University of Utah Professional Education Boot Camps

The class was an invaluable addition to my career toolbox. I took this course as a learning opportunity so I could talk to my own developers in a way they understood and I could decode what they were reporting to me. The University of Utah boot camp delivered above and beyond my expectations. I was able to secure a promotion and a raise after I completed the course as my employer recognized the value it added to the company. 

The instructors really care about your progress and understanding of the material but the class is time boxed and there is a lot of material to cover both in and out of class. I can’t stress enough how studying on your own will key to success. The class will be what you make of it. If you put in the time and energy you will do well. If you aren't able to sacrifice the time, you should look elsewhere for schooling. The classes were fast paced, intriguing and packed full of information, but the self-learning outside of the classroom is what will move you ahead in the program.

The curriculum is complete and relevant to the workforce today. I appreciate how the program keeps up with the most current technology and imparts it on the class.

Lastly, the career services team is fantastic. The help they provide in getting you ready for the workforce is a special bonus. I know as a hiring manager, a polished resume and portfolio go a long way to getting in the door. However, it’s not mandatory and you have to go the extra mile to fit it in with the regular workload but it is completely worth it.

Overall I’m grateful to this program for giving me the tools and experience to better my position in life.

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The bootcamp was an emazing experience itsefl. I learned so much, and have been able to move to a new company and utilize some of my new skills. The instructors and TAs are amzing and great and helping you connect the dots with the concepts they are going over. They also understand that we come from all backgrounds and don't expect you to know the content in and out. You feel overwhelmed, but then you surprise yourself when you realized you know exactly what you are doing. 

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My motivation for taking this bootcamp was to have a job working remote doing something I am truly interested in. I came to this bootcamp with little to no background in development. My instructor was the best in giving us real world expereince as a web developer. The course does give you so much information that at times it can seem as if a fire hose is pointed straight at you. Rely on your classmates and TA's and don't be afraid to ask for help. Also, making sure to code every day whether it's review, practice, or homework is also a huge benefit. This course is time consuming but rewarding. I would recommend anyone who is wanting to go down this career path to apply!

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I loved this bootcamp.

Pros:

• My instructor! Not only was he very knowledgable and flexible (especially in the early stages where we all felt like headless chickens), he knew how to put up with a class full of 20-to-50 year olds who were all in this for different types of reasons. He also made it very obvious that he cared a *lot* about us and wanted us to succeed.
• My TAs! These guys had previously taken the bootcamp and were an immense help and resource. We got to know them very well, even hanging out at one's house while we made food together and worked on our applications.
• My classmates! I made so many friends and we are planning on sticking together for a long time. We really gelled and wanted to be sure we kept up with each other in our paths to find new careers and new sites/apps we were building.
• My education! I went into the bootcamp already being very familiar with HTML/CSS but not much else. Over the course of 6 months we got a *lot* crammed in and I learned a lot of things. Web Developer jobs are always asking for a variety of different languages & skillsets, and a huge part of what we learned was out there on those job applications.
• My future. TWO WEEKS after graduation (which was also extremely fun, where we held a large event in a space downtown full of recruiters, tech companies, and families, with catered food and a diploma ceremony) I was offered a job. I put in the work: I had a portfolio (thanks to the bootcamp), a polished technical resume (thanks to the bootcamp), and I applied to as many jobs as I could. And my new place loved what I had to offer -- even pointing out that a '6 month bootcamp' was great, compared to some 13 week ones they had heard of. I had been SO SCARED of the fact that my education came from a bootcamp that I hadn't considered that it was, well, a damn good one.
• The U's help! We had a student success advisor who was always trying to keep up with how we were doing. We filled out weekly surveys when logging into class and sometimes if I said I was feeling overwhelmed, she would immediately reach out to help keep me from falling into the shame spiral (WE ALL DO IT, CMON). Plus both she and my instructor gave me nothing but positive energy the whole time, which helped with the whole morale thing.

Cons:

• Cost. I took out a small personal loan for this course, with the mantra that "Don't worry, you'll be doubling your income...  You can do it..."  And it's true, my new job will definitely make it easier for me to pay off this loan much faster.  And in two years I'll be worth even more.
• Personal time.  It's basically college man, it's night class. 3 days a week in class and a TON of homework and studying. I did not have any free time during this bootcamp. But even so I forced myself to prioritize and make time and fit in one class of Tai Chi a week to calm myself down during the harder parts... :)
• You get what you put into it. I absolutely loved this course and wholly endorse it, obviously, having found a job. But if you don't put in the work, if you don't work with your team mates/classmates, you're going to have a bad time.

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First off you should know that prior to this bootcamp I had absolutely no development experience whatsoever. So if that's the same for you don't let that intimidate or discourage you from taking this bootcamp! It does take hard work and sincere effort (afterall what doesn't if you want to be great at something) but if you are serious about learning and expanding your coding skills then this is a fantastic bootcamp for new-comers! 

My motivation for taking this bootcamp was because I wanted to change my degree and career path to computer science. I was a student at the University of Utah studying civil engineering as well as working in the civil engineering field in Utah as a structural engineering intern and draftsman. Because I was working full time and going to school I needed a way to look into computer science before I knew I really wanted to change my degree. When I saw that classes were held at night and on Saturdays I knew that it would fit my schedule. Like I said I had no prior knowledge of anything web development related so I took this bootcamp to learn as much as I could before solidifying my decision to finish a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. What I found is that the skills I learned in this bootcamp are used in the real-world and helped me greatly to find and apply for jobs at a junior developer level. After going through this changing process I am so happy that I took this bootcamp and made the decision to become a developer!

I graduated March 2018 from the bootcamp offered at the University of Utah and was asked to come back as a TA in February. Shortly after graduating I received a promotion at my job to improve the intranet system for the entire company using PHP which I had to teach myself. I am one of two developers for the company. I used the skills I learned fairly early on in the bootcamp in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, Bootstrap, and Google Firebase to help me create a scheduling web app for my work which was then used for the small department I used to work in and helped me to receive my promotion as a full-time developer. I use all of the technologies and skills taught in this bootcamp at my job because they are so relevant to real-world work. I am also working as a freelance web developer for two other companies that have reached out to me after graduating asking me to create their online presence in wordpress which I had to teach myself to use. 

Lastly, I would say the greatest skill I got from being a student here is learning how to learn. Meaning that I have learned how to teach myself new languages, how to keep up with the ever improving tech industry and be patient with the process of becoming proficient at something new. I highly recommend this bootcamp!

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I was a graduate from the first course at the University and afterwards hired on as a TA. I had a great experience and am now employed as a full stack asp.net developer utilizing a lot of the skills learned in this bootcamp.

This course is fast paced and you learn a LOT of material of the entirety of the class. It can definitely be overwhelming at times, but the instructional staff is always willing to help and wanting you to succeed. If you are willing to dedicate the time it takes to master the material this is a very good bootcamp that will teach you skills needed to be employable in the current professional market. 

You will learn everything you need to be a full stack developer using various JavaScript frameworks. In particular the MERN stack. Because this is a pretty comprehensive course you will also learn SQL and work with relational databases while focusing later on the non-relational database MongoDB.

As for front-end JavaScript libraries and frameworks you will primarily cover jQuery and React with other less used ones mixed in.

The 3 projects you work on are the highlights of the course. Be ready to work long hours on applications that are completely up to you and your team to create from the ground up. This is difficult but incredibly rewarding. 

I have seen people really struggle with the long hours and the commitment, and others come out very employable with their careers shifted to the software realm. This is not a college course where you are gunning for that 4.0, this is a pass/fail certification course that will give you all the tools and resources you need to make full stack web based applications. What you will be able to create after this course is truly amazing. If you are anything like me, you will also be impressed with yourself.

To rehash, this course is very time consuming, thorough, and intense. But the instructional staff is great and what you learn is worth every penny as long as you are able and willing to commit. You will not learn everything in the industry, but you will at least have an understanding and the knowledge base to go on and learn it either by yourself or in your career.

I would personally recommend this course.

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I graduated from the University of Utah Coding Bootcamp in March of 2018. I had a great experience, and learned more in six months than I thought possible. I went into the bootcamp with zero experience in web development, and left with the confidence I needed to search for jobs in the field of study.

The intstructors and support staff were all amazing, I couldn't have done it without each ot them. I reached out to them countless times outside of office hours, and they were always willing to help. I was also able to secure a tutor when I needed additional help with the coursework.

I will say that the bootcamp was incredibly intense. You will learn a subject, apply that subject, and then complete a project on that subject, all while learning something new. There were plenty of times that I felt overwhelmend, but I knew going in that I should be prepared for that.

I spent an additional 20-30 hours a week outside of class doing projects, watching videos, re-doing assignments. That is in addition to the 12-14 hours (depending on if I arrived early, stayed late) that I spent in class. I did this while working full time, your life will pretty much be on hold for the six months of the course.

Overall I feel I was given a very good education, I developed deep and meaningful skills in quite a few areas, where other areas we only touched on briefly. I would have liked to have spent more time on languages such as C#, python, Ruby, but I also understand that you can only cover so much in a six month period of time. I do feel like I was given the skills to reseach languages and learn them on my own, so even though there were some gaps, I feel confident that I can learn new languages when I need to.

If you have the desire, and are willing to dedicate the needed time, this is a great bootcamp. The support, TA's, and Teachers were all great. If you are looking to learn web development, I highly recommend the Unversity of Utah Coding Bootcamp.

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I came in knowing nothing it was easy to follow and complete even on the basic requirements for the class now I'm look I ng forward to getting my certification and starting a new career............................................................................................... ............                                                                                      Read less

I took the cyber security bootcamp and it was a great experience. The course is 6 months long, but time will go super fast. It was hard and challenging and had late nights doing homework. It did fried my brain since it was too much information, but well worth it. I love learning new things and this is exactly what I want to learn to give me a great career. The professor was excellent on his teachings and very supportive. All the TA’s were wonderful too. Honestly, this is the best class I have taken and the best support I have had. You make great friends and build network.  Read less

What led me to this bootcamp originally was my interest years ago in web development, I just couldn't find a really "structured" course. I can't say it was all sunshine and rainbows but I CAN say that it definitely made me reevaluate how much I thought I was capable of accomplishing. The structure of the course is perfect, though it is fast-paced, being able to get 24/7 support from AskBCS and help from our AMAZING TA's before and after class was sooooooo incredible. I not only feel comfortable enough to start job hunting but I feel comfortable enough to start dabbling in technologies we didn't even go over in class! To any and all future applicants- buckle up or watch it flash right passed you in the blink of an eye. Don't be afraid to ask 'dumb' questions, make connections with your classmates to help each other through, make mistakes because you can resubmit work a generous amount of times and if you don't got the drive- don't waste your time! Read less

This boot camp provided me with more than enough tools and guidance to change my direction in my life. I wanted to learn a new skillset that could put me in the ranks of understanding our ever changing world. This boot camp gave me the information I needed to be on my way to accomplish just that. I appreciated the amount of information that was given and additionally, how the instructor taught the class. The class moves at a very fast pace and has the ability to feel overwhelming at times. However, having zero background in coding, I did not just squeak by. There are many opportunities for help including 20+ tutors, in class TAs, Xpert Learning Assistant, and more. Although online, you are connected with students of various computer backgrounds. I have found every aspect of this class to be enriching in one form or another. Everything in this class, a computer or person, is there to help you get to the finish line. I very much appreciated the tutor sessions I had for any topic of class. They truly go above and beyond and keep your developer journey's momentum. You will find benefit in being dynamic in your mindset while working on assignments and class work. Stay dedicated to continual learning, time management, and giving grace to yourself when needed. This class will land you the job, and they will teach you there is more to learn and more to come from what you have already accomplished. Read less

I came to this program after getting my undergraduate degree in computer science and information technology. While I learned a lot in that time about computer science and the theory behind it, I did not feel I knew the new and relevant technologies of coding. This covered all those bases, and I am happy to have attended the program. I feel more confident in the knowledge of what I learned here for a future career. I must also say the Staff for the program was very knowledgeable and helpful the whole time and were happy to see you learn and succeed. 

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The U of U Cybersecurity Boot Camp was genuinely rewarding and has changed my life in ways I couldn’t fathom. I went into this program not knowing what to expect. I truly believe this is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve learned things I’ve always wondered about and watching an expert demonstrate these concepts was incredible to experience. 

 Things I particularly enjoyed:

• Real-world experience with in-class activities that are geared towards success. 
• The instructor (Mr. F) really complimented the study material well and couldn’t have been better. It was extremely interesting all the way through. I’m usually one to steer clear of the front of the classroom and I enjoyed it enough that I moved to the front row.
• Being able to interact with a cybersecurity expert and get an inside look at the field. We were taught things you simply just can’t learn from a book. 
• Career-focused exposure to all different aspects of cybersecurity. 
• The homework was challenging but the assignments were definitely interesting and applicable to the real world. 
• The career services are a huge help, the one on one meetings on zoom have been very beneficial. 
• ALL of the staff were outstanding. The instructor, the TA's, the tutor along with career services mentor always welcomed any questions I had and were ambitious to help out.

Things I found to be challenging:

• The classes were three to four hours long (weekends) which weres taxing at times but the interesting nature of the activities made it go by surprisingly fast.
• This program requires a lot of time outside of class to get these concepts down. I really enjoyed the material we were working with so putting in time outside of class was easy. I would average 20-30 hrs a week depending on what we were covering that week.
• One thing that we were told on the first day was how challenging the class was and how it gets progressively more difficult as it goes on, there's no denying that at all. 
• It was stressful and took up a tremendous amount of time but was very well worth it in the end.

I fully endorse this program and highly suggest other students dive in. My only regret was not doing this sooner. It was by far the best educational endeavor I’ve experienced.  Read less

I did the full stack program here and it was awesome. I like that they teach front end and back end development so that everyone can see for themselves which they would prefer. That, and it being through the U, was why I chose this boot camp. The curriculum was very good and helped me in my current role and also helped me get a promotion. The information taught is what should be known by anyone working in software development in my opinion, it isn't just for developers. There is a lot you can do with this kind of knowledge. 

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In this program we learned to use javascript and frameworks associated with it, including Node, Express, React, and jQuery. We also learned to use Mongo and mySQL databases. I really enjoyed the program, even though it was very fast paced. I think it is important for anyone that is looking into the program to make sure this is something they are really interested in learning, because it is a very intense 6 months. The level of support avaliable is excellent though, and the instructors and other administration want to see you succeed. I think it was very worth it.

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Started with minimal coding knowledge and left learning more than I did getting my bachelor's. I met a lot of great people, the instructor and TAs were very knowledgable and helpful. My favorite part was the projects, that's where I really put my skills to the test. I learned a lot and I am excited for my future in the developing world.

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I've been doing PHP coding for 5 years and wanted to learn Full Stack JavaScript development but I needed to make sure whatever course I took was rigorous, comprehensive and affordable. I have to say that I couldn't be happier with the results. I have learned so much in just six months. It started out basic and slow to give the inexperienced students a good starting point and it built on the presented concepts very well as the course got going. We learned how to build front-end websites and excellently transitioned into JavaScript which the rest of the class focused on. It was an intense workload at times, but you need to struggle with these things to start mastering them. They force you into that position because it really is educational and develops a plethora of skills well beyond learning a programming language. My only issue is that a lot of the homework assignments were games. Games are fun and engaging, but the real-world project stuff didn't come into play until a fair way into the class. Regardless, at the end of the day I have learned exactly what the course advertised, true full stack web application skills. I'm now transitioning from the small startup I've been employed with to a much bigger company with better benefits, salary and the opportunity to work on entire applications instead of code monkeying scripts. I highly recommend talking to the reps if you are at all interested in software, a stable and upwardly mobile carrer or want a program that is much cheaper than the big name bootcamps in New York and Chicago.

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I highly recommend the University of Utah's Full Stack Web Development program. I participated in the 6 month part time program where I comprehensively learned industry standard frontend and backend web dev technologies and languages. My instructor was extremely knowledgeable and consistently took the time to ensure that we were taken care of. I got a job as a Software Engineer right out of the program and I can directly attribute that to the programs quality and a lot of hustle. I will say that the program is not easy and you will have to work VERY hard to get through it but they provide TA's and tutors as a part of the program who are there to help you every step of the way.

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it's fast-paced and not for everyone that being said if you are willing to work hard put in extra hours outside of class to really learn, it is well worth it. Keep in mind it's more of a let's get your career started you will have to take what you learn and build on that knowledge to make a good career out of it.

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