After 16 weeks as a learner, here’s my final review of the #Merit America program. I was looking for something like this when I first considered applying last winter, so I thought I’d fill the gap. After completing the Data Analytics program, these are the pros and cons, as I see them:
PROS
No costs up front as you learn. Tuition ($5700) is paid back after landing a new job which pays $40,000 or more. This is about half the cost of a typical tech bootcamp
Uses a widely recognized certification program through Grow with Google
Fast - my program took 16 weeks from complete novice to career-ready
Flexible schedule - most of us worked full-time during the course
Personal coaching - we had a career coach, tech trainer and now a dedicated job success coach who will be with us as we job search. She’ll help us curate our applications, prepare for interviews, negotiate offers and ultimately land that first job
Squad of peers for support, going through it with you and keeping you motivated
Functions like a roadmap for how to break into tech
Provides accountability, standards of quality, and a timeline for getting it done
Has a proven track record of success
The resume template!
Can come back years after graduation for additional support as you look for new roles
CONS
There are lower cost routes to becoming a self-taught data analyst
Time intensive (at least 20 hrs/week), challenging if you’re also working full-time
The essential aspect of creating a portfolio of analytics projects felt tacked on, and was not a part of the program. It was left up to us to figure out.
Merit is suffering from growing pains since its explosion early in the year after news broke of Google’s $100 million sponsorship
This looked like extra large cohorts, where it was difficult to get a lot of personal feedback
Not enough staff to read and comment on resumes, cover letters and other homework
Not enough staff to substitute for coaches who were absent for weeks
Career coaches that were not yet familiar with the career field we’re entering
Honestly speaking, only the first two cons are intrinsic to the program. The others can easily be remedied with some more time for Merit to stabilize from its exponential growth. My experience was very positive and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the program to others. I hope this review helps for anyone looking into joining the Merit America program, or exploring ways to break into tech.
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