Free Netflix Tech Bootcamp for Hilltoppers

By Robyn Ross
Most people know Netflix for its streaming service and for bringing joy to 222+ million members in over 190 countries 鈥 but, at its core, Netflix is a tech company. They want to entertain the world. It personalizes members' title recommendations, offers a user-friendly menu, and brings stories to members from around the world. These projects require expertise in data science, UX / UI Design, and Advanced Java, among other skills. Now, Netflix is teaching these skills to potential future employees 鈥 for free.

St. Edward鈥檚 is proud to be among a specially selected group of minority-serving institutions to partner with Netflix and 2U, Inc., a global education technology company, to offer students access to three for Fall 2022:

1. Advanced Java
2. Applied Data Science
3. UX/UI Design

The 16-week courses are taught online during the St. Edward鈥檚 semester and award course credit toward your degree. And they鈥檙e free! You鈥檒l learn from seasoned Netflix employees and have access to career coaching from 2U鈥檚 team of advisors. Students who have taken the courses get first priority for certain Netflix internships. Find out how to apply at Netflix鈥檚 starting Wednesday, April 13 and Tuesday, April 26 from 6鈥7:15 p.m. CST.

Four students who completed the courses last year shared their insider tips.

Why You Should Apply

鈥淲hen I started taking UX classes in my major, I already had a solid foundation 鈥 not just with software tools, but conceptually. I knew what we were talking about and what the process looked like. I walked away from the Netflix course confident enough to apply for internships in UX.鈥
Noah Carrico 鈥23, Video Game Development and UX/UI major, Netflix UX/UI course

鈥淏eyond the content, I learned a lot of skills 鈥 like how to deliver a project under pressure, and how to present a project. Also, team collaboration, meaning, doing what鈥檚 best for the team, and deciding who does what. When students complete the program, they are employer-ready, as we were taught real industry practices and processes.鈥
Emilio Cardenas Palomino 鈥24, Computer Science major, Netflix UX/UI course

鈥淲hen I interviewed for jobs, at every interview the people were surprised and excited about all the information we learned. The course helped me get a job as a data scientist at General Motors.鈥
Marisol Mondragon 鈥21 (December), Mathematics major, Netflix data science course

鈥淭he class taught me a lot of hands-on skills and industry standard tools. I want to get into backend software engineering, which focuses on the structural side of web applications, and it really helped me dive deeper into that.鈥
Sabur Khan 鈥22, Computer Information Science major, Netflix advanced Java course

How It Works

The courses meet on Zoom twice a week for three hours each session, with breaks and time for questions. An instructor (and, in some classes, assistant instructor) present topics and have students break into groups to do exercises. You鈥檒l have homework to complete each week. Up to a third of each class session is dedicated to optional 鈥渙ffice hours,鈥 where you can get help or talk about careers.

You鈥檒l be in a class with about 25 students total, from St. Edward鈥檚 and the other six Netflix partner universities. 鈥淭hat was a really cool aspect of the class, because I was able to meet people from universities out of state and became friends with them,鈥 says Mondragon.

You鈥檒l complete projects with a team of students from different universities. 鈥淭he group projects were the most fruitful part of the experience for me, because we were applying what we鈥檇 been taught,鈥 says Carrico. 鈥淚t was the part of the course most like real life. We were given a problem and used the process we鈥檇 been taught to solve it.鈥

How to Make the Most of the Opportunity

Know that the courses involve a lot of information and work. 鈥淚t was incredibly intense, but I learned a lot. It will be the biggest commitment you have for the semester,鈥 Carrico says.

To keep things manageable, consider registering for 12 hours plus the Netflix + 2U course.

Connect with the other St. Edward鈥檚 students who are taking your class, so you can puzzle out tricky homework assignments together.

Ask questions of your instructor and TA. They often stay after class for virtual office hours.

Be aware you might not grasp or remember all the content taught, but realize that the instructors are essentially curating a list of important topics that you can explore more on your own time later.