Software Engineering Bootcamp

Pros:
- virtual - it's flexible and won't cost an arm and a leg to complete. The virtual platform also allows you to connect with people all over the country and all over the world and allows you to choose your hours, so you don't have to quit your day job (but you always can if you want to!)
- career services available throughout the course, not just at the end when you've finished everything. There are actionable career- related projects to work on alongside coding projects and homework
- TAs are available online via chat and email, it helps with going through a virtual course so you don't get stuck forever
- I personally really enjoyed the curriculum. The videos explained concepts well and the assignments, while challenging, would implement recently learned concepts. Video lectures are also pretty short and it's nice to be able to watch a concept get broken down into 10 5-minute videos vs. 1-2 20-30-minute videos. I appreciated that a lot of the homework built off of existing infrastructure (e.g. if you're doing a back-end assignment, front-end files would be ready to import). There were plenty of handouts summarizing concepts as well.
- mock interviews are conducted throughout and at the end of the course with other mentors/industry professionals. It's great to get critical feedback from others in the industry.
- job support post-course-completion includes career coach calls to keep you on task and improving.

Cons:
- virtual. No classroom so you better be motivated or find ways to keep going.
- there could be more curriculum coverage on Data Structures & Algorithms, but the curriculum does have a good basic introduction to those. It's something I'll continue to study

I was genuinely pleased with my online experience in Springboard's Software Engineering Career Track. Even though people are potentially working in different time zones, the support is quick and reliable. The curriculum is of high quality and taught by an inspiring instructor who makes difficult concepts easy to understand. The only issue I ran into was communication within project guidelines and "commonly asked questions." By the time I emailed my student advisor to verify my understanding, a month and a half had passed. In other words, if you have questions, ask immediately. I would highly recommend this curriculum to anybody looking for a high quality software engineering bootcamp.