UNC-Chapel Hill Boot Camps

The UNC Full-Stack Bootcamp is an excellent option for anyone looking to change careers or enhance their skills to be more marketable on the job market. I come from an IT background but always wanted to move into a field with a lot of learning and growth potential. The UNC-Chapel Hill boot camp has made this transition possible and is the best decision I had made for my career. This course taught me how to make a full-stack web application using all the new technologies (MERN) and it enabled me quickly to grasp other relevant, important technologies. The instructor (Alper)/TA (Joshua & Carl) were extremely helpful and has a tendency to explain things in simple terms. 
Granted, it wasn't easy, I had to work extremely hard, stay focused, push myself and stay very motivated, but it was worth it. 
To do well in this course you'll need to: -

• Practice Coding 
• Ask Questions
• Utilize the Tutors services
• Utilize the Career Services which will help you to get Employer ready

Lastly, after you graduated from the Bootcamp you will have access to self-paced continuation courses content and support from your instructors and TA's. 

This course was amazing with three amazing instructors, Alper, Joshua, and Carl all there helping you along the way of your journey to reach that Full Stack Certificate! The course was quite a challenge and it can go really fast at times, but make sure to ask your questions, work on the homework and really really practice coding outside of the class to help understand the materials. Just because your a full time at work doesn't mean you can't do the course, I am a direct product of that scenario and put many hours up 17 or more each week to ensure I understood how the code is working. This will change your life especially if you are seeking a change! Two thumbs up!

I signed up for the bootcamp after reviewing several other options. My goal in the bootcamp was to enhance my data analytics skills and combine this with my extensive HR career. Overall the course was extremely challenging and with the amount of material that is covered in 24 weeks, it can be daunting. With that speed, the course isn't going to go deep with some of the more advanced material, but the core material like Python is well covered. One thing I liked about the course was how it builds upon the previous weeks. I found most of the homework helpful to learn and apply some of the concepts (VBA, data manipulation and visualizations) in my day job so that was a huge plus. Be prepared to spend 10-20 hours outside of class on homework and the projects in order to finish them, this course reminded me a lot of grad school in that regard. Overall the instructors were extremely knowledgable and willing to help. One area I had challenges with is career services. As someone who is not starting a brand new career, but looking to blend my current career with data, career services tended to give advice more suited to someone who is looking to ignore their current experience and force you to focus on "being someone new." Just my observation, but I am continuing to work with them in becoming their version of "employer-ready". 

I have to start by saying that this program exceeded any expectations I had. Initially, I had my reservations before starting because there are many programs out there that promote similar skills but don't deliver. At UNC-Bootcamp, I learned things I wanted to learn and then I learned more technologies that I've heard about, but never ventured to work with. The instructors are AMAZING!! They are knowledgeable and it is amazing how much their skills, knowledge and experience helped me understand things that I have struggled for a while trying learn them by myself. The curriculum is well thought and it is design to make you successful and competitive in the real world. I most certainly be forever grateful with the people and the technology I learned. 

This class is SOLID!!!  Noah King is an amazing instructor and spent a lot of time with each student to make sure we knew what was happening.  We also were super fortunate to have Alyssa Sander and Tom Erickson as our TAs.  Both were quick to respond and offered literally perfect support!  My SSA Lisa Shemancik was ALWAYS timely with what needed to be done and supporting us through graduation.  I HIGHLY suggest this course and hope you are as fortunate as I was with this all star staff!  

I graduated with a BS in animal sciences in 2016. After my graduation, I worked for a few years in food service and restaurant management before I was finally able to secure a job as a veterinary assistant. I’ve always loved animals and animal husbandry, and I really believed pursuing a veterinary career was for me. In reality, while I still love veterinary science, I’ve come to find veterinary jobs do not afford much opportunity for creativity or continued learning.
While struggling under the realization that my dream job was maybe not really so dreamy, I found myself devoting more time to my long-time hobby, video game modding. As a few of my mods became popular within small internet communities, I found myself spending more and more time teaching myself game-specific coding languages and collaborating with other modders-- and eventually I had to ask myself, why am I only doing this as a hobby?
I applied to the UNC Coding Boot Camp because I knew of past students (friends of friends) who had gone through the program and really thrived with it. The things that really attracted me to this particular boot camp were a) its affiliation with a major university in my area, b) the variety of financial plans available to make the program affordable, and c) its emphasis on teaching students to “learn to learn” and career assistance.
I am at the halfway point of the UNC Boot Camp program and I am really enjoying it. The Boot Camp is the first academic program whose pace has felt appropriate for how I learn. I am not trying to brag: I struggled in high school and my undergraduate program with paying attention in many lectures because of repetitive review lessons, which meant I sometimes missed new material.
The session I am enrolled in currently is virtual, which I really prefer since I am still working full-time as a veterinary assistant. Despite classes being held online, I feel like the instructional staff has done a great job in encouraging a friendly learning environment. The class has a Slack channel and students readily share resources and homework help there. I feel like I know some of my classmates in the Boot Camp better than I did classmates in my 4-year, in-person undergraduate program.
Unfortunately at this point I cannot offer a review of the career services aspect of the Boot Camp. I have had a number of personal challenges during the course (health issues and an unplanned move due to septic failure), and my student success manager has told me to focus on the program’s academics for the time being. My SSM and instructional staff have been really understanding and supportive! That said, getting to this point in the program has required a huge (but I feel worthwhile) investment of time and work on my part. Depending on the week, homework assignments alone have taken me 10-30 hours, in addition to the 10 standing lecture hours. I am really proud of the homework I’ve submitted and will likely use some of them in a future portfolio, but it was really an adjustment for me to make sure I was setting enough time aside each week to work on the homework.
I am looking forward to the remainder of the program and hope this review is helpful to others!

The UNC data analytics bootcamp was really challenging and required a lot of hard work and diligence. Yet, the experience was positive and worthwhile because the instructor and teaching assistants were dedicated to us learning the concepts, solving the challenges we encountered and applying the knowledge we gained in a meaningful manner. In addition, the bootcamp administrators continuously provided us with the resources we needed to continue building on the material that was presented to us at a fast pace. Overall, it was a great experience and I feel well-equipped for my next career steps. 

It's a six-month program that takes 10 hours of in-class time and 20-40+ hours outside of class. You do not need to know anything about programming to succeed in this bootcmap. I was skeptical about this before enrolling. I can now say this is true after finishing the program. Putting in the hours and being determined to finish every homework/project is all you need. However, the more you know before the further you can push yourself during the program. The instructors, teaching assistants, tutors, career services staff, and administrative staff are supportive throughout. They went the extra mile to help you succeed even if your project went outside the normal scope of the program. I have been teaching in higher education for over a decade and this program has my full endorsement in terms of pedagogical practices, curriculum, and the dedication of the teaching staff.