Highly recommend this coding bootcamp for those looking for a career change and especially to any veterans with the ability/eligibility to use the VET TEC program. Great times were had here and will miss this place greatly! The instructors and staff remind you daily how we're all humans at the end of the day with their humility and are there to support you every step of the way.
Skill Distillery was a life-changing experience for me! I went from a non-profit director to a Full-Stack Software Developer, and I do not think I would be successful in this change without the great instructors and SD course. If you choose to put the effort and dedication into the SD course, it will pay off when you begin a career as a new developer.
My first Software Developer job was delayed because of COVID-19. I was hired as a developer working with Java building microservices at a Fortune-150 company at one of their Denver Metropolitan locations, but I am currently working remotely. I graduated in January 2020 and became employed in May 2020 after a seven-week delay to my original start date.
This transformation was not an easy process, but I learned the needed developer skills at Skill Distillery and how to learn new skills quickly. It was a game-changer to me having SD's staff continued to encourage, coach, and help me after the course to help me have stronger interviews.
I recommend the Skill Distillery Java Software Development Bootcamp to anyone aspiring to be a developer who is willing to put the hard work in and wants to make a career change. Please look me up on a business networking site and feel free to ask me about this experience.
I came into SD with a very small amount of prior programming experience, no web experience and no exposure to object-oriented programming. The intense first five weeks at SD introduced me to OO and the Java language, and prepared me very well for the OCA exam. Web development curriculum did not disappoint either. The instructors were very available and very helpful, and consistently provided useful advice and feedback, and the alumni community proved very helpful in tracking down my first position. I would recommend SD to anybody looking to make this career change.
Skill Distillery is a comprehensive and incredibly detailed program. They really create an environment where learning can thrive and give you all the tools needed to succeed in the real world . From learning actual code, to rehearsing for interviews, down to beefing up your resume; they really cover the necessities.
Choosing to go to Skill Distillery was one of the best decisions I ve ever made. I essentially picked up my whole life and moved across the country to attend, and I don t regret it one bit. I was working on a computer science degree in college and felt like the degree was taking far too long, with a lot of irrelevant classes that made my course load feel bloated. It was simply a more effective use of my time to spend 4 short months in a boot camp vs. 4 long years at a university.
Skill Distillery being a 16 week full stack program that covers front and back-end means that you ll have a lot more experience with a wide variety of technologies when compared to most other courses. This greatly improves the amount of jobs you re qualified to apply for. The course is legitimately difficult because of the speed you learn these new technologies at, but with the help of the instructors (who actually have industry experience), it s nothing you can t do if you actually study and put effort into your assignments. I can t recommend Skill Distillery enough.
This was the best decision I ever made! I was currently in a dead-end sales job and not happy with where my career was going. I decided to take a leap of faith and do a career pivot into Computer Programming. I have now found the passion that has been burning inside of me! The Full Stack Java Web Development Program at Skill Distillery was the best! This bootcamp is no joke, you need to put in the time, work, and effort but just know you will be rewarded 100% once you graduate! The instructors are the best and are there to help you get placed into the right job! So if you are on the fence, think no more, DO IT! You will NOT regret it! #SD27
Pros: The course is full of knowledge and you might think you are drinking from the fire hose but it is well worth it!!!! Trust the process! The Instructors are there to help you no matter what, so you will not be suffering in silence! The money you are investing is worth it x5!
Cons: My cohort was during the Covid-19 pandemic so it was all virtual - which was still amazing! But if you're not used to online learning - that might be a challenge - but the instructors and the team are there to help you and they made it just as wonderful! The only thing i would have to say is that I wish they offered a hard copy book of the material... all the material is online - but for myself I need a text book in order to make notes in.
After a 12 year career in Finance, I was looking for a challenge and a new career to go into that would be more engaging. I looked for many options but was impressed on the accolades seen from fellow veterans that had attended the school. This was before the Vet Tec Program, I used my Post 911/GI BILL and the VA worked well with Skill Distillery.
Pros: The classes were taught by people in the industry, the depth and level of knowledge they bring would only be recognize by me until I started working. From day one I knew what was being talked about at my first job as a developer, thanks to the staff at Skill Distillery. You get a thorough breakdown of concepts that seem trivial at first but it's all part of a bigger picture and its not limited to the school environment. I went from having no formal technical training to having a grasps at concepts that would later transfer into a new field, and I had the confidence to take on new challenges at work because I got the core I needed at Skill Distillery. The course is challenging but they give you the tools and resources to reach the goals that sometime seem unattainable.
Cons: This is a full time course, meaning you could be putting in some 10 hour days. The course is heavily backend based but with just enough on the front end to gain an appreciation for it.
Being a software developer was the top option I wanted to pursue as I was getting ready to transition out of the military. I wanted to attend a program that is veteran-friendly and teaches technologies that are highly sought after in the industry. Skill Distillery was on top of the list, and attending this program was the best decision I made. Now, I work for a fortune-100 company as a Software Developer.
The program was designed to not only teach you how to code, but also teaches you the ability to learn new technologies. It s also designed to train you how to collaborate with other developers using tools to help you be successful at your work. Not very many bootcamps teaches Java, because it s a hard language to learn in my point of view. But, they really make sure that everyone doesn t get left behind. Another good thing about this program is that they help you prepare for the Oracle Certified Associate Java SE8 Certification. I didn t get to take it because I was one of the struggling students, but the fact that they offer it, is a great deal itself.
The instructors were very knowledgeable and they were definitely industry experts. They have dedicated instructors for each technologies, but whenever I needed help with a topic, even the instructor from a different topic was willing to help out. Like I mentioned earlier, I was one of the struggling students in our cohort, but I got all the help that I need, from the TA, classmates, and instructors. This was definitely a great experience for me.
It has been a lifelong goal of mine to learn to program. Skill Distillery helped me achieve that goal. I cannot speak highly enough of this program, of the instructors or of their curriculum. They have invested many hours and much passion into crafting and delivering their art...and it shows.
I highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to learn full stack web development!
I am a graduate of cohort 27 - 16 week Full-Stack Development with Java - and attest to the fact that Skill Distillery (SD) is all it claims to be. Like most things in life, you get with you give. If you apply yourself, show up daily, and ask for help when you need it, you will have the skills necessary to excel as a full stack software developer. The curriculum is spot on providing you with the necessary concepts making it easy to learn additional languages.
SD is a family first and foremost. Every employee lives and breaths the SD Values. Cohorts are small thus valuing personalized attention and success over profits. Every person is valued and feedback is not only valued but heeded. The alumni network is second to none. Complete strangers ban together providing assistance to one another whether you have a coding problem you re trying to solve, learning a new language, or figuring the complexity of Hacker Rank / LeetCode.
The instructors are very knowledgeable and experienced. They are patient and open to questions as well as being creative and practical in their presentation of the material helping to keep you engaged when you think you cannot possibly learn yet another new concept. The teaching assistants have been in your seat and provide wonderful support and guidance without solving the problem for you.
Like most boot camps and computer science schools, Skill Distillery does not guarantee job placement. However, through out the boot camp brown bags are offered providing support for setting up your LinkedIn profile and crafting your resume. After graduation, instructors and previous graduates gave of their time to provide one-on-one mock interviews. The alumni network has a job search channel on which openings are constantly being posted. If you desire to work for one of the big firms (Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc), you will need to do additional studying on Big O and algorithms. Udemy is a wonderful and inexpensive resource. SD has great contacts for veterans.
skilldistillery.com
