Skillcrush

I completed the front end developer track in 2021/22 and got a job as a junior developer within a couple months of finishing the course. After a year and a half, I was promoted to Developer, and I'm still with the same company 4 years later.

Previously, I worked in the nonprofit arts sector and had no tech experience. The Skillcrush program is very supportive of women, career-changers, and under-represented groups in tech, which I found very uplifting and encouraging. The courses were very informative, fun and the right amount of challenge. The community of students and teachers provided a ton of support along the way. I felt prepared to apply for jobs; the coaches were very helpful during the job application and interview process.

I highly recommend Skillcrush! I love my career now and wouldn't be where I am today without Skillcrush.

I loved my experience at Skillcrush in the UX design track. I was originally looking for a synchronous program because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep myself motivated in a self-paced program with no true deadlines (which was also the reason I didn’t do self-study using all the free resources on the internet).

I ended up choosing Skillcrush because 1) it fit my budget and 2) it was beginner friendly. I had worked as a mental health counselor for 13 years before deciding to pursue a second career, so Skillcrush was super helpful to learn the basics of UX design.

I definitely needed to go above and beyond the coursework, though, in order to really feel comfortable with the concepts and tools. In addition to the class projects, I got hands-on experience by volunteering, doing freelance jobs, and working a part-time contract position.

In the end, Skillcrush was the first step and the foundation of my new career. Seeking my own opportunities for real-world design experience was the second step. The third step was that I built connections with other designers, both in-person and online, which led to getting my current full-time design job.


While Skillcrush won’t get you all the way (I honestly don’t think any program can do that), it was an essential part of my career transition journey. It took me about 2 and a half years to complete the UX design track (while working a full-time counseling job). I’d highly recommend Skillcrush to people who want to learn the basic design concepts, need flexibility, and are prepared to put in additional time and effort to gain experience.

An amazing bootcamp. I have tried to learn to code before using a combination of sits but nothing really stuck with me and it was hard to keep motivated and it was hard to see any progress. I have only been using Skillcrush for 1 week and I feel like I have months of experience as a coder. The lessons are superb, they walk you through everything in a way that helps you understand. and there is always an instructor just a message away to help you with any issues. honestly words cant do Skillcrush justice !! I only wish I had found this bootcamp sooner. 10 out of 10 for sure.

Returning to IT after 12 years, A former Senior Systems and Network engineer, I enrolled in the Break into Tech program and love it!!! The courses are well-designed, challenging, and fun.  They absolutely do apply real-world career skillsets, that Tech companies are seeking.   The support base is second to none and empowerment and tools are always there to keep you motivated, informed and to keep progressing.   Thank you Skillcrush, for helping me with this transition period in my life.   A teriffic school to check out for Coding, Design, and Tech experience.   

I signed up for Skillcrush to refresh some old skills and learn some new ones. I'm extremely pleased with the teaching methods as well as the instructors and support. There is so much additional content and webinars to keep you motivated and moving forward. I was a skeptic when I first heard about Skillcrush because I felt like the cost of classes seemed low for the number of skills that they teach. The other courses I was looking at before deciding were 5X the price of Skillcrush. Not gonna lie, that was a deciding factor for me but it was also a cause for concern (or so I thought). Turns out I was wrong and it holds up to any other online courses of the same skillsets. I'm glad I decided to go this route. I really connect with the style and pacing of the lessons and feel like anyone willing to push through all of the exercises (bonuses, too) will have a very solid portfolio to get that dream job! I have not gotten to the point in my coursework that I'm looking for a job, but I'm confident that they will go above and beyond to help make that a reality for myself and anyone else that completes the course.

If you are a career changer, Skillcrush is the BEST program out there. You will not find a better, more cost-effective bootcamp experience out there. I signed up for two tracks: Frontend Developer and the Get Hired Tracks. It cost exponentially less than every other option out there that provides live support and access to coaching. 

The Frontend Developer track was very comprehensive and gave me substantive practice with many of the latest technologies. As you work towards completing each topic, Skillcrush provides regular checkpoints throughout the curriculum with a real person who can provide real-time feedback as you progress through each topic, making you feel confident about the code you have written and providing guidance if you are stuck. There are also live Q&A sessions available multiple times a week and a lively Slack channel that essentially provides 24/7 support. The portfolio projects showcase that you know how to build using the latest technologies and have been carefully designed to be great practice and great material for LinkedIn and applications.

The Get Hired track provided amazing guidance, particularly as a career changer. The units helped me convert my existing resume and LinkedIn profile to one that looked like I belonged in the software industry. In fact, Skillcrush's advice was so effective that recruiters from major companies reached out to me. In addition to the unit content, you also have access to a weekly coaching session for 12 weeks where you can share your progress (or lack thereof), get advice, and receive support. This was a very worthwhile investment to make in addition to the curriculum to help me locate jobs and be as prepared as possible for the interviewing process.

Thanks to Skillcrush, the process from starting the first lesson to the job offer was five months. I not only got a job offer from a major company, but Skillcrush also coached me on how to increase my salary and benefits upward. I cannot more highly recommend Skillcrush and their team. They guided me from start to finish towards a new career that will change life for myself and my family. Check them out - you won't be sorry!

The course is excellent for anyone wanting to learn tech skills, either starting out or as a career changer. The course is logically sequenced, well explained and reinforced by quizzes, feedback challenges and portfolio development to cement new learning. Students have access to instructor guidance within 24 hours, as well as being able to ask for help from other students through the Slack online community. The course content is delivered in a contemporary and humorous way, which makes the learning fun, while being relevant at the same time. The ethos at Skillcrush is one of respect for diversity. Everyone is welcome. This is very reassuring when starting something new. I haven't begun the component of the course that assists with job seeking as yet. However, I have absolute confidence that the instructors will assist me with this when the time comes. 

I am really glad I joined Skillcrush's Break into Tech bootcamp. I have just completed the JavaScript course and will start the ReactJS soon.
This course has given me the needed skillset to start out as a Front-End Developer. They  provide a lot of website coding challenges that will bring out the programmer in you. Being a self learner myself, the knowledge I gained here has really strenghtened my programming foundations. Part time learning or immersive learning. It is all up to you. Perfect.

I am halfway through Skillcrush's Break Into Tech course and it is one of the best courses I have done. This is my first study in tech and design. Everything is presented in a very encouraging way. I finish each video and think 'yes, I can do it'. The teaching style really appeals to me. There are so many men in tech, it is a breath of fresh air to be learning from Skillcrush. Highly recommended. 

I completed the Front End Developer Blueprint with Skillcrush a few years ago (2017). When I did the web dev course, it gave me so much confidence and I was able to land a role as a multimedia developer as a result. Now I'm back again for the User Experience Course to power up my skill set even further. About a third of the way through, it's been exactly what I needed, and has so much relevance to my current role. I love how transferable the skills are (I do instructional design as part of my job, as well as multimedia development). I chose to do these courses instead of pursuing a university degree. Yeah I know it's apples and oranges, but for me it's been such a worthwhile time and money investment, and I've learnt things that are immediately actionable rather than theory focus (like Uni).

I am presently learning front end development in designing web pages. It is my first attempt at learning these skills and I find it very challenging.  However, I also find it very rewarding in the sense that I am learning new skills (I love to learn new things) that may eventually lead me into a new career that I can work from home. I have already put two webpages online, both of which are pretty simple and nothing to brag about.  The fact that I wrote the HTML and the CSS and the JavaScript, purchased a domain, transferred my files to my hosted account through Filezilla with file transfer protocol and got my webpages online and available for anyone to see, is amazing!  I have to admit that it has taken me over a year to reach my current level. With covid and changing jobs and just life in general getting in the way of studying, I've had to advance at my own pace.  Just this morning I finished the first course of JavaScript fundamentals.  Tomorrow I will dive into JavaScript React.  Anytime that I have been really stuck on something, help has always been prompt and straightforward.  The instructors have made it look easy to get me pointed back in the right direction.

I signed up for some coding camps back in 2006 and got through part of the WordPress course but got intimidated. I finally came back to Skillcrush this year and completed the first course in the series on HTML and CSS. All my coursework was still there waiting for me in new improved formats. I had originally signed up for front-end development with the WordPress module and the design section. It was great to be back and get started again and found it much easier this time since I was already familiar with coding. Now that they have the Job assistance program I am planning to start that in 6 months once my skills have come along.

Skillcrush has been fantastic from day 1! Their instructors do a great job of not only explaining what you are learning but why you are learning it. Skillcrush does an amazing job of providing information about each lesson as well as providing examples of each lesson. Each lesson is set up for the student to interact with the lesson material and engage in hands on learning before moving on to the next subject material.  The one thing that sets Skillcrush apart from the other online courses is their ability to help you along the way if you get stuck on a lesson.  They are very fast at responding to your questions as most of my questions were answered the same day. They do an excellent job of encouraging the student to use the skills they have learned to help solve the issue they are stuck on. I recommend skillcrush to anybody who is seeking any kind of career in the tech field, but doesn't have any prior knowledge or work history in the tech field!

I took my first class at Skillcrush just under a year ago, and today I am working full time, remote, at a great little design and development agency.  I am SO glad I took the plunge and signed up for Skillcrush! (I did the "break into tech" package, which is the comprehensive all in one, and also includes the career prep class.)

Prior to Skillcrush, I spent a few months trying out classes at Codecademy and Coursera (some free and some paid), but never quite gained traction with those.

For me, what really set Skillcrush apart was:
- they're truly beginner friendly: this means it's okay to know NOTHING about code on day one, and still make meaningful progress.  It also means they walk you through setting up local development environments and publishing real websites on the real internet.  I couldn't quite get those things going in my previous courses at other places, but Skillcrush had just the right mix of super clear instruction, encouragement, and helpful teachers...and then down the line, I had more confidence to tackle new things on my own. 
- it's fun: the classes are a nice mix of videos, reading, projects, and the topics and the way they present it is entertaining. 
- they're super-focused on the daily skills of web development: collaborating on GitHub, doing a thorough QA (quality assurance) on your project before publishing, searching the internet for bug fixes...these are all core to my current job, and all things that I learned at Skillcrush.
- instructors (and fellow students!) are helpful and kind:  the internet is not always the friendliest place, and that can include "support" forums on the internet.  And at the cheaper monthly-fee coding schools like Codecademy, there just isn't the number of staff to provide a lot of support.  At Skillcrush, there is a super-positive and very quick to respond community of instructors and classmates on Slack.  (And importantly, they're much more likely to point you in the direction of answer, not just tell you the answer.)
- their career support is AWESOME: the classes on job readiness, and the personalized support during your job search, are amazing.  Like there is a whole class just on this! And during the class you get individual feedback on your resume, your LinkedIn, interview prep, mock interviews, negotiation techniques, weekly check-ins with career counselors and other students - honestly this aspect alone could be worth the price of admission.  

And, they have an express mission of bringing more women and BIPOC folks into the tech world, which is something I can really get behind.

I think the only reasons not to pick Skillcrush would be if you'd rather (and have the time for) a more condensed, full time bootcamp experience.  Or if you are set on a particular field in tech that is outside web design and development -- say lots of back end, or data science, or something else.  

All in all, a great coding school and a community I'm so happy I found!

I'm one third into the Front End Developer + React course and I love it. The courses are subdivided into lessons. Each lesson teaches a topic and includes an instruction video, a written summary of the information and tasks that allow you to apply your new skills to a practical project. At the end of the lesson you review the most important information in form of a quiz. 
I had no previous experience in tech before I started this course and I have to say that I do not regret the investment one bit. The entire curriculum is just so well-built that it is easy to keep going, despite doubts and minor frustrations. I particularly like the fun GIFs and the encouraging language all throughout the course. The Skillcrush community in Slack is also friendly and being able to share problems and successes is very motivating.

I signed up for the Break Into Tech blueprint a few months ago and have enjoyed it so far. Right now I'm working through the Front End Developer section and have completed both the HTML/CSS and Git/Github courses. I like the way Skillcrush stages their instruction so that they introduce new topics bit by bit and slowly have you practice them on your own to get confident with the topic. This is a self paced course so you do have to stay on top of it and make sure you take the time to work on it, or you won't get anywhere. 

For this tech newbie, I find the instructional method very helpful and effective. This particular blueprint includes 1-on-1 meetings with Skillcrush advisors and job training courses as well for those who want extra support. I have had one advisor meeting so far and will probably sign up for another soon. 

I really enjoy the active Slack community. Fellow Skillcrushers are very kind and helpful, and one instructor in particular, Lisa, is always willing to jump in when you get stuck. She's great! (They all are, I've just noticed that she goes above and beyond.)

One thing I must note is that when I send in feedback challenges, I sometimes write a message to the instructors about how the topic was confusing or difficult, etc, and I get a generic response back (ie. Great job!) I would appreciate a more personalized response in those cases, especially when I mention that I was confused about something. 

Overall I'm happy with my decision to start learning with Skillcrush. I'm not sure I see a full time web developer career in my future, but having some skills in this area definitely won't hurt my resume. I look forward to tackling the Responsive Web Design and WordPress courses. 

Thank you Skillcrush!

I am on my way to becoming a fullstack developer and I am so happy I choose skillcrush. When I was looking for a place to learn, the most important part was having a teacher to talk to individually incase I got stuck. I am so happy with skillcrush because their responses are so quick and respectful. They even have live zoom chats that have helped immensely! I am so excited to keep chuggin away and I know they have my back to get me to my dream of web developing!

I'm glad I gave Skillcrush a chance when I decided to pursue a career change into tech. I'm currently taking the Break Into Tech - Front End Developer fast track. Skillcrush lessons are self paced but without deadlines for assignments, plus you get feedback from Instructors and TAs in a timely manner. I absolutely love the community support from like-minded people who are also looking for a career change. It's never too late for anyone to do something different. You don't need a background in computer science to get started. You begin with the basics and are given exercises to try after each lesson. It's been lots of fun learning to code. I would highly recommend Skillcrush if you're looking to get into tech.

Hello!
Skillcrush has provided me the opportunity to learn at my own pace and the instructors respond to my every email question within minutes!  The instructors are inspirational, positive, and communicate in an easy-to-understand manner.  This is an excellent platform to learn and they provide career guidance.  So far I am having fun learning, and I look forward to getting my first job in tech very soon, with their help of course!!

Shannon Fassett 

I am absolutely embarrassed that I not only made this purchase but initially gave this course such a high review. This is a bare bones dip in the shallow end of front end web development. This will not get your anywhere close to being ready for a real web development position. Their react section was an atrocious joke. The javascript here is nothing but a taste test of the absolute basics. Once you complete the course they basically tell you to start looking for freelance positions after you've had your hand held through a few really simple projects. You will feel lost and feeble in your abilities. I went to codecademy afterwards and even after getting through the ENTIRE front end engineering course I am still probably a small ways away from landing a career worthy job. Unless you have a sizeable chunk of money to burn and you want your hand held through the absolute basics this course is absolutely not worth it. The only face to face I had with an instructor was with someone who didnt give me any real direction and just affirmed that I was doing well with their course. it was a joke.

If your life situation is a little less than conventional (and whose isn't, right now? Hello, 2021! 🤣) but you know in your bones that you need to start putting in the work to switch careers like, yesterday, Skillcrush is an excellent place to begin. I'm a current student taking the Break into Tech course, with a focus on front-end development. I don't have the time or resources to attend a in-person bootcamp or traditional school-I researched these options before discovering Skillcrush! What I *do* have? An hour or two a day to start gradually learning and building my tech skills! Skillcrush is structured beautifully to deliver the information and practice I need, in bite-sized baby steps! You are encouraged to learn how to tackle problems or bugs on your own (real-world life skills!), but are never, ever left out in the cold-there's an active, supportive Slack community of fellow students and alums, Instructors that are easy to reach out to...I seriously look forward to my 2 "Skillcrush" hours every day, now! And I'm gradually building a portfolio of work! I'm so, so glad I made the commitment to myself to start this-I wish I'd started sooner, seriously!

I worked as an IT Analyst for couple of years, during the start of the Covid crisis, I lost my job, I was looking for work but was unsuccessful, I then decided that I want to change career, I decide that I want to be a Developer, I decide to teach myself the basics and the concepts in Web Development, by watching YouTube videos and Udemy courses, but they are not in-depth, for couple of months I was looking for a Bootcamp course, I went through and had a look at all the schools, and then I found Skillcrush, I thoroughly read all the reviews about them and(a lot of positive reviews)the cost of the course impressed me, I then applied for their 5 day free boot-camp course to get a taste on how they work, loved it, and so I enrolled in Front End and UX design course. I have completed the HTML, CSS part of course and am amazed at how far I have progressed on the course. Tutors are always available to assist and answer questions, I don't really have anything negative to say. 

I spent 18 years in a career that was not for me. For a long time I thought I couldn't change careers but after searching around for a boot camp style course I settled on Skillcrush. I chose them due to the five day free boot camp introduced me to how they work. I am just completing the HTML and CSS part of course and am amazed at how far I have come. I don't really have anything negative to say. It's good stuff.

Web developer student continuing my programming education through Skillcrush after graduating with AA degree. I only completed beginning and intermediate html/css courses at my community college. After much research and trials, I chose Skillcrush because I believed it to be the best learning format for me, I felt they offered a solid curriculum that would be tailored to my educational goals and needs, and I really found their stance on diversity and support for women in tech very attractive.

I was motivated to give coding/web development a go whilst I was on furlough in my HR role through the COVID lockdown in May 2020, after researching the roles and seeing the growing demand in jobs along with the salaries and benefits included. I first started out by watching and practicing to code from YouTube videos and continued by enrolling in a free coding camp and bought a £20 Udemy course. These helped teach me some of the basics, however, they weren't in depth or motivating enough for me to feel confident about starting a career in the field. (Be aware that I had no prior experience in I.T or coding from school/college.)
I had heard about Skillcrush whilst researching online courses and attended a live Q&A with the owner Adda who was great- passionate and very informative. I decide to finally take the plunge when they had a deal with React and advanced CSS included with the break into tech course. They also gave a $300 discount for those who attended the Q&A. For me at the time it was quite a lot of money and so I hoped it would be what I was looking for to help me to get a job in development.

Simply put - this is THE BEST purchase I have ever made without a doubt. The course is completely beginner friendly, yet goes into enough depth to challenge you and teach you the real skills needed for a career in web development. Unlike the other courses I mentioned above that I had tried, Skillcrush's tutors are always there to help and answer any questions fairly quickly and makes the experience more personal and friendly, you also get lifetime access to the course and discounts off of other add on courses such as python (which I intend to do). Thanks to Skillcrush I successfully landed my current job role as a web developer in September 2020 (which was the first interview that I actually went for). I am so thankful that I made the career change into the tech industry with the help of Skillcrush and I wouldn't recommend anyone else. 

You 100% get what you pay for with online coding courses and Skillcrush's 'break into tech course' is worth every penny. If you're serious about starting a career in development, I highly recommend taking the leap and getting this course as I wouldn't be where I am now without them and feel proud to have up-skilled and absolutely love my career in web development and working in the tech industry.

10 STARS!
Thank you Skillcrush.

To be honest I am really really shocked that there are so many good reviews about Skillcrush in here. I have bought the Break into tech course, and have been learning coding since 2020 February. The HTML and CSS parts of that course were quiet okay. But JavaScript, PHP, Git, jQuery - those are a joke! I am very very disappointed. The information that they provide is not enough at all. I feel like I have wasted 1500$ for a childish course and after it I was not able to find a job. The projects in JavaScript part are terrible. LOL CAT CLOCK? Really? Magic 8 Ball? How is anyone gonna hire me with such projects? And how am I going to create my own projects if the curriculum of JavaScript is so short? I am very very disappointed.
 After Skillcrush Break into tech course I felt like the information I received on the course is very very very very far from what the employers are looking for. The programming part really didn't teach anything. I needed to support my learning my learning with other resources. So I looked for some free or cheaper options (as I have wasted my learning budget on Skillcrush), I found some others much much better quality courses on Udemy and paid for them £18 each. And those cheap courses explained in depth how the JavaScript engine works, gave lots and lots of examples of ES6, guided through interesting, real-life projects, such as bank app. Even some videos on youtube teach you more then this 1500$ 'worth' course. 
Honestly, I feel like I have been fooled. Would never buy any other course from Skillcrush. Very overpriced. Wouldn't pay more than 150$ for such a childish incomplete course.

After recently changing to a UX career 3 years ago, I realized my visual skills were lacking. Although I am capable of teaching myself, with a job and everyday life, I needed the structure of having a curriculum laid out for me that could be worked on at my own pace. I was so excited to hear about Skillcrush from a friend! I am now finishing the visual design course and trying to decide which bootcamp to take next! May change to a different tech career - who knows! The price is right, the staff is fantastic and always available and there's absolutely no stress!

I have a degree in Web Development, but it is really old & I've been "out of the game" so to speak for a very long time. Last year my love for web development & coding was reignited, so I set out to start learning on my own with help from a free online code camp. I ended up getting overwhelmed & frustrated & ended up giving up on it. The timing wasn't exactly good in my personal life to be doing that, but nonetheless I ended up throwing in the towel. Fast forward to a few months ago, I started searching schools & options again & came across Skillcrush & a few other options. After some time & consideration I ended up taking the leap with Skillcrush. I couldn't be happier with my choice! Even though I have a degree I felt that the BIT blueprint was the best option for me to not only learn everything I want to, but also get the help I need for career counseling. There is an incredible support system with Skillcrush & the curriculum is very easy to follow & understand. If you have a hard time understanding things, there's great staff & fellow students to help you on your way. My only regret about this whole thing is not finding Skillcrush sooner & taking the BIT blueprint course sooner!! I highly recommend them no matter what you're seeking out. They have a great method of teaching, curriculum, staff & attitude too! There are certainly trying times but knowing there is a great support system in place really helps you to keep moving forward. Also not only are they very affordable for working adults, but it's so flexible it allows you to keep doing what you need to do in life without a complete interruption to go back to school. I'm close to finishing Phase 1 in my BIT course, and I couldn't be happier with my choice. I highly recommend them if you are thinking about it!

I went back and forth for a few years trying to figure out if coding was for me or not. When I found Skillcrush, I immediately fell in love with everything... the ease of use, the explanations, the materials... it was like everything clicked and I knew this was the place that would help me change my career. As of this review, I'm about halfway through Phase 1 if the Break Into Tech Blueprint and I don't have enough good things to say about it - it's absolutely fantastic! The pace is GREAT. There are multiple ways to learn through videos, written examples, quizzes, projects, hands-on learning. IF you are on the fence about signing up, get off! It's time to sign up and change your career and life for the better!

I spent a long time agonising over how to get into coding and web development, after deciding I needed to retrain and take control over my career. I am not at the end of the course yet, but have already gained so much. The approach is really helpful, and the conversations and support I have had from the Skillcrush team has reassured me in many ways: That I can build a broad base and then specialise (so I don't waste my investment on something I later realise isn't quite what I wanted); that there is a community out there that is collaborative, supportive and responsive; and that I am part of a great movement to carve out space for diversity in tech! 

The flexibility of the course (go at your own pace, all resources are available forever, Slack community for head-scratching moments and the option of more direct support) really works alongside a busy lifestyle. The way the course is structured also forces you to apply what you've learned and use your new skills. I'm confident this is the right starting point for a career reboot. Thank you Skillcrush!

I must say, it was hard to find the courage to break into tech if you have studied philology before, but Skillcrush did convince me that the main point here is - motivation, persistence, and belief in yourself. The course is well structured and perfect for those who don't have the whole day for study, for me - I have only 1 hour/ day max. and some free time on the weekend. It is very thoughtful and convenient that if I go for vacation e.g  I can postpone the payment for the time I'm not studying. 

Best choice for me!

I knew I wanted to "break into tech", so I was happy to find the "Break Into Tech Blueprint" at Skillcrush.com. I not only found the program to be very affordable compared to others that I looked at, but I also find that every class I take is fun! The videos are easy to watch and understand, and the assignments really help me build confidence in my new skills. I've been in class for just one month, and have already launched my own website.  I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking for a web development and design class that will keep you engaged, and build your knowledge of coding from the ground up. 

Though I do not recall receivint an e-mail each morning with goals for the day as is described here about the Skillcrush course, I still highly recommend it. I have tried other video courses that have been much more confusing and not as whole-picture goal achieving and supportive as this course is. With Skillcrush, it is expected that one goes at a MUCH quicker pace than I have, but I can finally say I know how to code a website using html and css with confidence and am finally starting real work building websites--a goal I have had for the last 7 years! I started my journey with an online community college course in html 7 years ago which I did not finish, then I was 2 courses short of a Certificate of Website Design in New York State from "brick-and-mortar" classes at Noble Desktop in Soho, but those courses were cookie cutter step one do this, step 2 do that and I got a general understanding of web design, but not proficiency and certainly not the confidence to code my own site! I've also started and not completed courses on Lynda.com and Udemy. Skillcrush is different because it is clear and it has a pattern of video, repeat in words what's on the video, then exercises and the occasional quiz that I find sticks with me to recall what I need to know to succeed. 

I don't think I got the full Skillcrush experience (there was some technical difficulty at the beginning and I never recieved class emails, etc.), so I can only speak about the course material itself... which is fantastic. If you're a self-directed learner and you're motivated, these courses are perfect for learning at your own pace.

I was solid enough with HTML/CSS (and had a basic understanding of WordPress) that I jumped the gun and took on a paid WordPress design job right at the start of the first course. I ended up blitzing through the beginner and advanced WordPress course in two weeks and it gave me all the info I needed to get the job done well. Also, adding in the Git/GitHub course was one of those things I never even knew I needed, but it's come in really handy.

Since finishing the course (which I don't know if I even technically marked as completed on Skillcrush), I've learned so much more on my own, but the Skillcrush courses gave me a really solid starting point and a resource I could come back to again and again.

My only "complaint" is the way Skillcrush packages its courses together, rather than letting them simply flow as options from one to the next for continued learning. For example, if after completing this course package I had had the option to enroll in another single course like using Sass/Gulp/Bootstrap or "everything you need to know about hosting servers" (DNS records, HTTPS<HTTP, .htaccess files, etc.), I couldn't have given them my money fast enough.

I haven't tried the job coaching part of Skillcrush or working with the instructors/community, which is a bit of a bummer since I know that's part of the deal, but hopefully I'll come back to it at some point. To be honest, I've been pretty busy taking on work. :)

My website hasn't been updated since before I took the courses, but hopefully by the end of 2018 I'll have time to put up my portfolio and a new layout at www.shayladuval.ca

I considered signing up for Skillcrush for a couple months before finally doing it. I tried using a Udemy front-end dev class, did a free JavaScript class through flatironschool, and created a WordPress blog. The Udemy course was the closest I came to feeling like I was actually preparing for the real world, but the level of instruction and the community just wasn't enough for me.

I signed up for the Skillcrush Break-Into-Tech blueprint a couple weeks ago and I couldn't be more pleased with my choice. I'm on my final project for the first class of the "foundation" section (HTML/CSS), and I've already created a couple projects to add to my portfolio (see https://www.kandisflick.com and https://codepen.io/kj0y/pen/YOJdJy). I'm learning so much more efficiently than I was on my own.

Last, but not least, the community is amazing. I've posted both of my projects on the community's Slack channel and have gotten only respectful feedback. Trolls aren't allowed in this community. It's also largely female, which probably helps with that!