Hi, I’m Patrick, I write about the job search. After graduating from Cornell, I became a content lead at UBS where I helped professionals at Fortune 500 companies understand their stock options, salary, and benefits. When I’m not writing about the hiring process, I write novels for teens. Check out my review of Clarusway.
- What does Clarusway do?
- Who is Clarusway for?
- What does Clarusway cost?
- Ratings and reviews of Clarusway
- Alternatives to Clarusway
- How does Clarusway compare to Pathrise?
What does Clarusway do?
Clarusway is a new online tech bootcamp that teaches people the skills they need to land an entry level job as a web developer, data analyst, or data scientist. All students participate in live lectures, labs, assignments, activities, homework, 1-on-1 mentoring meetings, and life coaching sessions.
Front end web dev
The front-end web dev course meets for 16 weeks and requires 16-20 hours of work each week. Students learn to build and deploy web apps using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React.js, and DOM (Document Object Model). The curriculum even touches on APIs as students learn to work with databases. Throughout the program, students build 10 front-end projects that they can add to their portfolios. An extended 28-week version of the course is also available for students who want to learn IT fundamentals as well as web dev skills.
Full stack web dev
Students in the full stack web development course learn to build web apps from scratch. Classes meet for 24 weeks with about 16-20+ hours of work per week. The curriculum covers the same content as front-end development, but with an added module on back-end development using Django. In addition to the 10 front-end assignments, students also participate in 3 extra hands-on back-end projects and a final capstone project. Students who want to learn IT fundamentals as well can enroll in an extended 36-week version of the course.
Data analytics
Data analytics classes require 16-20 hours weekly for 16 weeks. Students first learn to visualize data with Python and Tableau. The curriculum then covers database design, database modeling, Google spreadsheets, and statistics. Students fill their portfolios and Github accounts with 10 data analytics projects. An extended 28-week version of the course is available for students seeking IT skills as well.
Data science
The full data science course teaches the same skills as the data analytics course, but also covers machine learning to teach students the full skillset they need to land a data science job. Students build 14 projects on deep learning and machine learning, plus a final capstone project for their portfolios. While the standard version runs for 24 weeks, students can choose to enroll in an extended 36-week version of the course to learn IT skills as well. Both courses require about 16-20 hours of work every week.
All students participate in both life coaching and career coaching sessions. Life coaching is designed to improve students’ productivity, confidence, and progress throughout the course. Daily follow-ups and frequent life coaching meetings fill in any gaps in students’ knowledge and keep them on track. Career coaching prepares students for the job search through practical tips and training. Industry experts meet 1-on-1 with students to help them craft compelling resumes, build Linkedin profiles, prepare for interviews, and even negotiate their salaries.
Who is Clarusway for?
People with little to no tech experience who are looking to launch a new career as a web developer, data analyst, or data scientist could benefit from Clarusway. Their weekly 16-20 hour commitment and hands-on curriculum could be especially helpful for students seeking a flexible course that will help them build a strong professional portfolio.
What does Clarusway cost? How much work is involved?
Tuition is about $6,000 per course module. Students can pay in monthly installments or pay upfront for a 30% discount. Past cohorts have had access to an income share agreement (ISA) so they could pay after they landed a tech job. All courses are free to try for 7 days.
The admission process begins with a brief online form. Then, candidates move on to a final assessment of their communication skills. No prior tech experience is required.
Ratings and reviews
Although Clarusway is a new program and does not have too many online reviews, so far the reception has been fairly positive. They hold a perfect 5 star rating on Course Report where grads raved about the experienced staff, hands-on curriculum, and job support. One grad felt the career services “prepared us for the interviews” and liked that when students ask questions they get “answers from mentors as well as the teacher.” Another student described the instructors as “knowledgeable” experts who are “in contact with you 24 hours a day.” The student also appreciated the up-to-date curriculum that featured “the most needed software languages” full of portfolio projects that were a major “advantage” during the job search.
The program also holds a perfect 5 star rating on both Facebook and Google Reviews. Though one student warned Clarusway will “push you hard”, the “dense” challenging curriculum was more of a feature than a flaw for this grad. Other grads like that the course not only taught technical skills, but “also taught me how to be successful within the industry” through 1-on-1 coaching. Portfolio building projects were also a big hit. Overall, most grads were satisfied with Clarusway’s project-based learning and extensive mentoring, though some grads may have preferred a slightly less dense curriculum with a slower pace.
Alternatives to Clarusway
If you decide not to enroll in Clarusway, there are a number of alternative bootcamps and resources to help aspiring web developers, data analysts, and data scientists launch their careers.
- The popular bootcamp General Assembly teaches full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on a variety of tech topics including software engineering and data science. Their program boasts a hands-on curriculum, a job placement rate of 91%, and an income sharing agreement (ISA) so students pay nothing until they land a tech job. Read more about General Assembly in our review.
- Another popular tech bootcamp is Flatiron School. Their software engineering program features a hands-on curriculum, a job placement rate above 86%, and career coaching.
- Women, GNC people, and trans people can check out CodeOp, which has courses in web dev, data, and product management. Or, consider Kal Academy, which works with women and underrepresented groups on software engineering, web dev, and data.
- Similarly, Kenzie Academy is a full-time tech bootcamp with 2 tracks: full-stack software engineering & UX design and front-end engineering. They offer an income share agreement (ISA) so students don’t pay until they land a job. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our review.
- People seeking a remote bootcamp with ISA options can also look into BrainStation. They offer courses in full-stack web development, data analytics, data science, and many other tech topics. They help connect grads with top hiring partners like Facebook, Google, and more.
- The self-paced tech bootcamp Springboard offers courses in software engineering, data analytics, and data science. Their career tracks feature a 6-month job guarantee. Learn more about Springboard in our review.
- Aspiring data scientists can check out Metis. They offer both introductory and more advanced data science courses with onsite & remote bootcamp options. Read more about Metis in our review.
More alternatives
- Another data science bootcamp is Divergence Academy. Their program runs full-time and part-time courses with opportunities for 1-on-1 mentoring.
- Similarly, DataCamp hosts 300+ courses on data science subjects that last about 4 hours each.
- In the same vein, FourthBrain has part-time, online machine learning courses.
- Aspiring web developers can check out CodeX Academy. This self-paced course includes project-based learning with 1-on-1 mentorship opportunities are available. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our program review.
- People seeking an affordable self-paced course with extensive mentoring can also look into Udacity. While they offer many courses for free, their paid “nanodegree” programs are more intense and include lots of support. Nanodegree students meet 1-on-1 with both a technical mentor and a career coach. Learn more about Udacity in our review.
- Students on a budget can also look into Udemy. Their platform hosts thousands of self-paced video courses on web development, data science, and many other tech subjects.
- Similarly, you can consider GW Bootcamps and UC Davis Bootcamps, which have courses in web dev, data science, marketing, and design. DevPoint Labs, Boise CodeWorks, and Rutgers Bootcamps also have web dev courses.
- The Menon Labs fellowship helps people learn the skills to become web developers, data scientists, and product managers.
- Another popular but affordable online platform is Codecademy. They offer full-length coding courses for free on web development, dozens of programming languages, and data science. Students can upgrade to $20-40 monthly memberships for more course options and support. Read more about Codeacademy in our review.
- Students looking for low-cost university courses can check into edX. This online platform hosts thousands of self-paced university courses from top schools like Harvard and MIT, and top tech companies like Microsoft. Find out if edX matches your career goals in our review.
How does Clarusway compare to Pathrise?
Clarusway is a bootcamp for people interested in starting a new career as a web developer, data analyst, or data scientist. Most students start the bootcamp with no technical experience. Pathrise job-seekers should already have a background in their chosen field so they can get the most out of our technical curriculum.
Our mentors help fellows with all phases of the job search including resume & portfolio optimization, reverse recruiting and cold emailing, behavioral and technical interview preparation, salary negotiation, and more.
While Clarusway is a part-time bootcamp, courses still require 16-20+ hours of work per week with assignments and exercises outside of class. The Pathrise program is flexible and customizable. Fellows in our program only have 2-4 hours of group sessions per week and 1-on-1 sessions that they schedule as needed. The Pathrise income share agreement (ISA) means that fellows don’t pay anything until they land a job they love and start working. We never require any upfront payments or deposits.
Pathrise optimizes the job search through 1-on-1 mentorship and personalized training. Fellows in our program see their interview scores double and their application responses triple. If you are interested in working with any of our mentors to land your dream job, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
