Springboard

My experience at Springboard during the UI/UX Design Career Track was very positive. The support staff at Springboard were incredibly helpful and they always responded in a timely manner any time I had a questions or needed help. My mentor was passionate, knowledgeable, and an active part of the UI/UX community. Throughout my entire journey, my mentor was supportive, warm, and kind. The career coaches were wonderful as well, offering up a ton of wonderful advice on how to better prepare you for your job searches and interviews. The curriculum's learning material was sourced from many knowledge sources and for the most part was created by someone outside  of Springboard, which might be a turnoff for some and could certainly be found on your own, however the way the material was presented and utilized insured students came away with knowledge. The capstones and IDP were wonderful for learning and were great additions to my portfolio.  

Overall I'd highly recommend Springboard's UI/UX Design Career Track. My advice is stay on top of your course work, learn and try new things, and connect with other students, alumni, mentors, and coaches. Use the resources Springboard provides you in order to take full advantage of the course. If you find something isn't working properly or you're having an issue with anything, reach out to the support staff and they'll assist you.

Pros:
Amazing mentors
Many career coaches to choose from
Industry design project provides real world experience
Plentiful resources at your disposal
Finish the course feeling prepared

Cons: 
Price a bit high when compared to similar courses
Course relies heavily on information from other websites and creators
IDP could use more structuring

If you want to know more, or want to discuss UI/UX feel free to reach out to me, Joseph Calloway on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-calloway/

If you'd to complete the course yourself here's $750 off your course: https://www.springboard.com/invite/GT3VC 

I've gone through this Bootcamp (Springboard). If you would like to skip all reading and know the final verdict then -> it's a waste of money/time/effort. They will promise you everything in the beginning and hide the most important information. Then, will give you magical statistic numbers of their success during many years, but in the reality, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. If you failed to get the job before, there is a 99.999% chance you will fail after. 
Please do careful research before the final decision to join them. Look at their alumni and how much time they spend to land that first job. Do not listen to what they say. It is just marketing to get people like us (desperate for hope) to get on board and get our money. 
For those who want more information. Going a little dipper. The curriculum is outdated. A lot of mistakes/bugs. No one is willing to fix them even if you will spend your time reporting. 
Mentorship is a joke. Still, there is a smaaaaaall chance you could get a good one, but probably I was the unluckiest one. It was always not enough time to ask all relevant questions and get the answers. 
At the end of the Bootcamp, you are on your own to get that first job. People, please be aware that YOU CAN NOT GET THE JOB not because you do not have the right knowledge/skills but WORK-FIELD EXPERIENCE. Most companies do not give a sh... about your skills/certificates and other things as long as you could prove that you worked and applied that knowledge on a daily basis. Work experience is a key to your success. This Bootcamp IS NOT considered to be work experience. Do not be confused with that. Companies will be looking at you as a lier if you will put this resume as work experience (my own experience). So, be realistic to yourselves, and find a way to get a job. Otherwise, most likely you will be like me after, writing a similar review about your life mistakes with this Bootcamp.
Thank your time and wish you the best.

This program (or these types of programs) really is about the support.  Weekly calls, on-demand help, Slack community, career coaching.  The curriculum is well-curated, but is essentially just access to a bunch of 3rd party educational resources like LinkedIn Learning and DataCamp.  All on-demand video learning.  I would've liked to see a weekly live class or some more real-time teaching from the instructors, but I understand that's what you pay for with the $15-20k bootcamps.  If you've got a great mentor you'll have a good experience as long as you're motivated and disciplined.  

Springboard's Software Engineering Career Track was an incredibly in-depth program that left me feeling well prepared for my new career. With extensive course material, a well-thought curriculum, and 1-on-1 mentorship, I gained the knowledge and experience I could not have from another BootCamp. I have also thoroughly enjoyed the Career Coaching after completion, I get to work with an industry expert on my job search and get guidance that I have not found elsewhere. If you are on the fence about whether you want to take the dive with Springboard or not, I seriously encourage you to take that leap and start your new journey with the best knowledge base you can access!

Springboard DAC program immensely helped me gain the skills and knowledge I need to pivot into a new career path as Data Analyst. The DAC curriculum is well structured and the project based assignments helped me gain confidence. The weekly mentor call was a huge plus for me! Learning from an industry expert 'the structured way of thinking' as a data analyst was my greatest learning. The Springboard's careers team is an amazing resource to help with preparing for interviews. Although the course is self-paced, the weekly mentor calls and career coach calls helps with accountability and motivation. The mock call interviews towards the end really boost the confidence. Springboard's student advisor and the customer support were very accommodative to my situations and prompt with providing assistance from time to time! Also the Slack platform to interact with fellow students is an added advantage. I just completed my coursework and I feel more prepared and confident to make this shift in my career. I am glad I chose Springboard over the other program while I was exploring.

Springboard’s Data Analytics Career Track has helped me accomplish many achievements toward my career. When I first started, I was transitioning from a career as a Customer Service Representative. As I was taking the course, I got promoted internally to an Accounts Receivable Clerk, which I was very pleased with. I directly used the skills I learned from Springboard to leverage myself for a new role within my company. The core strengths and key takeaways I gained from this course was a new approach to structured thinking, a deeper understanding of the importance of networking, and the confidence to become a constant self-learner. Before this course, I had no idea where to begin as a budding data analyst. I had no clue what skills I needed to learn or what those technical skills even did. But, after finishing this course, I now have a clear understanding of what a data analyst does, what the tools of a data analyst are, and what the tools do. Also, now I know how to approach networking with people. Through this course, I gained the confidence I needed to reach out to people for networking, for jobs, for advice, and for help/mentorship. Lastly, Springboard's Data Analytics Career Track program excels due to it's large community of support. Through others in your cohort or through Springboard's large panel of career coaches and mentors, they provide a great source of mental, emotional, and technical support you may need to help you successfully transition into a career as a data analyst. I am definitely glad I chose Springboard!

I started my bootcamp back in June 2021 with minimal tech experience. Exactly 1 year later, I have a job in hand at an exceptional company. I was working a full time job while attending this bootcamp and the 70+ hour work weeks were very tough. My wife and family supported me to complete the task I had set out for.
Springboard is a highly professional bootcamp. The lead instruct is Colt Steele. Signup for a short Udemy course from him and see if you like his teaching style. I thought it was spectacular. My mentor lead me through the process the entire way. He is an industry professional with lots of experience. The asynchronous option was really a must. I could take a week of vacation and then double up in working the following week. The technologies I learned in the bootcamp are exactly what my employers was looking for. 
I highly recommend the bootcamp for anyone looking to break into the tech industry.

My experience with Springboard’s UX Design Career Track provided me with a thorough understanding of the foundations of UX. The course provides a great framework of UX design and the resources to build upon it. I enjoyed working with a mentor and receiving feedback on my projects from people in the industry. Even though the program was online, I felt like I was part of a community and built a network of other students for support. Springboard gave me the confidence to pursue a job in the UX Design industry. 

I chose the Springboard Data Science Career Track because it had great reviews, a job offer guarantee, and it had the most in-depth training program with over 500 hours of training material and 14 projects including 3 capstone projects to share with potential employers.  They also provide significant career coaching which really helps with finding great jobs and getting interviews.  In my opinion, the most valuable part is the mentorship.  Springboard assigns a mentor that you meet with on a weekly basis.  My mentor is fantastic and helped me to get a job with his company.  The training is self-paced and all remote, so I was able to complete most of it while traveling the country in my RV.  The program is a bit expensive compared to some others, but all the benefits are definitely worth the cost especially considering that they will give you your money back if you don't get a job offer in the Data Science field.

Make sure you sign up with REALISTIC expectations!
For reference, yes I graduated, and yes, I got hired. I see so many 5 star reviews on here, but what percentage of these students actually got hired after 6 months? I'll be as honest as I can.
The sales reps at Bootcamps like Springboard commit a serious crime in how they set unrealistic and ridiculous expectations. The job market for UX designers is tough. It can take years to break in, and many starting salaries for entry level in-person positions are under 60k /yr. NOT six figures, (like the “selective”* sales rep at Springboard would have you believe).  *(Selective as they claim to only accept 20% of applicants. Not true. what they really mean is: only 20% of applicants accept them)
The following claim is not true:“Yes, it will cost you $10,000 dollars, but you will make that all back within 3 weeks after you get hired!” - My Springboard sales rep 
If they were truthful, they would have said: “Yes, it will cost you $10,000 dollars, and then you will job search for a full-time job for up to 12 months. You can get a job guarantee, but we really would hate to give you that money back, so we will extend the 6 months as long as possible, and use any excuse possible to disqualify you from it. Finally, IF you actually end up getting a job, you will make the $10,000 back in three months because the starting rate for entry-level is only 60k. - Oh, and that’s not counting all of the money you spent trying to support yourself while you search for jobs full time or the money you could have made during the time spent in the Bootcamp working a second job.”
_ 
As if transitioning to a new career wasn’t financially stressful enough, Springboard would have you PAY them thousands of dollars, and in the end, there is a high chance you will have no job to show for it a year later. It’s all over my LinkedIn feed. If you sign up, make sure you are aware of this issue and the gamble you are taking. 
The only valuable part of Springboard is the mentorship. The hiring manager reviews are not great and are subjective, with little actionable advice beyond a “well done!”, or “you are missing this thing from the rubric that hiring managers could care less about…” In general, for the “Hiring manager reviews,” I’d estimate that they spend as little as 5 minutes on each case study, and give hardly any input. Meanwhile, an actual hiring manager looks at that Case study they passed as “would interview,” rolls their eyes, and thinks:
“Oh, another fictitious, recycled, bootcamp project, NEXT.” - *Deletes you from the list* -
The projects for your final portfolio are not impressive in the slightest to hiring managers unless you go well above and beyond the SpringBoard curriculum. Even the IDP is not impressive on your portfolio. I had to find my own “real” internship and go far above and beyond SpringBoard to land a job. I also got severely lucky in that I got paired with a mentor who could push me to go above and beyond Springboard and make an impressive portfolio, something most students won’t get but does speak volumes about the potentiality of getting a high-quality mentor. 
The percentage of Springboard UI/UX track graduates who get hired after 6 months is embarrassingly low because getting hired after 6 months with three fake projects and one two-week real-world project on your portfolio is unrealistic.
The curriculum itself is merely a collection of links to web pages you could google and find yourself. Also, the quality of the articles is very poor, and grammatical errors can be found everywhere in some articles.
Let’s summarize. You’re paying $1300+ a month for:

• a short 30 minute weekly mentor call
• on demand mentor calls that are so booked you need to schedule them 30 days in advance (and are not that helpful)
• Career advisors who are helpful overall but not necessarily experts about what makes a good portfolio, (the most important aspect)
• A bunch of community advisors and managers who you will never talk to or need help from, but you are still paying for
• An “industry design project” that is so short, that you have next to nothing to show for it (unless you get lucky)
• A sketchy job guarantee with a thousand words of fine details, which according to students I’ve spoken to, will take any opportunity to disqualify you from it or extend it for months
• And, again, the curriculum can be found by google searching for it all yourself

Let’s be honest. All you really need to pay for is the mentor, and maybe a resume expert /career coach who has lots of experience working with UI/UX designers.
My advice? Find a mentor on your own (from your personal network, or just cold message sr. UX designers on LinkedIn). Pay them directly. Something nice, like 500$+ a month (or hire 3 mentors, and pay them all 200$ a month). That would be a great incentive to have them spend more time on calls with you and answer more questions. Then find the curriculum yourself, read UI/UX books, and have your mentor guide you… And during the job search, hire an actual resume expert who has tons of experience in the UI/UX field. Also, you can always find your own “real” client projects. Just email the CEO of small companies and offer to work for free… They won’t turn you down. Springboard will have you work for a client, but you have to pay for an extra month, $1300, for the opportunity to do so… Additionally, not doing Bootcamp projects will set you apart from a large number of Bootcamp grads and give you a competitive edge in the hiring process because your projects would be unique. 
To recap, finding your own client, mentor, and career advisors would be far cheaper and far more effective. Yes, SpringBoard does the legwork of finding them all for you, but is that worth 1300$ a month when you could simply hire them yourself? (And get a cheap google UX certification if you really want a cert). Further still, you can also make sure to pay the truly valuable people, (the mentors and career experts), a lot more money than they would get from Springboard, and also get a lot more help from them.
Take control of your transition to UX yourself. Hire the right mentor and resume expert for the job and pay them well. Never trust a capitalist corporation with your hard-earned money unless it’s absolutely necessary.
If I could do it over, that’s what I would do. 
If at least one person found this transparent review helpful, I would feel very happy 🙂

My experience with Springboard's Software Engineering Career Track Prep was very positive. The lessons are structured well, and typically comprise of downloading the code used during the lesson, watching instructional videos, and then completing exercises at the end of each section. The videos were entertaining, easy to follow, and didn't waste time (they were the best coding tutorial videos I've seen). The exercises were not overly challenging, with the exception of only one that did not align well (the final CSS exercises). At the very end of the course, plenty of practice problems were provided for the Technical Skills Survey (TSS) that were extremely helpful in passing it.

The prep course offers weekly mentor calls and a Slack community, where people will actually respond if you post. Both my mentor and the community were great resources when I got stuck on something. The TSS and the practice TSS questions were challenging, and did require me to use resources outside of Springboard to be able to figure out. If you have no prior coding experience at all, I do think you might need to spend extra time studying for the TSS than what the course suggests.

The prep course's goal is not to get you going with a career, but to get accepted into the main Software Engineering Career Track that Springboard offers. It covers extremely basic HTML, CSS, and Javascript, but only Javascript matters for passing the TSS. If you put in the time and effort, you will be able to pass the TSS and get accepted into the full course by going through their prep course.