Pros
-FDM trainers and managers have been extremely helpful and supportive throughout my time in the Academy in Glasgow and are constantly trying to create an inclusive and friendly atmosphere. -The trainees are also very helpful and supportive with each other, exchange ideas and have group studying, and I personally had a great and fun time during the training and met some very nice people! -The training is very helpful and interesting, I found it less challenging than I expected according to what our trainers suggested, but having said that you have to study a lot on your own to achieve the best results. Also, both technical and business paths can gain well-known certificates from the training, e.g. PRINCE2 for project management. -Database of very prestigious clients which normally would not be accessible to many trainees (especially without significant work experience or excellent grades). -FDM gives the opportunity of having interviews with many clients at any stage during the training period (I was recently hired by HSBC at the final week of my training, but also had another interview the week before that with another client). -Very open and honest from the beginning. I have been reading all these nasty comments how FDM can be misleading, but this is not true. They are very truthful from the beginning about the geographical flexibility, the unpaid training, the fact that you have to support yourself during and possibly 3 months after the training and they even asked how clear these things are in our heads on the 1st day of the training. So I think it is unfair to say that they are misleading, everyone has been nothing but honest to me at least so far.
Cons
-The training is unpaid, which can be an issue for many people including myself, but if you can afford supporting yourself for 3-6 months, then definitely give FDM a chance! -If you don't have a job after the training, you have to commute everyday to the Academy and be available for the next 3 months, which can be frustrating and discouraging. -Many people have been asked to upskill, for example swift from business analysts to testers in order to get a job. I would not say that would be a negative thing for me as I was unsure if I wanted to follow technical or business path, but some can feel that this is not about what trainees want but what clients want. -At the beginning of my training I had an experience of contacting via email account managers who never replied to me. I also had a similar experience with HR staff. I had to either go and talk to them in person or call them if it was something urgent. I think it is ridiculous if you have an email in front of you to wait for another call from the trainee to take care of an objectively simple issue.
