Chegg Skills

I am currently in Thinkful's Full Stack Flex program. I work full-time and I needed the flexibility.  I had some experience going into it, and I honestly think you need to have at least some of the basics down (know some html, css, js). The program is thought, and it’s recommended to dedicate 20 hours a week to keep up. From my experience you need to put way more time in to really grasp all the concepts and become confident in what you learn.

The course is layer out in modules and for each module you read the material and do the drills and projects. The material is very rigorous and provides tons of extra resources as well. If you get stuck solving a drill or need help understanding a concept, you can reach out to people on slack or you can go into office hours and ask your questions. You get a massive amount of support and there are always people around that can help. Plus, you get to meet twice a week for 45 min with your mentor.

The mentor sessions are super important because you use them as mini-interviews where the mentor give you coding challenges, or can help you when you need help building an app or understanding a concept.

They are 5 mock interviews that give you a taste of what a typical interview feels like. I failed my first attempt, and the feedback I received from that helped me improve my learning strategy.

So far I think Thinkful was a great decision for me, it gives me the structure and the safety net I need to learn to code.

Overall I had a great experience learning at Thinkful. I completed the Engineering Immersion program as I thought it would be the best fit for me and I am very happy with my decision. I did quite a bit of research before deciding to take the plunge on a bootcamp as it is a big commitment of both time and money and after all is said and done, Thinkful certainly lived up to my hopes.

The curriculum is focused on technologies and languages that are in demand at the moment and in my job hun/interviews post graduation the stack I learned proved to be a desirable skill set. The teachers, mentors, and support staff were all very knowledgeable, friendly and happy to answer questions. It was clear that everyone that works at Thinkful is passionate about what they do and excited to help the students learn. I never felt like I was just a money maker for the program.

Additionally, the career support both in the curriculum helping me get prepared for interviews etc. as well as the ongoing support after graduation were a big selling point for me and again surpassed my expectations going in. Not only does Thinkful impart the necessary tech knowledge to land a developer position, but really helped me prepare for the day-to-day of being a developer as well as the steps necessary to land that elusive first position. I was lucky and I don't believe this is the norm but I was able to get my first long-term contract 1 week after graduation and I am ecstatic to call myself a developer after the help and tutelage at Thinkful.

I'm sure there were some downsides I felt going through the program but after the fact I can't seem to recall what they were. I will say that the engineering immersion program is fairly rigorous. It was not an easy 5 months but was absolutely worth the effort. Be prepared to learn a lot, fast!

Background:I'm a medically out of work person for over five years when my baby sister goes to a bootcamp. She talks me into trying FreeCode Camp and while I saw the value of self study, I knew a program designed by professionals would be a better fit for me. I prefer remote work because of my physical limitations and Thinkful was a great fit. They gave me support during my trial session, worked with me to get appropriate financing and then helped me stretch and reach further than I thought I could.  Thinkful has given me back my ability to be a more productive person, engage in a virtual community with great mentors and fellow students in Slack, Q&A's and my Engineering Nights and Weekends cohort. Because of my Program Manager in Portland, I've gotten out of the house to attend Meet-ups. That is totally not my comfort zone but I felt supported by her and the rest of the team. Don't be stuck-reach out and check the school out-with financing help, mentors, and a lot of other support including job search help for months after your graduate. IN addision, you will always be a part of the community on Slack with the ability to access your online curriculum if you ever need a refresher. 

I started Thinkful's Data Science part-time flex bootcamp about a month ago.  As I have worked my way through the curriculum, I have been impressed how every subject builds upon the one before.  In such a program where there so many disparate, evolving subjects, having a fluid transition between subjects has made my journey feel so natural.  In addition, the curriculum has been very in-depth and rigorous.   

Everything I have learned, I have been able to practice and gain a deeper understanding through projects and capstones.  Every step of the way, I have had amazing support from my mentor, who is an established Data Scientist.  Through our biweekly conversations, he helps me solve any problems I have encountered throughout the curriculum, tests my understand of some of the more challenging concepts, and trains me to think like a Data Scientist.  The other part of my support system is my Program Manager.  Her enthusiasm and passion for her work and supporting her students really enhances my experience. 

And last but not least, the monthly dinners where everyone in an area gets together to have dinner, chat, work on projects, or hear a speaker is one of the highlights of the program!  

I've done a little freelance work creating websites in the past. I loved it but wasn't sure how to make my love for web dev turn into an actual career. So, about a year ago, I knew that I needed to take my skills to the next level and began to search for bootcamps that would not only help sharpen my skills but also help me change careers.

I stumbled upon Thinkful and I'm so glad I did.

From my initial phone conversation with my mentor, I knew that Thinkful was committed to helping me find a job in the tech industry. They were with me every step of the way from learning basic HTML to accepting a job offer at a tech company in town. 

Never once did I have to question what their motives were, or if they really wanted to see me get a job in the tech industry. They were committed to seeing me develop as a developer and committed to seeing me change careers.

If you're looking for a bootcamp that actually cares about you, Thinkful is the place where you need to be. I highly encourage everyone to give Thinkful a serious look if you're contemplating bootcamps. 

I have just completed the Data Science program at Thinkful. My experience is very positive and I was able to learn data science concepts from some of the most dedicated and experienced Mentors in the field. My program manager was always there when needed and provided full support and guidance in challenging times. However I am not shy to admit that almost every day of the program was a challenge in its self. 

The program material is of intermediate level and you definitely have to have some basic understanding of the concepts before moving on to more advanced topics. For me I came from a non programming background and found everything new. However with proper guidance from my mentors I was able to overcome challenges and proceed in the right direction.

Overall it was a great program, I enjoyed it very much and it exposed me to learning many new things. With that said I now hope that I can find work in the related field.

Before starting the Engineering Immersion (EI) program at Thinkful I was dubious of education in general. Thankfully, Thinkful has restored my views in this matter! I function better with structure so naturally I chose the EI program. The curriculum is structured nicely; after the end of each unit there is a mock interview. I was a horrible interviewer at the begining of my time at Thinkful and within three weeks of graduating I had a job. Near the end of the program there is a lot of time to work on projects which I enjoyed immensly. My only criticism is that communication can be a bit rocky, just stick up for yourself and constantly checkin with your mentor, TAs and PMs. 

Thinkful was a bit of a leap of faith for me. I had been a self-taught static-vanilla-HTML-CSS developer in my spare time, but would never have labeled myself a “developer” that was for CS degrees, or people with years of experience, or so I thought.

I had always been interested in coding, but everytime something held me back. The self-driven route was hard and confusing for me. I had the motivation, but knowing where to start, or any stray path I found myself on made me feel like I wasn’t going to get back on track...

The difference for me was that Thinkful provided REAL live instructors! I decided this is my best shot at achieving a dream of mine, I’m going to do it. And I’m so glad I did.

In retrospect, I was right: The difference was truly made by the instructors and mentors and TAs, even my own fellow students! They all acted as my “sherpas” so to speak: Teaching me along the way my ascent to the top (and let me tell you --it was a difficult climb.)They helped me learn: Best practices, colloquial terms, idea sharing, patience. That was the cornerstone of my success. Without the ability to learn from real people, I never would have succeeded, I just didn’t have the coding street-smarts so to speak. But I learned them, and I learned them quickly.

I got better at asking questions,
I got better at being self sufficient,
and I got better at coding.
 

I was always a problem-solver, and finally I was working with tools.

The change that Thinkul brought to me at a person was priceless. I feel like a new person, and well, in a way, I am! Attending Thinkful makes me feel confident in saying, “I’m a Developer” and I can’t wait to see what I accomplish next!

I am almost three months into the Thinkful Fullstack Flex program and I have to say I am quite impressed. The curriculum is very well structured and provides the right amount of detail. I had only very basic programming skills coming into the bootcamp and I feel that Thinkful goes at a great pace. Even without any coding experience, I think their materials provide enough fundamental lessons to get you up to speed.  

The mentor aspect is also very helpful. Whenever I get stuck or just need some explanation on certain syntax, my mentor provides clear explanations with examples to ensure that I truly understand the concepts.