Software Guild

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.

As a Software Guild (GoForCode - Java Full Stack) graduate, I look fondly back at my experience while in the program.   Prepare to be fully immersed in the program, as you will not only be learning during class time, but also after class and on the weekends too.   The instructors are very knowledgeable and are able to answer your questions any time.   You are also supported by Slack chat rooms where other instructors will be there to help you out too.   While the course is not easy and is very demanding, you'll be proud that you completed the course and will be qualified to work as a Jr. level software developer.   It defintely helped me to further my career at my current job and I look forward to what might happen after I get a year of coding under my belt.  The possibilities are endless!

I don't typically leave reviews, but I feel like this place deserves one. It is truly amazing. The instructors are very knowledgable, Corbin alone had over 15 years of coding experience. The curriculum is mainly videos and reading, along with some exercises. You're expected to come to class with any questions from the lessons you studied the night before. This is called a flipped classroom, and it's fairly effective. The morning consists of questions, and the afternoon you're expected to code and work on exercises before heading home. 

It is a lot of work, there's no doubt about it. But it is manageable. You need to come here with the mindset that this will take your full attention every single day. Over the weekend you'll be assigned various coding projects. You're expected to turn this in Monday for code review. The projects can be tricky, especially when you're just learning the concepts, but it teaches you some valuable lessons. You must be able to learn on your own. That isn't to say the instructors won't help you if you need it, but you will be mainly relying on yourself to figure out problems.The only issue I really had with the program were the quizzes. They were pretty atrocious, but they aren't counted towards your grade, plus I think they're getting revamped soon. 

Anyways, overall it was a fantastic experience. And yes, I actually got a job thanks to the Software Guild. So it's a success, and if you're thinking about attending but aren't sure it works, use me as proof. I had absolutely no knowledge of coding before I graduated. Even after graduation you can keep in touch with classmates and instructors via Slack, they're always available if you need help. Great job Software Guild, keep up the good work.

My time in the Software Guild has been a really great experience. I enrolled on the Java Full-Stack Web development side of the bootcamp because I wanted to know more about Java and what I can do with it. I really don't have anything bad to say about the bootcamp because in my opinion everything was really great. I met a lot of knowledgeable, great people with different backgrounds and I was able to learn and develop both in social and technical aspect of things. My instructor was great too (Austyn Hill). Like all the instructors in the SG, she was knowledgeable on the discipline, caring, and really helpful. She has continued to do so, even after the bootcamp. Everything about the bootcamp prepares you what's out there and how to tackle it, regarding Software Development, or anything of the sort.

I went to the Software Guild in Minneapolis.  I was completely new to programming and am married to a 15+ year programming. I have always been techie, but had not done any programming since I was a kid with my Apple II+.

I was blown away by what I learned at The Software Guild.  It was so much more indepth than I expected.  I thought I was just going to learn Java, but we learned HTML, CSS, SQL and Java as well as how everything works from A to Z.  We learned about things like MVC, AJAX, JSON, Javascript and security. We created console applications, mvc applications, web applications and database applications.  It is not a course where you just read a book and listen to a lecture.  There are indepth assignments that are the practical application of the material covered.  

We worked on individual and groups projects, because that is how programming is in the real world.  I appreciated that they emphasized how important testing is because testing is necessary in the real world. My husband was constantly amazed at how comprehensive the course was and how fast we went through it.

The teachers were outstanding and were always available to help.  There were in person and online resources to assist you in addition to the instructors.  Classmates were also a great reource.  The instructors were relatable and very knowledgable and fun!

The Software Guild also has resources and guidance for finding your career after bootcamp. They provided resume writing and review, practice interviews and speed interviews.  About 1/2 of our class got positions from the speed interviews and I had a position within a few weeks of completing the bootcamp.

I won't lie, the bootcamp is intense (60-70 hours a week) and can feel overwhelming due to the rapid pace, but the resources are there to help you out and you can do it.  If I can do it anyone can.  

I attended the very first cohort of The Software Guild's Java program in Minneapolis.  It was a complete and total waste of TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS that I can never get back.     That class went for 12 weeks. 8 hours a day. 5 days a week.  I learned basic JAVA, and absolutely no one cares.   In case you're bad at math, that's 480 hours of "instruction", sitting in a classroom with an instructor who also had no idea what he was doing.  I would say that 30% of my time there was spent watching my instructor trying to figure out how to use the software that he was supposed to be teaching us with.   I have since learned more about Java online, for free, utilizing Code Academy and Udemy.  All you have to do is apply those same hours to an online course, and you can save yourself TEN  THOUSAND DOLLARS.   There was no instruction at all about Spring, or code review.  Every interview I had after that class was an embarrassment.  I had absolutely no idea how to be valuable in the workforce.  I have since self-taught myself in multiple aspects of coding, but nothing that came from that class was worth one penny.  Nothing from that class contained even a hint of value.   If you're reading this, do yourself a favor.  Learn basic Java online.  For free.  And then put together a portfolio of projects that you can show what you did, and why you did it.  No one who does any hiring cares one bit about this rip-off class.  Show your skills and your thought process in an interview, and you can move forward.  This class is like going to DeVry.  Worthless.   And then take your TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS, and invest it wisely.  Your payoff will be much better

The Software Guild is a fast paced and rewarding program. In the short 3 months that you have classes for, you learn all the fundementals of Java or C# along with popular frameworks like Spring and jQuery.

The first two weeks of the course introduces the basics of object-oriented programming and the instructors do a very good job of making sure that you are up to pace.

The next month of the course speeds up quite a bit and you begin to learn a lot about building full-scale console applications using Tiered Application Design and the MVC model along with setting up file persistence.

Passing the halfway point of the class, you begin to start tying Spring into your previous projects and build full-scale web applications. The course begins to introduce MySQL to save data and create database tables. You also get introduced to frontend design a little bit with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery and Bootstrap. With all of this going on, you also get to work on your resume and interviewing skills 1on1 with the employing manager at the Guild.

Towards the end of the course, a speed interview day comes up where plenty of employers come in over two days and you get an opportunity to get hired by the time of graduation.

Throughout the 3 months, you work with very interactive instructors that have a passion for programming and will go the extra mile to make sure that you understand what is going on. They are constantly learning the latest technologies and will introduce them to the class whenever there is time to do so. All in all, this course is a great opportunity for anyone that is looking to break into the IT industry as quick as possible while being very confident in their abilities to be a successfull worker.

My personal experience with The Software Guild: Louisville was an extremely pleasant and successful one! There is a short period leading up to the cohort where you will have to complete tasks that should prepare you for some portions of the actual course, and give you an idea of if it's really something that you're interested in. This portion for me mostly involved using HTML and Javascript to create simple webpages. While we didn't get to web design until late in the cohort, it was definitely useful learning experience that stuck with me until I needed it again.

The cohort itself begins at a relatively comfortable pace, spending the 8 hour day getting familiar with the very fundamental aspects of the language and programming in general. There are basic exercises that we worked through that I would compare to workbook assignments in school. Somewhat repetitive, but really solidified the knowledge and gave us a good leg to stand on throughout the rest of the course. It should be noted that a couple of students dropped out during this introductory part of the course, as they realized that the pacing was a bit too much for them. I think where myself and the others had an advantage was from doing independent learning prior to the guild so that the skills we were working on weren't entirely foreign.

The rest of the 3 month course was divided up into a few different projects that continuously expand on our previous skills, and each one presented a new challenge. I was later able to put these projects on my resume, as they clearly defined specific skills that I used to complete them. If any of us ever got ahead enough, the instructor would give us additional work to do in the form of refactoring our code or adding more functionality to our projects. If we ever got stuck, the instructor was very easy to approach and spent one on one time with us until we felt we were at a place where we could proceed. The small class size (which continued to grow smaller as the course progressed, it is a bootcamp after all!) really helped to allow us each to have plenty of time with the instructor.

When it came time to start looking for positions, I had an opportunity arise about a month before the course was scheduled to end. The Software Guild provided lots of helpful resources for me to really nail my phone interview, and was constantly following up to check on my progress. I and 3 of my classmates each had a job nailed down before the course was even over!

The best thing about the Guild for me was that I never felt overwhelmed at any point time-wise. I was still able to separate my school life and class life, and could have easily worked a part time job during the cohort had I wished to do so. Again, I spent plenty of time researching and learning on my own before the Guild started, so I was definitely at an advantage, and would recommend this approach to anyone else considering a bootcamp.

I took the C#/.NET course from the Guild, but actually ended up taking a Java position. The Software Guild allowed me to access all of the Java course materials in order to help me get acclimated. I've now been at my job for about 7 months and although I don't have all of the formal knowledge for every task I am assigned, the Software Guild prepared me enough to be able to problem solve and learn what I need to in order to be an efficient worker and an asset to my team. If you are considering taking a bootcamp and you are near one of the Software Guild locations, I highly recommend it!

I was unhappy with the jobs I held prior and wanted to pursue something that I enjoyed. However, I did not have any skills that stood out on my resume to get to where I wanted to go. I took a risk and signed up for the Software Guild. Previously, I always thought programming was a difficult field where only top students could be succesful. I did not pursue CS in college because of this thought. Reading online that people were taking these bootcamps and getting jobs shortly after three months of training, I decided to go for it.

It was a lot of hard work and late nights but it was totally worth it. I found myself really enjoying the projects, when I got something to work it was like solving a puzzle in a video game. I was able to land a job after graduating due to SG having a really great Career Counselor. He was able to get a lot of companies to come in and interview all of us on multiple occasions. I landed more interviews within the last month of the cohort than I had ever had in my whole life. My salary is the highest I have ever had and I enjoy coming to work and working on projects.

I would highly recommend shadowing a class at SG if you are curious. I know a lot of my other friends that I made there would also approve of their experience. If you intend to go to the SG, my tip of advide is be prepared to put in a ton of hours outside class.