UNC-Chapel Hill Boot Camps

Disclaimer: I graduated right as the pandemic hit.

The bootcamp is about as hard as you make it for yourself. In a class of 28, about 3 people dropped out and maybe 1 or 2 people failed. Even though the projects were really hard to get an A on, getting a passing C- was, in my opinion, too easy. Everyone who passes the course is going to have big gaps in their knowledge, but this is the kind of job where you have to keep learning anyway. They can't possibly teach you everything for every job. 

Some of the material taught is more useful than others. While I thought the machine learning stuff was super cool, I've never heard of anyone that has gotten a job in Machine Learning with just a data analytics certificate. By the time I graduated, I had forgotten a lot of SQL and VBA but that's what I spend all my time on at work! Also, I didn't take the, "visualization" part of the course very seriously since I only cared about getting the right numbers but making the data look nice is actually super important.

The job assistance afterwards was great, but again, you have to put in the work because they aren't applying to jobs for you. My career counselor alone was probably worth a huge chunk of $11,000 I paid for the course. I know a few people that passed the course, but almost a year and a half later don't have data analytics jobs and I can tell just by looking at their Linkedin profiles and Githubs that they haven't been listening to their career counselors. 

I got an entry level job as a Data Analyst and while it doesn't pay nearly as well as I hoped, I'm a career switcher and this is the kind of job I was looking for. I'm glad to have a steady, work from home job during the pandemic. I don't know what percent of people that passed the class are actual Data Analysts now but it definitely took me around 6 months to get my job, so don't quit your dayjob.

If you have no programming experience, haven't been to school for many years, and struggle even with basic algebra, I highly recommend you brush up for free on Khan Academy first.

After a lot of research and comparing different programs, I enrolled in the Data Analytics Bootcamp at UNC. It was an amazing experience and I can't believe how much I learned in such a short period of time. For anyone who is thinking about taking this course: it's not going to be easy. It's extremely fast-paced and 10 hours of class + weekly homework assignments require you to spend at least 15 hours per week on it, but there were weeks I spent 25-30 hours on some very challenging assignments. That being said, I've done it all in addition to a full-time job and it all worked out.

The other thing that is absolutely great about this course is Career Services. If you're looking for a job, this course truly helps you find one. If you're willing to relocate, there's a very high chance you'll find a job shortly after the bootcamp with one of the companies in their network. I didn't want to do that, but they still helped me a lot. They provide one-on-one sessions with a career advisor, resume reviews, help with writing cover letters, etc. I want to mention Robin Pajot in particular, who has done bi-weekly 30-minute sessions with me for over 3 months. She's was absolutely fabulous and really helped me getting more confident and more competitive. She went above and beyond to help me with my career.

I highly recommend this course to anyone who's interested in getting skills in data analytics and programming and/or who's looking to find a job in data science or other industries. 

I have spent the last 6 months with such a great group of teachers, TAs, Tutors, and Career Services people that have helped me successfully graduate from this Full Stack Web Development program. I have felt supported by my teacher/TAs (Austin, Tom, Brendan) and my tutor (Maria) was absolutely AMAZING. My career services/leadership support has been and continues to be amazing as well (Thank you Robin, and Lisa). 

I did not have any coding experience but really wanted to do something different and learn skills that were very in demand. Compared to other bootcamps, this one is a reasonable price point and you get what you pay for (exceptional teachers/support). It was really difficult and frustrating at times but overall I highly recommend this to anyone that wants to learn how to code/ get a job in coding.

The Coding Boot Camp at UNC-Chapel Hill was done nothing fill my brain with SO much material, and with a smile and the most patience I've witnessed to this day. But what sets this boot camp apart from others, aside from their straight forward and transparent tuition program (read the fine print when comparing), are the staff running the show. Austin was our beard-devoted, friendly, supportive, and knowledgeable instructor. He ran the show and as a teacher of 8 years myself, I will tell you he with the help of this team, handled not only the expected role of training 30 extremely diversely skilled students, but handled it during the current COVID-19 Pandemic. Yup, all remote. And at first I was concerned because half the reason I took the class was to have people around me and gurus present to help me out and vise versa. But that concern dithered quickly as the team at UNC Boot Camp, though I don't know how, managed to evolve with the times and re-arrange teaching methods and the dynamics of the course to make sure we were going to get what we came for. And they did. 

I've mentioned team several times. Austin was joined by two TAs, Brendan Cannell and Tom Erickson. If you end up with these guys in your class, RUN!!!! No, totally kidding. They are exactly what you want as a mentor/TA/teacher. Again, patient and never lacking the knowledge to cover any random questions or weird situations we tended to get ourselves. GREAT GUYS. All three. But there is a girl! Lisa Shemancik, our energetic, free-spirited, pet-loving bright light in the room was there on day one, periodically throughout the 6 months all the to the end, in person, or, well, remotely but ya know. That being said, if we ever needed anything non-coding related, she was amazing at being prompt with her responses and handling whatever situation you brought to her. Lisa is an amazing woman who works hard to make sure the students are taken care of. 

Its sad to go after being so closely connected with this group for 6-months, but we all developed strong relationships that have already starting turning into business partners, but with a doubt, the experience brings with it many perks you may not think of... such as this. The huge and closely bonded network you leave with. I can't say enough about how impressive and satisfied I was with my experience as a student at the UNC-Chapel Hill Boot Camp, so if you are thinking about it, take my word for it and utilize the incredible program offered, at least for now, remotely! And don't forget all the resources you will walk away with. Every week we were supplied with interview prep questions, the most useful links to help us with that material, 10 hrs of in person class time, which... wait for it... was all recorded and available forever to students forever. So anytime you need to review something for a current project or job, you have the videos in your pocket on your phone, tablet, anywhere online. So yeah... TWO THUMBS UP, 5 STARS, BULLSEYE, HOLE IN ONE, what else? You get it, this was an unforgettable experience that has prepared me for the rest of the life as a full-stack web developer. 

As a course such as this has multiple aspects to review, I've broken it down into sections.

Instruction and Student Support Staff.
Everyone involved in this course were easy to work with, and gave sound feedback. The instruction team were clear and concise. While I can't answer for other students when I asked a question I was generally guided in the right direction for an answer rather than be given the immediate solution. I found this helped me understand the solution I was looking for. One of the biggest hurdles was the move from in class to remote study, but everything worked out well, and transitioned with few problems.

Curriculum
Make no mistake, this course is not a walk in the park, it's fast paced, with barely enough time to catch your breath at times before moving onto the next subject. You will need to put in extra hours and work, but the results are worth it. Remember there is a great team to help in the tougher times, they're available before and after class.
What I would've liked to have seen is a little more time on newer technology such as react (react was still 3+ weeks), I think reducing the time on older technology even by one session each would have made the react sections far easier to work through with the additional time available, hence the 4 points for that. However the older technology is still widely used in many companies.
Projects were fun. The educational value and teamwork experience gained from doing them was priceless, and really helped solidify what you've learned up to that point, you also make some good friends along the way.
Although they don't seem mandatory, the moment you sign up go in and do the pre-work. While it may not seem critical, it helps gel into the start of the course.

Career Services
There are plenty of optional webinars and career services tasks throughout the course. My contact with career services was excellent. You'll get a few invites to webinars, and have the option to chat with a career coach.

Overall
Great bootcamp, I had fun learning a new skill set. I'd strongly recommend doing some up front study which will help cut the learning curve in many areas. The curicullum is strong, the instructional team are

It was a challenging bootcamp but i completed successfully and now I am on my path to a new career as a Solution Developer.

The UNC coding bootcamp has excellent Instructor and Teacher Assistants along with Student  Success Manager and Career Director.  I learned from them how to do a career transformation easy for me. I will recommend this Bootcamp to everyone who is passion about moving up in the current company they work for or if they want to be a coder and want to make transition in their career

I picked this course out of a number of other local schools in my area. I almost chose a different school, but I ulitmately chose this course over others because the financial options offered fit me better. Other schools forced me to take out loans and I didn't want to graduate with debt. 

I must admit, I was skeptical at first. But overtime I began to see the true value of this course; the environment it produces for thier respective students. Every class was lectured by an industry professional, along 3 or 4 other industry professionals as TAs,  in a classroom environment. Those two factors are easily overlooked. Everyday, I had acces to a team of industry professionals who were dealing with the latest industry trends. Thats invaluable. 

The curriculum and pace are well planned for the working professional. Not once through the course did I think that it was too much to handle. I had access to weekly tutoring seesions, along with TA support through Slack when not in class. If anybody used that alot in this course, it was me.  By no means, is this class easy. However, they go the extra mile to ensure that the material is understood. Also, if by chance, if there's something missed during the lecture, they're recorded and easily made accesible after class.

I am so thankful for taking this course. They go above and beyond to set thier students up for success. Thier Career Services dept is pretty thorough. Throughout the entirety of this course, we were given career milestones to help make us Employer Ready, the Employer Competitive by the time the coures was over. 

So, if there's anyone out there, who's on the fence about this. Take the chance and the is school you should pick. I would take over if I could. I loved every part of it.

I spent many years internally debating career change, and reading reviews on this course, and other coding courses before enrolling in the Full-Stack Flex program at UNC. Before the course I was firmly nested in a high paying, albeit stressful, senior management role with a company that I was hesitant to depart. One day the reality of how miserable I was hit me like a truck, I decided it was time for change and I made that leap of faith and enrolled in the course.

I have a lot of confidence in my abilities to learn and adapt, it's probably even a bit of arrogance. I didn't give the prework my undivided attention, only dabbling in my free time, and didn't practice outside of class for the first couple of weeks. I initially completely disregarded all thoroughly documented and forwarded recommendations to do all the prework and practice outside of class beyond homework. This was a colossally huge mistake on my part. The pace of the course feels very quick at the beginning, and I soon found myself utterly overwhelemed, confused and categorically not understanding core concepts. I found myself debating dropping the course around week 3 or 4 and returning to my miserable role at my former company.

I am so happy and fortunate to say my instructor, and the program administrator managed to talk me out of this decision. With their encouragement I strengthened my resolve, found my determination, made the commitment, and gave the course work my undivided attention; ensuring I practiced at minimum 20+ hours each week outside of class on the topics discussed in class.

At some point, around week 9 or 10, things uniformly just clicked for me at which point I found my desire for additional learning completely insatiable. I quickly became very far ahead of the curriculum in conceptual understanding, and even began tackling subjects, frameworks and libraries not even a part of the course curriculum. I couldn't learn enough.

I now knew with certainty I wanted to work in this field. I couldn't even envision myself doing anything else workwise any longer. I began actively interviewing and doing technical screenings very early in the course, approximately midway through, and had respectable, start ASAP, job offers available to me two-thirds of the way through the course. Near the end point of the course, past the end point of new material from the curriculum, I received an offer for a Senior Software Development role with a major technology company in RTP. I couldn't refuse, and couldn't believe I was exiting the course with a six figure position - considering six months before the simplest "Hello World" was beyond me, and five months before I was a hair away of dropping.

Pursuing this course is unquestionably the decision I've ever made in my life, and is also the best investment I've ever made in myself. If you have a desire to work in this field, or want a career change, it is worth every penny and every second of the time commitment - but do understand and learn from my early mistake it is a time commitment. Do the prework. Practice outside of class.

I can't testify to the Job Assistance portion of the program, as I didn't utilize it any respect. I'm a master of professional social media, presence and professional document preparation, so I knew I wouldn't need the assistance. Feedback from peers though leads me to believe this portion of the program leaves much to be desired.

This was a truly invaluable experience for me. After two years of searching for a job in my field with no offers, I decided to register for this boot camp. I had been entertaining the idea of getting into software or web development for several months, but I had never mentioned it to anyone. I felt almost guilty for abandoning an industry that I had never even broken into. I'm unbelievably happy and grateful that I took the plunge with this program! After six rigorous months, I feel as if I've finally found my calling as a web developer. I cannot think of a more perfect field to flex both my creative and technical muscles.

I had an amazing instructor and wonderful TAs. They provided a wealth of knowledge. For the duration of the program, they never failed to encourage us and motivate us. Many of the TAs are former boot campers, so they especially understand how challenging this program can be. 

After finishing this boot camp, I feel confident in my skills and ability to continue learning. I also feel like I have a competitive edge over many people who have received degrees in computer science, as I learned an abdundance of practical skills that employers are looking for. Many of my friends who are successful software engineers have expressed how impressed they are with the curriculum time and time again. 

If you're on the fence about this boot camp, I would urge you to go for it! 

I had a wonderful experience in the UNC-Chapel Hill Coding Bootcamp. The instructor and TA's were approachable, knowledgeable, and helpful. The course is challenging, but you are surrounded by people that generally want you to succeed. And your peers are there to cheer you on as well. There are a ton of resources you have at your disposal to help you along the journey. I have learned so much in the past six months, and I would definitely do it again knowing what I know now about the program. If you are looking for a career change and want to attain highly sought after skills in the next decade, I highly recommend this program. 

The bootcamp was very informative.  The examples and project do a really good job of giving the students a feel for real life in the technical world.  The teacher and TAs are super supportive and help to guide each person.  There is a major time commitment when you take on the developer program.  The subjects move very quickly so if you take a while to catch on you need additional time to practice outside of class.  I wish career services was a little more involved during the process but they are very involved once you complete the course so do not worry they will help with job placement once you have learned everything.  Overall I am very pleased with the amount of subjects I was introduced to look forward to increasing my compentency level with my job.  

I'm a recent graduate of the UNC Chapel Hill Full Stack Flex program, and it was an amazing experience. I went into this course with virtually zero knowledge, and a head of doubts and worries about the investment. Six months later I couldn't be more satisfied with the curriculum, the staff, the career services, and everything in between. 

From the very beginning of the process, everyone involved with the program was very friendly and supportive, even before the first class. It became clear to me quickly that our success was the primary goal of the staff, and that remained true throughout the whole process. I couldn't be more grateful for our TA's Jordan and Mel, our instructor Zach, our Student Success Manager Lisa, who all made the process possible.

The curriculum itself was quite difficult, and at times very frustrating, but the payoff when it all comes together is well worth the struggle. I can't even believe how much knowledge I now have vs. when I started. In retrospect it seems impossible! I was working a job 30+ hours a week during this entire class, and I know some of my fellow graduates were working close to 60! It was difficult to balance the two, but I'm so glad that the option of this part time course was available. A full time class would have seemed near impossible.

In summary, I now have a great foundation in the field of web development, and it has made me very confident going forward into my new career. I would recommend this course to anyone working full time or not, as long as they're willing to put their nose to the grindstone and really give it there all. The return for all of that hard work will surely not disappoint.