Python

Sara Saatchi's Python Programming for Beginners was my first course at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension and was an excellent experience. It gave me a good introduction to Python. Sara is a great instructor. She always took the time to answer any and all questions that we had (and our class had a lot!). She broke down complex programming concepts into more simple and easy-to-digest chunks. While the course mainly used Jupyter Notebook, Sara also shared Python examples in the Spyder environment as well. It was helpful to see multiple development environments, especially for a beginner. I highly recommend this course to anyone wanting to learn Python.

— Huy Tran
Recruitment Growth Specialist, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension
BS, HR Management, Western Governors University

Administrative Professional

It helped me a lot, especially Role of the Project Manager, which was a refresher and enhanced my skills. I really feel very positive about taking the courses here. That’s why I work here. I want to help other students see the benefits of it. You’re not only learning from the instructors but from many students who are actually working in the field. They’re sharing their experience. You’re not only learning enhanced skills, you’re learning what not to do as well. Once you get a better job, you see how much it’s worth.

— Phuong Kim Pham
Student Services Representative, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension
BS, Information Resources Management and BA, Economics, San Jose State University
Credential, Family Development, Cornell University
Certificate, Administrative and Executive Assistant Program, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension

Marketing

Learning the fundamentals in Principles of Marketing really helped focus our message and communicate more effectively with potential customers.

—James Kostecka
Program Manager, Engineering and Technology, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension

Information Technology

‘It’s been very helpful. It filled in a lot of gaps that I didn’t know I had and strengthened my understanding in the whole network process. My favorite class was Storage Technology in Data Centers with Ramin Elahi. He’s a lively lecturer and made a fairly dry subject more interesting with personal stories about the industry.”

— Calvin Lee
Informational Support Specialist, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension & UC Scout
BA, Geography, UC Davis
Certificate, Information Technology (formerly Network Engineering and Systems Security), UCSC Silicon Valley Extension

Computer Programming

I took Python Programming for Beginners with Irv Kalb and he’s a very, very good instructor on par with any university professor I’ve had. He is able to explain really complex programming concepts in a way that makes them very digestible and easy to understand. He’s very detailed and has clear learning objectives. I also liked that he knows about other programming languages as well, so while he’s describing the benefits of using Python, he will contrast it with Java or html or C programming. I’m not super into programming but there are things that nonprogrammers can do with Python like data analysis.

— Robert Van Unen

Manager, Finance and Business Services, UC Scout
BA, Political Science, UC San Diego

Varied Courses

I’ve taken courses in a lot of different areas for both personal and professional reasons—everything from financial planning to language structure and project management. In Applied Mathematics for Financial Planning, it was interesting to see how the financial world works and how the instructor (Cynthia Riley) made math relevant to the everyday person. Role of the Project Manager was a two-Saturday course, but the instructor, Alan Tsuda, kept the class so interesting by mixing it up and making it interactive that I got ideas for my international student orientations. Audrey Blumeneau taught both HTML Fundamentals and Designing with Cascading Style Sheets. She was wonderful, very encouraging. And, even though I don’t really have a programming mind, I took Python Programming for Beginners and enjoyed it. Irv Kalb is a very approachable instructor. He’s very kind, calm, and knowledgeable.

— Kathy Harrington
Library Associate, City of Palo Alto Libraries
(Former International Student Advisor, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension)
MA, Library and Information Science, San Jose State University
Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, San Francisco State University
BA, Social Welfare, UC Berkeley

Accounting & Business Administration

One of my favorite courses so far has been Business and Professional Writing with Linda Rodgers-Price. It was very good for me professionally because I learned things that I actually applied to work. I learned to write more professional emails and be more aware of how I communicate my thoughts.

— Carlos Ortiz
Financial Services Analyst at University of California
(Former General Accountant II
, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension)
BA, Environmental Studies/Biology, UC Santa Cruz
Accounting Certificate*, UCSC Silicon Valley Extension

* The Accounting Certificate is no longer offered.

Project and Program Management

Taking Decision-Making Tools and Techniques with Sanjay Bhatia helped me develop skills for my professional and personal life. He makes the content of the course easy to absorb by relating them to everyday personal life examples. The methods and concepts from this course helped be more conscious and analytical in my decision-making.

— Mikaela (Miko) Garcia
Assistant Producer/Director, UC Santa Cruz
BAS, Animation and Visual Arts, SAE Expression College
Project and Program Management Certificate, UCSC Extension