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A review of Colaberry as a data science bootcamp

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 Colaberry.  

What does Colaberry do?

Colaberry is a bootcamp that helps people learn the skills they need to land a job as a data scientist or data analyst. They offer part-time courses taught entirely online.

The part-time data analytics course can be completed in 6-12 weeks. Classes meet on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. Students also have about 15-20 hours of work outside of class every week spent on lab assignments, projects, and self-studying. The curriculum covers SQL server development tools, SSRS architecture, and SSIS. Students build data visualization and analytics projects that they can add to their portfolios to help them impress employers and land entry level data science jobs.

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The 8-week data science course is part-time with both remote and on-campus options. Classes meet on Wednesdays from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and on Saturdays from 2:30pm to 5pm. Students are also required to put in over 15 hours of work outside of class every week. The curriculum features a mix of instructor-led lessons and project based learning, plus 1-on-1 mentoring. Students learn Python, machine learning, advanced statistics, and other key data science skills.

Both courses include job support. Students get help preparing for interviews and learn job search skills throughout the program. Experienced mentors meet 1-on-1 with students to create personalized career roadmaps and answer questions. Select students are invited to join Colaberry’s internship program, where they get first hand experience working on end-to-end projects, building a stronger resume along the way. After finishing a Colaberry course, grads also get job support for 1 year.

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Who is Colaberry for?

People with little to no experience in data science or data analytics who are looking to move into these careers could benefit from Colaberry’s courses. The program is especially helpful for people seeking a hands-on

program with mentoring opportunities. 

What does Colaberry cost? How much work is involved?

Tuition for the full data science course or the data analytics course with job support is $12,000. Students can pay $4,000 for the data science course without job support or $1,500 for each module separately. The data analytics program costs $1,999 without job support.

Deferred payment plans are available, allowing students to pay $250 per month while enrolled. After graduating and landing a job, students pay 15% of their salary every month until they pay off the full tuition. Scholarships and discounts for military veterans are also available. Students can get a full refund if they cancel within the first 15 days.

Unlike many other bootcamps, Colaberry has no formal admissions process. However, students should have a high school diploma or GED.

Ratings and reviews

Colaberry has mostly positive reviews. They hold a 4.74/5 star rating on Course Report and they were listed among the top 5 data science bootcamps. The top review described the bootcamp as “intensive but rewarding.” Another grad appreciated the “knowledgeable instructors” and the “vast resources to help you succeed”, but still felt the course could be “rigorous.” One student also felt the bootcamp had “great instructors” with a practical curriculum, but warned that the course could be “fast paced.”

The bootcamp holds a perfect 5 star rating on Facebook where grads praise the comprehensive curriculum and supportive staff. One grad raved that “the teachers are very knowledgeable” and liked that the curriculum was so “practical.” Another student appreciated that “support teams are always ready and willing to help students” and felt the course was “well organized.” The data science program is rated 4.8/5 stars on Google, where one grad described the curriculum as “well structured” but “challenging.” The grad also valued the support, impressed that “mentors are very knowledgeable and willing to go above and beyond to help.” Overall, reviewers were very satisfied with the course’s support and the data skills they gained, though some felt it could be intense at times.

Alternatives to Colaberry

If you decide not to enroll in a Colaberry course, there are many alternative bootcamps and resources that can help you land a job as a data analyst or data scientist. 

  • The popular bootcamp General Assembly has full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on data science and other tech subjects. Their program includes job support and they havea network of over 19,000 hiring partners. Read more about General Assembly in our review.
  • Another well-known tech bootcamp, Thinkful teaches courses in data science, as well as software engineering and UX/UI design.
  • The online learning program Data Science Dream Job offers self-paced data science courses. Like Colaberry, their program includes portfolio building, 1-on-1 mentoring, and career assistance. 
  • Aspiring data scientists can also look into Divergence Academy, a data science program offering full-time and part-time courses in data science subjects. Like Colaberry, Divergence Academy features hands-on learning with 1-on-1 mentoring.
  • The data science resource DataCamp offers over 300 courses on data science subjects. Courses last about 4 hours. DataCamp also has an active community forum similar to Colaberry’s community Slack.
  • Metis has introductory data science courses with both onsite & remote bootcamp options. Learn more about Metis in our review.
  • For those looking for a data science community focused on project-learning learning, Kaggle can be a good choice. They host 19,000 public datasets and 200,000 public notebooks for people who are looking to get started or join a data science project to build up their skills and their portfolios.
  • The bootcamp BrainStation offers programs in data science with a focus on project learning. Students also work 1-on-1 with an experienced mentor throughout the course.
  • Similarly, Codecademy offers free self-paced courses on data science and dozens of programming languages. They also have membership options ranging from $20 to $40 per month for greater course options and expanded support.
  • Another educational resource, Springboard has tracks in data science and data analytics. If students don’t land a job within 6 months of graduating, they get a full refund. Learn more about Springboard in our review.
  • edX is another popular online learning platform with university courses on data science. They host self-paced courses from top schools like Harvard and MIT, and tech companies like Microsoft. Students can choose to learn the fundamentals or focus on specific topics, like front-end web development or data analytics. Learn more about edX in our review.
  • Students interested in self-paced learning can also check out Udacity, a resource with tracks in data science. Students build polished portfolio projects and work closely with both technical and career mentors. Learn more about Udacity in our review.

How does Colaberry compare to Pathrise?

Colaberry teaches people the skills they need to land a data science or data analytics job. While an interest in data and math is suggested, most students start without any experience. Pathrise fellows should already have some background in their chosen field to get the most out of our technical curriculum. 

While Colaberry offers some job search assistance, their course focuses on preparing students for the job search. Alternatively,  Pathrise assists people with all phases of the job search including resume and portfolio optimization, cold emailing and reverse recruiting, technical and behavioral interviewing, and negotiation so that they can be the best possible candidate and land a great job.

Our experienced mentors have helped 1,000+ students and professionals land great tech jobs. The curriculum is tailored to each individual fellow. The Pathrise income share agreement is only 9% of the first year salary so grads don’t pay until they land a great tech job. We never require deposits or upfront payments.

Pathrise is a career accelerator that 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, landing a job in just 3-5 months on average. If you are interested in working with one of our mentors to land your dream job, join Pathrise.

Apply today.

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Patrick Bohan

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.

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