SMU Boot Camps

Hi, 

A little about me and why I enrolled in a data science Bootcamp. I attended college in the late 90s and unfortunately had to leave before finishing to join the workforce. I have been working in my current industry for 20 years although hard to advance I was able to make some advancements. However, there is a ceiling in most industries for individuals without certifications and/or college degrees. So time after time I have taken every available online resource to advance my knowledge in programming, design applications that are relevant in my current field. I have spent about 6 months in the past year trying to ensure I was advancing and found that many industries are changing fast with the vast amounts of data available and highly underused. I spent hours online learning as much as possible but, it was apparent that I need even more and began to research Bootcamps. What stood out to me is that SMU college had Bootcamp that provided more than just the training it also provided guidance in many aspects that were attractive to me. 

The course is very challenging in every way. You will be required to take your success into your own hand and put everything you have into it. The 3 day a week course work is great however, you will need to push yourself to find every available resource you can to be successful course work. I find that its 100% up to you what you get from and out of the course. 

The course opens with Excel and VBA which is great to get your feet wet, however, I would have liked more Power BI and or tools that are available as of today. however, I do realize there are many companies that are still using basic excel and VBA. Looking over the curriculum I would have liked more R or time in emerging technologies. the overall curriculum to me made sense and built on the weeks past.

I am doing my review at the end of week 13 and it has for me been such a blast! 

SUA SPONTE

When I just started the program, I was a bit nervous since I did not have much experience in this academic field. I was given the motivation from my instructors and tutors that I am doing great with the fact I have to do a lot of work on my own. There were days that went pretty good and there were other days that you fell like giving up. The  assisitance from my instructor, classmates and tutors were extremely good and there is this family-like atmosphere that made you feel that you are not alone. 

At the end of the course I can say I learnt a lot of new information which to me sets the foundation of becoming an expert in this  full stack develpment. Whether you are learnig about JS, REACT or the different databases such MYSQL or MONGO , I was thrilled of so much can be done with these information. I will say I did not regret it but you have to be GRIT it after all , success comes by working smart and perseverence.

The course moved quickly, which is to be expected in a boot camp.  The in-class work and homework assignments were appropriate for learning the material that was presented in the lectures.  The expectation that was set before I started the class was that I would need to spend at least 15 hours a weeki outside of class to learn the material.  As it turns out, I needed to spend closer to 20 hours per week to keep up.  Overall, the course was both challenging and a lot of fun.  I would recommend this class to anyone who is motivated to become a developer but needs to develop the necessary skills.

I relocated from El Paso, Tx to Dallas, Tx with the sole purpose of attending the
SMU Coding Bootcamp. The entire process from the beginning to end was a delightful 
journey. The program is well executed with plenty of support to aid you along 
the way. Having a background in Logistics, this field was entirely new for me, but
boy did I learn more than I could have ever expected. I learned to build games,
create servers, work with libraries, store information on databases and so on. 
The takeaway was substantial and now I am a new person. I went from having no 
knowledge to building beautiful applications in the span of six months. As I 
mentioned before the support offered was a great addition to the course. Having
either your private tutor or a one on one in class in addition to the instructors
support. Hats off to Mr. Shantanu, Carlos, Joey, Andrew and Kendrick for all their
help along the way. I also would like to thank Norma for all her support and
guidance on the journey towards employment with my new knowledge and I must add
Netreia who was always there making sure all my needs were met throughout the entire
course. I recommend this program to anyone who is thinking of either a) entering a
new field or b) expanding their current knowledge within the industry. 

I attended the SMU coding bootcamp from April-October of 2017. Before taking this course I had no knowledge of web or software development. To be honest, I was not tech savy in the slightest. Fortunately my instructors were highly knowledgable and passionate about coding. Matt Vella was my teacher and I never felt left behind with his teaching style. He made sure we didn't move on to the next technology/language until we understood the current lesson. In just 6 months, Matt and the teacher assistants, Megan and Tiffany helped transform me into a confident developer. I am excited for my new career to start and cannot praise this program enough.

My son graduated from the SMU Full Stack Bootcamp in April 2022. We chose the boot camp for its SMU affiliation and for a website that enumerates all the ways the boot camp would help with professional placement.  My son was successful with the coursework despite difficulties in contacting staff and team mates throughout.  His "grades" (if you will) were very good.  When it came time to look for work, however, SMU support was non-existent e.g., he did not get help developing a professional resume; preparing for a technical interview; or receiving advice on how to do better.  He managed to obtain six or so interviews on his own, but realized that he did not have the skills for even an entry-level position.  The Bootcamp staff were consistently unavailable, with significant turnover of the "student success" people in 2022.  The bottom line is that my son--and several of his classmates--were still not working after a year of job hunting. SMU needs to be accountable for adhering to the services it promises.  As it is, they simply don't answer the phone, not even to the Better Business Bureau.  Are boot camps still a good idea?  Maybe.  But not this one.

I recently graduated from the FinTech Bootcamp at SMU, where I gained valuable insights into the intersection of finance and technology. As a trader, I had always been accustomed to starting my day before the sun rose. However, through the bootcamp, I discovered how technology can be leveraged to enhance performance and mitigate risk. The highlight of the program for me was delving into the world of Algorithm trading, which I found both fascinating and practical. The bootcamp opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities within the FinTech industry and I highly recommend it to anyone who is eager to explore this ever-evolving field. Furthermore, I would like to add that as an non-native speaker, I am proud to have achieved a 99.5% passing grade, which serves as a testament to the program's inclusivity and accessibility. Even though the program may not always have the most up-to-date content, the real-world applications and case studies provide a valuable learning experience.

This Bootcamp, like most others, is a total scam.  It covers the very basics.  For the cybersecurity bootcamp, it took a whole day just to get students capable of setting up a virtual machine, which is something that should've been done on Day 1.  They attempt to cram broad topics, like Linux programming, into a 1 or 2 week module, which is an insult to the intelligence of students who have earned 4-year degrees and spent years practicing on their own.  Nonetheless, the students come into the program with virtually no tech background and are promised that they will become "experts" within a 6-month time frame.  

Also, the Bootcamp will take a $1000 non-refundable deposit to make sure you feel invested in the program and lock you in.  They won't refund this under any circumstance allegedly, including family and work obligations that would prevent you from continuing with the program (though I was told they refunded  some people except not me, so apparently they are selective and biased about the people to whom they will grant these refunds).    

If you have a reasonably good programming/tech background already, don't bother coughing up the tuition, which is $14,000.    The admissions staff is very friendly and receptive, but the Student Support Manager and others are very slow to respond to emails.  This may be a deliberate attempt to evade customer inquiries, or it may simply be laziness and incompetence.  Either way, it reflects poorly on the work ethic and conduct of the Bootcamp as a whole.