Columbia Engineering Boot Camps

Pros: Trainer Knowledge Examples Interaction with Students Methodology Cons: Time of classes Sometimes is difficult to understand the trainer Path to be able to obtain the certification Time to present the projects (It's a part-time training due to the... Read More time to attend it so we need time to practice and present assigments).

Con:
-Lack of organization with the materials
-Lack no support from mentors/staff/instructors
-Confused with the structure of the teaching plan
-No career support for people who graduate from the program
Pros:
-Good Reputation from the school
-Not too expensive... Read More
Still jobless after attending this boot camp since Feb, i do understand its COVID but I would rather go to a boot camp that ensure you to get a job. This boot camp is suitable for people who just want to know more about the Data analytics and not really focusing on job industry.

I recently came out of a six-month part time bootcamp run by Trilogy Education Services at Columbia University for cybersecurity.

Longstory short is it is a completely overpriced ($13,000) course managed by an inefficient and corrupt company that takes... Read More zero interest in student welfare or actually preparing you for a job. They claim Columbia designs curriculum and approves the teachers but this cannot be possible as the curriculum is so disorganized there is no way such an institution could sponsor that.

Pros:

-One teacher was very thoughtful and kind and did his best to work with a broken system.
-Classmates were great.
-There is some limited experience you can gain in a few areas like Python and Kali, but it is very short and not nearly enough to get a job.
-A nice looking certificate at the end.

Cons:

-This course is geared towards beginners but is not really for them.
-Even for advanced students the course does not teach enough to get a job.
-One teacher was extremely verbally abusive to some students including immigrants and some people with learning disabilities
-Curriculum was terribly designed. So much time wasted on useless projects that taught no practical skills.
-Bad management from Trilogy. The student services team is practically non existent. They visit sometimes and pretend they care about feedback but no changes are made. It is even difficult to process payments with them which really calls into question their credibility.
-Broken labs, poor recording equipment made remote sessions undoable, and other resources that were non functioning.

Please do not waste your money hear. You would be throwing it away.

A little bit of a background of myself and my start into the IT world. I have done a Bootcamp in IT support prior to joining this CyberSecurity Bootcamp. I have a non-technical degree and a CompTIA A+ certification with 2 years of IT work under my belt.... Read More This program is an awesome program that was lead by an awesome team of instructors and TA who are knowledgable professionals. They were always willing to give their time to students after class hours (Even days when we did not meet officially) to share their knowledge and to continue to help us grow in this new and challenging field. As someone who just successfully completed his second BootCamp in IT I will tell you this. IT IS HARD and it will demand a lot from you. This included personal sacrifices, not being able to hang out late at night in the bars/clubs, putting time and effort in your studies, commuting to and from work. Everyone has different situations but you get what you put in. Columbia and Trilogy have a partnership and yes there are some things that need work, but all in all this was a great class run by an amazing team of instructors who cared a lot, taught us very important tools of the trade, and allowed me to network with amazing people that I plan to always keep in touch with.

PROS:
Plenty of Hands-on Labs.
*Class Room size is not too big which always instructors and TAs to assist.
*Classes are Recorded and can be re-watched over at your pace.
*You are taught tools of the trade and industry standards.
*Programs like Kali Linux, IDS (Snort, Splunk) and IPS, Cyber Forensics, Computer Networking (Wireshark), Penetration testing (Metasploit, NMAP, HYDRA, WFuzz, WPscan, Pivoting)
A lot of Linux (Know how Terminal Works) OS architecture, Python programing (creating Dictionaries, Loops, If/Else statements)
Worked with Capture the Flag Boxes, understanding Website hacking (DVWA, Cross site scripting, XSS, Burp Suite) and much more.

CONS:
*At times the Curriculum can be somewhat off-balance. For example, Python coding is very challenging especially for those with a non-coding background. Highly suggest you play with this before enrolling. Class Homeworks on this subject is often very difficult to accomplish. Suggest you take an online course and learn a few things or buy a great Python intro book to get you used to the language.

*Not enough emphasis on Networking: I wish that Trilogy and Columbia would review this section-Networking is an essential part of how Hackers can enter into a target and begin recon stage of scanning, not just ports, but to see what devices are on a network. (Computers, Firewalls, DMZ, Honey-pot) I would recommend Trilogy teach students how to at least build a network architecture. (CISCO LABS!/NetAcademy)

*Highly encourage Trilogy to invest in having an On-Site Career counselor at class. By that, I mean someone full time that meets students on campus. One of the reasons why I was able to get a job in IT, in general, was because my first Bootcamp had classes dedicated to Career development and it was required NOT optional. This is the most important aspect of a Bootcamp. Sadly Trilogy needs to make up for this, I won't complain too much here because I have a security team at my current firm and will be joining their ranks soon.

Class Rooms-Columbia is a beautiful campus, but I wish CU would do a better job in assigning rooms that are adequate for laptop usage. They placed us in rooms with these small size table chairs (The ones you sit in when you take a small booklet exam for college) this is not ideal for a 3 + hour class. Also, why not give Students temporary access to quite places of gathering like the library or the instructors a temporary small office to meet with students. This can make meeting after class hours difficult and not in an always ideal learning situation. I hope CU really gets this.

In the end if I had to do this all over again, I would. This course has been extremely beneficial to me. professionally, It has given me a desire to continue expanding my new learned skills and knowledge. To look at technology with a sharper more focused critical analysis that can help my clients and their business navigate the dangers that are becoming more present every day. Personally I have met and networked with some amazing people these past 6 months many of whom I call my friends and colleagues. They came from different industries, bringing to the table their own wealth of experiences, backgrounds both technical and non-technical which provides a great insight into Technology but also what CyberSecurity really is, a world that touches on all facets of society and our lives.

I hope this review can inspire you and help you get past some of the less important things. The only real thing that matters is the knowledge you gain and the people that you meet that can help you grow professionally and personally.

I just got accepted to this program (2 interviews and 1 exam) and just a couple of days with them I already feel that they are providing me the support that I need while I'm transitioning to a new career. A couple of facts that I think makes a difference... Read More in this program way better than other coding schools in the city.

1. Series of pre-coding classes. (It will start as soon as you get the confirmation)
2. Super-friendly and knowledgeable staff
3. Full-classroom setting: 10 hours per week for 24 weeks in the university.
4. Positioning yourself with the right network of people.