KU Boot Camps

This course was a great exposure to Data Analytics. I came in with little to no understanding of analytics, or even statistics, and I was still able to grasp the concepts given to me. I was even able to implement certain things I'd learned in this camp into my job while I was still taking the course. It's very up to date and manageable to do while working a full time job. Everything I learned felt useful in the real-world and that I could easily explain the subject at a high-level for interviews.

"I decided to embark on this course because I like technology and I was drawn to the idea of becoming a software developer. I retired as a classical ballet dancer after 20 years and decided to completely change my field of study, which required a tremendous emotional storm. However, through methodical study and measured approach, I always stayed present and never got ahead of my own thoughts.

I enjoyed every single challenge, but the biggest one is working accurately in such a short time. A three-hour class may seem long, but I assure you, it's not enough time. You need to always work ahead.

My humble advice to other students: if you are going to do the bootcamp, I can tell you, it is worth the time and effort. There is so much infrastructure around that will help you succeed, but you have to be willing to put in the hours (and endure some mental strain). As a retired ballet dancer who was used to moving and exercising for over 8 hours a day, in terms of mental effort, this bootcamp was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life: and I would do it again if I had to. I enjoyed every second of it."

​​Completely unhappy, and the worst experience ever at University of Kansas - Trilogy BootCamp Data Analytics.  I wish I could give zero star, but the review is not letting me. The teaching assistance was the worst experience, and the reason why I dropped the course and they had to return me back the $10,000 that was already paid.  I had an issue with a TA named [name redacted]. The issue happened on a Saturday November 6, 2021 from 12 pm to 2pm. The TA named [name redacted] refused to help me during the two office hours. In these two office hours there were two students, one named [name redacted] and the other student was me. I joined the office hours because I had questions about Python, a current topic that was going to start covering two days later after the office hours.  This person named [name redacted] and who works as TA, refused, rejected and denied to help me for many multiple reasons, among these multiple reasons I am including but not limited to Number 1. He was mad at me because he asked me to help the other student during the office hours; I mean during his work hours of Teaching Assistance; technically he was asking me to do his job in explaining VBA scripts to the other student named [name redacted]. I said that the reason I joined the office hours was because I had questions about Python and not for me to teach the other student, and I said to him that was not my job, but it was certainly his job, and that is why he gets paid for it. ​This Teaching Assistant named [name redacted] is very low moral ​professional​ in the teaching team, I hope they replace him soon as well as the unhelpful three ladies that I will mention below in this review. This TA named [name redacted] is completely horrible and shameful. Number 2. He ​sent me a message via ​slack saying that he was focused on helping people who needed his help. Maybe he tried to say that I did not need his help​ when my payment of $10,000 was already in the bank account of Trilogy and KU​. He also said in that ​message via ​slack that he was giving priority to the current topic of the course, my questions were about Python, and Python was going to be covered exactly and precisely two days after he refused to help me.  Number 3. Racism and discrimination. I am Hispanic and his attitude toward me was rude, jerk, ​shameful, unmoral, ​and ​he thought that he could treat me as he pleased and maybe he thought that I was never going to report him. I felt excluded during the last two office hours, his last approach in these two last hours was shameful and disgusting, very unprofessional​, ​completely biased​, hateful with discrimination and racist. I felt he took it​ very​ personal for the ​fact​ that I said that I was attending the office hours to ask ​him ​questions about Python, not ​for me to ​do his job of teaching other students about VBA. I reported the issue to KU and Trilogy staff,  I previously proposed them in an email to take the following actions. 1. Compensate me with the two exact hours given to the other student named [name redacted]. I said if the other student had the privilege to have two hours of teaching assistance from [name redacted], then I can claim the same privilege as well since we are paying the same amount of money.  2. Replace [name redacted] for his lack of professionalism for asking me to teach the other student when that was his job, not mine, and of course, for [name redacted] refusing to help me and for excluding me during the last two hours. 3. Provide a form to evaluate the office hours, right after the end of the two office hours. 4. Have a supervisor during the office hours to make sure every student is treated equally, every student is included, every student receives the same support and help they all deserve.  We scheduled a phone conversation, and three ladies were in the conversation, someone named [name redacted], another one named [name redacted], and the other named [name redacted]. When I explained the problem that I experienced with [name redacted], the teacher assistance, they all the three ladies defended [name redacted] actions and decision of not helping me, I got super upset and frustrated that I decided to drop the class. At this point they lost $10,000 for supporting an unprofessional, shameful, and immoral man named [name redacted] who excluded me indiscriminately in my last two office hours. I told all of these three ladies to evaluate the situation unbiased and in a fair way.  It seems that the word FAIR offended them, I said put yourself in my shoes, think about how you would have felt if you were a student and you experience that the TA is assisting the other student and he is excluding you. How would you react to it? They shamefully answered, that is how the our system works, technically they were trying to say that whatever the TA decides to do is completely acceptable regardless if the TA asks me to do his job for being lazy or, not, regardless if the TA excludes me in a indiscriminately way or not,  regardless the TA decision is, even if that decision goes against the most minimum fundamental principle of an educational intuitions.  This experience from this KU Bootcamp is very cheap, shameful, lacks professionalism, lacks morality and you easily will get disappointed, especially if you are a group of minority.  ​Once you pay they treat you like you are in and you have to follow all their unacceptable and shameful policies and rules that technically go against all minimum principles of a decent student. ​If you are in a position of undecided. ​I advise you if you take the risk of enrolling in this course with ​Trilogy and ​UK make sure they give you the ​all the necessary ​flexibility​ in all agreements​ so you can ​feel free to ​drop the course at any time ​either for experiencing the same shameful problem with the TA named [name redacted]. Make completely sure that if you drop the course at any given time during the course, make entirely sure that Trilogy and KU will easily give you all your money back as a refund and ask for a guarantee document to avoid misunderstanding; otherwise, do not even ​think about giving $10,000 easily, you will get easily disappointed, and ​mainly ​if you experience ​the same shameful TA assistant from this person named [name redacted] and the three ladies that I reached out to as I did​.​ Finally, I will recommend​ you this​, invest wisely and search for at least 5 educational institutions who have been well evaluated, recommended​, then decide for the best institution that can give you peace of mind and best of best honest support. Be clever, smart and wise. After all, it is your money that has cost you so much​ pain​, or is your money that you will pay back later, so when you decide, ​review every detail of ​all agreements,​​ and demand the best as you deserve it. Make sure they can give you the reimbursement if you decide to drop the class at any given time​, this is very vital for your finances and peace of mind, so you don't find yourself in a very difficult situation later​.  I hope this review can be ​so helpful and informative, and help you to make the best decision​. ​Again, for me University of Kansas Trilogy Data Analytics Bootcamp was the worst experience ever, mainly for this Teaching Assistant named [name redacted] and for the three incapable, inefficient and inexperienced ladies, three brains and none of them solved the problem. They preferred to easily refund $10,000. Very shameful of these three ladies and the TA named [name redacted]. I don't think their finance team and business owners are that happy with the accounting department of Trilogy and KU who easily lost $10,000 in refunding me all because their incompetent staff.  I frankly wish I could give zero stars. Take care, success and ​God bless​!    

Before I enrolled myself in this program, I looked into a variety of options including online courses, but working full time, the online courses were not motivating enough for me. The instructors in this course are knowledgeble about the subject and the TAs are extremely helpful and always willing to make things work out for me. I have learnt a ton of new stuff since I have been in this program and loving it. There is a lot of additional hours required to be put in which is not easy especially with working full time and having a family of young children. But the advisor and the TAs are very supportive and encouraging throughout making it easier to get through the course. You'll have to come prepared that just sitting in the classroom will not help, and be willing to put in few extra hours a week outside of the sessions.All in all, this is a great course and everyone here wants you to succeed in learning.

This boot camp was a very challenging class that comes with a high reward.  I attended class between February and August 2018, and have been sold on the program ever since.  Upon completion of the course, I signed up as a teacher's aide and am in the middle of my 2nd term in this role.  

I've told individuals on countless occasions that I learned more in that 7 month stretch than I learned in my 4-year undergraduate degree.  It was well worth the investment in myself as I started a new full-time job as a pricing analyst just weeks after graduating, and quickly found that I was well prepared for the challenge that comes with a new role.  

Prior to the class, I was the resident excel expert at work, and had a minimal amount of VBA scripting experience that was applicable.  It was a tough class that definitely put up a fight, but it was the appropriate level of difficulty to keep you engaged and learning throughout all 240 hours of class.  Three to four hour long classes flew by, as the class is formatted with a 10-15 minute lecture followed by an in-class activity, which really breaks up the monotony.

A worthwhile experience if you're a relentless individual who is willing to go through the grind.

I wanna start by saying that I dropped out of high school in the ninth grade after deciding school wasn't really for me. I decided to get my G.E.D. and started working random jobs that never made me happy. I had always enjoyed building websites, but never thought at any point that I could make a career out of it.

Before going into the program I had a couple of years of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS from different courses online. I would say that the foundation that built was helpful, but the KU Coding Bootcamp helped to solidify those skills and taught me way more in 24 weeks, than I learned in those 2 years on my own.

After 1 month of graduating the program and receiving my certificate I received a job offer that doubled my old jobs rate of pay. 

I had to work for it, but the career services department was really helpful, and the instructors and teaching assistants were always available anytime I needed assistance. I can't say this will work for everyone, but if you truely apply yourself and give it your all it can be life changing.

Having a couple of years of experience in digital marketing, I see how being able to analyze and visualize data is becoming increasingly more important. Many aspects of digital marketing are also becoming more automated, which frees up time to actually perform more data analysis tasks.   That being said, I have friends in IT and others that went through a data science bootcamp who I talk to and they advised me to try it out and gain some additional skills which will make me stand out.   The bootcamp is challenging, but also very fun. It's fast paced and every class I learn something new. I also like the fact that we have a teacher and TA's who are in the industry, so we are getting first hand knowledge of what the current business world is looking for.   My favorite aspect of the bootcamp is not only the applicable knowledge we gain in six months, but also the support we receive from career services who helps me to become employer competitive, by giving much needed advice on resumes, updating LinkedIn profiles, mock up interviews, and more.   Advice to anyone thinking about taking the bootcamp is to get prepared that the bootcamp will be programming heavy for the first half and to do the bare minimum of googling the topics covered in the curriculum.

From the first day, I was immersed in an environment designed to challenge and inspire. The curriculum was comprehensive and encompassed learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript fundamentals to advanced topics including Node.js, Express, React, and MongoDB. Each module was a new adventure, blending theoretical knowledge with practical application. I appreciated projects that allowed me to build real-world applications, reinforcing learned concepts.


The instructors at the University of Kansas were exceptional. Their expertise and passion for teaching were evident in every lecture and lab session. The collaborative atmosphere in our cohort fostered a sense of camaraderie, with students eager to help each other succeed.


One of the highlights of the bootcamp was my project, iHike. Working with the Google Maps API in React was particularly challenging yet rewarding, marking a significant accomplishment in my programming development journey.  I implemented responsive design principles to ensure compatibility across devices and used various tools and languages such as GraphQL, MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js, Google Maps API, Open Weather Maps API, and Bootstrap. This MERN stack application is designed to reconnect people with nature by simplifying the discovery of nearby hiking trails. Users can input their city to access a curated list of hikes with detailed descriptions and difficulty levels, promoting physical and mental health benefits while fostering a community of hikers.


Throughout this course, I maintained a rigorous study schedule. My dedication and hard work paid off as I achieved perfect scores and graduated as a top student in my class. This accomplishment was a testament to my commitment and passion for web development.


What I enjoyed most about this journey was the continuous growth and learning with my fellow teammates. Every challenge was an opportunity to expand my knowledge and hone my skills. Not only am I equipped with a robust technical foundation, but instilled in me is a love for coding and a desire to keep exploring the ever-evolving field of web development.

I attended KU Coding Bootcamp from March 2020-August 2020. It is a six month program learning full stack web dev- everything from front to back end. I am amazed at how my skills have developed in the last six months. I can now do things that I didn't even know were possible to learn so quickly. It was supposed to be an in-person class but the Covid-19 pandemic changed that and we did a majority of the class on Zoom. It was an adjustment and I wasn't thrilled about it at first but the instructional staff was able to maintain the quality of the class and be just as attentive in helping us with homework, projects, understanding concepts, ect. It is an extremely intense class, requiring several hours a week doing assignments and practicing writing code. The things we learn are technically things you can teach yourself but I'm the type of person that thrives off of the interaction with other people while I'm learning. They also give you weekly tutoring sessions. I had a great tutor! The extra support totally justified the price tag for me. Would I recommend this class? Well, you have to be able to really push yourself, participate, keep a positive attitude and do everything the instructors tell you to do to reap the full benefits. If that sounds like you, you should definitely sign up. You will be so amazed at what you can learn. If you aren't willing to do those things this class isn't for you. 

Before I started this course, I had a decent understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I believe this really helped me in this course. This program offers a wonderful introduction to the world of web development. However this is a huge time commitment, the recommended 20 hours is not enough, I personally spent closer to 30 hours a week. I learned a lot though. I was able to land a job within a month of graduating, and most of my friends in the class had similar success. ​

The Full-Stack Web Flex Part-Time program is an outstanding introduction into web development. The material covered is extremely current, the instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, and the teaching assistants are really capable to meet the students’ learning needs. The balance between material on the front-end and back-end of web development is good and students graduating from the program, who have put in the time to really study the material, are well prepared to pick up new material on their own afterward.

Potential students should be warned that this course is a real time commitment. The ten hours of official instruction per week will generally need to be supplemented with up to twenty hours of outside study per week. That said, the program is a lot of fun, and it is really motivating to be surrounded by so many other people seeking to change their lives by learning to code.  

The career services offered through the program are good for younger students, who may have never received previous career coaching.  However, they could definitely be improved for older students, who may not want to jettison their previous work accomplishments for a complete restart in web-development.

After a year of taking online courses to improve my skills, I decided to totally commit to a 6 month Full Stack Web Development course. It was the right decision for me! The course is loaded with information about many relevant topics that web developers need to understand. There is a lot of information presented in each class so consistent attendance is critical. The instructors and TAs are very knowledgeable and helpful. But, be prepared to put in a lot of study and coding time in order to understand and apply the new information. If you want to be prepared for a job search after graduation, take advantage of the Career Services training that is offered. I think that for all of the training and support that is offered, this program offers an excellent value for the student. I would recommend this course to a friend who is serious about developing their skills.  

I graduated the KU bootcamp last July and was hired as a back-end web developer shortly after. The bootcamp changed my life. I made so many new friends while I was learning new skills and have connections for a lifetime, and it was really engaging to be there in person vs doing an online coding course or bootcamp. To me, the reputable certificate, the connections and the engagement made it well worth the money and time to go vs teaching myself at home. Their content and resources covered more than I could have dreamed in just six months and I feel it made me confident and prepared for my new job. My professors and TA’s were supportive, knowledgeable and great to work with. I’m so glad I went! 

Kansas City Coding Bootcamp is an excellent choice for students who want to jump into Full-Stack Web Development. The first day was a classroom building exercise to bond with each other and network with one another. It was great I made quite a few friends in here that I have been learning with since the beginning of the course. The structure of the curriculum is on a higher difficulty and can be daunting. The resources that are available to you are top-notch and all of it is available to you after you graduate. The key advice is that the more time you put into it the more you will get out if it and not to sit there and struggle by yourself when you have peers and teachers who can help and do their job which is to teach you.

I'm going to be completely honest with you. Because I wish someone would have written a review like I am going to write for you and I hope it will help you make your decision, 

I enrolled in the KU Cyber Security Bootcamp in Mar2022. I had a career that i was unhappy with before (I'm 37 years old) i enrolled. I was always smart with computers. Not like in the coding and technical way but I can work my way around a computer without having any technical schooling. Btw the class is $16,000.00. I took money out of my retirement to do this. They do let you break it into payments of 2,000K a month. 

So I bought the required computer ($1,000.00) and headphones ($250.00). The class begun in march 2022. The first few weeks there wasn't a whole lot of engagement. Just the professor reading off a PowerPoint. The homework was ( on a scale of 1-10) a 4/5 to begin with (I have a Bachelors of Science Degree) for the first few weeks. Then once we started getting technical with command line stuff and Bash Scripting, I was totally lost. I was literally looking a Korean and I had no idea what was going on. but the class continued on and the homework was still assigned. The Teacher (Sam Martens) and TA (Ben P.) were really awesome they always were available after class/before class to help. 

I never took advantage of this because, In my mind, i thought, i was going to ask him. "So remember everything from the last week? yea... I didn't understand any of it. Can you help me make sense of it". They offer tutors (free for 50 min, then it costs money after that). I also didn't take advantage of this because I personally have issues learning from someone over the computer.  I have a wife and two kids. I also had a job i was working at the time. Class was 6:30-9:00 tues/thurs and 10-2 Saturday. I was tired a lot and most of the time was just trying to get thru the class. So i was just on time to class and as soon as it was over I was gone. Never stayed to ask questions. 

Once the class got into Pentesting. I completely 100% checked out of the class. This was a topic that was so far beyond me that saying it was like looking at Korean was a total understatement. Then there was a PROJECT on Pentesting. So i literally turned in a blank assignment. I didn't understand it nor did i have any desire to understand it because I just didn't get it. There were about 5-6 units where I just never did the homework because I was so lost. I didn't even see a point of doing the homework because its not like I was going to understand it any better. Its like I just tried my best to follow along and nod my head. At that point, I realized what a huge mistake I made taking this class. If a career in cyber security was going to be like this. What the h#ll did i just spend 16,000$ on?

Fast forward to the end of the class. I barely made the final project and for 6 months of a class. I felt the the final project should have been something of a summation of everything you learned but it was basically pick a topic and demonstrate it. So I was going back to weeks 1-2 for my project because that the only thing i understood.

I got my certificate and thanked Sam and Ben. Who honestly were great guys, very patient and kind. 

Fast Forward to the important Stuff. Getting a job. Read carefully.
 
1st and foremost--- Graduating from the KU Cybersecurity Bootcamp DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING TO ANY COMPANY HIRING FOR ANY I.T. SPOT.

2nd This class DOES NOT PREPARE you for TIACOMP Security+. The class gives you a voucher to take the test for free. But if you fail the test. its $300.00 to take it again. So Once done with your 6th month boot camp. You have to study for a test that basically had NOTHING to do with the Bootcamp. 

Its 4 months post-bootcamp now. I had my resume re-done by a professional ($80.00), And to date, I have applied for 264... Yes that's right, two hundred and sixty four. (264)I.T. Entry Level/Cyber Security Positions with hundreds of different companies and guess how many interviews I've gotten.............................................................................. 1.

1 singular interview that went well but then they sent me a coding test which we never learned in the bootcamp so i never even returned it. 

I have yet to take the COMPTIA Security plus test because frankly I am terrified to do so. Because If i fail the test I don't have the money to take it again and then what!

My situation was unique and i am an old school learner. But i wanted to take the time and give you the breakdown of what you should and shouldn't' expect. 

Do not believe that graduating the bootcamp alone will get you a job. you need to take COMPTIA Security Plus test and pass to even get your foot in the door. in the I.T. world You can study on your own and take the test without even taking a bootcamp. Save yourself $16,000.00 and just study for the security + test. Look up Professor Messors videos on youtube. 

The school did not really do anything to help me get a job other then recommend I go to networking things and seminars. I've got a job and kids and don't have time for all that. 

If i had to do it all over again. I would not have taken this class. I'm out 16000$. I have nothing to show for this and If i fail the COMPTIA test then literally everything i did in the bootcamp , 6 months of my life and my 16000 was for absolutely NOTHING. 

I signed up for this course because I wanted to learn development and this course is taught at a state university (though not through the university).

My experience:
Day 1 and you jump right in. You have about an hour of introduction and then you get your machines set up. This was supposed to be done before the class, but was either not done correctly by the students or they ran into issues. The aides and instructor went around the room and helped to set everyone up. The same class you learn a bit about the command line and some simple HTML. The speed at which this class goes is incredible. You will feel lost, you will struggle, but you will also learn.

What you learn:
Some of the things that were taught an/or required in projects: HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript, jQuery, Moment.js, Firebase, Node.js, Express.js, MySQL, Handlebars.js, Sequelize, MongoDB, and React. I've sincle learned that things such as Flutter and Vue have made their way into the course.

Prework:
While it's not required to do any pre-work other than the very simple stuff that they assign you, I would advise that any students signing up for this complete the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Codecademy courses to get a good grasp on the foundations.

Projects:
You are assigned about a project a week and the project will be about the stuff that you learned in the class that week. These are doable projects, but most WILL challenge you. Good news is that these projects can go into a portfolio and employers love to see examples of code that you did.

Job Assistance:
They do offer job assistance, but it's far from ideal. I had the worst career services person while I was there. She is now no longer with KU so I'm sure it could only have improved. The career services offered included things like resume cleanup, interview practice, and things of that nature. The did't have job placement.

Are you job ready afterwards?
I would say that you are for entry-level jobs. This can be quite the challenge, but I did get several offers within my first 3-4 months of completing the bootcamp. This seems like it was pretty standard. Of my class, only one person took more than 6 months to find a job that I know of. Most people don't get jobs with exactly what you learned, but they're easy transitions. Some students got jobs in C#, PHP, Java, or even working in a CMS.

Drop out number:
The class started with about 22-24 students and ended with about 14-15 by the end of it. Most of the students that dropped out did so during the first 2 months. There were a few that dropped out as time went on and some of those because they already had jobs and didn't want to give their time to the class after.

Time committment:
I personally spent the 10 hours in class and about 20 hours outside of class each week. Those 20 hours was divided between completing the projects they ask you to and hours that I spent watching videos and reviewing class content. This may have been more than necessary, but I feel that I got a good value out of the class.

Overall:
I would 100% recommend this course for anyone wanting to learn web development or coding in a short amount of time.

*I was a student and do not work for Trilogy though I don't think I'd mind being a tutor or TA for the program.