University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps Reviews
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Gordon Li
Definitely worth it if you put in the time
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They do a great job of preparing you for the course starting with the pre-work which gives you a good start to understanding how to code. They make sure that you know that it is a very difficult course, but you end up having a lot of support from the TAs and staff.
The homework is very difficult, but if you put in the time, it should not be a problem. If you need extra help, you can request to have a tutor to help you.
Not only do you work on solo projects like homework, but it also requires you to complete group projects. The course not only prepares you to understand how to perform in the industry, but also how it is like from going through interviews to working with other developers in a group.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Feb 04, 2019
Thank you for your review, Gordon! We're glad to hear you felt supported by our instructional team and utilized all the boot camp's resources. Congratulations on your hard work, we wish you all the success in your future endeavors! -
Kyle Robinson
Great Value
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Learning the various languages (Javascript, React, Node, MongoDB and many more) in this curriculum will set you aside from competition in your future endeavors, whatever those may be. I was extremely young going into this program, still in the middle of my undergraduate degree, but with hard work and the great support of the instructors as well as the academic support worker, I had no doubts that I could complete this program to the best of my ability. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to set themselves apart in not only the coding and computer sciences but in any path, you decide to go down!
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Jan 07, 2019
Amazing, Kyle! We're thrilled you found our entire team to be so supportive and encouraging. Congratulations on completing the program — we applaud all your hard work and dedication! We wish you all the success in your future goals. -
Calvin
You get what you put in
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Instructors:
Instructor and TAs were friendly and knowledgeable. The instructor we had was an expert with many years of experience in the software industry and it really showed with his depth of knowledge in many aspects of computer science/programming/web technologies. The TAs were enthusiastic and always managed to point me in the right direction even if they were sometimes unable to answer my questions.
Curriculum:
I found the curriculum on the easy side but I may be biased because I have some prior experience in coding. I noticed some of my cohorts struggling so YMMV. The good thing with many of the activities/projects were that they included bonus challenges, which was great for people who found the base curriculum easy.
In any case, the activities and projects give you a good starting point but to be really proficient and get the most out of this course you need to be creative and go beyond the basic requirements for the projects. This means fulfilling the bonus requirements as well as adding in as many features as possible to your apps. This will force you to learn to use new packages, APIs, and language features. It will also help you to learn how to use Google, StackOverflow.
Job assistance:
From the material I have seen and the one career meeting I have had, I think the careers service is pretty good. They also have many seminars with interview tips. Unfortunately, I was not able to fully utilize the career services due to a personal crisis, so I feel it is not appropriate for me to judge this aspect of the program. My former classmates tell me that they had a good experience.
Overall:
Pros:
instructor, curriculum, flexibility due to the online/remote nature
Cons:
cost, people with prior programming exposure may find it too easy
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Jan 07, 2019
Way to go, Calvin! We're glad to hear our instructional team was so helpful and that you were able to go above and beyond to maximize your skills and get the most out of the program. Congratulations on completing this course! We truly appreciate your feedback and wish you all the best in your future endeavors. -
Ilham Hafizovic
Through doubt you’ll come out on top!
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This course will push you to your limits and then some every week for 6 months. You will experience doubt every step of the way but each week you’ll build something new that will increase your confidence. Before you know it, 6 months are up and you’ve just built a full single page application and backend yourself. You’ve also tried applying some in-browser machine learning to your application in your final team project.
You’ll still doubt yourself. But you will have gained something important, an understanding of your unique ability to work through that doubt and fear and complete the problem before you.
The instructors and TAs in this bootcamp are phenomenal the TAs might be precious students; so they’ll know exactly what you’re going through and can give you excellent tips and advice for the future.
If you’re wondering whether you need to look elsewhere to learn the currently popular full-stack web development technologies, don’t because the team at trilogy really knows what they’re doing.
And a big thank you to Andy Watson, who is a phenomenal instructor.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Jan 04, 2019
Amazing, Ilham! We are thrilled you had such an amazing boot camp experience and were continuously encouraged by our instructional team — we also think Andy is pretty fantastic. Congratulations on successfully completing the program! We are rooting you on as you continue forward. -
David Campbell
Full Stack web design at full speed
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I just finished 6 months of Full Stack web design through the University of Toronto School of continuing education. The idea of taking on Full stack web development at full speed may sound imposing, but it wasn't.
First, it is amazing what you will retain, and how you will improve your ability to learn ideas and concepts ou never thought possible. I have left bootcamp willing to embrace and challenge new technologies.
In order to be successful at this course, you must attend class, ask questions during office hours, watch a lot of YouTube videos, and try, try, try. Coding is the most frustrating things going as nothing works until you are 100% successful. The tools and support are available for you to be a success.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Dec 03, 2018
Way to go, David! We are thrilled you had such a great boot camp experience, successfully learning the fundamentals of full-stack web development. You're completely right that taking full advantage of the program's tools and resources will greatly benefit you — this is great advice for future participants. Congratulations on completing such a rigorous course, and thank you for your review! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors. -
Nahrin
UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp
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So here is the deal,
You have to be mentally ready to take this program and make this change in your life. The first three months were very challenging for me personally, because i kept asking myself if this program was the right decision i made, but when i created my own web-app back-to-front i realized that my biggest regret was not taking this program earlier.
If you never coded in your life you need to put in the hours to learn and build your skills, because you will not learn by putting the minimum 20hrs/week requested. This program is not an easy one. It’s very challenging and physically demanding.
The weekly homeworks might take you more than 20hrs for each to complete. Why is that? because the material covered in this program is equivalent to three years program.
The classrooms are located in a new beautiful building in UofT downtown core, and our instructor Mr Uzair Faisal, is simply the best.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Oct 16, 2018
Thank you so much, Nahrin! You're completely right that this is a challenging course, one that will require individuals to truly ask themselves if they're prepared to put in the necessary hours to make a change in their lives. We are so happy to hear you enjoyed your instructor and classroom space — we also think Uzair is fantastic. Congratulations on completing the program, we wish you all the success in your future goals! -
Allan Hartigan
Excellent course for working professionals. Exactly what I was looking for!
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Basically, you get what you put into it.
From reading some of the negative reviews, I get the feeling these individuals do not understand the industry. There is no specific bootcamp that will make you a master of any language in 6 months. By taking this course you will develop the skills do develop web applications using today's technology. You will learn how to teach yourself which is a required skill of any developer. You will also learn how to work with other people of varying skill levels. It gets you ready to enter the industry.
I'm taking the remote course and it is fantastic. My instructor has been coding for 20 years. The career services aspect of the course is very good. Again, you get what you put into it. If you want a computer course with little practical experience I suggest take that course, spend way more money and see how it goes in 4 years.
I recommend this course for anyone with a passion for developing web applications. If you have taken any time learning on your own and found it a little overwhelming, I highly recommend signing up for this course as it will make everything clear and less cloudy for you and you will find your progress accelerating at a rate that will provide you much satisfaction.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Sep 11, 2018
Thank you for your review, Allan! We are so happy to hear you are enjoying our live online coding program. You are absolutely right that as we cover a full-stack, topics are introduced at a higher level in-class and participants need to dedicate extra hours outside of class to not only gain a deeper understanding of the concepts but practice their skills. Like you mentioned, this helps individuals learn how to problem-solve and self-teach: two abilities needed in a developer role. We commend all the hard work you have dedicated thus far and are looking forward to seeing your final project in a few weeks! -
Dom
This program needs to be shut down
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First of all I think UOFT should be ASHAMED of affiliating with Trilogy and offering this disgraceful program. There are several negative reviews online and not a single positive review so I'm not the only one that feels like I've been ripped off. All of the reviews are accurate the curriculum is terrible and rushed. There hasn't been a single class where we have actually completed all of the planned lessons. The instructors shouldn't even be refered to as instructors none of them have prior teaching experience or are qualified to teach. The staff at Trilogy pretend they care and want to help you but they don't. The worst part about the program is we were lied to about receiving a certficate, 10 weeks into the program they broke the news to us that we actually won't be receiving a certificate! I feel like this program should be shutdown and everyone should be reimbursed, what they are doing does not feel right at all they have deceived several students and pocketed over a million dollars in tuition and have not delivered what they promised. Please do not fall for this scam.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Jul 05, 2018
Hi Anonymous. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. As you noted, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies has partnered with Trilogy Education Services (TES) to offer the UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp. TES is a leading continuing education program manager that has partnered with more than 25 top universities across North America to support their skills-based program efforts. UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp and our partners at TES are absolutely committed to the experience of our participants.
Our program prides itself on teaching individuals how to learn, providing a strong foundational skill set used to master additional programming languages following the course completion. We strive to communicate to participants that our full-stack program introduces course material at a macro-level, with additional time required outside of class to properly understand and master the topics; this helps individuals learn how to problem-solve and self-teach, key abilities needed in a developer’s career.
We work hard to select instructional staff who are passionate about helping learners succeed. Our program has an intensive vetting process, requiring a minimum of three years experience in the tech industry. We measure instructor success based on participant feedback, video audits, and classroom assessments. We understand the boot camp's pace can be difficult and strenuous, as such, in order to assist individuals who are struggling with the coursework, our instructors and TAs are always available for extra support, staying after class to provide assistance in any way they can, in addition to our free tutoring network. We hope you found these resources to be beneficial, but we are constantly looking to improve our services and appreciate your feedback.
As you noted, at the onset of our program, we determined learners who successfully completed the course would receive an Acknowledgment of Completion. After receiving input from several participants, we underwent a name change and ascertained we would instead be issuing a Certificate of Completion - also a formal signed and dated document which includes the learner's name, program, date, seal, and signature from the Dean of the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. We are actively looking to promote and commend our learner's accomplishments following the completion of such a rigorous course as this one and believe this Certificate of Completion, along with an official UofT SCS transcript, reinforces to employers that an individual has successfully finished the UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp. We do take participant feedback like yours most seriously and are continuously working to provide individuals with the service they need to be successful.
We would welcome the opportunity to provide you with any additional support you may need at this time and would love to hear from you directly. If you would like, please reach out to us at (647) 245-1020. -
Anonymous
RUN AWAY
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First of all, 90% of the students in the class are computer illiterate, they can't even figure out how to use GitHub, install an operating system or do anything beyond browse the web. The school should do a better job at determining a student’s skill level before admitting them to the program, the students that have no computer knowledge just slow the class down and waste the instructors time with the stupidest questions. Second of all we have had 3 different instructors within 6 weeks, first instructor was fired and replaced with someone very young that tutors high school kids and has no real teaching experience. Third the curriculum itself is very basic and disappointing, JavaScript and html is not real programming in my books I feel like I was swindled by the school we were promised a full stack dev program not a html/js class. If you are thinking of going here rethink your options, the course may be hosted at UOFT but don't be fooled you will not get the same quality you would get through other UOFT programs.
Christina Pearsall of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Student Success Manager
May 10, 2018
Hi Anonymous, thank you for your feedback. Our program is designed to help individuals with varying proficiency levels, as our mission is to assist as many hard-working, aspiring developers as possible. We never want to set up learners for failure, and that is why our admissions process begins with an initial phone interview, followed by a timed, academic test that learners must pass with a score of 70 or above in order to move forward in the admissions process, as well as a final critical thinking interview with a member of our academic team. Only once prospective learners have passed the phone interview, the test, and the academic interview are they accepted into the program. After gaining acceptance into the program, learners complete 30 hours of pre-work to further prepare before classes begin.
We regret that your instructional experience has not lived up to your expectations so far. Our program has an intensive vetting process for instructors and requires a minimum of three years' experience as an active practitioner in the tech industry. Instructors may come from a variety of backgrounds within the web development field and will often have different teaching styles. As such, we measure our instructor success based on participant feedback, video audits of their teaching, and classroom assessments. Based on feedback and assessments, your cohort did experience an instructional change and we have been working hard to ensure that our learners have the best tools and instruction to be successful. Your new Lead Instructor was introduced on May 8. We believe this individual will be a great fit to guide your cohort going forward with his nine years of professional experience as a Developer and Software Engineer, as well as past experience working on Instructional Teams for the University of Toronto.
We understand that the first month of the program’s curriculum may not have been as intensive as you expected. Our program serves a mix of participants ranging from those with zero coding experience to computer science majors as well as graduates of other boot camps. For this reason, we begin by covering the basics, giving learners a solid foundation upon which they will build throughout the program. We start slow, but the intensity of our program ramps up to advanced, full-stack topics very quickly. Each lesson iteratively builds on the last, and there are no shortcuts to focusing on the basics at first.
We deeply care about the quality and integrity of your program, as well as each and every single one of our learners. Thank you for your patience and trust. We would like the opportunity to speak with you and determine what additional assistance we can provide you with at this time. Please reach out to me directly at (647) 245-1020 so we can further address your concerns and any questions you may have. -
Anonymous
Intense, rewarding, challenging, collaborative, transformative.
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The bootcamp provided me with an incredible opportunity to enhance my coding skills and grow as an individual. Balancing this rigorous program alongside my university studies was undoubtedly challenging, but it proved to be an immensely rewarding experience. The intense schedule, combined with project deadlines and assignments, pushed me beyond my comfort zone and taught me the importance of perseverance and time management.Completing the bootcamp opened new pathways for success, and I am proud to have secured an internship as a Data Analyst—a testament to the skills and knowledge I gained. This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my instructors, peers, family, and friends, for which I am deeply grateful.For anyone currently pursuing a bootcamp, my advice is simple: “Finish what you started.” It’s natural to encounter challenges along the way, but persistence will carry you through. Make the most of the resources available—attend office hours and seek help from tutors, who are both approachable and incredibly supportive. Also Use Xpert Learning platform to check your mistakes and ask for guidance how to complete assignments, as it helped me a lot. The bootcamp experience was transformative, and while it tested my limits, it ultimately equipped me with valuable skills and confidence to pursue my career goals. It’s a journey I’ll always cherish and recommend to others. -
Anonymous
Bootcamp was the best decision of my life
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I was a visual design student already and wanted a career path to enter the corporate world or even start my own business and boot camp from UofT served a great purpose in achieving my goals. I had a great learning experience with the Instructor and the TA's. They were highly supportive and always provided with real time job market update. My advice for upcoming students would be to prepare themselves using Youtube before the class every week and always attend office hours that is the precious time throughout the course. -
Anonymous
Great learning experience
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The Data Analytics Bootcamp offered an immersive learning journey that equipped me with essential skills for success in the field. With passionate instructors, practical curriculum, and valuable hands-on projects, it provided a solid foundation. While improvements in soft skills emphasis and career services would enhance the experience, I wholeheartedly recommend this bootcamp to those aspiring to excel in data analytics. -
Anonymous
I was very disrespected in interactions w/ staff
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I read another review here that says <5% of 2 x cohorts got a job. i think they are talking about my cohort bc a year later, most are still not employed in cyber. The good bootcamps will tell you their successfully employed percentages.
I read the response from the bootcamp to the negative reviews. You guys assume that those people don't know how to work hard or network and i think that's pretty rude. I hated this bootcamp for the exact same reasons as the negative reviews -- but I got a job in cyber at 6 fig before even graduating so please don't respond w/ the same lecture about how getting a job is more than applying. I also muted the instructor (who was a trump fan and decided this was appropriate class conversation), I did my own projects that involved actually figuring sh*t out, and I networked. When you're interviewing, nobody cares about your class projects. They want to see that you took initiative on your own and that you have the proven ability to "figure sh*t out". This was the biggest issue w/ class. What do you have to show for it afterwards other than the ability to follow instructions?
Another part of this bootcamp's responses to the negative reviews that felt disrespectful to me me (beyond their assumption that the negative reviewers are unemployed ppl with no work ethic) is that they don't actually address what the negative reviewed says. It reads like GPT4 wrote the response. Come to think of it, the form-response is kinda on par with the content of the bootcamp.
Here's some examples of why I hated this class:
- When I gave feedback to the "student success person" miguel/mike or whatever that I was extremely bored and unchallenged, you know what his response was? He told me that i will eventually less less intimidated by all this difficult CLI stuff. He clearly wasn't listening. I felt really disrespected by this treatment.
- Bc i often came to office hours before class, the instructor literally called me a kill-joy for interrupting their small talk with actual questions. Sample topics of convo from him: "Is climate change real? i dunno...", "Trump seems like a good guy you know?", "Did the big bang happen? Really dont know eh" << thx, 2U, for employing a freaking anti-science CREATIONIST to teach us.
- instructor was offended when I asked if I should learn Bash or Python in depth bc I had heard bash was less useful these days. Literally got offended.
- no feedback on homework.none whatsoever. They thought i was advanced. I had zero tech exp before this, I just put in A LOT of work.
- the tutor they assigned me literally did not know how to use Linux and was not able to answer a single question I had. He did the course 2.5 years ago and still works at a phone sales place. That's the calibre of their tutors. You'd do better w/ $20/month GPT-Plus sub for your questions.
TL;DR - they do NOT listen to feedback (see point 1) and their calibre of instructors amounts to trump-loving climate denying creationists. I actually met an instructor from the Berkeley class who said, I quote: "The Toronto class is always the dumbest when I sub there." She's been CISO and has their own consulting company / has worked for major tech companies so I'm not going to dismiss what she said. But I also don';t think it's possible a city is just dumb. It's the sh*t instructors and tutors. TAs were solid.
PROS - listen, if you can afford to pay 12k just for structure, then it's ain't so bad. It is what you make of it. Prioritize your own projects and networking.
CONS - Go on linkedin. Search for ppl with this bootcamp. Make your own observations of how many are currently working in cybersecurity. ;) -
Anonymous
Terrible experience, most of the class is not employed in security after 6 months
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PROs:
- TAs were helpful and available
- homework extensions are easy to get
- everyone got an A
CONs:
- everyone got an A
- course material could be found online easily
- classwork and homework can be completed with google because they were that easy
- 6 months after graduating, less than 5% of two simultaneous cohorts is employed in security OUTSIDE of the bootcamp ecosystem
- instructor was rude
- very superficial depth which is fine except that the instructor really sold it to the class that this was advanced lmao
- zero care to feedback
- tutor they assigned was unemployed 2 years after graduating the course
- basically an MLM scheme where they employ graduates at $20-25/hour
- student check-in person has inability to listen to each individual, assumes you're struggling
Let's just say that I benefited more from muted the instructor, googling the homework, and networking. The people who got jobs heavily prioritized networking over pretending to learn basic IT concepts that cover less than hackthebox (which is $10/month).Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Nov 21, 2022
Thank you for your review. We're glad that you found some of your boot camp staff to be helpful, however we regret to hear that your full experience did not live up to your expectations.
The cybersecurity boot camp curriculum is built around providing learners with skills they can take into the workforce. This means that, in addition to learning the required skills to qualify for entry-level roles in the field, we also make sure that learners can continue learning while on the job. Although its relevance may not be immediately apparent, being able to use the right search terms to solve a problem can prove incredibly useful in the workforce. In fact, many cyber professionals rely on search engines in their day-to-day work.
We pride ourselves on providing learners with a safe, enjoyable learning environment, and we appreciate your feedback about your classroom experience. We understand that instructors and students are not always a perfect match, but we do take any concerns raised very seriously.
As you mentioned, many learners were able to secure new cybersecurity roles through networking opportunities made available through the boot camp. While we do provide extensive career services to boot camp learners, there are no guarantees that it will lead to an industry role. Finding a job requires dedication and hard work, and our career services experts are happy to provide the guidance and resources needed to put your best foot forward. We would love to assist you further in any way we can, and encourage you to reach out to us directly at (647) 370-3506. We hope to speak with you soon. -
Anonymous
Digital Marketing Bootcamp
The Digital Marketing Bootcamp provides comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of Digital marketing to students who are a novice in the field or who want to dig deep into a digital Marketing career. The Instructor and TaS are having a thorough knowledge of the field and they provide a great deal of knowledge to the students.Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Sep 23, 2022
Thank you so much for your review! We’re thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with the boot camp. It’s excellent to hear that our team went above and beyond to provide you with the support you needed. Congratulations on completing the boot camp, we’re cheering you on as you move forward in your career. -
Anonymous
Data Analytics Bootcamp
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As a beginner, I could not keep up without cutting my work hours in my day job. The curriculum was very satisfying that I can see in almost every job description in my field it matches. my instructor was awesome. At the end of the day, we even do not know how what to ask about class or subject he eliminated unnecessary questions and helped us to focus on what we needed. There were some topics that we wasted too much time (this is not my opinion, everyone's opinion) such as Java and I agree. This Bootcamp exceeded my expectations and I do not hesitate to give it a 4.5 out of 5. Just focus on what you are doing and keep learning. Before the course If you can finish some beginner python course to have some idea, it helps very much.
- There were no questions that Instructor or TAs (Teaching assistants) left without an answer.
- Finish your homeworks and come up with questions this is the best way to keep up with course and eleveate your motivation
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Aug 24, 2022
We appreciate your review! It's great to hear you enjoyed the curriculum and benefited from the ongoing support of our entire instructional team. We're always looking to optimize our program offerings and feedback like yours helps us do just that. Great advice for prospective learners on getting ahead by touching up on key foundational concepts and staying on top of your homework assignments. Congratulations on successfully completing the boot camp! All the best moving forward. -
Anonymous
Pretty much a scam. No affiliation with U of T. An expensive and low quality waste.
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I am a U of T graduate who works as a software engineer and I enrolled in the part time cybersecurity bootcamp, ostensibly offered by the School of Continuing Studies, without having done my due diligence because it worked for my schedule and because I had some trust in the U of T brand and its general commitment to quality (and I am generally aware of the many issues, especially administrative ones, that it has). Most of the class came in with zero background or experience in tech or IT and it seems some percentage of these students, namely the few who write the curated testimonials that will go up onto the relevant SEO-optimized websites, are easily impressed by extremely low quality content.
The very first thing you need to understand is that neither U of T nor the School of Continuing Studies have any involvement whatsoever in providing staff, assistant instructors, curriculum development, or administering the program in any capacity of consequence. The program is run by some American company called Trilogy Education Services. I would strongly advise you to do some research into Trilogy and its questionable track record before you commit any time or tuition to the program. They are obliged to disclose as much, but they will do so in the first class after many students will have made a commitment in tuition and scheduling. And then they will go right back to pretending that they are part of the U of T School of Continuing Studies; men and women who are staff at Trilogy, who you can look up on the internet, who are based in the US and have no connection with U of T will be sending you emails from non-U of T domains and putting “U of T SCS” in their signatures. Make no mistake that "partnered" means the School will advertise Trilogy's bootcamp using its brand and connections and Trilogy will claim no affiliation with U of T; said more simply, a convenient setup where U of T gets to dip into that lucrative bootcamp money at no risk to its vaunted reputation. Trilogy’s program costs about one and a half times as much as a full year of full time studies at the actual University of Toronto and gives you 10 hours per week of low quality instruction for six months. Oh, there are some services you get on the side, like some career services that will tell you to put certain words on your resume to get through an ATS and how to complete a LinkedIn profile. But they cannot pretend to promise results and they will not share job placement rates. They can tell you that your success depends on you (as it always has). So why are you paying $11k for this scheisse?.
But enough poisoning of wells.This ‘intensive technical bootcamp’ takes six weeks to get to “this is what a script is.” The instructor shows up to class unprepared; I don’t doubt he had a hand in deciding what topics and activities are covered each class, but he insists on demoing things on the commandline live and spends an enormous percentage of lecture time trying to remember which flags to pass to which command in which order and troubleshooting issues in real time (a big nope if you have any experience with technical presentations). The assistant instructors are not people with industry expertise, but random people who passed through the previous cohort of the bootcamp, so the troubleshooting itself is often not productive and the activities are plagued with minor mistakes (oh so the ‘f’ in ‘rm -rf’ stands for ‘file’ now, and the command doesn’t work on directories???). They have some quite specific and quite bizarre hardware and software requirements for the program and homework activities. You will find yourself doing things like spinning up a full GUI-enabled desktop Ubuntu virtual machine... to complete an activity where you copy-paste the command to create a user and set their password into a text submission file. About halfway through there is a ‘pwn th1s m4ch1n3’-type activity... where step 1 in the setup instructions is “type ssh root@$IP_ADDRESS” and use this password to login to the target machine as root. Oh apologies, step 1 is ‘use this Vagrantfile to spin up *two* full GUI-enabled Ubuntu virtual machines’, one as the ‘attacker’ machine and one as the ‘target’... and the only reason you’re spinning up an ‘attacker’ VM is so you can open terminal and type ssh. For all the talk they give you about how important it is to deeply understand networking you have to wonder if anyone on the team noticed the bloat of extra virtual network adaptors Virtualbox puts on your machine during installation, or understands that host machines can talk to guest machines over a network. To be fair though, the reason we somehow have root credentials to the machine we’re trying pwn is because the team designed a ‘capture the flag’ where you navigate a filesystem and use grep to find the hidden password… and the instructor spent an hour solving the CTF for you on class time. Every single homework activity is *less* complex than the already very basic examples the instructor walks you through on class time. Altogether the activities take very little time to complete and have very little value in terms of learning or practicing concepts; but they are, however, very good at keeping students (and assistant instructors, just keeping it real) who have no IT experience busy with unnecessary and time-consuming troubleshooting woes. Their customer service people will tell you that later in the bootcamp the pace will pick up and you will learn more advanced tools and techniques, but believe me when I say it does not get better.
The only things of value that you could possibly walk away from this nonsense with are industry certifications and to be sure one of the deliverables Trilogy will give you for completing their program is a certification voucher.. Surely it couldn’t be one of the very same discount vouchers you’d find in the back of a CompTIA textbook? If you’re willing to put in money and time to go down this career path I’d strongly advise skipping the bootcamp nonsense and just focusing on certifications. For the cost of this bootcamp you can buy anywhere from like 20-500 reasonably priced certification courses from places like Udemy if you need structured learning, or from places like Coursera if you’re looking for the deep insight of experienced industry professionals or university faculty. From what I understand from students who graduated from the Full Stack Development bootcamp (a different program), the situation there is similar, it just does not compare to other bootcamps in Toronto. Quality matters, and knowing nothing about which courses you’re looking at from those sources I’d still bet money theirs is much, much, much better than Trilogy.
Shame on the School of Continuing Studies for this ‘partnership’.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Dec 15, 2021
Thank you for your feedback, we regret to hear that the program has not lived up to your expectations.
Like you noted, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies has partnered with Trilogy Education Services (TES), a 2U, Inc., brand, to offer the UofT SCS Cybersecurity Boot Camp. TES works hand in hand with more than 50 top universities to expand access to cybersecurity education for working adults. This boot camp is a true collaboration; the University of Toronto SCS is deeply involved in the curriculum, instructor selection, and outcomes for all of its boot camp programs. Both UofT and TES are truly dedicated to transforming learners' lives and aim to be fully transparent about this relationship throughout the entire learning experience.
We have a multi-step admissions process to ensure that participants are set up for success. Our boot camp serves a mix of individuals ranging from beginners to professionals, and many of our participants do enter the boot camp with no prior experience. Not only do we strive to equip learners with a robust academic framework, but we also work hard to help individuals develop strong problem-solving and self-teaching abilities.
Job seeking is difficult and takes hard work on the part of the participant. Our professional development services are built on the principle of empowerment. While we do not secure employment for learners, we do provide more than 75 hours of professional development, consisting of resume and portfolio reviews, virtual tech panels, technical interview training, and more. We're constantly optimizing our offerings, so we appreciate your input.
We vet our instructors carefully, hiring practitioners with a minimum of three years of experience in the field through a selective, multi-step interview process. Throughout the course, we analyze both their performance and levels of engagement in the classroom, providing feedback to help them further develop their teaching skills. Each instructor works to facilitate a productive and collaborative environment for all participants throughout the entirety of the program, however, we understand that you felt our instructional team did not provide satisfactory support and never want any of our learners to feel discouraged from continuing their work in our boot camp and beyond.
It's our goal for all learners to complete the boot camp feeling equipped for success, so we would welcome the opportunity to speak with you and determine what additional assistance we can provide for you at this time. If you would like, please reach out to us directly at (647) 370-3506. -
Anonymous
Full Stack Development
12-week full-time program focused on gaining programming skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Bootstrap, React, Node, Express, MySQL, and MongoDB. Instructors were very patient and helpful throughout the whole Bootcamp as well as very passionate making it a fun experience for all. Would definitely recommend this boot camp to anyone who is interested in learning to codeBoot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Dec 06, 2021
We truly appreciate your review! Our entire boot camp team is truly passionate about enabling learner success so we're glad this resonated with you. We're cheering you on as you continue toward finishing out the program! -
Anonymous
coding bootcamp
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Please do not even think of registering for this course IF YOU HAVE ZERO BACKGROUND IN CODING, they will take any fool who is willing to pay 12k (including me). The interview process is a joke and the test they give to gauge your knowledge about computers is like asking a high school student to spell "father or mother". They tell you to self-study and search material on google for which they charge 12k (this will the most expensive google search you do in your lifetime). The material they have on their platform is to the point and gives very little explanation on the subject matter. They tell you that you have one week to drop off if you don't like which is ridiculous since in any program they teach the very basics and you cant judge how difficult the program is going to be within that week. After that say goodbye to you 12k. This is daylight robbery.
I want to make sure no one else wastes their money on this useless course. Furthermore, this boot camp is done by an educational institute called trilogy in partnership with U of T. I don't think the university is regulating the course, and this results in tarnishing the reputation of this prestigious institute. I will make sure this taken up by the U of T and at least not to con people into registering for this program. I want to stress again, this is purely from the perspective of a person with NO CODING BACKGROUND.Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Mar 17, 2021
Thank you for your feedback. We regret to hear the boot camp as a whole did not meet your expectations.
Like you noted, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies has partnered with Trilogy Education Services (TES), a 2U, Inc., brand, to develop the UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp. TES works hand in hand with more than 45 top universities to expand access to coding education for working adults.
This boot camp is a collaboration; the University of Toronto SCS is deeply involved in the curriculum, instructor selection, and outcomes for all of its programs. Both UofT and TES are truly dedicated to transforming learners' lives and aim to be fully transparent about this relationship throughout the entire learning experience.
We have a multi-step admissions process to ensure that participants are set up for success and do our best to make it clear to learners that this program takes incredibly hard work and dedication, requiring many hours outside of class on self-study and projects in order to master the topics covered. We begin with an initial phone interview, followed by a timed, critical thinking and problem-solving assessment that applicants must pass with a score of 70 or above in order to move forward. Only once prospective learners have made it through these screenings are they accepted into the program. In order to give enrolled learners the necessary foundation before the program begins, we provide comprehensive pre-work lessons to be completed before the first day and try to emphasize the importance of completing these learning materials. We're continually optimizing our program experience, so we appreciate your insight.
Our boot camp serves a mix of individuals ranging from beginners to professionals, and many of our participants do enter the boot camp with no prior experience. Not only do we strive to equip learners with a robust academic framework, but we also work hard to help individuals develop strong problem-solving and self-teaching abilities through internet research and other available resources; two essential traits developers constantly utilize in real-world roles. Our curriculum builds upon each topic and we find that learners become more and more confident in their skills as the course progresses. As the industry continues to evolve, our curriculum is continually being optimized using extensive market and employer research.
We are committed to learners feeling confident in their skills upon leaving our boot camp, so we'd love to hear from you directly to see what else we can do at this time to best meet your expectations and reinforce your learning. If you would like, please reach out to us at (647) 370-3829. -
Anonymous
Waste of time
Chitchat for three hours every week. Being working professional, we don't have a lot of time, it is useful if there are practical (classwork/quizzes) to make us understand well and install in brain within the time we have. Online courses do these very well.Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Jan 10, 2020
Thank you for sharing your feedback. From your review, we understand that you were dissatisfied with the high-level nature of the class lectures. As the technical job market continuously changes, we pride ourselves on teaching participants how to learn, providing a strong foundational skill set that individuals can use to continue expanding their knowledge—even after the program ends. To supplement the in-class curriculum, we provide weekly homework assignments and hands-on projects to help reinforce topics covered. We would like the opportunity to personally speak with you in order to determine what additional support we can provide you with at this time. If you would like, please reach out to us directly at (647) 245-1020. -
Anonymous
Challenging but worth it
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This course is quite challenging and needs to be taken seriously - definitely not low maintenance and more difficult to balance if you're already working full-time. However, it's 100% worth taking because of the quality of the work and the teachings you will be exposed to. I learned so much to help further project my self-learning and ideas. Even though it was difficult to keep up, I was adequately challenged which in my opinion is more valuable. There is a lot of support available along the way as well and lively discussons on tech, it's not all about the code, you also learn the reason why behind the technologies you are being exposed to. Keep your instructors and teaching assistants engaged with the areas you are having most difficulty in so that they can adequately assist you. As long as there is incentive to learn, you will enjoy it! The career option is very useful but you may find that you barely have the time to focus on it. The career coaches will work with you as well to ensure that they bring you up to speed and there is time after the course to polish your career material and portfolios.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Aug 01, 2019
Amazing! Like you noted, this is a challenging course that will require learners to dedicate extensive time to their studies, so we commend all your hard work. We're glad to hear you benefited from the curriculum and our entire boot camp team. Congratulations on successfully completing the program and thank you for your review! Best of luck moving forward. -
Anonymous
Would recommend!
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Took the full stack development course at UTM. Like a lot of you reading I wasn't sure based on the reviews if this course would be worth it but after graduating i can definitely say i dont regret it.
If you are someone who needs a structured learning environment this program is perfect. The instructor and TAs are a great support as well as the fellow students. Although the program is challenging it is definitely doable. You get out of this program what you put into it.
The curriculum is great and gave me a lot more knowledge about web development and its practices. Working in groups helped me to understand how it works in real life. Some minor problems I did have with it was introducing more modern practices (ES6) towards the end of the program. I also felt along with other classmates that we didn't spend enough time on React.
Overrall, I had a great experience with this program. I would 100% recommend it.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Feb 08, 2019
Amazing! We're happy you enjoyed the curriculum and felt not only supported by our instructional team but by your classmates as well. Congratulations on completing the course and thank you for your review! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors. -
Anonymous
In Demand Skills + Great instructional staff
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It was a hard decision to start any program, especially part time while working. The program was very flexible and it gave me the time and space I needed to get my mind wrapped around all the new coding concepts that were completely new to me.
I have to give big credit to the instructional staff that we had. Their support and effort went well beyond what I expected. The staff genuinely cared about my success and even if I was not vocal about it, they would take the time to talk to be about any conerns that I would have. If i ever needed extra help the assistant instructors would stay on their own time to make sure that I was attended to. If i had questions about the homework or even off topic items, they would not hesitate to answer.
IMHO, all competing programs will more or less teach you the same coding principles, but its the instructors and the support that I received that was worth its weight in gold.Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Jan 09, 2019
Amazing, Anonymous! We're thrilled you had such an amazing learning experience and found our instructional team to be so supportive and encouraging. Thank you for your review and congratulations on completing such a rigorous course! We wish you all the success in your future endeavors. -
Anonymous
Do not waste your time and money here
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The course is run by Trilogy, not UofT. As such, you're technically just using UofT facilities and that's it. You will get a UofT student ID card from the School of Continued Studies, and you will be able to login into UofT WiFi, but that's as far as it gets.
You will get substandard UofT rooms that are not equipped for software development training. You will not be taught by a UofT instructor, or assisted by a UofT TA. It's all Trilogy.
Now, here is where it gets even worse: You WILL NOT get a UofT Certificate, Diploma or anything. Trilogy may tell you otherwise, TOTAL LIE. You won't be able to even claim the costs of your course against your taxes because UofT WON'T give you a certificate. You get a piece of paper that says letter of acknowledgement, which is not worth the paper it's printed on.
This bootcamp is not worth your money or your time. Shop elsewhere.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Jul 05, 2018
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us, Anonymous. As you mentioned, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies has partnered with Trilogy Education Services (TES) to offer the UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp. TES is a leading continuing education program manager that has partnered with more than 25 top universities across North America to support their skills-based program efforts. This partnership allows individuals to learn about the latest technologies in an environment that fosters lifelong learning through our constantly advancing curriculum that is informed by employers in our network and is carefully reviewed by the university. We strive to be transparent about this partnership by noting it on our website and during the admissions process. UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp and our partners at TES are absolutely passionate about what we do and we thrive on seeing our learners succeed.
We regret your classroom experience did not meet your expectations. Our program has an intensive vetting process for instructors and requires a minimum of three years' experience as an active practitioner in the tech industry. We hire professionals in lieu of traditional professors to best simulate real-life working environments. We measure our instructor success based on participant feedback, video audits of their teaching, and classroom assessments. We value our instructor's skills and efforts toward keeping our curriculum in-line with the latest market demands, however, we understand not all teaching styles will resonate with every program participant.
Initially, upon completing the UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp, learners would receive an Acknowledgement of Completion; a formal signed and dated document including the individuals name, the name of the program, date, seal, and a signature from the Dean of the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, recognizing the skills and knowledge the individual had acquired. Following participant feedback regarding the nomenclature of this document, we underwent a name change and determined learners would be issued a Certificate of Completion. As you noted, both the Certificate of Completion and Acknowledgement of Completion are subject to HST and UofT SCS is currently not able to issue T2202A’s. We are constantly striving to ensure our learners have the necessary tools and support they need to be successful, both during and following the course, so we truly appreciate your input.
We would love the opportunity to speak with you directly to learn how else we can assist you at this time. If you would like, please reach out to us at (647) 245-1020. -
Anonymous
Scam
This is a scam.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Jul 05, 2018
Hi Anonymous, thank you for taking the time to share your review. We regret your experience did not live up to your expectations. We take participant feedback about our program seriously and are constantly working on improving our course as a whole. If there is additional assistance we can provide at this time, please reach out directly at (647) 245-1020, so that we can further discuss your concerns. -
Anonymous
Ever heard of Trump University... thats what this is
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This is not a valid certificate program... its a $10,000+HST course that's not eligible for a T2202A (Tuition and Enrolment Certificate) claim on your taxes. UofT does not even recognised certification programme.
Everything you are going to be rushed through in this program can be learned at your own pace on sites like udemy and freecodecamp.
The student experience has been horrible, the classrooms are not appropriate for a computer class and are hot and unorganized.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Jul 05, 2018
Hi, Anonymous, thank you for sharing your review. We regret your experience has not lived up to your expectations. Upon graduating from the UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp learners receive a formal, signed and dated document including the individual's name, the name of the program, date, seal, and a signature from the Dean of the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies recognizing the learner has completed the course and acquired additional web development knowledge. We take participant input seriously and after receiving feedback regarding our naming convention, we determined the course would be issuing a Certificate of Completion. Like you noted, this acknowledgment is subject to HST and the UofT SCS is currently not able to issue T2202A's. We value the hard work and commitment our learners dedicate to the boot camp course and are constantly evolving our services based on individual responses, so we thank you for sharing this insight.
This is a fast-paced and challenging course, covering a wide range of knowledge in a limited amount of time. Though it quickly advances, we constantly work to ensure student success, even prior to the first day of class. We do our best to communicate to learners that because we cover a comprehensive full-stack curriculum, topics are introduced at a high-level after which individuals are expected to dive in and gain a deeper understanding outside of class. This methodology is designed to help participants learn how to problem-solve and self-teach - two key skills a developer needs to master in their field.
We would love to hear from you directly to further discuss your concerns. If you would like, please reach out to us at (647) 245-1020 . -
Anonymous
Keep looking...
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I attended this part-time in person bootcamp for a week before asking for a refund. If you are in Toronto and considering a bootcamp please KEEP LOOKING...I feel that there are many better coding bootcamps both in Toronto and online that you don't need to subject yourself and your hard earned money to a below average program which still not fully developed.
First of all, as other reviewers have stated, the classroom is cramped, uncomfortable and there is a surprising lack of outlets for a class which is solely based on the use of computers. On our first class, one of the few outlets wasn't functional and I expected it to be fixed promptly,however; by the second class, it was still broken along with another outlet. I know that for some this might not be a big issue, but for me it showed a lack of professionalism and coordination between UofT and Trilogy to fix the problem.
Furthermore, I found the material disorganized and for the first week the instructor, the TAs and the online calendar could not give a clear answer to when a particular homework was due. The instructor was confused by the slides which are not tailored to each cohort, but are rather standardized. I found there was a lack of curated study materials besides the slide shows and we were given many free links to study from without some direction to how deep one should go into each subject to keep up with the bootcamp. For those curious, three cohorts are being ran concurrently with about 25-30 students each( Idk exact numbers)- saturday classes are comprised of all three cohorts together with one instructor and 6 TAs.In terms of support personnel, I was promptly assisted and my refund processed fast.If you want to give the bootcamp a try, BEWARE that you can request a refund within 7 days of the start of the course. However,they will keep $1000 which is the non-refundable portion of the deposit. Also, after the 7 days you are liable to pay for the whole program cost even if you decide to drop out at a later date.
.Yup... I just lost $1000, but the prospect of having to pay the remaining $9500 + tax for what i saw in the first week sounded even worst...
Christina Pearsall of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Student Success Manager
May 22, 2018
Hi Anonymous,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review, we really appreciate you sharing your personal feedback.
We regret your learning experience during the first week of our program did not meet your expectations. As you noted, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies has partnered with Trilogy Education Services (TES) to offer the UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp. Both UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp and TES are dedicated to the experience of our program learners, constantly evolving our services based on participant input, so we thank you for sharing your insight.
We understand the first week of the program’s course material and instructional staff may not have been as structured as you expected, and we regret you were unable to stay in the program and experience the full scope of our curriculum. Our program prides itself on teaching participants how to learn, providing a strong foundational skill set learners can use to master additional programming languages post-graduation. We strive to provide strong and supportive guidance throughout the entirety of our program and regret to hear our team members were unable to impart this during your initial days. We do our best to vet our instructors extensively, hiring practitioners with a minimum of three years of active experience in the tech field and a demonstrated passion for coding. We take participant feedback about our program, instructors, and TAs most seriously, measuring success based on individual feedback, board input, video audits during teaching, and classroom assessments. We have recently updated our course materials to include a weekly summary of relevant external links outlining additional support, homework assignments, in-class exercises, and any other pertinent information participants might need for the week ahead. We are constantly working on improving our program as a whole, and feedback like yours truly helps us to do that.
Our refund policy, as well as the enrollment agreement you signed when you paid your deposit, does note that $1,000 of the deposit is not refundable. While we never want our learners to drop from the program, we are transparent about the nonrefundable part of the deposit so that learners are aware of how a refund would be processed if they choose to drop. By making clear the non-refundable portion of the deposit at the time of enrollment, we also ensure that learners reserving a seat feel confident in their decision to enroll. This is important since that seat will not be available to any other learner interested in the program.
We’d love to hear from you directly to discuss your concerns further. If you would like, please reach out to me at (647) 245-1020. -
Anonymous
Do not take this course
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The only good things I have to say about this program is that curriculum is good as it seems relevant and the assistant instructors are helpful.
The class Instructor is not good at staying on topic, has difficulty explaining core concepts and gives very little theory knowledge that we can build our foundation understanding on.
Don't waste your money on this program, as it will leave feeling lost and confused and ignored by trilogy educational services.
Christina Pearsall of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Student Success Manager
May 10, 2018
Hi, Anonymous. We sincerely appreciate your feedback. It's great to hear you are are enjoying our curriculum and that your TAs are providing you with the assistance you need as you work hard to master the course material.
We know how challenging it can be to learn new skills and the importance of having strong instruction in the classroom, and we take your feedback very seriously. We do our best to vet our instructors carefully, hiring active practitioners with a minimum of three years experience who demonstrate a passion for helping participants succeed in the web development field. Throughout our courses, we analyze instructor performance and their levels of engagement in the classroom, providing feedback to help them develop and elevate their teaching competency. We constantly evaluate participant feedback and work to take action whenever necessary, and we understand that your original instructor did not meet your expectations. We do believe that your new Lead Instructor who began on May 8 will live up to the task, joining us with nine years of experience as a Developer and Software Engineer and previous history working on Instructional Teams for the University of Toronto.
During this transitional period and throughout the next five months of the program, we want to ensure our learners have the necessary support and tools to be successful, by implementing new, in-depth academic support through weekly virtual review sessions to revisit and reinforce introductory material, as well as extending tutoring sessions to supplement the classroom experience.
UofT SCS Coding Boot Camp and our partners at Trilogy Education Services are truly committed to the experience of our program participants. We are working hard to provide your class with assistance both in and outside of the classroom and want to thank you for your patience and trust in us as we take action. Please allow us the opportunity to provide any and all additional support you need to make sure you are equipped for continued success. Contact me directly at (647) 245-1020 so I can further address any questions or comments you may have. -
Anonymous
The best Coding Boot Camp in Toronto
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I never write reviews, however I feel if i dont it would rob others from taking this wonderful course. The course is very well structured, with some amazing facilitators and TA's.We have regular knowledge checks that help substantiate learning. I have learned so much in such a short time. I'm at the middle of the course and i already feel confident of stepping into the world as a jr programmer. i wish i had discoverd this course earlier.
Boot Camp Team of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps
Community Team
Aug 16, 2018
Thank you for your feedback. We are thrilled you are enjoying our course structure and instructional team. It's great to hear you have already learned so much and are feeling confident about stepping out into the job market. We can't wait to see your final project in a few weeks time and are cheering you on as you work towards completing the program!