Every module throughout the bootcamp has a module advisor (or advisors) who is your go to resource throughout that module.

At Praxis, the role of the program advisor is akin to a personal fitness trainer rather than a school teacher or professor. Program advisors are here to guide you through your program experience as well as:

Provide valuable feedback and context as you work on your weekly projects and deliverables
Challenge you to think deeper about your short and long term career interests
Keep you accountable to the quality standards of the program and your own goals

All program advisors have experience in the specific modules and topics they’re covering, and you can expect to receive strong coaching and customer service from every single one of them.

We can not emphasize this enough: Praxis program advisors are here to help you become a better version of yourself. If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, don’t avoid communication with them. Proactively reach out to your advisor(s), and they will help you figure out how you can make progress on your goals throughout the program.

As you go through the Praxis program, here are the main interactions you can expect to have with your program advisors:

Praxis Wednesdays

Praxis Wednesdays are every Wednesday evening from 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. Eastern time and are a time to meet with your cohort and your module advisor on Zoom. While the work you do throughout the bootcamp is to build your individual portfolio, you’ll have community support every step of the way! Praxis Wednesdays are an opportunity to discuss topics relevant to that week’s curriculum and your overall program journey and cover any questions you have as you’re working on your projects. You can also get live feedback on your work. Be sure to take full advantage of this regularly scheduled advisor time!

Praxis Wednesday Tips

Come prepared with questions you want to workshop with your advisor and cohort every week.
Treat Praxis Wednesday sessions as a group coaching call where you can engage and speak up.
Don’t passively sit in on Praxis Wednesday sessions and then reach out to your advisors with your questions afterwards.
Don’t miss a session without proactively communicating with your advisor ahead of time.

Deliverable Feedback

Module advisors are here to challenge you and hold you accountable to professional level standards. As you work on your projects each week, you’ll submit your first drafts in Slack for your module advisor to give you feedback. Advisors will always provide feedback within 24 business hours, so you’ll be able to get to work on your revisions promptly.

The goal of advisor feedback is to make sure you’re building a portfolio of professional level projects. Praxis advisors aren’t interested in checking off participation boxes when you submit your projects. They are going to evaluate them from the perspective of a hiring manager and let you know if what you’ve created is relevant and impressive.

Deliverable Feedback Tips

Focus on developing your coachability and ability to receive feedback as a skill. Understanding how to receive feedback (whether you agree with it or not) is invaluable as a young professional.
Question and engage with your advisor’s feedback. If you’re unsure how to apply their notes or disagree with the feedback given, start a conversation with your advisor about it.
Practice good time management! Make sure you submit your first draft early enough to both get feedback from your advisor and also implement it.

Communication via Slack & Email

We definitely expect you to have questions as you go through the program, so don’t hesitate to reach out to your module advisor via Slack or email when you need them. You will always receive a response within 24 business hours, and we urge you to err on the side of over-communicating! It’s much better for our advisors to be in the know with what is going on with you rather than have to track you down each week.

Communication Tips

Build a habit of exceptional professional communication during the program. 99% of professionals have at least some poor communication habits. You can set yourself apart by always responding to messages within 24 hours and making an effort to keep communication focused and concise.
Over-communicate! Your communication with your advisors and cohort throughout each week of the program can often make the difference between good and great progress.
Don’t solely rely on Slack DMs for your communication. Post your questions in the Slack channel for your cohort! Chances are, someone else has the same question, and they’ll benefit from seeing the public response.

One-on-one Calls

There are occasions where a question or problem is best discussed in a call, and your advisors do have some availability for one-on-one calls. When it comes to requesting a one-on-one call, it’s important to keep a couple of expectations in mind, so be sure to follow the tips below!

One-on-one Call Tips

Your call should have a clearly defined purpose. You don’t want to be the “this meeting could have been an email” person, so you should share the purpose and desired outcome of the call when you request it. For example, “I’m having an issue getting the Zapier portion of my project to function properly, and none of my troubleshooting so far has been successful. Could we hop on Zoom, so I can screenshare and show you what is happening?” is a detailed and professional way to request a one-on-one call. Alternatively, asking for a call because you “feel stuck” doesn’t give enough clarity into what the call is for, and it’s better for you to spend some time thinking through how to articulate your issue before jumping on the phone.
Advisors have defined availability. Unless otherwise communicated, you can expect advisors to have availability during regular business hours (9 am to 5pm in their local time zone) Monday through Friday. You’ll want to manage your time well throughout the bootcamp to avoid creating a situation where you find yourself quickly needing advisor input during late nights or weekends.

If you take only one thing from this page, it should be this: Praxis program advisors are here to help you become a better version of yourself. We’re excited to work with you!