Cal Poly Extended Education Tech Bootcamps

As someone who had zero knowledge about coding, FSA was an excellent introduction to programming. Although the program was quite fast-paced, especially for those who are beginning, I appreciate how devoted the instructors and their assistants are to helping everyone.  Besides the phenomenal instructors and their aide, the fellow students you meet always make learning fun especially since the whole class all are reaching the same goals. You meet a class of experienced and inexperienced students willing to learn from each other which showcase during the final group project. FSA doesn't teach you specific technical skills, but also soft skills by preparing you post-graduation. FSA provides its students with a career coach who guides each student with tips and lectures on navigating a world post-graduate. I recommend FSA to students who are eager to learn the fundamental of programming, willing to commit their time and taking each day 1% to grow. I want to give a shout-out to Alex and Elliot (my instructors), Elle (instructor aide), and Laura(career coach), thank you for believing in us.  Read less

FSA was the perfect way to get exposure and a good start into the technical field. Although I don't have a traditional CS background it helped me grow both hard and soft skills to appease to recruiters and job interviewers by allowing me to have something of substantial experience to reflect on when talking about experiences without actual job experiences. Especially during the pandemic, the job market is brutal and being fresh out of school without much to put on your resume makes it harder. But FSA provides you with the real-world applications of knowledge and resume builders you need to compete against the rest. It's a fun and interactive cohort who involve people who are all really passionate or grow to become passionate about the same things you do, all with similar work ethic and goals in mind. I've definitely referred a couple friends to FSA when they ask about coding bootcamps, especially because the staff both during and post grad are phenomenal! (Shoutout to Preston, Red, and Thom as my instructors, as well as Laura and Betsy as my career coaches). Read less

I decided to pursue a career in information technology because the idea of applications development or software testing has always fascinated me. I feel like there is lot to do in the software industry (including Healthcare where IT is still not fully developed). It opens up a lot of opportunities even if we want to be an entrepreneur.
I currently work as a Software Automation Manager at Visa (Infosys) and I have more than 13 years of experience in the software industry (QA Engineering side). I applied to UC Berkeley Coding Boot Camp because I wanted to be more confident and knowledgeable with coding skills; with individual contributor work or even when I am guiding my team or making decisions. 
My experience with Berkeley Coding Boot Camp has been great! I am very impressed by the way the curriculum is designed. It gives you just enough knowledge in a short period of time. My favorite aspect about the program is the homework assignments. I am amazed that I am developing applications every week using different languages. It helps to learn and gain expertise with the respective language. Also, working in groups or doing activities with other students teaches a lot about co-ordinating and working in teams; which is again very important in the software industry professional environment. 
The instructor as well as the TAs, including the SSM and student support team is great too. 
One advice I would give to other prospective students is to not give up during the course. There might be times when you would feel like you are lagging behind and the assignments would seem challenging; especially when we do not get the expected output. The key is to spend 16-20 hours every week to go through the activities and the material to be able to finish the assignments. Happy Coding! :) Read less

I considered doing a cyber bootcamp for about a year, during which I researched several programs. Speaking with the admissions team was always a pleasant experience - all of my questions were answered, they were extremely transparent, and I never felt pressured at any point. As Fullstack Academy partnered with Cal Poly (a top California university), this particular program is well-run and regulated. 

The bootcamp itself was extremely immersive and well organized. It moves quickly but is manageable if you stay on top of things and work hard. The first two months are especially busy - learning Linux and, concurrently, a whole slew of cybersecurity basics. Then it dives into Red Team and Blue Team techniques, all the while learning a little Python. Each week I would wonder how they would present the labs, being that we were completely online, and each week I was pleasantly surprised. The labs are set up very well and offer a ton of practical experience. The instructors were down to earth, very knowledgeable, and always there to help. Our cohort was pretty tight knit all around, which made for a great experience. Working with different lab partners on various material mimicked a real-world work environment and was really fun. Fullstack Academy also offers a wonderful employment development program as part of the bootcamp. The staff are very caring and capable, helping you with all aspects of job seeking and preparation. 

Great program, would definitely recommend if you want to slingshot into cybersecurity!



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The journey of my cybersecurity career started here. An enjoyable and challenging experience to intake. 
Most of the material covered within the bootcamp is enough for you to start a new career in cybersecurity whether it's a defensive/offensive route or even both. If I didn't take this course, I would've still been learning mathematics all year long till I achieve a degree in statistics and conduct experiments, analysis of trends, or topics I didn't think I would enjoy. (Little off-topic)

From learning the fundamentals of Linux, computing/network, Python through the process of becoming a Red Team Offensive or Blue Team Defensive. The course has an organized layout of where to start, though it's quite difficult in certain products. I enjoyed being a red teamer, conducting recon, creating scripts and payloads, and maintaining access to various machines. After graduating from cybersecurity bootcamp, I instantly took down the offensive path down to become a Penetration Tester. Though most people have their own opinions which path they think is the best, red team has most hands-on experience with sharp critical thinking and problem solving to guide you through the problems.  
Thank you for all the fun times in class and overall experience. =D 
8b256411e503e6314eb03e6257d26255410f656b35f38884437ebb71f6b389c4 (With Salt) Read less