Startup Institute - CLOSED

Startup Institute will supply you with extremely useful resources and an amazing network. These will allow you to get a spot in the tech industry. But SI isn't just concerned with getting you the next job. It's concerned with getting you the job after... Read More that, and the job after that, etc. After going to Startup Institute, you WILL have a permanent spot in the tech industry so long as you put in the effort.

For the web development program - if you're a Ruby on Rails novice, don't expect to be an expert once you get out of the program. It's not about learning the technology from the ground up. Instead, focus on completing a tangible project that demonstrates your skills. This would typically come in the form of a Ruby on Rails webapp. As such, you should come into Startup Institute with some preliminary knowledge. If you don't have that, you should at least complete an online course (I believe SI gives you a One Month subscription).

You will work with your instructors and mentors in order to develop said project. At the same time, you will make use of the network in order to set up coffee chats and interviews. This is a TON of work, so you should expect to be putting in 60-70 hours a week.

One thing - Startup Institute assigns you to an existing startup company in which you will be doing a project for them. If that project is sufficiently technical (it may not), that can be your dedicated project that was mentioned above. I wouldn't suggest working on more than one project throughout the program.

Network. This isn't your typical bootcamp.

If your focus is to just learn the technical skills, then I don't think Startup Institute is for you. There are other great bootcamps that focus entirely on that.

You will need some foundation in the technical... Read More track you want, you will need to put in time beyond the curriculum to enhance your skills.

The strength of startup institute is that they teach you how to work within a team, to understand what motivates you and teach you how to network. The SI network is the secret sauce, the ingredient that makes this bootcamp stand out from the rest of them. If your goal is to pivot careers and get a JOB in that new career, I don't think there is a better program. The SI network is immense and incredibly generous with their time and effort to help you excel.

If you're ready to change your career in an explosive way, you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not at least consider Startup Institute.

Startup Institute was a great overall experience for me. I came away with tools and resources to gain a better understanding of digital marketing concepts and best practices. But it was really up to me to learn the technical skills that I needed. In order... Read More for the program to be worth it, you have to put in time and effort --- and you also have to believe in the process. The best part of the program is that you come out with a tremendous network of people who want to help you find a job and who will go out of their way to connect you. If you're only thinking of attending for the technical skills, it's probably not the right fit for you. If you're looking for an overall experience to warm you up to the tech/innovation industry and train you in finding a job, this is a great option.

It's not worth it if you are new to the tech/startup world. Unhelpful staff, courses taught by teachers hocking their own courses/products, and you probably won't get your dream job unless your dream is having your time wasted and energy burnt out by... Read More unscrupulous folks. Many of us remain unemployed and underemployed. Talent expo resulted in 0 offers. Please be wary.

After come from another country and have no idea how things work in America, I could learn a lot about soft skills, Job hunting, and how startups work in Boston. Startup Institute also help me to make enough connections to land a Job two weeks after the... Read More course finish. My experience was great and I don't regret anything about going.

Startup Institute isn't a normal program. Some people might carry the expectation of coming out of it being fully versed in a new programming language or a seasoned expert in the latest marketing platform. If that is the case, this really isn't the program... Read More for you.

What Startup Institute offers (really well) is the ability to fully understand what it is like to work in a startup environment and thrive within those unique challenges. They do this by focusing on essential soft skills (that are often neglected) such as the ability to work effectively a multi-disciplinary team, and consistently focus on what's immediately important to move forward in the fast pace of startups.

As mentioned in many reviews, they also provide an amazing group of talented people through their staff, alumni, and partner network that can help you get to where you want to be: a job that you love at a company that you also love. I could not speak more highly of the experience.

The program basically consisted of three elements: classes, company partnerships, and community building. The classes were generally very clear and rather fast-paced. The instructors and as well as StartUp faculty were very attentive to individual concerns... Read More and issues (such as needing more time to develop a certain skill or solve a certain technical problem). That being said, StartUp Institute regarded the course content as only one facet of the whole program: the philosophy was that getting a job requires immersion into the StartUp community as well as building up confidence and competence in interviews. The program for this reason, should not be confused with school. It is not about getting a grade or even mastering every skill. It is way more about increasing the chances of employment. And along with this philosophy was the the prioritization of establishing a community within the class but also amongst previous classes as well as with partnering companies. And there were many structured events for this purpose.

Startup Institute is a great program to get your foot into the Boston Startup scene. If you have been trying to find a job in the Startup scene or progress onto the next phase of your career, this 8 week course is a great tool to enable you to enter the... Read More door. Having said that, it is important that you realize what you are signing up for before you enter the Startup Insitute. In order to be successful, you must be willing and excited to network. Startup Institute is extremely worth it if you put a lot of effort into the class. Each day after school, you have a variety of networking events that you can attend if you like, as well as networking with your classmates. It is important that you attend as many of these as you can in order to get your face recognized in the community. It is also important that you push your fellow classmates to attend with you and advocate for one another.

The teachers are professionals from around the Boston area so if you put in a lot of effort, it is fairly easy to chose your job when you leave the startup institute. If you cannot put in the time, this may not be the program for you. Having said that, if you are able and willing to put in the effort, this program allows you to springboard your career.

I took a gamble, quit a stable job, and enrolled in SI's Summer 2016 Web Dev course. I had no previous programming experience, but I did have a technical background, which I think is worth noting. After 8 weeks in the full-time program, I was hired as... Read More a Front End Developer and I’ve been in that role for the last four months at a company I love.

SI is an excellent networking opportunity, and I say this as someone who thinks networking is generally overrated. The introductions alone were worth the tuition. I learned about companies I had never heard of before, and was introduced to Boston’s startup scene - a sphere in which I had no interest or knowledge about prior to SI.

SI’s curriculum also forces students to think about about their career trajectories. For 8 weeks, you consider where you’re coming from, and where you’re headed. This was a very useful exercise, and one that I feel few people ever consider.

My one critique of the Web Development program is the in-track curriculum, which seemed weaker than core curriculum. I think I was very fortunate to have many friends who program for a living, and those friends coached me every day. If I hadn’t had that external mentorship, I wouldn’t have been hired at the company of my choice. The in-track sessions are very much what you make of them, and nothing else. You have to put in substantial time after you go home for the day. This wasn’t particularly surprising or difficult for me.

I would also like to say that the SI staff is aware of the above critique and they were proactively making adjustments to the track when I left. The staff is perhaps the best part of SI. They work with each individual to make sure that person's needs are being met. When I let the staff know I was having difficulty with the in-track courses, they held after-hours sessions, and assigned me both a student and faculty mentor.

If you’re considering the Web Dev track at SI and you’re a generally technical person who’s willing to work quite hard, I would absolutely recommend the program because it’s cheaper than other bootcamps, and the networking component is simply fantastic.