Learn SEO at These 95 SEO Bootcamps

This program is a bit different from most. I hesitate to call it a "bootcamp" as the curriculum and mentorship is presented in an almost academic-quality manner. From the production and planning of the lessons, to the detail and depth you will get into, it begins to feel like a rigorous college program than a quick bootcamp. 

This program is designed to cover design fundamentals as well as programming. If I had to guess, I would say that maybe 1/4th of the course is strictly design related, but it is woven into the rigorous programming lessons too at times. Having a decent eye for typography, space, and color can allow you to have more intelligent conversations with co-workers, or even just guide your process when creating your own work. Typography, for example, is one of those things that once you learn even a little bit of the basic ideas - you increase your value as a developer quite a lot. Myself and my cohort have several people who have taken those design principles quite far - and the stuff they've made is genuinely impressive - certainly beyond the portfolios of other people I've seen who have not been exposed to design principles.

This program is not light on programming either. As stated, my ballpark guess is that a large majority of the course is strictly programming related. The course is basically structured in a manner that tracks the history of web development over time. For example with CSS, you start by positioning elements with floats. You then use flexbox, and then grid. For scripting, you start by introducing basic php scripting and partials, then move onto more advanced PHP principles, then WordPress as a basis for understanding frameworks. Then you do some Javascript - and follow a similar pattern. Basic JS, then more advanced concepts, then a JS framework - and so on.

The course is quite detailed. It really benefits you to work hard every day until it's over. In my experience, students who do not continually apply themselves tend to not do well in the long term. The ones that stick around and actually work end up becoming pretty freaking great. 

So is this program great? I would say so. Personally, I think it's one of the best decisions I've made - and I've went to college. I probably would have considered giving this a try before college if I knew what it would be like. Derek is great, the course is pretty fair in the sense that it increases in difficulty pretty straightforwardly. You never really feel totally lost for too long - but it has its fair share of challenges. I'm a harsh critic when it comes to a lot of things. I'm the type of person to rate an amazing movie or album an 8/10. I don't hand out high scores for things almost ever. I think this course - in terms of learning web development with some design to round you out - is a true 10/10 - and I genuinely mean that it is probably, pound for pound, the best web development program you could take if you want to get a great start in a career, or start your own development company, or what have you. I do think it is that good.

But that doesn't answer the actually important question - is this the right program for you in particular? That's a hard question to answer, because even a really good course and a truly great mentor can't prepare you for the realities of development. It is a hard field. I am currently employed after taking this course - and it's challenging. I've seen a couple cohorts where people seemed really passionate and some gave up, or slacked off, or whatever. I would say that this it depends on your temperament and personality. If you love development, if you love design, and if you love programming - then I think it's the best. But if you don't love those things and if you aren't ready to work really hard to not only pass the course, but land a job - then it is not for you. It takes genuine passion and dedication, and even being a developer now - I would be lying if I said there weren't times that I wanted to give up (and I really like programming!)

In theory, the best possible course would simply act as a mirror. Given a great curriculum and teacher - truthfully speaking, the only people who would have a hard time succeeding are people who aren't actually in love with the idea of being a developer, or something like that. I think this course is a mirror. I think given the price and scope of the material, Derek puts the ball in your court. You will, in a sense, have everything you need to succeed. 

Whether you do is up to you.

 In my experience, Pivot was a waste of time. The primary attraction was that it was free, but even with that advantage, the program did not justify the time commitment. Spending 9 hours a week on Pivot, in addition to working full-time, felt like a waste and took away from time I could have spent with my children or improving my life in other ways.

Pivot actively promoted the bootcamp to me, but the quality of its curriculum and course content did not compare favorably to school, college, or even trade school. The program fell short compared to other bootcamps and educational programs I’ve tried, such as Codecademy, FreeCodeCamp, TripleTen, CodeWithMosh, and AppBrewery. Even the free resources offered by these programs, such as simple YouTube videos, proved more valuable than what Pivot provided.

Pivot provided no ongoing support or check-ins throughout the program. Career materials were minimal and consisted of generic advice easily found online, such as tips for tech resumes. The program lacked proper resources and a centralized database for learning materials, with the learning experience varying significantly depending on the instructor.

Seven months after graduation, my cohort's employment rate was 0%. When people raised questions about these issues on Facebook and LinkedIn, Pivot often ignored or deleted the comments. Unlike companies like TripleTen, Pivot doesn’t showcase their alumni and students, which is telling. I encourage you to search for success stories, but they may be difficult to find.

Working for Pivot is not any better, if not significantly worse. They are a tech school that does not leverage technology to enhance the program. These points are worth verifying and fact-checking. 

When I was a student, we were participating many projects right after finishing any web and mobile development topics. Especially, my teacher, Ali(he is still teaching with the same passion like his first day) has two master degree from one of the high-end universities in Canada. He was just amazing because of small class size, he would spend his time for every student in order for us to understand the logic behind and every single details.

I could personally write so much good things about the program, long story short, it is just a brilliant program that everyone should have a chance to be part of this great atmosphere. Highly recommended.