University of Denver Boot Camps

At the risk of shooting myself in the foot…I’d like to present a reality check of the DU Data Analytics bootcamp based on my experience last year and hopefully help someone who’s considering whether or not to drop 10 grand on the dream.

First of all, class lectures were pretty frustrating and more demoralizing than encouraging. Secondly, the support system isn’t really geared for those who are struggling.

Pros

• Intelligent quirky instructor who has real-world experience

• Tutors can help flesh out the lectures and allow you to complete the homework

• Career counseling provided some feedback that was insightful

Cons

• Instructor teaches at a high level that is often unrelatable or not simply explained.

• Student Success Manager is virtually absent and too busy to respond to inquiries (although I suspect this review might get his attention)

• Weekly survey feedback is never addressed.

• Career advisors don’t have any particular industry contacts to share. Their advice is generic and widely searchable.

Conclusions:

I learned a lot and racked my brain to extremes. If I had to do it over again though...I would make the following adjustments:

1. Look at educational organizations that guarantee money-back job placement. Thinkful is one such organization in Denver.

2. Explore free online resources. There are many great educators that record videos on specific programs. I learned the most this way actually and have been tempted to design a free curriculum for prospective learners.

3. Look for instructors who have a balance of field and teaching experience.

Despite all the rave reviews on this site, I’m not the only one from my class who had a similar experience as described. Very often after class I would commiserate with others who were equally frustrated.

I’d like DU’s program to succeed and to get that dream data job that I sacrificed so much for (a career change). But the reality is it’s been four months since I graduated and I’m still applying without much success. I’d rather be telling you a different story and I hope that will change in the months to come, but for now this is the stark truth.

I hope this feedback helps prospective students decide what to do based on a more rounded picture.

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I decided to pursue this Coding Bootcamp because I wanted to improve my coding skills. I got a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering back in 2018, but I haven't had the opportunity to find a job within the tech industry. A few years later, as technology made such big improvements, and new programming languages and framework started to be in-demand, I decided that I have to get more education, in order to stay in track with the trending technologies. I decided the enroll in the University of Denver because it's one of the best universities in Colorado, and also they have a good curriculum. I've a good experience with this program. It's been very challenging and demanding, but I have to keep studying and practicing. My favorite aspect of the program is that I'm learning the most popular programming languages and technologies in the market. The advice that I'd give to other prospective students to ensure success would be that, don't overthink about enrolling in this program. It seems challenging, but down the road you'll have the opportunity to learn a lot of skills that you'll need in order to be in the tech industry, which have very good jobs. Read less

I graduated from this bootcamp back in 2022. At least that is what my grade reflects and what my teachers and TAs said. Unfortunately-- I never received my certificate. I worked extremely hard and got a 92% overall. So an A-, but never received any type of certificate to show for it. This bootcamp was $10,000 by the way.

On top of all this I was promised a very high graduate to job ratio, as long as I pay attention and can pass. As far as I can tell there are only a handful of people from my pod that have gotten any type of job from this, and I can guarantee it's not for lack of trying. The people I still communicate with from the pod have not received their certificates either. They boasted about a "career services" program that would help us connect to jobs but I was never able to find this nor was I ever able to schedule a meeting with them. Our teacher Danny Oka and the TAs were all incredibly helpful and given that they had to give up a lot of their time to support us I find no fault in what they did.

That being said, I've been taking Angela Yu's Udemy course online and I have been learning in far more depth than I did when I was in the bootcamp. Not trying to advertise this or anything I just think it should be said. Her course is only $20. For 10k I would imagine that this would be one of the best bootcamps on the planet.

When I was talking to the rep from DU to decide if I wanted to do this they said anything they could to take my money. I swear to god I feel so scammed in that regard. This job market is not, how he called it "booming for graduates". It is so far from that. I have applied to, at this point, hundreds of jobs for just entry level programming jobs and only have had a few call backs. The call backs immediately shut me down once they find out that I had graduated a boot camp and don't have a college degree.

This job market is exhausting. If you want my advice save your 10k and buy a course online that is $20, you will have the same luck there than you will at DU Bootcamps.

All of that out of the way, working in a pod was great, most of the time. Just like in real life, sometimes you'll have people on your team who do nothing to contribute to the project (in my case it was 3 times). But having the TAs and Teacher there to ask questions and get immediate answers was great. I have nothing but praise for Danny Oka and his TAs that helped us. They genuinely wanted to help us learn and I will forever be grateful for that. But at this dollar point you'd think they'd make their "Career services" more accessible to everyone and that they'd at least send me my certificate once I graduated.

That being said we were almost always rushed due to the nature of the course-- not too much that I think could be done about that but some things I found I was just doing because it worked and not because I understood what was going on. Possibly just an issue on my end, so I won't judge based on that.

TLDR; feels a lot like a scam at this price point. Cheaper options are a lot more accessible and don't change the job outcome. Teachers and TAs are great but that's about the extent of it. I never received my certificate despite passing the course. Read less

I finished the coding boot camp in February of 2022. Overall, I had a good experience. 

There were about 30 people in a class and 1 instructor and 2 TAs. The course was remote and taught over Zoom used with Slack. I was able to learn multiple concepts needed to become a Full Stack Developer. We would get assignments that we were put in a breakout room to complete and get experience after the instructor finished teaching the concept. The instructors and TAs would join the rooms and help us with any difficulties.

Some other perks I found helpful was the fact that I was assigned a tutor who I could work one on one with for an hour every week, I got experience collaborating with other people on projects,  I received feedback on my career materials, and I got assigned a career coach I could meet with after graduation to assist with the job search. 

Only complaint I have is that some of the other people in my class were lazy and not very intelligent and wouldn't help with projects and managed to be a burden. I don't mind helping people out when they run into problems when they pay attention to what I am saying and learn. I had some people who I helped out in the Boot Camp who were genuinely trying to improve and ended up becoming better after I helped them and it made them willing to help me out but I wasted hours trying to teach certain people simple concepts that they couldn't understand after they wouldn't put any effort into the class. This isn't entirely the fault of the school as they had a process of checking the people who applied. This is something that will happen anywhere though and it is good to know how to handle situations like this in life.

I am able to recommend the Boot Camp and say that it was helpful for me. I am currently seeking a job and can say that I have received good help with programming and job seeking. Read less

This course provides a great foundation for those looking to transition to cybersecurity. Whether you are experienced with IT systems or a beginner, the course is laid out so that all can learn the skills they will need. The instructors were fantastic and willing to help whenever needed and presented material in a clear and concise manner. I highly recommend this course if you want to get into this field. Read less

I took the 24 week course, and it changed my life. It was lots of work, but well worth it.  Five months after graduating and applying to about 110 jobs, I found the job of my dreams. I almost doubled my original salary.  I already have a BFA in Art/ Graphic Design, so it really fits in well with my job field. I especially excelled in the web design/ coding section, and this is what really got me my current job. Portfolios are everything and your LinkedIn profile. Take advantage of the career assistance because they really help clean you up and get you ready for career changes. Several of my classmates found better jobs or advanced further in their current places of employment. Many of them excelled more in the UX section, and found great researching positions. Read less

I do not recommend this program if you are a beginner, the class actually starts upon enrollment with what's called PRE-WORK, it's not graded, but it gets you to the level necessary for the class. I expected to start class on a specific day, I had no idea there was 15 assignments I needed to complete to be ready, I got to #5. When class started it was much higher than beginner, the instructor moved fast through the lessons, the breakout rooms were a joke (the blind leading the blind), on day 2 my instructor actually popped into our room and smirked as we did the assignment incorrectly, after the breakout room she did go over the assignment and showed the class the assignment correctly done, but I was still lost. In class #2 (8/18/21) I found out we had a homework assignment due on Aug 28, but the TA's wouldn't go over it until the Sat Aug 21st class, so if you didn't understand something like me you stayed stuck until the next class. Tutors are 50 minutes a week, and the only times my tutor had open (before the homework was due) was when I was at work. You really just stay stuck until the next class. I was thoroughly disappointed in just the first 2 classes, no effort is made to go over the material to make sure everyone knows it, I felt like the Instructor and Teaching Assistants just followed a schedule and went down a list, you really have to teach yourself, YouTube videos are more informative than this class.
I actually changed jobs and cut my income in half to have a work schedule to fit this class only to drop it by the drop/add date so I wouldn't be stuck paying 10k for something that clearly was not going to work. My advice to any beginner considering this program is to look somewhere else, this is NOT for beginners, they'll just take your money. If you have 2 incomplete homework assignments or a failing grade on 2 homework assignments, you get dropped, so once you fall behind, you stay behind. Read less

I enrolled in the University of Denver's Full Stack Coding Bootcamp after realizing that, for me, the fastest, most efficient way to get into the tech industry, was to immerse myself in code, and develop a professional network that ultimately led to my new role. This is the beauty of this Bootcamp. It's fast paced, and connects you with your future co-workers, and professional contacts! The people you meet in the Bootcamp are nearly, if not, more so, valuable than the subject matter. You cover todays most relevant tech in a logical manner that allows you to progressively build your skills until you ultimately have everything you need to deploy full stack applications. I found it incredibly rewarding. Be ready to put in a lot of work. But if you do, and go in willing to take instruction and ask questions, I promise, you will thank yourself for it. My wife and I just had our first baby and I knew it was time to put the time and effort into my career. Career Services is another great reason to enroll. I received an offer to work full time, remotely, for a tech company paying double what I made before. Do yourself a favor and invest in your work ethic, passion, and future. Read less

I signed up for this course to obtain the skills I would need to help me combine my financial analysis background with more specific technical skills, especially as the financial services arena is getting even more data-centric.  The Bootcamp was incredible. It was a lot of work, but I learned a lot.  I cannot say enough about the quality of the instructional staff.  They made sure that we actually learned what we came to learn, in a way that was very supportive. The Career Services group has also been really great to work with. For those who sign up, my best advice is to stay on top of the assignments and keep a consistent schedule with your tutor. Read less

I had high hopes for this bootcamp, but after a disappointing learning experience with disruptions to instructors and instructors not having a grasp of the materials -- I spent long hours teaching myself material so I could turn in homework.  I was close to signing up for the masters program at DU, but after my treatment after I rose concerns I will be looking for another program. Read less

It is 100% true when they say that this course is fast paced, but with the help of my instructors, tutors, fellow classmates, and google I was able to gain the necessary skills to become a full stack web developer. I would recommend taking this bootcamp to anyone who is wanting to learn coding. I went in with no coding experience and now feel like I can continue in my journey to finding a career in web development. Read less

I have a background in database technology and data analytics, but was looking for programming skills so that I could begin developing custom apps for my clients.  I worked on courses on Udemy, Coursera, and YouTube tutorials, but could never get all the pieces together.  

The DU bootcamp put it all together.  In 6 months, part time, I was able to go from not knowing what an IDE is (that may be you right now) to being able to build a full stack web application with the confidence and knowledge that the only limit in my development career is my imagination.  

We covered all major components of full-stack applications, including html, css, frameworks, express, mySQL, MongoDB, Node.js, and React.js.  I'm writing this three days after completing my final project, and I couldn't be more thrilled with the program.  So much so, that I came here to let you know it is a quality bootcamp, and delivers on everything promised.  

I did not use the career services, as I have a job already that I love, but there is extensive support for those looking to get a job after the bootcamp.  The instructors, tutors, and support staff are all professionals and deliver on the mission of teaching you to code and getting you employed.  

The other students in the class were amazing, and from varied background and skill levels.  We all learned from each other, and formed relationships that are continuing beyond the bootcamp.    

The biggest challenge in this is that it is a lot of work, and you need to spend 20 to 30 hours a week between class and assignments if you want to get the most out of it.   The program that I took was all online, and that took nothing away from the experience.  Zoom is a great tool, and our instructor would code us through the solutions after we worked in breakout rooms on them.  There is a lot of coding in this course, and it is very well structured.

I can't really think of any drawbacks to the program.  It taught me everything I wanted to learn and how to find and learn the things that will allow me to become a better programmer in the future.       Read less

I took the Data Analytics course and it honestly was the most amazing time I had. If I could go back I would definitely have talked to my peers more. It was online though due to covid and I am sad that we don't get to have an official graduation. But I would definitely do it again if given the chance and try another course. Svitlana, Talon, Jae Jun, and Joe were the best group of people to have as teachers and guides. :) Read less

I would 100% recommend taking this course to anyone who is serious about becoming a developer. I ended up landing a job as a Web Developer a month after completing this course. It's very educational, they teach you some very useful stuff about JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, Databases, MySQL, MongoDB, React, Express, and Node.js. Stuff I did not know before. They teach you the latest technologies and ways of doing things. So if you are looking for a career that involves those skills, languages, and technologies then this course is for you. 

Going in, I had a little bit of coding experience as an intern and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration but I had a lot of trouble getting a real job full time as a developer because of a lack of experience and no CS degree. I couldn't even get an interview, they'd just look at my resume and say we have chosen someone else as it is a very competitive industry and these positions are not easy to land. But I'm happy to say that this Bootcamp made a difference and it helped me get a job as a Web Developer. It was totally worth the money and time.

I would advise not to go into this class with no prior coding knowledge, skills, or abilities because this Bootcamp is not exactly cheap. There were a few dropouts that I noticed and I think it might be because they could not handle it because coding is not for everyone. Before signing up for this program, if you have 0 knowledge or experience coding then I would suggest trying building your own website on your own time just to try it out and see if you can self-teach yourself about the basics of HTML, CSS, Javascript, GIT, servers, and databases. If you can self teach yourself how to build a super basic website by using resources available for free online, push it to GitHub, and deploy it on a live website like Heroku with a backend database with no instructors or direct help, just using Google Search, Stack Overflow, documentation, and YouTube tutorials, then this Bootcamp will be like cake. But if you have absolutely 0 experience and this is your first time ever doing anything with HTML or CSS then this Bootcamp might become very difficult. Going into this, I had 2 years of internship experience in IT and that experience included quite a bit of code writing and development so I have been around the block a few times going in and I knew this was perfect for me. I already knew basic HTML, CSS, JavaScript, as well as other subjects such as Java, Python, SQL databases, web servers, and mobile app development. That experience really made the Bootcamp easier and it really gave me the confidence that this was a perfect career path for me. I don't think this would apply to someone who is just exploring their options and finding out if this is what they want to do.

They tell you the Bootcamp is going to be difficult and that it's meant to be overwhelming to you. Again, if you have 0 experience and know nothing then it probably will be difficult. But if you already know what you are doing and if you already have experience developing apps, databases, and learning programming languages then this Bootcamp won't be too difficult. The homework assignments are very easy, simple, they hand you things on a silver platter, and they give you great opportunities to deploy stuff online that you can eventually demonstrate to potential employers in an interview. That's a very good thing because the company that hired me was looking at the stuff that I had built and deployed online during the interview process and viewed it live during the interview. The company that hired me also needed someone who was good with JavaScript and frameworks such as React.js and the new skills this Bootcamp gave me have really helped me perform well with this new job.

Advice for people signing up: If you are going to go through with this program and you are looking for a job, definitely go through the career service program. The career service professionals definitely know what they are doing and give golden advice in regards to your resume, LinkedIn, portfolio, GitHub, what to say or do during the interview process, and they apparently have a job search board and are willing to be a reference for a job. I didn't need the reference or the job search board because I got one on my own, but they did a great job at helping me rebuild my resume to be competitive in the industry and to fine-tune my LinkedIn, GitHub, brand statement, and portfolio.

To give some constructive criticism: I would suggest updating the curriculum more often. The curriculum seemed like it was already over a year old. I think they should update the curriculum as often as possible, and I know this is the same curriculum that other colleges use throughout the country for their own Bootcamps. The thing is programming languages such as JavaScript and frameworks such as React are constantly changing, adapting, and improving day by day. I noticed some of the package.JSON files had really old versions of technology and it seemed like the curriculum was last updated in 2018-2019. It also seemed like some of the stuff they taught was over a year or two old. I would suggest updating the curriculum at least once a year and maybe once a month. I mean don't get me wrong, they do a great job updating it. The fact that they taught React Class Components AND React hooks, and they even had a lesson on how to upgrade from Class Components to hooks. Why is this important? Because react hooks are just better, more efficient, and easier to read/write than Class Components. Also because a ton of people are still using React Class Components and they might need to update it to hooks to use fewer lines of code and less redundancy.

To the Bootcamp: I would also ultimately suggest refining the curriculum's example codebase. There was one lecture where they were demonstrating MVC design and ORMs such as sequelize and I noticed they gave an extra step on one of the layers that was just pointless. it really was pointless, I even asked the instructor why did they add in that extra step, and even he agreed to me that the extra step was pointless and it was the curriculum. My point being is that the curriculum is not completely flawless and does have some "?" moments.

I would also suggest always making group projects optional and give students the solo option. some of us are just trying to get through the Bootcamp and don't need some amateurs who don't know what they're doing slowing us down. It is good to get that group work skills. But some of us don't need it. Thanks for letting me work on my project alone. It gave me the chance to develop something that was outright impressive for my capstone and to use it as a demonstration for potential employers.

Overall, as I have said before, I would give this Bootcamp a 10/10 and would 100% recommend it to someone who is really serious about writing code for their career and wants to become a developer but they need more skills, experience, if they are a computer science major, or if they aren't and computer science major and they are having troubles getting an interview or a job. If that is you right now, then this Bootcamp is perfect for you. Read less

The 18-weeks boot camp was an amazing course and far exceeded my expectations. This program was extremely helpful and hands-on the actual work. It was probably the most impactful training course I have ever attended.  I feel much more confident about my skills in Digital marketing. I was really impressed with the technical and "human" support I received during and after the Bootcamp. I'm amazed at how much material was packed in 18 weeks and how much I learned and retained. I highly recommend this boot camp to anyone who wants to level up on their skills.  Read less

I've had many career ideas over the years and in an attempt to get in the medical field the idea of seven more years exhausted me and after having witnessed my husband complete a full stack bootcamp with Thinkful successfully and get a job in a few months it looked more and more like a solid option. So when I revisited bootcamp options and saw that Design was popping up everywhere I spoke to the Designer at my husband's company and felt strongly it was a solid direction to go in.

The bootcamp is part time, three classes a week for a few hours at a time. Everything is online right now which has pros and cons, especially with the last minute change making the curriculum a little sloppy. The work outside of class depends on how much you put in of course but a good estimate is at least ten hours each week. There are lots of templates and activities and sometimes they don't make sense or the teachers would disagree with the material which was frustrating - especially since you don't have any spare time. 

The curriculum is split between UX, UI and coding with two months each: The UX portion was nice and all about research and how to interview and put together a product based on research. The UI portion was somewhat lacking because some basic graphic design elements were thrown out there and needed to be understood but there wasn't much time to absorb it all. My TA highly recommended finding a UI course to go over that material again to better soak in the information because of its breadth. It is nice that the course has UI at all I will say. Lastly there was coding and it was a mixed bag. The goal was to get you 'code-conversational' with developers to better work in a team, but with assignments to go with it and how much was taught it was hard to feel like any of the knowledge would stick.
The instruction team stayed the same for the entire bootcamp (besides a coding instructor brought in for coding lessons) and it felt like it took away from the experience at times when the teachers didn't have much knowledge on some topics occasionally. However a large frustration was the feeling that the instructors didn't go over the material beforehand to be able to correct templates or answer questions about it. In addition to that, with the pace of the course it can be hard to see how fast due dates are coming with homework assignments and project changes and most of my questions for date clarity would not be answered because they wouldn't know. Those questions might have been for someone with a different role like the success coach for the class but we didn't see her too often. 

Overall, this is a great bootcamp option to get the foundation to build upon (which is what any bootcamp will give you given the time frames). Putting a university on your resume instead of the name of a company can feel like a simple perk that feels a bit worth it. The small drawbacks feel worth the advantages, especially if changes are made after feedback. I'd recommend reaching out to designers on LinkedIn and in local groups to talk to Real People and get a better idea, especially since this field is so new and everyone has a recent story of how they broke into it.

Hope this helps! Good luck! Read less

I enrolled in this UX/UI bootcamp because I wanted to get a general education about UX and UI. The instructor, TAs, and career services were genuinely interested in seeing me succeed! Even during this pandemic, and when all our classes were moved online, everyone was so willing to be flexible in order to ensure that us students get the most out of the bootcamp. 

To any prospective students, I highly recommend enrolling in a bootcamp to jumpstart/pivot your career into a new field!
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This program will give you a goldmine of skills on which you can build! How to utilize those skills is a choice. I was lucky enough to have Sarah Cullen as a guide to an amazing new journey.

• What makes this bootcamp better than others?

Two years ago, I attended an introductory course at another bootcamp. One amazing thing DU offers is amazing organization and stability. When a TA calls in sick or gets a tech job, there will be an accredited substitute there within the hour! Also, this bootcamp gives academic grades. This allows you to be able to be accountable, while being part of proud program which isn't one that simply gives anyone a certificate for showing up. 

• Does anyone ever not finish?

There will likely be a few people with whom you will not complete the program; however, I can personally guarantee you that if you turn things in on time, put in effort, communicate/be engaged, you will not fail. Some people don't finish because they are behind, doing homework in class instead of the activities or shutting down and ceasing communication with resources.

• Is this program worth the tuition?

Absolutely! This program provides a huge competitive advantage. This program offers an amazing amount of resources, it is the student's choice on how to utilize them. This is a program for self-starters --- students who can soak up information and make it their reward. If you have ever considered yourself a lackluster student, I would deem any bootcamp a predatory investment. Job assistance will provide you with good information that you will likely be using in an independent job search. 

• Struggles to overcome in class:

You will compare yourself to everyone. Just know that everyone is struggling and feeling behind, and they likely will keep a poker face. Most students don't get most in-class activities; just be present, engaged and don't let it disenchant you! You'll need to make this program your entire life to succeed. Your learning will disguise itself as struggling. There will be a point at which everything will click - just be dedicated and strong! 

• How to take the next step:

Be picky regarding from whom you solicit advice. Research the student experience to choose a program in which you'll be a great fit. Take a simple introductory JavaScript course online to prepare. If you've already been approved, do the pre-coursework to the best of your ability! Don't overwhelm and upset yourself - start small and get acquainted with coding.

Your hard work will absolutely pay off, and will result in a life-changing experience! Feel free to reach out to me regarding questions/bootcamp support or about my experience at (LinkedIn.com/in/Leah-Linux). You'll be making a great choice by devoting yourself to this wonderful program!  Read less

I completed the Full Stack Flex - Full Time Boot Camp March 10, 2020. The class goes into a good layer of detail in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, NoSQL, SQL, NodeJS, ExpressJS, and ReactJS (almost in that order). The course gives you the confidence and understanding to take on most jr level developer roles. 

I am really grateful to have taken the course and I can't say enough great things about the Instructor Sara. She by far made the course what it was. She has numerous years experience in the developer work force and is a patient teacher. On rare occasions she did not have an answer, she would find, learn and then cover the answer the following day. She was awesome!!

I also must stress, the course is what you make out of it. I did not work during the three month course and poured an additional 30+ hours a week into studying, homework , and additional learning. This is a must!

As for job assistance, I felt it a little lack luster, I am nearly 30 and felt that the job assistance and coaching was geared more for early 20's looking for their first job. It may be more beneficial for a younger student. I ended keeping up with the career milestones, but never really spoke to my career adviser. With this in mind, I couldn't give an accurate scoring of their services. 

Overall, 10 out of 10 on the course. If Sara C. is still with the program, go now!! Worth every penny! I am one week out of the course and will start work, with an aggressive pay, in a technology I am excited about next Monday! That is an incredible ROI!! Read less