School16

I feel like what School16 does actually needs to be a part of college education, but it's not unfortunately and School16 does a great job of filling that gap. I really liked the fact that the program Vadim and Sergei have developed helps different types of career changers: straight out of college, early and several years into their career, and folks looking to make a move to a completely different field. School16 gives an opportunity to anyone from these groups to identify where they want to be, what does it take to get there, connect with folks who have done it before, learn from them, and have a plan to make the career change/move they are looking for. The curriculum actually teaches you to network, connect with people, find great employers, interview well, and give actionable playbooks on each part of the process. I enjoyed School16 and it has been instrumental for me in getting promoted and accelerating my professional growth! 

For over 2 years I had been at a job that I was phenomenal in, but I was also underappreciated, bored, unhappy, and burnt out. I had been applying for several months to positions that I knew I would be good in, but not excited about. I wanted to totally change my career (education), but was so desperate that I would have settled for a job change. After making it to the final round of several interviews and still wasn't able to land anything - I felt like I was missing something somehow. 

After suffering a terrible loss, I found myself reevaluating a lot of things in my life and finally decided that it was time for me to make waves instead of ripples. For me, that meant believing in myself enough to invest more time, effort, and money to live the life of my dreams.

I'm not quite sure how I came across School16 (LinkedIn or Google), but I was initially skeptical because this program was so different from the other bootcamps I had researched. I'm happy that I decided to give it a chance when I did. I was enrolled in School16's tech acceleration program which ran for 8 weeks at the time. I learned a ton about the tech industry, several roles I had been interested in exploring, and ways that I could optimize my LinkedIn to increase my chances of landing the role that I wanted. I took advantage of the career coaching and resume workshops when I could (typically on days I was off from work since they were only available during the work day hours) and those sessions helped me to recognize my strengths and identify transferrable skills for roles I never thought I'd do well in. 

By the end of the program, I felt I was better prepared to find and land the job that I wanted. I quit my job a week later (def don't recommend without a plan) and went hard, putting what I'd learned into practice and was able to land my best job to date a little over a month later. I now work on the customer enablement (success) team at a software company where I'm challenged to learn everyday and my skills as an educator, social worker, and CSM are valued.

School16 may not guarantee you a job by the end of the program but if you are dedicated to the program and its requirements, you will develop skills and techniques that will help you find the job/career of your dreams in tech - which was more than worth the investment for me.

I loved School16's program.  Walking out of the program, I felt that I was equipped with the tools I needed to find lasting success in my career.  Through the teaching and mentorship I got from the program, I gained a position with a company in my desired industry.  You really learn how to navigate your career from this School16.  From the classes I gained knowledge that I've always needed, but haven't been able to find on the internet or in person.  I would strongly recommend School16 to anyone looking for a role in tech.