User Experience Design

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 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 (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.