CareerFoundry

I signed up to the UI design course after working in SEO and wanting a career change. I must say the course has been fantastic so far. It is excellently laid out and it's intuative work flow is very engaging and comprehensive. With no UI or UX experience in the past, I feel like I have learned so much. They really do take you from the ground up. It is well paced, interesting and I am able to stay creative throughout. I would certainly recommend this course to anyone looking to venture into this field or looking for a career change. 

I am very happy with CareerFoundry! 

The course has great quality, the reading materials are all up-to-date, there are also a lot of examples of best practices given and links to the other helpful articles and so on.

But the most value for me as a student comes from the practical tasks and tutor's feedback! You can always find free materials to learn from online, but only on the course like this you can build your own portfolio with guided feedback, which is incredibly valuable. Tutors and mentors are always available whenever there are questions, and help to look at your career path as a "big picture", so you know where you are and where you are going. 

All in all, I cannot recommend this course more! I already use a lot of the learned techniques in my daily tasks, and now I can't help but look through UX-eyes on my everyday surroundings.. it changes perspective, and you start noticing the details :)

 A few months ago I was in a small personal crisis after finishing my Bachelor, and feeling that I wasn't prepared for the real world. I found CF by chance on a Google search, and with 80% of the course finished I can affirm that it was a great decision. The learning methodology is very nice, and you really learn deeply everything a professional does in his day to day work. In my case I have done the UI course ( working 30h week), and although now I am more interested in UX, for me the course has been a perfect starting point in my career. I haven't  started yet the search for a new Ui-UX job, but with everything I have learned in recent months, I am confident in myself and surely everything will be all right with the job preparation course. 

After being a Graphic Designer for several years I decided I needed a change and a fresh direction. With the world migrating to a digital experience, I knew that to be a successful designer in the future I needed new skills. I researched for several months but always came back to CareerFoundry. I requested a call to help answer some of my concerns. After that first call with Matt, a UI Designer in Seatle, I was sold. It was challenging for sure and they don't just give out certificates. You earn it. The one on one calls with the mentor and the feedback you receive from your tutor is amazing. The biggest plus is the support. They have folks that will help you with the tuition questions, actual UI of the course itself, Career Preparation support and pretty much every touch point of the experience. Can not say enough about the job prep course and the job prep counselor. The conversations I had with the mentor, tutor and job prep contact was terrific. I switched from a graphic designer to a UI/UX Designer and couldn't be happier!! Best decision of my career!!!

I enrolled in the iOS development course last year. Halfway through the course they announced it was the last iOS course they would offer becuase of lack of demand. After this, the mentors and tutors became super unresponsive and busy, such that I basically never heard from them the last few months of the course. I'm very disappointed because I wanted to finish it out well, and in the final month I had submitted my work for their review and needed help finishing. They never got back to me before the course ended and I never graduated. I'm frustrated I spent this much money only to have them slowly pull the plug while I was enrolled. 

Very disappointed...

After extensive research for online and in-person "bootcamp" / Masters courses for UX Design, I decided to go with the online course at CareerFoundry based on reviews and the overall cost. I chose the $6,000 USD Certified UX Designer three-part program which pairs each student with tutor and a mentor with whom you have unlimited Skype calls. Each reading / lesson finishes with an assignment that you must submit for your tutor to review. Your tutor with give constructive feedback in order to make sure you get the most out of each project. At the end of each unit - there are between 7-12 lessons per unit - your mentor will review your portfolio and offer feedback as well. There are currently a total of seven units in the course.

Your mentor is there for you to reach out to as often as you need in order to ask questions about the course, about design, or about the industry -- your calls are dedicated to what you need in regards to UX Design. 

At the end of the entire course each student will have a completed project to add to your online portfolio! The course also offers an extra specialization course for you to take in order to deepen your knowledge within the field. Currently they are offering specializations in: UI Design, Frontend Development for Designers, or Voice User Interface Design. 

- 7 units for the Certified UX Designer Course
- 7-12 assignments per unit 
- total of 244 hours of course work for the Certified UX Designer Course
- plus an additional total of 78 hours on the UI Design Course (other specialization courses have similar completion hours as well) 
- a total of 51 hours in their Job Preparation Course that helps you prepare for the search including tips on networking, mindset for career change, resume tips, and interviewing. 

I recommend this course to anybody looking to make a career change or simply learn more about user experience design. I was able to work full time, complete the course within five months and then focus on networking and the job search! The mentors and tutors all work in the field and offer valuable feedback. CareerFoundry also builds a community of their students - past and present - on Slack that allows for great networking throughout and after the course.

Through hard work on my end with networking and the job search, I was able to get a job offer as a mid-level UX Designer within 3 months of finishing up the course and putting together my online portfolio. I didn't find much value in the job prep course as I already felt like I was doing all the right things to get my foot in the door within the industry. However, if people don't know where to begin - I think the job prep will be a good place to help those find work after the course! But its not all up to your tutor, mentor, and job prep contact -- you must put in the effort to network and build connections within the industry as hard as it is, it will be worth it in the end. Sometimes that means taking up freelance or contract work to build your portfolio before getting that full-time job offer you're after! 

I took the online UI design course. I loved it! The content is good, the mentors are great and the course lasts for 6 months, but besides that, it's pretty much self-paced which worked perfectly with my busy schedule. The job prep course was super helpful! They gave me actionable steps and excellent feedback to start my job search. When I had questions or needed to prep, my mentor was there for me. So, in the end, I walked out feeling confident with a beautiful portfolio and ready to interview. In 2 months I had a ton of interviews, received 3 job offers and landed my dream job. Thank you CareerFoundry!

I must say I am not the common student taking this course. I've had prior experience doing some UI work and wanted to take this course to solidify what I've learned on my own. I briefly read over the material before joining and it did not disappoint. I had a tutor and a mentor, that I could ask as many questions as I needed too. Also, everyone gets to join the Slack community. So, everyone is on the same boat as you - asking for help or advicem, tips and tricks.

I did notice the course does get updated if the staff realizes the coursework is outdated or needs a bit of modifying. There consistent emails from student advisors to encourage you and be there for you if you need additional help. At the end of the course you will receive a certificate.

I divide my experience with CF in 2 parts.

1) The UX course.

I appreciate to have an organised step by step theoretic explanation of the UX design process. I can say I learnt UX design during the course. I would advise everyone who want to take the course to be sure to have enough time for it. I did the course while working and it turned into a frustrating experience at times because I was doing something I love but I didn't have enough time to do it properly and produce the quality work I wanted.

My tutor and mentor were both very helpful. I had to request more in depth reviews of my work but after it went pretty smooth.

The course was never mentioned by the companies I applied to, so I don't really know if it helped me find a job.

I haven't come back to the theory yet, not sure if I'll do in the future.

2) The find a job course

Surprising enough, I had better memories of this optional course. You have to go through exercises that help you get to know yourself better, something very helpful when applying for jobs and life in general. I had assigned a career adviser, Mike, he is very supporting and has lot of experience in the field. If you keep a proactive attitude and set training interviews with him, you will feel ready for the interviews. It was actually what happened to me. When I landed in the interview, I knew the answer (a good one, following Mike's advice) to almost every question they could ask me.

I joined CareerFoundry not because I wanted to get a job as a web developer (I’ve been a web developer for three years), but because I like learning. Over my career, this is the fourth “coding boot camp” I’ve attended and completed, and I can say that it’s by far the most well-written and well-thought-out of all. CareerFoundry’s writing is very easy to read and understand. The curriculum is also well-thought-out as it covers the full stack from front to back. It even touches on some extras toward the end that will show potential employers that you’ve gone above and beyond the fundamentals.

All in all, I’d say this is a great course for beginners, but, like all coding boot camps, you’ll need at least some basic computer skills. If you’re brand new to coding and you’re not a fast learner, you may need to do some extra research on your own time in order to catch up with the lesson. If you have the time, I’d recommend going through a free front end course or two (HTML/CSS/JavaScript) before signing up here as you’ll be able to hit the ground running and you’ll be able to absorb more material overall as you progress.

Fantastic course!

I am currently in my last module of (iOS dev course) and I am pretty satisfied with my decision, why!!! let me tell you why

• I got some interesting offers before the completion of the course.
• The support I get from my student advisor, tutor and mentor is phenomenol. Specially student advisor (Korina, and Cicely too).
• The course is well structured, up to date and it covers every step in the life cycle of the app.
• Slack community is also very active and supportive, specially the designing students.

As in the start I mentioned that I havent completed the course yet, because of which I havent interacted with the career change team but because the other CF team is so supportive and good in their jobs its safe to assume that they are good too ( but surely I will keep u updated 😉 )

Before I finish my review let me tell you one very important thing, the whole journey is not walk in the park, if you seriously want to achieve your goal (what ever that is, career change or improving your skills etc) you have to work really hard for yourself, from time to time you will face problems whose solutions are not straight forward and make you pull your hairs out, but the effort which you will do in solving them is the fruit of the whole journey. Dont expect to get everthing you dreamt of by just enrolling in here, that is not going to work. But I know you are not that stupid, so good bye 👋 and happy learning 📚.

I was very skeptical at first upon looking for options to further my career via additional education. I know that these things can really be a scam, and did not want to commit to paying thousands without being sure I would get as much as possible out of my course. I found a job even before I graduated, the mentors could not have been more supportive, and the school really helps you every step of the way. I really think that those who have not had good experiences with CareerFoundry perhaps did not do their part. Sure, you need to be assertive, disciplined enough to work from home, and willing to reach out to your mentor whenever necessary, but if you do all those things, you will succeed. CareerFoundry has really changed my overall career trajectory for the better and it's been a completely enjoyable experience overall.

I am very happy I found this course on my life path. It changed my career plans 180 degrees around and it was worth it! The course was well prepared, written in a very understandable language (important for a person like me, who's not a native english speaker). It covered everything that was needed to make first projects on my own and start applying for junior jobs. I've got a lot of support from my mentor and from other students. I am still in touch with them 3 years after finishing the course and can still count on some nice review! Lifetime access to notes and lessons is a huge advantage when doing first steps on your own. My overall experience was fantastic - very helpful people, good learning materials, great support from experienced programmers and useful experience exchange with other students. 

I came from an unrelated field so I did not have much experience in the UX field. But chose Career Foundry as the course "guaranteed a job or my money back". I spent around £2500 and to be honest I feel I could have used that money in a better way in trying to change careers.

The course itself seemed well structured and my mentor was helpful. At the end of the 6 months I had one project to show for my work which I could use when applying for jobs. There is a smaller short course that focuses on 'career change' and I was only able to complete 9/10 modules due to other restrictions on my time.

After I completed the course I spent 6 months applying for jobs but found the process extremely difficult. I did not even receive one interview after the coaching and help from careerfoundry. I think most people who find success come from a related field like design or programming. I made a request for a refund but the conditions for a refund are extremely stringent, I later found out and the request was denied.

Pros:

• Well structured syllabus which moved at a decent pace.
• Mentors are helpful (Well my mentor was).

Cons:

• There is no special job board, I received one link to a job but it was completely inappropriate.
• After graduation you will only have one complete project – so the course places an emphasis on self-learning and creating your own projects. This made me think I could've self-learnt the whole course and created my own projects.
• There is a lot of emphasis on linkedin and networking to find a job. This made me question why I did the course if this was the best way to get a job.

My advice

If I could do this again, I would learn UX design from Udemy or Lynda, then learn how to network to get a job. You'll save a lot more money.

I've started with the Certified UX Designer course october last year, and am now working as a (junior) UX Designer at a design agency in Berlin - even before I finished my course!

I had some doubts before booking this course, as it's quite an investment and I did not have any experience with online schools. I didn't think they could offer real value but thank god - I was wrong!

Studying at Careerfoundry is the best decision I've made so far - the things you learn are really hands-on, you're working on portfolio pieces and you don't have to reads dozens of books or study for exams. My tutor Allison was great in guiding my throughout the course: she gave extensive, helpful and motivation feedback within hours after sending in exercises and would always go an extra mile if I needed more support. The same goes for my mentor Pia, who supported me with finding a UX job and helped me prepare for the job interview (with success!) The support of your tutor and mentor is what makes Careerfoundry so special - you have professionals guiding you.
 

The curriculum is pretty straight forward: you're designing an app following the Design Thinking Process. The course exists of 6 Achievements with around 25-30 exercises per Achievement. Some exercises are more theoretical and teach you about the basics of psychology, other exercises are more technical and show you how to work with all relevant tools in the field. 

At times, the course can be pretty demanding - especially when you're working fulltime. Expect to spend at least 10-15 hours a week on the course - yet in the end it will all be worth it!

When I took the course I already had many years of experience in Graphic/Web design so some contents weren't new for me. I took it because I wanted to gain more knowledge on UX design and also have the academic trainee and the official certification. The first part of the course was the most interesting, it's focused on UX thinking, business goals, competitor analysis, usability, prototypes, etc... 

Then we started with wireframes, user flows, visual design and google analytics. This second part was something I already knew so I didn't took much advantage of it. But if you are a beginner, it will be useful. 

It took me almost 3 months to finish the course and I spent around 3-4 hours per day (every day you have a different subject so you have to go through the content and then complete the assignment). You will have a mentor and you can ask him/her everything you need, that’s pretty cool. 

The course worth the money. In 3 months you will have an good overview, create a connection with your mentor and you will create a project for your portfolio that will help you to get your first job in UX. 

I have decided to switch from social pedagogy to a completely new topic, UX Design, and it was one of the best decisions that I´ve made in the past few years. I took the course in January 2017 and have finished it in June. It was a great experience that has opened the whole new way in my career.

Career Foundry has fulfilled all my hopes and wishes related to (1) professional support on my learning path, (2) learning topics that a UX designer needs to know, (3) taking a good course that would support me on all the way from learning to getting a job. 

(1) The support from my tutor and mentor during the course was great. Their feedback to my work was relevant and helpful.

(2) I really liked the way in which the content was presented. It was interesting and easy to consume. So, I really had a fun time learning new stuff.

(3) Unfortunately, I didn´t have time to finish the Job Preparation Course, as I already started working on my own startup with some friends. But in the end, I still got a job in a digital agency and can say that the Career Foundry gave me a solid background on which I can now build even more skills and knowledge from real work experience.

I started the UX Immersion programme with specialisation in UI in October, and finished last month. My experience with CF has been very, very good! 

I decided to switch careers, with a background in Business Management and Marketing. I found the course itself to be challenging enough without being overwhelming, and having access to support of my tutor (Allison), mentor (Pia), and the awesome people in the Slack group. That sort of support is really necessary when you're doing an online course, that too about a field that you don't have much previous knowledge about. 

The exercises and tasks themselves were very clearly explained, with just enough focus on theory and more on the practical aspect of things. Each lecture provides and extensive list of additional reading materials if you want to learn more about a topic you like. The tutors and mentors challenged me to produce my best work, which did get frustrating at times, but in a good way! The portfolio review at the end of each "achievement" really helps in putting all the work that you've done into perspective from a portfolio-point-of-view. They encourage and train you to not only work like a designer, but to think like a designer, which goes a long way! Now they've updated the curriculum with video tutorials and quizzes, which adds to the 'gamification' of the entire course, and will make it more dynamic and fun! 

The career counsellors are, as with the tutors and mentors, readily available to help prepare for CV/cover letter building, portfolio feedback, job interviews, or any other job-related queries you might have. I've been working with Mike, and he's been a great help! I would highly, highly recommend this course to anyone thinking of going into this field and willing to put in the effort. 

Challenging:

• My mentor was frequently traveling/in a different time zone, so it was sometimes hard to reach him, and I didn't always get timely feedback.
• Some instructions weren't written very clearly, but CareerFoundry has been making improvements both to the course content and assignments based on student feedback.
• No location-based job assistance

Satisfying:

• My tutor was top-notch--quick to answer questions and review work.
• The course does a good job presenting the material for a career-changer--I learned a lot!
• The Career Advisors are knowledgable and helpful.
• Very supportive community on Slack

I was a little sad after finishing the course because I enjoyed my time as a student.  The course format is great when working full-time.  I could work ahead on the assignments or spend more time on others (there were no assignment deadlines).  And I was able to move on the next section without having to wait for my tutor/mentor's evaluation.  Overall, it was a worthwhile experience!