RED Academy

I was a graduate of the third ever cohort of the digital marketing program at RED Academy, so by the time you read this the curriculum and the way the program is run might have changed. That said, for a school that was relatively still in its infancy when I decided to enroll in it, I was overall quite satisfied with my experience.

In contrast to more traditional educational institutions, I felt that the curriculum was very relevant and up to date at the time with the latest trends and practices in digital marketing. If you've ever been to one of RED's free seminars, you'll know that they emphasize giving you hands on experience with real companies, as opposed to the traditional academic model where it's all just theory and lectures. For our cohort, each team worked with a total of 3 companies. Some companies I found more interesting to work with than others, so there's a bit of luck involved too. 

The instructors, unlike your typical middled aged university professor, are all relatively young professionals with lots of recent hands on experience in the digital marketing industry, and this is something you want when it comes to a constantly evolving industry like Tech. 

Another highlight was that our program frequently brought in professionals from the industry to share with us their knowledge and practical strategies that they were using on a regular basis. I enjoyed this not just because of what I learned, but you get to learn about some of the cool companies that are out there and it also opens up opportunities for networking. 

The main thing that kept me from giving RED a 5 star experience was that the instructors at the time had slightly differing expectations when it came to grading written reports (one report was needed for each of the 3 projects), which made it difficult when you have a different instructor grading your next report. I also felt that there should have been clearer guidelines when it came to preparing us for presentations. Of course, RED being less than a year old at the time I enrolled, I wasn't expecting things to be perfect, and I'm certain that future cohorts will have a more streamlined experience. 

The last thing I'll stay about my cohort is that everyone in my class including myself managed to find a job within four months of graduation. This was in large part thanks to one of RED's staff members who's primarily role is to keep in touch with graduates and help them find work upon completing the program. Based on those results alone, I would definitely recommend RED's full time digital marketing program to anyone who's considering it. 

I took the full time UX program. My experience with RED was not just great but also life changing experience. I learned everything I need to know to be a UX designer and made great friends and got a job that I wanted!

The course was 3 months long and within in the time, I was able to learn and practice UX process consistently. The instructors are great teachers and also great supporters. They teach students everything that they need to know about UX and also emotionally and mentally support students. The instructors are passionate in teaching and they really care for their students. During the course, students worked on real community partner projects which help students to practice how to work with clients. 

Also, RED provides great career support even after the program ends. RED has a recruiter who help sutdents with finding jobs, making resume, and finding networks. 

I'm grateful that I took the course. 

Took the full time 12 week digital marketing program, and I learned quite a bit. Coming from a marketing background, the skills I learned at RED Academy were vital in progressing my career within the field. The instructors were extremely helpful and knowledgable and the school environment was like a family. Working with real clients really sets RED Academy apart, I found that this was where I could take what I learned and apply it to real businesses. 

I came to RED because I was looking for a career change and took the full-time UX Design diploma program. The environment felt like home, the instructors went above and beyond to ensure that were getting the most out of the program and provided unlimited emotional support when things seemed uncertain. It was an immersive program and what I loved the most about it was that the curriculum adapted to our changing needs to keep us challenged and engaged. We learned how to apply design thinking using the tools current in the industry, such as Sketch and Invision. The projects provided real-world experience in working with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders. On our last two projects, we got the opportunity to work with real clients which were great exposure to real world problems.

The students in my cohort all came from different design and non-design backgrounds, ranging in age and career levels. The bonds formed with the students, instructors and staff made it feel more like a family rather than just a community. It was a fun learning environment, with fun activities and exercises. 

What's worth noting is that they also provide professional development and mentorship throughout the course of the program and have industry professionals come in to talk about different topics related to professional development.  They provide a lot of support with building a resume, portfolio and also have a dedicated placement manager who provides job support after graduating. You're always surrounded by people who genuinely want to help you succeed in your new career. 

On the non-academic side of things, they have a social every Friday afternoon, led by their superstar facilities coordinator. Everyone from all the programs, instructors, and staff kick back, and mingle with a couple drinks and just have fun! It's was a great way to end the stressful weeks.

My biggest takeaway from this program was that it made me more aware of myself, my strengths and capabilities. I felt that I grew so much, mentally and emotionally in those 3 months than I ever have, because of the nature of the program. It was a struggle to get through the 12 weeks but well worth the challenge and so pleased with the outcome. I don't think would've made it out of the program if it wasn't for the instructors and students who made it enjoyable and exciting every day!

My time at Red Academy was truly an unfortunate experience. The course was taught by three recent (as in a month ago), young graduates of the full-time program who were wholly unprepared to teach the course. It was extremely curious that for the first class we had an instructor and then for the second session on it was the unexperienced TAs. This instructor had not left the institution, but was somehow absent from any furhter sessions. Additionally, the school has a policy wherein you can only get your money back after the first 10% of the course, and for a part-time 10 session course -- that was the first session.

These poor TAs with no work experience, and only their class projects to base recomendations on -- any questions were met on deaf ears, or with very shallow dismissive anwsers. I feel for the recent grads, as they should not have been put in this position; however, it also meant that my $2000 on the course was totally wasted.

The class was comprised primarily of individuals who work in the industry but not specifically in UX (ages 25-45), and while many stuck out the whole course some of us just could not be bothered. We spent most of the class watching the TAs read their slides verbatim (which were not prepared by them), and when asked a question about any of the material they were unable to anwser or asked us to google the anwser....

TL;DR - this is a horrendous waste of your money. Do not under any circumstances attend their part-time ux program as you will be disappointed.