Chegg Skills

First, I wanna say I've written a review here on Course Report but it was never published. It seems fairly obvious to me that there's something fishy going on between Thinkful and Course Report.

Thinkful started out great, but once I started learning React, it was all downhill. The materials are bad - I mostly learned React and jQuery elsewhere, the support system changed and became laughably bad, and the lack of curriculum support for Windows was a real head scratcher. Once the TA system changed, it was almost impossible to get competent support. I have literally been given Wikipedia links as answers to my questions. They modified the curriculum while I was a student and certain lessons had incorrect links to the materials - for example, they'd have a link to a code snippet that they expected you to work on and follow along with, except the link was to already completed code.

They also gave me false information about my enrollment end date. I was told more than once that my end date was Feb 28th, but on Feb 11th, I was informed that my actual end date was Feb 12th. I had to scramble to finish the program on time.

Every other student I've talked to has had a bad experience. I firmly believe Thinkful is associated with certain review sites like this one and is able to dictate which reviews are published, hence the high scores on these sites while most students I interact with have had a negative experience.

Thinkful doesn't care about students, it's all about money. I'd recommend a different bootcamp. The only saving grace for me was my mentor.

Please Note: Because the course content and structure changed and updated after I started the cohort, my giving specific examples of material would be outdated... so here's a brief, overall "grains-of-salt" on my experience.

My experience with the Engineering Immersion cohort was unique from most. I entered into the program with "little-to-no actual experience" in programming, aside from watching a few freely available video tutorials. I also started the program at the beginning of the pandemic in the US, and had to delay my entry into the Engineering Immersion program to the next following cohort due to family/health issues.
 
And THEN my wife gave birth to our first child 3-months into the Engineering Immersion cohort...
SO I was dealing with A LOT on my plate...
and yet, I STILL managed to graduate from the cohort on my scheduled graduation date!

Not gonna lie to ya'll, not gonna sugar-coat this... it was STRESSFUL, it was very difficult at times (most times actually)…. BUT obviously I was able to do it, AND SO CAN YOU.

You gotta' put in the hours (long hours in my case, anywhere from 10 - 14 hours a day, 6-days a week studying/practicing while on top of my new daddy-duties).

The instructors were knowledgeable of their material, the TA's were helpful, and my mentor(s) were "let's be real about what to expect in the workforce" with me. I feel that they all greatly helped me push myself to get to this point now where I am not as intimidated by lines of code, and just beginning this new phase of my life and career.

So be prepared to work hard to get the most out of it, and hold yourself accountable and responsible for your own work, as well as YOUR OWN SUCCESS! 

I came into the program without much technical or professional experience. While I found the material easy to understand and was able to speed through a lot of it, I felt lost when I got to my capstones. This was because curriculum gives only a broad overview for some topics and you don't get to see any examples of real world projects. That being said, I think the most valuable part of this program is the people. If you make good use of mentor sessions/Q&A sessions, that can fill some of the gaps in the curriculum. And, feedback from presentation and mock interview evaluators was helpful for understanding practical things like job searching and expectations once you’re actually working. Many of these evaluators do want to see students succeed and are happy to help you out where they can. Overall, I would say you should be prepared to spend time doing your own research, especially if you want a strong portfolio, and be proactive about learning more to get the most out of the program. 

Started the design program in March 2020. I was set up with what I believe is the best mentor possible. The program is set up to work at your own pace but if you put in at least 20-25 hours a week you should be able to finish within the 8 month timeline they set up for you. Since I was unemployed at the time I was able to focus more time each week. Each week I was able to meet with my mentor and go over any burning questions that I had. 

The curriculum is detailed but if you feel that information is missing Google is your best friend. It's something that my mentor mentioned and something that is normal in the UX design world. The field is fast paced so new and better info is always popping up. All the teachers/mentors that review your work give great feedback and try not to let you pass a section just to push you to the end. 

Once you finish the program the career team is super helpful. They have a group video chat at least once a week. Recently they have had past students come and do Q&As. Also, Monday-Fri it's super easy to get your questions asked from them. 

Overall I would recommend the program, but I like to tell people that it takes a lot of effort and mental energy to stay focus.  

 My experience with Thinkful was pretty good. I learned a lot from the classes and I generally enjoyed the experience. I graduated at possibly the worst time to start a job search process, March of 2020 and it took me around one year to find a job. To give more context, I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and all of my previous work experience is in retail. I'm also admittedly, not excessively passionate about data science, so didn't spend that much time on outside projects and learning. My job now is as a Data Management Analyst and I'm not using any of what I learned at Thinkful. So I guess I would be considered to be on the lower end of possible course outcomes. 

I still feel positive about the experience and I found career counseling to be pretty helpful. I blame covid, my lack of experience, and my sorta low effort approach to job searching for how long it took for me to land a job. The course set me on the data career path that I'm on now and I'm thinking of pursuing a master's in data science after working for a year or two. 

This was a great experience for me. Going into the bootcamp I had little to no coding or data science experience. I had some technical skills as an Engineering Physics major, but I was a bit nervous about how I would do. However, after the first couple weeks my nerves went away completely. The amount of resources provided was amazing and I always had a resource available to help me with anything I did not understand. Additionally, getting the opportunity to work on different capstone projects really set me up with real world applications. The one on one mentoring during the bootcamp was also extremely helpful. Having the opportunity to meet twice a week with a professional in the industry really gave me a chance to learn more about what it is like to be a data scientist and what is important to learn/know in the industry. Once I graduated from the bootcamp I was matched with a career coach who was also nothing but amazing. I was provided with advice on how to go about applications, my resume and cover letter were constantly updated and tapered. My career coach even helped provide job recommendations for me each week. Overall, I would highly recommend this bootcamp. It was a great experience and I feel like I was able to gain a lot from it. 

When I had joined the program, I was under the track UX/UI Design (might have been renamed). I was lucky enough to apply for a scholarship which led me to pursue the track. The course is very helpful for someone that is new to design, art fundamentals, and UX/UI. My biggest takeaway was learning the program Figma. I also had a great mentor that had UX/UI industry experience. They were able to walk and support me throughout the curriculum when I was confused on what the assignment was asking. The curriculum itself was 4/5 due to the fact that instructions were sometimes not as clear or it was repetitive in content. Getting in contact with Thinkful support/careers/advisors was the toughest part as I wouldn't get a response until a week later. I can't speak on Job Assistance as I am just starting my job search support with Thinkful. 

The UX/UI bootcamp at Thinkful was a great experience! I wanted a program that was part time so I could keep my job while I made my pivot to Design. The Thinkful bootcamp was great for that because it was self paced (with a schedule or calendar to help you stay on pace), paired you with a mentor to keep you encouraged along your journey, and gave really concrete and solid feedback from assignments. I will say that you should be prepared to find alternative resources and websites to go above and beyond. Thinkful does a great job of helping you learn the core principles and best practices, and gives you access to a lot of other resources to become the best designer possible. The bootcamp also tests you along your journey to make sure you’re actually understanding what you’re learning - the real world/job process will consist of you doing interviews, design exercises, and giving case study presentations. The bootcamp interviews will help you prepare for those interviews (but make sure you do additional practice and research!). After you graduate from the bootcamp, you will enter the job search phase where you’re paired with a career coach who will help you during the job hunt phase. They’ll help you prep and give you guidance during this duanting phase. 
All in all, a very great experience and I’d recommend this bootcamp if you’re someone who can stay motivated during this self-paced journey towards becoming a Designer!

My experience with Thinkful was really positive. I did the Engineering Flex program and got a job offer a few weeks before graduating. I worked full time while doing Thinkful - it was great to be able to do this in some ways because it took the financial pressure off finding a job ASAP, but it would have been nice to be able to spend more time with the curriculum. It was exhausting doing both at once, but totally worth it in the end!

It sometimes felt isolating doing the flex program, but I really liked the 'learn at your own pace' setup. A major benefit of Thinkful is that you have two 45-minute sessions with a mentor every week. I had two really great mentors while at Thinkful, and the weekly sessions felt like plenty of time to work through any issues I was having. 

My advice to new students is to confide in your mentor/peers if you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed, and to be patient with and kind to yourself! You're likely going to be absorbing a lot of brand new information, and you're not going to understand everything straightaway. Getting comfortable with being stuck/confused and celebrating when you figure something out will be key to your long term success! 

The data analytics flex program was a perfect fit for me as I was working a full-time job in another career.  It was truly flexible and could work ahead as much as you'd like if you had vacations coming up or wanted to take a couple of weekends off during the course.  The content was mostly up to date (not sure it's ever possible to be fully up to date with quickly new versions come out) and very easy to follow and learn.  I was able to learn new skills that I had never even heard of before the course.  The 1 on 1 mentor calls were a game-changer as they occur weekly and lasted about an hour.  Every week I learned great information from my mentor's previous experience and knowledge. 

 When I decided I was going to do a bootcamp, a quick google search led to me to believe I was ready to switch to a career in Data Science, so I applied to Thinkful's Data Science program.

Before enrollment, you first talk with a representative to get some more information on why you're choosing to go this route. The rep told me during our conversation that it sounded like I would be a better fit for Data Analytics. This was a big deal as I spoke to other reps from different bootcamps, and they were ready to enroll me without question, which to me seemed like they just wanted my money. 

I enrolled in the part-time flex program. As I got closer to my start date, the more nervous I got. I didn't know what to expect. But all that went away as I started the program. You get assigned an academic success manager, who is there to make sure your journey goes as smooth as possible. If you have any problems/concerns, you ASM was your goto. You also get assigned a mentor, who you meet 2x a week to help guide you with the coursework. I could not have been assigned a better team. My mentor was very knowledgable in his field, and was always ready to answer my questions, even outside of our scheduled meetings.

After you finish the program, you get assigned a career coach, who helps you with your job search. My coach definitely gave me a ton of tips and tricks which helped make my search easier.

All in all, the program was a great experience. Thinkful not only offer job ready skills, but also give you the skills to be a better professional in your field. You also have a great network of people to connect with, which was great to see other students taking on the journey with you. This isn't a program where you can slack off and expect to successful, you have to be committed and ready to put the work in. I never imagined going from being a retail sales associate, to accepting a full-time data analyst job within a year. 

 

Thinkful's data analysis program focused on Excel, SQL, Tableau and Python with extensive lessons, assignments and resources for each. What sets the program apart, however, is the support of an assigned mentor with whom you meet weekly. My mentor was not only a great help in solving analytical problems, but also had invaluable insight into how these programs are used on the job and into the wider landscape of data analysis tools. The career and networking assignments intermixed with the technical skills units are also extremely helpful. I received a job offer for a data analyst position just a day after completing my course. Overall, this is a very good and well-rounded program, especially for those who are pivoting from non-STEM educational or professional backgrounds.

Thinkful was a great program which helped me a lot in my career change. I completed Data Analytics Flex course. As a mother of two toddlers, I could be able to manage my time. Curriculum was easy to follow and clear to understand and also gave me the chance to apply my newly earned skills. Mentor sessions were valuable meetings where I can find answers for all of my questions. After completing the program, my career coach guided me to have an effective job search. She was really resourceful and supportive all the time. 

I highly suggest Thinkful for anyone getting into  data field! 

I had a great experience in the engineering flex program. The curriculum covers what feels like a really useful range of skills covering a full Javascript stack, starting with a good foundation in HTML and CSS, into the basics of Javascript and jQuery for DOM manipulation, and finally React and Node.js/Express to cover truly modern and seemingly in-demand Javascript frameworks. There is also a short but solid exposure to data science and algorithms, which felt a little less naturally integrated with the rest of the curriculum, but seems like an essential piece for job interviews and bridging the conceptual skillset gap between a boot camp grad and someone with a more traditional comp sci degree. I'm just now early in the post-grad careers phase, and have been extremely impressed with the structure: I'm assigned an individual career coach who I'll meet with weekly for awhile and then as-needed in the job search, and I've gotten a lot of assistance in job search strategy and materials development throughout the process. Also, although the quality of the mentor will necessarily depend on the individual mentor you get, my particular mentor was really awesome. He significantly exceeded my expectations not just about how knowledgable he was, but also how good of a teacher and communicator. Meeting twice weekly for the entire duration of the program was absolutely a highlight for me. 

Thinkful’s Digital marketing immersion program was extensive but extremely resourceful and exactly what you need to kickstart your marketing career. Throughout the program you are taught various different marketing techniques, from knowledgeable mentors. You learn the ins and outs of the business & gain familiarity with resources that help will you in the marketing field. Most importantly the course gives you the insights to finding a job in your desired field. I started this course with no marketing experience and by the end of it, I’ve found confidence with specific marketing techniques and I am now leveraging two job offers. If you are looking to jumpstart you career, Thinkful is your best option!