Design Thinking

I came to the Web Development program at BrainStation from a design background. I had some experience with HTML and CSS, but no broader or deeper understandings of web technologies. The pace of the program is fast, and there were moments of feeling like I wouldn't be able to keep up. However, whenever I would stop to reflect on where I was the week before, I was consistently amazed at how much ground I had covered in such a short amount of time.

There are so many technologies and ideologies out there. It would be impossible for programs like those delivered at BrainStation to cover it all. The beauty of BrainStation is that it reveals to you just how much you can do. After completing the program, I now have the confidence to know that if I need to learn a new web technology quickly, I absolutely can.

Pros

Community mindset, confidence in independent learning, rich resources

Cons

There will be more than a few late nights / early mornings depending on your sleep schedule.

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. 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.