Check out our review of OpenClassrooms to learn more about their courses, prices, and student reviews.
Updated in 2023
- What does OpenClassrooms do?
- Who is OpenClassrooms for?
- What does OpenClassrooms cost?
- Ratings and reviews of OpenClassrooms
- Alternatives to OpenClassrooms
- How does OpenClassrooms compare to Pathrise?
What does OpenClassrooms do?
OpenClassrooms is an online tech bootcamp with courses in software engineering, web development, UX design, data science, project management, business, and human resources. The diploma courses are Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and certification levels. Students participate in weekly 1-on-1 mentor sessions and communicate with their peers via the online platform. The curriculum includes self-corrected activities, quizzes, projects based on real-world work scenarios, and more.
Mentors and assessors review each project and assignment. Then, the student finds out if they passed. If they don’t, then they have to redo the assignment. The courses are designed to be completed in 6-15 months. Students should expect to work 10-15 hours per week. However, it is fine if they require more time.
To complete the course, students must compile a portfolio and send their work to be reviewed by a jury of industry professionals and educators from the field. If they pass the final review, they receive a diploma. If they do not, the jury offers written feedback and gives students the opportunity to revise their work for resubmission.
In addition, OpenClassrooms offers career coaching after students receive their diploma. Students can enroll in “Land Your Dream Job”. This free course gives them 1-on-1s weekly to review resumes, portfolios, job applications, and more for up to 6 months.
Finally, OpenClassrooms also offers free introductory courses in similar topics. Students spend much less time, 6-15 hours on average, to learn the fundamentals.
Who is OpenClassrooms for?
Students who are looking to learn the necessary skills to land a job as a software engineer, web developer, data analyst, project manager, and UX designer could benefit from the courses offered at OpenClassrooms.
What does OpenClassrooms cost? How much work is involved?
OpenClassrooms makes it fairly difficult to find out pricing information. It looks like the diploma path courses range in price based on the type of diploma. The Master’s are the most expensive, costing $500 per month for the duration of the program, which is generally 12 months. The others are $300-400 per month for around 6 months.
Before enrolling, students should have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Then, students must identify which courses best fit their aspirations. Some of the programs have prerequisites, so double check the qualifications for each course before signing up. Finally, students register with their Facebook, Google, or email accounts, select their payment plan, and begin learning.
Ratings and reviews
People have mixed reviews of OpenClassrooms. Students on CourseReport benefited from the well structured curriculum and 1-on-1 mentorship. One reviewer said “you’ll leave with some cool projects to add to your portfolio”. They also reported that the premium plan price “is very reasonable compared to other institutions (it’s worth it).”
But, another reviewer on CourseReport said that the 5 star reviews look “suspiciously fake to me”. They noted that “even though the course is comprehensive, its contents are composed of information that seems to have been scrapped from internet tutorials and has some conceptual mistakes that are pretty blatant.”
While SwitchUp reviewers generally praised the curriculum and the 1-on-1 mentorship, one grad expressed serious concerns over the course material. They report that “I realized their optional coursework was not enough to get through their projects”. They also said, “I had to branch out to other free courses available on other platforms like Udacity”. The reviewer also noted that the “overall aesthetic feels outdated compared to the sleek interfaces provided by competing mentorship programs.”
One Reddit reviewer criticized the mentorship and assessment system for being inefficient. They were disappointed with the online learning platform and curriculum, saying “the curriculum is so bad that 90% of the time your mentor will redirect you to other resources.”
Alternatives to OpenClassrooms
If you decide not to enroll in OpenClassrooms, you might consider one of the alternative bootcamps or online resources available below:
- One of the most well known bootcamps is General Assembly, which offers full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on a variety of topics like software engineering, data science, UX design, digital marketing, product management, and more. Read more about General Assembly in our review.
- Aspiring software engineers and web developers can also consider CodeX Academy, a self-paced coding bootcamp with mentorship opportunities. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our review.
- Students interested in taking online self-guided or instructor-led product design courses can check out DesignerUp. Learn more about DesignerUp in our review.
- Aspiring designers can also consider Designlab, an online bootcamp that teaches the necessary skills to land a job as a UX designer. Read more about Designlab in our review.
- CareerFoundry and Bloc are online bootcamps with courses in UX/UI design and web development.
- Those interested solely in UX/UI design can also enroll in Designation, a product design bootcamp that offers an in-person program in Chicago, as well as a live online option.
- UX Pro Academy has courses for beginners as well as more experienced people.
- GrowthX Academy is an online bootcamp with courses in growth marketing, UX design, and sales and business development.
- Students can also consider Kenzie Academy, a full-time tech bootcamp that offers in-person and online courses in 2 tracks: software engineering & UX design and front-end engineering. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our review.
- Similarly, Noble Desktop, BrainStation, Fullstack Academy, allWomen Academy, University of Arizona Bootcamps, and Flatiron School offer courses in software engineering, UX design, and other topics.
- Another online option is Lambda School, which offers 9-month bootcamps in full stack web dev and data science.
More alternatives
- Thinkful, Coding Dojo, Zip Code Wilmington, GW Bootcamps, and Pragmatic Institute offer a variety of courses on similar topics as well.
- Students online bootcamp or resource can check out Skillcrush, Interaction Design Foundation, V School, and Gymnasium respectively, which offer courses in UX design and web development.
- For people with an interest in data science, Metis has part-time introduction courses as well as onsite and online bootcamp options. Learn more about Metis in our review.
- DataCamp, Dataquest, Promotable, Divergence Academy, and Data Science Dojo are also options for current and aspiring data scientists. They offer individual courses and in-depth tracks.
- Rigorous and intense, NYC Data Science Academy and The Data Incubator are data science bootcamps for those with significant experience working with data. Or, you can consider 365 Data Science or K2 Data Science, which are part-time, online programs.
- Similarly, QuickStart, Codeup, Clarusway, and Nashville Software School have courses in web dev and data.
- edX is one of the largest online learning platforms. They have courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT as well as big tech companies like Microsoft. Learn more about edX in our review.
- You can check out Udacity and Springboard, which are online educational platforms that students can use to brush up on the basics or advance their skills. Read more about Udacity and Springboard in our reviews.
- Codecademy is one of the most popular coding programs online. They provide free courses on different programming languages. They also offer membership options ranging from $20 to $40. Learn more about Codecademy in our review.
- Those interested in online learning platforms can also consider Coursera, Udemy, Skillshare, Pluralsight, Learn UX, Treehouse, and Learn@Forbes, which offer free and low-cost courses.
- Free online resources, SoloLearn and the Mode tutorials have tracks in SQL, as well as other programming languages.
How does OpenClassrooms compare to Pathrise?
OpenClassrooms is an online bootcamp, with courses for people who are looking to develop the necessary skills to land a job as a software engineer, web developer, UX designer, data scientist, or project manager from scratch.
At Pathrise, fellows entering the program should have some background in their field because our workshops, which prepare fellows for the technical interviews, require knowledge of the fundamentals. We help job-seekers with every component of the job search process, including resume and LinkedIn optimization, portfolio building, technical and behavioral interview prep, and more. Our program is flexible. There are only 2-4 hours of sessions per week. Fellows can schedule 1-on-1 sessions whenever they need help.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that works with students and professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. If you are interested in working with our mentors to optimize your job search, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
