Authored by SwitchUp Team.
Since 2014, SwitchUp has been helping students find bootcamps in coding, data science, and other skill sets necessary to launch a career in tech.
With more bootcamps available than ever, it is often difficult for students to compare programs and find the bootcamp that best meets their needs. So what makes SwitchUp a trustworthy resource for students as they begin researching bootcamps?
In the last few weeks, we’ve received a lot of questions from bootcamps about our corporate governance structure due to recent industry news on Reuters. Below is an outline of our review policy, any relevant corporate governance issues, and the ethics that drives our business forwards.
Our Founder Attended a Bootcamp
Our founder attended a coding bootcamp in Boston, MA after completing his Master’s degree. Ultimately, this experience led him to create SwitchUp as a way to bring transparency to the coding bootcamp industry.
He left feeling he could have gained more from his bootcamp experience. He noticed a quickly growing industry with little oversight, where it was difficult for students to identify high-quality programs. This industry was becoming saturated, and he wanted to find a way to help students easily access information and advice about tech bootcamps. He launched SwitchUp with a small team, and left the very first code bootcamp review on the site.
Since SwitchUp’s founding, the industry has only grown more quickly. It is imperative now, more than ever, to have a site like SwitchUp available to prospective students, free-of-charge.
Every Review is from a Student or Alumni, and Verified
Our verification process is both simple and effective. We require every student who attends a bootcamp to verify their review either through LinkedIn or email, to confirm the individual’s identity and ensure that they attended the bootcamp. Whether the review is positive or negative, it appears on our site. These honest accounts are what often drives decision-making for future bootcamp attendees and we take that responsibility very seriously.
We Never Edit Reviews
Our reviews are never edited. Because our number one goal is honesty, we feel that editing reviews may mislead prospective students as they are conducting their research.
We want to be sure that all reviews on SwitchUp come directly from the student, and provide helpful, honest information to future students. We ask our reviewers to dig deep and talk about the complete experience, from before they attended the bootcamp right through to the start of their career. Check out our blog to find personal accounts and Q & A’s with alumni from bootcamps all over the world.
Corporate Governance
At SwitchUp, we’re careful to note that our revenue model is based on sponsorships. Such sponsorships help us keep our resources completely free for students, and sponsorship is clearly marked at the bottom of any paid content. Finally, only schools with 4-stars and 10 reviews or more are able to participate in our matching program. In this way, we do our best to ensure only vetted bootcamps are matched.
Regardless, our priority is — and will always be — bootcamp transparency. We do not have any financial stakes in bootcamps and our equity is 100% owned by the SwitchUp team with no outside investors that can cause conflict of interest.
Put simply, we’re accountable only to students and alumni. We pride ourselves on the ability to share program information equally across our platforms. On our ability to keep our focus on the individuals we serve — the students.
We Care About Transparency
At SwitchUp, our mission is simple; We want potential bootcamp attendees, current bootcamp attendees and graduates to have access to everything they need to begin a tech career . Because the bootcamp model now allows you to choose anything from a data science course to cyber security training or web design courses, it is imperative to monitor and demand industry standards.
As tech continues to evolve, we hope to be at the forefront of your search for the best training programs. Get started with bootcamp reviews here, or write a review about your program here.
If you are planning to write a review, please read our complete review guidelines.
We look forward to continuing to help you switch to a new career with confidence and clarity.
