Hi, I’m Brian, a former senior software engineer and now industry mentor at Pathrise. I have worked with hundreds of web developers and software engineers to help them land their dream jobs in tech. Check out my review of UNH Bootcamps.
- What does UNH Bootcamps do?
- Who is UNH Bootcamps for?
- What does UNH Bootcamps cost? How much work is involved?
- Ratings and reviews
- Alternatives to UNH Bootcamps
- How does UNH Bootcamps compare to Pathrise?
What does UNH Bootcamps do?
UNH Bootcamps teaches people the core coding skills they need to launch a new career as a web developer. The program is part-time and completely remote. Instructor-to-student ratios are kept low for maximum personalized support. Before starting the bootcamp, students must complete self-paced pre-work that covers basic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Students also familiarize themselves with the developer environment before starting the course.
The flagship 24-week coding bootcamp meets 2 weekdays per week from 6:30pm to 9:30pm EST and on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm EST. Students participate in live lectures, group exercises, hands-on projects, lab work, instructor-led discussions, and assignments based on real on-the-job challenges.
The coding curriculum teaches students the skills they need to build full stack web apps. First, students learn to build responsive web pages using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and APIs. The next phase of the curriculum covers the back-end tech necessary to build web apps such as Node.js as well as data querying from MySQL databases, complex services, and databases. The final weeks of the course focus on mastering advanced skills as students build polished portfolio projects. Students work with React, master NoSQL databases like MongoDB, convert apps into progressive web applications (PWAs), and learn data structures, algorithms, and JavaScript.
Career services ramp up in the final weeks of the course. Career coaches work 1-on-1 with students on their resumes, GitHub profiles, LinkedIn accounts, and portfolios. In addition to job search workshops and materials, students participate in mock interviews before graduating.
Students leave the program with a formal certificate and a polished portfolio of projects to show employers. Grads also get access to an optional continuation course that covers more advanced Python, Java, C#, and Amazon Web Services. The continuation course is designed to help grads sharpen their skills and further build their portfolio while searching for a job.
Who is UNH Bootcamps for?
People with no experience in web development who are looking to land a job as a developer could benefit from UNH’s bootcamps. Students seeking a hands-on program that covers core web dev skills could also benefit from the program. The career services, certificate, and continuation course could also be a good match for students seeking a program with lots of job support.
What does UNH Bootcamps cost? How much work is involved?
Tuition for the flagship bootcamp is $10,495. A $500 discount is available for UNH alumni and students who enroll early. Students can also pay with Skills Fund loans, though rates and repayment plans depend on the applicant’s credit.
The admissions process begins with a brief online form or call to the admissions office. Applicants move on to a behavioral interview over the phone. Successful candidates take a final 30-minute critical thinking and problem-solving assessment. No prior experience is required, though students must complete coding pre-work before starting the course.
Ratings and reviews
UNH Bootcamps has received mixed to positive reviews. They hold a 4.95 star rating on Course Report, where grads were impressed with the hands-on curriculum that covered the core skills needed to become a junior developer. One grad loved that his instructor “did a great job explaining complex concepts in simple terms”. The student was also impressed by the practical learning experience that incorporated “real world advice” and “helped us experience what the industry is like.” Another grad was impressed by the staff, describing them as “extremely helpful, encouraging and supportive every step along the way.” While she warned the course could feel “fast paced” at times, the personalized support and practical focus made the workload more manageable.
Career Karma’s blog rated the course 8/10, impressed by the “excellent instructors” and the “high-quality curriculum.” However, they only rated career services a 7/10 and warned about “sub-par job services.” On the whole though, they thought the course was effective at preparing students for entry level web dev jobs.
However, grads on Reddit were more critical. One student warned that “my entire class is struggling” and that the cohort “didn’t learn enough to do the homework but they just ignored us.” This student felt the course moved too fast and required too much work to be called part-time. Another student on Reddit was not impressed by the bootcamp’s parent company, Trilogy, commenting “no one has had anything positive to say about Career Services.” Overall, grads were satisfied by the hands-on projects and focus on core skills, but some would have liked greater job support with a slightly more relaxed pace that gave students more time to master the difficult tech topics.
Alternatives to UNH Bootcamps
If you decide not to enroll in UNH Bootcamps, there are a number of alternative bootcamps and courses for aspiring web developers.
- The university bootcamps UC Berkeley Bootcamps, Northwestern Bootcamps, KU Bootcamps, Rice University Bootcamps, and University of Denver Bootcamps are also run by Trilogy, UNH Bootcamps’ parent company. These bootcamps teach web dev with a similar level of personalized support and career services.
- People interested in university courses can look into edX. Their online platform hosts thousands of self-paced university courses from top schools like Harvard and MIT, and even big tech companies like Microsoft. Students can choose to learn the fundamentals or take a deep dive into specific topics, like web development. Learn more about edX in our review.
- Similarly, Coursera is an online learning platform that hosts thousands of videos in a wide range of tech subjects, including web dev. Like UNH Bootcamps, many of their courses come with university branded certificates.
- The popular tech bootcamp General Assembly has full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on web development and many other tech topics. They offer a hands-on curriculum, 19,000+ hiring partners, and a 91.4% job placement. Find out if General Assembly is right for your career goals in our review.
- Aspiring web developers can also check out Bloc. Students in their program meet with mentors every week as they build projects they can add to their portfolios.
- Another popular tech bootcamp is BrainStation. They teach courses in web development with project-based learning and lots of 1-on-1 support. Their hiring partners include Facebook, Google, and more.
- CodeX Academy is a self-paced coding bootcamp with tracks in web development. Students also get mentorship and portfolio building opportunities. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our review.
- Students on a budget can check out Udemy. Their online platform hosts thousands of self-paced video courses on web dev and almost every other tech subject imaginable. Classes only cost about $10 each and come with lifetime access to the material.
- One of the most popular coding platforms on the Internet, Codecademy has free courses on web development. They also offer membership options from $20 to $40 per month for greater course options and support. Read more about Codecademy in our review.
- Students who want to build web apps without learning to code can check out Bubble no-code bootcamps. Learn more about how Bubble can launch tech careers without coding in our review.
- Students seeking a self-paced program with mentoring can look into Udacity. They offer both free and paid courses on topics like web development. Students in their nanodegree programs work 1-on-1 with both a technical mentor and a career coach as they build portfolio projects. Read more about Udacity in our review.
How does UNH Bootcamps compare to Pathrise?
UNH Bootcamps help people launch new careers as web developers. The program is designed for complete beginners, with mandatory pre-work to get students up to speed. Pathrise job-seekers should already have some background in their chosen field so they can get the most out of our technical curriculum.
Pathrise optimizes the job search through 1-on-1 mentorship and personalized training. Our experienced mentors help with every phase of the job search including resume and portfolio optimization, cold emailing and reverse recruiting, salary negotiation, and technical and behavioral interviewing.
Although UNH’s bootcamp is part-time, students may still be required to work hard outside of class on homework, projects, and even self-studying due to the fairly intense pace. Our program is flexible, with just 2-4 hours of group sessions per week and 1-on-1s that can be scheduled as needed. All our sessions are live and recorded so fellows can review them at their own pace. We offer a 9% income share agreement (ISA) so fellows pay nothing until they land a tech job.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that has already helped 1,000+ students and professionals land great jobs in tech. Fellows in our program have seen their interview scores double and their application responses triple, usually landing a job in just 3-5 months. If you are interested in working with one of our mentors to land your dream job faster, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
