ENTITY Academy

I found Entity Academy through an ad on social media that caught my eye with its mission to create and develop a space for women in a male-dominated field. As a young mother who is trying to figure out what I want to do and accomplish in life, I took the opportunity to enroll and learn as much as I can to help me get started in this career field. Right from the enrollment, I was encouraged and reminded that I can do this and that they were here to help me get to where I wanted to be. They worked with me to make sure I had all I needed by giving recommendations on supplies and working with me to find the best payment plan that wouldn't put me in a vulnerable position. In addition to the learning curriculum, they consistently hold fireside chats with some remarkable people in the industry to help students hear more about the field and make connections with potential networks. There are also coaching sessions that focus on one's professional and personal growth that gives space to learn and connect with other students going through the program. Learning the hard skills on WozU is all self-paced which I definitely struggled with at first and still do to a degree but with the assistance of a mentor at Entity Academy, she helped me manage my time better and gave suggestions and tips to use. I've been able to work on that skill and utilize it in both school and life. There's plenty more work to do but for now, I feel very grateful to have the support and assistance of my mentors. 

If "non-traditional student" could be defined, you'd see my picture right next to it. I started a computer science curriculum over 24 years ago, and didn't finish after entrepreneurial endeavors, pregnancy, another career and life, got in the way. Fast forward to today, I'm a month into ENTITY's eight-month Data Science curriculum. I've included the six most important points why I chose ENTITY:

1 / Woman-centric environment
2 / Affordability
3 / Payment options
4 / Return on investment
5 / Accountability
6 / Receptive to feedback

1 / I really am enjoying being in a learning environment that is woman-centric. I'm sure there's no shortage of these types of programs online these days, but seeing myself reflected in the women who work with ENTITY is powerful, period. I think I'm more in tune to ask for help when I need it. I have peers who are in similar boats with the demands of relationships, family life, kids, parents, pets, etc., and it makes a huge difference in those moments where I start to feel sorry for myself and like I can't do it. You look around you in the curriculum and know you're not alone.

2 / You may be reading this long after I write it, but the cost for the eight months at $15K is a steal. The sheer idea that I am paying $15K over eight months to begin a career with a salary that is eye-to-eye with others paying for a bachelor's over 4 years is a no-brainer to me, especially when I share with you that I paid more than that for my college freshman to attend a private university, in one semester. The only other cost consideration is internet with reliable bandwidth and the proper hardware (PC or Mac) that will run the software you need to participate and the cost of whatever study materials you prefer to use.

3 / ENTITY offered a myriad of payment options, which for me was critical to whether I'd be able to participate at all. One of the really creative options they offer is an income share agreement that is outcome-based. In simple terms: they front the cost of the curriculum and you agree to repay as a fixed percentage of your monthly income after their program ends, but only if you are making a minimum of $45K (again, this may change depending on when you read this). If you're interested in data science as a career, you know that the $45K is easily surpassed.

4 / That brings me to the ROI. Again, a quick search for even entry-level roles in data science reveal that there are not only myriad opportunities, but salaries that hover around the $60 - 65K mark, with impressive room for growth in salary.

5 / The accountability that ENTITY offers is second to none, literally. My college experience from years ago pales in comparison to the mentorship, check-ins, one-on-one meetings, soft skill group coaching sessions, and access to a Slack channel for immediate curriculum questions. Knowing that Google, et al., offers free options for learning a similar curriculum is not enough for me; I need to know that I can turn to a reliable source to stay on track and in progress to complete the goal in a fixed amount of time.

6 / A few days ago, I brought a matter to the attention of one of the heads of ENTITY. No complaint, just feedback on how something could be improved. First, in comparison, I don't imagine being able to reach out to the head of a brick and mortar university and actually receive a response. But in less than 24 hours I received an email from her personally, and detail on what she saw could be done to improve the experience not only for me, but for other students. There's nothing worse than signaling when you're told your opinion matters; my experience in having my voice heard is exactly what they represented it to be and I'm grateful for it.

Given the opportunity to make the decision again, I would choose ENTITY and, I'm currently trying to get a best friend onboard to start; that is with no additional incentives, money or otherwise, to do so.

I was able to take part in Entity Academy’s Writer’s Collective back in 2019. Not only was I lucky enough to travel from the UK to LA to participate, but the skills that I learnt over those four weeks were incremental when it came to me achieving my dream graduate role. 

The most important thing that Entity gifted me was a new found confidence, something I’ve continually fallen back on over these past three years. The Writer’s Collective meant I was surrounded by incredibly talented students, so to be able to hold my own and feel confident in such an environment is a testament to just how empowering the course was. Before attending back in 2019, I was in an emotionally abusive relationship, one that made my world much smaller. It was the confidence that I gained from Entity Academy that gave me the motivation to go home and take control, and inevitably, end that relationship. 

To list each skill that I learnt from the Writer’s Collective would take me too long, however, the experience was so unique because it enabled me to develop and hone in on skills I already possessed, improving my writing by tenfold. In addition to this, it was such a great environment to prepare us for entering a really saturated and competitive job market. Since leaving Entity Academy, I’ve secured my dream role at a two-person national charity, and I wholeheartedly believe that it was the Collective that enabled me to do well in this role, and prove to my employer that I was able to take on such an overwhelming responsibility. 

For anyone contemplating whether to take part in Entity Academy, I would really recommend it. Not only are you learning so many new skills and meeting such inspirational and successful mentors, but you’re challenging yourself to be the best that you can be. Even upon leaving Entity nearly three years ago, the ongoing support that Jennifer and her teams provide is incredible - they truly value each mentee that comes through their door and this has definitely played its part in both my personal and professional growth. 

I had looked at several different bootcamps before starting with Entity and I'm so glad I chose this program to help me get into a different career path. I have never felt more supported in any type of schooling. Between the mentors, instructors and other students every question I could possibly ask gets answered in a timely manner. Beyond the hard skills that are taught (R, Python, SQL & noSQL are what I've learned thus far) they also provide support for soft skills as well. Resume building, time management skills and the option to have zoom calls with staff to help with any type of problem you may be facing personally is a huge bonus. From the very beginning they have helped me make sure I knew exactly what I would need to do to be successful in this program, they lay everything out for you, which I personally love! I am forever grateful that I found Entity. 

ENTITY Academy has exceeded my expectations in every way! I am currently an elementary teacher and had been looking for a new challenge. Although there are many programs available, ENTITY immediately stood out to me as they promote getting more women into a field that is heavily male dominated. From the very beginning I have felt empowered that someone like me can do something like this too. I can be a data scientist! I have participated in online school before but I have never felt so supported as I moved through my courses. We have access to extra content and videos on a Google classroom platform, a 1-on-1 mentor that is very hands-on and involved, many other mentors and course instructors who are ready and willing to help even during late hours in the evening, and a life skills coach to support in a whole different capacity. My own personal mentors Melissa G. and Marcy M. have been nothing short of encouraging, uplifting, helpful and amazing. I am constantly building a portfolio that I know will stand out as an interviewee with skills such as data wrangling, data analysis, and visualization to name a few. I am becoming equipped in programs such as R, Python, SQL, NoSQL, VS Code, and more with extensive knowledge, hands-on activities, and projects. All the while, I get to be a part of fireside chats that host successful men and women already in the data science field, with the opportunity to connect with them afterwards. I cannot wait to see what else my ENTITY journey has in store, and I am even more excited to see what is to come once my schooling concludes. I know the upcoming job skills training, resume training, interview training and more will make me more than ready to land my dream job! I highly recommend this program to anyone interested. Thank you ENTITY!

After doing a lot of research about coding bootcamps, I decided to go with ENTITY. I'm so glad that I did. The bootcamp is fast paced and full of information and job skills to help you get a job in this industry. There are also mentors and instructors looking out for you, that help push you and help you with anything you need as you progress through the program. I honestly hadn't thought I would be able to become a data scientist, but I'm confident in my ability to become one now. What I like about this program is how thorough the coursework is and how many different avenues to learning you're given. There are a multitude of different links available for extra learning as well as videos to help you along with your hands on material. Mentors are available to guide you through a lesson or module and are very flexible with their hours to help suit your schedule. 

The onboarding process was easy and fairly quick. Each person involved explained everything to me with precise language and encouraged me to reach out if I needed them for anything. If I had to recommend any bootcamp to a woman and person of color, it would definitely be ENTITY.

I am so happy I did this program.  The last time I was in school was back in 2005.  I have been working at a school as a Teacher Aide for the  past few years. At first I was nervous about doing this program.  The process was very easy and the tuition options were accommodating.  During my 33 weeks of training I met with Mentors.  Nolan Hardeman was my initial mentor and he was great.  He help me set up my computer step by step; he also encouraged me during my lessons. Nolan was very knowledgeable and explained terms and codes that I could not understand.  Outside of Nolan I  had help from the Woz-U community. Melissa was my second mentor. Slack was a great place to find help during my lessons and it was the main frame to use when students of Entity needed help.  I used Slack a lot and any mentors that were available helped.  I would do most of my classes after work, so mainly in the evening and there was always someone on to help, if not the next morning.  I loved that the lessons had mini quizzes and Hands-On lessons to get a real feel of what the lesson was teaching. 
During my 33 weeks of training I came to learn to use Python, R-Studio, Machine Learning, SQL, No SQL, and Tableau.  They gave step by step instructions to download Mongo, Jupyter Notebook, AWS, R, Github and Julia.  I came to use Git Hub and I love it!  I now have a new love for coding.  I enjoyed my time as a student and came to really have fun making new algorithms and making predictions. 
When working on my final project I decided to do a group project. Having Matt Geradino and Joeseph Raetano as an Instructor was also exciting.  Both gave great feedback and enjoyed the presentation. I found great women to partner with.  We became very good friends and worked in harmony.  This was the first time using my knowledge of what I learned on my own.  I had confident on my understanding of everything I had done in my training.
Working with the career coach Mark Gasche has been a pleasure. He has given me very good pointers and such an encouraging person.  Working on my resume, cover letter and interviewing now.  I am in the process of applying for jobs and am very confident on my decision on moving on to Data Science.