Rice University Boot Camps

I decided to pursue the Cybersecurity career path because it is the future. Information Technology is the new "Age" of the world and I believe that Cybersecurity is its future. I have always had a fascination, passion and devotion to Information Technology (IT). This is made obvious by my standing 20 years of experience (professional and otherwise). This mindset drives my commitment to this career path and I am working towards leaving a legacy in the IT world.

I applied to the Rice University Cybersecurity Boot Camp for three major reasons: 1. Cybersecurity Skills Acquisition (which will enable me work and walk my career path); 2. A prestigious institution that will ensure I acquire said skills and equally prepare me on this career path with professional services (Rice University exceeds my expectations).

 

Taking this course in Rice University has been nothing short of a blessing and I intend to take optimum advantage of this opportunity. My experience so far has been satisfactory (and so much more) in the various interesting aspects that make up this Boot Camp. Although my favorite aspect will always remain the Homework and Re-Doing all the activities done in class. Rice University platform offers resources in various platforms such as videos, online reading materials and communities that broaden my knowledge on Cybersecurity. I will definitely refer this glorious and prestigious institution to anyone who wants to further their knowledge on any course or subject.

 

Finally, my advice to any potential student to achieve success will be: Commit, Devote, Be Prepared and Assimilate. This course is the future and Rice University gets you 100% ready to tackle it.

 

I am glad I enrolled into the Rice University Boot Camp for Cybersecurity. It was my 2019 best decision by far.

 

Thank you.

I came in to the course just seeking knowledge that can propel me to the next level in my career; However, I earned a whole lot more. I learned how to code, I learned how to learn and how to teach. I developed empathy and team work skills while working on projects with people from the most diverse of Backgrounds. 

Two months into the course, I landed a job in a fortune 500 company and I have been able to put what I have learnt to good use. Although the pace of the course is very fast, Students need to understand that you get what you put in. The amount of sleepless nights will definitely be worth it eventually. Might I add that when I started this course I had zero coding experience apart from using Excel, but now I develop apps and systems from scratch and I have this burning desire to help people. 

The instructor had a very obvious passion for teaching and imparting knowledge and a very impressive knowledge about all subject matters taught during the class. 

I can confidently say that I came out of the program an all round better person I went in.

Thank you Rice Data Analytics Bootcamp 

Through reading an excellent review article on the front page of the "Houston Chronicle" business section, I first learned about the Rice University Data Analytics and Visualization Boot Camp.  The number of technical skills which could be acquired in the course was very impressive.  Having this course offered at Rice University played a major factor in my final decision to enroll. 

From my first day of class, the high caliber of the instructional and support staff was quite evident.  Cam Kirkland served as the lead instructor and had a real passion for teaching.  He truly wanted each student to succeed in their professional pursuits.  I will always remember his motivating words to our class,  “We’re not here to be mediocre, we are here for excellence.”  

One of my favorite aspects of the course was working on real-world group projects in a collaborative environment (integrating Git/GitHub along with Slack).  Each project was extremely challenging, especially with the tight deadlines.  Without a doubt, Rice opened many doors for me while researching my group projects.  This included meetings with a professor, lawyer, city council member, movie director, and the county flood control district. 

The final project presentation on the last day of class proved to be incredibly rewarding for me. The boot camp gave me the confidence to use data science terminology and methods known by professionals which has greatly enhanced my marketability.  I also developed a great comradery with my new network of fellow classmates.  If you are interested in attending Rice University for a boot camp, please give it your fullest consideration – you will not be disappointed!

One word for my experience- “Amazing”. Amazing teaching staff and amazing curriculum!

Initially I was a little skeptical about joining a bootcamp because of the intense nature of the curriculum that comes along with it. Would I be able to do it? With 2 young kids and 5-day job, will I be able to give my focus on it? I was wrong, it turned out to be just the opposite. You actually get used to the pace and the flow. I come from a healthcare industry and work with a lot of applications ranging from clinical to business and facilities. Information security is a very crucial part while implementing these systems, so I gained a lot of curiosity doing them. Being PCI, HIPAA or PHI compliant made so much more sense while at Rice University cybersecurity bootcamp. I have been applying what I learn from the sessions at my work on a daily basis. Be it creating simple Python programs to automate tasks or making sure only certain ports are opened in a firewall or checking if my web applications are vulnerable or just as simple as access management have helped me tremendously at my current workplace. You learn a lot from this bootcamp. The instructors and teaching assistants have been helping with curriculum as well as giving away general tips on perfecting yourself for the real-world scenario. My biggest suggestion for everyone doing this bootcamp is to collaborate with your co-students, it helps you brainstorm ideas, give a different perspective or outlook and can really extend your knowledge on a topic. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to do so. I am only halfway through this camp but already feel excited to get into the security side. The only thing I wish this bootcamp had was a real hacker come in to do a session to actually see how a criminal mind works and share their personal experience or the list of vulnerabilities they see that auditors don’t. Saying that, I won’t deny the fact that you learn a lot from this bootcamp from Linux administration, Burpsuite, Python programming, Metasploit, SIEM, Wireshark to much more and overall it was the best decision I made in my recent years.

I have a PhD in microbiology and consider myself a self-trained data scientist. During the last 3-4 years in my previous position, I self-trained in R in order to complete many of the company's projects. Back in April, my company announced that it was closing and employees were laid off. When looking for new opportunities, I realized that I was lacking many data science languages and skills. Even though I found a new opportunity within 2 weeks of starting the program where only R was required, I decided to stay and push through. 
My experience in the program was excellent. While learning a new language every week is challenging, instructors and TAs are extremely supportive and want you to succeed. You learn how to code independently and as a group.....So push beyond! Even though I had some data science skills prior joining the program, the program offers skills that are hard to obtain on your own.

I chose Rice University for the Digital Bootcamp because of its reputation and because I live in Houston.  I am thoroughly enjoying it . It's a great way to quickly come up to speed with the latest developments in Digital Marketing. I have found the course to be equally useful to new entrants in the field  as well as people like me who have a digital background but in another country. A lot of my classmates who are business owners of digital businesses are applying the techniques learnt in class and seeing real improvements. The instructional staff is very eager to help the students apply course learning to real life situations. I find that quite refreshing. I highly recommend the Rice University Digital Marketing Bootcamp.   

The Rice University Cyber Security program came with a good price and a reputable name. My over all experience was better than I could ever imagine. This program is built to set you up to be successful, they have great career coaching, lots of education and recruiting seminars to attend. The course work gets you hands on experience on many different platforms. This is a boot camp and that means you need to give 110 percent effort to gain the knowledge that you are seeking. I'm very happy with my choice to attend this boot camp. I recommend Rice University Boot Camp to all who want to get in the IT world of data security.

In June, I decided for a career change.  After a quick Google search, something in the field of data seemed like the best long-term choice based.  I found Rice's data-viz coding bootcamp and reached out.  My query was quickly returned and the recruiter broke down the process simply and efficiently from enrollment to post-graduation.  Less than 6 weeks later, I was attending my first Zoom class, and the rest, as they say, is history!

This class is very fast-paced.  Very. Fast. Paced.  There are no breaks and no slowing down, but the accountability of other classmates and having to attend class and turn in assignments keeps the pressure on in a good way.   I think this proved to be my favorite (albeit, frustrating at times!) part of the class: the camaraderie, and team atmosphere from day one. It seemed to mirror what to expect in this field, as we'd eventually graduate and start to do this for a living.

The instructor and TA were not only knowledgeable, but knew how to explain coding concepts in layman's terms for developing programmers, but also how to make connections with legitimate jargon and relevant business insight.

All in all, I am pleased with my experience and eagerly look forward to my new career!

If you're on the fence, let this be your encouragement to take the dive; you won't regret it!

For anyone looking to add new skills to their toolbelt/portfolio this is the Boot Camp for you! I spent 2+ years trying to learn Python, SQL, and Machine Learning through other "self taught" methods such as YouTube, Udemy, and Code Academy and this Boot Camp was able to teach me everything and more in just 6 months! The real life scenarios and examples they provide really helped take the skills you learn in class and translate them into real life scenarios. Anybody struggling with the self taught mix and match strategy for Python, SQL, Machine Learning, or Blockchain technologies this is the investment you are looking for! Before graduating from the course I earned a promotion in my current role after showcasing some of the projects we created in class. The promotion covered the cost of tuition and some and has really set me on a path to continue to grow as I continue to incorporate more of the skills to future projects! On top of all of that I was also able to develop an automated trading algorithm that took basic trading strategies and combined them with machine learning algorithms to further my stock/crypto portfolios that one day could replace my income from a typical 9-5 job. If you are looking to further your career in your current profession,  or start a career in the Data Science / Financial Technology industry this is the course for you! Just be prepared to put in the time/work and show up to every class and you'll be as satisfied with the outcome as I am!

To begin things, I would definitely recommend this boot camp.  I have long thought that a certain amount of coding experience would be beneficial for just about everyone, and to this point (about the midpoint of the course), this course has provided fascinating projects that have allowed me to become more familiar with the structure of coding languages.  I feel confident that I can create better code and better applications more quickly than when I started.

All that being said, this course can be difficult for someone with a limited familiarity with the subject matter.  The course will be difficult if the student does not have the time or does not take the time to truly understand the role of each line of code.  I had an advantage in this regard as little of what I have seen thus far has been completely new.  If you are new to coding, make sure to ask questions of staff and classmates when you do not understand something and search online as well if your code produces errors.

This is a great bootcamp that will equip you with many useful tools to start a data science path. The pace is fast and be prepared to put the hours. In order to really master any of the tools/skills you will have to spend the hours on your own, as expected with this type of program.
One important to highlight is that the bootcamp should be named "data science or coding for data analytics and visualization" rather than "data analytics and visualization". The "analytics" side is missing. You will not learn analytics in this class. However, if you have a decent math background, you can put the pieces together fairly quickly on your own. 

  I initially saw the advertisement for the Rice Cybersecurity Boot Camp on Facebook.  Looking for a career change, this advertisement caught my attention.  2 weeks later, my bestfriend texted me the link to this and asked, "What are you waiting for?"  I submitted an application online and was contacted by a career counselor.  I completed what I needed and was enrolled in the next class.

  I was nervous and anxious since I had not been in a school setting for twenty years.  The classwork was intense.  The curriculum was carefully set up and I learned a lot in such a short amount of time.  I spent much time on course material and the assignments were very long.  It raised my confidence level because of the amount of material I was actually learning.

  My advice to other students is prepare to learn a lot.  As long as you put in the work and are some what organized, you will find this Bootcamp rewarding.

After a 20 year career in Oil and Gas, I wanted to supplement my knowledge with some Data Analytics experience.  I explored various masters programs and online learning.  I felt the master's programs were too much of a time and financial commitment for what I wanted at this time.  I discovered the Rice Analytics Boot Camp program and decided the 6 months fast-paced format would work well to achieve my goals.

The program is advertised as fast-paced and a real boot camp format.  This is very true.  At times it seems the pace is very quick and hard to keep up with.  But having said that, I think that is one of the benefits, you will be exposed to a lot of various programming, database, data visualization techniques, and platforms so this allows you to dive in where you find an interest or move on without getting bogged down in an area that is not of value to you.

My advice to anybody considering the program, make sure you can dedicate time out of class to studying and completing assignments.  The class sessions will give you enough to get started but to understand what you are doing you need to spend the time outside of the classroom to understand it.

I am still looking for a full-time job after 5 months of graduation . When I was applying for the program, I was presented with a list of partners that hire graduates with the help of carrier service, only to be told at the end of the program that they don't help with actual job referrals or job placements with their partners.  So why do you refer to them as your partners if you don't work together to hire graduates? 
Carrier service cancelled two meetings with the students, we were just kept in the dark with these questions until the end of the program.
All the carrier service did for me was to correct the resume to LinkedIn standards and send out of state job advertsments. Never heard about the program big partners again. ( google, micrisoft, dell, etc)
This is false advertisment and giving false hope.

Also, after the completion of the program, I started preparing for the Comptia security+ exam and I realized that a lot of subjects are not covered during the course.
 If you are new in cybersecurity, the practice material looks like a new course
 I was hoping that it would take me like a month to do the exam but there is a lot more to study by my own after paying $13.000.
I would recommend the program only to people already in cybersecurity who need a refresher just to pass some certifications.