BrainStation

My experience as a BrainStation student was one of the best experiences in my life.  2020 was a year that could be defined with the word change. Like so many other people around the world, I was challenged by the pandemic and lost my job due to covid.... Read More Learning about digital marketing had been in my mind for years now, but it was one of those things that I didn't pursue before because of time, routine, being comfortable at work, etc. The overall experience was very positive, starting with the learning advisors that made the time to answer every question I had and really walked me through the whole process step by step.  The program was fast-paced. I can't emphasize this enough. This is a challenging program that requires your full attention and dedication. I understand every student is different, but in my case, this was the only thing I was able to work on during those 3 months. Between lectures and working on my projects I probably spent around 60 hours per week. The program was challenging but in a very positive way. At first, I was a little bit intimidated by it, especially after 13 years since I attended school, but I was able to adapt very quickly with the support of my educators, my classmates, and family. I would define my overall experience taking this program as "the perfect storm", (right timing, right educators, and right classmates). The educators (Josh Muirhead and Justin Lowe) were amazing, both of them leaders in their area of expertise and now with a commitment to share their knowledge in order to help shape a new generation of digital marketers. Learning from them was one of the most rewarding experiences during this time. The instructors' styles of teaching were very different but in my opinion, I feel we received a very well-balanced learning experience. The content was relevant, the examples they used were always current with what's happening in the industry, and we were always encouraged to seek extra sources of information to stay updated with newer digital marketing trends.  The introduction of the capstone project wasn't only a perfect exercise to apply everything that we learned throughout the course but also the perfect output to start our own portfolio to use for potential job opportunities.  I could continue describing what my experience or my day to day was like during this time, but all I can say is that this was the best investment I've ever made.

I’ve taken two courses (UX Design and Product Management) and can’t recommend it highly enough. The instructors for their courses are world class, who are experts in their respective fields, so much of what they are teaching they have real-life experience... Read More in. Most instructions also work at some of the best tech companies around. They’re great at providing guidance about best practices for getting into the field and answering any questions between classes. I also found the online live course format to be an excellent option, which was not only convenient, but also provided a great platform to complete the required course work each week. The final projects are built upon weekly acquired knowledge all of which builds towards a full understanding of the topic by the course’s end. Really great courses for anyone looking to gain some new skills or learn about new technology topics.

I had 3 great learning experiences at BrainStation, both in person and online live. Most recently, I completed the 5 week Product Management course. In this case, I was gearing up for a career switch into the tech industry, and I just got hired as a PM... Read More (not knowing very much about what the role involved). Without a doubt, the course at BrainStation helped me develop a foundation I needed to be successful in my career switch. One thing that's consistent about all BrainStation courses is their focus on keeping the curriculum current and updated with all the developments and digital skills required in industry. They provided a great overview on PM processes as well as real-life examples from our instructors (who actually work as Product leaders in industry). I found that the reading I was doing on my own complemented the course material very well. Also, as with all BrainStation courses, there is emphasis placed on applying skills through a project. I think this is where I derived the most value from the course. There is a lot of theory and processes in Product Management, and it differs between companies, but I found that going through the project enabled me to begin to form my own "philosophy" and unique approach to PM. I would certainly recommend this course to anybody starting off as a PM and encourage them to couple the course content with some independent reading on PM. I would be ready for 2-4 hours of extra work per week on the course project as well. Also, take advantage of the close, small-class environment (even online) and reach out to other classmates and engage with the instructors both in class and on Slack.

I took the 10 week Brainstation Product Management course virtually (through their Online Live platform) over the course of the Fall - finishing up this December. It was the perfect thing to do on dark Tuesday evenings in a pandemic. This was my second... Read More Brainstation course and highly recommend it if you’re looking to familiarize yourself with PM concepts. I’ve been a PMM before, so I was familiar with many of the units covered in class from observing PM’s on the job, however, I never really had the opportunity to practice them myself. In order to complete the course, you have to do a project - either alone or in a group - and present your Go-to-Market strategy (though the presentation part is not mandatory). I found myself looking forward to spending time on the project and it’s really the best way to actually absorb the content. I feel confident that I could apply my learnings to real-life situations, either on the job or in a job interview. I learnt more in these 10 weeks than the last year+ of reading product management and agile methodology books. Pros: - Instructors from the industry who have relevant experience and teach in a practical approach - Project must be completed which allows you to practice concepts - Minimal commitment: 10-weeks for 3 hours in the evening - Very intuitive digital student platform to retrieve course material and submit projects Con: - Only downside of the Online Live approach is that the unit that covered agile methodologies and SCRUM would have been best in-person. The chance to practice a real Sprint planning exercise in a group of people would have been a worthwhile exercise. They could perhaps do this virtually, but would have to be an 11th class (bonus exercise) as there's no extra time within the 10 classes

This was my first time taking a course with BrainStation, and I am glad that I did it. I was always interested in elevating my skills and knowledge in product management to start a career shift from product design to product management. I found this course... Read More very useful, and it brought some confidence in me to move towards my career goals and plans.
The course is a well-balanced mixture of concepts and theories, in-class activities, case studies and actual hands-on work for the final project. I learnt new and useful toolkits, which I had the chance to apply to my project. However, the significant value that I got during class was the in-depth feedback I received from the instructor and peers. Due to the pandemic, the course was fully online, but I think it worked well and did not impact the quality.

This was my third course with Brainstation and the second I've taken through the Online Live platform. I've always enjoyed that the instructors have industry experience and can offer practical advice, along with theory. I found my instructors engaging... Read More and tried their best to make the course content understandable. I will say, if you do not have a background in statistics, this course may be more difficult for you. I personally didn't have a background in statistics, so the latter half of the course was challenging. Despite that, I definitely learned a lot and was able to complete my final project and receive my certificate.

Over the past ten weeks I completed the Web Development Online Live course through BrainStation. Coming into the program, I did not have a web dev or programming background and found that it wasn't a prerequisite to be successful in the program. In the... Read More span of 10 weeks I went from having no knowledge to being able to build a fully responsive web page with HTML and CSS. I've since been able to extend this learning to my job in ways I never would have thought possible. The instructor was engaging and a true industry practitioner. Highly recommend for those who are looking to take their first steps into web programming.

I completed the 10 week UX design course at BrainStation virtually and received my certificate. This is a part-time course that also includes completing a UX portfolio project. I enjoyed having hands on experience with the project - it helped me to apply... Read More what we were learning in the class. This is definitely an introductory class. I would have appreciated more support with job assistance, for example having 1 class that was dedicated to how to build a UX portfolio that explained what else we should include aside from the one project we created in this class.

I've had nothing but excellent experiences with BrainStation courses. The instructors are from reputable companies, they really care about the instruction, and there are tons of like-minded people that you are able to collaborate with. I cannot recommend... Read More BrainStation classes enough.

I enjoyed my time getting my data science diploma. It was a fun fast three months where I learned many new skills to make a career transfer. Someone is almost always available to answer your questions even if you have a lot of them. They provide a lot... Read More of information both in class and outside of class through slides, notes, articles and recommendations for further study. It was a great three months. Some things were learned quickly. Be prepared to continue learning things on your own time and be ready to absorb things quickly.