Chegg Skills

My time at Thinkful was a lot of things- challenging, engaging, and effective. It was marked by periods of frustration and then total euphoria when I was finally able to make things work with the help of my wonderful mentor and support team. In the end, I was successful in finding a new career after about 800 applications, dozens of phone interviews, and a handful of in-person interviews. 

I was fortunate to have support in several forms. My academic advisor provided me with a lot of "meta-knowledge" in terms of learning how to learn effectively. This cut down my time and frustration, coupled with the ability to vent my concerns to her. My mentor was very technically savvy and was always able to help solve my problems. Those who I presented my capstones to were friendly and gave me great feedback on how to improve in the future. Finally, my career advisor was a true professional who guided me through the extremely tedious and grinding job-application process.

I think that the coursework was interesting and comprehensive. In terms of what I do now, I use a fraction of what I learned but in a very focused way (SQL, in particular), but that is to be expected in an age of specialization. I also think that coursework was well-paced and I never fell behind. That said, I was only working in the evenings at the time I took the course, and so I was able to devote several hours a day to my studies at Thinkful.

If I were to change one thing, I would make it more apparent how long and grueling the job-application process can be. Things have changed since COVID, to be sure, but I ended up putting in an equal amount of work into the job-hunting process as I did the data science course at Thinkful.

TL;DR - A non-college graduate like me powered through the coursework and after many failures, eventually found a good job through hard work and a great support team at Thinkful.

Overall: Really informative, effective program. Were very up front with the program, process, etc. Site and modules were laid out well and organized. Would definitely recommend for getting your feet wet (if you're willing to pay the financials) and will work if you immediately continue to practice what you learned in the program. Programs like this though seems best for someone with a related college background (statistics for example) who's looking to build upon or enhance their knowledge/skillset. 

Instructors: I did the Flex program which meant I was paired with a mentor. I went through a total of two after losing touch with my first mentor (mostly due to my own poor communication). Both were very friendly and seemed generally knowledgable. I didn't get much of anything out of these meetings though. After completing an exercise I was often recommended to go through it with my mentor after, but because the modules provided the solutions and "how to" there wasn't much for us to go over. Would recommend Thinkful to provide their mentors more talking points/guidance on how to run these 1:1s to make these interactions more valuable.

Curriculum: A lot was covered and was very informative. Definitely covered what would be needed in a real position from a conceptual and technical standpoint. Would probably recommend either removing some of the sections on resumes and other related points since a lot of this was also just covered again by the career coach after graduation. Despite covering Tableau, SQL, and Python, after searching the job market I don't feel this program provides enough for you to immediately step in to a position that requires you to use these skills proficiently. Excel would be the exception (SQL maybe). I think it does provide a solid foundation, but you would need to practice and develop those skills on your own after to land a position which uses them (I landed a position that primarily uses Excel).

Job Assistance: I had a great experience with this. After graduation you are assigned a career coach to guide you and help you in the job search process. Mine was excellent. She was very knowledgeable and had a lot of great tips. The guidance and tools they provided were valuable and helped me land the role I have now. This is why I feel the modules in the regular curriculum covering resumes and Linkedin are a little unnecessary. This was covered by my career coach and their instruction was far more valuable. This portion covers the 6 months after graduation and I found a position after about 3 months. Though I also didn't follow through with the networking and some of the tasks assigned by my career coach as diligently as was recommended. I also don't have a college degree which did limit some opportunities. 

To reiterate, I did the Flex program. In the regular program you will be in a "class" so you're going to be connected with others to collaborate with and ask questions of. Overall though, as far as bootcamps go, I can't see how it gets much better than Thinkful. I chose them because of great reviews and it lived up to them. If you don't have any background or related college education, you're going to have practice and put in extra work in order to actually get proficient with the skills you'll learn. After just a couple months I found myself forgetting a decent chunk of what I had learned. The program simply doesn't provide enough exercises or projects (and even then the modules sometimes walk you through it a little too much) to master anything outside of Excel. But as I said before it does provide you with a great introduction and solid knowledge foundation. Also if you take more initiative than I did with freelance or practice projects after graduation, you may find yourself with a better mastery of the skills and programs. 

Curriculum
Thinkful advertises their courses as the equivalent of a Master's program. Data science is a broad and deep multidisciplinary topic, and no program could hope to cover everything, but I do feel that Thinkful's program gave me a solid base in data science concepts and practices. No prior knowledge of programming or statistics are assumed, and those basics are covered. Python and its packages for math, statistics, machine learning, and visualization became familiar and comfortable tools (including NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, Matplotlib, Seaborn). There are opportunities to explore further topics via an elective specialization topic later in the course. Course material is also updated to keep up with topics and trends.

Be warned--Thinkful will tell you this program can be completed in six months, and it's definitely possible, but you need to be ready to commit to it as if it is a full-time job, seven days a week, if you want to finish in that time. I worked a part-time job as I worked through the program, and ended up needing to extend my enrollment to complete the full course. Your program manager and mentor will work with you if/when extending your enrollment seems necessary.

Instructors
Thinkful pairs you with one of their mentors for the duration of the course. Mentors have both education and business experience in your chosen field. Students meet with mentors regularly for review and questions about course material. Thinkful offers students the opportunity to change mentors as necessary. If I have a complaint, it is only that when I reached my specialization topic near the end of the course, and the topic I chose was not familiar to my mentor, I had to play "mentor roulette" to attempt to find a mentor with experience in my chosen area. As I understand it, Thinkful has already addressed the issues I had, and a better system is in place to better match students with mentors for this part of the curriculum.

Job Assistance
Job searches are brutal, and probably the most difficult to handle when attempting a career change. Thinkful's job coaches are your best cheerleaders and a needed source of accountability on this part of the journey. I had been working with a career coach even before I committed to Thinkful's program, and it was encouraging to hear my Thinkful career coach offering advice that lined up neatly with a professional who has decades of experience across a broader range of careers. They most likely will not find a job for you, but they will help you develop the skills you'll need to successfully navigate a job search, and find a job in your new chosen field.

I changed careers from a graphic designer over to a UX/UI designer and Bloc/Thinkful's Designer Track course was my first point of contact. My experience was fantastic. They really go deep into all of the topics, as well as give you info that you would normally have to find on your own (and the material is refreshed constantly). My mentor was great, showed up every time and gave me fantastic guidance, that was one of the best experiences for me. Not only that the career guidance (and mentor) I received after finishing the course was incredible. They give you the tools and the necessary info to get out into the work-place. Everyone I dealt with went over and above their normal responsibilities which is refreshing. It's a tough course that requires a lot of commitment but very fulfilling once done. 

I found Thinkful in 2019 and enrolled in the Immersion pre-course in December. After completing the pre-work, I decided the Flex program would be a better option for me, so I switched! I talked to my mentor and my program manager and they were both very supportive of my decision to switch programs. On January 1, 2020 I started the Engineering Flex program. It was a unique situation as the Immersion pre-work is roughly the same as the first month of the Flex program. Thinkful was super helpful and helped me transfer my work so I didn't have to repeat what I just did. 

I settled into a routine with my work and probably spent 20-30 hours per week on the program to start. After everything shut down, I was able to devote more time to the program. I had 3 different mentors - 1 for the first section when I thought I was doing the immersion program, another for the second module through capstone #1, and then another for the React/Node/capstones. I really was able to learn from all 3 of them and had a great experience with each of my mentors. Personally, learning on my own and working 1-on-1 with someone works well for me. I was able to work on my own time and while I did think this contributed to me taking a bit longer on the program, I think I was able to absorb more information. 

My ASM (academic success manager) was also great. She was responsive and I always enjoyed talking to her. She was motivating as I pushed to finish which was helpful. 

The curriculum made sense, for the most part. However, it is a lot of information in a short amount of time. You will not be completely ready for a job. You just have to be curious and willing to do some learning on your own.  Even throughout the program, I had to constantly look things up - which I was grateful for given that in any job you will be doing the same thing. This teaches you how to become a competent "Googler" and researcher. Being able to find the information you're looking for is crucial. I also highly suggest using the resources Thinkful provides, like the technical coaches and the Slack channel. These things were tremendously helpful for me. 

I really appreciated the fact that technical interviews were included in the program. They are nerve-wracking and scary, but so necessary! I feel like that was a huge reason I was able to be successful in real-life interviews upon graduation. Definitely take these seriously and spend time preparing so you can be successful here. 

GETTING A JOB IS NOT EASY. This was a big misconception for me, personally. I thought I would graduate and instantly find a job. I think this is a mistake of bootcamps in general and is not specifically Thinkful's problem. It is extremely difficult to find a position with no prior professional/commercial experience. I would recommend trying to find an internship or something to bridge the gap between bootcamp experience and real-life experience. You really have to be devoted to the job hunt and be willing to apply, put yourself out there, and continue learning after you graduate. A job (most likely) will NOT just fall in your lap. However, if you do the work, you will find a position. Just be patient and realize that it does take 3-6 months. 

Overall, the program was great. I learned a ton of information and made some good connections. I appreciated how some career-prep was integrated into the program as well. I chose Thinkful because of their career support upon completing the program. I knew I would want help with the next step. I was super impressed with my career counselor. She did a fantastic job helping with responding to potential employers and helping me negotiate when I finally did accept a position. 

I graduated form Thinkful's full stack engineering program back in August 2020, and overall I really enjoyed my experience with them. The course structure felt very organized and the staff were always available and willing to help with any issued we encountered. Each 8 hour day consisted of an hour lecture, then about 3 hours of pair programming, then a lunch break, another slightly shorter lecture, then the rest of the day spent pair programming. 

We also did technical interviews regularly throughout the course to make sure that we were keeping up with the material, and to get some interviewing practice. 

And we built a few projects to go in our portfolios. I like that they put a lot of focus on the job search as well as different work styles in the industry. 

Like some other people mentioned, you wont learn absolutely everything you need to know to be job ready, but you will learn the fundamentals, as well as how to acquire the skills and experience you need to get into the industry. 

Overall, I had a great experience with Thinkful, and I'm really proud of everything I learned in the course. I would do it all over again if given the chance.

The Data Analytics Flex Program was exactly what I needed to make a career change from Customer Success to Data Analytics. They guide you through content in an efficient manner and build out your base skills for things that matter in the real world. There is a lot of focus on careers and many resources you have mock interviews with and get feedback and advice from - this was the best part of the program. I talked to I think around 10 people in the field throughout the program. My mentor met with me weekly and was helpful in more ways than just the coursework. Like any learning, you get out of it what you put into it and if you take advantage of the people and the resources then obtaining a job will come easily in the end. 

I recently graduated from Thinkfuls Engineering Immersion course. My experience was pretty great from start to finish. The course is very fast-paced and you are expected to keep up. I would advise brushing up on your Javascript before enrolling. That being said, they are there to help you be successful. I always felt the instructors were knowledgeable and helpful. The TA's were probably the strongest part of the course. They did a great job of helping you solve your own issues. 

This school offered a living stipend as well as deferred payments, which, without it would not have been possible for me to attend. The career services were great, they really do a lot to put you in a good position to find a job. I was hired before our official graduation date and am making 30k more than in my previous position. While the cost can be a bit steep, I feel that attending Thinkful has been a game-changer and absolutely worth it.

The one thing I think that they can improve upon is making sure their mentors are up to date with what the students are learning. 
My mentor was fantastic but at times it felt as if they were disconnected from the curriculum. Overall I would give Thinkful an A, it was a great experience and I am looking forward to my new career. 

1/20/2021
I've been in the UX/UI Intensive program and will soon complete it, and it has been hands down one of the worst experiences of my life. The instructors you meet with face to face are amazing, but literally every other aspect of the program is extremely toxic. The grading is inconsistent, the grading team will fail assignments for things that were not required in the assignment listing, and the actual content is stuff you could definitely find on youtube or somewhere else on the internet for free. It seems like Thinkful actively pushes students to drop out. 
They also straight up lied about class sizes. When I was in the middle of enrolling, the recruiter I spoke with assured me that the instructor to student ratio was about 1:20, only to sign up for the first day and find 60+ students in the cohort. 
Further, they assert that you'll easily find a job afterwards but their rates of successful employment are conveniently skewed from reality. For reference, the first class worth of students from this particular program still has a high unemployment rate amongst them.