Careerfoundry Review: Succeeding in your chosen tech career path

The best way to hack the tech world is to learn from industry experts. To accelerate your tech career, you may benefit from programs like Careerfoundry and MentorCruise, which give you 1-on-1 access to top IT mentors.

While Careerfoundry is focused on hands-on skill training through courses, MentorCruise gives you personalized guidance to complement your learning. Both programs can give you job-ready skills and insight into the IT industry, so you’re ready to secure your dream job.

To help you understand the potential of Careerfoundry and MentorCruise, let’s compare these two programs so you can embark on your tech journey today.

How Careerfoundry & MentorCruise can accelerate your chosen career path in tech

#1: Personalized sessions vs. structured coursework

MentorCruise offers personalized sessions with tech/UX experts, while Careerfoundry focuses on tech upskilling coursework. These are both important aspects of accelerating your tech career.

#2: Specialized mentors vs. tutors

MentorCruise gives you access to expert mentors specialized in your tech field. Careerfoundry provides you two: a mentor for general guidance and a tutor to boost your skills and give you 24-hour feedback on exercises.

#3: Open communication vs. robust learning platform

MentorCruise gives you up-close access to mentors through a 24/7 messaging system and video calls, so you can easily communicate in your preferred method. In contrast, Careerfoundry offers a robust learning platform with an industry-designed curriculum.

#4: Flexible sessions vs. pre-defined course schedule

MentorCruise is a flexible way to book a session whenever you like, which is ideal if you have a busy schedule. Careerfoundry offers a 6-10 month course structure with a weekly time commitment. While all learning is remote and at-your-own pace, Careerfoundry may not be as easy to fit into your schedule.

What is Careerfoundry?

Founded in 2013, Careerfoundry is a Berlin-based educational startup that offers online coding, design and data science bootcamps and tech mentorship.

The platform provides a structured curriculum to get students from zero to their first job in the tech industry. In fact, 96% of graduates get jobs within 180 days of completing the program. Many have gone on to work at companies such as Google, PayPal, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon and more.

As a mark of its success, the program is rated 4.6/5 in reviews and often cited as “a life-changer” and “worth the money.”

Careerfoundry key features

Feature 1: Enjoy pre-defined courses for great structure.

Careerfoundry offers an expert-designed curriculum on a custom learning platform. Most courses last between 6-10 months and they’re all available remotely for a flexible learning experience.

Feature 2: Take advantage of a unique dual mentorship model.

Here you’ll get both a mentor and a tutor to support your learning process. While the tutor is focused on skill training and exercises, your tech mentor will provide general guidance and insight.

Feature 3: Ensure high quality with a tech job guarantee.

Careerfoundry is serious about the program’s results. The company offers a job guarantee – or your money back – for eligible graduates in the U.S., Canada, EU, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Feature 4: Get access to robust resources.

Finally, Careerfoundry opens access to other resources such as industry events, a job board and a blog. These resources can be useful to complement your learning and begin to network with other techies.

Pricing

Careerfoundry pricing varies according to the course you select. Most of the flagship programs cost between $6,500-$8,000 and run between 6-10 months.

In addition, Careerfoundry offers introductory or specialist courses that range between $650-$2,000 for a 1-2 month program.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Highly structured mentorship with courses
• Dual mentorship with mentor and tutor
• 24-hour feedback on exercises
• Individual and corporate mentorship
• Access to other resources
• Free 6-day intro course

Cons

• Expensive with flagship course starting at $6,500-$8,000
• Sessions aren’t personalized
• Limited courses with only four types (UX Design, UI Design, Web Development and Data Analytics)
• Medium-sized mentorship pool of about 600+
• Job guarantee is only for students located in U.S., Canada, EU, UK, Australia, and New Zealand

Careerfoundry complement: What is MentorCruise?

Founded in 2018, MentorCruise is a 1-on-1 mentorship service based in Switzerland, but operates globally.

Here you’ll get access to a curated database of industry-leading mentors specialized in a variety of fields. Mentors come from best-in-class companies such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, GitHub, Airbnb, Uber, Stripe, Netflix, etc.

MentorCruise boasts of an average rating of 4.7/5 and mentees credit the program as a “game-changer” and “huge step” for their careers. According to the company, mentees are six times more likely to reach their goals through MentorCruise.

MentorCruise key features

Feature 1: Flexible, customized mentorship sessions according to your current skills and interests.

MentorCruise doesn’t offer pre-defined courses, but rather lets you pick your mentor’s brain. It’s a flexible, personalized option if you’re looking for specialized guidance or extra help with a certain topic or help you navigate the tech industry.

Feature 2: Pick your own mentor from a large database of tech experts.

You can choose the mentor that best fits your needs. On MentorCruise, you’ll find a database of technical, design and business experts. Top Mentors, the top 1% on MentorCruise, are also a great choice for making the most of available experts.

Feature 3: Get mentorship in a variety of areas, including 11 technical specialties.

MentorCruise can bring you specialized know-how. It offers 11 technical specialties, including programming languages (Python, JavaScript, Java, React, NodeJS), machine learning, cybersecurity, data science, design, marketing and more. It also has a robust database with UX design mentors and other specialists.

Feature 4: Take advantage of unlimited messaging, in addition to video calls.

On MentorCruise, you also have options for how to communicate with your mentor. Directly on the platform, you can enjoy unlimited messaging with your mentor, as well as schedule video calls on a weekly basis.

Careerfoundry and MentorCruise features to boost IT careers

3 ways to combine MentorCruise & Careerfoundry to support your tech career

✔️ 1. As you complete your Careerfoundry coursework, get a personalized mentor on MentorCruise.

✔️ 2. After taking a course on Careerfoundry, get more specialized learning from an expert on MentorCruise.

✔️ 3. After graduating from Careerfoundry, boost your job search process with personalized interview prep on MentorCruise.

Get job-ready tech skills today

Both Careerfoundry and MentorCruise are top mentorship programs that can accelerate your career in tech. While Careerfoundry is ideal for newbies who want to quickly upskill with a 6-10 month course, MentorCruise is a more personalized option to get specialized guidance as you learn or start your job search.

You don’t have to choose just one either. These programs can be used side-by-side to truly level up your tech skills and prepare to get that first tech job once and for all.

Whether you decide to take a Careerfoundry course or not, you can kick off your tech career by finding the perfect mentor on MentorCruise. Your personalized mentor will give you insight into the tech learning process and share industry know-how to guide you.