BrainStation

I recently completed Brainstation's Digital Marketing (part-time) program this summer, and was pleased with the learnings I took away from the course. Coming from a Communications background, and having dug a little into digital in my own spare time,... Read More this program was a great refresher about the general scope of digital marketing - from SEO/SEM, social media best practices, Google Analytics/Adwords, content creation, and generating ad campaigns. That being said, if you're looking for a deeper dive into SEO/SEM, I would recommend looking into their SEO-specific program as what's touched on in the DIgital Marketing course is very high level.

Beyond the course material, Brainstation has an unbelievable network of educators that lead their various programs, and I was fortunate to be instructed by Emily and Britt. They were able to integrate their professional experiences into the course material, bringing knowledge from both the corporate and freelance worlds.

If you don't already follow Brainstation on Instagram (@brainstationyvr), you're quite possibly missing out on one of Vancouver's most aesthetically pleasing interior design spots. Brainstation recently relocated their Vancouver HQ from Yaletown to downtown Vancouver, and so the facility sports fresh white walls, and minimal finishings. It's also within walking distance of a multitude of shops and great lunch spots.

The Brainstation community is welcoming, and their customer service is on point! If communicating via email, you can expect a response within 24 hours, not to mention follow-up emails to ensure your questions/learning goals (if you've enrolled in a class) are being met.

In short, if you're looking for a quick refresher on all-things-digital (without diving too deeply into any given area), this is the course for you. And beyond the actual lecture slides and course materials, it's a great place to meet likeminded students/industry professionals. (Make sure to check out their available scholarships too if the course prices are a bit steep for you!)

I’m very happy to say I’ve just completed the accelerated format User Experience Design course at Vancouver’s BrainStation. I attended through a scholarship appointment as a Brand Ambassador. I’m very happy with how it went - the instructor was in industry,... Read More and had knowledge about freelance, enterprise, and start-up culture - the students were in industry as well, the loft style studio campus was a great place to chill and work, and the content answered all my questions! Even if you already know about UX it’s a great chance to double down. Being in a formal classroom environment is a great way to gain confidence! I would recommend this to friends!

I just recently completed the 10 week part time evening UI course and had a great experience. The instructor (Kelsey) is absolutely amazing - she brings passion and years of experience in many industries. She is so great to learn from and is very supportive... Read More and available to answer any questions you may have. The content itself is something you want to go to class for - you really have to be there to take it all in. Going through the slides on your own won't give you much value here. The classes are small (less than 10 students in mine) so you get a hands on, intimate learning experience. The campus has a ton of events and is located right downtown so its easily accessible. They really try to keep you engaged and a part of the community there as they have a Slack channel for all their alums where they post events, job postings, etc. Overall, this is an amazing course and a great experience to learn some new skills. Getting to work with some industry tools and learn the importance of working with developers is great too. I would definitely recommend the UI course to anyone looking to gain some knowledge in this area.

Prior to doing to Digital Marketing course at Brain Station I had been working in Marketing, but more in the traditional sphere. After the company I had worked for went bankrupt I found it hard to find a new job, as Digital Marketing had become more prominent,... Read More and I did not have the appropriate skill set. The time spent at Brain Station was great, going through the theory, talking to industry professionals, and really engaging in the applications neccessary to be successful. Luckily for me, in my final few weeks of classes I was in the interview process for a marketing role with a focus on digital, and was able to leverage the language and use what I had learned at Brain Station throughout the interviews and was fortunate the land the role a few days after presenting my final project.

Would recommend for those looking to sharpen their skills and gain a better understanding of the digital sphere.

I took the SEO/SEM/Analytics Course this Spring at Brain Station in Toronto Ontario. The overall experience was excellent. I was in a position in my job role where I needed to deepen my skills in SEO/SEM and in reporting on Google Analytics. This course... Read More provided me with the skills I needed. They also had so many flexible options for taking this class which could cater to those in school, with a full time job, or even those with a family. The instructors of this course were very helpful and really had a grasp on the course and GA and Google AdWords platforms.

I recently completed the Digital Marketing course and had a really positive experience. Jordan was a great instructor, and often sent us additional articles to review to get us ready for or add-to what we would be learning in class. The guest teachers... Read More were also really helpful - I really valued learning from people that were experts in their field. Now, this course is a 10 week part time thing - so know that some topics are bigger than can reasonably be covered in that time. Sometimes I felt a bit anxious about that, because I didn't really have a lot of extra time outside of class hours, but it is something that I can continue to work on. Be prepared to do some additional research on your own, but again that is what the instructors and guest instructors will prepare you for. As someone without a traditional marketing background but that is reasonably savvy about the digital landscape, I did just fine and took away a lot of great information from this course.

I took the full-time web development program at BrainStation and it was great.

The instructors were absolutely incredible not just in their knowledge base, but in teaching the material. Honestly there are a lot of smart people out there that know the material... Read More but it's very hard to find a teacher that can convey it well. There was a point in my cohort where they wanted to bring a new instructor onboard and he went through one day where he was actually teaching. He was incredibly knowledgeable but was unable to convey the material to the students. A few students brought this up to the teaching staff and for the rest of the program, we stuck with the regular education team instead. That level of dedication to their product is definitely appreciated.

Beyond that, I honestly did not expect the level of post graduation support that they provided. I half expected them to just throw you out into the world after the program ran its course. Instead, I was put in contact with a senior manager who set up recruiting events and provided support until I eventually found a position. And for the record, the first job I got after graduating was from one such event.

One thing I would say though is that I wish the curriculum was a bit more thorough, but most of this I would strictly attribute to the timeframe and the nature of this kind of bootcamp in general and not BS itself. The current curriculum covers a wide breadth of topics by doesn't drill in in terms of depth.

I would definitely recommend this program to anyone interested in trying to get into tech.

I took the UX full-time course at BrainStation at the Toronto campus, graduating in March 2018. Looking to pivot my career from accounting to UX/UI design, I felt that this course is what I needed for a solid kickstart. It provided that foundational knowledge... Read More needed, with lectures on UX/UI design principles, technical tool skills, and general career advice. The lead instructors were personalble, experienced, and knowledgable. The TAs were also very helpful, as they had both taken the course before. Everyone in the class was super supportive and collaborative. Sure, you can learn UX/UI through online articles and individual learning, but the oppotunity to fully immerse yourself for 10 straight weeks is invaluable. Also, you have the opportunity to build your network in the field, be it your classmates, instructors, or the industry partners that BrainStation holds. As with everything, what you put in will determine what you get out of it.

One thing about the course that could be improved is the depth of the lecture material. I felt like some topics could've been covered more extensively. That being said, I know 10 weeks is a short time to cram a lot of topics in. You'll need to be diligent and dive deeper on your own with some topics (e.g. I don't come from a design background, so I had to do some individual deeper learning on topics like colour and typography). Though there does allow a lot of free time for you to have one on one time with the instructors on things you'd like assistance on.

Overall I had a positive experience, and would recommend the course if you're looking to break into the UX/UI design field.

I just finished my full time web development bootcamp and BrainStation and I don’t regret a thing about it.

I participated in the program to get more practice and work on new projects. Throughout the course, I built many projects that I am proud of and... Read More became more confident to start my career as a developer.

The BrainStation’s staff has always been really helpful with any questions or problems that students had. They know how important it was to remain focused during the program and gave us as much support as possible.

I find Jonathan a really smart and enthusiastic teacher. He always stayed up to date with the newest technology and always pushed us to research more about the topics he introduced in class. He provided us with a lot of guidance and materials that enhanced our knowledge.

Having Jonathan and the two teaching Assistants, Nic and Anthony helped us grow as developers as they were committed to us becoming better by making themselves available even outside of class time.

The dynamic of the class was another beneficial part of this program as we were encouraged to work in pairs and groups. We build a great sense of community as a class and learned a lot from helping each other and sharing our knowledge.

I can confirm that attending the full stack web development course was a great experience. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow as a developer.

BrainStation's Full Time Full Stack Web Development Program was an incredible experience that helped my skills as a developer grow exponentially.

Prior to attending this course, I had spent eight months self-teaching myself basic web development skills.... Read More I decided to take the full stack web development course to build a stronger foundation in web development and increase my confidence in my skills. After having finished this course, I can honestly say that I have achieved these goals and so much more. I learned more from the 10 weeks I had spent attending this course than I did from months of self-teaching. I attribute this success to Jonathan, the lead instructor and the two teach assistants Nic and Anthony.

Jonathan is an incredibly motivating and inspiring educator that brings out the best in his students. His enthusiasm for web development and technology makes learning from him so easy. The material Jonathan decided to include in the curriculum was well thought out as we covered technologies that are the most recent and relevant in the tech industry. I feel that this has given us a competitive advantage in the job market.

Along with his remarkable teaching ability, Jonathan fostered an environment where we as a class were given many opportunities to learn with each other, as well as pursue our own passions. Through this, I have learned and became friends with some incredible individuals. I also learned more about the joys of being a developer and what ultimately drives me creatively. These outcomes are invaluable.

Finally, Jonathan and the teaching assistants, Nic and Anthony were invested and committed to the students' success throughout the entire program. They have always been approachable and offered support and motivation when any of us were going through difficult times. This meant a lot to us. There were many times in the past 10 weeks where they would stay in during lunch time to help students or answer our questions after hours and during the weekends. While they always were willing to lend a hand, they would never explicitly tell us the answers to our questions because that is not the most optimal way to learn. They know that being a successful web developer entails being able to critically think and problem solve as we will not be spoon fed while working in the field.

Overall, BrainStation's Full-Time Full Stack Web Development program blew me away. I have become a much better programmer and I have created meaningful friendships along the way.
I would recommend this course to anyone that wants to improve their skills as a developer, whether they are new or experienced. This program is much about what you put into it. This program is not for people who are selfish, close-minded and/or expect to have their hand held. If you put in the effort to be in class on time, work with others and study on your own time this program will be a positive experience for you. With the proper mindset, in combination with Jonathan as your lead educator, you are in a great position to be successful.