This review is for the Operations only (I've watched YouTubes and have attended events in the past…read morethat were super cool, and I'm a fan of the maker community). Jennyfer was very rude, condescending, and unwelcoming to me. I have never felt so uncomfortable with anyone on the phone before. I emailed with an inquiry on availability for rental space and provided some ideas for volunteering that I could provide to the community. Not only did she imply that I had written "a lot of info to share via email," but then proceeded to ask me to what I wanted on the phone as if I was in an interrogation. She said, "Oh, I am sorry, I don't think you know who I am. Let me introduce myself....I manage Nova Labs and the Innovation Center... " This is unwarranted display of power and "gatekeeping" for a non-profit community organization. I had only visited the space several years ago when my friend had his office there. I am not aware of the politics or structure that she was implying about whether or not I was approvable in her eyes in becoming a member and volunteer with Nova Labs as well as whether I am qualified to rent an office space that should only be for"people who make things" not those who work at a desk. I make things using my computer and with my hands. Really disappointed and sad that this all just happened.

I want to like this place so much but I can't under current operations. I quit after two months…read more Too many bad experiences. You can always try a month and see it's for you. I reserved the laser cutter but people would be on it and tell me to take a hike. Several code violations that shutdown most of the back so could not work on some projects. Odd personalities to deal with like at a disfunctional job site. Lots of newbies that I question if they have ever used a hammer or cordless drill. My personality is more organized and process orienteded, read engineering not liberal arts, so this place drove me nuts, BUT they are volunteers so I have to give them some leeway. Pros: Assortment of tools to cover any project. Layout based on type project type. Training sessions. Cons: Training session cost on the high side. This does weed out the not serious people looking for free entertainment. Equipment not available when you arrive. Equipment down or somebody is using it. One hour commute and $5 gas down the toilet. People not cleaning up, leaving tools out, screwing up the adjustment of machines.

I'm so happy I discovered esthetic Institute through groupon. Now I've been here over 8 times and…read moreI've been working with one particular student for a few months now. Her level of knowledge with problem/acne skin has impressed me. As someone who has tried almost everything in the industry and visited countless dermatologists for years to treat my face, I've never been treated with such great attention to my skin and such a personalized action plan. She has been working to lighten my hyperpigmentation and I already see great improvement. I've done regular facials, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion. Now that my hyperpigmentation has been improving, I hopped over to their location next door (the Esthetic Laser Clinic, not to be confused with Esthetic Institute-where the students are) and got microneedling (Skinpen) done. I am excited to see the results. The Esthetic Laser clinic is the real deal and it is not done by students. Pricing for the Esthetic Institute is wonderful, especially for this area where everything seems to be on the higher end. I'm sad to be moving from the area soon but I know that anytime I'm back in town, a trip to the esthetic Institute will be on my list!

Found this place through Groupon's $35 Corrective Facial deal. Their regular price is $45 and they…read morehave a stamp card where after 5 facials you get one free (which they didn't give me the first time I went, mind you). Price wise, it's unbeatable in this area. As far as what the price gets you...well a student edition that's slower and therefore abridged. There's a lot they simply don't have time for as the student tries to rush through everything in about 45minutes. The first time takes longer as there's a review of your intake forms, and a discussion on what products to use during this facial. After cleansing, an instructor comes in to check your skin and advise the student on what to do and what products to use. I found this process useful for determining what products I should and should not use. I came back and scheduled with the same student just to get an idea of how much my skin might've improved after following the instructors advice. Very useful. They student double cleanses while streaming your skin. There's always makeup removal even though I've tried telling them I have permanent makeup and no additional makeup on. I really wished they would add this to their chart so we can just skip all this "makeup removal" when no makeup is worn. Anyway, after double cleansing there's an inspection, in my case exfoliation, a mask, and then some treatment as necessary. I assume not everyone has the same treatment as we have different issues to address. Overall the rooms and tables are comfortable. They play pleasant music. It's meant to be a relaxing spa experience. However, as they don't have any lymphatic massage included, or bring any of the facial down to your neck/chest, it really feels a little j complete. There's also not been any extraction even though estheticians usually would extract.

Instructors (HW) are not knowledgable and do not know what the student needs to learn to get a job…read more The outcomes part 3 weeks with no classes at all. The group morale down for not enough support to get assignments done. The cost of this bootcamp for the instruction is not worth at all. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOTCAMP TO ANYONE. The staff has not enough experience to handle a large number of students in this cohort.

February 6, 2020 I…read moreleft in the last two weeks due to no more new material, poor instruction due to three instructor changes, and choosing a job in the industry. Pluses First we'll start with the positives from the physical to the logical and qualitative. Location The GA campus in DC is clean, serviceable and well stocked with excellent Frontlines support. I would give it as near as 100% as possible. Classrooms always have working projectors, enough seats and whiteboards. Coffee, Peanut Butter and Jelly and tea bags are always plentiful. Outcomes The outcomes team gives the students most of the skills I learned in this industry at dozens of customers and clients over 20 plus years. As much as the students complained about the long sessions to me, those that follow its rigors will secure a position quickly. Curricula The curricula as defined in the GA SEI Syllabus compares well with Flatiron, CodingDojo, Trilogy and others. Instruction All lead instructors seemed knowledgeable of the material covered. All instructors were approachable and inviting of the material. Delivery The Google calendar was updated weekly with relatively accurate material to be presented and learned. Labs and software functioned as expected. Installfest saved the students trouble that they will quickly learn in the field. Compatibility and libraries are key from development to deployment. Minuses Now, some constructive guidance Location Those stairs are extremely steep and elevator access restricted. Heat in these historical buildings often has trouble on those frosty days. This one is no different, a space heater or two might help if compliant ones are available. Outcomes Only one thing I might recommend here are interview dry runs. We had one or two examples of interviews, and I imagine hiring panel next week will be equally excellent. But as mentioned below, practice, practice practice! All candidates I have ever met benefit from practicing the interview questions and the discomfort. I mentor all of my charges in this area. We even do professional development sessions on it. Curricula The curricula was not taught completely. For example, one of the reasons, that I, an experienced Engineer chose GA were the Algorithms and Data Structures courses as shown in the screenshots below. These courses were not available until after the course opened and even worse were never addressed. This pattern of missing core material as we moved forward forms part of the basis for my letter and departure. Instruction Our lead instructor changed three times. None of them covered all of the material separately or together. For new students this gap will carry over into their new careers. Although I mentioned this before and in tickets, it has not been addressed adequately. It cannot be rectified at this late stage. Delivery Furthermore there was often a lack of respect for the difficulties that the students faced. Comments such as the students are "lazy," "do not want to work," or "do not like to read have been heard." While I encourage constructive criticism it must be backed by instructional excellence. Instructional Excellence Although very personable as a whole the instructional style was far too loose to give new students the comfort they need in this difficult, challenging and dynamic field. Like sport and music, training for novices is about learning patterns and executing them repeatedly and in combination. As the student grows, these patterns or katas inspire the artists to create their own symphonies. Not enough structure was provided for training the students muscle or neurological pathways to allow for confident improvisation. This is my number one guidance. When teaching new material it is vital that it is taught, demonstrated, practiced and reviewed. Although much of the material had this character, it has not been consistent enough to train the students. On my final day I was directly criticized for the instructional failures of this cohort. I was told that I was pushing and telling the students what to do when in reality all that I did was: Describe the concept. Demonstrate the concept. Allow the students to choose issues to tackle. Reviewed them as a whole. The instructor who arrived later to try to guide us was disrespectful to me and to the classroom in his behavior. Summary I chose GA over the alternatives for several reasons. First, the curriculum met most of the baselines of each of the other bootcamps in the area, although it was slightly pricier, the vibe and location seemed worth it. I was 100% accurate on the location and vibe, you are a warm and welcoming team that open your hearts to all students. Please structure the courses more. I mentioned this in my ongoing ticket

My employer sent me here to take the Introduction Adobe Illustrator course and I enjoyed the class…read moreand teaching. I felt like everyone who works there is so kind. Barbara greeted me warmly and gave me a tour of their office space and kitchen. The kitchen was stocked with all kinds of beverages, snacks, and light bites. Perfect way to start the day, since the class lasts from 9-4pm. Our instructor Kate was kind, knowledgeable and approachable. I felt like I could ask questions when I fell behind. She was patient with others in the class as well. In this intro class we learned the basics, how to align objects and how to create shapes and images to design marketing collateral. We also got to keep the official Adobe Illustrator training workbook and received a certificate upon completion of the class. I recommend taking your computer and software training here.

I work in digital marketing for a large human rights organization and was looking for an intro to…read morePhotoshop class to help me in creating social media shareables. I researched a few places in DC and Softek offered the course at a reasonable price. Since the price tag was lower than others i looked at, I assumed it wouldn't be as great of quality, but I was wrong. The class was from 9AM-4PM and I learned more than the basics of Photoshop. The instructor was very knowledgeable and had a way to really connect with her students in explaining complex ideas. I highly recommend this place for Photoshop training! After just one class, I tested what I learned and made this social media shareable: http://on.fb.me/1rxsYEl. Thanks, Softek!