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The Software Guild Bootcamp Review and Complete Guide
Amid the rising demand for coding bootcamps, Kentucky-based Software Guild has stepped in to offer many flexible courses online and offline. See our full review of The Software Guild bootcamps to find out if this coding school is right for you.
The school is noteworthy because of the effort it puts into creating bootcamps that are available to people of all ages and backgrounds.
What Is The Software Guild?
| The Software Guild Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Cost | Online: $10,000 to $13,750, Campus: $10,000 to $13,750 |
| Start Dates | February 19 |
| Locations | Louisville, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Online |
| Courses | Web Development, .NET/C#, Java |
| Available Programs | Online, Full-time, Part-time |
The Software Guild is a tech bootcamp for prospective software engineers. It offers programs to anyone interested in web development, data science, or other areas related to programming. Most of the school’s full-time bootcamps last 10 to 14 months.
If you want to study coding but don’t have 10 months to spare, you can sign up for one of the guild’s 12-week part-time bootcamps.
Is The Software Guild Worth It?
Yes, The Software Guild is worth it. If you are looking for an ideal alternative to a college degree that will practically guarantee you a job in the tech industry, Software Guild might be the right option.
Most tech companies don’t care if you have a college degree or went to a bootcamp, as long as you can get the job done. By attending a course at The Software Guild, you could become a full-stack developer within the year.
The Software Guild Job Placement
As stated above, this coding bootcamp focuses primarily on Java and NET/C#. These are popular programming languages, so studying them will give you a good chance of landing a job after graduation.
So far, at least 1,400 guild graduates have gone on to high-paying jobs. Up to 90 percent of all former students of The Software Guild had received a job offer within six months of graduation.
Does The Software Guild Offer a Job Guarantee?
No, it doesn’t. But even without a guarantee, most bootcamp graduates go on to work for major tech companies. Employers who have connections to The Software Guild are free to tap into the pool of recent graduates to recruit fresh talent.
How Much Does The Software Guild Cost?
Tuition at The Software Guild varies from $10,000 to $13,750 depending on the course. However, you might pay as little as $8,000 if you qualify for a scholarship. A one-time registration fee of $125 is required from all full-time students.
How to Pay for The Software Guild: Scholarships, and Loans Financing
There are many different payment options available at The Software Guild. You can make a payment up front, get scholarships, or apply for loans.
Scholarships
At The Software Guild, female students can apply for the Women in Tech Award, which will reduce their tuition by $2,000. Veterans can apply for the Veterans Who Code Award to also get $2,000 off their tuition. The school also gives out the Code Louisville Award to eligible students, which will reduce their tuition by $1,000.
Ascent Funding
Ascent Funding gives out loans that allow guild students to either defer payments on their tuition until after they graduate, or to make interest-only payments while attending bootcamp.
The deferred payment plan will take effect three months after you have graduated. In paying back these loans, former students can choose whether to pay $400.94 per month for 36 months, or $274.11 per month for 60 months.
Climb Credit
The Climb Credit is similar to Ascent Funding. It comes with an interest-only period and allows applicants 42 months to repay. Selecting an autopay option will reduce the interest rate on the loan by up to 25 percent. Most graduates pay around $365 to $398 per month with this plan.
The Software Guild Locations
- Software Guild Louisville
- Software Guild Minneapolis
- Software Guild Atlanta
- Software Guild Online Bootcamps
The Software Guild has three physical locations, but its online option will provide more flexibility. However, the physical locations all report high job placement rates in their areas.
The Software Guild Courses
The Software Guild offers introductory courses and more advanced courses for coders with experience. The main Software Guild courses are in Java or .NET/C#, two of the most in-demand programming languages.
The Software Guild Prep Courses
It is difficult to learn new tech skills if you don’t know the basics of programming with Git, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. So, The Software Guild expects its students to take several pre-courses before the real bootcamp begins.
- Intro to Git. Git is a free open source distributed version control system that is commonly used to store code for software development. At The Software Guild, students learn to use Git so that they can collaborate on future projects.
- Intro to HTML. Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML, is a simple programming language. It is this standard markup language used for documents you find on the Internet.
- Intro to CSS. CSS is a style sheet programming language that is used to describe documents written in HTML. This introductory course will teach you the basics of CSS.
- Intro to JavaScript. JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages in the world. This beginner’s guide course will teach you how JavaScript works.
Intro to Web Development – Online | In-person
Web development is a useful skill regardless of what industry you work in. Whether you want to work for a major tech company or start a career as a freelance developer, this four- to six-week course is a good place to start. It is also a prerequisite for The Software Guild’s higher-level courses.
Java – Online | In-person
Students in this course will learn how to create applications using the object-oriented programming language Java. This includes compiling features of an application into bytecode and running the programs on a Java virtual machine.
This bootcamp has two versions. The in-person program takes 12 weeks, while the online version can last up to 10 months, depending on the student’s availability.
.NET/C# – Online | In-person Bootcamp
Software Guild offers this course on the general-purpose programming language .NET/C#. This code can be used for a wide range of tasks, which makes it a highly sought after skill. Just like the guild’s Java class, the C# program can last either 12 weeks or 10 months.
What Is the Software Guild Schedule?
The Software Guild bootcamps offer flexible schedules. The school has created short- and long-term options to suit the needs of full-time workers who want to learn software development.
Full-time
Most Software Guild students choose to attend courses online. Right now, due to Codiv-19, courses are only being offered online. C# and Java bootcamps start up often, with upcoming bootcamps beginning on February 19.
Part-time
The part-time programs at the guild are self-paced, so students can space out the work as they see fit. Usually, this means taking many months to complete the same coursework that is packed into the full-time courses.
How to Get Accepted Into The Software Guild
The Software Guild is open to anyone. As long as you are interested in coding and are fine with the tuition rates, you should feel free to apply.
The Software Guild Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate at The Software Guild is 50 percent. People who complete its introductory web development course will have a much better chance of getting admitted than those who do not.
Application Process
To join the Software Guild, all you need to do is complete the application process, then wait to see if you have been accepted.
- Fill out the online application.
- Complete a mandatory admissions interview.
- Take the aptitude test.
- Complete the introduction to web development course.
Interview Questions
During the interview, you can expect to be asked some basic questions about why you want to attend a Software Guild bootcamp. These questions should be easy to answer if you know what you want to get out of the course.
- Do you have any coding experience?
- What got you interested in programming?
- What career goals have you set for yourself?
- How quickly and efficiently can you adapt to change in the tech industry?
Is The Software Guild Right for You?
Based on The Software Guild review above, you should have an idea if these bootcamps are right for you. The school’s acceptance rate of 50 percent is higher than many other bootcamps, and most graduates seem to find success in their careers. Graduates reported starting salaries of $45,000 to $65,000 after completing their program.
The Software Guild’s flexible, online programs allow you to train at your own pace. And with the rising acceptance of bootcamps as a respectable form of tech education, you can expect to get hired in a reasonable timeframe.
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Anonymous
I had some previous coding experience through school but didn’t want to pursue a bachelors so I decided to try the Software Guild out. I had a newer instructor so the first few days were a little rough around the edges but by the end of the program everyone was prepared for an entry level position and had the skills to continually learn new things. The course is really hard if you don’t commit to it and use your time efficiently, several people switched to online because they couldn’t keep up.
They really do help you with finding a job, resume reviews, networking, interviews, etc. Basically the entire part after completion of the program. I found a job after about a month and the job market was slowing down when I was applying because of the holidays. (Nov – December)
I highly recommend checking the guild out if you are interested in a tech career. Also, you should probably research your job market when deciding which language to learn but it’s not a big deal because they give you access to the other course at the end of the program. I learned Java but my job uses .NET/C#
December 13, 2019
Anonymous
I can only consider my experience at the Software Guild as the best career decision I have ever made. Because of the skills I learned at the Guild I have been able to excel in an incredibly challenging, lucrative, and fulfilling career. You are thrown into a very expansive and comprehensive curriculum with only a certain amount of knowledge and encouraged to struggle and learn from the difficulty. This was key for my success in the Guild and now in my career. The single best skill I learned was how to effectively research issues, problems, code, etc and how to find the answer I needed. I will say at some point I do wish I was given a bit more direction at the beginning of the bootcamp when I knew practically nothing and slowly given less and less as I learned on my own but nevertheless I was successful.
January 18, 2020
Anonymous
An intensive program that prepared me to land my first role as a software developer a week after graduating. While attending, l spent 50-70 hours a week learning to think like a developer. The time commitment may seem like a lot, but the twelve weeks flew by and with the help of the instructors and the camaraderie of the other students in the program, not only did I learn but I had a lot of fun!
February 11, 2020
Anonymous
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.
February 24, 2020
Anonymous
Definitely the best money I have ever spent in my tech career. The instructors are nice, know what they’re talking about, and care about getting you work. The guys who work behind the scenes are just as dedicated, it took me almost 6 months to get my first tech job and they still called me once a week, every week, to give me info and hear how i’ve been doing. Would definitely recommend.
March 23, 2020
Anonymous
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. No 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 can gain 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.
April 7, 2020
Anonymous
Background: I attended UofL Computer Engineering program for a year before dropping out in favor of this bootcamp. In 3 months I learned more than I probably would have staying all 4 years at university writing tic-tac-toe applications.
Coursework: Having some (although very basic) knowledge of Java helped me with the first week or so of the coursework. Regardless, the projects you will work on are challenging for a beginner; do not be scared off by this, it is good to struggle a bit when learning to code. The instructors will guide you through the purpose of fundamental techniques so that you can gain a solid foundation of learning how to go about solving problems through code. This is type of critical thinking is key to having a successful career after graduation and definitely seems to be the focus of the program, rather than just writing code for repitition sake.
Post Graduation: I have been working as a developer full time for nearly two years now and continue to use techniques that I learned while studying at the Software Guild. This program has been incredibly useful propelling my career and the community is great even after graduating — I still talk with friends I made in the program regularly and sometimes go back for Wednesday night board games.
April 15, 2020
Anonymous
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.
June 24, 2020