded. So i was put in a Online class. Another event happened shortly after which was they pushed my online class to late october instead of early october.... It was annoying but nonetheless i still wanted to get the program started. Once it came to be the instructor i had was knowledgble and gav insight industry tips about UX design. By this time I was already self teaching for about 7 months so 80% of the tops that was reviewed i knew about. The other 20% was methods that i didnt quite understand from selfteaching so that was good. Overall it wasnt bad for but it would've been better if i was in an actually classroom with other students next to me. More of a Network mindset i was expecting to have but networking in different regions wasn't for me. I'll recommend anyone to brainstation but the online course, its up to the indiviual if they are suitable for the online courses depending on there life situation.

Pro's

- Very helpful team.

- Super accommodating campus experience.

- Very friendly instructors

Con's

- I was disappointed to find that the course was still structured as more of a 'sage on the stage' style like what you do at most universities, compared to flipped classroom style. I think this makes the course a little less scary, because it results in less requirement to prepare between classes, and results in feeling like you're learning compared to actually learning.

- Too often would the instructor as us to "read over and work through this next part", but when the next part contains both the question and the answer, its too easy to feel like you understand without possessing the skills to get to the right answer on your own. Assignments were provided as a way to gauge your own understanding outside of class time, but were never reviewed or worked on in class, we infrequently had some challenges in class but I would've liked to see more of these.

This was my first course at Brainstation, I was hesitant at first as it's been almost 15 years since I've gone to "school" for anything.

The process from the beginning was pretty seamless, they assign you a Brainstation lead who walks you through everything, from the prep course, how to use their platform called Synapse, all of this is done through Slack which is simple enough to use.

Once you have all the prework done, it sets you up for what to expect in this class, how to use SQL and the software Tableau.  Our instructors Rohan and Micheal were super transparent with us as a group - We weren't leaving this class with full understanding of SQL, and the various implementations of it.. but a solid foundation and what we need to know to get around SQL commands in the simplest form. 

This is exactly what I needed. It was a refreshing and fun way to get the basics, with the expectation to do extensive practice at home so we can sharpen our skills.

Speaking of Micheal and Rohan, they were a pleasure to learn from. They both have a different background, one more analytical and one more on the data science side, and it was a perfect combination. It was a light environment and the classes seemed to fly by quickly. We had almost 20 students, but they both managed to give us all personal attention when needed - which was a plus.

I entered this course to better understand how data works, how to understand data and pull key insights and i left with exactly that.

Yes, the course is expensive, but if you actually implement what they're teaching you can learn quite a bit.

I took the in class UX design course in New York City and it was such a great choice! The course requires dedication, with additional (optional) readings that really help you understand the concepts! 

My course instructor was great, bringing lots of real life examples to the classroom and making it easy to relate to existing examples we see everyday. There was 'homework' that was working towards the final project each week as we learnt the material, it gave us a chance to apply it to our project. You can use this as part of your portfolio as a takeaway, which was a huge benefit! I would highly recommend putting the effort into the project, as it'll help you In the class and in your career if you choose to persue UX design. I highly reccomend taking the course as a beginner or if you're already working in the field. It gave me insights on things I was working on already in my day job, and also showed me how to utilize the skills I learn and build a portfolio! BrainStation was a great choice! 

The Data Science course offered by Brainstation gives the students a comprehensive overview of some of the major tools associated with collecting and cleaning and visualizing data - Excel, SQL, Tableau. 

The course was a great learning experience. It was my first time doing an online course, and there is an art to getting the most out of that type of environment. In essence, there is a bit of a curve to knowing how to get the best out of an online course. If you are self-driven, you will succeed. 

The concepts were explained slowly and clearly by the course instructor, who was readily available. Sometimes this can be a little fast or a little slow depending on each person in the class, but generally it was at a good pace. The breakout sessions within the classes ran smoothly, and it was easy to connect with classmates. 

If you have no experience with Excel, there would be value in doing a course in that platform as a prerequisite, but otherwise, this was understandble by people without any data background. 

All-in, the course is highly recommended whether you are a manager learning to better communicate with staff in this field, or someone looking to upgrade their skills and position. 

BrainStation’s development program starts with a two week online portion that allows you move at your own pace as you are introduced to HTML/CSS. From there, the course dives directly into JavasScript where you learn the basics of the language and programming.

The course is perfectly paced such that the assignments and the lectures coincide which allows for students to implement new techniques as soon as you learn them. React was my favorite part of the course, the instructors did a fantastic job of teaching design patterns and could explain the nuances within the language. The Node and Express part of the course gives you a very good base for back-end development. You are introduced to API’s and security design patterns which are very important.

The instructors lead you through daily morning challenges as well as weekly white-boarding challenges as you prepare for future interviews. As you complete the program, you will have a few solid portfolio pieces which showcase your hard work.

I recommend checking out Demo Day to see what the Capstone projects are all about. The experience overall was worth every penny.

I want to preface this by saying that I intentionally waited a year after graduating to write this review.  I chose to do this because I wanted to share perspective on not only the job search process, but also my time at my new position and how I have fared being brand new to the technology industry.  

Back Story (if you care lol)

Prior to Wyncode I only dabbled in JavaScript, working about halfway through what I later learned was a very poor intro to JS online class that I bought for $10.  I had thought about getting into technology and software development for years, but it never seemed feasible with coding bootcamps being expensive and out of state.  Then a friend of mine told me about Wyncode in Miami and I was intrigued.  I filled out some preliminary info online and then, to be honest, sort of forgot about it.  A few weeks later I am on the beach and I get a call from a number I don't know.  Now normally I never answer these types of calls but for some reason that day I did.  Crazy enough it was Maria, one of the admissions officers at Wyncode.  We had a very genuine conversation where I didn't once feel like I was being pushed or sold.  Instead I was invited to a free Intro to JS class where I could meet other people like me, instructors and the Founders of Wyncode.  Long story short I went and was blown away with the space, the people and the overall energy.  I started to believe this was possible.  After that things started falling into place one after another and within a couple months of that phone call I was registered to start class in the summer.

The Actual Review

If I had to sum up the reasons why I attended/primary benefits of attending Wyncode it would be three things: Mentorship, Network and Resource Curation. 

If you talk to anyone that is successful I can guarantee you that they will tell you they would not be where they are today without one or more Mentors.  This is especially true with software development.  You need someone who has gone before and done what you are trying to do.  They can show you the way, encourage you when you struggle and most of all be living proof that the insane thing that you are trying to do is actually possible.  This is something that is incredibly difficult to find on your own, especially if you have little to no ties to the technology industry.  I found this in the instructors, TA's, graduates and even other classmates at Wyncode.  If you are willing to seek them out there are an abundance of mentors ready and willing to help you on your path. 

When it comes to finding a job, Network is absoutely imperative.  Wyncode achieves this in many ways, obviously the group of people I mentioned as mentors, but in addition to that you are exposed to countless events, conferences, interviews and of course Wynwork.  Wynwork is headed up by a few Wyncode employees and is a network of employers and graduates who all work together to help provide you with resources and leads to find a job once you have employable skills.  I am here to tell you that without a Network, or taking advantage of said Network, you WILL NOT find a job. 

And lastly, resource curation.  This one is huge.  If you read my intro you know that I attempted to learn JS prior to Wyncode.  It didn't go so well.  Let's be clear, everything you can and will learn at Wyncode you can find for free on the internet.  The issue is that as a total noob you have no idea whether the material you find is the most organized, efficient, informative and/or up to date.  How would you be able to know?  This is where the Wynfam comes in.  They have gone before, successfully pushed through hundreds of people through their currciculum.  They know what you need to know, the best way of teaching it and constantly refine and update to stay on top of trends.  This alone is worth the price of tuition!  It will accelerate your learning at least 5x. 

For these three reasons I can honestly tell you as I sit here at the desk of my well compensated, multi perk job that Wyncode is worth the price of admission and then some.  It WILL NOT be easy.  On the contrary, going through this program was probably the hardest thing I have ever done.  But it was something that I thought a lot about and felt deeply was true to my passion.  And so even though I spent 12 hours a day 6 days a week coding for 10 weeks, I never once resented it.  Instead I absolutely cherished every moment, even staying at Wynbase until 2am on a Friday night by myself to finish an assignment.  When you know you are on the right path you can do anything.

The Job Search 

The job search support and resources that Wyncode provides are excellent but only if you take advantage of them.  You might think that getting through the course is the hard part but its actually after that really counts.  My best advice is to be a yes man/woman.  Attend every event that Wyncode provides for the job search process and pursue every lead, every connection to a fault.  If you want to get the most out of your experience you have to be absolutlely ruthless and never let up for a second.  The week after my graduation I attended networking events every night.  I pursued every possible lead I could find.  I can say that I was incredibly lucky to have a lead from a very close friend with an amazing company that gave me an initial phone interview within two weeks after graduating.  After the phone screen I was invited to an in person interview that was 4 hours long and received a job offer the same day.  I waited a few weeks to see some other opportunities through but eventually accepted that offer as it checked all of my boxes.  I will admit that I was extremely lucky to accept a job offer within 5-6 weeks of graduation.  While this is certainly not the norm, it is definitely possible.  The biggest piece of advice I can give is to leverage your network, especially any long standing relationships if at all possible.  I'm talking about close friends or at least people that you were close with at one time. These are the people that are most likely to go to bat for you and therefore increase your chances of making it through the entire interview process.  While it is definitely possible to get a job without leveraging network, it is definitely more difficult and will probably take longer.

The Job

I now work as an IT Consultant with a Software Engineering focus.  I split my time 75/25 with software engineering and client engagement.  While a lot of the skills I picked up have been put to use here, the most important thing I learned is the "get it done"/"growth" mentality.  The idea that anything is possible with the proper mindset and self application.  At my job we are constantly faced with a myriad of challenges and Wyncode definitely helped me to learn that I can solve any problem if I apply myself enough.  It is a skill that I will take with me for the rest of my life.  If the only thing you get from this program is that, you've won. In that regard I can truthfully say that this program more than adequately prepared me for the real world.

Conclusion

While I could go on longer about the cold brew on tap, modern facilities and prime location in the heart of Wynwood, at this point if you are still reading this then I think you already have made your mind up.  Make the phone call, submit your info online, do whatever it takes and take the plunge!  I promise you won't regret it and possibly you might end up changing your life!  I know I did!!

I just completed an online 10 week UI/UX Design course. Taking this BrainStation course was probably one of teh best moves I've made for my career development. I was previously working in the UI/UX field as a designer, and realized that I was lacking in some areas, specifically process. Although there was a lot of informtaion given in the course that I was previously familiar with, what I did learn has already proven to be tremendously benificial to my career development.

My instructor brought lots of real world, industry examples and experiences to each class and presented the content in an easy to understand, yet thorough manner which made learning and following along easy and enjoyable.

I would highly recommend ths course to anyone looking to switch careers, or mak a lateral move within the industry. It may become a little dry and slow at for designers like myself who were looking more to boost skills than learn from the ground up, but what I did learn will go with me throughout my career development and obtaining the certificate for the course will be a great asset to have as I proceed.

Content 9/10

Instructor 10/10

Course overall 10/10

Very happy I did this, I'll be looking at more BrainStation courses in the future.

I recently completed completed the data science programme. This was my first ever experience in a boot camp and I was suprised to see how much I could learn in such a short time. What I really appreciate as well was all the other information we received to help us make a career transition from whatever we were doing. We also had people involved in the field come to speak with us and asked questions about what they do and we visited workplaces of local companies to see what happens in the real world. I highly recommend going here. 

Just completed Digital Marketing course in campus. I was sceptical but very glad that I did it. I had taken few online courses and was not sure if this would bring enough value. But decided to do it and it was a great experince.

- Teachers are succesful and experinced in the industry. Have a lot of up to date knowledge and valuable experince to share. 

- Great oportunity to ask questions and hear different points of view which you don't normally get from online courses.

- Give you chance to meet smart people, classmates and teachers.  

I have recently just completed the Full Time User Experience Diploma program at BrainStation Toronto. I had previously studied UX/UI design in a traditional college setting, but what I found I was missing were professional pieces for my portfolio, a thorough curriculum that followed industry standards, and a small class environment with assistance from teachers.

BrainStation fulfilled all those needs for me that I was missing in the traditional college education experience. BrainStation gave me such a thorough understanding of what you need to know as a UX/UI designer, and what a day in the life would be in this role. The classroom setting was exceptional. There was always someone to offer assistance, whether I had a question or wanted feedback on something that I was working on. By the end of the program, I had multiple projects that I felt confident enough to showcase in my portfolio.

The best part of BrainStation which I was not expecting to get out of the course was the sense of community. I always looked forward to going to class and seeing my friends, and have made connections which I will cherish for many years to come.

I highly recommend BrainStation to anyone who is looking into a bootcamp style course.

I have recently just completed the Diploma for Data Science in Toronto. 

The course was very well structured, covered a range of programming languages needed for the Data Science jobs, the assignments were great as they pushed me to apply the material learnt throughout the week and at the end we had to present a capstone. 

The capstone project for the DS program is introduced halfway through the program. It is up to the student to choose a topic and a project. The instructors held one-on-one meeting with the students to help us with our progress and provide any help as needed.

The instructors were on point, with even teaching assistants to help throughout the course. It was a great experience learning from industry experts, getting real-life examples and learning how to apply it ourselves.

The program pushed us to go to tech meetup and tech events (tickets were covered by the school), and it was a great way to learn how to network and make connections.

Beside learning about programming languages and concepts, we also learnt how to give a presentation, how to get better at public speaking, how to network, how to make an impression.
After the program ended, we got extra material to work through to help us get a job. As I finished last week's batch, I already have a meeting with a company's CEO for a potential position at their company.

Brainstation community has been very supportive, helpful and understanding in the course of the 12 weeks. Best part? Their support does not end with the 12 weeks, but rather continues with job search, resume and cover letter. At the end, they even divided us into groups to make sure we stay in contact and keep each other motivated to continue growth and learning.

I just completed the Full-Time Web Dev bootcamp at BrainStation and had a great experience. Over the past couple of years I've tried to come home after a full time job and do some self learning and to be honest I got pretty far. It's hard to maintain that momentum though and after a while I began to get overwhelmed by not just the material but by the sheer number of hours I had to put in on top of doing my work.

Enrolling at the bootcamp gave me the time to think solely about the material. The instructors were awesome in guiding me towards the right resources, being available to answer any questions, helping out with issues in my assignments/personal projects, and even just showing me what I didn't even know existed yet! 

I'm back at my job that I left before BrainStation where I work as a technical recruiter. I have more knowledge and understanding of the field, technologies, and methodologies that I've been talking about with candidates and hiring managers for the past few years! I also have a few awesome side projects that I've been working on, including one that's being used by the marketing team at work :)

Honestly, there's a lot of self motivated learning required not just here but at any bootcamp. But with the right attitude, a solid plan, and great googling ability (:p) completing the web dev program at BrainStation could be the start of a great new chapter in your story.

I am surprised with how much I was able to learn in 12 weeks. The class was challenging. We learned skills that I feel are practical and applicable. I found that having some backround in statistics as well as some recreational coding experience really helped in the adjustment to the fast-paced learning environment. I would absolutely recommend this program to those who want to shift their career to working with data. 

I found that the career assistance and guidance in the program to be particularly valuable. 

The instructers were always willing to help and offer guidance throughout the course.