The Software Guild - CLOSED

Whether you have some very limited professional/educational experience programming, or the concept is completely foreign to you, the Software Craftsmanship Guild (SCG) does a lot more for you than most college educations will. I attended the guild with... Read More a B.S. in Simulation and Digital Entertainment (read: game development) already under my built, and at the beginning of the 12 week session, I didn't feel prepared for an entry-level programming job for any language.

As of this writing, its nearly the end of week 11, and I feel much more confident than I did before. Which isn't to say that the guild turns you into an expert! Make no mistake, this is not a program that will give you the skill to net you a mid-level or senior position at any company. No development bootcamp can do that. That takes years of working experience. You will most likely be ready to be hired on as a Junior developer, however.

The guild has multiple locations and doesn't just cover any one language. Each "cohort" has focuses, such as Java or C#, but you get introduced to, at least, a small variety of supporting languages and software as well. This isn't just a course in how to use Visual Studio or NetBeans. They also provide strong job seeking resources. The guild did way more than I would have ever done myself to help me acquire a job.

I was reluctant to attend any boot camps, at all, stubbornly thinking that my degree should have been merit enough that I was qualified for a Entry level software developer position, but I'm really glad I attended the SCG and I would highly recommend attendance to anyone who sort of feel's like they're "on the fence" about going there.

Summary:
Are you looking for a career change? Are you mature enough to put in dedication and hard work to get where you need to go? Willing to learn magnitudes of new techniques and languages all while crammed into a twelve-week course? If you are answering... Read More yes to all these questions and you are still excited then maybe Software Craftsmanship Guild is for you. To be blunt, you will have to work hard, but the rewards are tenfold. I have yet to experience as many careers where there is such a demand for the knowledge you attain in such a short time span. To be sure, my attending the guild was the best decision I made in my life.

My Background:
I have attended nearly seven years of college, changing majors and schools multiple times, all in the pursuit of finding something that could push my knowledge. To be sure, I am a few semesters away from having multiple bachelor degrees: History, Digital Media Production, Education. Yet, not one subject could ever sustain my appetite for knowledge.

Fast forward a couple years after I pursued a dream I had to be a professional tennis instructor, and upset with the fact that unless you are in the top ten percent or a tennis club owner, it is hard to formulate a real life. Seeking a change, but not knowing what to do, it seemed learning about the guild through NPR was a godsend moment. I took a look at the rave reviews and also compared it to other bootcamps. It seemed to warrant at least a visit. I got my appointment set up, passed the interview and test. Which to be honest, was a bit difficult for me, but I did not really utilize my brain to its’ capacities through teaching tennis and I was a couple years removed from a formal education. I readied myself, started working on the pre-work and contemplated how my life would change.

Life at the Guild:
This apprenticeship prepares you for the real world. I have found it to be a blessing that we meet from 9am - 4/5pm every day as it prepared us for a real business environment. We learned about the things that matter, ideas and actual practices that one will use in real business applications. That being said, there were times individuals wanted to give up, myself included (around week three), but I think we are all glad we stuck it out. Why week three? The first two weeks are a sort of shotgun-paced review of everything you learned from the pre-work as well as delving deeper down the rabbit hole. By the fourth day of week one, I was talking gibberish because it seemed that my brain had melted from the amount of information my brain was being fed. But, I am glad I stuck it out, now mid-way through week 11 and about to enter my final week of the guild I have learned an enormous amount of things and the things that seemed so daunting in weeks one through three seem so trivial in hindsight.

Instructors and Staff:
My instructor Eric Wise (.Net/C#) and Eric Ward (Java) were the best instructors I have ever witnessed. They taught us exactly what we should expect in our future careers. Things that mattered, as well as, having the expertise to take a general look at our projects and solve issues we had, all while keeping it positive and mentoring. Elysha Spector and Sarah Dutkiewicz are more than helpful in their own right, either with correcting your resume, assisting with mock interviews or just helping to further your development. Never, have I ever experienced a more complete staff that actually cared about the students development. The tuition is minute in comparison to the actual value one obtains from attending the guild.

Life Outside the Guild:
I decided to continue to live off-campus (not in the provided apartments) a short commute from the guild. While, I had success in this, I think in hindsight I would have more strongly considered living with the rest of my cohort. We had a 50/50 ratio of those who commuted and those who lived on-campus. That being said, the relationships developed with my peers in my cohort are astounding. I have developed more life-long friends while at the guild than I thought I would have, certainly doubling my close friend group, while also in turn creating a support network. Aside from this, working (even part-time) has been difficult. If you truly want to get the best experience out of the guild, it would be better to prepare a bit more in advance and not work while you are attending the guild.

Final Thoughts:
This has been by far the best learning experience I have ever had. The amazing thing is our alumni network is certainly growing exponentially. And one is able to rely on those alums to actually want to see you succeed too. I am truly looking forward to what life brings in the coming years after graduating. I hope this was helpful in making your decision on whether or not the guild is a right fit for you.

In ever sense of the word this program is an investment. If you are willing to make that investment then you will benefit from it. This program has connected me with a great group of people and in addition to that put me on the path to a challenging and... Read More rewarding career.

TL;DR--
Do it.
I spent (am spending?) time as an Apprentice at the Software Craftsmanship Guild Java Jan 2015 cohort. It was one of the best decisions of my life.

A bit about me: I'm 23, lived in the Akron area my whole life, went to Kent State for biology,... Read More and had no experience with coding at all before the Guild. None. Can't stress that enough. I loved math, more specifically formal logic. I was a sous chef in the Akron area after college and was presented with a choice: pursue a career in the culinary field or do...something else. I wasn't sure. I heard about the Guild on NPR and, after a few days of intensive research on what a dev bootcamp is and how this one stacks up with the others around the country (incredibly well, by the way), I took the assessment and enrolled.
This is an intense experience. You have to fully commit yourself to it. It's like a twelve-week cram fest. On top of that, when you finally see the forest through the trees, you realize how little you actually know. A certain type of person is upset about that. A very different type of person is absolutely pumped to continue to learn. To really truly succeed at the Guild (and in the IT field I would imagine) you need to be that latter person. That's number one. An insatiable lust for learning.

The Java course curriculum focuses on full stack development. You start by learning the basics of Java, Object Oriented Design, N-Tier design, and the Agile Methodology. The amount of material thrown at you, that you have to internalize, is huge. Luckily, the Java cohort has an incredibly knowledgeable and patient lead instructor in Eric Ward. If he has anything to do about it you will not fall behind. Sarah Dutkiewicz, another industry veteran, acts in a role similar to a traditional college TA. Like Eric, she is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and kind. The student-to-teacher ratio is low enough that individual attention is never an issue. There are no dumb questions because, honestly, four or five other people are probably hung up on the same concept that you are. After a Mastery Project delving deeper into the core concepts of Java you're on to the finer points of Maven dependency management and the Spring framework, auxiliary technologies that allow you to build bigger and better things. You inch your way closer to the front end, brushing up on the HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery pre-work you did months ago. Web development comes next, learning about RESTful web services, JSP's, AJAX calls, and the Spring MVC framework. Finally, you switch focus all the way to the back end, learning about database management and MySql. And...that's it. You now have the tools to tackle the Capstone Project, a three week long project incorporating literally everything you've covered in the course and a whole lot more. It's huge. There's a reason I'm writing this at 8:30PM on a Sunday from the Guild, which has 24 hour access in case you do need to pull long nights or weekends.

Your day to day routine will change. The Guild offers living arrangements for those coming from out of town. Luckily, I live in Stow, about thirty minutes from Akron. The formal learning happens between 9 and 4 Monday thru Friday but you would be fooling yourself if you didn't allocate at least twenty hours a week on top of that for extra learning or to strengthen key concepts. You really get out what you put in. Maturity and drive are huge parts of the process. Eric won't really require you to do homework in the traditional sense (other than checking on your Mastery and Capstone projects). You paid ten grand for this, man. Don't be an idiot.
The jobs will come if you put in the effort. For me, the most stressful part of this whole process was the "speed dating" events, where the Guild brings in a lot of interested companies for you to connect with. On top of the curriculum and your side projects it can be quite a difficult time. The Guild was absolutely phenomenal with how they handled it all. They provide you with all the resources you need in order for you to find the right fit. It's a tough balance to strike between learning and the need for a job. Luckily for me I was offered a position at my dream job fairly quickly into the process, which I quickly accepted. They can't guarantee employment but I find it hard to believe that the type of people the Guild attracts (and the vetting process of the Guild itself) would be unemployed for long. The Guild is hugely respected. I can't count the number of times I heard potential employers tell me they value the education I received here over a traditional CS degree. The job placement rate was (I think) one hundred percent the last Java cohort and I see no reason why those numbers won't be repeated this time around. Many of my fellow students over here and on the .NET side already have accepted offers from interested firms.If you are seriously considering a career change and have the grit and intelligence to hack it, the Software Craftsmanship Guild is an incredible choice. I can't speak highly enough about the Guild or the instructors or my fellow students (who were just as valuable a resource as StackOverflow, and great people to boot). It exceeded my highest expectations of not only what I would learn but the institute of learning as a whole. Traditional schooling seems so...inadequate now. What Eric Wise has managed to put together here is incredible. It has honestly changed my life for the better.

Not only did I quit a comfortable job at a company with a great name and environment to come learn at the Guild, but I also put every penny I had into the move and the cohort. I was particularly skeptical and demanding because I was putting everything... Read More into it, and bootcamps can be a hit or miss investment. You know what? the guild was the best career move I've ever made. I am now making $10.40/hr more than I was making before starting the guild. That means this program will have paid for itself in the first year. Twice. This is also just my starting salary. Their hiring network was growing at a serious pace as I was attending, but I had to go back home to my family. I got a job outside the network within 3 weeks after finishing the course, and I went on vacation for two of those. NOTE: I was on my phone and computer a lot while on "break" arranging interviews . The morning after I landed back home I had an interview and they offered me the job. I know this first part kind of sounds like a commercial but I can assure you this was all written because I'm just genuinely glad I made this move.

That's just the end result though, so what was it like attending? It was definitely fast paced and frustrating at times. A lot of content in a short amount of time is an adjustment, and if it everything doesn't click right away you can't take that personally like I did in the beginning. So do not apply if you are looking for a shortcut. This will take your full attention inside and outside of class, and do yourself a favor and do all of the pre-work. It was great to learn from someone who's actually spent a significant amount of time in the industry. Someone who will be real with you about what you can expect to use and not use in real world business applications. Wise is a straight shooter and there will be no coddling. So again do not apply if you are not dedicated.

Your average day will consist of slide decks and lectures in the morning, then you will be set free to work on an assigned project or your labs for practice. You will be working by yourself, pair programming, or in a group of three. Help is available whenever you need it.

I came in with a little self study but basically as a complete novice, I wasn't really sure I could do this up until the middle of cohort. I would have sold myself real short had I listened to those incorrect assumptions. I struggled a little bit in the beginning, but Sarah (the AWESOME Microsoft MVP tutor) and Eric were more than available for me. I lived in the Lofts that they sublease, and it was great to be near other apprentices in the off hours.

Summary: all in all a very worthwhile experience and investment but don't expect it to be an easy ride, there's a lot to cover in 3 months. Things move at a frustrating pace sometimes, but your instructor will always repeat or clarify if you just ask.

PS. I attended the Aug 2014 .NET Cohort

I was an apprentice in the Software Craftsmanship Guild's Fall 2013 Java Cohort. The Software Craftsmanship Guild was an excellent experience, and I highly recommend it.

I believe that I am the first of our cohort to review, so I'll share some stats. 7... Read More started, 6 finished. Job seekers who weren't already affiliated with staffing firms all received jobs. 2 received full tuition reimbursement.

Like many of the apprentices who left reviews, I had no background in software development. I had been teaching in a private school in Beachwood, OH for five years and I was looking for a change. I had really wanted to enter the software space, but was having difficulty figuring out how to do it.

I tried to take advantage of online coursework, both free and paid, but they were all lacking. All of those courses could teach me the concepts, but they couldn't provide me with enough exercises to truly reach mastery. These courses could provide experienced and thoughtful instructors who could lecture, but that was about it. I wanted someone who I could interact with, ask questions to, review my work, and coach me. In the online courses, I was all by myself. Forget about instructors, I had no camaraderie. At the guild, I would be working with every member of the cohort as we tried to learn and use this new information. Lastly, the online courses are interested in providing you with information. I wanted to be mentored by experienced developers. I wanted to create a network with other (future) developers.

The Guild provided me with all of those things and more.

Eric Ward, our instructor was, and continues to be, a tremendous teacher and friend. He is at the cutting edge of his discipline and can still make any and all of these concepts accessible to the neophyte. He was supportive but pushed us to get better. He taught us concepts, best practices, and helped us get a feel for the new industry and what employers were looking for.

Eric Wise, although not with our cohort day to day, brought headhunters, career advisors, and other meaningful speakers to help navigate the job search and enrich our experience.

The other apprentices were absolutely fantastic. I am happy to say that over 12 short weeks I have made new friends, coworkers, and network contacts. I hope to stay in touch with them for a long time.

As fantastic as the program is, your success rests in your own hands. It is a lot of work. It can be overwhelming and intimidating at times. However, you can do it, and everyone there will do everything in their power to help you. But you have control your own destiny. You have to put in the time both during hours and after hours. You have to practice and repeat. You can't be bashful about asking for help. I know that I was shameless about doing so.

One last piece of advice: I used something called the "Two Week Rule." I realized that whenever we were learning something new that I would only completely understand it or feel completely comfortable with it after two weeks. By doing this I was able to limit the anxiety and overwhelming confusion of new concepts. If you can convince yourself that this is the case (and you do the requisite work) your life will be much easier (especially in the first four weeks).

Take this course. Be great!

I recently was laid of from my job of 10years and did not really know where to start over. I had a job with a technical background, but not much programming. I found the guild through a job fair and I knew that this could be something special. I had very... Read More limited experience with programming coming into the Guild. I took two classes in high school 18+ years ago and two courses in collage 15+ years ago. I really did not know what to expect, but what I got was well worth the price of admission!

The Java Guild, taught by Eric Ward, was a class like I had never taken before. He is a great teacher who uses a multitude of teaching techniques to make sure you understand the concepts that are necessary for being a good programmer. There were a lot of long days, for me at least, because everything was so new. But if I had any question, even if I had asked it before, he was very patient and stayed with me until I understood his answer.

The Guild really put you through your paces, but the result was well worth it. There is so much to learn that I could fill two or three more pages, so I will just say this. If you are looking for a change of career, or learn a new programming language, like Java, you can’t go wrong with the SCG! It is a great learning environment, great support after hours and after you have completed the course, and above all, it will challenge you to become the best programmer you can be.

After graduating from a fantastic university, with a degree in computer science and a minor in software development, I felt prepared to start a career. I envisioned a promising future in which my educational background would quickly propel me to great... Read More heights. Companies all over the United States need technology savvy people to fill the demand for a more digital world. Conditions were perfect to enter the work force.

I interviewed with a handful of companies shortly after graduating. All my interviews ended with the same result. I was unemployed and increasingly more skeptical about how relevant my C.S. degree was. I began to feel panicked. My educational background was fragmented and outdated. The pieces were not quite fitting together and my understanding of the bigger picture lacked a certain real world experience. Burdened by debt and the weight of guilt, relying so heavily on my family was no longer an option. I needed to find a job and have some sort of income.

After taking up a job as a technical recruiter I still yearned for a more technology facing career.I met Eric Wise, Software Craftsmanship .Net specialist, through a recruiting effort. I expressed to Eric that I was passionate about learning and I desired to become a programmer. After qualify for classes, I took the chance and decided to deepen my understanding of software architecture. I left my job as a recruiter and I began classes at the Software Craftsmanship guild.

I am incredibly proud that I made the decision to take classes again. Throughout the twelve weeks Eric filled in the gaps for me. The classes helped round me as a developer and enabled me to write cleaner and better structured code. Eric will teach you methodologies that are current and keep you challenged throughout the length of the course.

Bottom line is you cant learn it all at once. Your not going to graduate from a university or college with all these bits of knowledge and start implementing them at work. What you can do is prepare yourself by learning to adapt more efficiently and effectively throughout your career. By learning fundamental principles and core logic, Eric will teach you to use tools that enable you to ;keep learning day to day.

I found a job doing what I love and I would highly recommend this to people who are equally as passionate about technology.

Hello Future Developers,
I know its a bit late but I have been very busy with the JOB I landed after partaking in this program that is run by Eric W. I, like Anon, accepted a job within the the hiring network and also come from pretty much a clean slate... Read More when it comes to any type of development. I have dabbled in HTML/CSS in the past, but nothing serious at all. 

My background isn't even in the realm of a typical CS student - Marketing/Public Policy, but after spending 12 weeks working with someone who is truly passionate and there for you has changed my life. The cohort is small and close knit which I liked. Everyone knew everyone else's business and found it to be a great experience. 

Here comes the question. What did you learn? Well since it is perfectly outlined on the site and I don't think I could do a better job of explaining it myself I will provide you with the link (Bootcamps). 

Eric is outstanding, talk about a person that will be there for you if you ask. Think about that... all you have to do is ask and you get the attention you need when something is digging into your side. That is what makes the experience worth it. Having a seasoned consultant that happens to have a knack for teaching is quite a treat and I don't think can be matched. A man fueled by passion. 

All In all - nothing negative can be said. The SWC Guild is professional and fun environment to spend 12 weeks. The time flies and you're always learning new things. That doesn't change after your time is done at the guild. I have been learning new concepts and  since I started my career as a software developer in mid-September. All I can say is...

12 Weeks - Hardwork - New Life

-Chase Penelli

I'm an apprentice in the summer 2013 .NET/C# cohort at the SCG, and I've been very happy with my experience. I have accepted a job as a junior developer with a company in the Guild's hiring network, but prior to joining the Guild, I had little experience... Read More with coding. I was familiar with HTML and CSS, and had completed several tracks on Codecademy. Online tutorials are fine for learning syntax, but could not match the in-depth education I received in the Guild.

The first half of the twelve-week program is the most intense, covering topics including language fundamentals and data modeling. While a lot of this material came easily to me, (SCG founder) Eric did a good job providing a surfeit of exercises and projects so that I always felt challenged and was never bored. It's true that you will get out of this program only as much as you put in, so be prepared to devote a portion of your evenings and weekends to extracurricular study. To excel, I also think you need to be comfortable with uncertainty and "failure". Eric believes in allowing apprentices to pursue wrong paths to dead ends in order for them to learn from their mistakes. It can be maddening, but it certainly cemented the lessons better than having the right course of action spoon-fed to me.

I would say my least favorite aspect of the program was the loose structure of the latter half. More time was devoted to working on personal projects in a space where questions could be answered quickly, and lectures became a much smaller portion of class time. I didn't mind the shorter lectures, but I would have liked to have followed them with targeted practice exercises to reinforce the topics covered, as was the case in the first half of the session. Perhaps this balance between structure and independent study will be adjusted for future cohorts.

My final comment would be that I found Eric to be very open to communication and feedback about any and all aspects of the Guild experience. Whether it was feedback about a lesson plan or a particular exercise, class structure or job hunting, he was willing to both share his knowledge and experience, and accept and incorporate my perspective. I felt like I was not just a student receiving a series of lessons from a syllabus, but a contributing member of a community.

Verdict: Would Recommend.