Chegg Skills

Started the design program in March 2020. I was set up with what I believe is the best mentor possible. The program is set up to work at your own pace but if you put in at least 20-25 hours a week you should be able to finish within the 8 month timeline they set up for you. Since I was unemployed at the time I was able to focus more time each week. Each week I was able to meet with my mentor and go over any burning questions that I had. 

The curriculum is detailed but if you feel that information is missing Google is your best friend. It's something that my mentor mentioned and something that is normal in the UX design world. The field is fast paced so new and better info is always popping up. All the teachers/mentors that review your work give great feedback and try not to let you pass a section just to push you to the end. 

Once you finish the program the career team is super helpful. They have a group video chat at least once a week. Recently they have had past students come and do Q&As. Also, Monday-Fri it's super easy to get your questions asked from them. 

Overall I would recommend the program, but I like to tell people that it takes a lot of effort and mental energy to stay focus.  

 My experience with Thinkful was pretty good. I learned a lot from the classes and I generally enjoyed the experience. I graduated at possibly the worst time to start a job search process, March of 2020 and it took me around one year to find a job. To give more context, I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and all of my previous work experience is in retail. I'm also admittedly, not excessively passionate about data science, so didn't spend that much time on outside projects and learning. My job now is as a Data Management Analyst and I'm not using any of what I learned at Thinkful. So I guess I would be considered to be on the lower end of possible course outcomes. 

I still feel positive about the experience and I found career counseling to be pretty helpful. I blame covid, my lack of experience, and my sorta low effort approach to job searching for how long it took for me to land a job. The course set me on the data career path that I'm on now and I'm thinking of pursuing a master's in data science after working for a year or two. 

This was a great experience for me. Going into the bootcamp I had little to no coding or data science experience. I had some technical skills as an Engineering Physics major, but I was a bit nervous about how I would do. However, after the first couple weeks my nerves went away completely. The amount of resources provided was amazing and I always had a resource available to help me with anything I did not understand. Additionally, getting the opportunity to work on different capstone projects really set me up with real world applications. The one on one mentoring during the bootcamp was also extremely helpful. Having the opportunity to meet twice a week with a professional in the industry really gave me a chance to learn more about what it is like to be a data scientist and what is important to learn/know in the industry. Once I graduated from the bootcamp I was matched with a career coach who was also nothing but amazing. I was provided with advice on how to go about applications, my resume and cover letter were constantly updated and tapered. My career coach even helped provide job recommendations for me each week. Overall, I would highly recommend this bootcamp. It was a great experience and I feel like I was able to gain a lot from it. 

When I had joined the program, I was under the track UX/UI Design (might have been renamed). I was lucky enough to apply for a scholarship which led me to pursue the track. The course is very helpful for someone that is new to design, art fundamentals, and UX/UI. My biggest takeaway was learning the program Figma. I also had a great mentor that had UX/UI industry experience. They were able to walk and support me throughout the curriculum when I was confused on what the assignment was asking. The curriculum itself was 4/5 due to the fact that instructions were sometimes not as clear or it was repetitive in content. Getting in contact with Thinkful support/careers/advisors was the toughest part as I wouldn't get a response until a week later. I can't speak on Job Assistance as I am just starting my job search support with Thinkful. 

The UX/UI bootcamp at Thinkful was a great experience! I wanted a program that was part time so I could keep my job while I made my pivot to Design. The Thinkful bootcamp was great for that because it was self paced (with a schedule or calendar to help you stay on pace), paired you with a mentor to keep you encouraged along your journey, and gave really concrete and solid feedback from assignments. I will say that you should be prepared to find alternative resources and websites to go above and beyond. Thinkful does a great job of helping you learn the core principles and best practices, and gives you access to a lot of other resources to become the best designer possible. The bootcamp also tests you along your journey to make sure you’re actually understanding what you’re learning - the real world/job process will consist of you doing interviews, design exercises, and giving case study presentations. The bootcamp interviews will help you prepare for those interviews (but make sure you do additional practice and research!). After you graduate from the bootcamp, you will enter the job search phase where you’re paired with a career coach who will help you during the job hunt phase. They’ll help you prep and give you guidance during this duanting phase. 
All in all, a very great experience and I’d recommend this bootcamp if you’re someone who can stay motivated during this self-paced journey towards becoming a Designer!

My experience with Thinkful was really positive. I did the Engineering Flex program and got a job offer a few weeks before graduating. I worked full time while doing Thinkful - it was great to be able to do this in some ways because it took the financial pressure off finding a job ASAP, but it would have been nice to be able to spend more time with the curriculum. It was exhausting doing both at once, but totally worth it in the end!

It sometimes felt isolating doing the flex program, but I really liked the 'learn at your own pace' setup. A major benefit of Thinkful is that you have two 45-minute sessions with a mentor every week. I had two really great mentors while at Thinkful, and the weekly sessions felt like plenty of time to work through any issues I was having. 

My advice to new students is to confide in your mentor/peers if you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed, and to be patient with and kind to yourself! You're likely going to be absorbing a lot of brand new information, and you're not going to understand everything straightaway. Getting comfortable with being stuck/confused and celebrating when you figure something out will be key to your long term success! 

The data analytics flex program was a perfect fit for me as I was working a full-time job in another career.  It was truly flexible and could work ahead as much as you'd like if you had vacations coming up or wanted to take a couple of weekends off during the course.  The content was mostly up to date (not sure it's ever possible to be fully up to date with quickly new versions come out) and very easy to follow and learn.  I was able to learn new skills that I had never even heard of before the course.  The 1 on 1 mentor calls were a game-changer as they occur weekly and lasted about an hour.  Every week I learned great information from my mentor's previous experience and knowledge. 

 When I decided I was going to do a bootcamp, a quick google search led to me to believe I was ready to switch to a career in Data Science, so I applied to Thinkful's Data Science program.

Before enrollment, you first talk with a representative to get some more information on why you're choosing to go this route. The rep told me during our conversation that it sounded like I would be a better fit for Data Analytics. This was a big deal as I spoke to other reps from different bootcamps, and they were ready to enroll me without question, which to me seemed like they just wanted my money. 

I enrolled in the part-time flex program. As I got closer to my start date, the more nervous I got. I didn't know what to expect. But all that went away as I started the program. You get assigned an academic success manager, who is there to make sure your journey goes as smooth as possible. If you have any problems/concerns, you ASM was your goto. You also get assigned a mentor, who you meet 2x a week to help guide you with the coursework. I could not have been assigned a better team. My mentor was very knowledgable in his field, and was always ready to answer my questions, even outside of our scheduled meetings.

After you finish the program, you get assigned a career coach, who helps you with your job search. My coach definitely gave me a ton of tips and tricks which helped make my search easier.

All in all, the program was a great experience. Thinkful not only offer job ready skills, but also give you the skills to be a better professional in your field. You also have a great network of people to connect with, which was great to see other students taking on the journey with you. This isn't a program where you can slack off and expect to successful, you have to be committed and ready to put the work in. I never imagined going from being a retail sales associate, to accepting a full-time data analyst job within a year. 

 

Thinkful's data analysis program focused on Excel, SQL, Tableau and Python with extensive lessons, assignments and resources for each. What sets the program apart, however, is the support of an assigned mentor with whom you meet weekly. My mentor was not only a great help in solving analytical problems, but also had invaluable insight into how these programs are used on the job and into the wider landscape of data analysis tools. The career and networking assignments intermixed with the technical skills units are also extremely helpful. I received a job offer for a data analyst position just a day after completing my course. Overall, this is a very good and well-rounded program, especially for those who are pivoting from non-STEM educational or professional backgrounds.