Software Guild

I discovered the Software Guild through Cal. State Long Beach, which was advertising the boot camp as a continuing education class. I was definitely nervous about enrolling as it was a large expense however it was not as expensive as some of the other options and there were a large number of positive reviews. I am very glad that I chose to enroll. I loved the experience and felt like I learned a lot. I was assigned an instructor who was great to work with and would help me if I got stuck on anything. 

One of the things I was nervous about prior to enrolling was the fact that the Software Guild was clearly focused on the mid-west, and given that I lived in California I was unsure how much support I would be getting compared to those that lived closer to their hubs. I do feel that they made an effort to work around my schedule and the time difference, however I think this is still an area that they can improve in.

While I loved working with the instructor assigned to me, and felt he was very qualified, I did begin to realize that the different instructors had different standards for work. I feel that there should be a more closely aligned rubric between all instructors so that everybody gets more or less the same experience.

The job placement assistance felt satisfactory. Once again I think there was a slight disadvantage in this department with regards to being located outside of the mid-west where most of the software guild's resources are, however I think my experience here should be taken with a grain of salt, the Covid pandemic set in a month and a half after I graduated and made the job hunting experience much more difficult than it might otherwise have been.

I've been a tech enthusiast for over half of my life and I turn 25 this year. I've made my own small projects just outside the scope of hello-world, and learned a few things here and there about algorithms. I picked up some concepts that developers lean on and how they use them. But I knew I could never actually DO the work to make a cohesive application that stands up on its own legs by itself. There was always something in a tutorial that eluded me, or it was an outdated piece of information I was learning from or what have you.

Well I'm glad I found this company from a friend who works with an alumnus. Because as of March 5th, 2020, 4 months after graduation, I landed an Automation Engineering position at GE, Haier here in Louisville making 2.5x as much as I've ever made. I wouldn't have seen an interview without this place and what it has done for me as a developer and critical thinker will stick with me for the rest of my days. My colleagues at GE possess MBA's, BA's, and MD's in the various sciences. And I get to work with them! Me! A college dropout! It's not about knowing everything in the book before you get there, it's about the thirst for the journey. That's what your future employer will be looking for.

The Software Guild will go down in my book as one of, if not the only private education specialized to produce competent developers that can actually thrive in the workforce. I believe more than half of my class (11 graduates) have landed a job already as well. That's all thanks to the staff, who are SO incredibly passionate about what they do; they have the guidebook to unlock your understanding for all levels of experience, zero to hero. If you're already a hero, they'll see that and push you even farther. If you're at the zero, they know exactly where you're going to go wrong and when you're going to feel like quitting and are there for you. Is there a better position to be in when you attend? No. I already had a great deal of knowledge relative to my classmates, as some of my classmates were just finding out what the cmd prompt was. Some of those students got jobs way faster than I did.

I 10x'd myself as a critical thinker, programmer, designer. All because the instructors are patient, humorous, down-to-earth and above-all accomplished and brilliant. The supporting staff as well, like Jess and Kipp and Amy ( and more ) are all unsung heroes too. They aren't part of your software education per-say, but they are part of holding you accountable to pursue that job and how to carry yourself to land that job. Those staff members mentioned are the ones who are providing job leads, practice interviews, resume building, networking opportunities, seminars, weekly check-ins; that all support you in your final stretch to landing your life-changing job.

Thank you to everyone at The Software Guild. Best decision of my life. I hope if you aspire to be a developer but are at ends meet with being self-taught and think you can do better for yourself; consider looking into investing 1/4th of a year into this place. I highly, highly doubt you will regret it.

I had a great experience going through the Java online boot camp at Software Guild. And furthermore, I had immediate success finding a job even before finishing the camp. SoftwareGuild has proven in the industry in the Twin Cities and is well known here among the businesses so it was very easy to find a job as a junior developer. The employer had hired graduates from the boot camp who had proven as good employees with enough knowledge to do the job. 

The mentoring was great, I had support not only from my mentor but from every instructor that was online. They were answering my questions quickly and not only during their Open Office Hours but whenever they were available. And there was always someone available to help me. 

 

 

Before joining The Software Guild, I was a warehouse worker with a 4 year degree I couldn't do much with. I wasn't happy in terms of career and wanted much more. I wanted a rewarding challenge. Joining this apprenticeship was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I received hands on/real world experience, met some amazing individuals, established myself in a family I am very honored to be apart of...All while building an amazing portfolio to show off in interviews. 

The staff is fantastic and the instructors are legitimate masters at what they do, they all have the background to prove it. My instructor never gave up on me. She was extremely supportive, patient, and explained the complex depth of full stack web development in a way I could digest. She was absolutely amazing! If you plan on joining The Software Guild, be prepared to put in some hours. However, DON'T GIVE UP!!! When all is said and done, you'll be a completely different person, living a completely different life, in a much better way.

As soon as I had read an article in Louisville Business First, I thought I should look into programming as a career, and specifically, The Software Guild. The instructors were excellent. They had solid credentials and knew what they were doing and they gave us all individual attention when needed. Not only were the instructors skilled, but so was the rest of the staff. The Career advisor proved himself to be an invaluable resource, before and after graduation. One thing I have noticed in my time in the workforce is that many people shy away from giving you honest and useful feedback. Not so at The Software Guild, and that is refreshing and reassuring. They will NOT rubber stamp a pass for you one something you wrote that is not your best effort. They will help you understand what you did wrong in a project, and they are not afraid to stay after or turn up early just to help out, or if you need a word. If you are looking for a place where you cangain a good foundation as a programmer, and where you will be able to work hard and grow as a student/professional, this is the place.

 

 

After deciding to change careers to become a software developer, I chose The Software Guild out of my other options because I could attend the course in person, it had a great reputation, and according to the graduate report, the placement rate for graduates was 92.6% for full time employment within 6 months. I knew very little about development before being accepted into the boot camp, mainly just basic HTML and CSS. After taking an aptitude test and being accepted, I spent 8 weeks learning JavaScript and jQuery through a prework course before beginning the Java boot camp in January. Immediately I was struck by the quality of the coursework from the pre-course instructions, and that quality bore out after starting the Java track.

The Java course was taught by an amazing teacher who graduated from MIT and has worked at Microsoft, but she made the work fun and enjoyable. I got a grounding in the principles of object oriented programming, model-view-controller architecture, and the tech stack included Java 8, Maven, and Spring MVC for the first half of the course. The second half introduces SQL databases and Spring Boot to focus on creating data-driven web applications. The pace was consistently fast and I pretty much didn't have a social life over the 12 weeks of the camp, but it was well worth it.

During the second half of the course, I was given career coaching to get me ready for the job hunt after graduating, everything from working with recruiters to how to interview. The Guild also had 2 interview days, one with recruiters, and the other with actual local businesses with job openings. The speed interviews led to a couple of second interviews, and an offer within 2 weeks of graduating. In my current job, I have a deep appreciation for how the coursework prepared me for Java programming and that the pace from the camp has also made it easier for me to learn and adapt to the projects quickly. Overall, I can't recommend the Guild enough for anyone considering becoming a software developer.

My background: I had basically zero experience coding, other than a small amount of self-teaching on my own time for a couple months before discovering the bootcamp online. My background is in Biology, so not AT ALL related. This was a complete 180 degree career change for me.

The Software Guild is amazing and they really have this all figured out. David was our Java instructor and he was incredibly knowledgeable. He spent a ton of his time outside of class to answer any questions we had. I cannot express how hard-working he is and dedicated to getting us all through the program, whatever it took. If we were willing to put in the time and effort he would go above and beyond to provide any help we needed.

If you are going to do this you REALLY need to put in the work, because if you don't, it shows. You cannot coast through it. We lost 5 out of our original 14 throughout the course of the program, mostly because people were not able to meet a couple of the hard deadlines that were set for finishing thier projects. Out of the 9 that made it to the end, only 2 of us finished all of our projects by the last day of class, so many people needed extensions. Those that got extensions have had a harder time finding jobs because they first need to focus on finishing the course right now, rather than spending all of their energy on their job search. It is important that you are able to drop any distractions for these 12 weeks, because staying up to speed is paramount to your success. Many people were not able to do it, but if you are able to get through, it will be worth it, trust me. 

Throughout the program, Kipp, the employer network manager, goes above and beyond to make sure people get jobs. He is incredibly knowledgeable about resumes, working with recruiters, networking, etc. and he does quite a few presentations and one-on-one meetings to prepare us for success in our job search. If you follow his steps you will get a job! I was able to find one within about a week and a half of graduating thanks to his help navigating. It was the speed interviews that ended up getting me most of my leads for interviews, and ultimately my job after the program, so I recommend taking those very seriously. 

My one qualm is that I wish the bootcamp were actually 16 weeks instead of 12. It all worked out well in the end and I learned an INSANE amount in 12 weeks, but I think having an extra few weeks to dive even deeper into some of the topics would be helpful. I felt that a few things slipped through the cracks a bit and would have required more time to truly gain an understanding.

All in all, this was one of the best decisions I have made in my life so far. I do not regret my decision to quit my decent job in a veterinary lab to make this huge life change. It may be a lot of money, but if you can swing it I recommend making this investment in yourself. 100% worth it!

The Software Guild is a good school.

While the nature of code camps may prevent them from being able to dive into some topics in as much depth as a college, the work and practice itself will ensure you thoroughly understand what you've learned.

In terms of staff everyone, not just the teachers, were incredibly kind and helpful at all times. They went out of their way to help students whether it came to coursework or job assistance.

The main warning I'd have is that the course itself is very challenging. The time and effort required will demand a lot of you. So, as a note, make sure you are ready to sacrifice any regular plans you have if you sign up.

Overall, it is worth it and I'd certainly highly recommend it.

My experience at the Software Guild was nothing but positive. The instructor (Kyle) was engaging, knowlegeable, and brought real-world industry experience into the classroom. The employment specialist (Kip) also brings ample experience as a successful recruiter to his role. In addition to preparing you to market yourself to get a job after graduation, he set up several pre-graduation interviews with established companies in the region: I was offered, and accepted a job prior to graduating, as did over half of my class. After working as a software developer for 3+ months, I feel adequately prepared by the software guild to meet expectations in my job.