Chegg Skills

Overall, the program provided the foundation needed to become a successful software engineer, which is exactly what I had hoped for. The technology is relevant, and the career checkpoints seem up-to-date for current trends and attitudes. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- The mentor is great...if you have a good mentor. If you don't have a good mentor or feel you aren't getting the most out of your sessions, switch right away. I waited a long time to change mentors thinking I was past the halfway mark, and I wish I had switched sooner. My new mentor was awesome and it would've been a huge help to have had him from the start.

- A couple of months into the program, I joined a group of 4 other students that were around the same spot in the program. This comradery, vent outlet, resource sharing, and support group was one of the best parts of the program. This program is hard, and knowing others feel the same way is very encouraging and provides the push needed when the going gets tough. So if you can, find a small group of other students to struggle with and you will all benefit.  

- 20 hours a week is on the low end. Also, if you are working or have a family while completing the program, the graduation date is a bit unrealistic. Out of the 4 other students I worked with, plus myself, each of us utilized the extension. My own view is to plan to fall behind, but keep working consistently and putting in more than 20 hours a week...you'll get there. 

I went into this program with little to no coding experience. But with passion and determination, it's very doable. It will suck at times, but when it's good it's great. And the reward of finishing cannot be understated. The career support after graduation has been great. Based on my experience, I would recommend the Thinkful Engineering Flex program.

Thinkful is absolutely worth every cent. I TRIPLED my salary in 6 months. I found a career I love and am passionate about that is technically challenging and rewarding. I had the best mentor ever who set me up for success in ways I didn't even understand at the time. 

The job search was grueling and exhaustingly hard work (took 4 months) but I didn't give up and my mentor was right; I landed a job making well above what I was making before and shocked myself by landing a 6-FIGURE-JOB!!! 50K over my target salary. I applied for over 1500 positions and it was worth every application to finally land my dream job.

After struggling financially for years due to college debt for a career I hated and payed pennies, I was almost hopeless with my life. Then I saw an ad for Thinkful one day after always dreaming of a career in Tech and took the plunge. With the tuition guarantee I said what's not to lose? (although I found out at the end I didn't meet criteria not living in metro area for tuition guarantee which wasn't told to me before and was kind of suspect, I didn't let this affect me one bit because I KNEW I would succeed.)

I will say this on a final note, you get what you put in. Everything is up to YOU. Thinkful will give you the foundation and help for success no doubt. It will not be easy and if it was it wouldn't be worth it. Some of my peers did not make it. But it is definitely the best choice I have ever made in my life, and I look forward to the freedoms and new life my new salary and job will give me. 

PROS: I found the school's structure to be effective - fundamentals, project 1, project 2, capstone. I learned a lot doing these projects and assessments. My "mentor" that I met with once a week was super enthusiastic and kind and I think I had the best of luck with my pairing. 
CONS: Definitely their administration - like the ASMS, the emails I would send that were never responded to like payments + help emails. This would be very frustrating and leave me in the dark when I was needed assistance. Some of their coursework seemed like it could use a rewrite especially the team design section. 

My mentor was knowledgeable about the industry and provided good guidance on how to improve my designs.  We had bi weekly meetings to review questions and progress in the program.  This was very valuable when the online content gets confusing. 

I liked that there was rolling enrollment for the program so you can do the program on your own time.  If you don't finish the program within 6 months however, you are no longer eligible for the tuition reimbursement.  Keep that in mind if you're signing up while employed in a busy job! 

I can't properly rate on job assistance since I'm still going through that right now, but so far they've been giving good resources in the job hunt.  

I recently completed the UX/UI Design Flex program from Thinkful, and I feel ready to start the job search in my new field.  The curriculum was rigorous and challenging.  It started with the basics, and took me right into current practices that companies are using today.  Thinkful seems to be on top of current standards in the industry and even recommends using Figma which seems to be a growing in-demand design skill.

Through the Flex program I did not have access to the instructors as much as I would have liked.  I met weekly with my mentor over zoom, and presented my projects to the instructors.  I was able to connect with some of them on my own time, and found their feedback to be exceptionally helpful.

The only part of the Flex program I would change is the access to instructors since they were so helpful when I did present and have discussion with them.

Overall, i had a great experience with Thinkful that has readied me for a career in research and design.

Overall i really enjoyed the way the curriculum was structured at thinkful. I thought it was very easy to understand, didn't have too many questions in terms of understanding what was being taught to me. The assignments also added great value to my learning as they challenged me to apply the skills that I was learning. I wish however, there was more guidance from mentors. Talking about finding the first job, what to do with the resume, and how to go about finding positions. I also wish that the careers mentoring started well in advance so that it could increase the chances of getting a job closer to graduation date. I really enjoyed the course and am excited to see where this path takes me! 

I started this program right out of undergrad because I didn't have the funds to do a traditional two-year master's in UX/UI Design. I do not regret my decision at all. After 5 months of doing the course work on my own schedule, having one-on-one weekly meetings with my mentor, and monthly check-ins with my academic success coach, I graduated from Thinkful. Right after graduation, I was paired with a careers coach who helped me learn the skills I needed to land my current job! I honestly believe Thinkful was by far one of the best decisions I've ever made and I would recommend it to anyone who's truly looking to start their career.

My decision to attend this program was due to needing to transition from a medical radiologist technologist in person field to a Data Analyst possible remote position. I wanted to choose the fast track immersion program due to the Pandemic and it was just an economical option. I am a mom of three children from 12 to 2 and I was able to balance my personal life and educational life. I completed my program early and I had the right tools to begin a career in a little over four months.  

I took the Thinkful Data Science Flex program and really enjoyed what I learned. The issue I had with the program was how disorganized the grading system was. There was a few time when I would submit an assignment and ask to make corrections but when I made the exact corrections a different instructor was grading so I would get different corrections. Also, any technical issues take forever to fix. From my research, Thinkful was the cheapest program so the lower cost must just come from these issues. Overall, the program info is great but just be prepared to deal with some operations issues.

For me, Thinkful was a life-changing experience. I joined the program without any prior knowledge, I applied to the Living Stipend, a debt of $ 40,000, which I needed (but DO NOT RECOMMEND), it was a huge risk ... but it was also what made me take responsibility and fight against every obstacle to achieve my goal.

I liked the curriculum very much, it seemed very organized, however, there should be more visual materials for the different types of learning. When it comes to content, they always focus on the Tech Stack that is in demand the most, which is great.

Regarding the Administration, during my program, there was a change and that caused many inconveniences with the planning and organization of the program, which made the groups completely useless.

Despite the situation, on a personal level, I was able to connect with many people in the industry and enrich my knowledge with them.

The best thing about the program is having a mentor, that is the person you will learn the most from, and it is super important that you feel comfortable.

Thanks to the experience I had at Thinkful, and most of all to the people I met along the way, after two weeks of graduating, I landed a dream job!

To conclude, this is a difficult program, but it is possible.

The Thinkful UX UI Flex program was a great way for me to build my portfolio and receive mentorship throughout my journey. In fact, my mentor's moral support was the most positive part of my experience, and I am super grateful. However, something to keep in mind: If you work a full-time job, the completion dates for this curriculum are very tight and not realistic. Despite being called a Flex program, it is not very flexible, and your tuition reimbursement guarantee will be revoked if you request additional time.

Half of the instructors I encountered during assessments were very professional and helpful, while the other half were unprepared. If you do not get paired with a good assessor, you can try again, but this should not be a hit-or-miss situation put on students. I also noticed a few broken links and resources in the curriculum, but overall, very solid learning materials.