Hi, I’m Polina! Formerly, I worked as a senior digital marketing manager and now I am the marketing mentor at Pathrise. I help job-seekers prepare for their future in digital marketing. Check out my review of UCF Bootcamp.
- What does UCF Bootcamp do?
- Who is UCF Bootcamp for?
- What does UCF Bootcamp cost?
- Ratings and reviews of UCF Bootcamp
- Alternatives to UCF Bootcamp
- How does UCF Bootcamp compare to Pathrise?
What does UCF Bootcamp do?
UCF Bootcamp is a program that teaches people the skills they need to launch a career as a UX/UI designer, data analyst, or digital marketer. Students can choose between part-time and full-time options in Orlando, Florida. No prior coding experience is necessary. But, all students complete pre-work before beginning the course. In response to Covid-19, all courses are now offered virtually for students to learn live from anywhere.
Web dev
The 12-week full-time web development course meets Monday-Friday from 10am to 2:30pm EST, with homework outside of class. Alternatively, the part-time web dev program lasts 24 weeks. They meet two weekdays per week from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and Saturdays from 9am to 12:30pm. For both, the curriculum includes live lectures, hands-on workshops, and projects. Students learn to build full stack web apps using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Node.js, and React.Js. The curriculum also includes responsive design, Heroku, Git, MySQL, MongoDB, and more.
Digital marketing
The part-time 18-week digital marketing course teaches students the skills they need to become a digital marketer. The bootcamp meets two weekdays per week from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 12:30pm. Students participate in live lectures, hands-on projects, networking events, and workshops. The curriculum teaches fundamental digital marketing concepts including brand strategy, SEO, campaign development, paid search, audience building, and more. In addition, students learn to work with in-demand marketing tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, MailChimp, HTML, CSS, and various CRMs. They graduate with a polished digital marketing portfolio that can be used as part of their job search.
UX/UI design
Students in the 24-week part-time UX/UI design course meet two weekdays per week from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 12:30pm. The course teaches students key design principles, HTML/CSS, Adobe, Sketch, JavaScript, Bootstrap, Git, and more. Plus, students prototype their own design projects with polished user interfaces, interactions, and user experiences. Finally, the program culminates in a final group project students can add to their portfolios to help them land a job as a UX/UI designer.
Data science
The part-time data science course lasts 24 weeks and teaches students all the skills they need to land a job as a data analyst. The course meets two weekdays per week from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 12:30pm. Students learn to visualize and analyze data using Python, Excel, JavaScript, SQL databases, Tableau, and more. They also participate in live lectures, 1-on-1 mentoring sessions, workshops, and more. The curriculum includes projects students can add to their portfolios, working with real-world datasets in finance, human resources, healthcare, and government
All UCF courses include career services. Students participate in portfolio reviews, resume workshops, networking events, mock interviews, and more. The program also includes 1-on-1 coaching with an expert in their field.
Who is UCF Bootcamp for?
People with little to no experience in web development, UX/UI design, digital marketing, or data analytics who are looking to move into these careers could benefit from the program. The UCF bootcamps are especially helpful for people based in Orlando.
What does UCF Bootcamp cost? How much work is involved?
Tuition for the full-time web development course is $11,995. The part-time data science, UX/UI design, and digital marketing courses all cost $10,995. Students who register early or pay upfront receive a discount. Monthly interest-free payment plans are also available. UCF alumni are eligible for a $500 scholarship.
The admissions process begins with a brief written application or a call to the admissions office. Next, candidates are invited to a behavioral interview over the phone. Select candidates are then given a critical thinking and problem-solving assessment. There is no coding challenge or technical interview.
Ratings and reviews
UCF Bootcamps have received mostly positive reviews. The program is rated 4.62/5 stars on Course Report and holds a perfect 5 star rating on SwitchUp. Graduates praise the program for its positive environment and hands-on approach to learning, but some have mixed feelings about the job placement and fast pace.
The top reviewer on Course Report appreciated the in-demand curriculum and passionate atmosphere. They described the course as “the best school experience that I have ever had.” The reviewer also felt well supported by the instructors and coaches, saying “any time that you have a question, you can ask it.” However, another top reviewer warned that “they’ll give you exercises and expect you to learn in 5 minutes before they continue along.” He described the fast pace as a “disaster if you have no previous coding experience.” Another grad valued the support, raving “teaching assistants were helpful, and always looking to assist you.” The grad was less impressed with the career services, only rating job assistance 2/5 stars.
The bootcamp holds a perfect 5/5 star review on Career Karma. One student valued the practical curriculum and the “lasting relationships with classmates and instructors” they took away from the course. The student praised the small classes and support, satisfied that “we always had at least three sometimes four instructors.” Another grad was glad the course was project based and included “plenty of experience working with others,” but felt that “the pace is fast.”
A student on SwitchUp described the course as “challenging, but doable.” She was glad that the staff “was very supportive” and that they “give you the tools you need to not just land a job, but to start a new career.”
Alternatives to UCF Bootcamp
If you decide not to enroll in a UCF bootcamp, there are a number of alternative bootcamps and resources that can help you start a career as a data analyst, web developer, digital marketer, or UX/UI designer.
- The full-time tech bootcamp Kenzie Academy offers in-person and online courses in 2 tracks: software engineering & UX design with front-end engineering. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our review.
- The well-known bootcamp General Assembly teaches full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on a variety of topics like UX/UI design, data science, software engineering, digital marketing, product management, and more. Read more about General Assembly in our review.
- Aspiring web developers can also consider CodeX Academy, a self-paced coding bootcamp with 1-on-1 mentorship. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our review.
- Flatiron School teaches courses on data analysis, data science, cybersecurity, and software engineering. Students can choose part-time or full-time options, on-campus or online.
- Aspiring designers can check out Designlab, a tech bootcamp that teaches students all the skills needed to launch a career as a UX designer. Read more about Designlab in our review.
- Students interested in taking online self-guided or instructor-led product design courses can check out DesignerUp. Learn more about DesignerUp in our review.
- Or, they can consider Bloc, Ironhack, Design Sprint School, and Big Nerd Ranch. They all cover web dev and design.
- Aspiring data analysts can look into Data Science Dream Job, a self-paced data science program to help aspiring data analysts land a job. Or, consider Divergence Academy, 365 Data Science, and K2 Data Science, which have part-time and full-time courses.
- Similarly, Metis is a bootcamp with introductory data analytics courses. They also feature a project-based curriculum with both on-campus and remote options. Learn more about Metis in our review.
More alternatives
- Aspiring digital marketers and designers can check out GrowthX Academy, a tech bootcamp with courses in growth marketing, UX design, and sales.
- UNC-Chapel Hill, Rice University Bootcamps, UC Berkeley Bootcamp, University of Denver Bootcamps, Georgia Tech Bootcamp, UC San Diego Bootcamps, and UC Irvine Bootcamps also offer tech bootcamps managed by the same parent company as UCF.
- You can also check out Palm Beach Code School, GW Bootcamps, UC Davis Bootcamps, or allWomen Academy, which have courses in web dev and marketing.
- The tech bootcamps Lambda School, Rithm School, Clarusway, and Thinkful offer courses in web dev and data science. Students can pay using an income share agreement (ISA).
- The popular bootcamps BrainStation and Tech Talent South offer programs in UX/UI design, data science, digital marketing, product management, and more.
- Similarly, NJIT Digital Skills Bootcamp, Pluralsight, Bootcamp Digital, Digital Creative Institute, SDSU Bootcamp, Somerville Academy, DeltaV Code School, Pepperdine Graziadio Bootcamps, and InternStreet offer tracks in digital marketing.
- edX is one of the most popular online learning platforms. They have courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT as well as big tech companies like Microsoft. Learn more about edX in our review.
- For students seeking lower-cost web development and UX/UI courses, Simplilearn, UX Design Institute, UX Pro Academy, Memorisely, and Learn UX could be good options.
- Students on a budget may also consider Udemy, which has thousands of affordable self-paced video courses on web dev, data science, and more.
- Similarly, Codecademy is one of the most popular coding programs online. Learn more about Codecademy in our review.
- Finally, the online educational resources Udacity and Springboard offer courses in web dev, UX design, data analytics, digital marketing and many other technical subjects. Learn more about Udacity and Springboard in our reviews.
How does UCF compare to Pathrise?
UCF Bootcamp offers courses for people interested in starting a career as a web developer, UX/UI designer, digital marketer, or data analyst. While an interest in tech is recommended, most UCF Bootcamp students start with no experience. Job-seekers in the Pathrise program should already have a background in their field to get the most out of the technical interview training.
Pathrise is a full service organization that helps people land their dream job in tech. Our mentors have experience on both sides of the hiring table and work with fellows on each step of their job search. Fellows in our program get 1-on-1 help with resume & portfolio building, behavioral interview preparation, cold emailing & reverse recruiting strategies, salary negotiation, and more. The curriculum is tailored to each fellow’s needs.
Our flexible program features 2-4 hours of sessions per week and 1-on-1 sessions that can be scheduled as needed. The Pathrise income share agreement (ISA) means that our fellows never pay until they land a job they love and start working. Plus, we never require upfront payments or deposits. Fellows in our program see their interview scores double and their application responses triple.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that optimizes the job search through 1-on-1 mentorship and personalized training. If you are interested in working with any of our mentors to land your dream job, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
