Our latest on AcadGild

• Mentor Spotlight: Palash Goyal of Acadgild

  Lauren Stewart5/17/2018

  AcadGild

  

  With a degree in math and computing, and more than six years of experience in software testing and coding, Palash Goyal wanted to share his knowledge with new coders. He picked up machine learning skills on the job, and now mentors online and in-person students at Acadgild’s part-time Data Science Master’s course. Palash tells us how hard the Acadgild team works to support both mentors and students, how he tailors his teaching style to each student’s learning style, and all about his most successful mentee!

  Q&A

  How did you get involved as a mentor with Acadgild?

  I graduated with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mathematics & Computing from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-Guwahati), and then worked in software testing and coding for more than six years. In the last two years of my career, I’ve been focused on machine learning tools, R, and Python. I joined Acadgild because their Data Science Master’s provided me with an opportunity to share my experience with budding talent.

  How did you become aware of the bootcamp model? Did you need to be convinced of its effectiveness?

  I am a continuous learner and an ardent supporter of coding bootcamps because of my own experiences with them. I’m confident in their potential – the impact bootcamps can have on a community and how they can benefit learners.

  What made you excited to work at Acadgild in particular over another coding bootcamp?

  I joined Acadgild because of their management team. The team is made up of highly talented individuals, who have a common vision for the future of technical education. They’re committed to both mentors and students. They make my job easier by making all processes smooth so that I can deliver the most in-depth courses on the latest technologies to anyone interested in learning them.

  Did you have teaching experience prior to teaching at Acadgild?

  Yes, I’ve helped students prepare for the IIT-JEE, an annual engineering college entrance examination in India. I’ve also taught coding to new hires at organizations where I’ve worked.

  Teaching at a bootcamp is a different experience, however, because of the diversity in students. They come from different backgrounds, have different mentalities and, perhaps most importantly, different goals. Providing them with individual attention, helping each student gain the most out of the course, and managing a variety of aspirations is challenging. Having said that, it is entirely worthwhile and enriching. I get to learn a lot from my students

  Tell us how you mentor at Acadgild. How do you work with your students and with other mentors?

  As I said, the management team at Acadgild is highly efficient. They make my job a lot easier by assigning mentors to students in batches, helping us stick to schedules and coordinate with other mentors. So far, I’ve collaborated with three data science mentors in my courses and I can say that we have similar teaching approaches. We try to make classes interactive, encourage discussion, and maintain good relations with all our students so that they have a pleasant learning experience.

  I teach two batches of the Data Science Master’s – one offline and the other online. The offline course is more intensive as its covers the curriculum in three months. So I spend eight hours (4 hours on Saturday, 4 hours on Sunday) with my students on weekends. The online course is six months long. Hence, the sessions are shorter – 2 hrs and 30 mins (total 5 hrs) on weekends.

  I meet my students on most weekends (almost all). If required, I make time for consultations on weekdays. The students choose batches depending on their aspirations and schedules available. And I work with 15 students in a batch on average.

  What languages and technologies are covered in the Acadgild Data Science masters course curriculum?

  Languages and tools covered in the course include Python, TensorFlow, Spark, R, Matplotlib, and Tableau.

  How many hours a week outside of class do you expect your students to commit to Acadgild?

  10 hours after class at least. If they can do 15, that’s better. I always want more from my students because I want them to make the best of their time with Acadgild.

  What have you found is your personal teaching style? If someone is stuck on a problem, how do you guide them through that?

  There are different methods I adopt while teaching. I believe teaching is a two-way process. And although I have my style, students have their styles of learning too. Some methods work better with one student than others, and part of my job is to figure out what works with which student. If a student is stuck, I revise the theory with them before getting down to practical aspects of coding. Alternately, I give hints with references from class to help students remember the answers, which might be in their minds but are not at that moment accessible. If none of these techniques work, I solve the problem with them by breaking it down into smaller problems.

  How do you communicate with your Acadgild mentees? Are your students in different time zones?

  We communicate on calls and share screens so that we’re on the same page in our discussions.

  Students could be from different time zones, but the classes are always at fixed hours. Acadgild’s team of Subject Matter Experts helps me manage doubts. If any student wants to specifically speak with me, then we fix a time to get on call.

  How do you assess student progress? Do you give assessments or tests at Acadgild?

  We conduct tests and assessments regularly. It’s one way we identify students who are falling behind. Every session is followed by quizzes, assignments, and case studies. Students also engage in a capstone project towards the end of the course to use most of what they have learned to realize a dream or meaningful project.

  How do you support students who are falling behind or failing?

  Acadgild has counselors who speak with students on a regular basis – every week – to help them stay motivated. There are also several features on the gamified dashboard like the leaderboard and certification meter that foster competition and help students track progress. Students also receive a “student intelligence kit” that is quite comprehensive. Despite these, if a student is falling behind, then I speak with them personally to identify the problem and resolve it as quickly as possible.

  How do you balance Acadgild mentoring with your day job?

  It is challenging, but I’m a passionate individual, and I find joy in what I do. My classes are mostly scheduled on the weekends when I am free. On weekdays, I make time to prepare for my classes. It’s a rewarding process. I don’t get tired because teaching forces me to learn and grow as a professional; not to mention, give back to others by sharing what I learn with those who have similar interests.

  Are you able to contribute to or iterate on the bootcamp curriculum?

  Acadgild consults with industry experts before deciding on the curriculum. They update it and regularly to stay up-to-date with the changing trends in the industry. So I do have my say when they’re in the process of deciding the curriculum. Additionally, I share materials with students that I think might be useful for their reference.

  Who is an ideal student for a data science bootcamp? After teaching at Acadgild, is there a certain type of student who does well in the program?

  Students who come from IT backgrounds have an edge. Having said that, anyone who is regularly completing the coding assignments and reading the materials I share tend to do well. It’s a matter of committing to the program and following through with mindful practice.

  What’s the goal for a student who completes the bootcamp? For example, will they be prepared for a junior or senior data science role?

  For newcomers, becoming a junior data scientist is a more realistic goal to achieve when they graduate. If they work hard, they can progress quickly through the opportunities that this industry offers, like a senior role within two years from starting a position. Students with more experience in the IT industry before they join this course may be eligible for Senior Data Scientist positions.

  Do you have a hand in job placement at all?

  I try to help my students connect with professionals in my network and help them get jobs at my company or at companies I have connections with. As a working professional and mentor, it’s a win-win situation for me when my company hires one of my students. Not only do we grow stronger as a team, but my student also gets an opportunity to showcase their talents and learn further from work experience.

  Tell us about your biggest student success story!

  Success is hard to define – various people experience success differently. Many of my students have landed jobs shortly after taking the course with me. That is success to me. And, I think it is success to them too, although they might not want to stop there. I don’t want to discredit what they have already achieved by not labeling it as success.

  One success story that comes to my mind is about my student Shubham Jain, who was a web developer before he joined my program. Now he is an expert on the novel field of big data, and he leads an entire team for the organization he is working at. I recall this story primarily because it is so typical of the stories of my students. My students are generally professionals looking for a change of careers or way to transform it – to move up the corporate ladder so to say. Acadgild’s training helps this transition because there is a dearth of data professionals in our country, and opportunities are aplenty. Anyone with initiative to pick up “new-age” skills like machine learning, deep learning, and AI is bound to benefit from the present jobs market.

  For our readers who are beginners, what online resources or meetups do you recommend for aspiring bootcampers?

  YouTube, as always, is a good resource. We put out lots of free quality content on the Acadgild YouTube channel. Coursera and EdX are also good sources.

  Is there anything else that you’d like our readers to know about Acadgild?

  Acadgild has been conducting seminars on data science in different cities – mainly in Bangalore. And one of the most frequently asked questions by people interested in data science or bootcamps is whether they can learn everything they should know to become a data scientist by joining just one course. And the answer is – definitely. Our bootcamp on data science is comprehensive. It covers all important topics and will help anyone who completes it land a job in the field.

  Read Acadgild reviews on Course Report. Check out the Acadgild website!

  About The Author

  

  Lauren is a communications and operations strategist who loves to help others find their idea of success. She is passionate about techonology education, career development, startups, and the arts. Her background includes career/youth development, public affairs, and philanthropy. She is from Richmond, VA and now currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

• Alumni Spotlight: Prushni Jani of AcadGild

  Lauren Stewart9/8/2017

  AcadGild

  

  Although Prushni Jani had been working in Android development since 2012, she wanted to gain more confidence in her skills. While living in Maharashtra, India, she chose AcadGild’s online Android course to dig deeper into her mobile development skills and build projects with the guidance of a mentor. Now, Prushni runs Connect2Android.com to create Android apps and Code Kaksha to help others learn Android mobile development! Read about her experience learning online with AcadGild and her thoughts on being a woman in India’s tech scene.

  Q&A

  Tell us about your educational and career background before you attended AcadGild.

  I majored in computer engineering and graduated in 2012. I took the traditional training route in Android because there was a boom in the market. In 2013, I started working as a developer on real-time applications in Android, and after a year, I decided to start working as a freelancer. I worked on different mobile projects and created a team of people to help me.

  When did you attend AcadGild and what made you get more training?

  I was already working in Android development since 2012, but I was not fully confident in my skills, so I joined AcadGild. I attended AcadGild in October 2016 and I finished the course in February 2017. This course ranges from about 32 to 48 hours online, but it really depends on the cohort and how much you interact with the mentors. I took a little more time because, in my cohort, we had more queries and more assignments.

  When I was freelancing, I didn't have full confidence in my coding abilities and felt I needed the help of the professionals at AcadGild. I am a self-taught developer. Even though I had received a computer engineering degree, I wanted to be taken seriously as a freelancer and entrepreneur.

  What made you choose AcadGild? Were you considering any other courses?

  I am a self-learner and I saw how AcadGild’s online course could help me minimize my 10 lines of code down to 5 – this was the main benefit and the reason why I joined AcadGild.

  There are many online courses in the market, but I thought that AcadGild was the best coding course because it provided online training, certification, and their mentors are very good. Also, there was support 24/7 – they helped me with my many questions related to my projects. It was the best online bootcamp that I found in the market.

  Why did you choose to build your skills online versus an in-person training?

  I’m a mobile development trainer myself, so I wanted to explore what it would be like to learn online. For in-person training, I felt there were too many people. With AcadGild, there were seven to eight people in a cohort. They made sure that everyone had one-on-one help. Sometimes people think that in online courses they are not able to learn, but in fact, many learn better online. I felt like I got special attention because they provide you with tools if you have any doubts. If you’re an introvert and don't want to speak out, you can just write it out using chat options instead of having a discussion in class.

  What was that application and interview process like for you? Was it hard to get into AcadGild?

  No. In fact, they helped me a lot. I’m convinced that even if I was not from the IT field, or if I was not an Android developer, it would’ve been an easy process to enroll. I didn't have to do a coding test, I just showed what projects I had previously worked on. Based on your work, AcadGild chooses what kind of mentor you will need. You can also attend AcadGild if you had no coding experience.

  When you were learning at AcadGild, did you interact with the other students online?

  Yeah, we did interact. We decided what projects we wanted to learn and what type of strategy we wanted to make so that the mentor could teach us properly. If there were some topics that were very hard for us, we had to strategize to get the most practical use out of our mentor.

  What was the learning experience like at AcadGild? What was a typical day? How did you interact with the instructors and mentors online?

  The day started with receiving a link to what we’d be learning. When the session started, we had very good coordinators to help us. For example, if I had a problem with some online tool, they would help me with providing more resources. We also heavily interacted with instructors. We could “raise our hands” in the online portal when the session was going on to ask questions, and they would give very good answers about a topic. They gave us the practical knowledge that we needed to develop projects and applications. It was a very good experience with them because they were very friendly. Even if we had a problem at midnight, there was 24/7 support.

  Do you prefer to learn online? How do you stay motivated?

  At first, I had no idea what it meant to learn online. This industry is booming. AcadGild told us about Android development, what the market is up to, and how it will be in future. It was really good experience because they had us working on real-time problems. I was very motivated because of my IT background.

  The most important thing is that you should Google and research online training. If you are learning online, you get recorded sessions, you get assignments, and you get projects. And you can get hands-on practice. There are many benefits and I received the confidence I wanted when I completed the course.

  Do you have any advice on how to stay focused when learning online?

  Yeah, you have to be up-to-date with your learning. If you’re going to learn any topic, you should be aware of when you’ll need to use that subject/topic in a real-time application. Stay focused on your learning goals and have an outline of the frameworks you want to know. If you want to create a specific mobile application, you should be focused on that. Once you are focused on that goal, you will be able to learn the topics more easily.

  For example, let's say I want to create an application like Facebook. From the first day of the session, I should be focused on that topic so that by the end of the day, I can start implementing.

  Did you have a favorite project that you built during your online class at AcadGild?

  Yeah, I had many projects. I created an application that I had developed for a local blood bank. So if users wanted to know which people had a blood group of B+, just open the application, click on B+, and you’ll get a list of people from nearby places who have that blood group. I implemented the app in such a way that with a click of a button you can directly call or SMS the organization.

  That’s fascinating. Did you create that project on your own or did you work as a group?

  No, this was totally done by me. Whenever I faced a problem, support from AcadGild was there to help out. The Android application is called Akola Blood Donor.

  Tell me about your transition into the industry after finishing AcadGild.

  By the time I completed the AcadGild course, I felt a different type of confidence. I thought, "If this one course can change my life, then I would like to change the lives of other developers and students too." There was a great opportunity for me to teach people online. I am a social person – I wanted to do some social service in the society and help people learn Android, especially girls and women.

  I know that you weren't necessarily looking for a job after AcadGild, but I'm interested to know does AcadGild help with the job search?

  They do give help to students, but my focus was not to find a job. I always wanted to start new businesses. I only took help from the support team for my project, but they do help students with the interview process and resumes. AcadGild also sent me some links to different job vacancies. Mentors are really helpful and will guide you.

  Describe your two companies Connect2Android.com and Code Kaksha.

  At Connect2Android.com, we create Android applications for various individuals and companies. At Code Kaksha, we train students to become Android developers. For example, there are some students who were project managers but had no experience in coding. So they focused on learning Android to safeguard their careers. There are also students who are from the non-IT and IT management field.

  We also do social services with our night course training. For instance, in the month of June, I gave a free training because there are some developers that were not able to pay, but they wanted to learn. So I created a batch and I taught them for free.

  As a female entrepreneur, it’s hard to survive in this market. No matter how long it takes, I know I’ll be very successful in my field because whatever I do, I do it with honesty. It's my policy to be very honest with my career and to be honest with the students who are learning from me. I want to be beneficial for my society.

  Since you mentioned it, what’s been your experience as a woman in the technology space?

  It's hard to work in this society as a woman entrepreneur. When people found out that I was a woman starting a company, and that I provided very good Android training services from my end, they were actually happy. In Bangalore, the IT sector is very famous and I am in a women’s club there. It’s an international club for women entrepreneurs and they are all so encouraging. Even though it is very far from where I live (it takes 24 hours by train), I go there every 2-3 months to have that support system.

  Would you recommend AcadGild to other students who want to learn to code?

  Yeah, definitely. Their support team is very good. They really helped us and the team is very nice.

  Do you have any other advice or tips for anyone thinking about becoming a developer?

  You have to trust your process and focus on real-time projects so that you can be successful. You need moral support and most times that can only be given by yourself. Only you can help yourself. There will be no spoon feeding in this field.

  Read more AcadGild reviews on Course Report. Check out the AcadGild website!

  About The Author

  

  Lauren is a communications and operations strategist who loves to help others find their idea of success. She is passionate about techonology education, career development, startups, and the arts. Her background includes career/youth development, public affairs, and philanthropy. She is from Richmond, VA and now currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

• February Coding Bootcamp News Roundup

  Harry Hantel12/15/2016

  Codify AcademyAcadGilddevCodeCampWe Can Code ITLighthouse LabsSeedPathsDev BootcampFullstack Academy

  Welcome to the February News Roundup, your monthly news digest full of the most interesting articles and announcements in the bootcamp space. Want your bootcamp's news to be included in the next News Roundup? 

  Submit announcements of new courses, scholarships, or open jobs at your school!

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