Fellowship

Enrolling in SV Academy provided me with intensive training to becoming an SDR, instructed on how to effectively utilize a tech stack,  offered exceptional professional development, and created an opportunity to experience life as an SDR with an internship with Talend, the industry leader in data integration.   On top of that SV Academy helped successfully place me into a position at an exciting company.  This is easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. 

Incredibly refreshing group of driven, joyful and determined individuals allowed for an exciting journey into WHAT a tech sales job is like, WHY are you going to do it, and HOW do you keep yourself in the game! Every team member is dedicated to the excellence of the students from the top down - CEO's Rahim Fazal and Joel Scott make themselves available as empathetic, kind and powerful leaders and it radiates out to every single one of the SV Academy Faculty; Norman, Kristian, Kehau, Loi, Sasha, Megan, Gabby, Cesar, Amitai, and Kate are just to name a few! I wouldn't recommend any other program to better connect, prepare and launch you into a career in tech!Excellent preparation in tech tools SalesLoft, InsideView, LinkedIn, Salesforce and others. Wonderful articles, additional reading and videos, mentorship, coaching, career counseling, job placement... the Pro list goes on and on and on. Any con that arose during the course I reached out and the team IMMEDITATELY solved the road-block! I couldn't be happier with my experience!

Excellent, but be prepared to work, and work with others! SV Academy took the financial stress out of the situation and created a very warm comfortable environment for growth. Met amazing people as well. 

SV Academy was an amazing experience and helped me land my dream job within a month of graduating from the program. They really give you a full rundown of what it takes to be a successful SDR. The instructors all have sales experience and are really effective communicators on teaching the program and relaying core values of empathy, grit, and leadership. You are also provided with an internship where you get to be a real live SDR and get some hands-on experience through the program. The program is very fast-paced, but the curriculum is second to none! 

SV Academy helped me switch careers from finance (insurance/banking) to tech sales (SaaS). The program is top-notch. SVA prepares you with a rigorous training program, high-quality instructors, and all the resources and tools you need to break into the tech industry. The community and mentorship also set you up for success.Pros:-Great instructors -Exposure to tech tools you will need in your career -Mentors -Partnerships with hundreds of companies for job placement -Community -Professional coaching after you land a job -Masterclasses -Building up your professional brandCons:I don't have anything negative to say. The program could be challenging for some people, but if you have the drive, the payoff is worth it when you land a job.

Great Instructors, Mentors, Coaches, and just an amazing network with lots of opportunities to grow and find the right roles for you. Everyone at SVA really does care about your success and will help you along the way. You will be prepared for your SDR work and interviews by the time you finish the course. Truly amazing! Lots of hard work, but well worth it! 

Since graduating from SVA 2 years ago, I've been lucky enough to have worked with Faris Khalifeh and Corinne Allen as my career coaches. I highly recommend both for whether you're starting your SDR career or you're finely seasoned. I've overcome challenges I otherwise wouldn't have with them. I learned transferrable skillsets which I have applied outside of work and I'm in a happier and better position in all aspects of life now than I was before I started this journey. Take the leap; I'm glad I did. Thank you SVA!

Overall it was a great program. I learned a lot and was well-prepared for interviews. I didn't receive enough support for applying to partner companies, which offer much better compensation and perks than non-partner companies. Change constantly happens so the issues present in my job interview period as a Fellow at the time are likely not there anymore or at least are a lot less of an issue now than when I was interviewing for jobs. No program is perfect, and I am really happy with the results!

Practical learnings, good networking and really you get what you put in. They helped me get a job and so I have no regrets.

With its competitive selection process, rigorous training program, industry expert instructors, 1:1 coaching, and 12 months of continuous career advice after you get hired, SVA sets you for success. My life and professional career have changed since I was accepted by SV Academy. Every minute and dedication you put into completing this course is going to be worth it at the end of the program. Never forget grind, grit, and perseverance!

I'm so happy that I took a chance and stuck with this program.  I was laid off at the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020 and was unsure how to find my next job.  I knew that I wanted to transition into tech but had no idea where to focus my efforts.  I did a few coding courses online, some HTML5 and CSS, but I was floundering.  I started to see ads for SV Academy and finally clicked on one.  I was a little bit suspicious but found enough reviews online that felt genuine.  I knew the coursework would be rigorous from what everyone was saying.  After researching and learning about SV's new Customer Success fellowship, I felt like I'd found what I was looking for.  I applied to the program and was accepted on a full scholarship!  The program is intense, but the community is so amazing and supportive.  I have no doubt that they are a large part of what helped me succeed.  I was able to Slack my cohorts and ask them for feedback on assignments or help to better understand our projects.  This type of environment is beneficial when you're coming into a new field with no prior experience.  I love my cohort and still keep in contact with a lot of the members.  I stuck with the program and am happy to say I was awarded an eight-week paid internship that was recently converted to full-time!Pros:
Community 
Mentorship
Career Coaches and post-program guidance
Professional knowledge base
SV is open to feedback which is really nice.  It feels like you're able to contribute to the future of the program.

Cons:None really.  I was a member of the 2nd CS You cohort so the program was still settling in. However, I feel that in a few more cohorts, things will be seamless.   

Svacademy prepared me to become the best SDR possible 

Amazing experience. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to start a career in the tech industry. Pros: Internship, mentorship, classroom assignments, and interview/job search preparation. 

Life changing. Learned how to get my feet wet in the tech industry, how to interview, how to be mindful and 100% responsible, and how to become part of a community of learners that continuously grows. Basically, an amount of hard and soft skills taught in a month that can be worth more than any other degree.

I completed the 1 month Full-Time program. This turned out to be the best career decision I've ever made. Not only does SV Academy guide you from learning the in's and out's of the role, to helping you throughout the interview process, but they provide you with a mentor for a year after landing your first job. I've been working with Kate Godard for several months and she has been incredible in keeping me accountable while assisting in my development as an SDR and as a person! Give her a raise! 

Prior to SV Academy, I had been applying for sales roles every time something came up but unfortunately would be met with the same response from all of them: "I lacked experience". I was thinking to myself how can I ever get experience in tech if no one gives me a shot in an entry-level role?? Luckily, I came across SV Academy through an ad on LinkedIn and thought why not and applied. The next thing I know, I was in the program and thriving. Just as I graduated, COVID hit and job losses were in the news and I began to have some doubts - SOMEHOW, in the heat of the pandemic, SVA connected me with a company and I was hired less than a week later. I credit SV with equipping me with the skills needed to excel in the interview and land the job and also in the job itself - A testament to what they do, I was promoted to a Director position within 8 months. SVA changed my life and it's been the best decision I've ever made.

SV Academy changed my life. I was a part of the first cohort of the CS YOU Program which taught me the basics of customer success, how to market myself in SaaS, and what to expect from a start-up environment. The best part about the CS YOU program is that they didn't discount my previous experience and instead guided me into recreating my professional identity to fit a whole new field. SV Academy will give you everything you need to succeed within the field of Customer Success. 

After spending months searching for a job in the difficult pandemic market, I serendipitously came across a posting for the SVA Tech Sales Fellowship program. I was unsure until the last day whether to enroll or not because, quite frankly, I didn't have a lot of faith. I was doubtful if SV would actually lead me to get a job and I was afraid I would be stuck paying off the program's cost while unemployed. Not only did the month of SV help me grow my skills exponentially, it set me up with so many connections (including a mentor from a Fortune 500 company) and I had recruiters knocking on my virtual door before I even finished the program. I had more interviews than I could handle, sometimes with four different companies in one day. Ultimately, I got not one, but THREE job offers that gave me the leverage to even negotiate my salary. I have been happily employed by my dream company for three months now and never looked back! SV is the best thing that happened to me this past year. 

Unparalleled mentorship opportunities. Instructors do a great job preparing you for a career in SaaS sales, even for those going into the experience completely cold. Week-long live internship w/ industry-leading SaaS partner company. Hand-on sales tech-stack training. I was hired within a month of graduation. CEO is sincerely driven to deliver on democratizing access to training that facilitates career pivots into tech. No tuition repayment obligation until you are hired. Instructors prepare you well for job search, especially as it relates to personal branding materials and compensation negotiation. You are connected with a mentor during your first year on the job. 

Take the jump. DO it. I was extremely skeptical of the program in the beginning, yet after reading all the reviews and reaching out to past fellows I knew this was an amazing opportunity that I couldn't pass up. I had no tech background (or nearly any sales) and it's almost impossible to get into the competitive tech sales world with no experience. SVA gives you the tools and connections to succeed in your career and life. Not only will you get a job out of this experience, your leaving with an entire network, ongoing support, new friends, etc. The number of recruiters that are going to be reaching out to you is almost even overwhelming, Even if you don't think sales is 100% for you, many of the graduates start out as SDRs and then transfer over to customer success, sales engineering, and other roles. I cannot imagine where I would be if I hadn't done this course and honestly it seems too good to be true, but it's not. All the coaches, instructors, staff want you to succeed and they are going to be there for you every step of the way.