BrainStation

The BrainStation UX Design Diploma was incredible experience and led to my first internship at a startup so close to where I live. The entire program was delivered online over the course of 3 months. It was based out of Toronto, but like I said, I worked from the comfort of my home without commuting anywhere. Here are some of the highlights and some considerations.

Highlights

• Hands-On learning helps you learn fast and makes you feel competent at a fast pace
• Teachers who don't make you feel dumb for asking questions and try to create confidence in students while still remaining open to feedback
• Empathetic and available instructors to help you with the course, but also help you with the emotional aspect of switching your career
• TA's that work even more closely with you and answer questions immediately when you need help
• The course is meant to mimic the real world in so many ways, so that you feel confident when you enter the workplace
• Job search advice and seminars on how to tailor you resume and network with industry professionals
• Forces you to learn things beyond the course content, like time-blocking, which is essential when you do land a job in the industry
• Reading content and then immediately practicing it with your cohort helps solidify concepts
• You get to choose the topic of your capstone project so you feel pretty inspired by what you create
• Many Collaborative work opportunities, and learning to provide feedback from others as well as receive feedback from others on your work on a regular basis

Technology

• Figma, Sketch, Invision
• We spent one day on principle and zeplin

Considerations

• You're not going to learn everything there is to know about UX in this course, nor any course probably out there
• UX is about life-long learning. When I got my internship I took 3 more courses on the side b/c they were offered to me for free by the company sponsoring the internship, so if you are offered free courses, I recommend taking them. I learned lots afterwards and also on-the-job. 
• I don't recommend working while taking this course as it starts out calm and goes into full speed before you know it
• No matter what course you take, it's going to be hard work switching over to that new industry without any work experience. There may not be alot of internships out there, but there ARE some and these are your best bet if you're not coming from a design background. 
• It's not going to be easy, but if you love psychology and design, you will likely thrive
• Job Assistance, is NOT job placement. They teach you to create a great resume, talk about how to approach interviews (the most helpful bit) and also try to give you networking advice (which I found to be the least helpful tbh, but that may be because I had no connections to anyone in the industry & was just cold messaging people). 
• It was the best thing I've ever done for myself. I am not an intern, making $15,000 more than I was last year and am doing something I find meaningful

Read less

I really appreciate how our instructors made the advance parts of the content simpler and am thankful for their valuable efforts on responding every question and on motivating us to take part. The content was also very well prepared and the steps were nicely explained. Read less

 One of my friends recommend me to join the Digital Marketing Course in BrainStation. I was so excited to receive her advice and learned a lot from the ten weeks studying.
 1. The contents of the course are very useful and practical, including Marketing Strategy, SEO, Google Analysis, Paid Ads., Email Marketing and so on.
 2. The instructor is very professional and kind who always gave us guide and detail advice.
 3. The final project needs to be used all knowledge and tools we learned, which is the best practice for me.  Read less

I came to the Web Development program at BrainStation from a design background. I had some experience with HTML and CSS, but no broader or deeper understandings of web technologies. The pace of the program is fast, and there were moments of feeling like I wouldn't be able to keep up. However, whenever I would stop to reflect on where I was the week before, I was consistently amazed at how much ground I had covered in such a short amount of time. 

There are so many technologies and ideologies out there. It would be impossible for programs like those delivered at BrainStation to cover it all. The beauty of BrainStation is that it reveals to you just how much you can do. After completing the program, I now have the confidence to know that if I need to learn a new web technology quickly, I absolutely can.

Pros

Community mindset, confidence in independent learning, rich resources

Cons

There will be more than a few late nights / early mornings depending on your sleep schedule.  Read less

My experience as a BrainStation student was one of the best experiences in my life. 

2020 was a year that could be defined with the word change. Like so many other people around the world, I was challenged by the pandemic and lost my job due to covid. Learning about digital marketing had been in my mind for years now, but it was one of those things that I didn't pursue before because of time, routine, being comfortable at work, etc.

The overall experience was very positive, starting with the learning advisors that made the time to answer every question I had and really walked me through the whole process step by step. 

The program was fast-paced. I can't emphasize this enough. This is a challenging program that requires your full attention and dedication. I understand every student is different, but in my case, this was the only thing I was able to work on during those 3 months. Between lectures and working on my projects I probably spent around 60 hours per week. The program was challenging but in a very positive way. At first, I was a little bit intimidated by it, especially after 13 years since I attended school, but I was able to adapt very quickly with the support of my educators, my classmates, and family.

I would define my overall experience taking this program as "the perfect storm", (right timing, right educators, and right classmates). The educators (Josh Muirhead and Justin Lowe) were amazing, both of them leaders in their area of expertise and now with a commitment to share their knowledge in order to help shape a new generation of digital marketers. Learning from them was one of the most rewarding experiences during this time.

The instructors' styles of teaching were very different but in my opinion, I feel we received a very well-balanced learning experience. The content was relevant, the examples they used were always current with what's happening in the industry, and we were always encouraged to seek extra sources of information to stay updated with newer digital marketing trends. 

The introduction of the capstone project wasn't only a perfect exercise to apply everything that we learned throughout the course but also the perfect output to start our own portfolio to use for potential job opportunities. 

I could continue describing what my experience or my day to day was like during this time, but all I can say is that this was the best investment I've ever made. Read less

I’ve taken two courses (UX Design and Product Management) and can’t recommend it highly enough. The instructors for their courses are world class, who are experts in their respective fields, so much of what they are teaching they have real-life experience in. Most instructions also work at some of the best tech companies around. They’re great at providing guidance about best practices for getting into the field and answering any questions between classes. I also found the online live course format to be an excellent option, which was not only convenient, but also provided a great platform to complete the required course work each week. The final projects are built upon weekly acquired knowledge all of which builds towards a full understanding of the topic by the course’s end. Really great courses for anyone looking to gain some new skills or learn about new technology topics.  Read less

 Never could I have imagined that one decision would have such a huge impact on my life.
With the pandemic of 2020, I found myself with plenty of time and no excuses but to face the question of what I truly wanted for my future. I had been looking at attending Wyncode for just over two years, and so I finally decided to take the plunge this past fall season.
My goodness... I never expected it to be the most impactful, amazing, and productive decision of my life thus far. Not to mention, a future and career that is completely transformed, to boot. I learned more than I had ever expected to (considering I was already sold on Wyncode over a few other places I had checked out, receiving far more than I expected was a rare and welcome surprise.) And I was provided with a deeply humane community that I never knew I could be a part of. I felt constantly supported throughout the entire experience, and I felt that I was truly pushed and challenged in the best ways imaginable, to learn and grow in both a technical and personal capacity. And one more time, my future career is now transformed? When they said boot-camp - they were not kidding!...

I have no words. If you are thinking about it - and you can theoretically do this (time, finances etc...)
Take the jump. I can't emphasize how huge that payoff was, that day when I decided to hit "submit" on my application. Read less

I had 3 great learning experiences at BrainStation, both in person and online live. Most recently, I completed the 5 week Product Management course. In this case, I was gearing up for a career switch into the tech industry, and I just got hired as a PM (not knowing very much about what the role involved). Without a doubt, the course at BrainStation helped me develop a foundation I needed to be successful in my career switch.

One thing that's consistent about all BrainStation courses is their focus on keeping the curriculum current and updated with all the developments and digital skills required in industry. They provided a great overview on PM processes as well as real-life examples from our instructors (who actually work as Product leaders in industry). I found that the reading I was doing on my own complemented the course material very well. 

Also, as with all BrainStation courses, there is emphasis placed on applying skills through a project. I think this is where I derived the most value from the course. There is a lot of theory and processes in Product Management, and it differs between companies, but I found that going through the project enabled me to begin to form my own "philosophy" and unique approach to PM.

I would certainly recommend this course to anybody starting off as a PM and encourage them to couple the course content with some independent reading on PM. I would be ready for 2-4 hours of extra work per week on the course project as well. Also, take advantage of the close, small-class environment (even online) and reach out to other classmates and engage with the instructors both in class and on Slack. Read less

I took the 10 week Brainstation Product Management course virtually (through their Online Live platform) over the course of the Fall - finishing up this December. It was the perfect thing to do on dark Tuesday evenings in a pandemic. This was my second Brainstation course and highly recommend it if you’re looking to familiarize yourself with PM concepts. I’ve been a PMM before, so I was familiar with many of the units covered in class from observing PM’s on the job, however, I never really had the opportunity to practice them myself. In order to complete the course, you have to do a project - either alone or in a group - and present your Go-to-Market strategy (though the presentation part is not mandatory). I found myself looking forward to spending time on the project and it’s really the best way to actually absorb the content. I feel confident that I could apply my learnings to real-life situations, either on the job or in a job interview. I learnt more in these 10 weeks than the last year+ of reading product management and agile methodology books. Read less

Wyncode as been an amazing experience! The knowledge and friendships I have gained while in the cohort are absolutely priceless. If you are looking to pivot into the tech industry - I highly recommend checking out their programs. You not only learn the tools to do the job, but the best practices from industry leaders themselves! I enjoyed all the talks, lectures, and projects and am absolutely amazed at everything I learned in the past 10 weeks! So many thanks to Gessica and all of the other TA's and members of the team. You have changed my life!  Read less

This was my second course with BrainStation and I'm thrilled that I was able to take it. As a content marketer, I had little to none web development or programming experience but knew that it would be beneficial to my career to have some knowledge in the field. 

Over the course of ten weeks, I have completed the Web Development Online Live course. From joining the class with limited knowledge on the subject to building a responsive webpage from scratch using HTML and CSS, it was an awesome way to level up my skills while learning from home. I highly recommend the course for anyone looking to take their first steps into web development.  Read less

 My 10 weeks at Wyncode were so rewarding! Each week, I always found myself excited to learn what was coming next in the curriculum. And despite being fully remote, I was able to meet and connect with the amazing folks in my cohort. Thank you to the Wyncode instructional team for all of the support they provided! Feeling excited and ready to pursue my new career path  Read less

This was my third course with Brainstation and the second I've taken through the Online Live platform. I've always enjoyed that the instructors have industry experience and can offer practical advice, along with theory. I found my instructors engaging and tried their best to make the course content understandable. I will say, if you do not have a background in statistics, this course may be more difficult for you. I personally didn't have a background in statistics, so the latter half of the course was challenging. Despite that, I definitely learned a lot and was able to complete my final project and receive my certificate.  Read less

Pros
Career Support (for eternity)
TAs available to answer anything and everything
Help you prep your portfolio
Teach on the latest software/programs

Cons
10 weeks of intense learning (no time to do much outside of the course)
If you miss a class, you will fall behind.

There's no words that can really explain how wonderful Wyncode Academy is. I came from a graphic design background so I understood a little more than others but I still learned SO MUCH with UX/UI. Every single person on the staff is so attentive and caring– they do a really wonderful job of keeping in touch and creating a personal relationship with you.
(One of the co-founders, Jo, personally called me while I was going through a personal situation to ask if I was ok and if I needed anything.)
There's a ton of professional experience coming from Gessica (the instructor) and she will answer any question and go through everything step-by-step. If you're still looking for help the AMAZING TAs are available after class and a little on Saturday.
Another great thing to take away from this course is my public speaking skills.

There isn't any topic they don't touch at Wyncode. Yes, it's a coding academy but it felt like it was also a professional world academy.
This was the greatest thing I could've done for myself especially during COVID. Read less

Over the past ten weeks I completed the Web Development Online Live course through BrainStation. Coming into the program, I did not have a web dev or programming background and found that it wasn't a prerequisite to be successful in the program. In the span of 10 weeks I went from having no knowledge to being able to build a fully responsive web page with HTML and CSS. I've since been able to extend this learning to my job in ways I never would have thought possible. The instructor was engaging and a true industry practitioner. Highly recommend for those who are looking to take their first steps into web programming. Read less

Best decision ever! The whole experience at Wyncode was great. The curriculum is very well structured, and all the staff is there to support you along the way. Gessica, the head instructor is amazing. It is intense but totally worth it, it was a wonderful journey and learning experience. Thank you Wyncode! #wynfam Read less

2020- The only thing I will take with me from this year is the experience and opportunity given to me at Wyncode. The UXUI program brought back my passion for learning new things and has left me inspired to continue pursuing this exciting new career. Our cohort was fully remote yet I was still able to connect with new people beyond the class and found great support in classmates and instructors. The guest speakers were great! Read less

Wyncode was an intense 10 weeks but very rewarding experience! If you put in the work, you will succeed.If I could do it again, I would in a heartbeat. All the staff members, instructors, TAs are experts in their field. Gessica is definitely the best instructor I've experienced in my life! And I feel very well-prepared for my new career path. The culture at Wyncode is very supportive, transparent and positive as well.  Read less