Thinkful: Find Top Courses & Training Locations

Thinkful focuses on providing students with the right online training and development with the ability to pay tuition when hired. They provide career services, one-on-one mentorship programs, team project building, and job placement assistance for graduating students. Upon graduating, if you do not secure a job within six months, Thinkful refunds 100 percent of your tuition.

Thinkful is a tech school devoted exclusively to the success of its students. Since its founding in 2012, Thankful has provided thousands of learners with a dependable and clear path into a variety of tech careers in fields like software engineering, data science, and data analytics.

Dan Friedman, the founder and President of Thinkful, started this career accelerator based on the premise that the relationships forged between peers, as well as between students and instructors, provide the basis of a strong education. Before founding Thinkful, Dan worked as a Product Manager at Elm City Labs and as an analyst at RRE Ventures, an NYC venture capital firm that has since become a Thinkful investor. After he spent two years at Yale University, Dan joined the Thiel Fellowship, a program in which 20 people are selected each year to leave college and start their own company. Since its founding nearly a decade ago, Thinkful has expanded into an international team of 160.

Those who enroll in Thinkful’s courses have access to a wide range of educational support, such as career coaching, one-on-one mentoring, access to their impressive employer network, and even a tuition refund guarantee. Their “driven by outcomes” approach to education is evident in Thinkful’s policy of only charging tuition once a student has secured a job. As their 2021 Long-Term Outcomes Reporting numbers indicate, Thinkful’s dedication to their students’ success extends past graduation.

Subjects Taught at Thinkful

Subjects taught here include:

Software engineering
Project management
Data science
Data analytics
Digital marketing
UX/UI design

Look at how Thinkful stands up against other schools by comparing software engineering bootcamps, project management bootcamps, data science bootcamps, data analytics bootcamps, digital marketing bootcamps, and UX/UI design bootcamps with Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool.

What Classes Are Available?

Thinkful offers courses in several timely fields, like software engineering, technical project management, data science, data analytics, digital marketing, and UX/UI design. A great starting point to learn more about the available classes at Thinkful is to browse through their course catalog.

Thinkful’s software engineering bootcamp is offered in both the full-time and part-time class structure. Full-time study spans five months and allows students to work in concert with a cohort, whereas part-time enrollment takes place over six months and is designed so that students can work at their own pace. Students in this course learn JavaScript, React, and Node, and develop skills with both front end and back end web development so that they can run websites and ensure that apps are functional. Those enrolled in this bootcamp receive industry-relevant training for careers such as a Game Developer, Security Engineer, or Web Developer, among others.

For those interested in learning how to weave stories using formulas, spreadsheets, and data, Thinkful’s Data Analytics Bootcamp is a great option. Participants in this rigorous course receive training on how to analyze large data sets in order to extract key insights that can then be reported in an understandable way to other members of a company or organization. Course instruction covers core topics, such as statistical analysis, SQL, and Python, as well as how to work with Tableau and perform advanced Excel functions. Graduates of this bootcamp have the skills to pursue several career paths, like data journalism, financial analysis, marketing analysis, and business intelligence analysis.

Thinkful’s comprehensive Technical Project Management Bootcamp is designed for those interested in managing technical projects, services, or ideas. Students in this course learn how to work with timelines, budget constraints, and specs. They receive instruction on topics like project planning, systems development, and forecasting. This course spans three months for those who elect to study full-time with a cohort, and five months for those working on the program part-time. Graduates of this bootcamp have the necessary training to pursue jobs like Process Engineers, Business Analysts, and Technical Project Manager, among others.

Digital Marketing is currently an in-demand profession. Thinkful’sDigital Marketing Bootcampoffers students an interactive approach to learning topics like how to develop a brand, build an audience, and increase sales. This part-time, three-month bootcamp is designed to help learners explore the fundamentals of the digital marketing landscape, imparting relevant job skills along the way, like working with social media marketing, SEO, email marketing, and pay per click. The creative skill set taught in this bootcamp prepares students for careers as Content Strategists, Digital Marketers, and Social Media Manager, among others.

Class Formats

Thinkful offers both full-time immersion programs as well as part-time flex programs so that students can complete their education around other work and life commitments. Full-time bootcamps run between three and five months in duration, and part-time classes typically take six months to complete but allow students to set their own learning pace. Both full-time and part-time flex options provide students with the same curriculum and learning outcomes.

Thinkful’s courses are offered in the fully online format, and also provide in-person workshops, meetups, and events in a variety of cities around the U.S. All students are matched with a personal mentor currently working in the industry, who is there to provide career tips and insights, offer feedback and technical coaching, and provide live video consultations. In addition, to help foster an interactive and collaborative learning environment, Thinkful provides all students with access to a Slack community. This allows participants to learn with, and from, fellow students, just as they would in a traditional classroom setting.

Pricing & Payment Options

Thinkful’s unique payment plan is designed so that students who have different financial circumstances can have the same access to life-changing education. Students can select the payment option that most suits their needs. The most cost-effective payment plan involves upfront payment. Individual program costs vary, and those electing this payment option would pay the lump sum of tuition up front. Month-to-month payment options are also available for those interested in breaking their tuition costs into regular smaller payments.

Deferred Tuition is the most unique financing plan offered by Thinkful. Students can begin learning for $0 upfront, and only pay once they are hired by a future employer. At the time of employment, those enrolled then pay back tuition costs in fixed monthly payments that are not tied to income. Those interested in learning more about how deferred tuition works can learn more here.

Another unique financing option Thinkful offers is its deferred tuition with living expenses option. Those who choose to study full-time have the option of deferring tuition until employment, as well as receiving a loan of $1,500 per month to pay other bills. This living expense loan allows students to focus entirely on their studies without having to fret about rent, grocery shopping, or child care costs.

Thinkful’s income share agreement (ISA) allows learners to complete their entire program without having to make a single payment. After graduation, once the student is hired and is making at least $40,000 a year, they pay Thinkful 15% of their income. The ISA can also be paired with the living stipend to offer students a stress-free educational experience.

In addition to the various financing options Thinkful offers, they also provide discounts to their various programs for military veterans, women, and those who identify as nonbinary.

Thinkful’s commitment to its students’ success is reflected in its tuition-refund guarantee. If a Thinkful grad is unable to secure a job within six months of course completion, they receive a full refund for their studies.

Career Support Services

Thinkful is committed to the long-term success of their students, which extends beyond the in-class experience. The career team at Thinkful offers several kinds of post-graduation resources and support that are in place to ensure career advancement and measurable outcomes. Students have access to mock behavioral and technical interviews, individual and group sessions, and technical content. In addition, students are encouraged to attend career-focused Q&A sessions as well as thematic workshops on topics like LinkedIn reviews, navigating the job search, writing cover letters, and networking, among others.

Additionally, those at Thinkful help students build relationships with well-known companies and brands, ultimately finding great career matches for graduates at top companies like Amazon, Google, Boeing, and IBM.

Alumni Outcomes

Each year, Thinkful releases Long-Term Outcomes Reporting that provides transparent information about job outcome statistics for Thinkful graduates, as well as alumni outcomes. The 2021 Report demonstrates many indications of the success of Thinkful grads. The value of Thinkful’s bootcamps is evident in the numbers; Thinkful boasts a median $17K salary increase and 80% hire rate within the first year of graduation. In addition, over a third of Thinkfu’s graduates have received at least one promotion since beginning their career, and of them, 94% got that promotion the first year they were employed.

Because it is committed to transparency, Thinkful also releases Engineering Outcomes Reporting. Key findings of the 2019 Report indicate that 87% of those who studied software engineering and completed the job search period accepted an in-field job within 180 days, and 69% of them accepted an in-field job within 90 days. Of those who accepted jobs, 50% earned an annual base salary between $50-$70,000, and 27% earned between $70 and $90,000.

What Do Students Say?

Students taking Thinkful courses have the opportunity to review their bootcamp experiences on various rating websites. Their ratings, as well as their first-person reviews, provide real perspectives on the different experiences and takeaways students had during their studies.

Overall, Thinkful’s ratings were quite positive, with an overall score of 4.65/5 on Switchup based on 661 student reviews. Similarly, Course Report ranked Thinkful a 4.56/5 based on 871 reviews. Career Karma collected 814 reviews and rated Thinkful a 4.8/5.

In their reviews, many students pointed to the mentorship and career coaching as perks of Thinkful’s training. Having both a mentor and program manager providing assistance and guidance through coursework was seen as a pro by many students. Another benefit cited by many reviewers was the flexibility provided by Thinkful’s flex program, which allows students to complete their coursework around other life events. In addition, the deferred tuition with living expenses financing option was seen as a huge perk of Thinkful by several reviewers. One student was: “very excited to see that I could enter a fast-paced program while receiving a stipend so I could focus my time on studying instead of juggling homework and working to cover my bills.”

There is some mention of the downsides of Thinkful’s bootcamps. Cost is a deterrent factor for some students. One wrote that “this program is expensive and I wish I had sought better information before handing the cash over.” Others cited inconsistency with grading and noted that class sizes are much larger than were initially indicated.

Yet, by and large, the feedback from over 2,000 students was overwhelmingly positive. Perhaps this is why in 2021 Career Karma awarded Thinkful Best Online Bootcamp, best Cybersecurity Bootcamp, best Data Science Bootcamp, and Best Coding Bootcamp for the first quarter. These bootcamps lead to job opportunities and upward mobility within processions. In the words of one recent grad: “Thanks to Thinkful, I have my dream job at my ideal company!”

Pros & Cons

Pros of Thinkful

Good job outcomes post-graduation
Flexible pace for the courses (full-time or flex)
Top-of-the-line instructors for software engineering, data science, data analytics, digital marketing, technical project management, and UX/UI design
A variety of financing options for different lifestyles
Vast network of career options for graduates
Dedicated career coaches and mentors

Cons of Thinkful

High enrollment cost
All courses are taught fully online

Top Courses at Thinkful

Find the perfect course for you at Thinkful. We’ve selected 12 of Thinkful’s most popular courses. View the course catalog at thinkful.com

Subjects Taught at Thinkful

Product Management

Take enterprise-level projects from start to finish with a comprehensive Product Management course. Participants master core concepts, exhibit emotional intelligence, and support a company’s mission.

In-Person Product Management Classes Live Online Product Management Classes Product Management Bootcamps

Web Development

Web development encompasses all of the layers involved in building a website or web application. Websites are made up of two parts: the front end and the back end. Web development is used to create beautiful, interactive, and functional websites in nearly every industry.

In-Person Web Development Classes Live Online Web Development Classes Web Development Bootcamps

UX Design

User experience (UX) designers work on creating functional, meaningful, and enjoyable user experiences. UX design focuses on ease of use, navigation, and functionality of products (which are commonly digital products such as websites and apps).

In-Person UX Design Classes Live Online UX Design Classes UX Design Bootcamps

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing includes the online marketing efforts to promote a business, including social media marketing, email marketing, search engine marketing, SEO, and conversion rate optimization. Digital marketing skills are critical for business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers in our digital-first world.

In-Person Digital Marketing Classes Live Online Digital Marketing Classes Digital Marketing Bootcamps

Data Science

Data science is one of the fastest-growing career fields, with competitive salaries and nearly endless opportunities for specialization. Data science uses machine learning algorithms, statistics and other analytic tools to understand data.

In-Person Data Science Classes Live Online Data Science Classes Data Science Bootcamps

Data Analytics

Data analytics is the process of analyzing raw data in order to draw conclusions. Data analytics are used to study all kinds of data, including productivity, production, profit/loss and much more.

In-Person Data Analytics Classes Live Online Data Analytics Classes Data Analytics Bootcamps

Software Engineering

Software engineering is the process of creating applications for operating systems, as well as writing operating systems themselves. Software Engineers use a strong knowledge of coding and development to create and modify computer programs.

In-Person Software Engineering Classes Live Online Software Engineering Classes Software Engineering Bootcamps

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Thinkful

Subjects Taught at Thinkful

What Classes Are Available?

Class Formats

Pricing & Payment Options

Career Support Services

Alumni Outcomes

What Do Students Say?

Pros & Cons

Top Courses at Thinkful

Web Development Full-Time

Web Development Part-Time

UX/UI Design Flex

Product Management Flex

Data Analytics Flex

Technical Project Management Flex

UX/UI Design Immersion

Digital Marketing Immersion

Digital Marketing Flex

Data Science Immersion

Subjects Taught at Thinkful

Product Management

Web Development

UX Design

Digital Marketing

Data Science

Data Analytics

Software Engineering

Map of Thinkful Locations