Springboard

Springboard's Data Science Intensive is a great blend of self paced study, practical coursework, and mentor led training. As part of my mid-career self improvement, I had begun looking at post graduate data science programs at nearby universities. During my research I came across Springboard which was offering a course of training that covered all the same topics as the university programs with better cost and schedule, and complete with access to a data science mentor currently working in the industry.

Having completed the program in early 2017, I feel I came out with a solid technical foundation in data science techniques and tools. On top of that, the practical advice from my awesome mentors was highly valuable with insights into day to day responsibilities and expectations. And, while the sense of community may not have been directly integrated into the course, Springboard does provide the infrastructure of slack channels and office hours for support and communication among students. 

Hey everyone, I want to let everyone know that this workshop has changed my life.
As a student in software engineering... Sticking with the discipline and the kind of learning I went through, it didn't give me a wider range of knowledge i wished to seek.
There was no design or human interaction involved out of school. There was no vibe of control over the things you want to do. Everything was structured and it just wasn't my taste.
So, I decided to take UX Design in hope that it would play along side with my Engineering/Programming background and build a more diverse portfolio.

In the workshop, I finished it in 3 months. Depending on how much time you want to put in it, how fast you want to complete it is all up to you. Obviously the more effort you put into the workshop the more you get out of it. It was very flexible to my time but also intimidating to the point where you're not making use of all your money if you decide to miss a week or even 2 weeks. I honestly could've finished it faster if i put my full focus into the workshop. And that's the point of this program, you work at your own pace and you figure out when you can subsidize it with your daily routine.

I've learned quite a big chunk of stuff and used it to my advantage for my school courses(depends) as well as outside business work.
Do you think I recommend this workshop? I definitely do. You will also get a mentor that will guide you through the course and make sure you succeed with satisfaction. Heck, I already miss my mentor :c

I have taken the data science intensive course which is python based and it really helped me gain a proper understanding on how to deal with cleaning data, pre processing data, doing exploratory data analysis and machine learning. The course material is great. It is simple and easy to learn. The 1:1 mentor sessions every week was super helpful combined with an entire community of data scientists helped me engage in several things. The youtube videos on career and interview prep helped me a lot as well. The topics discovered were very much aligned to what they would expect in a data science interview. I even had a couple of mock interviews. In overall, a great experience, definitely recommend it.

My experience with the UX Design course at Springboard was incredibly pleasant. The materials gathered and provided to the student are thorough without being overwhelming. Being able to work at my own pace has always been the best way to learn for me and the mentor calls provided insight that you wouldn't be able to receive in a traditional classroom setting. My mentor encouraged and helped me set proper goals for our next calls and in the end I had a great portfolio to use for future positions. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone wanting to further their UX knowledge and build a portfolio.

I really enjoyed the Springboard UX design program. It's self-paced, so you do have to have some motivation to finish / get work done, but I found the curriculum to be a great overview of all aspects of UX. I thought all the info was relevant and interesting, and confirmed that I want to work in UX for a career!

As for timeline, I was able to finish the program in one month while also working a part time job. I only felt a little pressed for time at the very end when I was finishing up the final project.

The mentor calls were particularly helpful, especially for career and portfolio advice. Overall I thought this course was great and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in UX.

It was a pleasure and I enjoyed it very much! Upfront I read that former students found Springboard to be so effective because of the mentor calls. That is, for sure, a very important reason. But I want to add that I find the current curricular also very well thought through. I noticed how I was able to put more and more pieces together and create a complete picture of what the course was promising. Well done guys! Thank you very much and all the best to you! I can definitely recommend Springboard!

This is a review of the Foundations of Data Science course through Springboard. I've found the course to be very thorough and specifically catered to an individual with little to no knowledge of the basic tools of large data compilation, analysis and presentation. Real-life data is messy and the course caters to the basic process of cleaning and compiling data that is then suited for hypothesis driven analysis.

It is expensive and well worth if only individuals have substantial time allocated in the day to completed both learning of concepts as well as implementation of the code. One can avail of several shortcuts during the course , which would severly handicap the learning experience. Hence the onus lies on the individual to put an honest effort to work through the datasets in conjunction with the instructors to get the best out of the course.

The self paced learning and the help of the instructor helps busy individuals like me to get a grasp of odd concepts and move through the course. Along with my assigned project I was able to apply concepts to my personal work which is doubly satisfying.

If I were to repeat this course, I would go through the courses in Datacamp, complete them and then join the Foundations course.

With a wonderfully-planned curriculum, an extremely helpful support staff and continuous guidance from a professional mentor, I have learned so much!  And I actually had fun while learning.  Springboard has cultivated an active community of students and graduates.  I would recommend this course for anyone interested in a UX career or anyone who just wants to add UX Design to their skill set.  Ongoing mini projects help you apply what you have learned, and they add up to form a thorough capstone project.  I would recommend giving this course 2-3 months, so projects have a chance to fully form and are not rushed. Overall, a fantastic experience.

I took the Data Analytics for Business course this Fall, and it was easily the best career decision I've ever made. Nearly one month after the course ended I recieved a job offer to do data analytics at a consulting firm. Here's why I'm prepared for this job:

First off, my instructor was an analytics expert whose passion and patience is remarkable. All of the feedback I recieved was constructive, positive, and timely. Additionally, his advice on the job application/interview process made all the difference for me. 

Second, the course material is challenging, applicable to "real world" analytics work, and surprisingly fun. I found myself wanting to do even more case study work when I completed the course material. 

Finally, the Springboard team is a group of happy professionals who truly, sincerely want to see you succeed. That's awesome.

I would recommend this course to anyone looking to make a career pivot into analytics, or to those who simply want to add analytics concepts into their current position. 

I discovered Springboard through the Philly design community and it's been a great decision. I've been working as an agency designer for close to 10 years and was at a point in my career where I knew I needed to make some changes to stay relevant with the rapidly evolving industry. Grad school wasn't looking like the best option, due to its expense and timeframe. For these reasons, Springboard is an excellent alternative to a long-term degree. You get a solid understanding of the core principles of UX design, and their curriculum provides you with a good range of articles and videos from top sources. This is especially helpful since, if you just do a search of UX articles without having any real background in it, the sheer amount of information out there can be overwhelming. By curating a collection of content, Springboard makes it easier to navigate learning about UX design. It was exactly the type of program I was looking for, and I'm glad that I'm able to apply what I'm learning in my office. My student advisor, Catherina, is always pleasant, responsive, and helpful, and my student mentor, Emily, is fantastic. Super knowledgeable, friendly, and supportive. It makes a difference speaking directly to someone who knows the ropes and can provide input. So glad I enrolled!

First, let me say that this isn't an easy course. At least it shouldn't be if you're pushing yourself. It is worth your time and money if it's something you're serious about. If you're not sure, be aware of that before investing.

With that out of the way, I can say with confidence that this is a very good way to get started and branch out into the world of User Experience Design. You'll complete a couple of projects that will walk you through how to approach problems in order to solve them accurately with the added tutelage of a skilled UX professional at your side. It will teach you to fail quickly and be okay with it. You'll learn to find and interview users within a targeted demographic, synthesize patterns and solutions from the data collected, and create quick, iterative prototypes to quickly check to see if you're solving your specific problem well or not. It's a good class.

If you're a working professional in the field, consider asking your company to cover or help cover the tuition. What you learn from this course will end up helping them in return. I worked very hard in this course for four months and got a lot out of it, and by completing it you'll retain access to the material (even as it evolves and changes) for life. It's a very solid investment in yourself, you just have to be a good self-motivator in order to make it through to the end.