The Software Guild - CLOSED

The materials, instruction, and assessment at the Software Guild were not even in quality. The materials were on the whole good at coaching you through new concepts, but were sometimes disorganized and seemingly incomplete (on the Java side of the fence,... Read More at least). Sometimes very large leaps were required of us, however. An example was when, right after learning Ajax calls, we were expected to use only JSTL and EL to load pages in an assignment. This was very confusing, as we barely had time to apply Ajax and even less with JSTL and EL
Instruction was less consistent. I'll leave out the name of the instructor since he may not be continuing at the Guild any way. This instructor as far as-I can tell never walked the room to see how students were faring. On a few occasions the instructor broke from the course materials and delivered excellent, illuminating lectures and code-alongs, but usually just opened up new materials for us to tackle alone. Independence as a developer is important of course, but one would think help would be more forthcoming. The instructor was always open to help, but seemed uninviting and often failed to calibrate answers to the level of the student -- usually too vague to be helpful.

Weekly code reviews were also spotty. The instructor would offer verbal critique, but never seemed to look at the code we submitted.

They have an aptitude test to see whether this sort of thinking will come comfortably. The passing number was 16 out of 29. Unless your score was artificially low due to extenuating circumstances (very nervous during assessments like that, lack of sleep, etc), you might want to consider ruling yourself out if you fall under a 20. Some people got into this course who probably shouldn't have been there and they struggled like hell to make it through. I'm not sure whether the ease with which you complete this course would correlate strongly with your success in the field considering the break-neck pace of the former, but it will be a murderous three months if you're not good with logic and are very industrious.

At least with this instructor, I would think that unless you are quite good with logic, learn fairly quickly, and have a very determined work ethic, this will not be a rewarding experience.

I made the decision to attend the bootcamp because I was interested in changing careers and wanted hands on guidance and experience along the beginning of this journey. I knew that free online courses were not going to motivate me especially when it came... Read More to dealing with and facing obstacles. It is also nice to attend somewhere that has complete confidence in their system and curriculum. For me there was always a fear that maybe I was learning something (wasting my time) that would not help me. I found that to be the exact opposite.
Pros:
Great staff with hands-on teaching, training, guidance and support.
Job placement focus. (I bet it was 85% technical training and 15% job placement skills)
Object oriented programming focus: trying to teach you about the concepts not just execution
Cons:
Costs some money...and you can't(shouldn't) work
Time consuming: I spend probably 70-80 hours a week doing this and It was stressful

Overall:
I got a job. Had many promising interviews during the bootcamp and started a job as a software engineer a week later. I have been employed now for 7 months and have received a lot of positive feedback about my skills and training.

I wish that I had come into the program with a stronger background in coding, but it was not impossible to keep up as long as I never stopped studying. the instruction was really great and the teachers were always present and willing to offer advice but... Read More the coursework doesn't pull any punches in terms of difficulty. I learned more than I ever would have been able to learn on my own and my classmates were a great resource as well. In spite of my growth I still feel that employers are somewhat skeptical of hiring someone without a 4 year CS degree, but I have been getting interviews, so I am not too worried.

Great curriculum, learned a great deal about development. They prepare you well to enter the work force as a developer in a short period of time. The employer network is very strong and I was able to find work within 90 days of graduation. The Instructors... Read More are extremely hands on and helpful explaining problems and how you might solve them. I had a very positive experience with the Software Guild and feel it was well worth the investment.
I actually attended the Akron Location in may of 2017 but they have since closed that branch.

Amazing experience. Made great friends. They helped me get a well paying job right when it ended. The bootcamp made me well prepared for the job I have in downtown Cleveland and I couldn’t be more pleased by how everything turned out.

**It was not available... Read More but I attended the Software guild in Cleveland

I went into the pre-work for the Software Guild without any experience in programming and I came out being able to design fully functional programs and websites. Simply put, the bootcamp worked! I learned how to write code and I learned how to learn additional... Read More languages as needed.

The pros of the bootcamp model include:
-The condensed timeline. It is such a fast turnaround in the in-person bootcamp that the apprentice comes out ready to apply for a job in just three months.
-The intensive learning. The apprentice must devote a lot of time to the program in order to pass, and all that study time pays off! The sheer amount of knowledge gained in that short time is pretty staggering.
-The individual time with an instructor. I was able to setup times to meet with the instructor, ask questions as needed, and have them go over harder concepts with me. I even had three practice technical interviews with three different instructors!
-The on-the-job feel. Spending 7-8 hours in class every day starting with an Agile Scrum made the bootcamp feel like a job. I believe it also simulated a developer job, thus helping prepare the student for what the job would be like.
-The employer network. In my experience applying for jobs, I have usually felt helpless throughout the application process unless I had a connection in the company. With the Software Guild, I automatically had connections and the chance to interview with multiple companies even before I graduated. I started to get a feel for what a technical interview is like right away and saw fellow apprentices receive job offers even before graduation.

The cons include:
-The work load. You must work hard - this is not a guaranteed pass or a guaranteed job. You must put in a great deal of effort for this acheivement.
-The cost. It is expensive and the apprentice can at most work a small part-time job.
-The initial job situation. If you have a good full-time job, you will need to give it up before starting the in-person bootcamp. There is also no guarantee that you will get a job immediately. You will need to work hard to apply and pursue the interview skills necessary in order to land a job.

With my own experience, I would highly recommend the in-person bootcamp of the Software Guild. It isn't for everyone, but if you are determined to be a developer, it is a great option.

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,... Read More 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 woth 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.

In December of 2016, I applied for the first group of online students with the Software Guild. I went in with little to no programming experience, but a desire to learn more.

I am so glad I did! I went in with not much confidence in my abilities, not... Read More just in programming, but in my ability to use my skills in the workplace. The Software Guild gave me a lot of confidence. I have learned the industry standard, and also have been guided in avoiding the common pitfalls junior developers fall into.

Pros:

The curriculum is organized really well. We started with very basic front end development in HTML/CSS and a small amount of JavaScript. Then we dove into the C# language, finishing up the end of the course by bringing the front end and back end together into one large mastery project.
The community is healthy and strong. Utilizing the "Open Hours" where they had two TAs available for a significant portion of the day to help with any questions, often there were alumni present in Slack and other mentors who could give feedback, or lend a helping hand.
Not only do they teach you to code, they teach you to code well. I was amazed at how well they were able to achieve this level of learning in a boot camp style of teaching.
Online course lets you have a more "flexible" boot camp experience.
Cons:

With the boot camp being online, that brings the most "Cons". Communication is difficult when you are not there with your mentor, or in a class room setting.
You work alone with the online program. I understand why they had to do this, but it takes away the experience that I think is important, learning to work well with a team.
Overall:

My experience was overwhelmingly positive. Although it was a very difficult course (also my daughter was born at the end of my course.) the guild bent over backwards to ensure I was equipped to succeed, all while not holding my hand.

Shout out to Sarah & Randall for being AWESOME mentors!

Our company contracted with the software guild for object oriented programming and data-driven web application development. I was skeptical about how much one could learn throughout the course, but after having been placed into a software development... Read More role and shadowing multiple web-app development teams, I can't believe how much the coursework prepared me for working on a development team. The foundations I learned in TSG allowed me to more quickly grasp Sprint Boot and other tools and frameworks that were built on the very same frameworks. The instructors are extremely knowledgeable, and they are able to provide insight, resources and guidance to get you well on your way to development success.