Galvanize

Let me start by saying that I've heard similar reviews to this by people from all bootcamps (I spent a month in an internship with ~30 people who came from bootcamps and we swapped stories). Also, I came into the program from a graduate program in STEM and got an internship quickly after - overwhelmingly because of the MS in a STEM field - so these things influence my views.

The top five problems that I found (I am sure I am missing some):

1. Calling it a "bootcamp". Bootcamp implies speed and rigor. This program was easier than a lot of the *single* classes I took in undergrad, not all of the classes I took in a semester, a singular class.

The first quarter was frighteningly basic. I could not understand how you could decide to change careers without that basic level of knowledge and experience. It's about the level of the frontend part of FreeCodeCamp. If you're thinking about basing your life around this career, shouldn't you know what it is first?

The second quarter was painfully slow. It was four weeks. I had worked through 3/4 of the material in a few days in the break week after quarter one (not all of the week, mind you). It was so slow people were going home in the early afternoon every day. (2-3pm) What?

The third quarter actually picked up enough rigor to take up 8-5 work (not evening hours, but at least 8-5) and was the only quarter that wasn't frustrating.

The fourth quarter had that "summer's coming let's chill out vibe" a lot of the time. Frankly I think there was a lot of people giving up on their expectations of a bootcamp by this point. A lot of resignation to the fact that you put a ton of money into something that just didn't deliver a quality education.

Also, Fridays were mostly a waste. There were no lectures on Friday, only a review and "lightening talks". This review consisted of going through the bullet points written into the lectures and writing them on the board while a few sentences were said about that bullet. The lightening talks were supposed to be five minute (always much longer) talks about a tech topic so that people could get used to talking about tech topics in front of a group. Less than a quarter of the lightening talks met those qualifications. The lightening talks were primarily people talking at length about things they were interested in kind of like show and tell, but you're paying $4.2K for it ($21K / 5 days). Almost everyone goofed off after lightening talks ended at three making it hard to accomplish much of anything on that day. Seriously, that means $4.2K wasted to one-line reviews and people gushing about something completely off-topic.

2. The instructor situation was chaotic.

There were four instructors. One was supposed to have been in the field for a long time (the primary instructor). Two were supposed to have been in the field at any point ever (including small contract projects). One was a student from the cohort before.

The first primary instructor we had really didn't know a) how to instruct and b) javascript in a meaningful way. There were warnings from the students in the cohort before ours (who he did a practice lecture with) and from the instructor himself *not to hire this guy*, but they did anyway. It went so badly that they fired him before the first quarter was over.

THEN they took one of the few instructors from the other cohort and made him into our cohort's primary instructor, leaving the other cohort with only one instructor (the other two instructors having gotten jobs/left). The instructor that came to us had just started an MS program, so he was really busy already. The one instructor for the other cohort had a serious family emergency soon after the fiasco with us losing our instructor and we had one instructor left between the two cohorts. The really good instructor had to be shared between the two classes leaving him exhausted and us worried about asking too much of him.

Near the end of our cohort the instructor who had the family emergency before left. I don't know the details, but there's definitely a fight between corporate, who seem to be concerned primarily with money, and the instructors, who seem primarily concerned with education. There were mumblings in the hallways were of this clash pretty regularly. At the end of our cohort, our primary instructor left, likely because of the same concerns. This was the last of the really quality instructors I had known at Galvanize.

3. The pedagogy reflected a complete lack of understanding of teaching/learning. I had been in some sort of teaching/TA/tutoring role for the previous eight years. There's a huge difference between instructors that try to improve by studying educational reasearch and those who do it just through experience or through books the latest fad book with zero citations. Galvanize chose to do the later.

They were dogmatic in their use of "Teach Like a Champion" which included such gems as having the students read outloud the lectures to the class. These lectures (which were actually, more often than not, well put together) were written by someone in corporate, occasionally edited by the instructional staff. This often meant that the instructors themselves didn't really see it as important to read through the lectures ahead of time and anticipate what questions might be asked (like any good instructor knows to do). There were a shocking number of times that the instructors (one in particular) didn't know something was in the lecture they were supposed to be teaching or, even worse, would start to give a half-baked-in-the-moment example of what the material meant only to make the situation FAR worse. These were rookie mistakes that every instructor should make once (I definitely did) and then they should be guided to see that they have to plan ahead. That didn't happen here. Up to the last day, there were painful lectures where there was clearly no planning in advance.

4. There was a complete lack of ability to deal with behavioral problems.

(To be fair, there shouldn't have been behavioral problems in a classroom setting of 16 adults.)

One student was verbally abusive to the instructors and, occasionally, other students as well as being loud and disruptive during lectures. Rather than dealing with this right away, we went through the first quarter and a half with the instructors walking on eggshells around and giving special attention to this one student, greatly decreasing any question or lecture time for the rest of us. It took most of the student body having to set up a meeting with the main instructor (who was beat for the reasons listed above) for anything to change. To his credit, after that the situation in the classroom became more reasonable. He has amazing interpersonal skills and solved the problem, but he's not around anymore, so don't expect someone to know how to handle a similar situation (not that there should even be this situation in an adult classroom).

5. The numbers aren't trustworthy.

Early on in every bootcamp more people were getting hired because the marketplace wasn't saturated with bootcamp grads like it is becoming more and more every day. The hiring rates are inflated from the first group. In our cohort, we definitely haven't hit the "91%" hiring rate the website is currently claiming, despite having been out for six months. And among those who get hired the majority are hired on short contracts which, despite offering little by way of stability, Galvanize doesn't distinguish from more stable sitatuions (which most people are looking for).

Take note of this line on their website: *Placement rate and average starting salary based on 2014-2015 Placement Data

Likewise, they've conviently used the average salary in their reporting. Anyone who has taken a statistics class can tell you what's great about averages compared to their more honest peer - the median. It can make the numbers look more extreme than they actually are. If a few people get really high paying jobs, they drive up the average tremendously.

Additionally the salaries are not what most people might assuming because these jobs are contract jobs so they don't include benefits. That means that the employers have to pay a bit more to entice people to benefit-less jobs.

When I brought this up in by posting an article about other bootcamps agreeing on a common standard in the alumni slack channel, there was a quick move to defensiveness by people who were currently employed by Galvanize signalling to me that it's not likely to change.

To be fair, here's a list of the five positives I can think of (once again, I am likely missing some):

1. The career services person was constantly reminding us of the most important part of the job hunt, which is networking. Of course I knew that this was very important, but having someone there to not let you brush it aside (because you hate it) was really good for me.

2. Galvanize being a longer bootcamp means that you get to go to a lot more networking events during the program. I went to about three a week, on average. The program being six months rather than 14 weeks meant I went to ~70 events rather than ~40, which helped.

3. The career services person pushed me to put what I really wanted to do (work with data) on my resume even though I was nervous I wasn't prepared. Now I have an amazing position doing exactly what I want. (Go Gina!)

4. There are a lot of events at Galvanize and its surrounding businesses, so getting to networking events is very do-able.

5. There are a lot of snacks. I gained about ten pounds because I love snacks. ;)

I can't speak to the experience of job hunting because I was lucky enough to get an internship directly after the program, but I can say that the feedback on why I got that internship points to the idea that the bootcamp was not even a factor in getting it. The impression I get is that I got an opportunity to interview largely because of my MS in a STEM field and that I got the internship because of a combination of having spent the last seven years working through math/science problems generally and having spent the summer before starting Galvanize working through Cracking the Coding Interview specifically (aka - I did well on whiteboarding).

The only thing the bootcamp experience did for me was expose me to more people, and if I were to go back to me when I was trying to figure out what to do I would have just networked more and learned on my own time (much faster). I honestly think that, being profit-driven the whole system tends to take advantage of people who are desperate for jobs and that there is a good chance that the bootcamp system (like academia) will end up leaving a lot of people in debt without jobs when the bubble finally bursts, which it will because this is tech.

If you're wondering why I am one of the only negatives among a sea of positives, it is likely because those who have a positive experience have nothing holding them back from posting it. I waited six months until I got hired (not just intern) to post just in case I made people angry and ruined a networking opportunity. If you haven't found a job, you're even less likely to post because you *definitely* need everyone in your network. Keep this in mind as you search through the reviews.

I attended the data science immersive program for three months in 2017. Galvanize has an amazing community feel, and the instructors are great at explaining concepts to 'naive' students. Through the program, students collaborate with one another which really reinforces concepts taught through lectures. Python and statistics are a must for this program, which is why Galvanize puts students through a screening/interview process. I would recommend this program to anyone who has a high desire to learn and transition into an exciting industry. Galvanize has changed my life through a well thought out course.

After 3 rounds of interview including Python, SQL, Statistics and Machine Learning, I was admitted to the Data Science program in Austin. The syllabus covers a extremely broad topics, not only coding, machine learning algorithm, big-data tools, but also business insight, which was practiced during 4 case studies. I finished 5 online courses related to machine learning, and 3 online courses related to coding before I attended the program. During the program, 30% content are what I already knew, 30% content are familiar to me but I cannot explain the details, and the leftover 40% are what I haven't heard about. The morning and afternoon assignments everyday help students practice the algorithm just learnt, which can enhance the understanding of the algorithm. Btw, the afternnon assignment is finished by a pair of students, providing the chance to practice communication, which is a very important capability a data scientist needs. One of my favorate parts is the review section after all class were finished. Every pair of students were assigned a topic and gave a presentation about 5-10 minutes. Other studens can ask questions, and instructors will help answer questions if needed. It is a very good practice. 

Galvanize DSI - Austin Campus

Galvanize completely exceeded my expectations. The instructors at the Austin campus are superior to any college professor that I had during my time studying engineering. 

When comparing bootcamps, I looked at several options. After speaking with some peers who attended other bootcamps, I know that I made the right choice. These include a competing tech bootcamp and also a major university in Austin that offers some bootcamp programs.

One thing that seperates Galvanize is it's selectivity. The admissions process is pretty rigorous and requires a baseline mathematical knowledge, as well as plenty of studying, and the ability to communicate clearly in technical interviews. At no point in the process did I feel that Galvanize was pushy or trying to 'fill seats'. My peers included several PhDs, many engineers, programmers, an actuary, and many other accomplished individuals.

The curriculum is extremely well designed. The learning style is far superior to a typical college schedule, allowing you to 'drink from the firehose' and absorb a massive ammount of information in a short period of time. I believe the bootcamp format will eventually take over formal education due to it's efficiency. The immersive program feels like a year (it's only 3 months), and has greatly accelerated the rate that I am able to pick up new tech skills.

Our instructors were extremely passionate, well qualified, and great to work with. It was not uncommon for them to spend time with students outside of class to attend workshops and programming meetups. 

Throughout the program, students become connected to the local tech industry, through a combination of campus visits, career services efforts, and the variety of events that take place on campus. I have been fortunate to meet a number of hiring managers, tech employees, and entrepreneurs. At the end of the program, I've built a substantial network in the Austin tech arena. 

If you are smart, ambitious, and value a quality education - Galvanize is the top choice. 

Far and away the best experience in education I've had the pleasure of experience. Thanks to their rigorous interviewing and prep process, every student is brilliant, tenacious, and dedicated to learning more. The instructors are even more so. The environment is collaborative too. We were constantly tapping on each other's shoulders asking for a little help here or there, and never once was anyone annoyed or unhelpful. I can't recommend this more. Whether you're an experienced data analyst or a bright graduate looking to up their skill level, this program is fantastic. I can't recommend this more to anyone looking at upping their skills in data science. 

Galvanize web development immersive is for the people who truly want to learn. The instructors go a great job guiding you throught the thick woods and mountainous terrain of web development, and they really know their stuff. But they won't hold your hand. The best way to get the most out of your time there is by keeping up with the curriculum, and finding extra ways on your own to build on what you have learned. Cultivate your own natural curiousity. Galvanize web dev teaches Node.js/JavaScript, but my cohort had several people do projects in Swift, and pretty much everyone used some large framework or library that wasn't part of the curriculum. If you're ready to take the plunge and do a mixture of instruction and self learning, Galvanize is an atmosphere that will enable you to go very far.

Terrible experience.  Tyler good.  Rob bad Parker bad.  Instructors not care about students and leave early even if you struggling.  Program poorly designed and almost all students waste of money.  Past cohort try to warn me not to come but I did not listen.  Career service helpful but it difficult to get job when not prepared.  Job statistics seem like lie.  We told by instructor past cohort all have jobs but this not true.  They tell me.  15 person start our cohort and only 10 finish.  Out of 10, I guess 5-7 will get job.  91% seem like lie when you look at this in front of your face.  Not good at all.  

Like most things in life, you get out what you put in and this program is no different. The curriculum, the instructor staff, the projects are all designed to take you as far as you can push yourself to go.

As others have said, I also put in 20-30 hours a week outside of the core classroom time and I'm glad for every bit of it.  I wanted to be successful at this.  I wasn't just looking for a new job, I wanted to recreate myself and start building a career around being an effective sofware developer.

What I appreciate most about the curriculum is that it's more than the typical "here's a standard stack, let's learn it".  I loved being immersed in both back and front end development, but more than that I appreciated also being tossed into unfamiliar environments.  We got very comfortable at being uncomfortable.  Knowing that even if we hadn't learned what we were working with, we had the skills to figure it out.

So when I started my first job as a software engineer and I was put in front of a codebase that was written in both Coffeescript and Typescript (I only knew vanilla javascript), the database was Mongo (where I had only seen Postgres), the front end was Angular 1.2 (where we had learned on 1.6) I still was able to release new functionality to prod on day 3.  

Galvanize taught us those skills.  It was not just about which languages, frameworks or libraries to use, but also how to learn.  How to be effective at troubleshooting.  How to plan and break down work into approachable pieces of a larger solution.

I appreciate the instructors for not taking it easy on us. They brought their best every day and expected the same from each of us, pushing us to be better and better, knowing that we could.  I'm also glad they never slowed down the pace because in this industry, things move fast and there's really no choice but to keep up.

I’ve been immersed in some of the “top” education available for tech since middle school. I struggled to fit into an education system that demanded mastery of a concept, but provided no motivation to master said concept due to lack of application. It also discouraged people who were maybe a little more right-brained or allotted brain power to wondering about the application of learned concepts to projects, etc. Therefore, the standard for succeeding in the tech industry meant fitting a specific, stereotypical brand of “tech nerd”. 

Galvanize was a platform that proved all of this wrong. It is a 6-month intensive boot camp where people from all walks of life come together and enter the tech world by building full-stack web apps. By promoting a collaborative and supportive environment, we all learn together that it is by being open-source as a community that technology really becomes something more. Programming ultimately is just a tool. It isn’t some unattainable skill that only introverted tech prodigies are able to master. 

The people who will thrive in this program are those who embrace this philosophy that knowledge is that much more powerful when it’s open-source and everyone is able to bring something different to the table. If you are someone who is looking to level-up their life, Galvanize is the program for you. All you need is to be thirsty for knowledge and always be learning from those around you. Understand that what you’ll be gaining is a true understanding of the importance of community in tech and the confidence that whatever seemingly “unattainable” skill there is in the stereotypical image of the tech world is something you can achieve. 

I graduated from a university in 2012 with a bachelors in psychology and no clear career path. After a few years of traveling and exploring graduate school options for psychology, I decided I wanted to take a completely different route. I found a love for coding and spent 2 months researching ways to learn how to be a developer. I compared many different options including 4 year degrees, online schools, teaching myself, and bootcamps style schools. I discovered Galvanize in the spring of 2016 and was accepted into the program beginning that summer.

I cannot say enough good things about my experience at Galvanize. The instruction team consisted of highly knowledgable, experienced, and passionate teachers. The entire education team at Galvanize cared about every students' success. They truly wanted to help us succeed in the course and after. Their career team and curriculum is not only focused on getting you that first job, but setting up your long term career path.

I graduated from the web-imerssive program in mid-January 2017 and was offered a job 2 weeks later. My salary is above the Galvanize graduate average and I am incredibly happy at my job. My work-life balance is amazing and I am learning more everyday. I am so happy I went to Galvanize and highly recommend it to anyone looking to become a developer.