UC Irvine Boot Camps

I decided to pursue a career change to UX/UI to finally pursue a developing passion. I've never been a good student and my disabilities have sometimes made me feel like I couldn't get the education I wanted, something I worried about when starting the program. I switched from art to psychology in college, and after working for five years in the nonprofit mental health/disability accessibility space, I wanted to find a way to further advocate for this community while improving my knowledge on universal design. I am halfway through the UX/UI boot camp with Zhiyu Xue and TA's Elaine Yi and Tridz Banerjee, and I can confidently say that I am happy with my decision to choose UCI's program versus other programs. 

Their virtual classroom environment feels polished and easy to interact with, and the course content with videos and activities are easy to understand - and if it isn't, the instructor and TA's are there to answer any questions and give you real industry examples to help guide you. My favorite aspect of the program is that you are given the opportunity to work individually and as a group; that way, you can learn the basics on your own and bring your ideas to fruition later with your team(s). 

My advice for other prospective students is learn to manage your time! 24 weeks will fly by, but if you're genuinely interested in user experience, the course content will help widen your social lens and be more mindful when interacting with others and the everyday technology we use. Course load might seem intimidating, but your projects can become valuable assets for your future portfolio. And lastly, you're here because you want to learn! We're all here for the same reason, and that camaraderie will be one of the things that will help you get through the program.
Good luck!! :)

• I have always had an interest in media and wanted to pursue something close to what I see myself doing passionately in the long run. I applied because I began working on marketing tactics within my current role and wanted to enhance my knowledge even further. 
• My experience in the boot camp was stellar! I 100% recommend it to anyone willing to step out of their comfort zone and enter the digital realm where you don't have to just be analytical but also creative, collaborative and results-driven. It's very rewarding to have received my certificate in this field because now I get to assist others in how their business/organization can blossom. That to me, is an extremely gratifying feeling. 
• Step out of your comfort zone. Try new things and gain new perspective! Career paths are never linear. 

Zotfully yours,
Victoria Ann Aquino

 Due to the pandemic I had some doubts about how a virtual class would go,  as far as learning something I had no experience in.  Anthony and the instructional support team of Mark and Zach proved me wrong, as the classes were incredibly fun and collaborative. Anthony welcomes questions at any times and explains every line of code thoroughly step by step. He, Mark, and Zach go out of their way to answer any questions you may have and are always just a quick slack message away from helping you if it's outside class hours. Each class is stimulating and challenging, as you are lectured and then put into breakout rooms to work on coding challenges based on what you just learned. The homework assignments and group projects enable you to build a strong portfolio on Github to market yourself to employers post graduation. Disclaimer: You will not become a master in any languages that you learn in the bootcamp (it takes more than 6 months to develop mastery in programming), but the class will provide a solid base knowledge across a wide variety of programs that are relevant (i.e Python, JavaScript, SQL, Tableau), which will put you in a good position post graduation to at least enter the Data Analytics field in an entry level role. As someone who attended UCSD as undergrad for Economics, I would say that the investment in this class was more valuable in terms of practical skills that I  learned. I would highly recommend the course. 

Most of my experience as a project manager has been with hardware development using Waterfall and SAFe methodologies.  I applied to the boot camp to enhance my knowledge and skills for managing software development projects with agile methodologies.  

Our class was first of model for the curriculum which covered:
- The business of software development;
- Traditional project management;
- Waterfall development;
- Agile methodologies and scrum framework;
- Hybrid project management; and
- Project management in operations

The boot camp was conducted via Zoom and overall worked well for breakout sessions and classroom lectures.  Our instructor and TA were very knowledgeable, helpful, and responsive.  The boot camp met my expectations for further understanding SDLC methodologies and what I can expect for leading technology projects.  I really enjoyed working with and learning from my  classmates.  

My favorite aspect of the boot camp was a team project assignment that simulated working through the entire lifecycle of agile with scrum implementation.  It provided the opportunity to work in typical tools (Jira and Confluence) and better understand the roles and activities associated with the roles of scrum master, product manager, development team member, and customer.  

It is helpful if you have project management process knowledge before participating in the boot camp as a foundation.  If you are seeking a career in project management, most industries/companies want or require a PMP (Project Management Professional) certification which is not part of this boot camp.  

This course exceeded my expectations.  I learned so much, and feel like I have the tools to continue my journey with regard to data analytics and data visualization.  My instructor Anthony Taylor and TAs Mark Flynn and Zach Grinacoff were knowledgeable, supportive, and patient.  I know choosing to attend UCI's Data Analytics Bootcamp was the best decision for a number of reasons.  The enrollment process was relatively easy and quick. Jeff Howell (Student Admin Support) is extremely supportive and strives for student success and satisfaction.  He was very responsive throughout the course.  Instructor Anthony Taylor is passionate about his students' success and his energy keeps his students engaged and present.  TA Mark Flynn is a wealth of knowledge especially for us Mac users!  TA Zach always managed to talk me through code step by logical step, and made complex code seem simple.  I have a good amount of knowledge about a lot of programs including, Python, SQL, MongoDB, Tableau, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Leaflet, ETL, Machine Learning, and so much more.  I am by no means an expert in data analytics now, but I have an incredible foundation to work from because of this course. Thank you UCI for this course, and the amazing team of instructors and support staff!

 I took a lot of time to research the best school for me. I knew, I learn best in person due to my disabilities which I told admissions.  Therefore after vetting several schools near me I decided on UC Irvine because it was the only school offering in person.  Well, that changed due to covid (No Fault of the school). How they handled it is completely their fault.  When I wanted to reschedule my session to the next semester to give myself time to prepare(Their response below).  Notice how I didn't ask for a refund but it was mention in his response.  I guess some peoples eyes are always on the money or maybe it was assumed that's what I wanted. I guess it would be to hard to believe a minority still wants to learn to code. 

  Sederick C. <> | Mar 16, 2020, 2:04 PM |  | 
to Jeffrey
Hello Jeffrey, is there an option right now or being considered to allow some students to attend the next round of in-class bootcamp once allowed? Attending an in person study program was an important factor on me deciding on going to UCI or UCLA. I have a learning disability that makes it very difficult to keep up with pace when reading or learning new things. I don't know how well this teaching format will work for me as I have consciously avoided them. I understand the circumstances are out of everyone's control. I'm just looking into options to help improve my success from this program. Thank you,Sederick 




Jeffrey <> | Mar 17, 2020, 11:10 AM | 
to me
Hello Sederick, Thank you for reaching out.

I do realize that transitioning to the online classroom is an adjustment. However, our student’s safety remains our number one priority.
We are prepared to teach the same curriculum and committed to providing the same level of support and instruction virtually. Classes will continue to be delivered with the same number of class lectures and office hours as planned. In addition, we are working on a revamped way to keep up engagement and support, with additional resources, for all students.

These are unusual circumstances where we are all adapting to provide the best student experience possible while prioritizing the safety of our students and instructors. In accordance, we are currently upholding the current program and university policy. Any transferring to a different class section or possible refund has to be followed in accordance with the previous and/or current policy, and are not being granted at this time.

I will work to keep you informed of any changes and up to date with available information.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions and if there is anything specific that we can do to assist you as we work through this transition.
Best,Thank you, Jeff


This school ripped me off.  No one is quitting their jobs to spend thousands of dollars to have a horrible instructor (that doesn't like speaking), not learn to code, unable to apply for coding jobs when you finish, and now have monthly payments to the Turn and Burn school.  Youtube this school.

   You notice how the school says these are "unusual times", its funny that its still Business as usual with Trilogy. Even if you're a person with disabilities.  This school is all about money.  This isn't a student first experience. I can't even use career services because this portfolio they promised I'd have at the end, I do not have. Their career services is so busy, it took me 2 weeks to get a call from them, just so they can tell me they can't help.  I take that back my career counselor told me to submit my materials from the course.  My materials from the awful course that the majority of the class didn't finish because of the horrible instructions.  Expect no learning materials, no best approach, horrible lectures, an instructor of  privilege who has no idea how to teach or talk to people. So now I'm in the same position I started at minus a job.   This school should have a buyers beware notice on all ads. 

I had the pleasure of completing the Data Visualization / Data Analytics Bootcamp at UCI with Anthony Taylor as an instructor. Beyond the course being fantastic and being able to develop a skillset that's served me well, I think one of the distinguishing factors was the quality of instruction from Anthony Taylor as well as the Teaching Assistants (Mark and Kevin) - Anthony was very knowledgeable and with a wealth of industry experience from various companies and consulting roles, as well as a fantastic classroom presence (both virtual and in-person); both Mark and Kevin were fantastic as well.

I had a great experience in this bootcamp with support from my instructor, Anthony Taylor and the two TAs Mark Flynn and Kevin Nguyen. 

Anthony had a fantastic way of teaching in class and online that kept me engaged and kept me learning without ever feeling overwhelmed. If there was an exercise he thought would be best taught in a group setting, he was more than willing to answer questions and make sure everyone understood the material being taught that day. As for the TAs, they were willing to answer questions about homework even if it was far after the homework was due. Even so, the communication is still there after graduation. In fact, I recently asked one of the TAs a question after graduating because I was working on a personal project and got stuck and still got an answer. 

Everyone  that stays at the bootcamp wants to work and is willing to put in the effort to make projects work. You aren't going to find any slackers here because all the slackers will have left early on. All that is left are people just as willing and dedicated to learning the material as you. The instructional staff, including the tutors are all here to make sure you succeed and they have career services that extend to after your bootcamp to help you land that job that you just went to school for. 

I highly recommend this bootcamp and am happy I decided to take it. 

Background for me: I graduated college at Cal State Long Beach for Elementary Education(Liberal Studies). I have a family full of engineers and friends who are mainly engineers too. I feel that I have gone to college for the wrong field and ended up working in Customer Service/Collections positions after college graduation in 2007.  I was supported and encouraged by a close friend who is a software engineer to take this in-person class at UCI, because it offered in-person classes vs. online classes (where it can be impersonal).  The company I have been working for announced plans to move the Collections department to Texas. I have been working with the company for 3 years and saw first-hand how managers and supervisors of 13+ years were laid off as their department went to Henderson and replaced with new local employees. Having a later shift, I was denied approval to move my shift 30 minutes earlier for this class. I made the bold decision to quit my job and invest my time and dedication to this class. It was learning some foreign programming language each week. My instructor Bryan Lowe amazed me with his demonstrations of the curriculum. At first it felt like he was performing magic when he was able to produce the results, but with late night studying, rewatching class videos, researching concepts, conditions, and details helped reveal my understandings for the content. I have to add, that I was very angry at times, grumpy, frustrated and had mostly sleepless nights through this 6 month course.  But there is light at the end of this tunnel.lat  office hours before the class or after the class, I would ask my questions of what I reviewed with the TA’s and Bryan Lowe. There were many times where TA Gautam D. and TA Rika F. would guide me, but not feed me the answer. It was frustrating at first, because I had the perception that TA’s are supposed to answer your questions, but it ended up making sense.  You need to make efforts on your own to figure things out. TA’s would be robbing you of valuable skills that would prepare you to use in the real world. I eventually changed how I studied and researched more, took a break, and saw things clearly eventually getting that lightbulb.   There is a lot of cursing involved in this class, but the satisfaction of figuring out the codes is beyond belief.  Not everyone has the commitment, time, or dedication to continue to dive into programming madness.  But to accurately review my experience, it was the best experience for me.  Not everything was perfect, a small lesson of the curriculum was changed but not completely to make it flow regarding Heroku, the tax documents for this class wasn’t immediately available or clear, but with patience on some aspects of this class, overall, it changed my life in surprising myself that I was capable of learning things that initially intimidated me.  With all the hours you allow yourself to focus on this material, you can only learn and get better. You can’t expect to be an Olympian or Professional Basketball player without putting in the practice. I see a lot of reviews of anger and resentment to this program, which are unfair. This program is like a personal trainer giving you a program, but you have to put in the sweat, time, and obsession to build your muscles. They show you how things are done, but it’s upto the individual to practice.  I can say it brings out everyone’s dark demons, but it just makes everyone who stuck to the end and earned a certificate  have that mutual respect for eachother. It is the qualities, communication skills, and mindset of each individual that will shine through to future employers during interviews to land that job.  I didn’t use the Career Counselor yet, but they have really reached out and sent many emails and calls to remind me to move forward with the milestones. 

SUMMARY:
Bryan Lowe is exceptional, as well as Anthony Taylor who subbed and offered Saturday AWS Athena after class sessions.
Rika and Gautam were awesome TAs. 
Jeff (Admin) was always kind and goes the extra mile for everyone. 
The classmates I had were highly skilled with Computer skills. It definitely was a great experience learning what others were able to create. Great in-person learning environment with humorous, witty, challenging but rewarding moments with a highly knowledgeable instructor who moves to the next and keeps the fast pace so the class isn’t dwelling or spending too much time on frustration. Watch the recordings of the videos, you need to commit the time to get al that you missed in the class. Just keep trying. Don’t give up. Don’t feel discouraged. Be honest with the time you allow yourself to practice and learn. 

After 10 years of experience as a producer/project manager I decided to take a leap of faith and change my career from one side of development, to the other. I chose UCI's coding bootcamp for the price and timeline, but I would highly recommend them for the level of staff support and the work you walk away with on you portfolio. I was able to get a job BEFORE I graduated because my instructor believed in me and all the hard work I put into class.

Overall Experience: 5 Stars
As I mentioned previously, I was able to land a job offer halfway through the 12-week full time course and it was because my instructor believed in me enough to recommend me to an alumni who happened to work at a company that was hiring possible candidates. I will caveat that I was chosen because I put in a lot of hard work (an additional 4-5 hours a day re-doing homework and class activities). The class is extremely fast paced (which I personally loved) and the amount of work we had to do sometimes felt daunting/intimidating, however it gave me the platform I needed to prove to myself and my peers that I had what it takes to make my career dreams come true. If you have the tenacity to always give your 100% to this bootcamp, you WILL be successful. (Seriously, if I can do it... you can.)

Instructors: 5 Stars
From the instructor to the career support staff, I never felt that I was doing this alone. After working in the professional field for over a decade, I took for granted how a classroom environment could really give you that sense of safety to learn and grow. I asked questions, arrived early, stayed late and never stopped communicating with the staff and they always had my back. Whether it was helping me with a homework assignment, answering a question I've asked a dozen times or working with me when life got in the way of class. They were patient, compassionate and always amazing to work with.

Curriculum: 4 Stars
When I started, I had 0 experience with coding and no portfolio whatsoever. By the end of the class, I had a fully functioning website and several homework assignments/projects to show off by demo day. I was proud of the level of work that I accomplished and was confident in my knowledge of it. The only reason why I gave 4 stars over a perfect 5 is because I felt we slowed down the class in some areas I felt strongly in (API project) and had less time for things I really wanted to dive deeper into (C#). This could be attributed to having to learn at the pace of the entire class, as opposed to where I am as an individual. On that same note, I felt group activities really held me back when it came to projects, but this does kind of simulate a real work experience so I can understand why they did that, but that was a personal negative point for me.

Job Assistance: 5 Stars
I received a job offer prior to graduating from bootcamp so it's obvious I'd be giving this bootcamp 5 stars in job assistance. UCI gave me a boost in the networking that is done between current students, Alumnis and faculty. I'm the perfect example of someone who had nothing but the willingness and drive to change her career, and with this bootcamp and its amazing career services team, I was completely prepared to tackle a job interview that I had no prior training for, outside the bootcamp.