Skillcrush Reviews
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Natalie Perez
Great Site!
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I'm about a third way through the web developer course and I'm loving it! I love the structure of their site and the learning style. They give videos, reading materials, and hands-on projects. They also have a place for discussions so you can interact with the other students and teacher and receive feedback and help. I'm brand new to coding and this course is a great way to start. I tried learning on my own but there was too much material available that it made me feel lost and overwhelmed and I had no support system to help me when I got stuck. Skillcrush has given me all the essential material I need in order to start a tech career.
I marked "Job Assistance" as "Not Applicable" because I'm not sure if they assist with getting you an actual job but they do have lots of articles about where to look for job listings, how to ace your interview, what you can do with your new found skills, and so many more! I receive emails about their articles and I feel like they know me because they keep sending articles that are so relevant to how I feel and what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm trying to not overwhelm myself so I'm taking it a step at a time and focusing on my course before diving into all the articles.
I'm also enrolled in other in-person coding course because while Skillcrush is great and has a great online community, I wanted something in-person. Both courses are covering a lot of the same material (as expected) but being able to compare the two helps me see the strength in each. Skillcrush is great at explaining the material, it gives you awesome notes/cheatsheets, and has a lot of references and articles you can review.There have been a few things Skillcrush didn't cover or go in-depth about, but I can say the same about the in-person course. There's a lot to learn and Skillcrush is doing a great job putting everything together for us.
I would definitely recommend Skillcrush to anyone. It's affordable, they are very responsive in the discussion posts and emails, and the courses are easy to follow along. Even if you fall behind, you can still continue at your pace and you can still post your questions in the discussion.
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Tera
Web Design Blueprint - Great course to get beginner skills!
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I am currently in my second month of the Web Designer Blue print through Skillcrush and am thoroughly enjoying it.
I was hesitant for a long while to sign up due to some of the poor reviews but since they have a 30 day money back guarantee, I went ahead and finally took the chance. I am glad I did. I have already done some HTML/CSS and Javascript through Codecademy, so I am not entirely new to coding and this is my reasoning for breezing through so far. The Designer course goes through User Interface/User Experience,Typography, Photoshop, HTML/CSS, Starting a Site, and then a Capstone course of sorts where you have to create a web page for a client for $100 as your last course. I have not gotten to the capstone portion yet. For those that have already done some HTML/CSS, as I've said, you will breeze through most of this but I took this blueprint mostly for the capstone type class so I can gain confidence and advice on how to pitch myself to a client and get started with freelance so I hope that portion is worth it as the rest of it has been so far.
I see a lot of reviews about it not being enough to really do anything and that you can get the content online for free. Yes, this is true and nothing in this blueprint is new or earth shattering, but this is not the point . I think the point of the blueprint is for you to get your feet wet and learn the very basics in an online class setting. I needed structure and the daily lessons and postings on the class forum (mightybell) did that for me. When I was using Codecademy I felt it was not progressing toward anything and I felt I was just "playing" and not really learning since I was just recreating what I was told. Skillcrush does this as well, but at the end of the HTML/CSS portion you start to create your own website so you can really let your creative juices flow instead of just regurgitating instructions and matching the example site that is given. During the daily lessons you also can create little bits of code on your own, using the theory and coding you've learned and I think this cements what you've learned a lot more than just "follow these code instructions and make your code look like the example." Using your own examples makes you really think about what you're doing vs a "cut and paste" mentality.
I've also seen complaints on mightybell. In my opinion, mightybell is one of the best things about the courses because it allows you to talk with instructors and other classmates so you can post your work and get feedback. My class is very active on mightybell so I am thankful for that, however, Skillcrush isn't at fault if you happen to have classmates that are not very active on mightybell so I would not dock Skillcrush for that if that is what you have experienced.
I also had issues with not receiving emails at the beginning of class. I did receive responses from my instructor and the help staff promptly. Yes it was frustrating and it took a few days but they did get it all fixed for me and I had no further issues. I am happy with the response time of the stuff and instructor so far.
Another thing I've seen that I wanted to address is the issue of having to Google things in order to solve an issue or get a grasp on a concept. I have had to do this too since it's been a while since I've used Codecademy. I do not think that is a complaint about the class to have to use Google to solve issues because doing that is preparing you for the real working world as a freelance or junior web designer. There will not always been someone to ask or to help you so learning now how to search for answers and learn on your own is an extremely critical skill to have when working in tech. It is better to be in a course like Skillcrush and learn to find answers on your own as well as bounce ideas off colleagues (classmates) now rather than be in your first position in web design or have your fist client and be lost.
Over all, would I take another Skillcrush course? YES I would and I plan to do just that. I have enjoyed the whole experience of having a class type structure along with classmates to give feedback to and get feedback from and I have learned things that I did not know before. Skillcrush won't teach you everything you need to know and the creator, Adda, has said this. I haven't learned a ton that I did not know about HTML/CSS, but I've gained value from the UI/UX lessons that I haven't experienced before and having the master class videos with tips and how-tos on how to get started in web design have been valuable.
Will this Web Designer Blueprint get you a job? Ahhh, on its own, no I don't think so. I think you need to take your skills that you've gained and practice more and gain exp on creating web pages and sites from scratch. This blueprint is supposed to let you leave it with a portfolio but I'm not sure if it will be substantial enough to get hired somewhere. The pages you will be making after you've went though the HTML/CSS portion are going to be very basic so don't expect to make flashy sites right off the bat. I would just tell everyone thinking of it and reading reviews to know what you are getting. Do not expect to be able to create fancy websites with interactive portions and drop down menus because that is way to advanced. This class is truly for the beginner and if you really have not experience any type of HTML/CSS or coding before it may require some Googling to wrap your head around it at first and I think that is ok. Use this blueprint to guide you through the learning, not as a be all end all...it's a stepping stone. I am hoping I will be able to get at least some freelance work with what I've gained and learned from the last class that I will take. I'm hoping it will give me confidence to start small and to remember that no one knows everything and everyone has to start somewhere. :)
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Hema P
Favorite online course!!! (Freelance Wordpress Blueprint)
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This review is for skillcrush's Freelance Developer Blueprint. I am currently taking this blueprint and have about a month left in the course. Taking this course has been one of the best decisions I have made. I have over 15 years of experience in Java, C, C++ programming. I wanted to learn web development and self hosted wordpress development. I was not only looking to learn but also be part of an active, supportive community. And that's exactly what skillcrush offers. The blueprint is split into different modules and some of the modules were a refresher for me and I liked that I got to relearn and absorb the concepts even more thoroughly. It was when something broke while doing a project that I realized that even though I had learnt those concepts, there were things I had to relearn in order to fix the issues. I'm a big fan of breaking code now to see how to solve it. My favorite module in this blueprint is the one I am completing which is 203 and is challenging with intermediate to advanced concepts. This course was worth its weight in gold for just that module. I have been supplementing my web development and wordpress learning with other free and paid resources and realized the combination of theory with practical knowledge would not have been achieved as fast if I had not taken this course. I wish they had one more month of module similar to 203. I would pay extra for that. What makes skillcrush unique for me is their office hours and how fast the instructors respond to questions on the mightybell forum. I like how organized the forums are for each lesson of the day. I learnt a lot during the office hours and also got to interact with students and the instructors. That's the part I don't like about online courses where the forums posts can get overwhelming or there is very little interaction. Having that group interaction during office hours made learning fun. I could have asked for a refund or given up when I found the first month easy and I am so glad I did not. What I know now about wordpress compared to 2 months ago is exponential. I know I keep repeating module 203, but that module brought it all together for me. You get what you put into anything in life and that includes learning. It took me a while to become active on the mightybell platform. And once I did, I realized that by asking questions or helping other students, I was learning a lot too. I also loved the fact that each day, there is a separate post on the mightybell forum for the lesson and project of the day where students and instructors interact. So if I am behind or if I want to go back to that lesson weeks later, I don't have to search for specific keywords, I just go to the lesson page. Mightybell platform did take some getting used to and I am told they might be transitioning to another platform. I also love the fact that each day's lesson is manageable and there is a video portion to the lesson in addition to the written portion. And there are downloadable cheatsheets for most of the concepts learnt. Being a visual learner, this is really helpful. I can't wait to take another course with them. I do wish they had more advanced course offerings. If I was just looking to learn a specific topic deeply, I could go elsewhere but the combination of learning and amazing instructors who respond so quickly to questions is what will keep me with skillcrush. And finally, it is a women friendly environment. I am not sure if women learn differently but I never felt more at home taking an online course than with skillcrush. -
Anureet
Skillcrush Wordpress Developer Blueprint
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I wanted to start my own business but didn't really know what I could do. I did a lot of research and coding and design kept coming up. I did more research and found a review about Skillcrush and decided to find out more. I opted for the Wordpress Blueprint but also did a couple of standalone classes. I really like the course materials and style of teaching and it's all really relevant. I really recommend Skillcrush.
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Joy
Absolutely worth it!
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I realized I needed to make a wholesale career change, and found myself really attracted to web development. After quite a bit of research, I enrolled in this blueprint as a launching pad. It was easily the best decision I've made in the last 3 years. I learned real skills, coupled with real direction for my new career. I still have many more things I want to learn, and I'm already considering another blueprint. I wholeheartedly recommend Skillcrush.
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Denise
EXCELLENT Course!
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I recently completed the Skillcrush Freelance WordPess Developer Blueprint and I can't say enough good things about it! The content was superb and I really enjoyed the videos that were part of the course. They were entertaining and very educational and it helps that I can back it up to hear something again. The course progression was just right, the TA was incedible, and everyone involved in developing the course, being there for office hours, and making the videos were top notch. I left being able to create a WordPress site (which is more than I can say for a previous course in a different language I took elsewhere, I promise you).
Career content was included beginning on the very first week, which was impressive. There were so many resources via emails, the blog, and master class materials that I learned a great deal about related topics and am continue to learn. The lifetime access is top notch (I just went back and watched one video this week as I prepared to do something I haven’t used since then). I got more than my money out of it and highly recommend it. Well done, Skillcrush, well done!
I suppose you want some feedback though - ok - if I think very hard, I would say to include the video and info that Ann posted for PC users in the January course. Both were very helpful at that time for PC Users. And personally I would have loved to learn the responsive portion a little earlier so I could have incorporated it initially instead of re-doing now. But I'm frankly just happy it was included on a very helpful video. Neither issue changed how great I feel the course was - just suggestions. And as I get a little more money going in the household with my new skills, I will be back for the Ruby course!
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Anonymous
Excellent resources and affordable price!
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I originally signed up for the Web Design Blueprint to maintain design skills I learned from another school, and I absolutely loved my experience with SkillCrush! I loved it so much that I decided to enroll in their Freelance Wordpress Blueprint as well. What I loved most was how design and coding concepts were broken down to easily understood material. I have taken courses from other online schools, and so far, I feel SkillCrush has done the best in making learning easy, fun, and interactive. Best of all, very affordable! They provide an excellent combination of reading materials, videos, visual examples, exercises, coupled with helpful weekly office hours where you can interact live with an instructor and other students for an hour to go over any questions you may have or get feedback on your work.
When you finish your program, they also provide webinars and career resources on how to network, how to put together a portfolio, how to put together a resume, how to update your linkedin profile, how to look for work, and even how to land your first freelance client. Recently they had a career summit where they had speakers from different organizations talk about additional resources in finding work and how to better market yourself if you are a freelancer.
The schedule is also flexible and you can complete work at your own pace and your own time. That being said, If you are not a self-accountable person, this may not be the right program for you. Everything is done online. It is not a classroom where attendance is taken everyday. You have to hold yourself accountable in completing the assignments. No one will reach out to you if you fall behind or remind you if you didn't get something done. Its important to be proactive in this course. But just like the real world, if you dont show up and you dont take action, you wont get results, and you wont succeed.
SkillCrush provides so many resources and is constantly updating their curriculum, that failure is impossible if you put into action what you learn and use the tools provided. They helped me build confidence in reaching out to my network which led me to land my first freelance clients. As a graduate, I still reach out for feedback on other projects I work on, and I usually get a response within 24-48 hours. I also get lifetime access to my courses, and even updates on new materials. I am amazed at what they do and for such an affordable cost compared to other bootcamps. If you are thinking about transitioning careers into tech and want to save money, start here. I wish I had found SkillCrush sooner!
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Ana
Great environment for learning code!
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I've finished the first part of my Blueprint and have been very impressed so far. While I love the amount of free resources that are available online to learn programming languages, I have found that the class-like structure with assignments, grades, and feedback is critical.
This course has been exceptional so far, both in the teaching and the customer service. The instructors go into the history and rationale of the languages, which is useful and interesting; the videos are fun and filled with visual analogies, and are followed by both text recaps and real-time practice opportunities; and I've set up a personal website and started making a website for a coworker. I'm pretty stoked to be starting web projects that are applicable in my life, only 1 course into the program!
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Anonymous
Skillcrush Front End Developer Blueprint
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I just finished the first in the series of course within the blueprint program, and I am really digging it. They do a good job of taking an absolute beginner and showing them how to code in a clear and straightforward way. If you were already pretty knowledgeable, it might be too beginner, but they have other programs for more advanced students.
I had looked at lot of other bootcamps and courses, but this one was recommended by a friend. I like that it is affordable but was a little worried that it might not be as thorough or in-depth as pricier options. However, I feel like I am learning a LOT. Have no idea how it compares to other programs since I haven't taken others, but Skillcrush seems like the real deal.
I was also concerned that an online course could be another one of those situations where you sign up and then it's hard to stay motivated and work through the modules or whatever. But the way they have it set up really works for me. They give you chunks of info and challenges to complete each days. And they are manageable chunks. You CAN go at your own pace, but I find that having it all laid out on a weekly and daily basis keeps me focused and consistent.
Also, you get to interact with other students and instructors through Mightybell. It helps immensely that you can get help on trouble spots this way. Additionally, Skillcrush offers a lot of office hours/hangouts where you can ask questions or get help or whatever. Then they also have lots of extras they send...webinars and links to information that's useful and help on how to get a job etc.
Their customer service is outstanding as well. The couple times I've had to email someone, they've responded promptly and been super helpful and easy to work with. For instance, initially I goofed and signed up for the wrong class. It was a painless process for them to un-enroll me and then get me in the right program.
Anyway...it's a great program as far as I can tell. I haven't yet made use of the job help stuff but plan to. I've just been focused on learning the material so far. But, it seems like they are always sending info about job skills and finding work. I just didn't rate them on job assistance because I don't know much about that part of the program yet.
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KarenS
Freelance WordPress Developer Blueprint
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WOW! I am just finishing the WordPress Developer Blueprint and I learned so much!! (I also took the Web Designer Blueprint which was awesome as a total beginner!) The instructors are AMAZING and always there to help! I'm not sure I could have finished the course without the help of my crazy awesome TA who promptly answered my never ending questions!
I've landed my first client and I'm starting work on the project soon. (Yikes!) It's a little scary but I do feel as though Skillcrush prepared me well and I'm super grateful to have ongoing access to all the class materials just in case I need to go back and look something up. Thanks Skillcrush!
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Amanda LeGros
LOVE LOVE LOVE
I am taking the Web Development Blueprint right now & loving this new world of coding! I definately plan on taking more courses once finished with this one.
I am learning and will be learning code to launch an entirely new career from what I graduated college with and can't wait to land a job with my new skills!
This site has been a blessing!
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Anonymous
Skillcrush Ruby on Rails Blueprint
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Part way through the Skillcrush Ruby on Rails blueprint and would give a huge thumbs up!!
The course material is excellent and Skillcrush provide prompt, friendly support / advice to help you along! It's easy to engage with fellow students in the online forums and there are weekly live chats with tutors and students.
The blueprint is amazing value for money, not only do you get lifetime access to the course material but the Skillcrush team will always look to help you out if you fall behind for any reason.
The course seems to cater well for both novices and more experienced learners; if you're thinking about taking this (or any of the other Skillcrush) courses, I recommend you go for it!
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Reuben Edwards
Web Design class
Solid course I forgot a lot and you covered things and explain some details that help me out a lot.
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David
Web Developer Blueprint is a must!
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I am extremely pleased with having decided to take this blueprint. As someone who is (was) not terribly tech saavy, I wanted to have more of a toehold in the world of web development and could not be more pleased. Skillcrush does a great job of laying out the big picture before diving into the details. Everyone is extremely freindly, and more than eager to help out.
I am excited to take more blueprints now that I got my feet wet, and am excited to explore their other offerings!
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Ann
Love Skillcrush!
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Skillcrush’s WordPress Blueprint gave me the professional skills I needed to launch my new career. I chose Skillcrush over other free online resources chiefly because it offered an organized curriculum with real support. I was pleasantly surprised with the fun way in which the lessons were presented, with lots of beautiful supportive material - so that even if the course covered a lot of ground, it never felt overwhelming (or painfully dry!!). I came to appreciate the professional development aspect of the course as I developed a clearer vision of what freelance work consists of. The blueprint left me with a toolkit full of code I could use in real-world projects, as well as new pieces for my portfolio!
I was really impressed with the support I received during the course. I also collaborated with many fellow students, some of whom became regular study-buddies and then lasting friends. I was able to build a network of contacts, and feel confident and empowered as a woman who codes. Thanks in part to some great carreer tools and advice, I was able to promptly secure contracts towards the end of the blueprint and have been working as a freelancer ever since.
When the opportunity presented itself, I started working as a T.A., and now I can carry on promoting the peer-to-peer empowering culture that Skillcrush fosters. I continue to learn and grow my skillset in providing some of the support I had so appreciated when taking the class. I recommend Skillcrush to anyone looking for a foundation to transition towards a new code related career. -
Denise
Cost efficient education = opp to work from anywhere regardless of the economy
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Okay, so I am not completely done with my first Skillcrush Web Design Blueprint but I this is my last week and I have to say, I am absolutely impressed with how easy it was to learn everything in such a way that was far from boring, hard or expensive.
This course is not only cost efficient but in the last month of the blueprint, it begins to pay itself off with your first job. Did I mention this first job you take is done as a part of the last course and all while you have your classmates and instructor walking you through it, in case you have questions, concerns or need the confidence of having someone available in case the need arises.
Additionally, I am so impressed with the courses that I am signing up for the next blueprint and plan on taking them all. The classes are so fun, user friendly and easy to learn that I am seriously debating taking 2 blueprints simultaneously! This is really not bad for someone that has ADHD and has had serious trouble completing projects.
I love the programs so much that I have recommended many friends and even asked them about a referral fee (they don't do this)! This is a great opportunity for full time employees that need additional ways to make ends meet, just want extra cash or simply need to get out of their current daily grind.
I was in an accident last year and had to go on disability and decided to take the course while I sat at home but will use this as a method of paying back all the credit card debt I incurred while on disability but I am not worried because I already have my first client and have a few more lined up waiting for me to get to them. Yes, a waiting list before I finished the first blueprint!!!
You can work from home anytime of the day, get a part time job, better paying full time job, freelance opportunities via one time jobs -- you would be surprised how much people pay hourly or for one time projects.
I recommend this opportunity to everyone but especially the following:
1. Single parents
2. Unemployed
3. Underpaid
4. High school students and graduates
5. Stay at home parents
6. Anyone living paycheck to paycheck
7. Anyone that has a lot of debt
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Andrew Daley
Best Investment Ever!!
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I have done the Web Designer, Web Developer and Wordpress Blueprints and all have been great investments. Just a couple weeks after completing these blueprints I was able confidently land my dream remote job as a Creative Director for a startup in South America.
The lessons are very clear and easy to follow and understand. All the resources and webinars helped to boost my confidence and believe that I was able to make this career chance. I feel more prepared and confident in this career that I have been persuing for just over 6 months than in the I.T job I had been doing for over 12 years.
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Anonymous
Lee Carter
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Skillcrush helped me gain confidence in starting my journey to web development. I took the Web Development WordPress Freelance course and my eyes became open to a whole other world. They helped me realize where I can go with this and using my current skillset. I plan on going back for everything I need to learn going forward. It is worth every dime and the online environment is on point and equivalent to today's high tech scene.
I love Skillcrush!
Lee
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Anonymous
An amazing start
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I love Skillcrush. I have taken the Web Developer blueprint and Wordpress blueprint, and I am now working full-time as a full stack web developer at a startup! Adda does a great job making complex subjects simple and easy to understand (seriously!). I was a complete beginner with absolutely no background in programming when I took the web dev blueprint, so it was a great introduction that made me feel more confident about tackling this career.
Also, the resources Skillcrush provides for you (cheat sheets, access to the lessons forever, charts, diagrams, etc.) is awesome. I'm a visual learner, so I found them really helpful.
I did do additional schooling elsewhere to really enhance my knowledge, so I do recommend this class just for beginners - although it would be awesome if Skillcrush introduced higher-level classes for students curious about more advanced topics.
My only suggestions are to use a different chat application. I never really got into using Mightybell, but something like Slack would have been great. Also, since I was working full-time during the course, it was harder to keep up, so I never took advantage of instructor help. It would be cool if they did a half-way checkin with each student to help personalize the experience.
Programming is a huge skill to have, so get started with Skillcrush! I recommend these blueprints to all of my friends.
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Ann Marie Santos
I'm having a blast with this course!
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I'm enjoying this class and learning a lot. I would, and already have, recommend this course to others learning to code. The only struggle in having is the instructor is using a Mac and I'm working on a PC. So, some of the codes that are being presented, won't work on my PC. Everything else is great and, again I'm really having fun with this class......especially considering I'm attending classes in my pajamas LOL. Please, keep up the great work and I do plan on taking more courses in the future. -
Cassie
Beyond Expectations!
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I'm currently taking the Web Designer blueprint with Skillcrush, and can honestly say I am beyond pleased with the course. In particular, I am pleased with the fact that this blueprint allows you learn about design and also a little bit of development - enough to allow you to be able to build a website on your own, which is really great if you're like me, and you struggled to decide between design and development in the first place!
The instructors are also so friendly and helpful - whenever I've had a question, be it course-related, or slightly more general, they have alway got back to me so quickly even despite the different time zones!
The lessons are completely comprehensive and engaging, and when you find yourself wondering what something means, or how to code/design something, you tend to get your answer as soon as you progress to the next lesson. Also the daily emails are really helpful as they give you a brief idea of what you'll be learning for the day, and of course, remind you to keep on track.
I love this course so much that I am already signed up to begin the WordPress course as soon as this one finishes, and I plan to continue my learning with Skillcrush even after that, so I can become a freelance designer/developer - something which now feels entirely achievable with Skillcrush's help, and I've not even finished my first course yet!
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Kristina Thornton
Very happy!
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I took the Web Designer Blueprint from Skillcrush and found myself whisked gracefully away into the world of tech without ever once feeling belittled or intimidated or stupid, which had been a fear of mine as someone new in the field at the age of 33.
Unfortunately, my day job required an unrelated urgent recertification course which has gotten in the way of actually taking some web design jobs on the side, but I can't wait to put my Skillcrush knowledge to (money-making) use.
This is certainly a boot camp I'd recommend especially to people with little to no background knowledge. The only issue I had was with the associated forum in Mightybell which I found hard to navigate and would have liked to have a very clear sitemap on every page with post headings. Otherwise the daily email system is extremely helpful and the lessons are broken down into perfectly bite-sized chunks. And I love the injected personality!
Thanks, Skillcrush!
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Anonymous
Web Developer blueprint
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I am taking the Web Development blueprint and I am a newbie at coding. I am changing careers and chose Skillcrush to do this. I like the curriculum, it is broken into pieces. I like the videos and Adda is so encouraging. I would suggest that it is broken into even smaller pieces. Sometimes it seems that they take big leaps from one challenge to the next. smaller projects building to a larger one would be nice. Sometimes I need baby steps. I understand that I should research to try to understand but sometimes I am spending alot of time doing that and then I get behind. I have skipped a couple of challenges just to stay pretty up to date and then go back later to work on them. They explain things really well, because this is new to me sometimes a basic thing to them is lost on me. I have learned alot and its amazing to back to some of the beginning classes and they seem easy now. It is a great way to learn to code and I would recommend it to anyone!
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Anonymous
Web Design
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I like Skillcrush a lot. It's very well organized and you learn a lot on a daily basis.
You receive an email every morning telling you what to learn, showing you videos and online docs to read and explore. At the end of each lesson there's some practice and a quizz to check every thing out.
You're part of a community and able to ask any question you may have. Teachers and mentors are very reactive, positive and know how to keep up with your motivation.
Some days I spend much more time than initially announced though + there's some reading on top of the lesson. but you want to learn as much as possible, right ? so you have to keep up with the rythm and read all those things and more if possible ( ok I'm 50 so maybe slower than other younger students... + I'm French and not totally fluent so i need to read some parts twice to be sure I really understand everything.)
I would appreciate more exercises, more practise.
I am globally very satisfied even if , for the time being ( 2nd month of the Web Deigner programe) I clearly have no idea if it will really be enough to start a new career.
I intend to go on with the next class anyway...
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Heather
Web Development Blueprint
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I had worked in a tech environment when I was in graduate school, but I felt like I was floundering and didn't have the skills I needed to persue a career in tech.
Skillcrush helped me dust off my rusty skills and build the framework for new ones. I enjoyed the coursework and the challenges therein. Sometimes I felt that the directions for the exercises were incomplete. A new version of 101 has been posted that cleared up these issues.
Overall, I really enjoyed the courses and feel like I got a lot out of the courses. They definitely helped me learn new skills and improve my confidence as a technical professional.
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Liz
Skillcrush is great
The instructors are amazing and the community is very supportive. I learned so much during the blueprint and am looking forward to pursuing a career in web development. -
Sandy H.
I Love Skillcrush!!
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I happen to LOVE Skillcrush!! I have taken a couple different Blueprints and have found them enjoyable, well-rounded and pretty thorough. They are probably not going to teach you every possible facet of each subject, but they do try to touch on some of the major aspect of that particular course...whether it is Web Development or Ruby on Rails or whatever. I think they do a good job of incorporating the various 'tools of the trade', whether that is GitHub or Photoshop etc. My computer skills all come from being self-taught...so for me, the fact that they try to lead you to ask the right questions and how to search for solutions rather than spoon feeding you the answer is good. Of course, sometimes, learning is hard and frustrating...but knowing how and where to look for help I think is a great skill on its own! And in my experience, communication with Skillcrush has been great. There is a Skillcrush community as well, which is nice...granted, that community only works when others use it, which I do not believe is the fault of Skillcrush. I am sure there is room for improvements....and from my experience, I do think Skillcrush is continuing to find ways to improve...so I can only assume they will get even better with time.
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Anonymous
Greatest Career Decision You Can Make
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If you want tech skills, you can't beat Skillcrush. They offer several different options, from single classes to sequential courses (called "Blueprints"), so you can decide the best choice for your career goals.
The lessons are clear, easy to follow, and fun. Adda is perfect for the video lessons. She really explains the concepts well. She also has a fun personality. The instructors and assistants are wonderful at answering questions. They look at your code, so they can guide you if it's off.
What I love most about Skillcrush is the people. Everyone I've talked with has been incredibly supportive. I got behind in my Blueprint, but it wasn't a big deal. They answered my questions and were very encouraging. I recently finished my first Blueprint and I'm on to another.
Whether you're looking to get basic tech skills for your current job or, like me, change careers, I can't recommend Skillcrush enough. I do suggest getting some of the books that they recommend, specifically the Jon Duckett for the Javascript & jQuery class. I needed both the lessons and the book.
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Sarah Eggers
Skillcrush Helped Me Launch My Freelance Career
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I enrolled in the Skillcrush Web Design Blueprint back in November of 2014, and it opened up a world of possibility to me. The learning modules gave us hands-on experience in learnable chunks of content, and the instructor and classroom help was top notch! And before I knew it, I was coding up static and mobile sites! (Read my blog post review of it!)
I loved my Skillcrush experience so much I became a repeat customer. Later in 2015, I took the Freelance WP Developer Blueprint. During that class, I built my first WP site and decided to make my client services public. Since then I've had small and larger clients and have a great side hustle going alongside a day job I love.
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Greg Brethen
Very thorough!
Ruby on Rails Developer Blueprint.
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Gregg
Skillcrush
Front End Responsive developer course -
Anonymous
Don't waste your money
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Prior to signing up for Skillcrush's Web Development Blueprint, I'd taken a few courses on Codecademy and Code School, along with knowing basic coding needed for customizing Tumblr/Myspace/ Livejournal back in the day. I already had a pretty good hang of HTML/CSS and breezed through a month's worth of lessons in a week or two. When it came time to actually learn something new, I found Skillcrush's videos and lessons lacking in information, definitely not enough to make me a skilled web coder. While I appreciated the TA's and other women in the community, asking the TA a question only to be presented with a bunch of Google links without any proper answer just made me angry. Thanks, but I don't need to pay $400 to Google coding questions, I'm paying these people at Skillcrush (whom are supposed to be knowledgeable of the topics) to help me!
As others have said, the Mighty Bell platform they use for communications is horribly organized and hard to follow. Often times recent postings or important postings would be lost on the page. I was so happy to be done with it.
Needless to say, I ended up getting a refund. You're better off using free resources.
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Anonymous
Don't waste your $$
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Just do CodeAcademy. It's free and you can now get support for $20 a month.
This course started out okay for me but if you need techinical help, like with your account it takes DAYS for anyone to back to you. The actual interface that they use for you to do challenges in all parts of the course are messy and confusing.
The lessons themselves aren't explained very well, especially the Javascript portion. I got through the css and html okay but I pretty much had to drop out when it got to the Javascript (which I am now learning using other programs and books).
They also spent way too much time on fluffy stuff like how to use photoshop which, sorry but that's not what I signed up for. They spend a whole week on design and typography, which I do think is important but not as important as learning CODING which is what the course is supposed to be for. They even go over color theory before they freaking teach you how to code!
I mean sure, teach design, but at least wait until your students can actually make a website first! This is also super irritating for me because I actually have a bachelors in fine art and have taken typography, color theory and design classes already. Such a waste of my time and $!
It reminds me of a photoshop professor I had who would always say, " I am just here to teach you how this program works, I cannot give you creative talent, I cannot make you an artist".
They needed to focus more time on the coding. They should teach design separately. It's true that everyone can learn to code but not everyone is going to be good at design! They make you think that anyone can be a great designer after taking a three month course.
Can you learn to code in three months? Yeah. Does that automatically mean you will be a talented web DESIGNER? Hell No! Sorry, I worked really hard to put myself through a fine art school so that really gets my goat.
They push a lot of their favorite products, without mentioning that you don't have to actually use those products.
It was too easy for the first couple of weeks and then when I got to the Javascript part it was overly confusing. And I can't stress enough how messy the interface is.
Also, I signed up for the mobile web design course by accident and made it a few weeks into the course before realizing I needed to know HTML and CSS first. They did switch me but it did take at least a week for anyone to respond to my questions.
I learned how to use GIT during that time which is cool and was easy enough to understand. But during that course they definitely favor Mac over PC. And that sucks because when you are using Command-line interface to program,Mac and Pc don't work in the same way. All of the examples and videos show someone working on a Mac and they don't show examples of what it looks like on PC. For some of the excercises they mention how the two differ, but most of the time they are just like " this is different when you do it on a PC, sorry!".
I now realize that there are so many FREE options that are much more intuitive and easy to understand than Skill Crush for learning html, css, javascript and any other programming languages that you don't really need to spend $350 on a Skill Crush course.
All of the paid programs that they suggest that you use have a million other alternatives.
I like the community part of it where you can interact with other users but that's pretty much it.
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Anonymous
Ruby On Rails Blueprint
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I signed up for the Ruby on Rails blueprint eager to learn. Adda has a great personality and I enjoy her short videos.
However, my overall experience has been frustrating. It can take more than 48 hours to receive a response to a question (if at all). Daily lessons are emailed and students are encouraged to communicate and post their work in Mightybell. For the past several classes I am the only student posting to Mightybell. There is rarely any feedback and I've spent most of my time supplementing with outside videos and tutorials.
After a couple days of not being able to proceed, I sent an email requesting a refund unless someone could respond to my questions. In this case I received a friendly response from a TA.
If you get stuck in a class and are not able to proceed you can expect to remain stuck unless you ask for a refund.
Skillcrush has the potential to be great but unfortunatley they fall short on offering basic support.
It is pretty much a $400 roadmap to follow on your own.
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Camie
Ruby on Rails Web Developer Course
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This online course consists of videos, reading materials, beautiful hand-outs and cheat sheets, and hands-on coding, and research links. The course (aka Blueprint) is divided into three sections. The course begins wiith learning the Ruby language using the terminal. The next month brings Ruby to the web, using Sinatra, Active Record, and Postgresql db. Test-driven development is introduced, along with more Ruby gems. The apps are deployed to Heroku. In the final month students use Rails to build a test-driven, complex web app. More gems are use and organized into dev and test. Quizzes are given after each module to help solidify your knowledge. Adda's positive, querky personality make learning fun. Her encouragement gets you through the times when you feel overwhelmed or frustrated.
In addition to the above, there is an instructor with office hours each week where you can ask questions, get help, and share your code using Google Hangouts. Those are very helpful. The instructor also responds to email, but sometimes real-time dialog is what you need to explain a problem. There is also an online forum, MightyBell, where students post accomplishments or questions. This is helpful when other students are participating.
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Becky Bair
Ruby on Rails
I love this class - very helpful and informative for learning the basics of Ruby and Ruby on Rails. I would recommend this class to anyone!
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Aleia
Skillcrush is A-MAZING for DIY learners looking for a little more structure.
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Skillcrush teaches you how to learn. So if you want to be force fed tech skills, you can't expect to do so for an hour-a-day. You can't expect to become a developer without going above and beyond and practicing everything you learn in the tutorial a ton. If you want to spend 3 months in a class and become a full-fledged developer do these (1) quit your job, (2) spend $12,000-15,000+ on an immersive course + housing, and (3) devote 60 hours+ week coding. Skillcrush is for DIY learners looking for a little more structure.
You get the basics and learn how to level-up yourself. And you get great instructors helping you do that and a-mazing master classes introducing you to more amazing concepts. I've done so much since finishing my course in March-and I was encouraged/empowered to do so by Skillcrush. Imposter syndrome is a real thing for people changing careers/women entering a male-dominated space. Learning web dev is not just about learning technical skills, it's about learning the soft skills that help you feel they belong.
In all of the tech events I have felt empowered to attend (meetups, in person classes, Django Girls workshop) so many developers say 50% of their job is searching things on Google. And you pick up some mad Google skills with Skillcrush. And some amazing resources to keep you going even after the course is completed. It's Web Design and/or Web Development you learn by doing and Skillcrush is a great place to start (and continue) doing!
As far as job resources...they rolled out a career section after I completed the course (and I still get action-lifetime membership baby) and the master classes are great (i.e. multiple webinars with the Power to Fly CEO) It has been really helpful with putting myself together and getting me on the right path. A 5 would of course be assistance with job placement; a girl can dream!
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Erin
Great idea, lacking in execution.
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I already do website maintenance (html/css) in my career, but I wanted to step it up and add to my skills so I could branch out. I thought the Web Development blueprint would be an easy and affordable way to advance. I liked that it was flexible and I could do the lessons as I pleased. I was wrong. While the lessons are laid out nicely, clean, and seem short, they are not completely useful. They contain very short video lessons--I'm talking 3 minutes or less--and simple diagrams to teach. It seems logical in theory, but it doesn't work in practice. While there are a lot of basic resources and cheat sheets to refer to, it isn't enough. You really can find that information for free online, plus more!
I breezed through the HTML/CSS portion because I am familiar with that, but after starting Javascript, I was totally lost. It made me feel as if I was stupid and incompetent, but really its caused by the lack of explanation and information on Skillcrush's part. They immediately throw you into writing Javascript. While I like hands on learning, there needs to be thorough instruction on constructing statements and writing methods BEFORE throwing you off the deep end...especially in programming languages because of the various nuances in the code. There just wasn't enough guidance! There are so many holes they expect you to fill on your own. They literally instruct you to "google" how to do certain steps when they don't take the time to explain them in lessons. I am not paying you so I can google! That's what I pay my internet provider for! The majority of the lessons told you really simple information and then you were left to put the pieces together and magically create something out of scratch. So a 30 min to 1 hour lesson would take hours to complete. What a deterrent!
There is no way someone who is a complete novice could successfully begin a career in web development after finishing these courses. That claim is such a joke. Employers would scoff at this resume if you brought this lack of skill to them. Even though Skillcrush claims you will have a polished, impressive portfolio at the end of Part 1....yea right! You get basic HTML & CSS to make a one page site with a few paragraphs and pictures. That's not acceptable in the modern web anymore and honestly is something you should expect from 1998. I got completely frustrated with how much the lessons leave you sitting in the dark that I haven't even finished the blueprint. I suspect the third and final portion, Ruby, Git & Sinatra, will be the same way.
There is a support system of other peers which can be nice, but I found the Mighty Bell platform to be very confusing. There were layers and layers of pages and half the time I didnt know where I was or if I was in the right group to post a question. Most of the time the students questions would go unanswered by the instructors and we were left trying to answer each others questions without any confirmation. They post daily tasks for each lesson in Mighty Bell as well, but my instructor was constantly late posting or posted the wrong week and took far too long to correct the mistake. That made learning even more confusing. The office hours were always at odd times...always during the weekend. I couldn't make any of them. It would be more useful if the office hours were during the week in the evenings.
Overall, I was disappointed with what I got out of Skillcrush for the $400 price tag. After giving up on Skillcrush, I picked up a Javascrip & JQuery book and felt more informed after reading it for 30 minutes than I did pulling my hair out for 2 weeks in the Javascript lessons. The lessons can help you start understanding websites, but I wouldn't use it to change your career....because it just simply does not give you that knowledge. I will say that the blog has a lot of great ideas and guidance on changing your career and how to get started. A++ in that aspect, but the lessons are terrible and were a waste of money.
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Anonymous
Wasn't so helpful
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Skillcrush was my first introduction to coding and I loved how it was designed for women and encouraged a community of females coders, but I didn't find the material to be thorough enough for an absolute beginner. I ended up taking forever to get through the Skillcrush stuff because the video lessons were brief and didn't make much sense to me. All in all, I thought it was a waste of money because I ended up taking other non-Skillcrush courses to help me get through Skillcrush.
I love the career resources and I'm thankful that Skillcrush left me feeling empowered as a female coder, but I really don't think it was worth the expense. There are many other beginner friendly coding courses for far less money.
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Christine Oskison
Fantastic support, program, and community!
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When I began the Skillcrush Web Design Blueprint (Sept. 2014), I had no prior experience in web design or development. I had been looking for a course that was geared toward women - for the design style and also communication. I enjoyed the teaching style, 1:1 weekly office hours, community and support so much that I signed up for my 2nd Skillcrush Blueprint, Freelance WordPress Developer, Jan 2015.
Through these blueprints I learned the foundations for several skills: Web Designer Blueprint (Photoshop, HTML/CSS, JavaScript/JQuery - the last one was the hardest for me and I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two); Freelance WordPress Developer (Intro to WordPress, Git, WordPress Best Practices, and Apprenticeship). While there wasn't a focus in the Web Design Blueprint on job transition (aside from blog posts) - job skills were included in the WordPress Developer Blueprint (creating a resume, interviewing, client relationships, becoming a freelancer, and portfolio review).
To get the most out of your Skillcrush Blueprints, I'd recommend: 1) Be as involved as you can on the Mightybell groups. The more involved you are with asking questions and answering fellow classmates' questions - the more you will learn. 2) Show up to every possible 1:1 or group office hours, and participate. 3) Do your best to keep up with lessons. Even though this is self-paced and you can take all the time you need to complete your lessons, you will find more support from peers if you are current than if you are a few months behind. The instructors are great at answering when you do get to the lessons, but you will find the most help by staying as close to the schedule as you can. If you do get far behind, I have known a couple classmates to request to be put into the next start date's Mightybell group so that they can get on track with the new group's schedule, and it benefitted them. 4) If you see that there are peers with common interests or learning styles, consider asking if any of them would like to be "study buddies" (as recommended in one of the webinars), with the idea that you could message each other with any questions about the course, and encourage each other as you go. I did that with a few peers and it has been among the best parts of the experience. I'm a few months beyond my blueprint and still keep in touch with one of my "study buddies."
I would HIGHLY recommend Skillcrush. My favorite pieces aside from the content, were the interaction with instructors and peers on Google Hangouts and Mightybell. As I processed the coursework with them, I learned so much more. I really do feel the value is more than the cost of the course, and you will most likley make the cost up in your first client or two. As other reviewers have said, you won't learn everything there is to know (probably in any course) - but I loved that the instructors often encouraged us that there is always more to learn, and that's exciting! And that your website can and will continue to evolve as you/your business does (takes pressure off the perfectionists! ;))
The courses are code heavy, so if you are more interested in the design side, you may want to consider other programs. I thoroughly enjoyed Skillcrush and what I learned through the program, instructors, and peers! And would highly recommend their blueprints. Right now, I am looking to learn more about design to add to what I've learned through Skillcrush. If/when Skillcrush creates a Graphic Design or Logos/Branding Blueprint - I'd be one of the first to sign up! :)