Springboard Avis 356

I attended Springboard Software Engineering Career Track, and it was an intense but very positive experience in many ways: the program is full of both theoretical and practical data, that is conveniently organized in multiple units. Everything is clearly explained and lots of practical experience given to solidify the knowledge given. The communication with the team, help and support, as well as coaching and mentorship is on a high level. The responses are timely given and all the concerns met. I am very happy that I got to choose Springboard over other programs.

My mentor was amazing. I met a lot of different coaches and each one was also great. The team really wants you to succeed and does everything in their power to make sure that you do.

Springboard's UI/UX design bootcamp was fantastic! Despite coming from a design background, I found the curriculum well-curated for both beginners and experienced individuals. The hands-on projects were particularly enlightening, allowing me to apply new skills effectively. The online platform was user-friendly and well-organized, making it easy to access course materials and communicate with instructors and peers.

However, There were a few areas where I felt the program could improve. The pacing of some lessons felt rushed, taking more time than expected for me to fully grasp the concepts.
Springboard can enhance the management of career coach calls by offering timely notifications regarding the remaining category calls. This improvement would lessen confusion and save students time at the end of the course.

Overall, I highly recommend Springboard's UI/UX design bootcamp for anyone looking to break into the field or advance their skills. With a solid curriculum, hands-on projects, and supportive mentors, it provides a strong foundation for a career in UI/UX design.

It was an incredibly enriching experience. One of the most impactful aspects of my experience at Springboard was the exceptional team of mentors and advisors who were always there to guide and support me throughout my learning journey. Thank you, for pairing me with such an amazing mentor Mr Edward Chu. I am extremely grateful for his guidance and encouragement. He not only helped me develop the skills I needed to succeed but also instilled in me the confidence to pursue my dreams in the field of UI/UX design. I am also deeply grateful to all the other career coaches, mentors, and advisors at Springboard for their invaluable support and guidance throughout my learning journey. Their insights and encouragement have been instrumental in shaping my skills and confidence as a UI/UX designer. I would highly recommend Springboard to anyone looking to kickstart their career in UI/UX design. The mentorship and guidance I received were exceptional, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to learn from such talented professionals. Thank you, Springboard, for helping me realize my potential as a UI/UX designer!

This bootcamp was terribly run, with rude and condescending mentors, career coaches, student advisors, and other staff. They play favorites, and like their own people the most, and are tribal. If you're a less favored type, be prepared to get the most condescending, unhelpful treatment. The course structure is terrible, and there's high turnover. The Job Guarantee is scammy. Mentors and other staff are unethical, and just care about getting paid. Avoid at all costs.

The attention received from the mentors, coaches and advisors, in addition to the sense of community on Slack made all the difference!

I really liked the course and that it could be flexible with my busy schedule. I liked the technical interviews and all the tips from the career coach as well as my mentor

They have a very good curriculum for data analysis course.

I want to extend my deepest thanks to all the coaches and mentors whose guidance was invaluable. Your patience, expertise, and encouragement have not only enriched my learning experience but have also inspired me to strive for excellence in everything I do. The wealth of data and resources provided throughout the course were instrumental in my development and success.

I am incredibly excited about the future and eager to apply all that I have learned. The skills and knowledge I've gained have equipped me to advance in my career with confidence. Thank you for playing such a pivotal role in my journey. I look forward to staying connected and hopefully, our paths will cross again in the professional world.

Springboard is an ok platform. The support team and certain advisors will lie and tell you certain things about your payments and try to milk you for your money. To be clear, they did work with me and have your completion in mind, so flexibility is there and they want you to succeed although the caviot is that they give you a run around if you start on the paid extension. The good was balanced with the bad and wouldve recommended if I had not run into these issues at the end.

Springboard said it would be simple to cancel if I decided I no longer wanted their services. It has been anything but easy to do so. They make you jump through hoops to do so. I'm still not even sure it's been done and I won't be charged. Horrible experience. Would not recommend! There are so many ways to get this information without springboard for free.

It was a good experience with Springboard due to its excellent curriculum and Mentor support.

Learnt a lot great mentors and effective study material

Springboard exposes the student to a wealth of information and seeks to prepare thr student for all parts of obtaining that new position.

Make sure you sign up with REALISTIC expectations!

For reference, yes I graduated, and yes, I got hired. I see so many 5 star reviews on here, but what percentage of these students actually got hired after 6 months? I'll be as honest as I can.

The sales reps at Bootcamps like Springboard commit a serious crime in how they set unrealistic and ridiculous expectations. The job market for UX designers is tough. It can take months to break in, and many starting salaries for entry level in-person positions are under 60k /yr. NOT six figures, (like the “selective”* sales rep at Springboard would have you believe).  
*(Selective as they claim to only accept 20% of applicants. Not true. what they really mean is: only 20% of applicants accept them)

The following claim is not true:
“Yes, it will cost you $10,000 dollars, but you will make that all back within 3 weeks after you get hired!” - My Springboard sales rep 

If they were truthful, they would have said: 
“Yes, it will cost you $10,000 dollars, and then you will job search for a full-time job for up to 12 months. You can get a job guarantee, but we really would hate to give you that money back, so we will extend the 6 months as long as possible, and use any excuse possible to disqualify you from it. Finally, IF you actually end up getting a job, you will make the $10,000 back in three months because the starting rate for entry-level is only 60k. - Oh, and that’s not counting all of the money you spent trying to support yourself while you search for jobs full time or the money you could have made during the time spent in the Bootcamp working a second job.”

As if transitioning to a new career wasn’t financially stressful enough, Springboard would have you PAY them thousands of dollars, and in the end, there is a high chance you will have no job to show for it a year later. It’s all over my LinkedIn feed. If you sign up, make sure you are aware of this issue and the gamble you are taking. 

The only valuable part of Springboard is the mentorship. The hiring manager reviews are not great and are subjective, with little actionable advice beyond a “well done!”, or “you are missing this thing from the rubric that hiring managers could care less about…” In general, for the “Hiring manager reviews,” I’d estimate that they spend as little as 5 minutes on each case study, and give hardly any input. Meanwhile, an actual hiring manager looks at that Case study they passed as “would interview,” rolls their eyes, and thinks:
“Oh, another fictitious, recycled, bootcamp project, NEXT.” - *Deletes you from the list* -

The projects for your final portfolio are not impressive in the slightest to hiring managers unless you go well above and beyond the SpringBoard curriculum. Even the IDP is not impressive on your portfolio. I had to find my own “real” internship and go far above and beyond SpringBoard to land a job. I also got severely lucky in that I got paired with a mentor who could push me to go above and beyond Springboard and make an impressive portfolio, something most students won’t get but does speak volumes about the potentiality of getting a high-quality mentor. 

The percentage of Springboard UI/UX track graduates who get hired after 6 months is embarrassingly low because getting hired after 6 months with three fake projects and one two-week real-world project on your portfolio is unrealistic.

The curriculum itself is merely a collection of links to web pages you could google and find yourself. Also, the quality of the articles is very poor, and grammatical errors can be found everywhere in some articles.

Let’s summarize. You’re paying $1300+ a month for:
* a short 30 minute weekly mentor call
* on demand mentor calls that are so booked you need to schedule them 30 days in advance (and are not that helpful)
* Career advisors who are helpful overall but not necessarily experts about what makes a good portfolio, (the most important aspect)
* A bunch of community advisors and managers who you will never talk to or need help from, but you are still paying for
* An “industry design project” that is so short, that you have next to nothing to show for it (unless you get lucky)
* A sketchy job guarantee with a thousand words of fine details, which according to students I’ve spoken to, will take any opportunity to disqualify you from it or extend it for months
* And, again, the curriculum can be found by google searching for it all yourself

Let’s be honest. All you really need to pay for is the mentor, and maybe a resume expert /career coach who has lots of experience working with UI/UX designers. My advice? Find the curriculum online for free for youself, and hire and pay your own mentor. Then reach out to small startups and offer to volunteer to get the needed experience. SB would have you pay them 1,300/month for all of that.

A great place to learn and change the career

The course is made very easy for a newbie in IT to understand. The mentors are great and encouraging. The loan repayment deal is flexible and realistic.

Samuel