Software Guild

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#

January 13, 2019

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.

February 18, 2019

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, 2019

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!

March 11, 2019

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, 2019

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, 2019

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, 2019

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, 2019