Before I start, I'd like to say, please, please trust that this is my true experience. I'd like to share it with you all out there who are trying to make a career change and are willing to work really hard for a few months to achieve that. I came from China with a BA in English almost 8 years ago. Having no other skills to build a career on, I dragged life on working as an immigration paralegal and admin, not really enjoying it that much and not knowing where I was heading in terms of carving out a career path. Then, I lost my job a year ago. I finally decided that I was not going back to a cubicle to feel stuck again. It was time to try something new. Though I always looked at the IT industry with yearning and aspiration, it seemed so far out of reach and I didn't believe I could learn all those fancy and alien concepts and theories. Then, a friend told me about Portnov and how she had a relative and a friend who were both immigrants confused about what to do, and then decided to give SQA a try and are now quite successful after attending Portnov. After doing my own research on SQA, I was immediately drawn to this opportunity of a quick career change. I was also happy to find out that since I was on unemployment, Uncle Sam would pay for this program under WIOA. That took a lot of financial pressure off me. So I decided to give it a try. To be honest, I had doubts about my ability to learn this high and mighty IT stuff as a humanities major and the school's commitment to teaching and helping students find internships afterwards all along. But, I stuck with it and studied hard, thinking whatever happens I need to do my part first. To wrap this up, after taking all the courses, getting help crafting my resume, doing internship clearance with teachers (as many as you need) and getting arranged for internship interviews with the school's network of tech companies. I just received a paid internship offer yesterday (not all internships are paid, but they are crucial for finding a job afterwards). Huge sigh of relief... Below was my email to the very kind and helpful lady at school who helps arrange interviews: "Thank you so so much, Sofia! This would not have been possible without your KIND HELP and that of all the nurturing teachers at Portnon. I want to hug you all in tears right now! Please know that your work is changing lives every day! My heartfelt thanks again." I have not felt this way in a long time. To quote Mr. Portnov himself, I now have "shinning eyes". I love doing technical work much better and it's fun to work with logic and get challenged. I have little doubt that I am able to succeed at this. Thanks to all my teachers and batch mates. It's been great learning together and cheering each other on in that classroom. I will continue to see some of you at the two extra classes I am taking one evening a week. read more

If you're looking to start a career in Quality Assurance, Portnov Computer School is an excellent choice. My journey through the program was a rewarding experience that gave me the knowledge and skills I needed to succeed in this field. The curriculum is designed to equip students with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, preparing them for challenges they will face in the workplace. I want to express my sincere thanks to all the amazing teachers and instructors who supported me throughout the program: * Ozzy, the curator of the program, stands out with his deep knowledge and ability to simplify complex QA and Automation concepts. His engaging teaching style makes even the most challenging lessons accessible. * Artem, the technology instructor, was always supportive and approachable, ensuring that every student received the help they needed and helped build a solid technical foundation. * Michael brought dynamic energy to the classroom with his mobile testing lessons. His use of real-world examples and clear explanations made mobile testing concepts easy to understand and apply in practical scenarios. * Galina Raskoshnaia, who taught Gray Box Testing using Dev Tools, was truly outstanding in making the class interactive and easy to understand. Her warm and sweet personality made the lessons enjoyable and approachable, and she is an excellent teacher. * Galina Lagunova, our internal internship program instructor, for her incredible mentorship. Her guidance during the internship helped me gain hands-on experience and a deep understanding of real-world QA practices. She was always available to answer questions, often staying late to help students gain confidence and refine their skills. I also want to thank Sophia, who worked tirelessly to connect students with external internships. These internships gave us the opportunity to demonstrate our skills in professional environments. Many students, including myself, were able to secure jobs thanks to her efforts. Portnov School provides outstanding support beyond just teaching. They help with resume preparation, mock interviews, and internship placement, ensuring students are ready for the job market. Thanks to the training, internal internship, and support from Portnov, I was able to secure a QA job after completing the program. If you're ready to work hard and stay committed, this school will guide you every step of the way. read more

I don't usually write reviews, but I really wanted to share my experience with Portnov Computer School. I had known about the school for a long time, but there weren't any online courses before, so I couldn't attend in person. When I finally had the chance to take the online course, it worked perfectly with my schedule, letting me balance work and study. The course ran from April to September, and the internship followed from October to November. We had several great teachers, and I was satisfied with all of them in their own way. Ozzy, Aziza, and Galina were my favorites, though! Galina, especially during the internship, was incredibly knowledgeable and stayed late to help anyone with questions, which made everything click for me. I have to admit, 4 hours of classes every day felt overwhelming at times, but there's a lot to learn if you want to become a high-quality specialist. It takes effort, and people who complain just aren't putting in the work. You can't expect the school to do everything for you, just like in any university where you pay a lot and still have to study in your free time. Right now, the job market isn't easy, but that's not the school's fault. The teachers are doing a fantastic job educating us, and I managed to get a job even in this tough market! If you're serious and ready to put in the effort, you can definitely do it too. I'm really thankful to Portnov for giving me the opportunity to change my career in such a short time. I highly recommend the school to anyone looking to make the jump into QA! read more

I appreciate the help that was provided by all staff members at Portnov Computer School. School is all about the results and getting them fast. I have never attended a school that is so up to date with all the current market technical and IT knowledge needs and demands of the future employers in the IT sector. I can't stress enough the results that I was getting at school in a short period of time were beyond my expectations. All the instructors are teaching from real EXPERIENCE and real projects and NOT from the theory books, which gave me current relevant adequate and real knowledge that I need to succeed in IT industry. Teaching staff provides all that is necessary for you to master the IT industry in 2.5 month period. The instructors and quality up-to-date material that was provided, saved me time and money. If you are changing a carrier look no further, Portnov Computer School is a one stop shop that will help you achieve results fast. Only thing I am sorry about that the school does not market itself enough and if I have heard of them 15 years ago I would have been in better shape today. Not only the school helped me with the internship and the job placement, but the support that I was getting felt like from my own family, they care! Thank you for the opportunity and chance that you gave me. Portnov Computer School does something no other school did for me before, they followed up with me and guided me after the graduation to make sure I got the job of my dreams. read more

Surprise-surprise! I was making more and had less stressful job in retail than I do as a "QA engineer". There're lots of job opportunities in the filed for people with extensive experience and Master's Degrees in Computer Science, but after low-grade training that you receive in Portnov Computer School don't expect to get anything decent. The classes are of low quality, teachers barely speak English, have VERY LITTLE TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE thus can NOT adequately prepare anyone for that type of work. Portnov gives you standard answers and coaches you what to tell during job interviews. Unfortunately, the people you going to talk to are not idiots and won't be convinced by a couple of sentences from the computer science textbook. Therefore, be prepared to work for $9 an hour and do the-most-meaningless-monkey-job-ever. They actually do have some "successful stories" which they use for their aggressive advertisement on different web-forums. But those people were placed into those jobs by the school. The majority of people will not be offered anything and won't be placed anywhere. One last detail: they actually "ask" you to write a good review on the web while you are still awaiting the internship. That's the reason why there are some positive reviews. But in reality most people REGRET very much of wasting their time and money on Portnov Computer School. read more

The unique teaching methodology conducted by the Portnov Computer School really works! I have convinced myself in this recently. Having some experience in the information technology, I stood in front of the necessity of choosing the vector of my future professional development. The choice fell on the field of software quality assurance, and the only reputable school in this field with a great history and good references - is a Portnov Computer School. I have intensively studied in the school for a month and a half, I filled out the gaps in my knowledge, after that I was sent to the interview with real employer, there was a success and I have received internship. I would like to note that it is not necessary to have a computer background to study in a school, because teaching of any material is started from the basics. All courses are well structured and developed, have sufficient depth and completeness, classes are conducted in a fun and interactive way. All teachers are real professionals, many of them have science degrees, and very important thing that all of them have extensive practical experience in their fields. If you are really want to change your life for the better, to change the sphere of activity or climb up the career ladder - come to the Portnov Computer School! They know, they can, they do! read more

This place is really wonderful if you are looking for a career change. I completed all my classes and looking forward to starting my internship with a wonderful company in bay area. It is the best place to go if you want to a get a good training of QA. They have wonderful instructors who have very good knowledge and extensive years of working experience in QA field. So they know well what they are doing. I am really thankful to my instructors Olga C, Olga K and Janna. They are really wonderful instructors. Of course they are very strict and will not let you go unless you are very well prepared and have good confidence as a QA engineer. I really admire their mock interview and clearance process which allowed me to learn a lot and made me strong. The most critical part is finding an internship and Sofia is the one who will come to help you. She is very kind and helpful person and I am really grateful to her. Sofia if you read this, I want you to know that I came this far because of you. Thank you so much for all the great work. I am really thankful to all my friends I met there. You will meet people from all over the world and will find lifelong friends. I really enjoyed the time I spent at Portnov and made bunch of good friends. This place did the magic for me. So I highly recommend it for anyone read more

The only thing I regret about studying in Portnov Computer School is that I did not join them much earlier! I knew about that school for years but I always thought that QA is not for me. I did not have a lot of IT experience and, thus, I was sure that QA would be very difficult for me. Don't get me wrong, QA is challenging and you have to study really hard. But the Portnov Computer School provides you with everything you need to get your first job. Instructors of the school (yes, for me they were not teachers, but friendly instructors) did an amazing job providing us with clear explanations, nice communication and a lot of positive emotions. And the most important part for me is that instructors of the Portnov Computer School recommended me to a company which eventually became my employer. My first job is a little bit more difficult than I expected it to be, but I'm really happy to work there and I'm incredibly grateful to the Portnov Computer School for the opportunity they gave me. I'm especially grateful to Janna Spector and Sofia Pravdina.  If you are thinking about changing your life for the better in a short period of time and you are ready to invest time in your education, then the Portnov Computer School is definitely an option for you! read more

Portnov Computer School has given me a great start in my new career. The course is well-organized and gives you a lot of valuable knowledge. At first, it can feel overwhelming because there's so much information, but over time, everything starts to make sense. The most important thing is to stay motivated and persistent. If you keep going, you'll get the best out of what the school has to offer. The teachers were very professional, and always ready to help and support me, which was important. Their guidance made learning much easier, and they care about helping students succeed. One of the best parts is that the school provides an internship, which helps you apply everything you've learned in a real-world setting. It's a great way to gain hands-on experience and build confidence in your skills. I am very grateful to the teachers for the knowledge they gave me and for their constant support. They didn't just teach me important skills but also showed me how important it is to never give up, even when things get hard. Their advice has been really valuable to me, and I'm sure it will help me throughout my career. I'm so happy I chose this school. If you're looking to start a career in IT, I highly recommend Portnov Computer School. read more

Portnov Computer School is the perfect place if you are looking for the job in the tech industry. They have organized and structured courses for Software Quality Assurance. Everyone (including Teachers and Management) are super nice and helpful. They will give you all sort of ideas how to work in companies and their expectations. They not only prepare their students with technical knowledge but also prepare them for interviews.My journey was super exciting and awesome. I made few good friends and got a job in a good company without internship luckily. I will suggest following the given direction from Portnov Computer School but at the same time do more preparation on your end.(helped me a lot). They schedule interviews for their student's plenty of times.(no counts). In my batch, all most everyone got some sort of internship or job. Portnov Computer School was a life-changing experience for me. Thanks to my husband who helps me to get enrolled. I will highly recommend for those who are looking for a job in the tech industry or looking for career change, to start a career and start a career after a long break. Portnov Computer School is the right place to make your dream come true read more

I am one of the folks who graduated from the Portnov School back in 1996. These were not the easiest times to find jobs in the IT field, and I was no where near my twenties. However with the invaluable job-related skills I acquired through Portnov School and through the school's job placement program, I was able to relatively quickly find a job in the Bay Area. I have heard about this school from my friends when I was living in San Diego. The school's reputation motivated me to enroll in the program despite its distant location away from my family. Looking back, I believe that was one of the smartest choices I've made. Misha Portnov, the school, and its staff became my second family. They provided me with knowledge, support, encouragement, and 24 hours a day unlimited access to their computer lab equipment. Since those days I consistently maintain contact with the school. On several occasions I have turned to Misha Portnov for advice in making a challenging career decision, and every single time he has been there to help me. Now once more I am at the cross roads in my life on my way to visit the Portnov School and Misha and I know he will not refuse to help. read more

If you are reading then either you might be going for your anticipated Intership exam or might have seen an ad Dice or you belong to Portnov mgt. You might have seen Dice Ad that you will get Internship and then they ask you to come for written exam and you will get excited and call all your friends and family that you are about to get internship and then job, Wow, so far so good then if you are married you will request your partner to stay at home on that day and then take you to the Interview and when you go there give you bunch of papers and all sorts of questions on testing JavaScripts, SQL, XML, Unix, HTML, etc., and then someone will evaluate your answers and says where to improve and they recommend you to join the institute for training and we thought this was mis leading and a lady who works there behaved odd telling that why would people come without knowledge, etc., The real question is why did they call??? My opinion, please do not waste your time; Tell your friends as well; I am not sure about the institute/training quality but posting internship job and then all this drama is unnecessary read more

I'm truly grateful for my decision to choose Portnov Computer School--it turned my life around 180 degrees. I chose Portnov based on personal recommendations and success stories from people I knew. When I decided to change careers, I did thorough research on existing schools and spoke with friends and their acquaintances already working in the IT field about where to start. Most of them recommended Portnov Computer School, and that's where I eventually enrolled. The information provided was intense and initially difficult to grasp, but my motivation and strong desire to reach my goal kept me going. As we all know, the job market isn't in its best shape right now (2024-2025), so I spent a couple of months applying to various positions after finishing school. Fortunately, Portnov school offered a two-month internship at an IT company--with the potential for a full-time position. And here I am! Today was my first day as a full-time QA Associate Engineer. Don't be afraid--keep moving forward, stay committed, and you'll get there too. Good luck, everyone! read more

This is easily one of the best ways to jumpstart a career in software testing, if not the best. I can confidently say after graduating the school and getting an internship with an established company, that Portnov school and EVERY single one of the wonderfully supportive teachers and staff there are 100% invested in finding positions for all seriously dedicated students. I also have the smallest bit of sympathy for the negative reviewers, as it took a lot of perseverance, hard work, and mental agility, which they must not have had. I have only a highschool diploma and my last job was flipping burgers, but they gave me every resource to succeed in spite of MY background. I've learned the language of the industry and its best practices/technical skills, and was given the opportunity to perfect them in a constructive and supportive environment before making the transition to a real testing position. I can't emphasize my gratitude enough, this experience was almost transformative. Slackers and poor attitudes need not apply! ;) -LM read more

Portnov school is the ultimate destination for people who are really serious about their career. A place where they can make their dreams come true! Really I mean every word which I just wrote. I went to Portnov school with my dreams 4 months ago and here I am today in a reputed software company working as Quality Engineer. Even though I am from non-IT background, all the teachers at Portnov do a really good job in teaching all the concepts very well. Mikhail, Yana, Marina everyone do a really good job. Seriously I haven't seen such honest people in years. I know a lot of desi companies out there who might not stand on their word but this place totally stands by their word. Mikhail with his immense knowledge of the industry helps in all the possible ways he can, very honest man. Sofia is the best recruiter that you can ever find. She helps a lot in arranging interviews. What else do you need when you have such supporting people around you. Just put in your best efforts and hard work and your dream will come true in no time! read more

Great thanks to Portnov for helping me land a new job after being laid off. I was a Senior Accessibility Engineer before the layoff and was struggling to get a new position. The current tech job market is extremely tough, and I couldn't get jobs that I was qualified or even overqualified for. Since I personally knew instructors and graduates from Portnov, I knew I could trust the school. The tuition is very affordable compared to similar training programs, and it covered a wide range of topics in a short period of time. These topics included Software Quality Assurance, Testing Mobile Applications, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, REST API, Networking, Test Automation with Selenium, and UNIX. Adding these skills impressed my new employer and landed me a contract job as an Accessibility QA Engineer with Microsoft. Additionally, Portnov cares about its students. Many of them don't speak English as their primary language, and Portnov provides additional support for those students. Thank you, Portnov! Keep up the great work! ~ read more

I studied there. Mr. Portnov promised me to start my new QA career and make a lot of money: at first more than 70K$, and after 1 year more than 90K$. But really I had another situation. - During two months I studied only the basic definitions in testing. - I needed to wait more than 6 months my internship, but internship was UNPAID 2 month I can't recommend this school, because: - Internships at Billeo, Live365, Mobifusion, Nextlabbs, Cellfire, Peppermob, Moca5 and other companies are u n p a i d. - Internships at Zoran, Proteus are paid on 8.5 - 10 $/h. - More than 10 students applied for One Inernship. - The waiting time before starting internship was more than 6 months; - Training was conducted, using bad "street" English; - All training was reduced to learning of the basic definitions which are in Wikipedia; - Software testers have to obtain more serious knowledge and experience in programming languages (C#, C++, JAVA, etc.) and other different tolls to get a job with wages of 70K$. read more

I joined Portnov with no QA experience. The SQA course was really very enlightening and Mikhael is one man who knows his stuff. I would recommend every person who wishes to have a career in QA to attend his class. At Portnov they not only focus on the theoretical aspects of QA, but also provide hands on training on various technologies that are very widely used in the industry. Radhika was very helpful preparing the students for the industry. They not only give good training but they try their very best to get you interviews for job placement and internships. Sofia rocks in that regard. Portnov was instrumental in finding me an internship and currently a QA contractor position in a start up company.Thanks a lot to Sofia, Mikhael and Radhika. You have helped me successfully embark on my career. For those who are looking for a good start in QA I would highly recommend this school. Join Portnov and start your career happily!!! Edit/Delete Message read more

Portnov is an excellent school to help you get into the QA field, and they are now expanding into other areas such as web development and DevOps. The school is accredited, giving it much more weight than the regular bootcamp. The instructors are knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, caring, and understandable. The Portnov staff are also extremely helpful and concerned about the future well-being of their students. Also, the school has never given up on me and has worked hard to offer me many further work opportunities. After completing the course, the school set me up with several interviews for internships and I was accepted to three of them. I have now been working at a startup for several months and it has enhanced my experience tremendously and has boosted my potential for landing a solid permanent job. I am grateful for all of the time and effort Portnov has put into me to help me get into the field of QA from a non-technical background. read more