Constructor Academy

The Propulsion Academy was a real experience. The time was intense, merciless and oh so rewarding!
The curriculum is tight and focused. The extensive teaching content and the excellent teachers prepare you perfectly for your job search. An exceptional time in every respect, in which besides hard work, fun was not missing and the intercultural understanding of students from all over the world was promoted. A first-class introduction to the world of full-stack development for job seekers of all nationalities.

With a background in finance and some experience with code, I applied for this bootcamp last year (2019). From the first email to the last handshake, I was overall very happy with Propulision Academy.

Learning React, Django, Git and Docker from various instructors prepared me well for my current internship at a larger software development agency in Zurich. TypeScript should be added in the future. We had different instructors for different topics, and therefore the quality of the instructors varied on a high level.

Propulsion does help with the job search, but if there is room for improvement, here there could be a more streamlined process.

The team at Propulsion Academy is truly awesome and I would never have imagined such a fun time at a school in Zurich. Thanks again.

Completing the Data Science Bootcamp at Propulsion was both challenging and incredibly rewarding.
The entire management and teaching staff work hard to create a positive and encouraging environment which allows them to push people far beyond what they thought was achievable in just 3 months. The afternoons of hands-on exercises and challenges which are self-directed and open-ended, allow you to extract as much experience as you possibly can from your time on the course.

An aspect that I particularly liked was the number of different instructors who had years of industry experience. Having their input made you feel sure that you are on the right track and having a variety of teaching styles throughout the course keeps it interesting too.
 
The learning pace on this course is fast and the workload takes commitment, but by the end you'll have gained a huge number of essential Data Science skills and have the confidence to discuss, present and work on almost any topic in the field. I'm very happy that I completed it and felt well prepared for the job market afterwards.

The Data Science program is fantastic, supported by a competent, friendly, and helpful team. The approach is very ‘hands-on’ and problem oriented, letting you dive right in. But no need to worry: you are supported at every step of the way by the instructors and the teaching assistant. Thanks to Propulsion Academy, I have had the opportunity to develop a research project I really like and get funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation. More importantly, it has given me the knowledge and confidence to move towards a field of work I had always been interested in but never dared approach before. Registering for this course is the best professional decision I ever took!

Having background in life sciences and a limited programming experience, I was not sure what to expect before starting the Data Science bootcamp. Quite early in the course, however, it became apparent where it all is going: the participants are exposed to the multitude of topics comprising this field and get a taste of most of them by solving provided assignments. With a constant flow of new information, it never gets boring - on the contrary, carefully selected teachers with their various backgrounds strive every day to satisfy our never-ceasing appetite for knowledge. The challenging capstone project with the final presentation was a perfect cherry on the cake. Overall, an invaluable and definitely life-changing experience.

Propulsion Academy boot camps opens new possibilities for the people that are looking for a change in their lives. From the prep-work through the classes, the program is very carefully structured. Lectures are provided by developers with many years of experience, who are able to answer all of your questions. During the whole program, you are supported by teaching assistants helping you understand new materials and resolve challenges. They also do not forget about maintaining a good atmosphere and integration within the group. For me, Propulsion Academy was the hope of finding my place on the Swiss job market. They not only taught me how to code but they also helped me believe in myself.

Given my limited background with programming, I didn’t think it would be possible for such a program to take me to a junior full-stack developer level. I did my due diligence and looked at other options. I finally chose Propulsion because the interaction with the staff had been the most professional (very quick responses to emails, well-structured personal technical interviews to be accepted into the program). Additionally, the curriculum seemed to be the most advanced, focusing on languages and frameworks that are needed for modern software development. And I wasn't disappointed: the journey had been demanding, but the TAs were very supportive and even came in on weekends to make sure we got the most out of the program. Upon completion, I sent out about ten applications and was invited to six interviews within one month. Needless to say, I got what I wanted out of the program and can definitely say that Propulsion has given me a very solid basis to build upon.

After graduating from university, I found myself in a role that was not technical enough to stimulate my intellectual curiosity nor could ensure a long-term future. Software development was definitely the way to go, but how would I get there? Except for the many resources online that taught you the specifics of virtually any tool, but no all-encompassing overview of the whole field of software engineering, I was on my own. The Full-Stack program not only taught you to think like a software engineer, but also gave you career-related resources beyond the education: professional connections, mentoring, CV editing, and ample opportunities to prove yourself to the public. Propulsion Academy's no-nonsense approach to teaching modern technologies was a perfect and it was not long before I found a job as a Software Engineer!

After 2 year-long career break, I finally decided to switch from Process Engineering to Software Development. I did some online courses during this time, but always felt it was not enough to land a job. Propulsion Academy became a place for me to grow into a developer. The well-thought-out roadmap and time efficiency of the program made me confident to pick up any framework or web-technology and make it work. I did not only acquire the most in-demand skills in the industry but also felt very welcome in a warm and inviting culture and had valuable career support after I was done as a student. The program finished with a happy ending as I was hired by one of the instructors as a Full-Stack Developer. Challenging, motivating, just great!

Propulsion Academy has been a great experience and helped me approach the career that I’ve been heading for. In addition to my recent Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zürich, this coding bootcamp made the difference and opened new opportunities. The course focuses on very relevant topics and skills with the goal to make the candidates attractive for employers in the field of software development. With a set curriculum and competent supervision, an environment for fast and high quality learning is provided. On top of all, the Propulsion Academy team puts emphasis on networking opportunities and guide the students in the process of figuring out the next step in their career.

The curriculum was very good but still had room for improvement here and there. The instructors' quality vary but is generally very good. The founder of Propulsion Academy is behind this project with all his heart and puts a lot of individual attention and consultation to each student during the course. Thanks to the bootcamp I landed a software engineering position and I would've never passed the interview without Propulsion Academy. I also feel like I had a kickstart on my new job, thanks to the very relevant curriculum. I also enjoyed the nostalgia from the classroom experience and bonding with very interesting people that do the course too.

I took the online Data Science class at Constructor this winter, and after researching and calling multiple academies, I chose Constructor for two key reasons: they are smaller than most other academies and have a significantly better teaching assistant-to-student ratio.Their hybrid approach—combining online and on-site students—works surprisingly well. In my group, there were only two on-site students and I was the sole online participant. Mornings were dedicated to lectures from experienced industry experts or university professionals, while afternoons focused on hands-on coding exercises. What truly stood out was the ample opportunity to discuss and deeply understand the material with our dedicated teaching assistant, whom we shared among just three students.A second small group in Zurich followed the same curriculum, with their own teaching assistant and only three students as well. I even joined them on-site for three weeks, including the final project, which allowed me to connect with everyone in person. The atmosphere was supportive, human-centered, and up to date, featuring experts from both startups and established companies like Google.Overall, it was an excellent experience, and I highly recommend it!