You’ve decided to make the leap into a new software development career, and you’re probably overwhelmed by all the great options at your disposal. What you need is an option that centers its entire program around more than just the right tools for the job—an option that focuses on helping its students land new careers with expert instruction.
The Software Guild does just that. Software development experts built this school to give back to their profession by bringing up the next generation. At The Software Guild, you’ll learn from seasoned experts with experience in teaching, and after you’re ready to start your career, you’ll have access to a strong hiring network that includes over 450 employers.
Best of all, it’s completely free to test the program to make sure it’s right for you.
What Is The Software Guild?
The Software Guild is a coding bootcamp that’s added over 1,400 new developers to the job market since its founding in 2013. Expert software developers came together to found the school in the mold of a medieval guild where skilled masters trained apprentices in hands-on processes that improved both their skill levels.
And this model has shown proven success for its apprentices. Over 91 percent of apprentices from The Software Guild’s Minneapolis campus find software development jobs within six months of graduating. These graduates are finding quality full-time jobs as well, with a median salary of $60,000.
The program is built on a foundation of quantifiable skills and career focus. The teachers have an average of over 10 years of experience each, and they’re more than qualified to teach you how to build amazing software. Because of their industry experience, they can also frame the information with use cases and workflow examples from a real-life coder’s daily tasks.
The Software Guild offers great online courses in the Java and C#/.NET programming languages, but they also offer a free course to get you started.
Courses Available at The Software Guild
There are two full-time paths that apprentices can follow during their time at The Software Guild; Java or C#/.NET. The Software Guild also offers an appealing and unique structure to its part-time offerings. These flexible courses allow you to save money in the long run while building up your software skills on your own schedule.
Introduction to Web Development
The free Introduction to Web Development course is the start of your path at The Software Guild. This short course teaches apprentices the basic building blocks of the internet. You’ll study Git, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript at your own pace from anywhere in the world, and by the end of it, you’ll be ready to tackle more advanced challenges that come your way.
This course is designed to bring all of The Software Guild’s apprentices to the same starting point before their bootcamps. After you’ve progressed to the bootcamp of your choice, you’ll have an opportunity to review your projects professionally with the help of a master coder during the first week.
On average, this course takes about six weeks to complete at around 10 to 20 hours of work per week.
.NET/C# Bootcamp
The Software Guild’s .NET/C# Bootcamp is one of your two main course options. .NET/C# are very popular for developing all sorts of Windows applications, from video games to websites. You’ll be ready for junior development jobs as soon as you graduate from this program.
This course, like the Java course, requires apprentices to take an aptitude test and the Introduction to Web Development course before admission. Apprentices then embark on a 12-week learning experience that begins with instruction on object-oriented programming.
As you work your way through the first half of the course, you’ll pick up skills with basic syntax in .NET/C#, learn about inheritance and unit testing, and then start picking up extra technologies like LINQ and more. By the end of the fifth week, you’ll be able to build a fully functioning .NET/C# application from scratch.
In week six, you’ll start studying server-side programming using ASP.NET. You’ll build functional websites with forms that deliver data to the servers, and progress to learning more about building REST web services, designing databases, and more. At the end of your course, you’ll complete a full-stack capstone project and start receiving the program’s stellar career support.
This 12-week program costs $10,000.
Java Bootcamp
The Software Guild’s Java Bootcamp is its other full-time online coding course. Java is used across a multitude of industries, from programming Internet of Things devices like smart lightbulbs and refrigerators to designing applications for Android. You’ll be able to build websites from the ground up after graduating from this bootcamp.
This course follows a similar path as the .NET/C# bootcamp. You’ll start the 12-week program with instruction on object-oriented programming, learning to build strong code and erase errors before a Java mastery project in week five.
In week six, you’ll start building database-driven web applications with similar tools as the .NET/C# course. You’ll also be building REST web services, designing databases, and more, but with different tools that better fit Java’s infrastructure.
This course also costs $10,000.
Digital Coding Badges
The Software Guild developed its digital badge program to offer an alternative to apprentices that may not be able to commit three months to its full-time programs. In this system, you work through each curriculum in four levels that build on each other in a flexible format.
You won’t lose any of the rigor or expert instruction that makes these programs worthwhile either. By the end of your chosen path, you’ll have the same full stack capabilities as apprentices from other programs, but you’ll have earned them on your own time. These courses let you prepare for a career change without disrupting your work schedule.
The four levels are the same for both the Java and .NET/C# digital badge programs. Apprentices learn the basics of their chosen language in level one to build a foundation. In level two, apprentices learn intermediate and advanced object-oriented programming concepts. In level three, apprentices learn how to host web services and use frameworks to create websites and validate form data. In the final level, apprentices complete their training and start preparing for their job search.
These programs split up the time commitment to make The Software Guild’s great programs available for more people. They also split up your cost commitment, in case you’re not sure if you’d be able to afford the cost of the courses upfront.
What’s most exciting about the badges program is you get a completion discount as you progress through the levels. So the first level costs $2,000, but once you complete that, you’ll only pay $2,750 for level two instead of $3,000. The same goes for level three at $1,750 instead of $2,000, culminating in a $500 discount on level four, bringing its cost down to $2,500.
These discounts add up. If you stick with the badges program until completion, you’ll pay less for the same education than if you were to attend the full-time program. The total cost of either program is $9,000.
But if you want to lessen your financial commitment to the program even more, The Software Guild also offers multiple financing options.
The Software Guild Financing Options
The Software Guild has a few great options that make its programs more affordable. In addition to the savings from the digital coding badges program, you can also take advantage of private loans or scholarships.
Loans
The Software Guild offers private loans through its partnerships with Climb and Skills Fund.
Skills Fund allows apprentices to pay for their education in plans that last for either 36 or 60 months. Under the 36-month plan, you’ll pay $400.94 every month until you’ve satisfied the payment terms. Under the 60-month plan, you’ll pay $274.11 every month. Climb offers a 42-month financing term, but for part of that term, you’ll only be paying the interest. Monthly payments under this plan range from $365 to $398.
Scholarships
The Software Guild offers two scholarship options to help people make the switch into tech. Through a partnership with Women in Tech, qualifying women can receive a $2,000 scholarship to cover their tuition. Through a similar partnership with Vets Who Code, qualifying veterans or active military members can also receive a $2,000 scholarship.
These financing options help apprentices lessen their financial burden as they work their way through the program. As we mentioned above, graduates are succeeding at a high rate after completing the program. There are a couple of reasons why so many alumni do so well.
Which Employers Hire Java and .NET/C# Developers?
We’ve already covered the fact that 91.7 percent of graduates from The Software Guild find jobs within six months of employment. We’ve also covered a few of the industries that are always hunting for Java and .NET/C# developers. But how does The Software Guild help people find jobs so fast when they’ve entered the program with no experience?
Java and .NET/C# Careers
Most graduates from The Software Guild end up working as software developers, software engineers, application developers, and associate consultants. These are some of the fastest-growing jobs in the country, with software development, for example, expected to grow by 22 percent by 2029.
Though these job titles are the same across the industry, all of these workers have different responsibilities depending on the infrastructure, size, and industry of the company they’re working at. Some of The Software Guild’s hiring partners include big names like Amazon, Best Buy, General Mills, Humana, Target, and more.
Graduates are landing these jobs because of the strong curriculum and instruction at The Software Guild. But they’re also getting an extra boost from the school’s career services team.
The Software Guild Career Services
The Software Guild has great career support to help apprentices find their way into the vast software development field. The school has a network of more than 450 employers that are available for every apprentice and graduate in good standing. You’ll be able to forge connections with these employers during your time in the program and advance your career after graduation.
The employer network is just the beginning, as the career services team also helps apprentices develop their portfolios, resumes, and social media profiles before graduation. You’ll want to present your value as clearly and attractively as possible to potential employers, and it’ll be no problem with expert career advice from this team at The Software Guild.
But the support doesn’t end there. You’ll also gain access to mock interviews, job search coaching, help with follow-up emails, employer connect events, career panels with successful professionals and alumni, and more. Alumni love giving back to The Software Guild, and they get to do so by posting job listings for other alums and participating in webinars where they can speak on their experiences.
The Software Guild is more than just a name, apprentices join the program for life. You’ll have lifetime access to all of the benefits of membership in case you need some job hunting refreshers, or if you just want to be the next person to return the favor.
Conclusion
The Software Guild specializes in helping apprentices find their dream job through a robust combination of curriculum and career services. Its flexible digital badge options also make career changes possible for people who wouldn’t normally have a chance to do so. People like Laura Williams, who had to adapt her schedule around her three-year-old son.
Laura had minimal coding experience before joining the .NET/C# cohort in Louisville, but she was able to land a job as a software developer just over two weeks after graduation.
“The Guild prepared me so thoroughly for getting a development job. We had direct resources like the instructors and TAs,” Laura said. “It is an investment for your future, and it has already paid off. In one year, I have already made up the difference from what I was making in my old career. It is investing the money in yourself.”
If you’d like to invest in yourself with a membership in The Software Guild, submit your application today.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
