Designlab Reviews
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Juan Manuel Sotelo
If you are looking for a course to help you develop your visual design skills, this is the right one.
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I think the mix of the mentoring sessions and the projects within the program makes this course a great deal.
I took this course to learn visual design principles like typography, color theory, alignment and spacing, etc. and I'm pleased with the end results. The mentorship helped me a lot to expand my understanding of all the topics in the course.
I had a great time doing the projects as it help me to generate confidence on my visual design skills.
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Dalton
Learn design by designing!
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I had a great experience with Designlab and have taken 2 courses so far, Design 101 and Branding & Identity Design. Their programs work great for me because the price is very affordable and the courses are flexible enough that they can easily fit into a fulltime work schedule.
Design 101
I took Design 101 last year after working in web design since 2002. I felt like I had web development down well but when it came to the visual side of the web I was doing a lot of things wrong and wasn't sure how to fix it. Designlab taught me the foundations of design, the right way, and in a tool agnostic format. This was great because I already new how to use tools like Photoshop and Illustrator but had never learned basic things like visual heirachy, basic typography and color theory. Instead of teaching Photoshop tips and tricks it taught me to pay attention to all the little details that make up a great design.
Branding
I'm just finishing this course and it's been great as well. There's so much more to a "brand" than just a logo and from the very beginning this course helps you think about and identify business goals, who the brand is targeting and what value it provides to consumers. It's amazing how much easier the rest of the project becomes when you take the time to identify core objectives of the brand in the beginning and let those guide the rest of the design process. Once again, I love that Designlab's curriculum focuses on the process because once you learn the right process it's so much easier to use whatever tools you choose.
Mentors
Working with the mentors in each course has been great because they can provide insights to guide you when you're stuck and challenge you to do your best work. Their also great resource to answer questions about working as a designer, especially if you don't live in an area surrounding by lots of designers you could reach out to at meetups and events.
Overall I had a great experience and would definitely recommend Designlab to working professionals looking for a career change or anyone looking to supplement their skills with some specialized knowledge in UX, Branding or Typography.
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Anonymous
Great practical course that teaches you a ton of theory, too
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I loved this course and will definitely check out other courses by DesignLab! The materials were amazing (I seriously have dozens of links on my bookmarks now under headings, such as typography, great design examples, colors, wireframing etc.) and I can't wait to start using them when doing my next design project. The mentor sessions were super helpful - he gave me constructive feedback on my designs and oftentimes he gave me excellent ideas that helped me improve my design SO much. Thanks, DesignLab!
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Mikael
I loved DesignLab's Design 101 course.
My mentor was super helpful, and happy to help me with the particular project I picked.
The content of the course was great, and I now feel a lot better tackling on design projects, even though I obviously will need to keep practicing.
I highly recommend it.
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Courtney L.
Design 101: Great dive into the basics of Design for Web/ Print/ Graphic
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The best part of this course, and Designlab's programs, is the feedback and meetings you have with your Mentor. This was was so beneficial to me because I was going through a career change and really wanted to break into the Design/ Tech field. At the end of the course, I felt like I had a really great grasp on terminology used by professionals in the field and how to explain the "whys" behind my design work. My mentor also provided invaluable advice about getting into the field professionally. Designlab does a great job of pairing you with someone you can benefit from based on your background/ location/ goals for the course.
I am a self-taught Web Designer/ Developer. Going into the course, I felt that I had a pretty good grasp on the basics of design for web/ graphic/ print, but this course definitely offered great resources that I hadn't found on my own before. It dives deeper into design basics, typography, color theory, ways to prepare yourself for a project, layouts, etc.
It really was a great experience and am definitely considering taking another course through Designlab! If you have a full-time job, you will have time to dedicate to the course. It requires about 6 hours of work per week, but you can easily spend more time playing, learning, and exploring the units!
The only con that I can think of, is that sometimes the readings/ activities seemed out-of-order, that maybe I would have benefited from unit 5 or 6 a bit earlier, but that may have just been because I felt comfortable/ knowledgeable about the basics that were discussed in earlier units.
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Alexa Denner
Truly Amazing Design Course!
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I just finished taking a DesignLab course on the basics of Design and I thoroughly enjoyed the high-quality feedback I received on all my project submissions. I appreciated being able to choose which program I wanted to learn in (I used Sketch). My mentor was amazing and taught me so much about how to make good design decisions and how to keep everything forward thinking and relevant. My confidence rose quickly and my design work became actually marketable. I am so happy I took this course!
Although this was only my first online design courses, it will certainly not be my last. I very much enjoyed the platform DesignLab offers and how it provided me with top notch resources and high-quality feedback. It was worth every penny (if not more)! I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to be a proficient designer.
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Anonymous
DesignLab: Design 101
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I don't think there are many if any companies out there doing what DesignLab are doing. It's very inexpensive for you what you get, interactive and also really fun. I learnt a lot and will be doing more courses with them!
I think it's great for anyone looking to learn about design from any background. The mentor guidance is very helpful and the readings and exercies are interesting!
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Anonymous
Great Experience
Learned a lot and got a great introduction to the subject. My mentor was awesome and very knoqledgable. Hoping to take another course when I have the time!
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Corey
A must for anyone getting into web design.
You will get an overview of web design. From Landing pages, to layouts, to typography, and colors. I would recommend this to anyone. I'm surprised I signed up for this. It was well worth the money and the mentor I have for this was extremely knowledgeable about design. An overall great memorable experience for sure!
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Victor
Fundamentals & more!
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I just finished up my first course (Design 101) on DesignLab and I loved it! I learned so much and have been able to apply those skills to my current work. The experience from taking a course from DesignLab was extremely beneficial. The one-on-one mentor experience and course materials are current with modern trends and effective in the way things are taught. If you are just getting into design and are looking for an affordable way to learn, DesignLab is a must! -
Jonathan
lots of feedback
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I was really happy with my overall experience. The best part was how many projects there were and how much feedback I got. Most of my time each week was spent actually designing for an assignment, and after each submission I got written feedback from my mentor within a day or two, and Skype sessions every other week to discuss my work in depth. My mentor was thorough and specific with her feedback, but approachable and encouraging, and good at structuring our sessions.
Curriculum was thorough but readable. Lots of visual examples.
Overall, it had me do a lot of designing and it gave me a lot of 1-on-1 attention on my work.
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Anonymous
Professional, Engaging, Enjoyable
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I am a career switcher from teaching high school graphic design to transitioning to UX/UI design. I found this course to be incredibly helpful for me to learn what UX/UI design is. The foundations course takes you through the design principles, color theory, and wireframing with many lessons to help expand your knowledge of design theory. The course culminates with a final project that allows you to put what you learn into practice. You also get paired with a mentor who walks through the building and learning process with you. 10/10 would recommend! -
Anonymous
Overall great experience
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I had a great experience in this class. The structure of the class is very organized and the volume of work is enough for you to learn the material but not overwhelming. It's organized in bite sized chunks which makes you feel like you are making steady progress though the class. The mentorship aspect is the most valuable piece in my opinion. Being able to get feedback from a professional in the field truly accelerated my learning process and there are several key areas where I wouldn't have improved as much if not for my mentor. All in all, I would definitely recommend for anyone trying to either break into design or just for getting familiar with the basics. No previous experience need to get started. -
Anonymous
Valueable Figma Starter Course
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I took this course to start familiarizing myself with Figma and found it to be a great way to get started in the program. I already have many years of design background so I found that part very repetitive, however the 1:1 mentor program they have where you can get questions answered and chat with a design professional was extremely valuable to me! I really enjoyed the step-by-step approach and the interface Designlab has is super user-friendly. -
Anonymous
fun, informative, intro
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The curriculum was full of great information and links for further reading, but it is also encouraged that you get through this information as quick as possible. Most of the units consist of lots of reading (called lessons) and then a Figma exercise to apply the learning at the end, followed by a quiz. I think this approach can be improved with more checks for understanding throughout the unit, and more opportunities to practice learning in-between lessons.
The mentorship and community aspect are great. Throughout the course, you can see what others are submitting and even see the feedback that they get and how they address it. I found it really helpful for my learning and it made the experience as a student feel more traditional. -
Anonymous
Good learning for UX newbies!
This program is a great place to start for anyone wanting to start their UX design career. One of the best things about this course is the 1:1 mentoring apart from the content. You'll have some amazing mentors who guide you in every step as you go over the course. -
Anonymous
Incredible experience!
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The Designlab course was a fantastic way to get my first look at UI/UX. The curriculum is broken down into bite-sized units that are easy to follow, and the videos are incredibly helpful for visualizing the concepts and following along with the concepts.What I appreciated most is that the program went beyond just the core UI/UX principles. It provided a wealth of additional resources and helped me sharpen my overall design skills, including how to give and receive effective critique.The best part was the one-on-one mentor. My mentor was not only inspiring and supportive but also incredibly helpful. The feedback she gave was invaluable, and she provided me with additional resources that made everything click.I'd highly recommend this course to anyone who is curious about UI/UX! -
Anonymous
Challenging and supportive
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My experience with Designlab has been excellent. The mentorship from highly experienced designers gave me invaluable guidance and motivation. I especially valued the timely feedback, the active Discord community with workshops, and the inclusion of AI-related content alongside structured learning materials. The foundations course was intense but rewarding, it pushed me to improve quickly and prepared me well for UX Academy. I’d highly recommend it to anyone serious about growing as a designer. -
Anonymous
I learned a ton!
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I took this class to discern whether or not to pursue a career change into Product Design. This class definitely helped me make a decision! It is a very intense course for an intro or foundations class; I didn't expect it to be so detailed! The class goes deep enough to help you decide whether or not you want to continue on to the longer, more rigorous Academy or not without making too much of a financial investment. I thought the class was well worth the money, and the staff were very supportive and encouraging.
One thing to be aware of is that there is a lot of online reading; I expected there to be more videos and fewer articles (although there are videos, too). Also, this class is — perhaps like most things in life — entirely what you make of it. There are opportunities to get extra help with Office Hours, and to get your work reviewed by peers, but they are all optional. It's up to you to decide if you will take advantage of these opportunities or not.
Even though I ultimately decided not to continue on to Academy, I'm still really glad I took this class. I have much more empathy for the designers on my team at work now, and I learned A TON! I hope to still incorporate what I learned into my daily work life in a less formal way. I'd recommend this class to anyone interested in the topic. -
Anonymous
Perfect for beginners
This course is perfect for beginners in the UX/UI field. The classes were well structured, and easy enough to follow even if you are completely new. The support team was great, and answered all of my questions in a timely manner. I also had a great experience with my mentor, the perfect match for what I was looking for! -
Anonymous
UX Lies & Pixel Dust: How Designlab Scammed Me Out of $8,000 and a Year of My Life
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Look, I’ve got bones to pick with every bootcamp peddling pixel dreams and $8,000 delusions. Most are smoke some are mirrors. But Designlab? This one’s the whole circus. The ringleader of the scam parade. They dressed up busywork as curriculum, slapped “job-ready” on it like a clearance sticker, and let mentors half-baked and half-interested phone it in from the beach. (My one mentor ditched me and only gives linked in recommendations to hot chicks, the second one had a screaming toddlercrawling on her was always late couldn't speak English, my third one made false lies about how he had the power to hire people at his company and that I had a shot at working there.) It’s all shiny decks and Discord smoke until you realize you just paid a luxury price tag to learn what YouTube teaches for free, except with more gaslighting.
I would highly recommend anyone stay away from any UX design school. While many online design schools operate in a murky space between education and marketing, Designlab stands out as the most egregious example of false promises and predatory practices. I’ve long suspected that many of these programs are more focused on profit than education. Still, this one takes the cake, offering hollow mentorship, copy-paste curriculum, and a refund policy designed to fail you. It hides behind slick branding and vague job guarantees while delivering little of real value. If other programs are merely disappointing, Designlab is outright deceptive—an insult to students who invest their time, money, and hope into building a better future.
Enrolling in Designlab was one of the most disappointing and costly decisions I’ve ever made. What was promised as a launchpad into a UX career turned out to be an overpriced, underwhelming scam masked as a professional design education. My experience can only be described as a year and a half of wasted time, money, and trust.Key Issues:- Incompetent Mentorship: Despite claiming to be industry professionals, mentors offered little more than recycled clichés. Their advice was generic, unhelpful, and at times, outright wrong. It was clear they were there for a paycheck, not to teach.
- Lack of Real Learning: After two years of self-study in UX, I expected to gain advanced, job-ready skills. Instead, I walked away having learned almost nothing new, as confirmed by a Fiverr designer who bluntly told me my portfolio was “pathetic.”
- False Job Placement Promises: My mentor fabricated stories about internal hiring opportunities and job placements among past students. These were blatant lies. he contradicted himself only weeks later when he forgot he told me and offered it again like he was some saint.
- Empty Career Support: The career services were laughable. Their so-called $8,000 value came down to using a free site (Huntr) and joining Discord channels anyone can access for free. Job tracking and community support can be found online at no cost, and with far better guidance.
- Refund Policy is a Trap: Their tuition reimbursement guarantee is deceptive. Once you apply, they invent additional criteria not listed in their policy to deny you. It's a trap meant to sell you false hope.
- Utterly Useless Outcomes: I’ve applied to thousands of jobs with my “job-ready” resume and portfolio. After two years, I haven’t received a single legitimate offer. Not one.
Designlab should be reviewed and investigated by both consumer protection agencies and educational oversight organizations due to its misleading advertising, unqualified mentorship, and deceptive refund practices. Agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the New York State Attorney General's Office are responsible for holding companies accountable for making false claims and engaging in fraudulent business practices. Additionally, platforms like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot allow affected students to share their experiences publicly and warn others. I wonder why Design Labs isn't listed on the Better Business Bureau (BBB)? Because Designlab operates as an online educational service without recognized accreditation, it falls into a regulatory gray area where consumer rights groups and legal watchdogs must step in to evaluate whether it is engaging in predatory conduct under the guise of career advancement.
While many online design schools operate in a murky space between education and marketing, Designlab stands out as the most egregious example of false promises and predatory practices. I’ve long suspected that many of these programs are more focused on profit than education. Still, this one takes the cake, offering hollow mentorship, copy-paste curriculum, and a refund policy designed to fail you. It hides behind slick branding and vague job guarantees while delivering little of real value. If other programs are merely disappointing, Designlab is outright deceptive—an insult to students who invest their time, money, and hope into building a better future. -
Anonymous
Great experience with Designlab's UX Academy Foundations!
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I have successfully finished UX Foundations program from Designlab and I’m so glad I made this choice.
The program is well-structured. The knowledge you'll need to complete all the projects is provided throughout the lessons, and the one-on-one mentor sessions are the most valuable part of the learning process. Not only will a professional mentor guide you through the entire course, but they will also support your individual strengths and weaknesses—encouraging or challenging you to successfully complete the program and your final project. I believe that even if you already have some knowledge in the design field, you will still benefit greatly from this program.
Highly recommended! -
Anonymous
A Must-Take UI/UX Course
This program offers a solid, well-paced introduction to UI design that's easy to follow and highly informative for beginners. The content is well-structured and easy to digest. I have no cons; just be patient with yourself as you learn something new!
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Anonymous
Great initial information, relevant project work
Great introduction into Figma. Lessons were broken up into very manageable subjects; not too light, not too overreaching. Mentor was flexible with one-on-one topics and very knowledgeable. The design information was a review for me given my background, but fell in line with design instruction which was reassuring. -
Anonymous
Great
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Great experience for a a newbie learning design skills on FIGMA, good supportive mentor. Moderators from Discord community access helped timely completion of course. 2 month long course was well timed and structured to finish on time. The videos and write up lessons and quizzes were all good overall experience. I know FIGMA and design a little better than when i had started my course and laid a foundation for me main bootcamp. -
Anonymous
Succinct, rigorous intro course
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I took this course as a supplement to my digital marketing job, and I learned so much in a short amount of time! The coursework was rigorous, but the layout of the course and the progression where elements built off previous units was very practical. Unlike most, I took this course without the intent of moving on to the full bootcamp, but I still got a lot out of my 1:1 mentor sessions and was pleasantly surprised at the frequent face-to-face time I was able to have with them. The lessons were interesting and easy to digest, the technical tutorials were paced well and put together thoughtfully, and I really enjoyed the practical design projects. -
Anonymous
Informative and Hands On
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I'm in the process of transitioning from video production into UX design. It's a daunting process but Designlab has been great so far! I just completed UX Academy Foundations and am enrolling in the full UX Academy in a few weeks. The course work was informative and easy to digest, about 2/3 of the time is spent in the design tool Figma working on your final project which I really enjoyed. Would recommend! -
Anonymous
Great primer for UI skills
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Having the option to book up to 8 1-hr mentor sessions with an experienced designer is what sets this foundational course apart. It was really valuable to get feedback from a real designer rather than peers who are also learning the material at the same time as you. My mentor was really flexible and able to book sessions around busy times like election week. You don't work on a unique brief but you gain fundamental skills in UI and learn about what hot AI tools are out there to help your processes become more efficient. -
Anonymous
Educational and informative
This course was informative and educational. I learned a lot from the content and my mentor. Since it is introductory, there is not much on career guidance other than what your mentor might tell you. I would say that all of the information provided could be acquired by thorough research, but I found this course to be very helpful in the resources it gave. -
Anonymous
Great course for beginners
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I had a really good experience with the Foundations program. Having no experience with design, this was the perfect way to get an overall basic understanding of design and continue into the more specialized UX Academy course. The content was very well planned and beginner friendly. My mentor was involved and helpful throughout the course. The additional optional resources and articles after each lesson provides an added layer of explanation for complete beginners like myself. -
Anonymous
Mentorship makes the experience
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I had a great Designlab experience, and would recommend for anyone who is looking to transition into UX Design as a career, or just wanting to learn more about UX in general.
My mentors were fantastic and really shaped my experience and made me a better designer. The mentorship is my favorite part of the program by far. I love that it is self-paced, and that the information is presented in a way that makes sense and allows you to practice your skills throughout the curriculum. I came out with projects and a portfolio that helped me land my first design job. You have group critique sessions, which really help you learn how to receive design feedback. I also love that they offer scholarships (Diversify Design); without these, I could not afford the program. -
Anonymous
It was challenging
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It was a challenging experience where i learn the basics about the ui/ux design.the best thing about this course is that you will have the guidelines about a mentor which will give you a feedback about your design and also come in hand with solution with the problems that may be appeas in your design but he will not give it to you diretly but he will put you in a sitution to find the solve by yourself.Also you have the feedback and from other students which you can share your the design with them in the discord platform of Design Lab.
overall i will suggest this course and to other persons that the want to get in hand the basics of the ui/ux design. -
Anonymous
Great introduction into data-driven design
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The Data-Driven Design course is a great way to get started in getting more of a data based mindset when designing. The course introduced some great frameworks for working with data that i can definitely use at my work.
I did miss getting into some data tools to use and some deeper feedback on the course work. But overall i felt it was a great introduction to the field and i am sure it will help me having a more data focused mindset. -
Anonymous
Design Lab was awesome!
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I knew that the course would entail a lot of math, I anticipated struggling with it since it was all new to me. However, it turned out to be less challenging than I expected.
I foremost needed a basis and a framework to work from. And this course did just that.
After completing the course, I feel more versatile as a designer. Just like I have another card up my sleeve. It was a confidence booster for sure! -
Anonymous
Great intro into Design and well organized course
I enjoyed my time in the Foundations course and felt it was a great intro into UI design. The course is well organized and I enjoyed working in the Designlab platform which allows you to easily track and organize your progress in the course. The content builds on itself nicely and I felt the progression through the units to be challenging but worthwhile. -
Anonymous
Great intro to UI/UX
This was a great course to learn the basics of UI/UX while gaining familiarity with using Figma. Lessons were short and digestible and every unit had a project in which we applied the new skills we learned. It was very helpful to be paired with a design mentor who offered invaluable advice and feedback on my work. -
Anonymous
Very complete course
The UI/UX fundamentals course is very complete, it is divided into easy topics to understand and the concepts are given in an orderly manner, it is easy to understand, it has a lot of useful additional information and the help of a mentor who provides a lot of guiding knowledge during the process and support. Meetings with the mentor are very helpful. -
Anonymous
Great Experience!!
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As someone who wanted to become a UX designer, participating in a UX Academy from DesignLab was a great experience for me. DesignLab taught me UX design principles and the latest tools essential for UX design so that I could become a UX/UI designer, and I actually got hired as a UX/UI Designer this year. I recommend the UX Academy from DesignLab if someone wants to become a UX designer without a previous design background. -
Anonymous
A good quick UI program
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The curriculum was really easy to follow and very flexible. A great course for learning design quickly from a web design perspective. Very little about UX, just UI - the UX part comes with the UX Academy proper.
The foundations course is set up in a way that makes it very easy to track your progress, and do little bite sizes peices. Most of the course is in text form with quick video supplements, then you have 1:1 mentor meet you over videocall, and a discord community you can reach out to. -
Anonymous
Great Assistance!
I think UX Academy Foundations is a great way to see if you're comfortable with the main UX Academy bootcamp. I learned quite a bit in the two months I was enrolled, and recieved tons of feedback and support. I'm looking forward to the main bootcamp!