University at Buffalo Cybersecurity Bootcamp by ThriveDX

I found the hands on lessons to be very challenging and useful. Much more than a regular bootcamp. It definitely took dedication to complete the 10-month program, but well worth it.  The instructors were very knowledgeable and engaging. Some of the lessons were basic for anyone in the industry for years, but the advanced topics were definitely harder and new to me.  Well worth it.  I did look forward to each new lesson.

I love how this program gives students a thorough introduction to cybersecurity. The lessons are engaging and hands-on, and the instructors are down-to-earth and relatable.

My main complaint is the job placement, or lack thereof. I was promised a year of access to career services to help me find a job in cybersecurity. It took me a month to even hear back from my career counselor. He gave me one job lead out of town, I said I wasn't interested in that job because I didn't want to move to a different city, and then I never got another email from him again.

The job board they give you is even more of a joke. The jobs are only open to local applicants, not applicants looking to relocate. So if you apply to any out-of-town jobs your application is immediately rejected. To make matters worse, there are only five jobs on the job board in my town, they're not what I'm looking for, and they're the same exact jobs listed on Indeed already.

I paid $17,000 for this class because I thought I would get job placement after I completed it. It's been nine months now, I've been applying like crazy, and I still haven't been able to find a job in cybersecurity. For the price I paid for this class, I expected a lot more effort from career services. I'm very disappointed.

I had the privilege of enrolling in the Cybersecurity Bootcamp program at University at Buffalo for 10 months to pursue a career change in Cybersecurity, and my experience was both challenging and rewarding. The Teachers were knowledgeable and accessible. They encouraged me to think critically and provided ample time for research and projects. However, the workload could be overwhelming at times. 

I am a recent graduate of the UB cybersecurity boot camp and now that I have graduated I have a lot that people should know before diving into this. The first thing that has to be said is that the instructors don't overpromise that you will get a job right out of the boot camp, the job hunting is largely up to you, but they do explain that career services is always available to help so if you are looking for a job to be handed to you, this isn't for you and cyber may not be either. You get what you work for is a plain and simple way of explaining this course. Another large point is that this will not make you an expert and you will most likely not walk into a six figure job, this is a fantastic way to hit the reset button and set a new strong foundation to break into a new field if you have no experience in cyber like I did. If you go into this class thinking you will be hacking with the best of them, you just wont (I certainly cant but maybe someone can), adversaries will script circles around you, but you will have a strong foundation to build up to their level, you just need to want it enough. While the tests are not terribly difficult I don't think they matter much. Your final grade is attendance and exams but when I mean the tests don't really matter I mean in the grand scheme of everything. If you ace the test by using material you should not then you are not learning. The instructors are the gems in this boot camp, that's clear as glass. These people work in the industry and have tons of real world experience and more examples than you can understand. It felt at times like fitting 5 tons in a 4 quart bag but it really makes you understand the scope of cyber and what there is to learn. Some of the instructors are boring and read slides word for word with nothing else added but that was 2 out of the many I had, the other 90% not only gave examples, extra resources and advice but also helped me with my interview questions when they didn't have to and I have added many to my personal network and I am 100% confident they will answer any questions I have even now that class has ended. This is a long review but let me try to sum it up. The instructors are amazing, the material gets difficult, if you are not invested in attaining a career in cyber and plan to put only class time in and not extra this clearly isn't for you, if you are ready to buckle down and learn a lot in a small time and really want this, I believe in you and you CAN do it. The last thing would be the advisors, they are good people who will check up on you, give great advice and are just plain nice. The first people I talked to about the boot camp made me feel like they were selling me a scam product, which freaked me out but I needed to get out of my field and into cyber so I took the 18k plunge and it worked out better than I could have hoped for. I have a passion for learning and this was a way to get into an intellectual career and enjoy learning new things as fast as I can for the rest of my working life. The cost is high but when you can start a career at 60k+ a year and expect to grow quicker than most any other industry without a bachelors, you have to consider the gains. Don't get into cyber just for money, get into it because you want a challenge, to evolve with the times and continue to grow personally and professionally. Thank you UB and thank you TDX.