I studied at Portnov Computer School from December 2024 to May 2026 and completed a two-month internship afterward. The program is well structured, practical, and focused on real QA skills. We worked on test cases, bug reports, SQL, and API testing, which helped me understand real-world workflows. The hands-on experience, internship, and instructor support helped me feel confident and fully prepared for interviews. I truly appreciate the guidance and highly recommend Portnov Computer School to anyone starting a career in QA. read more

Showing contract on a screen, then print for sign other document! Fraud! (Fake internship) It is FRAUD, do not consider this "school" seriously. I lost my money and time, they do not provide promised services, faking contract at the signing, misleading, discriminating against Muslims. , , 911 . MISLEADING FRAUD Stop discrimination! Stop Fraud. This "school" has to be shut down. Fake reviews, they sell their courses for 1k for Indian students, they don't want pay. STOP FRAUD-STOP FRAUD STOP FRAUD Price: $1000 For Indian student $5000 for Russian speaking immigrants Discriminates against Muslims! Victims email: mistertesterhuester@gmail.com read more

Portnov Computer School - Violation - Vocational & Technical School Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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These courses are a waste of money and time. Maybe five years ago they could actually help you get a job, but now at most 5% of people find one, even though the website claims 80%. You can count how many people actually got jobs by looking at the 5-star reviews, and even then, some of them are probably course staff or their relatives. There was one good teacher -- Mikhail, who taught mobile testing -- but most of the others were pretty mediocre. P.S. On Google they clean up reviews read more

I started my journey with the QA Flex course at Pornov School, which helped me land my very first job in QA. Later, I continued with their Silver Bootcamp, which guided me into automation testing and really helped me grow professionally. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable and genuinely care about your learning. They stay up to date with the latest industry trends and make sure we're always on the right track. I also met some amazing people through the course--many of whom I'm still in touch with and consider part of my professional network. The support from the school is ongoing, and they truly do their best to help students succeed, both during the course and after. I'm very grateful for everything I learned with them and highly recommend their programs. read more

so here it goes.basically,long story short.you pay $6k for phonie course,where most of instructors dont care what happens to you when its time to look for a job.they creat "special envorinment" where you feel that its succes path.its not.its all about taking your $6.3k for the course which might lead to nowhere.when you ask them about poor level of teaching,they manipulate with answers to create sence of stability and that everything is fine,basically keep paying for the course and you gonna get there.you probably wont.when it comes to request refund because you want to quit the course because ypu realise that its all well established "smoke and mirrors,they tell you that you are not eligible for refund because of some bs and made reasons(their end goal is pocket your money by any means avaliable).then they tell you that you still own them few grands,when you officially quit the course and the amount of $$$$ you paid completely covered course start date to the date you quit the course.so if you are willing to proceed,after they manipulated you into enrollin on during their skype or any other social platform sessions,you may lose course price fees and end with literally with nothing.they use really well covered and very sophisticated SCAM model approach and it looks their backs are "lilegally covered" too... also,this guy Portnov got paid team of human bots,who do really well to delete all negative feedback and comments from people lost their money for the course,quit their jobs to study and ended up with nothing there are plenty of solid cases for that.the guy really knows how to trick unsuspected people especially newly arrived russian speaking imigrants into so called promise land of becoming manual testers,enrollin into this course and paying $6.3k for basically nothing STAW AWAY,BE VIGILANT! read more

Myself and many people I have spoken to have had a very disappointing experience with Portnov. I have come to learn that they have had many negative reviews removed from yelp and google (see non recommended reviews on yelp). Also many of their 5-star reviews are written with accounts that only ever wrote one single review on that account. A few have two reviews. This often indicated that it is a self-written review by the company themselves. Their advertisement of a 78% job placement is a fraud. In reality it is about 5% and the few that get jobs are people who have previous experience or who live out of the United States where it is much easier to get a job as I have also learned that most QA jobs are outsourced especially for manual QA. You first learn manual QA which they said would be a 5 month course that ended up taking 8 months and then you start looking for a job however there are very few manual testing jobs across the country and if you do get lucky to even get an interview there is an insane amount of competition and also you only learn basic concepts at Portnov which may not be enough to get a job even if you have the ability to retain a lot of knowledge which you also really need to have. Portnov is aware of all of these factors. In my group only well less than a handful of students went on to get work including some who had previous experience and some who learned automation. I also spoke to many people outside my group who said the same exact thing. People at Portnov said the market was tough right now (which if it is why are they advertising a high job placement rate?), however I found dozens of people through LinkedIn who also went to Portnov years ago and also had the same story. There were over 40 students in each class and not one of them said more than 4 people in their class got work. Several who were students there years ago said they were told the same. That the market was tough right now. I can provide chat groups for people to go to and speak to people who have previously been Portnov students as most classes have made a chat group to keep in touch with one another. The quality of the teaching was also very poor as these are not professional teachers who understand teaching concepts. Often during class, only the students who had previous experience were able to understand what was being taught. They also give fake references at the end of the course however these are to a company that hardly comes up on google and does not look like a legitimate company. I find it really terrible what Portnov does as these are all people who invest a good amount of money (most of whom who don't have a lot of money) and 1000-1500 hours of time to try and better their lives and in the end get nothing in return. I am considering getting many together to begin a class action lawsuit as I have recently spoken with a law firm who I have presented many things to about Portnov, and they are very interested in the case if I can get a certain amount of people together. Please be sure to write about your experiences from this school. Unfortunately, many people do not wish to accept that they were taken advantage of which is why there is not more written about this company. I can be contacted here if anyone has any further questions or wishes to join a class action lawsuit against Portnov. More will also be written on other forums read more

It was a great journey! I am grateful for the unwavering support and guidance offered by the entire Portnov team throughout my journey. Coming from a non-technical background and a thirst for knowledge in the field of QA, I entered the program with uncertainty but hope for the opportunities ahead. Portnov team was always there to assist me every step of the way. From the outset, I was met with professionalism, dedication, and a genuine commitment to helping students like myself achieve their career goals. The comprehensive curriculum, expert instructors, and hands-on approach to learning provided me with the necessary skills and confidence to excel in the field of QA. The practical insights, real-world scenarios, and industry-relevant training equipped me with the tools needed to navigate the complexities of quality assurance with ease. As well as the external internship in the real company after all where I've been placed by Sofia. Additional big thank to Sofia for this opportunity! Today, I am thrilled to share that I have successfully found a job in QA, all thanks to the exceptional training experience I received and the support provided by Portnov Computer School. I am proud to be an alumnus of Portnov Computer School, and I look forward to staying connected with the Portnov community as I progress in my career. Seymur Aliyev. read more

I wouldn't recommend if you really need guidance. Well, I finished the program but had to fight to get the proper resume done which I didn't get. I contacted several times to no avail. I never worked before so I didn't know how to prepare a resume to get into the real world job market so it's a big issue. They asked to bullet point the work we did at the "internship" which I did and it was like "created an entity for the app " etc. This doesn't reflect on the resume. The resume was made with this type of bullet point and no wonder it wouldn't make sense to anyone hiring. Finally, after over a year without a job, I discussed it with someone who helped me write a proper resume. Too late! Reviewers are saying this place is biased, I agree with them. One lady teacher who teaches SQL didn't explain a few things I wanted to be clarified. She simply refused. I spoke with the owner but he refused as well. This is just so bizarre. I never got any interviews from this school at all. When I asked, they told me I've to do it myself. Internships meaning, they have a firm which rotates through students after each batch. All in all, I wouldn't recommend this place. read more

I went to this school because I needed guidance, emotional support and assistance with the internship. I thought that if the school was able to survive for so many years, it's a good place to start. Teachers provided enough information to get the idea what valuable QA should know. Of course my personal additional efforts were required to get ready, to pass all the interviews and to be chosen for the internship by external company. Now I understand the system and I know for sure in which areas I can grow professionally, what additional courses to take in future. And I won't be as confident after some random collection of youtube videos and Udemy classes and it would be definitely much more difficult to get the internship. read more

Portnov Computer School - Vocational & Technical School Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

In my batch during the course, they gave internships to a few students who gave them good video reviews about the course and job placements. So it was a bribe. They only teach black box and NOT automation. False advertising to bring students. Also, they do not help with job placements at all. Students go through some firm rotating students after each 6 week batch so internship isn't real either. This is a waste of money and resources. Look for the buried reviews by yelp. They aren't recommended because of one stars. This is a scam. read more

I got my first job as QA Engineer within first week after graduation and I'm really thankful Portnov school for that. School gives you everything needed to achieve it, you just need to study and ask questions if you don't get it. I recommend this school to everyone who wants to change their career and wants to get paid 6 figures even without degree(like I do). read more

I am so thankful for Portnov Computer School. All the knowledge that I received from the teachers and the team ,for constant support, I now have my dream job. Thank you so much. read more

Overall I am happy with Portnov School. Some students who were studying with me misleadingly thought that if they paid money for tuition they are going to be professional QA engineers LOL you gotta study hard and practice a lot to become one. I took Flex classes. I like that school provided a lot of useful resources for education, so I don't have to spend my time browsing the Internet (presentations, links, ebooks, etc) I did not want to wait for the internship, so I took internal internship provided by school and it exceeded my expectations. Internal internship was very tensed, fast paced and lots of hands on practice, just like in the real environment at work. After the internal internship I got instructions with how to write a good resume, my resume was reviewed by one of the teachers and submitted back to me with comments and recommendations. They also have guidance and recommendations for the students on the website, so you need to be their student to get access to that info. I recommend this school to everyone who wants to study. Currently I am looking at another courses that they have to expand my knowledge. PROS: 1. School gives a good understanding of QA and provides great resources 2. Access to QA tools even after graduation 3. Lots of hands on practice with real projects CONS: 1. A big number of students in one group 2. They do not provide form for tuition tax deduction read more

It was the best decision to take Portnov classes. They were intense, well designed and I had an opportunity to have hands on experience to practice everything I learned. Every member of the school is there for you throughout your learning journey; they treat you like a family; they are so patient and willing to repeat as many time as needed and explain it until you understand. I really want to express my gratitude to Director of Operations Sofia Pravdina, her support and advice was very valuable to me. Also, I wanted to thank Galina Lagunova, for her amazing teaching approach; she always makes sure that you understood everything and will go over everything in a very detailed way if not. She always there for you if you need help, sometimes even late nights. Her materials and classes are organized, clear and straight to the point. I'm still using a lot of her cheat sheets. I truly appreciate all your hard work; you are great teacher and mentor. What's more, she guided on interview questions, spending almost whole class sometimes; also helped with my resume and I was able to land a job only 2 months after I finished the program. Overall, Portnov is the right place if you wanna change your life and you don't know where to start. They will give and push you in a right direction! read more

Wanted to get a change in my career. Got suggested this school by a friend of mine. Instructors are very sweet, and detail oriented. They are really interested in helping you to get into IT world. Of course you have to put in work into it as well, listen and study carefully. The instructors will find a way to explain you all the methodologies and tools if you do not get it one way or another. I am super thankful! Definitely recommend this school! read more

I really liked studying at Portnov school. Program is intense, but you get all support from teachers. They do care about each student to succeed. Do you want to know the secret? If you learn at least what you are given during classes, you will get a job. You will get a job if you are passionate, curious and proactive. I came to school in the hardest time, when Covid hit and market went down. Despite pandemic, school never left me behind and I got internship with their help. I am very happy my career in QA officially stated. The only thing I regret is that I didn't come to school earlier. read more

Its tge best thing you can do ever. Go for it.The teachers are so nice they teCh you everything you need.

This school is the way into the world of IT. For me , as I was fairly new to learning programming languages and IT world in general , it got overwhelming in the beginning. But following the instructions and self discipline helped a lot. One thing I want to point out is how accessible and easy to reach was Michael himself (even though officially he's only taking care of online class). With any questions I had, he was always willing to help and was all about finding a solution. Very flexible with addressing students needs individually, and paying attention to every student. Olga, Tatiana and Janna were among my favorite teachers. When it came to final exams they were strict but fair , and it helped me a lot to prepare well for my actual interviews after graduation. All of them were helpful and responsive when I asked for help with interview preparation. And I couldn't thank more to Sofia for finding me a perfect match when it came to job placement . read more

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With the amount of students this place gets, I am surprised to see the amount of little reviews here. From the moment I started the program here at Portnov Computer School, I found my long last passion of Software Quality Assurance. I wanted to write a review sooner, but I wanted to go through the program completely that way my review was from A to Z. I never thought I could go from my current career and situation, to something completely different in just 3-4 months! The program is intense, but the amount of education and quality of education you receive from this place, you will never get anywhere else. One of my favorite things about Portnov Computer School is that the Staff are all very genuine. They care about you and your situation, and want you to succeed in life. If you have the commitment, they will commit themselves to you for your success. I love every teacher which I encountered; smart, genuine, and all come from professional backgrounds. They teach you everything you need to know to get a job in the market. You work on real time projects, not some dummy clone projects. In order for the school to be able to place you into the internships at the end, you must do your part and study. Without the hard work and effort, you would not be able to. If you are ready for a life changing experience, and have the passion for Software Quality Assurance.. Portnov Computer School will be waiting for you. read more

I highly recommended this school. 1. Before come in this course and change your carrier, my suggestion, try to learn basic information for SQA it will be easier to understand how to use all tools/ specific info, when you start programme from this school. 2. Lots of people founded job after finish school. 3. If you need support from school they will help immediately. 4. You need to know English - Intermediate Level. But all levels are welcome. read more

Very helpful, friendly staff. This classes will give you exactly what they promised. If really want to get a result you should be ready for self-studing. Also you will get full information how to prepare for interview and how to write your resume. read more

I studied here, and I like the school very much. It is great, and unique in several aspects. First, it is reliable and trustworthy. You can be sure that nobody will try to cheat you there. Portnov and his staff do even more than they actually agree initially. If they have a way to do something they can to help you, they'll do that, sometimes in their own time, not paid. You can rely on them, just make sure you also keep to your side of agreement. Second, their experience and professional level is surprisingly high. I was taught by the people that actually work at solid technical positions in the well-known companies of the Bay, who at the same time have ability and willingness to teach. Third, the school (besides the professional subjects) actually teaches you how to find and get a job. Not the smart ass advises where you should boast and behave like you are the best, and mask some weird advantages when you're asked about weaknesses -- but actual practical advise, backed with years of experience and common sense (which is rare in this field :)). Fourth, the school staff really cares about you. Yes they do. Not that they come and do for you all you have to do yourself. They really want you to be able to become independent. And if you want to refresh your knowledge, you can come back and take same courses again free! So, the school provides you with information, equipment and opportunities. It's up to you to use them right. I personally wasn't the brightest student and intern, but still was able to get what I needed from them -- professional knowledge, practical advises, internship experience, as well as useful tips for the job search. Now I work full time at a great company, and I'm sure that this is substantially thanks to Portnov school. read more

I am a well seasoned Senior QA. I have been in the Software testing game for over 10 years. I needed to upgrade my skills to include more in-depth knowledge of automation testing tools. This school employs highly regarded, professionals who are not just talking heads. These people have day jobs in the industry. These are industry leaders, experts and lettered professionals. The instructors are hands on and accurate. As for the owner of the school, he stakes his professional life on each graduate. Now, that is saying something! I respect and adore my instructors. Tough and through. Smart and friendly, even the ones who act gruff! I give this school big props. It has earned my respect. I would say this is one of the best scholastic experiences I have ever had. They have taught me cutting edge techniques and time saving short cuts. If you are in the QA industry, you know that short cuts to create robust testing is priceless! I know I am getting the training that I need to stay competitive and marketable. When I'm in class, I feel happy. That's how damn good it is in class. I'm getting the training I need to continue my career as a Software QA. As for Sofia, all I can say is she is smart, sweet, kind and helpful. She is a true gem! I don't want to forget Olga, who will hold your hand and listen to any self doubts you have. She is helpful and reassuring. She keeps the front office moving. Also, the tech support of Nikita. Anytime I had any technical issue that I could not resolve, Nikki was there to fix it. Really, this school is a win-win for both the student and our ever changing industry. Portnov is truly as good as it gets! read more

If you wanna become Software QA it is the right place to start. And they have a big network to find a job. Very kind team and passionate to teach you. read more

It was the best investment I've made! I like what I do as a QA, I have opportunity to grow up and build up my skills. It was hard first couple of years but then I realized what QA is and started to fill very comfy. I had to and have to and will have to work hard, no doubt about it, no one will do stuff for you. Now I feel very confident and can 100% state that O=I made right decision by choosing QA. And THANK YOU very much Mikhail for the opportunity, and all the knowledge and kick off! I'm happy! read more

My journey at Portnov has been amazing..!! I'm happy to say that they have laid the foundation to my dreams. I just got an internship offer after successful completion of their program(also includes passing final exams and passing internship clearance). I have chosen QA Express program after hearing great things about Portnov from friends and family. It's quite interesting to see how passionate, understanding and dedicated the staff at Portnov are, in helping students achieve their goals. They're also very humorous I must say, which makes the classes even more interesting :-) The environment is very professional, friendly and almost simulates a real workplace. Expect occassional visits from guest speakers and previous Portnov students who are now well established in the field to provide a few insights and share their experiences which is such a great motivational boost. Many students here come from various backgrounds and regardless Portnov has been very efficient in jump-starting students on their career path. They cover a lot of topics in a very well-detailed manner in such a short time. Being a part of Portnov can be very rewarding to someone that has genuine passion to become a Software QA Engineer. Even developers come here to gain more knowledge on Software QA. Make sure to take notes in class, it can be very helpful towards the end of the term. Try not to skip any classes or be late to classes if you can, so you don't miss on anything; since they cover a lot of subject in just one day and also offer many valuable suggestions and tips. All the best..!! read more

I have joined this place with a dream that I would land in an internship which would help me gain experience and help me have a career as QA. After the training, exams and internship clearance it was time for internship interviews and they start showing their true colors. I have had 5 interviews for internship out of which 1 was for customer service (Didn't understand why I got invite for a customer service role after spending $4500 on QA training, still attended as they told me that the company would later recruit you as QA even though you initially join as customer service agent). Initially, we were told that we can attend as many interviews until we are placed. But after these 5 interviews, I get an email from them saying I have to join this company for a 6 week internship (with whom they partner with - no interview) and I have no other choice. I write an email that I still want to try more and give more interviews until I get placed. I get a very rude reply saying that I have already attended 5 interviews and I have to join this internship and that I have no other choice. Me and few of my batch mates were forcefully pushed to join this job. The 6 week internship didn't helped me in any way, where I was asked to do the repetitive work. The only reason I joined this place is for a good internship, otherwise what ever they teach (and much more) is available on the internet. One more important thing I have observed is that they are biased. Please don't waste your time and money joining this place. read more

I swear the reviews are rigged. The school seemed great until you realize your not learning much, other then what you can find on the internet. They teach you manuel testing ( you need to learn automation to find a job as QA) and nothing much beyond that. The school got me a internship but those internships are pretty biased since they always hire their own Russians (doesnt matter if your smarter and better or more commited). After the internship i tried contacting the school to help me find a job or try to find better ways to look for one but no one got back to me. I have left several messages and emails. Honestly, the hardest part about getting a job is actually finding one and they do not help you find one. They do, however, tell you at the END of the program that they do not help you find a job. Save your 4K and go with some training company, it was a totall waste of money for me. read more

This is a very Good school if you want to change your career to Software QA, they teach the Software QA Basics, they teach the very Important stuff which helps in getting a job right after completion of the course, they give some projects to make you familiar with the Software Testing process. The staff is good and helpful but one has to put efforts to get information . I recommend this school to everybody wanting to do a career switch to IT. read more

Here is one opinion from someone who haven't used the SQA training in a professional manner : I took the training together with my wife, and after one year of completion - my wife works as a QA engineer at a middle size corporate company, and I'm not working within the QA industry ( so far ). IN GENERAL: Overall, the school is good, and provides enough materials for one to start working after all the finals are passed. Now, keep in mind that the school itself will not build a bridge to the QA industry. In other words, probably 90% of the efforts are on your own side, so without dedicating yourself to the QA materials you would be one of those complainers above. TEACHING:The quality of teaching varies, but even in top five world rank schools you face similar facts (talking out of experience). You must remember than you can become an expert in a certain matter even without excellent teaching approaches. INTERNSHIPS: In some cases, you would wait a bit for an internship interview, but in our case: my wife got her placed on the first interview in about a month, and I have been to 3 interviews for a period of 1 month after completion of the finals. Some people complained about paid/unpaid internships...., well, let's be reasonable: You should not expect a paid internship unless you have a technical/technological background.( Even though many without tech background got paid internships) JOBS: Work opportunities are endless simply because we are living in a tech boom period, and the job market in S. Valley is going to get more "techy" with every other day. However, don't expect to get a job the next day after finishing the training - there are many factors which could delay your hiring such as technical skills , communication skills, fitting within the team, and etc. CONCLUSION: My wife is happily employed as a QA engineer for about an year now, and recruiters never stop requesting her as a contact on LinkedIn! Now, you may wonder why I'm not working as a QA...! In my case, I'm US educated in another field, and the huge volume of invested efforts, time, and $$$ didn't allow me to start a completely new field. However, that's up to the person to decide. Even though I have been very critical (with the purpose of prosperity of the program) toward Portnov Computer School, I must confess that the program is working as designed and you can be successfully integrated into the ever-growing QA industry! The only reason I'm giving 4 stars is because giving 5 would make the school stop developing! Special thanks to Sofia and Olga C, Good Luck to everyone and HAPPY TESTING! read more

I am about to finish all the classes and I already got an internship offer from a very good company.This is the BEST place to go if you want to get formal training on quality assurance. I found this school from internet after I made my decision to be a SQA engineer. I read a lot of reviews, positive ones, negative ones. I had my doubts before I went to this school, but after I started my classes here, I no longer have any doubts. The knowledge you will learn are very practical and useful. What you need to do is attending every class, concentrating, making notes, ask questions, do your home work and spend ALL of your free time studying. Think about it, you sacrifice your time for entertainment for only three months but in exchange you get your dream career and benefit from it for life time. You really need to treat seriously with every project as those projects are from real companies and it is a great opportunity for you to apply the basic theories you've learned so you will have a lot to say about your project in the interview. Great school, great internship opportunities(special thanks to Sofia), great instructors (Olga K, Marina, Olga C and Janna), learned a lot practical experience from the projects (thank you again Marina and Janna), my basic knowledge and technical skills improved a lot (thank you again Olga K). I will finish my review by quoting "Always remember that all of your hard work will eventually pay off" which is always the truth. Good luck everyone! read more

Guys, this is a life changer place ! They teach you all you need to become great Software QA Tester and to get very nice salary (75-120k) without any degree or crazy experience ! highly recommended ! Don't think too much just listen to what they teach you and do exactly what you are told (!), then you will be successful in this field ,otherwise go work in Uber or in a garage xoxo ;-) read more

Immigration means a big change in anybody's life. Sometimes such changes are not quite successful. I have arrived to US with a fear and thoughts "how am I going to overcome with huge challenges as a new immigrant?". But I was lucky to find a right place to start my American life. Portnov Computer School is a great place, especially for new immigrants, to find their path to their "American Dream". Invaluable guidance of school crew helps to new immigrants to run through adaptation period with less challenges. I have completed training courses within 3 months and now I have started my internship with well known IT company. I would like to express my gratitude to Portnov Computer School for providing me such a great "launch pad" to start my career in the United States. read more

OK, if you are reading reviews, you considering to go study here but have concerns - does the school really worth your efforts and money, is a good place to go for your education and are they not scam. So I had same concerns before I came to Portnov's. First of all, the school is real great educational center that wants to help you, will not fool you and will not try to sell you anything you don't need. These are real professionals that work in Software QA field and can teach you and give you all kinds of useful advice on how to become QA engineer and find the job that you deserve. I came from economics field, I used to have a good job but I always wanted to work in IT and I find this more perspective that my previous sales manager position. So I decided to go to Portnov's and I'm absolutely happy with this decision. I graduated from the school and I must admit that the school completely satisfied my expectations and gave me all I need to start my new career. They teach you, evaluate your knowledge and skills, advice on what you need to improve and teach you how to position yourself successfully on the job market. The educational program is compact and effective for quick learning and all the unnecessary information is cut off so you concentrate only on learning the very important pieces of information that will help you the most in your new job. Besides in school you will meet people like you, that you have mutual willingness to make their life better and get a new exciting career. There are people of all ages and nationalities so you will make some friends here for sure. So I highly recommend Portnov computer school as a unique and truly great place to get knowledge and motivation for your new Software QA career. Den read more

Great School. I cam in with a completely different educational background, and got the job after completing this school. Be courteous, study, have a good attendancy, learn technical English, and you will be in good hands! Stuff is amazing and helpful! It is not a rocket science and you don't have to have a big degree in order to get in and get a job. IF a person complains that he/she cannot get a job or a staff is bad - this person is a pure idiot. Highly reccomend this school for people ho r trying to chnage their life and career! read more

I have NOT written reviews. But today, there is no other way to vent out my frust! The way stan has written the review, makes me feel like he has been paid for it (from my money). Hope this review stays and Portnov does not pay yelp to remove it! Half the instructors here are very lethargic, disinterested and/or fatigued. They introduce new topics like mobile testing (replacing other valuable topics, citing new topic is new market demand), but go no where close to explaining them. They asked us to install some softwares on our laptops, and come next class, the whole discussion has changed! On the day of the class, she (Marina Leitman) says that she does not have time to demo (not even a simple example?) but just give an overview. While explaining a topic, she beats around the bush and does not come to the point making it more confusing. Why do they have tutors with half baked knowledge? when they charge over $3K as tuition fees!! Common answer to most relevant tech or QA question - "I do not have time for that, guys". Alex Iskandarian, is another instructor, who would waste hours taking attendance (over an hour), joking, chit-chatting absolutely nothing useful, and not really helping in any way to understand or discuss the answers to our questions. He made us read TechCrunch news during the class time !! Seems like this instructor job for him, is just a pass time. These instructors bring their office projects to the class and ask students to file bugs, (which we can do them from our homes as well), waste our precious class time. There are no examples / samples / demos! They sit there quiet and ask us to file bugs! After we are done, they need to evaluate. OK, I understand they cannot evaluate our assignments individually, but they do NOT discuss it with the class as a whole, either. But they do pass general negative comments. As a complete novice, except for, how to file bugs, and write test cases, there is truly nothing that I learned from this experience, that I could have learned without joining here. There are one or two instructors who are good at their job! Yana is one of them. Providing placements or not, Portnov should strive to excel in what they are doing, find the right instructors, instead doing a bad job. Oh! what a waste ! read more

I did my masters from USA and graduated in 2009..As we all know job market is not good . My cousin recommend me to join portnov and focus towards SQA testing. I joined the school express course and after months of hands on experience on the live projects and intensive training I finally got an internship with the decent company in Cambell. Thanks to all three key members from portnov. Who shaped my career and guide me always when I need them. read more

I can say nothing about study yet, but they are teaching testers and have a lot of bugs on their website. Also they made a one filthy trick. They decided to get more profit, so they removed one unit from their program and added it as an additional course. So you will have to pay 3k for the main course plus 1k for additional course, that used to be in main program. In documentation you will have this course automatically added to you. So you don't choose, you just have to. Of course there is an option to ask them redo documentation without this course, but I don't belive they willingly to do so and anyway you will miss this course if you remove it. On their website you can see that this course considered as part of program. And you will see the cost of the whole program is 4 k. read more

I would recommend people to go to pornov who are looking for a career change. Note: you can't expect to spend time at portnov and get an internship or job, you have to put in work at home in order for portnov to do their magic. So, if you study and do what they ask you to do, you are likely to get a job, but again be patient it will happen as it did for me. This is a very good place to start as it provides you with that opening door into the IT field. I already have a job at a good company because of them. read more

Notice: the following may sound like someone paid me to write this review. I promise they didn't. I'm just that excited about Portnov Computer School; so excited, in fact, I have already told my friends as well as 5+ complete strangers who I felt I needed to make aware of this wonderful step up in life. It seems today our country's most renowned universities are selling a dream with less and less reality to back it up. At the least, this has been my personal experience, but I think we all know a few BA graduates working at Starbucks and similar. University filled me up with interesting ideas, and even taught me valuable ways of thinking, but when it came to putting those thoughts to use in service to others, they provided only one solution: spend thousands and thousands more on a Masters or PhD to become an underpaid Professor like them. That's a high-risk financial proposition (even though our society still presents college as the safest road to financial stability), and it just wasn't for me. Portnov Computer School has done all it promised and then some. I really appreciate that they have designed a program that cuts away all the unnecessary information and only provides the essentials for succeeding in the internship (which is guaranteed to all students). My internship, in turn, gave me all I needed to succeed in my first job. Isn't that how ALL higher education should be? I think so. Speaking of my first job, I absolutely love it! This is the kind of manager, work-life balance, work environment, and level of pay I have been seeking for 7 years now, ever since completing my BA. And yet it's perfectly clear to me that this is just the beginning. Also, even though I'm in my first year, my Manager relies on my expertise of certain parts of the software and even comes to me for my 'sign-off' before he proceeds forward to the next phase. The most satisfying part of the job is seeing the final product and knowing that the app would have looked or behaved a little (or maybe a lot) differently if it wasn't for your feedback (whether written or spoken). As for QA as a career path, I love that every day is different and new. I'm constantly being challenged to stretch my mind and think in new ways, and I am surrounded by wonderfully encouraging people who love to support one another in learning. Oh, and there's free food everyday, and I get payed to play ping pong on an almost weekly basis! Now, people who attend Portnov Computer School come from every walk of life (technical and non-technical), but I should also mention that I was an Anthropology/Psychology major in University, which means I did NOTHING with computers in school (except for my non-programming computer class in 6th grade ). It turns out that Anthro, Psychology, as well as any Humanities major is useful for a career in QA because at the end of the day, the quality of a mobile app or web application is about the human on the other end. Often, I see the QA Engineer as an Advocate for the end user, so it's good to have a sense of how people think, an understanding of cultural differences, and overall cultural awareness. Furthermore, even though several QA get away with less than quality written English, it helps if you can write a report with proper grammar and without spelling errors (it will set you apart). If written English is not a strength for you, there are other ways to set yourself apart. Knowing a second language is extremely valuable to QA departments because they have customers all over the world. Programming skills set one apart as well, but they are not necessary. My final word of advice is that if you're interested in the program but need more info before making a decision, go to their website and email them. Ask specifically for when the next class starts. The first day of class is free and they go through everything you'll need to make your decision. There is also plenty of time to ask questions. read more