Springboard Avis 356

I'm a UX professional. I used to mentor at Springboard for five years. Sorry, would-be UX designers, don’t believe the marketing hype, UX bootcamps won’t do it for most of you. I wrote an article about this and I encourage you to read it. Search for "The UX bootcamp model is broken" on Medium.

Springboard has gotten worse and worse over the years. The bottom line for students is, don't get you hopes up. This bootcamp will NOT prepare you for a real-world job, despite the marketing hype. Don't fall for it.

They do an exceptional job of over-promising. However, the proof is in the pudding and the numbers aren’t pretty. They’re massively underdelivering. Fudging track-record numbers, they tend to prey on unsuspecting UX students by wrapping their offerings in honey-dipped, virtue-laden marketing ballyhoo, like “futureproofing your career,” and how their “graduates have been hired by the biggest names in tech.” Don't believe it.

No one should have any delusions about the fact that these bootcamps are in it for the money. Springboard is a for-profit, ed-tech startup financed by venture capitalists who demand profits before anything else. When we look past the virtue-signaling, noble-sounding slogans, Springboard doesn’t care much if a graduate actually lands a job or not. It’s all about profit.

Mentor quality has also dropped. In recent years most highly skilled UX mentors with deep industry experience have quit UX bootcamps in large numbers.

UX bootcamps delude students into thinking they’re going to walk into a job shortly after graduation. In reality, anecdotal evidence from UX mentors says only 30–50% of graduates are proficient enough to get an entry-level job. Many struggle for years to find jobs in UX largely because they lack the “job-ready skills employers are looking for.”

Myth, legend, and razzle-dazzle all rolled into one, Springboard splashes “build a stellar portfolio curated from hands-on projects with clients” on its pages — yet, no one has actually seen one. Truth be told, most graduate portfolios harm students because they’re teeming with “UX-bootcampy” case studies that don’t demonstrate the ability to solve real-world UX challenges. Hiring managers and design managers are not impressed by UX deliverables piled into a jumble of case studies.

The quality of education is seriously questionable. Students are on their own. Several online bootcamps just have students read freely available articles and watch videos in a self-paced, self-managed environment. It does not equate with getting a solid education in UX — even with weekly mentor calls.

The random collection of online course material is outdated, some of it is five years old. In an industry moving at a rapid pace that’s not very sound! Many articles are misinformed, outright wrong, and pernicious — selected by someone who doesn’t know the subject matter at all, and has no business curating a UX course.

All in all, I do not recommend UX students spend their money on these bootcamps.

I began the transition from the healthcare industry to the IT industry last year and discovered Springboard’s Cyber Security Career Track while researching education options. This course more than prepared me to pass the CompTIA Security+ exam and taught me the basics needed to land my first tech job. Springboard’s curriculum was impeccably organized and explained complicated technical concepts in a way that someone new to cyber security can understand. Springboard also provides you with an industry expert mentor and expert career coaches who are there to guide you along the way. I definitely recommend this school!

The best part of the Springboard Software Engineering Career Track is the quality of the curriculum materials. They don't just teach you the bare minimum to be able to build things - the course gives context, history, and deep technical understanding of why modern web applications are built the way they are.

The job support is also very good, though I would've appreciated a little more hands-on guidance. I got a job before finishing the program, so perhaps I would've had more help/guidance if I'd needed it.

Anyway, I am very happy with the education I got from Springboard and would recommend it to anyone looking for a bootcamp they can do online at their own pace.

I had very positive experience with Springboard. The extremely flexible self-learning pace schedule, the thorough curriculum which makes on understand every concept from the ground up, expertised mentors, supportive course advisors and a great community - everything that one needs to begin a career in Data Anyltics is right there. Highly recommend taking the course.

Springboard DAC program immensely helped me gain the skills and knowledge I need to pivot into a new career path as Data Analyst. The DAC curriculum is well structured and the project based assignments helped me gain confidence. The weekly mentor call was a huge plus for me! Learning from an industry expert 'the structured way of thinking' as a data analyst was my greatest learning. The Springboard's careers team is an amazing resource to help with preparing for interviews. Although the course is 6 month (self-paced), the weekly mentor calls and career coach calls helps with accountability and motivation. The mock call interviews towards the end really boost the confidence. Springboard's student advisor and the customer support were very accommodative to my situations and prompt with providing assistance from time to time! Also the Slack platform to interact with fellow students is an added advantage. I just completed my coursework and I feel more prepared and confident to make this shift in my career. I am glad I chose Springboard over the other program while I was exploring.

I had a very positive experience w/ Springboard's Data Analytics Career Track.

Biggest pro for me was the curriculum. The work provided was crucial in developing skills. Another pro is that, for a completely remote program, they've organized the social aspects well (mentor calls, career services, coach calls) in a way that makes it feel less isolated.

Cons - it's expensive for most people. In my experience it's worth the money though.

I attended Springboard directly after I had been laid off in October 2020. There was an entire team of people that were willing to show me what they knew, share their experience and weekly mentor guidance. The two mentors that I had during my studies were very knowledgeable and provided me additional resources to aid in my understanding. There were several extensions that I was granted and I am very thankful for the optimism in my success. I truly feel that I was able to learn without a deadline and believe that this is the reason for my mastery in the content.

I wanted to make the switch to software engineering while also taking time off to travel. Springboard was the bootcamp that fit my needs, it gave me the flexibility to learn while on the road, is a great value, and really prepared me for the next step in my career. The curriculum is very comprehensive, but also well paced. The student community, mentor support, and student advisors make it a really great experience. Instead of feeling like you're just watching "how to code videos", you get real weekly feedback from your mentor, and you give and get feedback from other students on bigger projects as well, so there is a great feeling of community. The career coaching is also a crucially overlooked component to most bootcamps, and it really sets Springboard apart. I went from having no LinkedIn and a poor resume, to 250 connections in my network, and knowledge on networking, interview skills, and salary negotiation. My technical skills have also come a long way, you'll be amazed at how much you can learn, and I feel very well prepared for my next job. I would always recommend Springboard to anyone interested in making a switch to software development.

I had the misfortune of an overly arrogant mentor with very little emotional intelligence although cookie cutter intelligence. Expensive course with material that could be learned elsewhere for much less

The content was massive, covered many topics that I'd need a new developer. One very important thing was code testing. It's often left out, and it's hirely desired for new devs to know. Springboard has that extensively covered.

There's not a single topic they teach, that they also don't teach how to write tests for.

As someone who had no technical skills coming into the course, Springboard made learning easy and motivating. The curriculum was designed in a way to actively teach relevant technical skills and reinforce knowledge through projects. My mentor was amazing and helped me dive deeper into my learning by providing me industry level perspective and knowledge. My career coach helped me gain confidence and navigate the job market. The student support was very responsive to any questions or requests I had during the course. And, there was even 1:1 on demand mentor calls for when I was stuck on a project mid-week and wanted help before my weekly mentor call. Because of all the support and well-designed curriculum I was able to get a great job offer quickly despite having no work experience or previous technical knowledge! I am confident that the technical skills and statistical knowledge obtained in this course will set me up for success in my Data Science career. I highly recommend the course for anyone who is considering switching into Data Science!

My overall experience with Springboard has been great from start to finish. The entire team has been super supportive especially my mentor.

The Springboard Data Analytics was challenging, rewarding, and very helpful to me. It challenged me with exercises ranging from Excel, Python, SQL, and data visualization tools (Tableau and PowerBI). They also provided an incredible mentor to me, Sean Lucas, for when the challenges were too hard. It was rewarding because throughout the course I was able to improve my resume and LinkedIn profile. I also used some of the projects that I did as examples of the work that I have done to show to employers. Last but not least, I am an entry level data analyst and didn't have a firm grasp on SQL or Python. This course enhanced my abilities to use those languages and it improved my performance at my job. 100% enjoyed my time as a student, my mentor, my career coaches, and the Springboard staff themselves who helped me extend/modify my time/curriculum due to life being crazy. Thank you!

When I initially picked Springboard, I chose their UX/UI program because it seemed the most in-depth and provided an internship as part of their curriculum. I also really liked the idea of working with a mentor and having someone with experience be my guide. What I didn't expect is just how supportive the entire Springboard team & community truly are. My student advisor, Marco, was such a blessing as I struggled to keep up with all my competing priorities. He made me feel like no matter what happened, Springboard had my back. The support staff are incredibly responsive, Oscar @ office hours is a gift, as is everyone else I've had to interact with because of Springboard. I've just started working with my career coach and I already feel ten times better about my job search. I'm so grateful I chose Springboard and encourage anyone who is looking for a supportive environment to do so.

For me, it was a challenging and rewarding experience. I got a job offer right before graduation. The course allows you to move through the material at your own pace and you can take breaks if needed. Springboard provided career coaches, personal mentors (one-on-one, once per week), and student advisors. Support from the springboard team was exceptional. My mentor was great and incredibly knowledgeable. But be ready to work hard, and be consistent, if you want to get through this course because the curriculum could be challenging. Overall, I would definitely recommend Springboard.

This course was very beginner-friendly. I came from a background and career in education, and found the course format and instructional materials to be very easy to follow and learn from. The course gave me a taste of what it would be like to commit to a full program, while also preparing me for the technical skills test I needed to pass in order to gain admission to the full program. It is self-paced, so if you work full-time as I do, you can work on the course when your schedule allows. You get a weekly live check-in with a mentor who is a working professional in the industry, which was great. The excellent instructional videos by Colt Steele are the cornerstone of the curriculum for this prep course. There are plenty of opportunities to practice your skills with low-stakes exercises and assignments along the way, all of which help prepare you for that test at the end. For my money, this course was an excellent value.

I have learned so much during my Springboard experience. The application process was quick and easy and the more I learned about the program, the more confident I felt about enrolling. The curriculum is thorough with clear guidelines and expectations outlined for students.
There's endless streams of support- career coaches, personal mentors (one-on-one, once per week), unlimited mentors, students on the Slack community or in virtual study groups, and student advisors. This program is also incredibly flexible with pricing- the loan option is outstanding and low risk- as well as timing (you can pause the curriculum at any time (limited on number of pauses) or can even do an extension if needed. This program is self-paced and offers endless opportunity to receive feedback on projects, develop a deeper understanding of the curriculum, and learn how to network effectively and land a job in your field.

This has been an incredible opportunity and I really can't recommend them enough.

I had a great experience in UX/UI Design bootcamp at Springboard! I highly recommend this bootcamp for anyone looking to shift careers. I signed up for the Design Career track, as this includes career calls after the course to help you find a full time position. When I was deciding on a UX/UI bootcamp, I was hesitant to sign up for a longer/more expensive bootcamp, but am very glad I went with Springboard. Here are some of the key reasons why:

The weekly mentor (an industry professionals) calls are super helpful and help you get immersed into the UX/UI field. My mentor helped me understand UX/UI concepts, and helped me refine the deliverables to build my case studies up! You come out of the course with a full portfolio (essential for getting a job!) with four case studies including an Industry Design Project, which is essentially an internship with a company. This real-world experience is really helpful coming out of the course! The curriculum does a good job teaching you UX/UI concepts and slowly building those up.

Career guidance is prompted throughout the course, which was extremely helpful. Throughout the course, you are prompted early on to start building career skills such as networking. You also have calls with a career coach while you are simultaneously going through the technical material. This early prompting to start thinking about how you are going to get a job and slowly building skills necessary for this were extremely helpful for me. You come out of the course with an updated UX/UI resume as well as a updated and revised (by career coach) Linkedin.

You are assigned a student advisor which helps you keep moving along. Having someone to keep me on track was essential for me. She gave me weekly deadlines that I needed to meet in order to complete by the date I gave her. Having this was a game changer for me.

Finally, you are connected with a Springboard slack community, so you are able to meet other students in the course. This is really helpful as the course is remote, and helps you stay connected to others and meet new people who are in a career shift as you. I met a lot of wonderful friends along the way, while also building up my professional network.

If you are wanting to shift careers, Springboard is a great choice! I feel very prepared for the working world and am glad that I still am able to meet with a Career coach on a bi-weekly basis, who will help me land a full-time position.

Sounds like an absolute scam of a company. Their materials are just sourced from other free or cheap programs online, and they charge about $10,000! You can literally go to a top business school in Europe to get a masters for less than this. Why would you pay some online "bootcamp" all that money for digital certificate that employers laugh at!?

Post course completion review: Search "switchup" and "course report" with my name, review dated 1-Oct-2020. ~5 star rating for the course overall. Won't discuss this here.

Post Job Guarantee review:
Course: Data Analytics Career Track
Cohort: Aug 2020
Completion: Sep-2021
Initial Job Guarantee end date: Apr-2021
Final Job Guarantee end date: Oct-2021
Refund Date: Oct-2021 (within 2 weeks of end date)

I signed up based on the 6months job guarantee USP. This was unilaterally extended due to high unemployment rate. I religiously followed the job guarantee guideline and career coach advise throughout the job guarantee period. 6 weeks prior to end date, I had 1st touch base with career service manager (CSM)- data analytics vertical. From there my career coach calls were revised to weekly calls. 2 weeks prior to end date, 2nd touch base with CSM. Both calls, CSM offered to further extend the job search by 6months optionally. I declined any further extension. After end date, CSM got in touch and asked for decision: extension or refund? For refund, there is a thorough review if the requirements have been met or not. Any gaps or findings need to be addressed within 30days timeframe for the refund. Upon satisfactory review, the refund is "approved" and "processed". All tuition paid less adjustments (referral promotions etc.), is credited via original method of payment.