Startup Institute - CLOSED

Good institute for working professionals who wants to start their career in data science.Best thing is if you don't like one instructor, you can change your batch and attend that module from other batches.In my batch Python, machine learning and deep... Read More learning was covered in depth with real time. Support is good here and topics are covered from scratch

You're lead to believe that they are here to help you get a job and that their training and program will do so. It's false. In the Web Development Course, we received no serious technical training. Actually one of the biggest complaints was that we did... Read More not receive enough coding time, training, or experience. Students in my cohort are still looking for jobs and many don't have the skills to get them. Save your money. Don't be scammed by this terrible company only trying to make money off of you. Once the program is over, you're on your own.

On the sidebar of this web page you'll see SI claiming they provide Scholarships:
1) Women in Tech
2) People of Color in Tech
3) Seasoned Professionals in Tech (age 40+)
4) Veterans’ Scholarship (automatic $1,000 off tuition)
5) Excellence in STEM Scholarship... Read More

Although my cohort did contain women, POC, professionals over 40, people with CS backgrounds, and Veterans, none of us received any of those scholarships, even when we individually inquired about them. In fact, they acted the opposite when they were the hardest on one of our veteran colleagues as he had to leave for a few days for a training exercise. After missing those days, they didn't let him return to class despite serving his country. Instead, they told us during stand-up, "He just doesn't feel like showing up." His story was the complete opposite, after individuals reached out to him. Despite doing his duty for his country, SI has refused a refund or even a re-entry into the program. I'm not sure about the rest of the community, but I just don't see that as being anywhere near being supportive of our troops, and the refusal to even grant him the veteran's scholarship is a slap to the face to our hard working military people.

I inquired about the POC scholarship, but the COO, claimed it wouldn't be fair to the other POC people if I were to get it. After asking why, there was no response other than, "there's just other people who can use it as well". In the end, nobody received the scholarship. As for the rest of the scholarships SI has advertised, they did the usual bob & weave to avoid losing profit. Instead, they offered that we can get $300 for every person we convince to sign up for their program. So instead of a scholarship or a discount, they've asked us to work for them as salespeople. As you can see with the coerced reviews on this review page, people are pushing for you to join SI. Although it technically isn't a Ponzi Scheme, it's still a scheme and the motivation is there in order for SI to succeed and turn a profit.

Another reason as to why there are so many "positive" reviews is due to the fact those who complained or were unsure about SI's motivation have had to either sign an NDA, settlement agreement or "stay quiet, or else". Unfortunately, for those who chose to pick neither have received burn-notices as SI have gone out of their way to interfere with interviewing processes for alumni who've opposed their "mission".

The list goes on and on, but I digress. Due to these actions (and more), you'll notice, especially on LinkedIn, former students relocating out of state to escape SI's reach. The above should be enough for future Boot Camp candidates to be informed of what they'll experience if they chose Startup Institute.

Startup Institute was recommended to me by one of my mentors. I had recently relocated to the Boston area after graduating college and knew that I wanted to join the local startup ecosystem, but had no idea how to go about it. What was certain is that... Read More I would have to work very hard to get there. My military background helped a great deal, but I still needed the skills and connections to succeed. I applied to Startup Institute and soon passed both the assessment and interview process. My class began in October 2017 as a Web Design fellow.

From the very beginning, I felt welcomed and supported by the great staff, as well as the rest of the cohort, which consisted of individuals from all walks of life. We became like a little family by the end of the program. All of those factors had affirmed that I made the right choice. What I loved about Startup institute is that it wasn't just another bootcamp. While there were skills to be learned, that wasn't the only focus of the program. We listened to stories from alumni who are now entrenched in the startup world and are doing quite well for themselves. We were also given guidance on startup best practices and how to succeed once we left the program. The in-track lessons were my favorite because I got to learn the basics of the web design process. It was up to me, however, to learn and grow as the program progressed. I will admit that I was one of the least experienced, but with passion and perseverance I supercharged the process to a new career as a UX/product designer.

What you should expect from the program is to work very hard and remain consistent. There will be moments when you will feel like you're not progressing, but keep going. The learning curve eventually sorts itself out. The one advice I can give is the be confident in your abilities, continue to learn, even when you're not in class. This is an investment and you get out of it what you put in. I attended coffee chats with several alum, asked a million questions, and spent a great deal learning my new craft. What helped me do well after the program was always maintaining a sense of curiosity to learn and reach the next stepping stone...and lots of confidence! Startup Institute understands that in order to succeed in a startup you need a great network, a deep desire to learn, adaptability, and focus.

After the program, I joined a Boston startup accelerator as a UX Designer. It is an opportunity that I would have never been considered for had I not attended Startup Institute and proven myself to be a good candidate. My journey went from learning about Web Design to providing product strategy and design to a cohort of 10 startups. I am grateful for the SI team for seeing my potential and believing that I could get it done. It is one of the best decisions I've ever made!

Coming from a background in the humanities, I was taken away by the community, teaching, and support by the SI Instructors, alumni, and associates in the program to help you make the career change into the field of web development.

It is structured as... Read More a 12 week part-time nights and weekends course, and focuses on both soft and hard skills necessary to get a job after the program. In terms of soft skills, they bring in top CEOs from startup companies to share their experiences, give instruction on networking to find a job, and emphasize shaping your personal narrative to potential employers for hire. In terms of hard skills, they have dedicated instructors who are knowledgeable and give you the help you need inside and outside of the program. They also have a well thought out partner-project program incorporated in the curriculum that gives you real life experience on working with a team of other developers, marketers, sales representatives, and UI/UX designers.

SI gives you all the resources you need to make a career change and it is up to you to put in the effort for a life-changing experience. Without a doubt, it is hard work (especially for the programming side), but well worth the effort. I am still in touch with many of the students, alumni, and instructors and was happily employed about a month after the program.

Startup institute teaches soft and hard skills in four programs. It was a great experience, tons of energy and hard work from everybody. Highly recommended if you want to get a job after finishing. As with any program, you have to asses your skills and... Read More to see where the program can help to improve them. Don’t expect college classes style here because it isn’t. it is a brief introduction of the tech world, and it will help you to get a job in that industry as well.

This program really taught me a great deal about marketing and built up my confidence. I did t know if I was really hirable at first, but now I have a good job as a content marketer for a B2B SaaS company. My marketing teacher connected me with the CEO... Read More of the company I’m with now, so I’m grateful for my experience.
The only negative things I have to say is I wish we got more hands on experience with marketing tools. I also wish we got a little more hard skills out of it. Lastly, I felt a couple of the other students weren’t as committed to the program as others, and I’m not sure why they were accepted.

I originally went to college for business and went to work for a tech company, I slowly realized that I liked the work that the developers did better then mine. I taught myself html/ css and a little Ruby but I realized that I need more . I joined startup... Read More at a transition in my career . When I joined the staff was friendly and accommodating. They had plenty for us to and to get to know each of the students in my cohort. The program was a mixture of learning the hard skills of coding but also the soft skills of finding a job and how to properly network. I was able to polish up on the soft skills, gain a network of past students and member companies and have career support.

I will say with the coding you should practice a lot before hand. There is only so much you can learn in 8 weeks . You will also need to practice on your own. Coding is something you will always ned to do to get better. You will need to be responsible for your own self growth but there is plenty of help along the way with the staff and your cohort. There were times were I felt like I didn't know what I was doing but at the end of the program It was all worth it and now i have a better outlook and plan for my future.

You get out of Startup Institute what you put into it, if you fully invest it's a great opportunity to change your professional life. In my opinion the most valuable part of the experience is the network you can build. When I finished the program I had... Read More more than enough offers to pick a job that I couldn't be happier with.