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In this Merit America review, we’re covering all the ins and outs of this tech training career program. If you’ve been wanting to break into tech, start earning a high-paying salary, and enjoy the perks like remote work options, benefits and workplace amenities, career advancement, and more, you’ll want to look into this review.
We’ll cover:
- What Merit America is?
- Merit America careers
- Merit America cost
- If it’s worth it to join this tech training program
Let’s go!
What is Merit America?
Merit America is an innovative education program that provides students from underserved communities with the education and skills they need to succeed.
Students who complete Merit America’s 24-month program receive a combination of on-site training and paid work experience at local businesses.
It takes about 24 months to complete Merit America’s program and prepare for a career in a high-growth industry.
Once you have successfully completed the program, Merit America bills employers for its services when their new hires successfully complete the program, stay employed, and progress through the workforce development curriculum.
- Merit America is an innovative education program that provides students from underserved communities with the education and skills they need to succeed.
- Merit America’s program is designed to help students build the skills and knowledge they need to enter high-paying jobs in growing fields like technology and healthcare.
Merit America was founded in 2005 by a group of educators who saw first-hand how technology could be used as a tool for learning, rather than just a distraction.
The organization has grown since then and now serves over 5,000 students annually through their programs in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver/Boulder and Silicon Valley/San Francisco Bay Area (CA).
They’ll help you start your career in:
- IT Support
- Java Development or,
- Data Analytics
Learn IT Support
IT support refers to the maintenance, repair, and management of computer systems, servers, and other technology-related equipment.
It also includes providing assistance and guidance to users who are experiencing technical problems with their computer systems or software.
IT support can be provided by in-house IT staff or by external companies that specialize in providing IT support services. The goal of IT support is to ensure that computer systems and technology are running smoothly and efficiently, and to troubleshoot and resolve any problems that may arise.
This is a 14-week IT Support program offered with Merit America is $0 to start. It’ll take about 20 hours per week to complete and you’ll gain skills and a Google certificate.
With IT support skills, you can go on to work an IT support role like IT Support Specialist, IT Chat Specialist, IT Support Associate, and related job titles.
Takeaways
- 14 weeks
- 20 hours a week
- Part time
Learn Java Development
Java development refers to the process of creating software applications using the Java programming language. Java is a popular programming language that is widely used for developing a variety of applications, including web, mobile, and desktop applications.
Java development involves writing, testing, and debugging code, as well as implementing and maintaining software applications. Java developers work with a variety of tools and technologies, including integrated development environments (IDEs), frameworks, libraries, and APIs, to build and deploy software applications.
Some common tasks that Java developers may be responsible for include designing and implementing software solutions, analyzing user requirements, and troubleshooting issues with existing systems.
The Java Development training is 21 weeks long at 25 hours/week. You pay $0 upfront and only pay after you’ve landed a job earning $50,000/year or more.
You will gain skills and certificates from Tech Elevator.
Takeaways
- 21 weeks
- 25 hours a week
- Part time
Learn Data Analytics
Data analytics is the process of examining data sets in order to draw conclusions about the information they contain, increasingly with the aid of specialized systems and software.
Data analytics technologies and techniques are widely used in a variety of industries, including business, finance, healthcare, and government. Data analytics can help organizations to make better decisions by providing them with insights and predictions based on data.
There are many different approaches to data analytics, including descriptive analytics, which involves summarizing and describing data; predictive analytics, which involves using data to make predictions about future events; and prescriptive analytics, which involves using data to recommend actions to take in a given situation.
Data analytics typically involves the use of statistical algorithms and machine learning techniques to analyze data, as well as the use of visualizations to present the results of the analysis in an easily understandable way.
Data analytics is a 16-week training at 20 hours/week. You pay $0 upfront and will learn skills and get a Google Certificate when you’re done with training.
Takeaways
- 16 weeks
- 20 hours a week
- Part time
Merit America Eligibility
Who can enroll?
To be eligible for Merit America, students must have less than a bachelor’s degree, live in one of our partner cities, and meet other requirements.
- Must be eligible for Pell Grants
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Have not received a bachelor’s degree
- Have fewer than 24 hours of college credit (including transfer credits)
How does Merit America Work?
Merit America is a program that helps young people find work in the United States. The program allows students to get paid for their work experience, and it also helps them learn how to navigate the American job market.
To put it simply, it’s a career training program. Once you enroll in one the above programs, you’ll start learning about that career so you after completion you can obtain a position in that career field.
Students are paired with an experienced mentor who guides them through the process of finding jobs, completing internships and working placements, and applying for visas.
During these experiences, they are paid by their employer as well as given access to accommodation while they’re in the country.
At the end of each phase of Merit America there is an assessment done by your mentor on whether or not you have met your goals set at the beginning of the program.
Merit America Pricing
While you will notice that each training program requires $0 cost up front, this is paid training. Merit America teaches you IT skills with zero to start and repayment of tuition happens once you have gainful employment.
Here’s more on how the pricing works:
- The training programs cost up to $8,400
- Merit America partners with Ascent Funding to help students cover their tuition
- The Java Development training is the most expensive and payments start after you secure a job paying at least $50,000. If you lose your job or your salary drops below that threshold, payments pause.
Read more about how much Merit America costs.
Merit America Reviews
Merit America reviews on their site are positive. Here’s what students are saying:
“I had no tangible qualifications to put on a resume and couldn’t afford training and exams. Merit provided everything I was looking for.” Yves
“Programs like Merit America allow you to open a door that otherwise you would not be able to.” – Sandra
“At Merit America, I knew I had people — the Merit team as well as my squad — in my corner pushing me and helping me, no matter how tough it got.” – Ebauni
A quick search on Google shows people are rating Merit America 3.5 to 4.8, depending on the site.
What I like about Merit America is that you can start without any out-of-pocket cost. I like that they offer options to help people afford tuition (the Ascent Funding partnership) and it looks like the Java Development training offers the best payback options, albeit the most expensive program.
You can take your time finding the right job and if it isn’t at $50K+ you don’t start repayment. Also, if you lose your job in the future or your higher salaried position falls below $50K, payments pause. It’s a creative and interesting payment structure that I think students will appreciate.
Frequently Asked Questions People Ask
1. Does Merit America pay?
Merit America is a tech training program. They don’t pay you to attend training but, they teach you tech skills to land a tech role like IT Support, Java Development, and Data Analytics.
2. Where is Merit America based?
Merit America is based out of Washington, D.C. but, their training programs are all 100% online.
Merit America Review | Is Merit America Worth it?
Merit America is a great program for people who want to improve their career prospects, and it’s one of the best opportunities available to do so. If you’re willing to put in some effort and make smart choices about what you learn, you can get a lot out of this program.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to build your skills through projects that are relevant to your interests and goals, or even through classes you take in an area where you’re hoping to improve.
The instructors are very knowledgeable, so they can help guide students on what they should study next if they want more knowledge in any given field.
This looks like a promising career training program. To learn about other tech bootcamps available, read our CourseCareers review about tech sales ($60K to $80K average starting salary) including coupon and Avocademy review (learn UX/UI design, earning $85K average salary).
This can be especially helpful if the student has never taken classes before but wants guidance on what might be useful for their future careers.
Learn more about Merit America.