Constructor Academy

As a person working in the data field, and having no prior experience with Machine Learning, I have to say that the Applied Machine Learning course is a must for people that want to get up to speed with Machine Learning fast. 

Really well organized course, that covers all the basic knowledge that a person needs around Machine Learning: from Unsupervised and Supervised learning to local and full deployment of models, the Applied Machine Learning course covers all the points that are listed in the description.

I was really happy with:

• The curriculum of the course: Wide variety of topics, covered everything a person needs to know when starting to get involved with Machine Learning
• The structure of the lessons: Each lesson had a lecture part and a hands-on part, where we tackled real life problems and applied the knowledge we got from the lectures. I cannot say which one of these two is the most important but what I can say is that their exact combination is really well thought and applied. Each lesson I learned something new and I had the chance to see it in action. 
• The course materials: The structure of the materials was amazing. Slides and videos of the lessons, python notebooks with the solutions of the examples, etc. There was never a time that I needed something and I felt I couldn't find it.
• Videos of the lectures: I put this in a new bullet because I think it is one of the best features of the course. The fact that I have the opportunity to rewatch the lectures or the hands-on examples at a time of my choosing is invaluable. This was a great help throughout the course, especially when I was working on my final project
• Teaching staff: Both Dipanjan and Albin are key pieces of the course's success. Dipanjan is such a good teacher, with a deep knowledge around Machine Learning. His pace was good, his teaching style was nice and made everything understood. I liked the fact that he encouraged us to discuss and ask questions. He wouldn't continue until he knew we understood each point. I learned a lot from him and I wouldn't change him for another teacher. Albin was also a key role for this course. His support on the course and on me was big. There was never a time that a request would be unanswered. He would always assist us in every way he could. It was nice to have a person like Albin as teaching support. Without him I wouldn't have been able to finish my final project.

Overall I am really pleased with the course. I got up to speed with Machine Learning and I enjoyed my time. Right after the course I was able to start working on Machine Learning projects in my company. 
Even though I am 100% happy with the course, there are some topics that concerned me. If you could take them into consideration ,and work something out of them, then you would have a nice improvement of the course.

I was concerned with:

• The pace of the course in combination with the size of the curriculum: In my opinion the curriculum is absolutely perfect. Nothing should be removed from that. But the time was a bit limited. Six weeks are not enough to cover all the subjects in a nice pace. This meant we had to always be on our toes and there was no room for distraction. As it happens with these after work courses, there is always the case that one gets distracted for some time, due to fatigue. Then you lose track of the topic and, since we are discussing advanced theoretical topics with a lot of details, it is hard to catch up and get back on track. I would suggest maybe add a week or two, if possible, to the course. This would enable you to keep a more relaxed pace, suited for all the students
• Coding prerequisites: Even though it is self implied that in order to participate one should have a basic to intermediate knowledge of Python, still this might not be the case. In my case, since I have been working for a long time with Python, NumPy and Matplotlib, I had no problem focusing only on the new knowledge I got. But for a student who has little experience with Python, the course can be overwhelming and there could be even the case of dropping out. I would suggest, if you do extend the course length, you could use the first week as a crash course week on Python and the required libraries
• Long lessons:  The two 3-hour lessons is probably not the optimal combination. Most of the times, after the lecture, there is a lot of information to digest and it is hard to keep up with the hands-on examples. A good solution to that could be three 2-hour lessons where the first two are used for lectures (and maybe small examples) and the third one is used for hands-on examples and personal working time. 
• Little time for personal work after the lecture: I think the course would really benefit with some extra time. There were cases that we had no time to work on our own in the lesson, because the lecture and the hands-on example would take 2.5 hours of the lesson. 
• Adding small breaks in between: On each lecture some small 5 minute breaks would be highly appreciated. Like this the student gets the chance to refocus and get back to the lecture with a clear mind. 

We managed to discuss and find a solution for the last two bullets but it would be nice if you could implement it right from the start of the course.

I am really glad that I decided to join this course and I think that it paid off 120%. I would really recommend it to anyone who is trying to get into Machine Learning!

Keep up the good job!

My background is neuroscience research and I hoped to change my career from academia to industry. The course at Propulsion Academy is a perfect fit for me because it has a final project from a partner company, enough to have the feeling of industry experience. 
Even if the course itself was quite tough and challenging, I could enjoy and be relaxed because I knew the course covers almost all of the knowledge of any field of data science. The course material and personal notes are a big asset for my professional career. 
Out of the course itself, I really liked the overall atmosphere of Propulsion Academy. Staff are highly motivated and teaching assistants are always there to answer any questions. 
I also appreciate a lot for supporting job applications after the course. I can definitely say that I might not be able to achieve my career plan without joining Propulsion Academy. 
I’m sure that it was one of the best decisions in my life. If you’re serious about changing your career into data science and ready to dedicate yourself for 12 weeks, I highly recommend this course. 

I have attended the 6 weeks Python programming bootcamp (twice a week, 3 hours each session, plus one tutoring session). To start off, although having average experience with other softwares/programming languages, I had very little knowledge about Python. The first two classes were the hardest in my view, as they presented a lot of topics; they gave a very valuable overview, also introducing concepts which became more prominent in the second part of the bootcamp. Each session consisted of approximately 50 minutes of theory and 2 hours of exercises about the topics taught that day. The exercises were in my view the most useful part of the bootcamp, as they provided me with sort of hands on guided experience, also leveraging on the support of the trainer and the assistant who were available even beyond the class time.
I would definitely recommend this bootcamp to someone with little to none Python experience, even to someone with no programming knowledge at all, as these classes cover a broad range of topics related to Python which on one hand will already enhance your skills set for your day-to-day work while on the other will provide you the basis for further development on the subject.

I still remember the day I decided to contact Propulsion Academy to apply for their Full-Stack course, only a few months ago.
I was determined to become a programmer, after working for many years in a different field, but I was very unsure as to how or where to begin. 

I can now say, without a doubt, I couldn't have chosen a better way to start. 

Propulsion Academy is one of those rare places where you get much more than you pay for. 
Their curriculum is so well organized that it is hard to believe how a person can absorb so much knowledge in so little time, and everything you are taught is carefully chosen so that the students can already apply to competitive jobs with confidence after graduating. 

The teachers and mentors will be there for you, and they will take you through every step of the way so that you make the most of your time. And, more importantly, they will make sure that you stay motivated and keep up the hard work throughout the course. I honestly don't know how I would have survived such an intensive challenge without the support of every single person there. 

I joined Propulsion Academy with a smile on my face, and I left with an even bigger one. 
And now I'm ready for my life as a programmer :)


PS: I managed to find a great and very rewarding job just 1 month after graduating. 

I took the Python Programming course at Propulsion Academy to get my coding in this language up to speed. I initially selected the course for convenience reasons, because was offered twice a week in the evenings in an online format and was, therefore, easy to attend while working. However, I quickly became convinced by the quality of the course - so much so that I took a follow-up course in Applied Machine Learning right afterwards.
The Python course was well-structured and covered a broad range of topics - from fundamentals and advanced programming concepts to libraries needed for data science and visualization to linking Python with SQL databases, creating Web Apps, and automating reporting. The concepts were introduced in very well-designed lectures and could then be delved into in programming sessions with access to tutors. Code notebooks for the examples covered in class as well as model solutions for the exercises done in the coding sessions were provided, offering a great learning tool and a nice library to draw on for future reference. Despite the broad range of topics, they were covered thoroughly enough to allow immediate implementation. At the end of the course, mini-projects enabled students to apply their knowledge to actual practical examples. 
The teachers giving the course were absolute experts in their fields. Their enthusiasm for the topics was tangible and they went the extra mile to ensure that participants got the most out of the engagement. I can highly recommend this course (as well as the Machine Learning one). Propulsion Academy offers a great learning environment and has really high-calibre teachers.
 

The Full-Stack Development program was a great experience. It is extremely intense but for me personally, I found it exciting. As someone who had no prior experience in coding before joining Propulsion Academy, the program teaches you enough to land an internship. 

With that being said, now having been in two roles since graduating, I definitely believe the technologies they do teach are very relevant and applicable to today's job market.

Propulsion Academy is also very involved with the job search for their students. They actually helped me find my first role, which was a 6-month contract within a couple months of graduating. Before this contract ended, the school reached back out asking if they can help again with my job search! Even though I had something else already lined up, I really appreciated the gesture and it really speaks volumes on how much they value their students whether they are currently enrolled or graduated.

I decided to attend Propulsion Academy in the winter of 2020, during the height of the pandemic.  I chose this boot camp because of its location in Zurich, and because they seemed to screen the applicants well before accepting them into the program. 

I had been looking for a position as a data engineer in Zurich for most of 2020 without much success., After completing Propulsion I was able to land a job through Propulsion’s professional network. 

 I have a background working in the data industry, and I have a master’s degree in Information Science. I was hesitant to join the program because of my background, but I ended up learning so much and I came out of the program as a better engineer. 

This course is for you if you have a background in a science or engineering related field. My cohort was a group of 12, and everyone had a graduate degree from a diverse range of backgrounds. The bootcamp consists of a lot of collaborative group projects, and since our backgrounds were so different, everyone solved problems with a different perspective. Collaborative group projects were one of my favorite parts about this program -- it was such a confidence booster and skill building exercise. (Nothing like college group projects :-) 

The coursework itself is very demanding, and you will not have time to do much else. Due to the pandemic, our classes were 100% online; everyone was disappointed about this, but you know, that kind of sums up 2020.  All things considered, I really enjoyed the online format. I have taken a lot of online college classes and was never a fan, but Propulsion managed to keep all of us engaged through active participation during lectures and interesting slides. I felt like I got to know my peers and instructors personally, despite never meeting them in person. 

At the end of the course there is a 3 week capstone project that is often in collaboration with an organization. It was really cool to see how much the class had learned in the last 12 weeks.  I would absolutely recommend Propulsion Data Science to anyone with the appropriate background. You will come out with more technical skills, a better ability to perform technical interviews, and the opportunity to become involved in Zurich’s data technology professional network. 

Being already in the field of data analytics, I took this course since was keen on deepening my knowledge and skills in applied data science and related best practices.

The course is definitely an intense unique experience composed of applied knowledge, exercises and group challenges. The learning-by-doing approach allows you to develop a solid skill set in a short time. Furthermore I appreciated the opportunity to learn from experts in the field about best practices and trends, especially in the constantly evolving field of deep learning!

Additional sessions were provided to either cover related topics such as ethics in data science, or where experienced 
data scientists shared their career journey with us, returning a broad context of the data scientist role in different industries.
Finally, this course is also a great chance to build a local professional network in data science and software engineering.

I took part in the Propulsion Academy data science Bootcamp from May to July 2020. It was worth every penny. I cannot recommend enough for any person looking to upskill or take the first steps toward a data science career to contact the propulsion team. What I liked most is the team. They simply do care about you and your learning and career objectives. It is a complementary team with strong industry expertise which you can sense at every interaction. 
The curriculum is up to date and does not focus on the buzz words but rather on building expertise bottom-up from the foundations to the latest applications. To my surprise, my favorite module was Stats as it helped us ask the right questions, design the right experiences and use the adequate tools for the problems at hand and believe me the solution is not always machine or deep learning. Last but not least is the end-of-program project done in collaboration with a company that guarantees real-world application and tons of fun, stress, and a steep learning curve. A word about my cohort which was just a fantastic gender-equal group of students eager to learn, collaborate and share. The Bootcamp selection process definitely works. Proud of those that made it to Google or eBay but also of those contemplating the entrepreneurial path.
Best,

Python as an object-oriented programming language is a huge benefit to all companies around the globe. By attending a part-time online course attendees get an overview how powerful the Python can be. The instructors at Propulsion Academy made it very easy - even for non programmers like me - to understand the basic and advances techniques of Python. What I missed at other institutions Propulsion Academy made the difference. Even before the course started we got information how to install the IDE and the instructors were personal available to help. During the weeks of the course they provided help out of the course timetable to ask questions and to get familiar with the different course topics. 
What i like most is the familiar atmosphere, even if the course took place online. If you think to dig into Python, consider to have a look at their webpage for next course dates! 

What really sets propulsion apart from the rest is basically three important things

• Curriculum - The curriculum is absolutely top notch. If you're looking to ramp up with python oops , flask web dev ,SQL and data science concepts then I would definitely recommend the program. 
•  Instructors - The instructors Thorben Croisé and Marie Bocher are very knowledgeable and approachable at the same time.
• Community - Great supportive community. Great amount of support and feedback from your instructors and peers.

Prior to attending Propulsion's bootcamp, I already had the opportunity to gain experience in the tech space due to my work as an IT consultant with focus on product management of tech teams. However, what I always found challenging in creating really good products for users was to apply data-driven product management. In this regard, Propulsion's Data Science Bootcamp has exceeded my expectations. Thanks to the bootcamp and extremely qualified instructors, I can now develop the right products for the right customers in a much more targeted way using machine learning and deep learning algorithms. The data has always been there, but now - thanks to Propulsion - I'm equipped with the right skill-set to use it in a more meaningful way, which has been a really exciting journey for me so far. 

 There are so many details packed into the 2 months course work. Please note that one full month is spared for capstone project. This is very good because it is real experience with the business. The support provided from the school is very good. If the student encounter any problem, the teacher assistant from the school always be there to help solving the problem. 

During the 2 months’ course work, the exercise covers very wide aspect of data science. The solutions provided really explained everything. Due to very limited time, there is no time to explain all the solutions. There is also no spare time to go over the solution later during weekend either. Because the course is packed and always have to move on. Even though it seems to be too much to absorb in 2 months. To get the most out of this course, the student must prepare to invest 100% of their time, no additional work or study. 

 

The professor are excellence. They know their topic very well in debt. The teacher assistants are very nice very knowledgeable. For any question that they do not know the results, they help to find solution until the problem is fully solved. The documentation are very good. Please also note that all are provided on line. No paper or document are given.  In conclusion, the results of this course is 100% more than expectation. Return from high cost is more than expect. IT worth the money and time invested. The results of self-study and a lot of self-practice through exercises is working. From the one who have no basic of computer programming, I can write python by heart after the course is finished. 

I joined this data science bootcamp because I received overwhelming support from the staff and CEO of propulsion academy as soon as I submitted my application online. Even though my background was in Economics and I was new to the world of programming and data science, the propulsion team were confident that I could complete the course successfully and get a job as a data scientist with their help and support. The ongoing communication to address my concerns about the final project, the Swiss job market and whether I could keep up with the material, is why Propulsion stood out compared to other bootcamps that I was considering. I got the strong feeling that they cared about every student as an individual and were devoted to maintaining a strong network of alumni.

The bootcamp was very intense - I was amazed at how good the instructors were and how much I could learn in just three months! As Propulsion is also a well-known company in Switzerland, this experience has opened up many doors for me in the data science industry. If you are still unsure whether this bootcamp is right for you, I would say go for it! I attribute a large part of my professional success to the technical skills that were taught and people that I met during this bootcamp.

Propulsion Academy’s full-time data science bootcamp is an amazing 3 month-long, non-stop learning experience. The format allows immediate and intense, collaborative practice of learned concepts and skills and the industry team project in collaboration with a local tech company really pushes the challenge a step further by allowing the application of acquired skills to solve a real-life problem. A great advantage of the program is its industry network and the invaluable support students receive in their job search from the staff. I think it's not exaggerating to say that this is the best bootcamp in Switzerland, and probably one of the best in Europe at large.

With a professional background in law and  2-3 years of casual freetime coding experience (online tutorials, personal projects), in 2020 I decided to go for a career change. Through online research I found out about Propulsion and their Full-Stack immersive course. I also looked at other options (such as full time studies in IT at different universities) but eventually decided for the bootcamp approach due to the shorter duration and  a more practical approach. Because of Covid, the entire 12 week course was held online. In this short amount of time a lot of topics were covered, including HTML, CSS/SASS, JS, React + Redux, Python, Django, Docker and more. The structure of the course, with lectures/live-coding in the morning and  hands-on coding exercises in the afternoon was perfect for my taste and way of learning. The teaching assistants were very patient and supporting when needed, while they also encouraged us to try solving the problems through reading documentation and alike first before coming up with questions. The materials and exercises were of a wide difficulty range, so that even students with prior coding experience were constantly challenged. The last several weeks of the course the focus shifted towards working on group and portfolio projects with only a few specific lectures left, as for example useful advice regarding the job search. All in all the experience was great and it was/is clear that the whole staff cares a lot about the students and their success during and after the bootcamp. Personally I feel like I profited a lot and the course espacially strengthened my trust in my ability to learn new technologies in a short amount of time. Nevertheless I think skipping a few less important topics and especially the one-week group project right before the final project in favor of a more in-depth coverage of the more important topics/projects could improve the experience even further. For students with no prior experience at all, it’s definitely hard to keep up with the speed and can get overwhelming quite fast; personally I probably wouldn‘t feel job-ready yet (but then again, that can‘t really be expected after only 3 months). I would however definitely recommend the course to anyone with minor/casual coding experience looking for a way to skyrocket there coding skills in the shortest possible amount of time. 

Coming from an academic research background in the sciences, I was looking for a gateway into industry as a Data Scientist. I found Propulsion and was skeptical at first, just like anyone is when they see a concept they haven’t yet experienced. The warm reception I received during the interview process, the impressive list of instructors on the website, and the various backgrounds of the other students got me quickly convinced that I was in the right spot. It was all uphill from there!