I participated in the January 2014 Java cohort. This decision has changed my life beyond my expectations. As a former arts instructor, writer, business owner, and stay-at-home mom, I wanted to make web development my career and learn everything I could, but was frustrated with my attempts to learn on my own. When I discovered SWC Guild, I was attracted by the idea of a practical, immersive learning experience and decided to give it my all. Although it was one of the newer bootcamps out there, I was impressed with the backgrounds and experiences of Eric Wise and Eric Ward. I knew I could learn a lot from them. While their teaching styles are very different, both are effective, excellent communicators. They are both extremely accessible and will do whatever they can to help their students master a concept and ultimately, to succeed.
After the cohort ends, I had plans to return to my home of Columbus, Ohio. Knowing this, Eric Wise was up front about the fact that their hiring network is strong in Cleveland, but I would be a little more on my own searching in Columbus. While this has proven to be true, Eric Ward does have contacts in Columbus and has made every effort to utilize those on behalf of myself and one other participant who is also focusing his job search in Columbus. It turns out, I didn't need help as I have had many interviews and just received my first job offer in week 11. Based on my recruiter's feedback from another recent interview, there's a strong possibility I will receive a second offer before the end of this week.
Throughout the job-search process, interviewers have been highly impressed with my technical knowledge--and I knew virtually nothing about programming eleven weeks ago. One recruiter just told me today: "I don't know how much it cost to go through that program, but it's worth 10 times whatever you paid." I strongly agree.
While nearly all of the other bootcamps out there focus on Ruby, a quick internet search showed me that in Columbus, there are around 400 Java jobs available and another 390 C#/.NET jobs. There are only around 65 Ruby jobs. There is a tremendous shortage of talented Java and .NET developers in the industry and while Ruby may be the sexiest new thing, it's not the most in demand.
While most of my review has focused on the employability of SWC Guild graduates, I want to stress that this program is not to be taken lightly. It is grueling. There is an aptitude test required to get in. The description "like drinking from a fire hose" is very accurate. You must be comfortable with feeling overwhelmed and overworked. It is not a quick ticket to a better, higher-paying job. You must have a passion for learning and for the subject matter. Of the participants in the two winter cohorts, several had left careers with six-figure incomes to learn software development because they love doing this.
In closing, I had two additional concerns: ageism and sexism in the software development industry. I am in my forties and I am female. While the general consensus of women in IT is that ageism exists, it has not affected me at all. If anything, employers see my experience as a strongly positive factor in their hiring decision. I haven't seen even a hint of sexism.
These twelve weeks have changed my life. It was extremely difficult to leave my husband and family to live in another city for twelve weeks, only coming home on the weekends, and always working through the weekends even though I was physically at home. There was stress and sacrifice. It's definitely not sustainable in the long term. Still, it's only twelve weeks. Was it worth it? Definitely. read more